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Question of the Day: What's the most interesting small town you've visited in South Africa?
Mtn / Vodacom...
- Thread starter MJB
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Silent_Bob
Expert Member
I have a Vodacome Weekender everyday and a MTN Express messenger which is going to be upgraded to a Mycall 100.
I prefer MTN, more rock solid to me.
Price, there is much of a muchness
Signal, with 3g vodacom is more superior where i stay but it is irratic so i normally just disable it. MTN is very stable.
Personnaly from problems etc i prefer MTN, but everyone has their side to the story, i have yet to have a prob with mtn and voda contracts. I just dont like vodafone branded phones, they r gay
I prefer MTN, more rock solid to me.
Price, there is much of a muchness
Signal, with 3g vodacom is more superior where i stay but it is irratic so i normally just disable it. MTN is very stable.
Personnaly from problems etc i prefer MTN, but everyone has their side to the story, i have yet to have a prob with mtn and voda contracts. I just dont like vodafone branded phones, they r gay
Maestr0
Senior Member
Vodacom...why? Because. 
I have to agree with you on the Vodaphone branding thing! That was the final factor in me changing over to MTN, after a 10 year relationship with Vodacom...
I hope I made the right decision
(DmZ)Wrecky
Expert Member
I have had ProCall 120 for 10 years and a VC Weekender for 5. MTN has more coverage in the circles I travel, (camping and offroad traveling in WC). VC has 3G where I stay. MTN stable, but probably because there are more VC customers. Once all the VC port MTN, VC might be stable.
GreatBigMouth
Expert Member
I'd go with MTN. Better signal, faster GPRS, same price. 
diabolus
Executive Member
Just my personal experience up to now. I think it depends on what you plan to do , i am not the average voice user, i combine data + voice and expect to be able to "fiddle" with services to suit me...and this resulted in the majority of my complaints.
Was with Vodacom for 2 years on a weekender, findings (was on prepaid for much longer):
1. Had no problem with the Voice service, had good 3G signal throughout [i was 1 year in the cape, 1 year in gauteng] . Have no complaints with the quality of the tech here.
2. Had alot of billing problems, each time taking 2 months to correct.
3. Found the data bundle system extremely inflexible, especially if you are a "power user" who switch bundles every month [to save money and limit waste].
4. Call desk way to slow to reach, resulting in great frustration everytime i had a question or an issue. ..by the time i DO reach someone i'm not the happiest of customers.
5. Vodacom never wanted to allow me to migrate from a R135 p/m weekender to a R350/R500 p/m data contract....."business rules" was their excuse, i felt it was just plain greed locking tight into a contract where i couldn't use up the free minutes.
6. Their website was never up to par, lots and LOTS of bugs resulting in even more billing issues.
7. I get what i am paying for though , i just never got the feeling Vodacom is going that extra mile with customer care/service [like a company who's too comfortable on top]. They're like Sony with the PS3 , all about technology, but totally forget to improve the service/experience/options of what they are offering.
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I moved to MTN prepaid a few months ago because if their prepaid bundles being more flexible. Speeds was a bit slower, but stable , relative to Vodacom i guess it was the same but more economical [less waste].
I now moved onto MTN contract and found
1. Their website (MTNSP) is at least functional [an improvement over vodacom4me] , although missing some features [i.e. managing your data bundles...but that might change later on it seems] .
2. Their helpdesk seemed alot easier to reach someone. They actually phoned ME , to ask how my previous query was handled [scary] ..similar to what OUtsurance does [rating their calldesk people]. Not sure if this is going to last though.
3. MTN seem to be generally a bit behind with the "latest tech" offerings in terms of coverage + availability . Although i get the impression that at least they balance this with working on their CURRENT offerings making it more attractive [this includes better contract deals and prepaid bundles] . I think the latest is that voicemail on the web thing...nifty
4. The particular contract [equivalent to weekender in price] is alot more useful as you get peak minutes as well.
5. Can't comment on billing issues yet, so far it seems good..will see once i start messing around with the services.
Generally though i think Vodacom's Billing System is poorly designed which results in all the inflexibility and issues i had [i needing to set up service in the previous month for the next month..if you forget..you are screwed] . I could clearly tell Voda simply can't do certain things based on system constraints. So far i don't see this with MTN.
