GPRS too slow - 3G not available

M

Mams

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Location
Krugersdorp/Mogale City, South Africa
I bought a Sony Ericsson V800 3G phone and took the 250mb per month option and thought ill get 3G speeds.........
Krugersdorp only has GPRS at the moment and the V800 is tooooooooooo slow on GPRS.
When I take my sim card and use it in an old Siemens ME45 the GPRS is faster than the V800 but still not what i need.

= 2 PROBLEMS:
1: Vodacom doesnt have 3 G in a big town - Krugersdorp
2: something wrong with V800 software? it is class 10 GPRS but running slower than CLASS 8 ME45...........

Any comments?

I think Vodacom over hyped their 3G...........they only have availibility in affluent areas and MTN at least has EDGE here which is way better than the GPRS speeds.
 
You could always return the phone if u are still under the 7day, 15minutes talktime requirement. Otherwise you might want to argue that you bought the V800 for 3G specifically, if the dealer didn't inform you about the 3G situation in Krugersdorp, you might get it taken back.

I'm using GRPS with the v800 in stellenbosch, and it is as fast as it is suppose to be.
 
erike said:
You could always return the phone if u are still under the 7day, 15minutes talktime requirement. Otherwise you might want to argue that you bought the V800 for 3G specifically, if the dealer didn't inform you about the 3G situation in Krugersdorp, you might get it taken back.

I'm using GRPS with the v800 in stellenbosch, and it is as fast as it is suppose to be.
Click to expand...
You can only return the phone if it was faulty and a new V800 will be given to the customer. Contract will not be cancell.Its the customer duty to ask if there is coverage or not.....If a customer walks in to your business ask for a specific item.Will you try and sell him something else.
 
The 7-day cooling off period, is that part of a Vodacom contract, or Vodashop, or what?

If there was an expectation of 3G coverage, and there is de facto no 3G coverage, it would make more sense to allow the contract cancellation within that 7 day window, as not doing so will only result in an unhappy customer...

My thoughts...:)
 
As far as I know, with data cards the shops must confirm coverage. With phones, being primarily voice device, I'm not to sure if the same rules apply.

Mams, won't you PM me the cell-id where you've tested the speed and I can check up if something is amiss.
 
Tahir Ally said:
Its the customer duty to ask if there is coverage or not......
Click to expand...

Interesting attitude. So on the one hand you advertise like crazy that 3G is here and now, and on the other hand you say it is the customer's duty to determine if there is coverage??? How the Hellkom is the customer going to determine that? Is this a mobile solution or not? If I were to walk in and say "I want coverage though all the metropolitan areas, are you going to exclude Krugersdorp, Randburg, the Park Hyatt Hotel in Rosebank, Sandton City and so on and so on? And what, please explain is YOUR duty?
 
Magus

You make a very valid point. Also, just to note, that even the online map of coverage isnt 100% reliable, as your coverage will vary mainly because of the structures aroound you.

So EVEN if it were up to the customer to check coverage, the only point of reference being the online map, it STILL doesn't give 100% assurance that you'll get a 3G signal. As far as I know no dealer has a "Loaner" phone / device to enable you to check the physical coverage.

So, if you buy a 3G phone and end up having no coverage, I would think you are entitled to a refund OR swop-out. Otherwise you might've just as well bought an inexpensive phone capable of doing GPRS (which almost any phone these days can do). It is very unreasonable for dealers to expect the customer to assure that he has 3G signal in the intended use area. On the other side, it is very stupid to sell a 3G device in an area which has no known 3G coverage.

But then again, I've had bad experiences with some dealers before that ended up in me swopping my phone out 60km from where I live because they were just inept. This after paying 4 Grand for a phone. Bleh.

To come back to Tahir's point about selling a customer what he wants, I agree... to an extent. I think it's blatant daylight robbery to sell a 3G phone in Krugersdorp if there is no 3G coverage. It's like selling a coffee maker to someone that does not have access to electricity, while being aware of the fact.

This is something that the Vodacom / VodaShop / VodacomSP supply chain has to deal with. Why market 3G in an area where the service is not available? By marketing I do not mean TV ad's and the like... I mean in-store marketing.

If the person bought the 3G enabled device in an area OUTSIDE his intended usage area, that has got 3G signal, and did not bother to enquire about the availability of the service in his intended usage area, then you could argue that he's not entitled to a refund.

On a side note, every time I buy a new phone (usually cash, don't like contracts) some dealers sneer at me... do dealers get more of a kick-back from a contract than a cash purchase of a phone?


Just my Zim$ 26.0221 = R 0.02
 
Last edited:
Okay, *getting off couch*, I guess no reply is imminant :p I was wondering, and forgive my ignorance... But how exactly DOES this 7 day/15 min talktime return policy thing work?

