Suggestion for contracts

[VMS]

Options, or a combinations thereof.

Seeing that some of us have committed 24 months to this 3G trial I would like to see Vodacom show some respect to those battling on the foreground with their buggy system.

1) Why punish subscribers for going over the 1GB limit? Why can't we get a reduced rate after 1GB? Infact I would suggest "in for a penny-in for a pound". A R600/month contract holder pays upfront for the 1st GB and then per MB thereafter at 60c per MB. What do you have to loose? Currently everybody watches 4ME (when it works) like a hawk and stops transferring data when reaching 1GB.
2) I see it that a subscriber pays for 24 months i.e. 24 GB. Shouldn't the account reflect a purchase of 24GB? And again if you should require more why buy extra at R2 per MB? I won't call this roll over, rather contract pre-paid.

I see that the pre-paid customers enjoy better protection. If the money is up the data stops. Hop in the car and go buy more. In my case I don't know (like yesterday) if I am exceeding my limit.

Some months I can see right from the start it is going to be a slow month. The occational email, maybe 200mb max. Other months I have clients to satisfy and do up and downloads close to a GB. Currently we are being penalized for either (a) not using the cap or (b) exceeding it.

It now seems that (apart from the actual rates) that pre-paid customers will get greater freedom than contract customers. A pre-paid client can shaft you next month, but I will still be around for at least 14 months.

So Vodacom, please show a little respect for those that have made a long term commitment.


VMS

 

[ant101]

I think all us 3G contract people who find the current situation unacceptable should make some noise, by using the correct channels.
A 082155 operator advised me to use the "contact" or "suggestion" links on the vodacom4me login site to express my concerns. Apparently there is a dedicated person(s) to deal with this channel. I reckon the more different channels that get notified, the better chance there is that something will be done, hopefully a roll over can be implemented.
I have just completed my "suggestion" and noted my problems too. Next I'll log it with 082155 with a ref number.
The more of us contract people making our problems clear and loud the faster a solution MIGHT be implemented.
If that fails, plan B will have to be a little more daring?

 

[Kneebough]

I have also logged my "suggestion" on v4me.co.za. what do you suggest for plan B if plan A fails???

 

[vodacom3g]

Good idea to post your recommendations on 4me. If you copy me via PM I'll also make sure it gets to the right people. The more verbal, the better the chance of a response....Just keep it nice and non-abusive

I do agree that a more flexible allocation of the data can help resolve a lot of the issues around a hard limit and especially the near-real-time nature of the current stats.

Maybe rpm can run an on-line poll?

 

[ant101]

lol , okay I admit, there is no plan B yet!
Maybe phone Alan Knott Craig (ceo) let him in on the action ? naa, just joking, his not the bad guy.

Lynch the marketers of the 3g business product ? That would please me!

[definition] lynch:
To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob.
Extract:
"… and if they will not desist from their evil practices, we will inflict such corporeal punishment on him or them, as to us shall seem adequate to the crime committed or the damage sustained.” ...lol

 

[Kneebough]

lol, well, I'm not too sure I want to go to prison to make a point....... An online poll would be nice v3g but would you make sure that the "right" people see it and do something about it? I'm sure you would do all you can.

 

[ambo]

I think what needs to be done is to have an optional capping feature on your account that you can activate if you wish whereby your data stops flowing if you use up your bundle - it would also be nice if this option could be included on pre-paid/topup accounts as well when the pre-paid data bundles finally get released. It would be really nice if there was some sort of rather obvious indication that the bundle was finished - before i start digging into my cash airtime... i use the same phone for call and sms's as i use for data.

 

[3G4me]

You can now add an additional "ad-hoc" bundle via vodacom4me or 1082,
or at a Vodashop, which means if you have a high usage month, you needn't pay R2 per meg for out of bundle usage. The bundles range from 20 megs to 15 Gigs.

The price per meg will depend on the size of the bundle (see vodacom4me)
The best thing is that it is adhoc, so just like buying a prepaid bundle...

but perhaps Vodacom should make the adhoc bundle also valid for 30 days - and not just until the end of the month in which you buy it?

 

[VMS]

It seems I can only add a 500MB bundle for R350?

Can you please post the link


VMS

 

[3G4me]

Just been onto the Vodacom4me site, seems with all the downtime problems and maintenance (while they are adding the prepaid data bundles) the adhoc bundle option has been removed.