Was with Vodacom for 2 years on a weekender, findings (was on prepaid for much longer):
1. Had no problem with the Voice service, had good 3G signal throughout [i was 1 year in the cape, 1 year in gauteng] . Have no complaints with the quality of the tech here.
2. Had alot of billing problems, each time taking 2 months to correct.
3. Found the data bundle system extremely inflexible, especially if you are a "power user" who switch bundles every month [to save money and limit waste].
4. Call desk way to slow to reach, resulting in great frustration everytime i had a question or an issue. ..by the time i DO reach someone i'm not the happiest of customers.
5. Vodacom never wanted to allow me to migrate from a R135 p/m weekender to a R350/R500 p/m data contract....."business rules" was their excuse, i felt it was just plain greed locking tight into a contract where i couldn't use up the free minutes.
6. Their website was never up to par, lots and LOTS of bugs resulting in even more billing issues.
7. I get what i am paying for though , i just never got the feeling Vodacom is going that extra mile with customer care/service [like a company who's too comfortable on top]. They're like Sony with the PS3 , all about technology, but totally forget to improve the service/experience/options of what they are offering.
----------------------------------------------------
I moved to MTN prepaid a few months ago because if their prepaid bundles being more flexible. Speeds was a bit slower, but stable , relative to Vodacom i guess it was the same but more economical [less waste].
I now moved onto MTN contract and found
1. Their website (MTNSP) is at least functional [an improvement over vodacom4me] , although missing some features [i.e. managing your data bundles...but that might change later on it seems] .
2. Their helpdesk seemed alot easier to reach someone. They actually phoned ME , to ask how my previous query was handled [scary] ..similar to what OUtsurance does [rating their calldesk people]. Not sure if this is going to last though.
3. MTN seem to be generally a bit behind with the "latest tech" offerings in terms of coverage + availability . Although i get the impression that at least they balance this with working on their CURRENT offerings making it more attractive [this includes better contract deals and prepaid bundles] . I think the latest is that voicemail on the web thing...nifty
4. The particular contract [equivalent to weekender in price] is alot more useful as you get peak minutes as well.
5. Can't comment on billing issues yet, so far it seems good..will see once i start messing around with the services.
Generally though i think Vodacom's Billing System is poorly designed which results in all the inflexibility and issues i had [i needing to set up service in the previous month for the next month..if you forget..you are screwed] . I could clearly tell Voda simply can't do certain things based on system constraints. So far i don't see this with MTN.
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diabolus
Executive Member
Didn't want to put this in previous message:
Quick Comparison of 2 "leisure" bundles.
Vodacom Weekender Everyday VS. MTN MyCall 100
Monthly Subscription : R135 [Both]
Vodacom Rates
Peak [Same/Different Network] : R1.80 / R2.75
OffPeak : R0.90 / R0.95
SMS [Peak/Offpeak] : R0.80 / R0.35
Happy Hour : R1.49
MTN Rates
Peak [Same/Different Network] : R1.80 / R2.75
OffPeak : R0.88 / R0.95
SMS [Peak/Offpeak] : R0.75/ R0.75
Now based on that, you get Free Stuff :
Vodacom
120 Offpeak Minutes @ R0.95 = 120*0.95 = R114
---> Assuming you use it all up and you are limited to after 8 ...
TOTAL FREE : R114
MTN
85 Offpeak Minutes @ R0.95 = 85*0.95 = R80
15 Peak Minutes @ R2.75 = R41 or @ R1.80 = R27
15 anytime SMS = 15 * 0.75 = R12
TOTAL FREE : R119 to R133
Chances are you WILL use up the PEAK minutes , and even though MTN offpeak SMS is very expensive, you get 15 free.
Rates are identical except for SMS offpeak and the Happy Hour thing [which i've found rarely works for me, it's only coincidence if i make a call during that timeslot] . Better package is imho definitely MTN not only on VALUE but on the fact that it covers SMS + PEAK.
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Quick Comparison of 2 "leisure" bundles.