If I buy a new phone cash, can I just return it for whatever reason, no questions asked, within this time frame? Or only if the phone is faulty in some way, and then only with the intent of having it replaced?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated... :)
 
jarr said:
Okay, *getting off couch*, I guess no reply is imminant :p I was wondering, and forgive my ignorance... But how exactly DOES this 7 day/15 min talktime return policy thing work?

If I buy a new phone cash, can I just return it for whatever reason, no questions asked, within this time frame? Or only if the phone is faulty in some way, and then only with the intent of having it replaced?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated... :)
Click to expand...

I exchanged a phone on that basis. It was painless. One of the buttons was not always responding.
 
Tahir Ally said:
You can only return the phone if it was faulty and a new V800 will be given to the customer. Contract will not be cancell.Its the customer duty to ask if there is coverage or not.....If a customer walks in to your business ask for a specific item.Will you try and sell him something else.
Click to expand...

I don't agree. As a service provider, your job, or duty, is to make sure that you understand the customer's needs. It is up to the salesperson to find out what the device is going to be used for, where it is going to be used, and steer him in the right direction on the purchase. You WOULD try sell him something else if you knew what the requirements were and not just interested in making a quick buck. There is not such a thing as an easy sell, it will always come back and bite you.
 
Mams said:
I bought a Sony Ericsson V800 3G phone and took the 250mb per month option and thought ill get 3G speeds.........
Krugersdorp only has GPRS at the moment and the V800 is tooooooooooo slow on GPRS.
When I take my sim card and use it in an old Siemens ME45 the GPRS is faster than the V800 but still not what i need.

= 2 PROBLEMS:
1: Vodacom doesnt have 3 G in a big town - Krugersdorp
2: something wrong with V800 software? it is class 10 GPRS but running slower than CLASS 8 ME45...........

Any comments?

I think Vodacom over hyped their 3G...........they only have availibility in affluent areas and MTN at least has EDGE here which is way better than the GPRS speeds.
Click to expand...


Mams - have you perhaps tried the phone in an area where Vodacom have known EDGE or 3G coverage to make sure that it is working correctly? You may also want to check out if there is a firmware upgrade available for the phone. There have been a lot of compatability issues slipping through the cracks with the new UMTS devices and firmware updates are coming through thick and fast...
 
TRY THE NETWORK THAT LAUNCHED 3G 1st in SA.Atleast with them you CAN make call via 3G.There coverage is better and buy August this year that network will have the whole of GAUTENG covered and by Dec 05 almost everywhere in SA.It also has coverage in most coastal areas in KZN
.
 
Tahir Ally said:
TRY THE NETWORK THAT LAUNCHED 3G 1st in SA.Atleast with them you CAN make call via 3G.There coverage is better and buy August this year that network will have the whole of GAUTENG covered and by Dec 05 almost everywhere in SA.It also has coverage in most coastal areas in KZN
.
Click to expand...

I thought you said that the responsibility to determine coverage lay with the customer. Does this mean that you/Vodac*m will cancel my contract (and refund me) if I dont have coverage all over Gauteng?
 
magus said:
I thought you said that the responsibility to determine coverage lay with the customer. Does this mean that you/Vodac*m will cancel my contract (and refund me) if I dont have coverage all over Gauteng?
Click to expand...
.No they will not.You should have asked the store when you buy.............When you buy a car and does not meet your expectation can you return it.The answer is NO.You should have read the fine print when you sign.............By the end August the whole of Gauteng will covered
 
MrG said:
I am now ready for a 20 Month upgrade and am really wanting to get the Nokia 6680, but I am not sure what the costs would be and also which network to go onto... Vodacom looks good for 3G, MTN is in testing phases and well I am currently on Cell C which SMS'd me on the 24th saying that their data costs are now also R2.00/MB. I am just wondering (since there is no Cell C 3G section), when will Cell C be launching 3G.... is there anyone with infomation or should I rather cancel my contract with Autopage on Cell C?
Click to expand...
I can confirm with you that the 6680 is FREE on some of Vodacoms contracts and will be available middle of June05.Vist the VodaThread to check prices
 
ok, cool... will check there now... thanks
 
Tahir Ally said:
..By the end August the whole of Gauteng will covered
Click to expand...

Let me repeat my question. The fine print says "the whole of Gauteng will be covered." Your words. If it is not, will you cancel my contract and refund my money?
 
magus said:
Let me repeat my question. The fine print says "the whole of Gauteng will be covered." Your words. If it is not, will you cancel my contract and refund my money?
Click to expand...
NO WHERE IN YOUR CONTRACT IT MENTIONS WHAT I SAID.I was just saying BY AUGUST THE WHOLE OF GAUTENG WILL BE COVERED.Well thats what someone from Voda tod me.What i meant by FINE PRINT is go and look at it properly.It does not state if there is no 3G coverage or if you are not happy with the service you may cancel the contract and we will refund......The contract is a BLUE FORM YOU FILLED OUT.TURN IT AROUND AND LOOK AT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
 
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