As noted in my other thread I've decided to get Vodacom 3G.
I'm using this forum, not only to get some assistance (which I must thank you all for in advance), but also to chronicle my quest so that those hapless souls to follow in my footsteps may find the road a little smoother. So for those who help me out, thank you and my apologies if at times I post some info that is useless to you, this is intended to be useful to others.
So here is what I want to do (and if you read through that whole thread my reasons may be a bit clearer):
As background info it is important to note that:
Now I have a few questions and the obvious answer is of course to look for info on the website. And there's a handy FAQ with the question "How do I get 3G?" with the answer being "You need to sign a 24-month contract with Vodacom which will give you access to Vodacom's 3G and GPRS network."
As informative and helpful as that is, it doesn't really tell you anything, does it? So for those of you looking for similar info, don't even waste your time with the website.
Second try, go to a vodashop and ask them in person (because I don't like holding on for customer service). So to do this, find out where the nearest Vodashop is. You can quickly navigate to Outlets => Vodashops on the website. Only problem is, this page instructs you to call 125vodashop, which doesn't work from a Telkom line or an MTN cell phone. Smart.
Finally, call the customer service help line. After holding on for a bit (guessing, but let's say 5 min's), my call is answered and the gentleman (name withheld) tells me (1) that there is a Vodashop in Centurion where I am, (2) he cannot tell me where it is, because "it is not coming up on my computer". So instead of searching for the mysterious shop, I decide to ask him my questions:
After holding for about 30 minutes for 3G department I gave up.
So herewith my questions:
I'm using this forum, not only to get some assistance (which I must thank you all for in advance), but also to chronicle my quest so that those hapless souls to follow in my footsteps may find the road a little smoother. So for those who help me out, thank you and my apologies if at times I post some info that is useless to you, this is intended to be useful to others.
So here is what I want to do (and if you read through that whole thread my reasons may be a bit clearer):
- Purchase the datacard outright (not on contract)
- Not pay any fixed monthly contract fee (I believe this should be possible with a Voda4U contract)
- Get a Linksys router to set up a home network (I may choose to only do this at a later stage)
As background info it is important to note that:
- I do not have a Vodacom SIM card or any type of Vodacom contract at present
- I do not have a handset capable of 3G/GPRS
Now I have a few questions and the obvious answer is of course to look for info on the website. And there's a handy FAQ with the question "How do I get 3G?" with the answer being "You need to sign a 24-month contract with Vodacom which will give you access to Vodacom's 3G and GPRS network."
As informative and helpful as that is, it doesn't really tell you anything, does it? So for those of you looking for similar info, don't even waste your time with the website.
Second try, go to a vodashop and ask them in person (because I don't like holding on for customer service). So to do this, find out where the nearest Vodashop is. You can quickly navigate to Outlets => Vodashops on the website. Only problem is, this page instructs you to call 125vodashop, which doesn't work from a Telkom line or an MTN cell phone. Smart.
Finally, call the customer service help line. After holding on for a bit (guessing, but let's say 5 min's), my call is answered and the gentleman (name withheld) tells me (1) that there is a Vodashop in Centurion where I am, (2) he cannot tell me where it is, because "it is not coming up on my computer". So instead of searching for the mysterious shop, I decide to ask him my questions:
- Can I purchase a datacard outright? Answer: Yes.
- How much would that cost? Answer (After some searching on the computer): I can't get it on my computer right now but I know it's more than R1000. Can I put you through to our 3G department and they'll be able to answer all your questions. Response: Yes please
After holding for about 30 minutes for 3G department I gave up.
So herewith my questions:
- How much would it cost me to buy a 3G/HSDPA datacard cash?
- Where can I buy it?
- Which one should I get? (I want to make sure I have 3G with HSDPA, I want to use it in a Linksys router and sometimes in my laptop and beyond that my needs are fairly basic)
- I would like to pay for usage as far as possible. In other words, if I don't use it for two months, I want those two months to cost me R0, is there any way of achieving this? (From that other thread it seems it would be by getting Voda4u and buying prepaid data bundles, but I just want to make sure)
- If I buy prepaid data bundles, is it true that data I don't use isn't carried forward to the next month? (something I picked up in that other thread again)
- Can I buy a Linksys router from Vodacom or a dealer directly and how much would that cost? (I can get it for R1603.31 from PCMall, so I would like to get it cheaper)
- Is there stock available (both datacard and Linksys router)?
- How quickly can I get all of this? (If there isn't stock of the Linksys router, then that can wait, but I'm keen to get on the air ASAP)
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