Vodacom Weekender Everyday VS. MTN MyCall 100
Monthly Subscription : R135 [Both]
Vodacom Rates
Peak [Same/Different Network] : R1.80 / R2.75
OffPeak : R0.90 / R0.95
SMS [Peak/Offpeak] : R0.80 / R0.35
Happy Hour : R1.49
MTN Rates
Peak [Same/Different Network] : R1.80 / R2.75
OffPeak : R0.88 / R0.95
SMS [Peak/Offpeak] : R0.75/ R0.75
Now based on that, you get Free Stuff :
Vodacom
120 Offpeak Minutes @ R0.95 = 120*0.95 = R114
---> Assuming you use it all up and you are limited to after 8 ...
TOTAL FREE : R114
MTN
85 Offpeak Minutes @ R0.95 = 85*0.95 = R80
15 Peak Minutes @ R2.75 = R41 or @ R1.80 = R27
15 anytime SMS = 15 * 0.75 = R12
TOTAL FREE : R119 to R133
Chances are you WILL use up the PEAK minutes , and even though MTN offpeak SMS is very expensive, you get 15 free.
Rates are identical except for SMS offpeak and the Happy Hour thing [which i've found rarely works for me, it's only coincidence if i make a call during that timeslot] . Better package is imho definitely MTN not only on VALUE but on the fact that it covers SMS + PEAK.
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ajax
Executive Member
Nice one diabolus, maybe add Cell C as well?
Captain Beer
Executive Member
Tried all four networks. MTN has been the most reliable so far.
diabolus
Executive Member
Here's a Cell-C one:
I picked the Cell-C CasualChat Anytime for this exercise [closest to the R135 p/m range]
Cost: R130 p/m
Cell-C Rates
Peak [Same/Different Network] : R1.80 / R2.70
OffPeak : R0.90 / R1.00
SMS [Peak/Offpeak] : R0.80 / R0.36
Friends & Family [Peak/Offpeak] : R1.50-R1.75 / R0.75
You get Free 50 anytime minutes @ R0.90 = R45 TO @2.70 = R135
TOTAL FREE : R45 to R135
Cell-C got the Friends&Family Rates which is similar to Vodacom's "Happy Hour" rates, but i think the F&F is far more useful.
Chances are you will use up the full 50 minutes , as it covers peak & off-peak . Unfortunately though, you need to use it all
on PEAK times to get the R135 value . If you use even 50% of your minutes in off-peak, then the value you get is only R90 .
I would say the Cell-C package is slightly better than Vodacom's , but i still think MTNs package comes out on top in terms of value.
Tariffs are surprisingly almost identical. I actually thought Cell-C was cheaper.
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GreatBigMouth
Expert Member
Now that we have Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, how about a Virgin comparison?
diabolus
Executive Member
Heh, Virgin is a challenging one, but here goes:
(And i thought they were suppose to be "simpler"???)
I picked the V0/V100 Credit Plans
Cost : R0 p/m for V0 , R100 p/m for V100
Virgin Rates
Daily Rates
V100 R1.95 for first 5 minutes worth of calls (billed per second) PER DAY
V0 R2.35 for first 5 minutes PER DAY
V100 & V0 : R1.55 for the remaining daily calls [both V0/V100]
SMS : R0.60 for first 5 , R0.30 for rest ]PER DAY
Now above setup EXCLUDES things like a phone and free minutes [you get nothing]. The V100 is basically the equivalent of the Top-Up package [you get R100 credit].
PS: So what is easier to keep track of, OFFPEAK/PEAK times or "first 5 minutes of calls per day" ....
I "dreamt up" a calculation i made to compare as follows [based averages]:
Average per minute Cost on MTN/Vodacom ~ R2.30: *As on the Weekender/MyTalk 100 contracts
I used the concept that there are EFFECTIVELY 12 PEAK hours, and 4 OFFPEAK hours a day [the other 8 offpeak hours most people are sleeping or at least not phoning] . So using that i got an average between the PEAK and OFFPEAK rates. [will be less if you manage to keep on same network, but i'll just keep things simple].
Average per minute Cost on Virgin ~ R1.90:
On virgin, i don't have the market stats, but my guess is 60% of all daily call costs will fall in the "below 5 minutes" mark [in other words in the R2.35/R1.95 tariff range]. 40% will be on the R1.55 range. So i based my average on that.
