Vodacom BlackBerry data charges insane

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bruskie

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Hi all,

I need to confirm something or if I am the only one having this problem. I have had a BlackBerry for 3 years now with BIS. I looked at my last invoice from Vodacom and see there is a R350 charge for data usage yet I have done nothing different as to what I have been doing the past 3 years. But now I get this charge!?

I called Vodacom and was told that because I don't have a data bundle I get charged for EVERYTHING but for emails, BBM and basic web browsing. I understand that YouTube wouldnt be covered under the BIS, but downloading a small 2MB file I get charged for?! Please correct me if I am wrong, but this has never been the case.

A colleague of mine just confirmed that he also has extra data charge and also above R 300. This is insane! What is the point of this BIS then?!!

Highly pee'd off!
 
It is possible to activate a inhibitor for the internet APN on your line. This will prevent the phone from using the internet APN instead of the bb apn. Should your phone try and download something via the internet apn...it will not work. Customer Care should be able to do this for you.
 
bruskie said:
Hi all,

I called Vodacom and was told that because I don't have a data bundle I get charged for EVERYTHING but for emails, BBM and basic web browsing.
Click to expand...

Per the Vodacom Website

"BlackBerry® Internet Services (BIS)

Available to Contract, Top Up and Prepaid customers with or without existing email providers

Push email service and the ability to integrate up to 10 Internet email accounts (e.g. [email protected])
Unlimited sending and receiving of email
Unlimited free on-device browsing through the BlackBerry® Internet browser (Streaming content excluded)"

http://www.vodacom.co.za/personal/phonesandpackages/blackberrypriceplans?packageTypeId=5

What that sales consultant told you is...wow, anyway. You can either roll over and take it up the tail-pipe or you can fight and harass them until they issue a credit note and change it.

Start off with HelloPeter and work your way up the fight from there. Mine took up to a month before they finally issued me a credit note.
 
P.S. I agree with Ocleroux and have been preaching that for almost a year - tell them to put on a data inhibitor.
 
Does anyone know how to do this data inhibitor at MTN or who to contact to make it happen? I phoned them and apparently they don't have anyone who understands what I'm talking about. Somehow the municipal run around I got from 1555 and 808 didn't do the trick and still nobody knows ***** at their "HELP DESK" :confused:
 
Holy ****! Can people be anymore useless? What the hell are you paying them for? Do you have an online profile?
 
Rudi_C said:
I have something like an online profile. MTN Active? I'm not too sure I can change those settings there.
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I....I really don't know how to help...I'm stupified by the incompetence of....I....eish....wow! How do you....?

How many of those "knowledgeable" individuals did you talk to? I've come to find there are some, in there, who don't know **** from pudding. Try phone again and speak to someone else, and then another person, or just plain speak to their supervisour/ manager.

If all else fails, post it on HelloPeter.com. THEN they'll respond.
 
I spoke to people at their technical department, they said I should activate my BIS by going to Options-Adv.............Activate Service. After some more explanation she had a better idea of what I needed and referred me to their customer service. At customer service I spoke to some agent that thinks he knows everything and just told me I can't do it that way and if I stop the MTN data BIS won't work. That's when I took everybody's name and said I need to speak to the supervisor. And that's when things started picked up to the snails pace I'm at now.

I've spoken to their leader (supervisor) and it looks like she is trying to sort it out. Not too sure if it's going to get sorted soon, but at least I have someone willing to do something on the case.

According to MTN you can't download anything on your BB except for Appworld. This is just wrong IMO. Not even email attachments, you're suppose to view attachments only and not download them.
 
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I don't know where this new "you'll be charged for downloads" talk is coming from but it is highly concerning that MTN AND Vodacom (apparently) have said that through one of their people. This is very concerning indeed.

All this does, really, is encourage people to not get contracts (especially for BlackBerries) with them. BlackBerries are becoming relatively cheap, now, especially when you buy them from these "Spaza Cellphone stores". I'm not talking about 9800 and up, but all you need is a cheap 3G enabled one and R59 per month (no need for airtime) and you're set. What does Vodacom get? R59 per month for your using their network unlimited (except, apparently, downloading). Flipping interesting strategy, hey?
 
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Rudi_C said:
I spoke to people at their technical department, they said I should activate my BIS by going to Options-Adv.............Activate Service. After some more explanation she had a better idea of what I needed and referred me to their customer service. At customer service I spoke to some agent that thinks he knows everything and just told me I can't do it that way and if I stop the MTN data BIS won't work. That's when I took everybody's name and said I need to speak to the supervisor. And that's when things started picked up to the snails pace I'm at now.

I've spoken to their leader (supervisor) and it looks like she is trying to sort it out. Not too sure if it's going to get sorted soon, but at least I have someone willing to do something on the case.

According to MTN you can't download anything on your BB except for Appworld. This is just wrong IMO. Not even email attachments, you're suppose to view attachments only and not download them.
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Afaik this data inhibitor business is voda only. Technically MTN should be able to do that too, but haven't heard anything. In fact I think one of the prior bills said they discontinued that service. Wasn't called inhibitor though.

MTN also gave me an incorrectly configured phone 3 days ago.

You don't need an online profile. What does need to happen though is MTN must go & register you with RIM (BB provider). This part I don't think you can do. Takes about 24hrs if it goes through their troubleshooting process, not sure about the standard process.

Once this is done you can log in & create a BB ID and browse the app store thing.

Then you need to confirm that blackberry.net is set as the APN. To do this: Options -> Device -> Advanced -> TCP IP.

APN Setting-> On
APN: blackberry.net
APN Auth -> Off

After this restart the phone. Top right corner the edge/3g etc should be in capital letters. The four dots seem to indicate the same thing, but not entirely sure about that.

There is also mtn.blackberry.com but that doesn't seem to be working.

afaik its mainly streaming, non-RIM apps and large files that don't go through BIS. I think browsing has to be BB browser....Opera I think is charged for (though switching out of opera quickly suggests that its going through BIS too so not sure).

Phoning MTN is a trainwreck in slow motion...just go to a shop & pray you get someone competent (High volume shop & find someone who looks busy).

All of the above is coming from someone with +- 3 days of BB experience so you might still get a nasty bill at the end. Who knows.
 
This whole "blackberry.net" business is a point of large confusion and frustration to me. Vodacom tells you that the TCP/IP settings must not be checked whereas MTN and Cell C EXPRESSLY (in their Terms & Conditions) tell you to put the "blackberry.net" in those settings. So which one is the right answer?

In the end, it appears that Cranialblaze (grumpy old man he may be) was right: It does didilly squat and means nothing whether it's one or off.
 
DarkBlood said:
So which one is the right answer?
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Both I reckon. MTN & VC each set up their network as they think is best so there isn't necessarily one "correct" answer.

DarkBlood said:
It does didilly squat and means nothing whether it's one or off.
Click to expand...
I doubt that. I saw a definite change when I switched it to the blackberry.net. Beforehand (blank config) it kept losing the BIS connection now its rock solid.
 
HavocXphere said:
Both I reckon. MTN & VC each set up their network as they think is best so there isn't necessarily one "correct" answer.


I doubt that. I saw a definite change when I switched it to the blackberry.net. Beforehand (blank config) it kept losing the BIS connection now its rock solid.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. Fair enough.
 
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