MTN contract: upgrade or port

S

SWM

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Hey peeps!

It's upgrade time again but I can't decide on what to do.

Currently on MTN Procall 120. My bill hovers around R400 pm which includes that data I use.

I'll now be forced to switch over to Anytime 200, but as far as I can see will only get 86 min of airtime - and this includes data calls if I'm correct. So I'll need a bolt-on data bundle too.

Is it my imagination - or are MTN subscribers starting to get shafted? Seems like the allocated minutes are less and the charges more?

The only option up from this is anytime 350 (R350) and then I must still add a data bundle.

What to do? Stick with MTN or port to VC, Virgin or Cell C?

Any suggestions? :confused:

Thanks!
 
PLEASE port!! I can't stress this enough.

What is going to happen is that you will upgrade, then they won't migrate your contract to Anytime 200. Then one day they will, but you won't get R200, you will get free minutes, but you can't use the free minutes because Anytime contracts deplete rand value and all of your calls will be charged for.

You will have to pay the exorbitant bill before you can query it and 30 days later you will maybe get a credit for some of the calls which only gets applied to your next statement (2 months later).

MTN sucks. I have had so many billing problems with them. They lie cheat and steal and are even more useless when you need something from them.
 
All the MTN anytime packages have true per second billing. AFAIK, Procall 120 does not.

I wouldn't touch any package that doesn't have true per second billing. Most calls of mine are under half a minute - why should I pay for a full minute? And a good 10% of calls get redirected to voicemail, either because the other person's phone is off, or has no coverage, or because of the sh|tty cellphone networks in RSA.

If you don't need a new phone I recommend you port to MTN prepaid, and subscribe to the MTN One Rate Package. It offers the cheapest prepaid call rate of R1.83 per minute, with true per-second billing to ANY network. It is cheaper than even an MTN Anytime 500 contract.

I think MTN offer more value for money than any of the other networks, whether you're on prepaid or contract. I like not having to worry about peak or off-peak, and getting the same rate to all networks. It's simple. And the prices are good.

MTN's customer service has been quite sucky though, worse than Telkom used to be. Their admin and billing system's are also a mess, but I think it is improving. Besides if you have any major problems their are some helpful MTN employees (unofficially) helping out on these forums.

Vodacom is a bit better with Customer service and billing, but their packages are less attrative, and MTN offer better phones overall (on contract) for a lower pay-in then Vodacom.

I'd stick with MTN, and either go with MTN One Rate prepaid, or Anytime 350.

Vodacom's packages are still stuck in 2007, while MTN is definitely in 2010. But MTN's systems are stuck in 1980 (think DOS), while Vodacom is up to scratch from what I've heard.
 
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broken1 said:
PLEASE port!! I can't stress this enough.

What is going to happen is that you will upgrade, then they won't migrate your contract to Anytime 200. Then one day they will, but you won't get R200, you will get free minutes, but you can't use the free minutes because Anytime contracts deplete rand value and all of your calls will be charged for.

You will have to pay the exorbitant bill before you can query it and 30 days later you will maybe get a credit for some of the calls which only gets applied to your next statement (2 months later).

MTN sucks. I have had so many billing problems with them. They lie cheat and steal and are even more useless when you need something from them.
Click to expand...

I can believe this. MTN's systems are pretty screwed up, and can get things royally messed up at times. I was stuck halfway between contract and prepaid, on both but neither, coz of a system screw-up. But like I said, there are some helpful myBB forumites who work for MTN, and are helping out here, unofficially though. Not ideal, but for major screw-ups these guys have shown that they are very capable, and have given good service. But again, it's unofficial.

Ball's in your court.

EDIT: I still recommend MTN One Rate prepaid if you don't need a new phone. It's the best deal out there.
 
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SWM said:
Currently on MTN Procall 120. My bill hovers around R400 pm which includes that data I use.

I'll now be forced to switch over to Anytime 200, but as far as I can see will only get 86 min of airtime - and this includes data calls if I'm correct. So I'll need a bolt-on data bundle too.

Is it my imagination - or are MTN subscribers starting to get shafted? Seems like the allocated minutes are less and the charges more?
Click to expand...

Procall 120 != Anytime 200. You aren't comparing apples with apples. There is no equivalent package to Procall 120 anymore. .

Procall 120 costed R285 per month, and gave you 120 minutes, charged per minute.

Anytime 200 costs R200 per month, and gives you 86min, charge at true per second billing.

I'd take 86min charged per second any day over 120min charged per minute. It just makes sense.

If you opt for Anytime 200 with topup, then when you deplete your R200, you can topup with prepaid vouchers, and you get charged at your out-of-bundle rate of R2.85 per minute. If you don't opt for topup, then you get billed for it on your account, also at the OOB rate.

So no. MTN subscribers are not getting shafted with the new packages. They are great packages which offer great value IMHO. You just have to pray that their sucky systems won't screw you over.
 
SWM said:
Hey peeps!
It's upgrade time again but I can't decide on what to do.
Click to expand...

If you really need a data bundle on the same simcard as your voice contract, then don't go with MTN. If you want a data bundle on a separate simcard, go with prepaid for that and you should be ok sticking with MTN.

I must add that when I converted my wife's number from MyCall 100 to Anytime 50, the sms bundle I had added onto the contract didn't get used. Instead the inclusive Rand value was used. This went on for about 6 weeks. I logged the problem already in September and I haven't received a refund or heard anything yet from MTN.

Similar thing now happened to a friend of mine converting from Procall 120 to Anytime 200. She added on a sms bundle, got billed for it, but sms got deducted from her Rand value.

It seems if you're changing contract types, there are risks/stuffups.
 
ajax said:
I must add that when I converted my wife's number from MyCall 100 to Anytime 50, the sms bundle I had added onto the contract didn't get used. Instead the inclusive Rand value was used. This went on for about 6 weeks. I logged the problem already in September and I haven't received a refund or heard anything yet from MTN.

Similar thing now happened to a friend of mine converting from Procall 120 to Anytime 200. She added on a sms bundle, got billed for it, but sms got deducted from her Rand value.

It seems if you're changing contract types, there are risks/stuffups.
Click to expand...

If you send a PM to Dr_Data or Snakepit, I am sure they will be able to help you out. Get your friends to do it too (or do it for them).
 
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I have 3 contracts with MTN and 1 with Vodacom. The Voda contract was ported from MTN a little while back......If you think MTN has cwap service, which I agree they do, try Vodacom cwaps service. My account is almost double what it was on MTN....Porting back to MTN after the contract expires and will not be porting my other 3 contracts....sticking out with MTN so called service.
 
Thanks for the input ToxicWazte.

I'm quite happy with MTN's billing service. In the last 15 years I've never had any problems - touch wood.
 
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