Obviously if you know your usage, you can work this out more precisely
What i save per minute for using Virgin = R2.30 - R1.90 = R0.40
So Virgin is cheaper, and definitely beats the Prepaid offerings of MTN/Voda/Cell-c. BUT on contract there is no way Virgin can compete with the Free offerings because you don't get any free minutes OR phone.
For example:
Vodacom Weekender = R135 p/m , you get Free Phone + R114 free value.
If you go on Virgin and want a phone, you will pay say R140 p/m just for the phone. To get the free value you will need
to make R114/(R0.40) = 285 minutes worth of calls in a month . THEN you are "Breaking even" with the weekender.
(And i thought they were suppose to be "simpler"???)
I picked the V0/V100 Credit Plans
Cost : R0 p/m for V0 , R100 p/m for V100
Virgin Rates
Daily Rates
V100 R1.95 for first 5 minutes worth of calls (billed per second) PER DAY
V0 R2.35 for first 5 minutes PER DAY
V100 & V0 : R1.55 for the remaining daily calls [both V0/V100]
SMS : R0.60 for first 5 , R0.30 for rest ]PER DAY
Now above setup EXCLUDES things like a phone and free minutes [you get nothing]. The V100 is basically the equivalent of the Top-Up package [you get R100 credit].
PS: So what is easier to keep track of, OFFPEAK/PEAK times or "first 5 minutes of calls per day" ....
I "dreamt up" a calculation i made to compare as follows [based averages]:
Average per minute Cost on MTN/Vodacom ~ R2.30: *As on the Weekender/MyTalk 100 contracts
I used the concept that there are EFFECTIVELY 12 PEAK hours, and 4 OFFPEAK hours a day [the other 8 offpeak hours most people are sleeping or at least not phoning] . So using that i got an average between the PEAK and OFFPEAK rates. [will be less if you manage to keep on same network, but i'll just keep things simple].
Average per minute Cost on Virgin ~ R1.90:
On virgin, i don't have the market stats, but my guess is 60% of all daily call costs will fall in the "below 5 minutes" mark [in other words in the R2.35/R1.95 tariff range]. 40% will be on the R1.55 range. So i based my average on that.
Obviously if you know your usage, you can work this out more precisely
What i save per minute for using Virgin = R2.30 - R1.90 = R0.40
So Virgin is cheaper, and definitely beats the Prepaid offerings of MTN/Voda/Cell-c. BUT on contract there is no way Virgin can compete with the Free offerings because you don't get any free minutes OR phone.
For example:
Vodacom Weekender = R135 p/m , you get Free Phone + R114 free value.
If you go on Virgin and want a phone, you will pay say R140 p/m just for the phone. To get the free value you will need
to make R114/(R0.40) = 285 minutes worth of calls in a month . THEN you are "Breaking even" with the weekender.
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TonyA
Expert Member
Find that Vodacom is better in areas around Cape Point. MTN better in CBD
ajax
Executive Member
And you get even better deals on Vodacom/MTN/Cell C if the phone you want isn't too expensive.
I got a Nokia 6020 on Casual Chat 100 with R2900 Game voucher from Game. I took a prepaid sim to be converted to contract, so I saved R200 on connection and simcard fees, he-he. I will pay R144 per month for 24 months, it includes CLI and itemised billing.
I needed to buy stuff at Game anyway, so if I divide the R2900 voucher into the 24 months, it comes to a "discount" of R120.83 per month, so I effectively pay R144-R120.83=R23.17 per month for 24 months for a phone and 100 off peak minutes per month. I couldn't find a better deal anywhere else.
By the way, on Vodacom weekender it would have been R135 per month (excluding the optional extra CLI and itemised billing) for 120 off peak minutes with a R2400 voucher. Pity Game doesn't do MTN contracts.
But the above are for new lines only. With MNP though you can just port and I suppose your new network will see you as a new customer.
Johnit
Well-Known Member
I did a pretty thorough comparison. Virgin Mobile on contract is good, but special offers like the MTN no Phone (R35pm, R105 value) is better. I don't find the phones I want on new contracts, but can afford the to pay the phone from savings...
GreatBigMouth
Expert Member
I saw an article in today's edition of BEELD about the costs of mobile call/data rates and how they expect it to change in the upcoming year. I'll try to find the link to the site.