How cellular operators rip you off

So basically everyone pays in a 'hardware subsidy' of R1,344 (across the board) + The pay-in, specific to the phone you choose.

So on a Vodacom 315s i'm paying R259 for the contract and R56 for the phone? If this is true, then you should ensure you don't take a phone that costs less than R1,334 (when its a 'free' phone deal)
 
deweyzeph said:
I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would willingly sign a cellphone contract in South Africa under such dubious terms and conditions.

I gave up on contracts long ago and have only used prepaid with my own second hand phone. I may pay little more, but I sleep a whole lot better at night! I refuse to be ripped off by these idiots.
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So you will instead be ripped off by their even worse payg system? Yeah, makes sense.
 
I got a 5800XM for R150pm all inclusive.

I get R100 Airtime, 25 SMS's and loyalty points that I normal spend on a 10Mb data bundle.
That's a total of R3600.

Considering I got this phone just over a year ago, that's not a bad price to pay for it and get stuff with.

You just need to shop around for a good deal.
 
ocleroux said:
You are paying R2.30 per minute...regardless of off/peak. Eish.
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Not if he took the UYO deal - there it costs R99/month for R200 airtime. So if you use exactly R200 per month it effectively comes to R1.15 per minute any time.
And dont' forget the 25 sms worth 85c x25 ~ R20. And if you're subscribed to (free) loyalty points then every few months you can buy a 100 or maybe the 200 sms bundle with those points. On contract that sms bundle seems to carry over indefinitely, in my personal experience. Pity it doesn't carry over if you're on topup though.

EDIT: My next contract will be All Week 100 from Cell C.
 
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you are going to be ripped off no matter what you pick, it will just be the degree that will vary
 
Why are there no decent per second contracts that lower income people can get?
Cheapest is the one we are on (talk75S) and many friends of mine can not get this contract.
 
I also tried to get a Blackberry on contract and if you actually sit and do all the numbers it's not worth it unless you spend over a R1000 a month on calls alone.
 
Consumer Protection Act

From October the new Consumer Protection Act will come into place.

Cell phone users will be glad to hear that automatic renewal of contracts for a fixed length will be a thing of the past. For example it will be illegal for cell phone providers to automatically renew a two year contract for a further two years without permission in writing from the customer to do so. The supplier can’t cancel the contract either, and needs to continue providing the service on a month-to-month basis until it hears from the customer.

In addition, it will be illegal to bundle services as this infringes on the consumer’s right to choose. As a result cell phone contracts will probably be structured quite differently to avoid bundling services together and forcing the customer to pay for all of them, whether they want them or not. The only exception will be when it makes economic sense for the services to be bundled, in which case it should be cheaper for the consumer.
 
TOP UP 135
TOP UP 200
TOP UP 275
TOP UP 400
TOP UP 315
TOP UP 500
WEEKENDER

Those are the lower end tarrifs thats available in Per Second billing.
 
kolakidd said:
From October the new Consumer Protection Act will come into place.

Cell phone users will be glad to hear that automatic renewal of contracts for a fixed length will be a thing of the past. For example it will be illegal for cell phone providers to automatically renew a two year contract for a further two years without permission in writing from the customer to do so. The supplier can’t cancel the contract either, and needs to continue providing the service on a month-to-month basis until it hears from the customer.
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This has always been the case....with VSP anyway.
 
ocleroux said:
TOP UP 135
TOP UP 200
TOP UP 275
TOP UP 400
TOP UP 315
TOP UP 500
WEEKENDER

Those are the lower end tarrifs thats available in Per Second billing.
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Yep and they all rip you off compared with a talk75S
 
ocleroux said:
huh? A VAS is a service that you pay for, but which is optional (except on some upgrade deals where it migh be mandatory) and available on request.
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Come on, get real. I can optionally decide to pay to see what I'm being charged for? It's a blatant ****ing rip-off.

I'd like to see supermarkets try this "Yes sir, you'd like a till slip? That'll be R11.40 extra"

Don't try to defend the indefensible.
 
arf9999 said:
Come on, get real. I can optionally decide to pay to see what I'm being charged for? It's a blatant ****ing rip-off.

I'd like to see supermarkets try this "Yes sir, you'd like a till slip? That'll be R11.40 extra"

Don't try to defend the indefensible.
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+1, charging for itemised billing must surely rank as one of the biggest con jobs that the cellphone providers have managed to get away with! This dubious practice has been done away with in most civilised countries, not sure why it's been allowed to continue here.
 
arf9999 said:
Don't try to defend the indefensible.
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I am not here to defend anything. I am here to explain and give info. You can see the breakdown of the charges on your montly invoice sent to you together with your monthly statement. It will look similar to this:

SMS - Domestic R10.26 14.0 % R11.70
Vodacom to Vodacom R0.00 14.0 % R0.00
Vodacom to Other Mobile Network R0.00 14.0 % R0.00
Vodacom to Telkom R0.00 14.0 % R0.00
MMS - National R2.80 14.0 % R3.19
Data Usage R12.53 14.0 % R14.28
BlackBerry R0.00 14.0 % R0.00
VAS -CLIP Subscription R8.33 14.0 % R9.50
BlackBerry Talk 100 - Individual R306.14 14.0 % R349.00
TOTAL excl. VAT R340.06
TOTAL VAT R47.61
TOTAL incl. VAT R387.67
Click to expand...

You do see what you are paying for without IB. But should you require to see who you phoned for whatever reason, then that is a VAS which you will then pay for. Should you not subscribe to the IB service, but you have a query or need to check something on your billing, you may request the IB from customer care and they will fax it to you at a charge.

Regards:
OC
 
Yes, but why should you have to pay for itemised billing? It should be done as a matter of course, not as a value added service. It doesn't cost the cellphone providers any extra to provide the service.
 
ocleroux said:
I am not here to defend anything. I am here to explain and give info. You can see the breakdown of the charges on your montly invoice sent to you together with your monthly statement. It will look similar to this:



You do see what you are paying for without IB. But should you require to see who you phoned for whatever reason, then that is a VAS which you will then pay for. Should you not subscribe to the IB service, but you have a query or need to check something on your billing, you may request the IB from customer care and they will fax it to you at a charge.

Regards:
OC
Click to expand...
OC, I understand that you have to take the company line here. But you're in an ethical minefield. Itemised billing is not a "Value-added service". It is a basic service that your accounts dept should provide as part of the package of services that they provide. Name one other product or service that can be purchased, where the billing is not itemised. Even the municipality itemises my local rates and taxes, FFS. The fact that the SPs have created this artificial charge, and have the audacity to make it mandatory in some cases is a poor reflection on the ethics of the industry.

I repeat: Itemised Billing is not "Value Added" hence it can't be called a VAS. Maybe there should be a new acronym like "TFS" (Theft from Subscribers).
 
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