OOB charges on Contract Data Packages & Bill Shock

[Saajid]

Hi. I know this has been asked before, tried the search function, but couldn't find much info.

If I sign up for the Cell C 2GB per month data contract at R149, what happens once the 2GB of data is depleted?

Will I automatically get billed at the OOB rate of 39c per MB? Is it possible to set a hard limit on the account. I require about 8 of these packages for business use, but I'm afraid our staff members will go out of bundle without even knowing, and we could rack up huge bills.

What is the best way to deal with this? We are considering prepaid (will this work for us?) but it will be a big upfront payment of 12k, which we can't afford. We need something on a month-to-month basis.

Any suggestions? If Cell C won't work for us, what about 8.ta or MTN (Vodacom is way too expensive).

 

[j4sk]

Firstly you need to figure it out quickly as those rates expire on the 15th of October.

MTN Uncapped actually seems to be reasonablish, at the moment its fully uncapped for R299 a month for the next few months, after that its 3GB a month with a 128k throttle, (although that is apparently up in the air at the moment it may stay fully uncapped). It is twice the current Cellc price but they would at least have some access after they are capped.

The 8ta promo is excellently priced but its on the 8ta network only, no MTN roaming, so if your staff members are travelling a lot it may not be the most reliable for them. If they are going to be at specific locations you could just check the coverage map.
As far as i know, both Cellc and MTN come with dongles but I don't think the 8ta package comes with a dongle.

 

[Saajid]

Firstly you need to figure it out quickly as those rates expire on the 15th of October.

MTN Uncapped actually seems to be reasonablish, at the moment its fully uncapped for R299 a month for the next few months, after that its 3GB a month with a 128k throttle, (although that is apparently up in the air at the moment it may stay fully uncapped). It is twice the current Cellc price but they would at least have some access after they are capped.

The 8ta promo is excellently priced but its on the 8ta network only, no MTN roaming, so if your staff members are travelling a lot it may not be the most reliable for them. If they are going to be at specific locations you could just check the coverage map.
As far as i know, both Cellc and MTN come with dongles but I don't think the 8ta package comes with a dongle.

Thanks for reply. I already know about all the packages and promos, and when they are going to end. Just need to know how to avoid the OOB shark effectively. Best solution is it is hard-capped on the network operators side. This happens on Cell C prepaid, but what about contract?

Seems like MTN Uncapped is probably the best way to go, though I think it will be overkill for us. We only need 1-2GB of data per user per month, but we MUST put measures in place to avoid the OOB shark.

Any suggestions?

 

[ajax]

The MTN 2 GB x 24 @ R149 promo is apparently available on topup according to this post

The 8ta 10 GB promo at R200 pm is the best in terms of price, but for business and being mobile coverage could be problematic.

 

[Saajid]

The MTN 2 GB x 24 @ R149 promo is apparently available on topup according to this post

Hmm.. interesting. If this is possible, then I'll definitely go for it.

The 8ta 10 GB promo at R200 pm is the best in terms of price, but for business and being mobile coverage could be problematic.

Not too stressed about coverage. We are already covered by 8.ta's network (in addition to MTN Roaming). Do you know if this is available on prepaid/topup? Or can a bill limit be set?

 

[ajax]

Not too stressed about coverage. We are already covered by 8.ta's network (in addition to MTN Roaming). Do you know if this is available on prepaid/topup? Or can a bill limit be set?

Not on prepaid or topup. According to this post, you can decide whether to buy another bundle or go OOB once the 10 GB is used up. So it seems to me there is still a risk that a user could go OOB and get bill shock.

 

[MickeyD]

Not on prepaid or topup. According to this post, you can decide whether to buy another bundle or go OOB once the 10 GB is used up. So it seems to me there is still a risk that a user could go OOB and get bill shock.

No, user cannot go OOB unless user decides to do so. At 10Gb the user can no longer surf but is forced to a 8ta page where a decision must be made.

 

[ajax]

What I meant is if the user clicks ok to surf OOB, and a virus uploads/downloads lots of data, then OOB shock is still possible.

 

[MickeyD]

What I meant is if the user clicks ok to surf OOB, and a virus uploads/downloads lots of data, then OOB shock is still possible.

Ohhhh hell yeah!

 

[ajax]

So if the OP's business buys the contracts for its employees, then the business could still suffer with OOB bills.

I require about 8 of these packages for business use, but I'm afraid our staff members will go out of bundle without even knowing, and we could rack up huge bills.