Prepaid data deducted AND airtime!!!

marco

marco

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Over the past 3 days I have been using my prepaid SIM as my contract SIM has billing problems. I keep tab of my MB's and airtime as some people have told me that their airtime just disappears.

I loaded R100.00 airtime and R15 was deducted immediately for some reason.

Anyway, I purchased a 100MB bundle for R80.00 and went on the web.
After using 20MB's I stopped and checked my balance.

Lo and behold, 20MB's was deducted PLUS R20.00 airtime.

Went back on for 5MB's. Another R5.00 was deducted plus the 5MB's.

Now I am checking out this session.
 
Marco, MTN is NOT a good idea to use, unless you HAVE to. I have just bought prepaid Vodacom SIMs to replace my MTN contract ones...I plan to avoid MTN until they sort out their billing and service quality problems, which will take a while I fear. I have canceled all of my bundles as well so I am just going to pay my discounted monthly subs (R 150...). This is better for my health and sanity. BTW, on my contract phone my data bundle was being used and reported correctly for the last two days, but not my "free" minutes - I am being charged for my calls and the minutes stay the same. The call center claims it is receiving attention, as is my Top-Up phones missing bundles for the last two months. It was a good joke - can't remember laughing so hard in days - since my last call center conversation at least. EmptyEn, for a bad experience. I really wish Carte Blanche would do this story.
 
They know that they have a BIG problem but will not admit to it.

Mweb has said that MTN has had a billing problem since April and have repaid or canceled bills.

MTN seems to hope that we will go away. We will not.
 
Wow. Used 10 MB's and R10.00 AND 10MB's gone.

Just as I thought. What to do to get my airtime back?
 
I would rather refrain from committing to violence, but nuking MTN corporate HQs and centres would be hugely satisfying and solve the problem most eloquently. And torture for the ICT compnay responsible for MTN's 'upgrades'. A pox on them too. Carry on the fight until then. Yes we will not go away, but hopefully the problem will. Of course pigs may fly and aliens could land at the FCC soccer tonight as well...
 
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marco said:
Wow. Used 10 MB's and R10.00 AND 10MB's gone.

Just as I thought. What to do to get my airtime back?
Click to expand...

MTN call centre told me I have subscribed to "World something" and should cancel it by sending an SMS "stop" to 31009. Got an SMS back saying "All 3'rd Party subs have been stopped"

I have never subscribed to anything. This constitutes fraud. So any Co. can get hold of your number and deduct money and MTN allows it to do so. At R30.00 in 2 days. I would NEVER subscribe to this.
 
marco said:
MTN call centre told me I have subscribed to "World something" and should cancel it by sending an SMS "stop" to 31009. Got an SMS back saying "All 3'rd Party subs have been stopped"

I have never subscribed to anything. This constitutes fraud. So any Co. can get hold of your number and deduct money and MTN allows it to do so. At R30.00 in 2 days. I would NEVER subscribe to this.
Click to expand...
It's far too easy for them to say that. They'll blame your children, wife.gf, nephews ... anyone, and you can't prove they didn't.
 
Mmm well I've got a bit of the converse happening.

Was busy installing Win7 7100 64bit and let it run it's updates.
Balance before downloading was about R16.70 airtime and 40mb data.

So I'm running a bit low and while the download of 11mb is happening, I decide to use some of my loyalty points and load another 10mb for the hell of it.
Only found out over the weekend about the loyalty programme, so had 1676 points storted up when I registered :D A party ensued :p

Anyway - so I load another 10mb data bundle from normal airtime and it loads successfully.
Give it another few minutes and then check my balance again during the download to now see that I somehow have R276.00 or thereabouts :eek:
Now I'm accustomed to getting between R30-R60 airtime free from MTN per month, but this was the 1st time it'd been that high. :)
So I load a 500mb data bundle, check my airtime balance again a few minutes after that to see that my total balance is now R334 and a few cents. :erm: :D

So I'm jumping around like a mad hatter and quickly load another 1GB bundle on the house ;)

It's been a good night - THANKS MTN! :D
 
Good to see a happy MTN customer! Sounds like their system is still in chaos, but in a good way for you. I also nearly fell off my chair when MTN responded on Hello Peter to my latest tirade about their billing. Of course it is being referred to the billing department (play sinister music), but it is a start . :rolleyes:
 
Good for you for now. Expect a huge bill later. All UNBILLED DATA.
 
marco, im shocked but there is absolutely nothing you can do to mtn, but of course, take your business somewhere else. im an unemployed guy, bought a 2gb data bundle, used it till 1.61, then my sim stopped using data and started using airtime, called for two weeks, no help, then i loaded 10mb on top of the 1.61, and mtn kindly immidiately made the 1.61gb vanish.... i swear to god this is true... for an unemployed bugger like me, 389 rands is a lot of money to just loose

they really are invincible

on a possitive note though, i have another mtn phone, and on it i mestiriously recieved R1200 airtime, so, yep, they screwed me, but now that i think of it, i got away lightly, but aint staying for seconds!!!!
 
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retrovader said:
marco, im shocked but there is absolutely nothing you can do to mtn, but of course, take your business somewhere else. im an unemployed guy, bought a 2gb data bundle, used it till 1.61, then my sim stopped using data and started using airtime, called for two weeks, no help, then i loaded 10mb on top of the 1.61, and mtn kindly immidiately made the 1.61gb vanish.... i swear to god this is true... for an unemployed bugger like me, 389 rands is a lot of money to just loose

they really are invincible

on a possitive note though, i have another mtn phone, and on it i mestiriously recieved R1200 airtime, so, yep, they screwed me, but now that i think of it, i got away lightly, but aint staying for seconds!!!!
Click to expand...

Nothing you can do to MTN. Watch me. By the way, I was the 1'st person to challenge the education dept. school fees system and won my case.
I have time and resources to take them on.
 
BLINKO has been stealing my MB's.
R10.00 per day. Good grief. At my age I do not want ringtones and music.
And no kids here to use my phone.

Anyway, I got no service from BLINKO. They just took it and gave me nothing.
 
marco said:
MTN call centre told me I have subscribed to "World something" and should cancel it by sending an SMS "stop" to 31009. Got an SMS back saying "All 3'rd Party subs have been stopped"

I have never subscribed to anything. This constitutes fraud. So any Co. can get hold of your number and deduct money and MTN allows it to do so. At R30.00 in 2 days. I would NEVER subscribe to this.
Click to expand...
Was this on your pre-paid SIM? How long have you had it?
 
marco said:
Prepaid sim about 4 years old.
Click to expand...
Ah ok, there goes my theory then, I was thinking it might be a recently reallocated number and the previous person had subscribed to Blinko.

I think these subscription services should be banned, or at least when a network operator reallocates a number all subscription services should be terminated, which doesn't happen right now.
 
ginggs said:
Ah ok, there goes my theory then, I was thinking it might be a recently reallocated number and the previous person had subscribed to Blinko.

I think these subscription services should be banned, or at least when a network operator reallocates a number all subscription services should be terminated, which doesn't happen right now.
Click to expand...
11.5.7. A user must be removed from a subscription service if no successful bills have been processed for that service for more than three months, or if there is an indication from one of the mobile networks that the number is no longer in use.
Click to expand...
http://www.waspa.org.za/code/codeconduct.shtml
WASPA Code of Conduct
 
I also says there that if an amount of R10.00 or more is to be deducted they must warn you before this is done. They did this 3 times with no warning.
Sent them an email to refund me asap or tell me what I bought for R30.00. If they don't, then I will report them to the above regulator.
 
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