I'm sure they will put it back soon, but in the interim, you can still check out the data bundle sizes and costs (on vodacom4me - go into my account - services - bundle options or failing that, just go into the 3g tariff section) and if you need to add an adhoc one (don't click on the mymeg bundles that are there as those are normal bundles, not adhoc) rather give 1082 a call or go into a Vodashop near you?

 

[Bundy2005]

Vodacom arnt that bad

Have you ever used data in another country take fo example Vodafone uk

They dont have specialised bundles for the average user so you have to take a data /sms bundle on you contract you have to add an extra £44 for either 250 texts or only 54mb around there well that was in July when i was selling plus if you had to use pre-pay on you data card you would be paying well over R2000.00 pm for a Gig of data just a thought.

 

[vodacom3g]

I think what needs to be done is to have an optional capping feature on your account that you can activate if you wish whereby your data stops flowing if you use up your bundle - it would also be nice if this option could be included on pre-paid/topup accounts as well when the pre-paid data bundles finally get released. It would be really nice if there was some sort of rather obvious indication that the bundle was finished - before i start digging into my cash airtime... i use the same phone for call and sms's as i use for data.

You can request a lock if you exceed your data bundle, similar to hard capping your call minutes. 155 should be able to sort you out.

 

[diabolus]

They dont have specialised bundles for the average user so you have to take a data /sms bundle on you contract you have to add an extra £44 for either 250 texts or only 54mb around there well that was in July when i was selling plus if you had to use pre-pay on you data card you would be paying well over R2000.00 pm for a Gig of data just a thought.

This is something of a "apples vs oranges" scenario. Vodacom/MTN loves to go on about how their data costs are of the cheapest in the world, which might very well be true, but in the bigger scheme of things [general internet connectivity] you can't look at it that way.

"Normal" internet [that is ADSL/physical type of internet] overseas are so cheap that EVERYONE have it , like we have phone lines. So the demand for wireless mobile internet as a primary/home internet is most probably very low, low demand = niche = high prices.

So totally different market, no one with ADSL for R50-R100 p/m at home will even look at 3G unless it actually beats the ADSL prices.
If they do get 3G/wireless they will probably only use if for email/low data stuff [and then the cost of p/MB become irrelevant and the cost of a service i.e. Blackberry is more important].

If you think about it, if Telkom ADSL wasn't so expensive then 3G would probably never have taken off . Chances are we would still be paying R40 p/mb on GPRS and even more on 3G [remember , a year ago that is what GPRS cost, it was R50 p/MB till March at MTN....] . Only a select few techno/niche people would be using it [as was the case a year ago with GPRS] and everyone would be ADSL'ing [both business and home].

So if you're into conspiracy theories.... how do you boost a new wireless tech which competes directly with your current tech [ADSL] AND continue to make large amounts of profit on BOTH ?

 

[3G4me]

:

This is something of a "apples vs oranges" scenario. Vodacom/MTN loves to go on about how their data costs are of the cheapest in the world, which might very well be true, but in the bigger scheme of things [general internet connectivity] you can't look at it that way.

"Normal" internet [that is ADSL/physical type of internet] overseas are so cheap that EVERYONE have it , like we have phone lines. So the demand for wireless mobile internet as a primary/home internet is most probably very low, low demand = niche = high prices.

So totally different market, no one with ADSL for R50-R100 p/m at home will even look at 3G unless it actually beats the ADSL prices.
If they do get 3G/wireless they will probably only use if for email/low data stuff [and then the cost of p/MB become irrelevant and the cost of a service i.e. Blackberry is more important].

If you think about it, if Telkom ADSL wasn't so expensive then 3G would probably never have taken off . Chances are we would still be paying R40 p/mb on GPRS and even more on 3G [remember , a year ago that is what GPRS cost, it was R50 p/MB till March at MTN....] . Only a select few techno/niche people would be using it [as was the case a year ago with GPRS] and everyone would be ADSL'ing [both business and home].

So if you're into conspiracy theories.... how do you boost a new wireless tech which competes directly with your current tech [ADSL] AND continue to make large amounts of profit on BOTH ?

...Or you can look at the fact that 50% of Vodacom is not held by Telkomdamanopoly, and they saw the gap created by the inefficient rollout of ADSL and took it!!!

Whatever it was, there are now well over 100 000 more people with access to internet at faster speeds than a dialup... More than ADSL subscribers.

And ADSL has been around for how long???