Virgin/Vodacom incorrect data rates

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charlh

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Before this gets moved, I have already posted it here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=157135
My problem is this:
I have been on Virgin Mobile since 2006.
For the last few days, I have been paying R2/meg instead of the usual 60c/meg.
Most of my internet usage takes place at home. I have always locked my phone onto Vodacom, because then I get edge, and cell C is not available in the area where I live anyway.
At work, I can get both Vodacom and Cell c reception though.
On Friday, I was fiddeling with my phone, and saw that if it is picking up a signal from a vodacom tower, I pay R2/meg. If it is from a cell-C tower, I only pay 60c/meg.
I explained that to the virgin help line, but so far have got no response.
Maybe vodacom3g can help me with this, and give me some info. Is the billing fault on vodacom's side, or on Virgin/Cell-C?
When will it be sorted out?:confused:
 
charlh said:
Before this gets moved, I have already posted it here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=157135
My problem is this:
I have been on Virgin Mobile since 2006.
For the last few days, I have been paying R2/meg instead of the usual 60c/meg.
Most of my internet usage takes place at home. I have always locked my phone onto Vodacom, because then I get edge, and cell C is not available in the area where I live anyway.
At work, I can get both Vodacom and Cell c reception though.
On Friday, I was fiddeling with my phone, and saw that if it is picking up a signal from a vodacom tower, I pay R2/meg. If it is from a cell-C tower, I only pay 60c/meg.
I explained that to the virgin help line, but so far have got no response.
Maybe vodacom3g can help me with this, and give me some info. Is the billing fault on vodacom's side, or on Virgin/Cell-C?
When will it be sorted out?:confused:
Click to expand...

Will ask about this, but can't promise anything. PM me the number and your contact details.
 
This is the reply I get from Virgin on hellopeter.com:

Hello charlh

Thank you for your post.

According to our Data Support Team, roaming from a different base station will not affect your rates.

You will still be charged at the Virgin rate whether it be a call, sms, mms, while roaming on either a Vodacom or Cell C tower.

Cell C has a data charge of R2.00 per megabyte when it comes to their rates and Vodacom differs as they have data bundles.

Regards

Executive Resolutions Team@WoW
Click to expand...

But of course I already know that. It doesn't solve my problem.
And my next comment:
Thank you Virgin for replying to my previous complaint. But you did not read the story properly. I KNOW that I should be paying 60c/meg regardless of whether I am receiving my signal from a Vodacom or Cell-C base station. That is what I have been paying since September 2006.

ONLY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, SINCE 03/02/2009, has the billing system been INCORRECT.

I downloaded my emails, including your reply, after resetting Netmeter, and my cellphones data counters before posting on here.

Here's a breakdown of what happened:-

My airtime balance before connecting R45.63

Data uploaded (as per Netmeter) 5.5kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 5.679kb)
Data Downloaded (Netmeter)131.8kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 133.047kb)
Total data (Netmeter) 137.3kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 138.726kb)

Airtime balance after disconnecting R45.35

28c used.

Which comes to ±R2.04/meg
I know of other people in the area who are experiencing the same problems
No-one from Virgin has contacted me yet since I logged a complaint on Friday.

Please can someone contact me about this. It's costing me a lot of unnecessary airtime.
Thank you
Click to expand...

Lets see if they understand the problem now
I might just be forced to update my signature...:mad:
 
vodacom3g said:
Can I suggest you do a test that's slightly larger than 28c and check if you still see the R2/MB.
Click to expand...

Ok. Here goes.
I reset Netmeter, and my cellphone data counters again.

Airtime balance before connecting: R45.35

Netmeter Upload 59.5kb
Netmeter Download 1.08mb
Netmeter total 1.14mb

Cellphone data counter upload 51.4kb
Cellphone data counter download 1.12mb
Cellphone data counter total 1.17mb

Windows dialup counter upload 65.37kb
Windows dialup counter download 1.12mb
Windows total 1.19mb

Airtime balance after disconnecting R43.03

Airtime used R2.32

Just over a meg of data, and chowed more than R2.
 
charlh said:
Ok. Here goes.
I reset Netmeter, and my cellphone data counters again.

Airtime balance before connecting: R45.35

Netmeter Upload 59.5kb
Netmeter Download 1.08mb
Netmeter total 1.14mb

Cellphone data counter upload 51.4kb
Cellphone data counter download 1.12mb
Cellphone data counter total 1.17mb

Windows dialup counter upload 65.37kb
Windows dialup counter download 1.12mb
Windows total 1.19mb

Airtime balance after disconnecting R43.03

Airtime used R2.32

Just over a meg of data, and chowed more than R2.
Click to expand...

Cool, tx.
 
Spoken to a number of people and we're pretty sure this is not something VC can influence. You'll need to pick this up with the Virgin and see why they are billing you incorrectly.

It might even be that they consider VC as a roaming partner (which technically it is) and thus the 60c/MB does not apply.

Let us know what they say.
 
Thanks for all your trouble v3g.
According to the reply I posted from Virgin yesterday, I should pay the same rate, regardless of what network I am roaming on, and it has been so since I first bought a Virgin mobile sim ±3 years ago. This problem has only started last week.
But I finally managed to get someone a Virgin Data support's attention (thanks to hellopeter.com), and maybe I can get somewhere now.
Will keep you as up to date as I am:rolleyes:
 
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