Have your say, vote for Data Bundle Rollover

[Snowolf]

well its end of the month and i'm having to find something to dload just to use up my free megs, I paid for it and I'm going to use it.
please please vodacom, look into rollover, or at least a way that we can purchase data bundles that are valid over a few months.

 

[diabolus]

Yea it's actually somewhat ironic. I'm sure companies would like to keep congestion down and hoping people don't download like crazy at the same time. But now you get the scenario [and this includes ADSL 3GB cap] where people WILL make sure they use their entire -paid for- bundle/amount.

So i wonder if this doesn't cause alot of slowdowns at the end of the month? [and it will only get worse the more people sign up]. It'll be impossible to actually regulate the usage, people will be 'saving' bandwidth somewhere in the month and then 'overuse' another time in the month and it will happen all the same general periods for everyone.

Current system actually forces you 'not to waste money' by wasting bandwidth on the network

My guess is this:

Week 1 : High Usage [everyone who did finish off their bundle will now be downloading whatever they couldn't download previous month]
Week 2 : Low Usage [saving]
Week 3 : Low Usage [saving]
Week 4 : Extremely High Usage [Those that did not finish off bundles will now be downloading any crap they can find in order to do so + the regular end of the month things [banking,bills etc etc] ]

So in the end networks are digging a hole for themselves, they will not be able to smooth out usage and you will have a situation where 2 weeks of the month you can barely use the network and the other 2 weeks it's clean but then you're busy saving up bandwidth.

 

[kilps]

Yea it's actually somewhat ironic. I'm sure companies would like to keep congestion down and hoping people don't download like crazy at the same time. But now you get the scenario [and this includes ADSL 3GB cap] where people WILL make sure they use their entire -paid for- bundle/amount.

So i wonder if this doesn't cause alot of slowdowns at the end of the month? [and it will only get worse the more people sign up]. It'll be impossible to actually regulate the usage, people will be 'saving' bandwidth somewhere in the month and then 'overuse' another time in the month and it will happen all the same general periods for everyone.

Current system actually forces you 'not to waste money' by wasting bandwidth on the network

My guess is this:

Week 1 : High Usage [everyone who did finish off their bundle will now be downloading whatever they couldn't download previous month]
Week 2 : Low Usage [saving]
Week 3 : Low Usage [saving]
Week 4 : Extremely High Usage [Those that did not finish off bundles will now be downloading any crap they can find in order to do so + the regular end of the month things [banking,bills etc etc] ]

So in the end networks are digging a hole for themselves, they will not be able to smooth out usage and you will have a situation where 2 weeks of the month you can barely use the network and the other 2 weeks it's clean but then you're busy saving up bandwidth.

Nice description

By enabling roleover the cellphone companies won't be loosing money - they will just be making less of it

 

[Harley79]

v3g, I'm back! , oh no, I never started this topic This is an OLD OLD topic, but one that I think Vodacom needs to now provide answers for, we have given enough time and I think without more pressure it is just going to continue riding.

While we on the "riding" topic, v3g, whats up with "lite" usage page?

 

[vodacom3g]

Good question on the lite page. Will follow up on Tuesday.

Keep the pressure on re the roll over.

 

[ajax]

Good question on the lite page. Will follow up on Tuesday.

Keep the pressure on re the roll over.

Give me 1 Gigabyte with a 180 day rollover and I will camp outside the store overnight like those Star Wars movie fanatics in the US to get the first ticket.

 

[kilps]

What about the 'cult of mac' - camping for a OS

 

[pevans]

Sounds like me trying to use up the last of my 1 Gig on the weekened

Just adding to the congestion!

Well at least I'm down to 250MB this month so I won't have the same problem. (Autopage actually came through and did their job!)

 

[Airmatix]

Heck, roll over just half of my unused data for 180 days, and I'll dance a jig every day of the week. Sitting in Bangkok at the moment, while my 3G card waits patiently at home - I've been here for two weeks, paying for data that's going to waste. What a sin!

 

[bb_matt]

Any ISP that implements some kind of rollover for clients is doing the right thing.

