Vodacom - Automatic Migration of Contract Type - Who to talk to?

darste

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
136
I received an SMS from Vodacom today:

Your Everyday Off-Peak 120 @ R135 on 082 XXX XXXX will change to Smart XS @ R149 on 1 September 2017. Alternatively upgrade your device and price plan in-store or online before 1 September 2017...
Attached to the SMS was this link: http://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/vodacom-price-plans.

The neat thing about the Everyday Off-Peak is the allocation of 120 free off-peak minutes per month. I can effectively call for free all weekend. I have zero peak minutes, zero SMSs and zero data included with the plan. I barely make calls during peak times - I have an office phone for that, SMS belongs in the late-90s and the lack of inclusive data is also not a problem because I buy 2GB prepaid data bundles when necessary.

The really neat thing is that I only pay for what I use, nothing more. The Everyday Off-Peak plan does not require a payment upfront for, for example, 100 minutes, 100 SMSs and 100MB, which the Smart plans do. Even better is that the minutes I don't use accumulate for up to five months, not the pithy two months as on the Smart plans. I also don't get shafted by the 'last-in-first-out' rule when it comes to unused data.

The crowning jewel is that nowhere in the contract that I signed in 2005 does it say that Vodacom can automatically migrate me to another plan. Obviously I won't consent to the migration.

The okes in the Vodacom Call Centre have no idea what I'm on about, despite an entire webpage on the Vodacom site being dedicated to the topic. They won't give me the details of someone who might know about this automatic migration process, either. It seems that their legal department only deals with debt collections and arrear payments, too.

Anybody got any idea about who I can talk to?
 

Sumen

Expert Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
4,920
That contract is 12 years old, it's best for you to migrate, you will get anytime minutes on the Smart packages, for R 150 pm(sim only) you will a Smart S + package that includes 200 minutes and SMSs and 500 mb data.

If you still don't care maybe Ockie can help you,
 

Johnatan56

Honorary Master
Joined
Aug 23, 2013
Messages
30,955
It's running month-to-month currently?

You do realize that Vodacom pre-paid is R0.79/minute, right? Making it about 171 minutes of airtime anytime versus your 120 minutes peak and the airtime does not expire.

I suggest you move to pre-paid.
 

darste

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
136
That contract is 12 years old, it's best for you to migrate, you will get anytime minutes on the Smart packages, for R 150 pm(sim only) you will a Smart S + package that includes 200 minutes and SMSs and 500 mb data.

If you still don't care maybe Ockie can help you,
I hear you, but I despise VC for introducing the last-in-first-out bundle rule. The (now month-to-month) contract that I have means that I only pay for what I use and never land up losing airtime/data that I paid for but didn't deplete before the "expiry date".
 

darste

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
136
It's running month-to-month currently?

You do realize that Vodacom pre-paid is R0.79/minute, right? Making it about 171 minutes of airtime anytime versus your 120 minutes peak and the airtime does not expire.

I suggest you move to pre-paid.
VC has offered that I move to the uChoose 110 - R110 airtime/month, zero SMSs, zero data. I looked up the call rates - a staggering R1.90/minute, both peak and off-peak!

I cordially invited VC to flagellate itself.

I will be moving to prepaid. Thanks for the tip.
 
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