I am SO sick of MTN/Vodacom/etc. ripping us off.

[xrapidx]

I made the following complaint on hellopeter. I am so sick of these guys. MTN are just as incompetent as Vodacom. Them and their staff are useless.

Please feel free to correct any mistakes as I typed this in utter anger. I am actually consultin with a lawyer tomorrow, and will take this up with both ICASA and ASA, so feel free to correct my numbers if wrong.

Hellopeter Link

Near the end of my billing period, I checked my download on 18/10/2007 using MTN Active and MTN's *162*# service, according to it I had over 600MB left on my 2GB Bundle... So I decided to download a few things... needless to say, I just got a bill reflecting a charge for 'extra' data of R302.98. I can not be held responsible for the service you provide me with not reflecting the correct remaining balance on my data bundle. You can't sell me something and then not give me an accurate representation of how much I've used. Not even an SMS when its up. If your services are inaccurate or don't work, then you need to let your subscribers know.

I would like this charge removed immediately or I will take this further, both legally and log a formal complaint with ICASA.

Also, some maths for you, 2GB = 2,147,483,648 bytes. According to MTN I used 2,274,007,181 bytes. Difference is 126,523,533 bytes (120.66MB). Out-of-bundle charge on MTN 2GB = R1.20/MB = 120.66MB x 2 = R241.32. NOT R302.98. Do I need to involve ASA too?

I would like someone to contact me immediately, I am tired of companies like you ripping us consumers off. I have instructed the bank to stop payment.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Good luck.

I've seen this coming a long time ago as they don't hardcap customers, but let 'em rip themselves a big one...

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Another thing - you will need to prove your bandwidth usage against their bandwidth usage tracker.

 

[boramk]

I am so sick of these guys

arent we all?

 

[xrapidx]

Another thing - you will need to prove your bandwidth usage against their bandwidth usage tracker.

I'm not using one, I used their services to tell me how much I had left. And it also doesn't account for their math when it comes to overuse.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Do you have windowsupdates or antivirus enabled which might have updated itself and used up bandwidth?

I think the onus should rest on the ISP to ensure their data usage tracker is consistent and accurate, and that they should (and must) warn the client by SMS/email/preferred whatever even if it's runner with cleft stick about data usage. Heck, Axxess do it with their prepaid ADSL offerings...

 

[xrapidx]

i just reallised my maths is wrong... I times'd by 2 not by 1.2.

 

[Russian]

Bad service

This is how vodacom is aswell.

According 2 your bad math there they ripped u off even more.

According 2 vodacoms system their data usage meter might be in accurate within the last 3 ours, I have found it being un updateted for 24 ours since my last logoff.

Thus also causing me 2 over run my account, and paying the R2 out off bundle rate on my package.


Good luck,

 

[xrapidx]

LOL... yup... I just checked... the amount I'm over equates to R144, half of what they charged me. My maths wasn't really bad, I just times'd the amount by Vodacoms R2/MB instead of MTN's R1.2/MB.

ALSO... I just picked this up.. They charged me the amount for one transaction on the 18th... and then proceeded to charge me nothing for further data usage on the 19th and 20th?
Last transaction on the 18th:
18/10/2007 internet 360,265,075 R302.98

And then from the 19th onwards:
19/10/2007 mymtn 87,134 0.00
19/10/2007 mymtn 57,310 0.00
19/10/2007 internet 2,697,638 0.00
19/10/2007 mymtn 10,884 0.00

 

[Skeptik]

Do you have windowsupdates or antivirus enabled which might have updated itself and used up bandwidth?

I think the onus should rest on the ISP to ensure their data usage tracker is consistent and accurate, and that they should (and must) warn the client by SMS/email/preferred whatever even if it's runner with cleft stick about data usage. Heck, Axxess do it with their prepaid ADSL offerings...

According to their reps, the system can take a very long time to update. If I use 10 Meg now, they can see I had R15 9/10/11 hours ago, but cannot yet see what I did later.

 

[Pitbull]

I made the following complaint on hellopeter. I am so sick of these guys. MTN are just as incompetent as Vodacom. Them and their staff are useless.

Please feel free to correct any mistakes as I typed this in utter anger. I am actually consultin with a lawyer tomorrow, and will take this up with both ICASA and ASA, so feel free to correct my numbers if wrong.

Hellopeter Link

Have you phoned 808 to enquire as to what the probelm was ?

Have they advised you and logged a query to billing ?

Reason I'm asking is that i have looked thru your account and fail to see any query in relation to this.

 

[xrapidx]

As discussed with Paul earlier, I'm not phoning 808 again, I have called them probably about 10 to 30 times
- I've either been hung up on when asking to speak to a supervisor
- They've told me to phone another number for assistance
- They've told me there's nothing they can do,
- They've lied to me,
- They've promised to call back, and never have.

I have yet to call 808 and actually be helped.

Why should I waste my time with that? I'll contact MTN via hellopeter, I think MTN deserve's the bad publicity considering the service I get from them.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Not to derail the topic, but telkom's back in their No1 spot where they belong

 

[xrapidx]

Not to derail the topic, but telkom's back in their No1 spot where they belong

I just wish my work didn't involve being available by cellphone and requiring internet access.... I would of told these useless companies to stuff off...

I actually think I'm going to cancel the dayta bundle on my line, and then buy a prepaid sim each month and throw it away after use.... see if MTN like number's being thrown down the drain.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

I just wish my work didn't involve being available by cellphone and requiring internet access.... I would of told these useless companies to stuff off...

I actually think I'm going to cancel the dayta bundle on my line, and then buy a prepaid sim each month and throw it away after use.... see if MTN like number's being thrown down the drain.

Same here. We are dependant upon telephone lines and ADSL...

Prolly MTN recycle their numbers after a period of inactivity.

Hope Neotel won't be like them... *sigh*

 

[xrapidx]

Prolly MTN recycle their numbers after a period of inactivity.

Yup... I think its a year or six months... but thats a year or six months they'll have one number less I'll feel a bit of small childish justice for their slack service.

Its pointless going back to Vodacom, cause they're just as bad.

 

[xrapidx]

MTN just hoped over my hellopeter complaint.... just over 12 hours and I can make another one... I don't mind repeating the process every 36 hours.

I bet they'll respond as soon as their payment is returned on the 7th.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Yup... I think its a year or six months... but thats a year or six months they'll have one number less I'll feel a bit of small childish justice for their slack service.

Its pointless going back to Vodacom, cause they're just as bad.

Yup.

You prolly read my Vodacom thread.

I'm going to pay them R50 a month, and see how their legal department likes that.

My chief rant with these okes are that they don't want to lower their prices, yet are willing to give us free minutes and free this and free that which we can't use without incurring some heavy-duty billing...

Except for CellC whose free weekends calls are a real help here as wife and her mother can chat lekker with each other. (mom-in-law's in PE btw).

 

[rph72]

Think i will be using my phones built in packet data counter from the next billing cycle. Cannot trust 162. Will have to remember to reset the counter every month.

 

[Skeptik]

As discussed with Paul earlier, I'm not phoning 808 again, I have called them probably about 10 to 30 times
- I've either been hung up on when asking to speak to a supervisor
- They've told me to phone another number for assistance
- They've told me there's nothing they can do,
- They've lied to me,
- They've promised to call back, and never have.

I have yet to call 808 and actually be helped.

Why should I waste my time with that? I'll contact MTN via hellopeter, I think MTN deserve's the bad publicity considering the service I get from them.

Agreed. Ringing those people is nearly always an exercise in frustration.

Pitbull - this is where MTN's MAIN problem lies. If you deal with this, you will be a lot further.