Even if it just adds into the first week of the new month, that would give some extra reward to those users who use the network cautiously.

 

[Harley79]

??

 

[vodacom3g]

Assuming the above prompt was aimed at me: (Or am I just acting guilty?)

Lite-page got caught up in a serious backend re-design to acommodate pre-paid bundles and other nice stuff. As far as I could determine this is now rolling into production, so hopefully soon. But then you've heard that before.

Roll-over is (as always) on, or near the top, of a 'forum-wishlist' I keep and feed to the marketing and product guys.

 

[MaD]

Rollover should apply to cell minutes, unused data, sms bundles and the like - it is something which money has been paid for - the provider cannot just take something back for which currency has been exchanged, its theft.

 

[Liposuck2004]

Ditto on the rollover and big up ditto on the theft,I was wondering if Im the only one who saw it that way.I payed for it and its mine!...ok thats all i had....back to my little corner now

 

[Harley79]

ATT : Vodacom Management

Why Rollover?

I am now seriously annoyed. If you going to not give your customers what they asking for, i.e. rollover. Then I think you should get your billing right (i.e. realtime). Last month for the first time I was "close" to my limit, but also downloaded some stuff on the night of month end, I wondered what would happen, and my fear has been confirmed.

I.e. the data has accumulated against this current month's limit and not against last month. Blah Blah Blah re when did I disconnect etc etc, but the point is it should not matter, the data was used last month, not this month. Therefore you have defrauded me, by "stealing" bandwidth from my current month allowance.

I would expect that you will investigate my usage, and in the event that I am wrong I hereby apologise. However, this scenario is a practical reality, and I am certainly certain this has happened to at least one of your users since 3G was launched.

The easiest, simplest, fastest and most customer friendly way to resolve this exact type of scenario????? You guessed it.... Roll over!

I am trying to log into the Vodacom SP website to pull my itemised usage as evidential proof, but, guess what.... cannot access it for some reason using 3G.

 

[vodacom3g]

Harley79, I hear you.

If you don't mind, please write me a detailed PM stating your problem. I'd like to forward your (very valid) observations. Please include your 3G number.

 

[Harley79]

!! WARNING TO ALL 3G USERS !!

I have now positivelly confirmed against my detailed billing, that Vodacom have deducted usage from my June account, which should have been against my May Account. The itemised billing on my June Account even shows that the usage was on 31 May 2005, so there is no excuse what so ever.

I must correct a statement on my previous post however, my "big" downloads were infact done on the evening of the 1st, not on the last day. Never the less, the amount of data showing on my June itemised billing as 31 May 2005 amounts to 37MB, I still had 200MB available for May.

Another interesting observation. It would seem that the itemised billing is in 15 minute increments mostly. Unless I disconnected every 15 minutes to the second.

v3g, will PM you as well.

 

[vodacom3g]

Got your PM and have forwarded it. Will (once again) get an update on where we are with real-time billing tomorrow.

 

[diabolus]

I have now positivelly confirmed against my detailed billing, that Vodacom have deducted usage from my June account, which should have been against my May Account.

That happens with me too. Its like some data sessions on say the 26th+ of a month is billed next month and some the current month, no idea how it is determined. In my case it was small amounts like R20 and i am just not willing to sit on the calldesk for ages to sort out R20 billing inaccuracies.


On another note though, i notice MTN got a system where you can select the DAY OF THE MONTH ON WHICH DATA BUNDLES ARE RENEWED. Does Vodacom have this? For example, you can say "my month starts on the 12th", then your bundles will run from 12th-12th instead of 1st - 1st etc. This can be an interesting way to smoothen out bandwidth usage "end of the month". I assume you are still billed during a regular month [i.e start of], regardless of whether your bundles are renewed in the middle or end of a month.

The system above is getting alot closer to the allmighty rollover i'd say.

 

[sevenworth]

Who knows the reason...

Was sitting here wondering if there was any particular reason why bandwidth (in any broadband situation) never accumulates. I mean, surely one should get what one pays for?