Vodacom data billing complaints

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Tinkiewp

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Vodacom has unexpectedly deducted about R15,000 over 3 months from my bank account. They insist I have used that much data. IMPOSSIBLE!!! They have ruined me financially because of this. WHO has R15,000 for an internet bill alone??? On my complaint, all they had to say is that it was either a virus or I have used that much data. Then HOW do you explaine this:
I tested this by buying a sim card. Purchasing pay-as-you-go airtime and switch it to 2.3 gig of data.
By then I was SO depressed because of my financial state that I spent most hours in bed, thus spending lots MORE time on the internet than ever before. GUESS WHAT? I went crazy (compared to before) and the 2.3 gig still lasted met SEVEN WEEKS at a cost of less than R300 only!!! How the hell do you explain this?

I am building a case against them. I have several sworn affidavits already from several people I know personally - so now I wonder how many people are out there that I don't KNOW - that has experienced the same.

At that stage Vodacom didn't even have ANY explanation on their website of how to convert airtime to data via a cellphone. I want to CHANGE the law, to close these loopholes.
They are the masters at what they do, but they USE their knowlegde to our dis-advantage. We don't know all the naming of options, the know-how's, etc... they are the one getting rich from our lack of knowledge!

My one neighbour has installed a program to double-check what his network billed him for. His bill should have been less than R100, but they billed him for over R700. I want to built a strong case and sue them for damages done and to have them clear my name.

Join me in this by emailing me if you had a similar experience or can add some value to this.

GREETINGS
TINKIE
 
Tinkiewp said:
Vodacom has unexpectedly deducted about R15,000 over 3 months from my bank account. They insist I have used that much data. IMPOSSIBLE!!! They have ruined me financially because of this. WHO has R15,000 for an internet bill alone??? On my complaint, all they had to say is that it was either a virus or I have used that much data. Then HOW do you explaine this:
I tested this by buying a sim card. Purchasing pay-as-you-go airtime and switch it to 2.3 gig of data.
By then I was SO depressed because of my financial state that I spent most hours in bed, thus spending lots MORE time on the internet than ever before. GUESS WHAT? I went crazy (compared to before) and the 2.3 gig still lasted met SEVEN WEEKS at a cost of less than R300 only!!! How the hell do you explain this?

I am building a case against them. I have several sworn affidavits already from several people I know personally - so now I wonder how many people are out there that I don't KNOW - that has experienced the same.

At that stage Vodacom didn't even have ANY explanation on their website of how to convert airtime to data via a cellphone. I want to CHANGE the law, to close these loopholes.
They are the masters at what they do, but they USE their knowlegde to our dis-advantage. We don't know all the naming of options, the know-how's, etc... they are the one getting rich from our lack of knowledge!

My one neighbour has installed a program to double-check what his network billed him for. His bill should have been less than R100, but they billed him for over R700. I want to built a strong case and sue them for damages done and to have them clear my name.

Join me in this by emailing me if you had a similar experience or can add some value to this.

GREETINGS
TINKIE
Click to expand...

Good luck with that, so I take you browsed the net without converting airtime to data bundles? if that's the case a MB costs R2 and from your usage of the 2.3GB in airtime value you would have spent +-R4600 every seven weeks.
 
Thanks for the shouty caps. :rolleyes:

PM VodacomData (the forum Vodacom Rep) your details and let him take a look at your account.
 
I think that there is a good case for CPA to enforce a requirement that a warning be issued when starting a session using OOB data.

Preferably all the cell companies will just implement it anyway.
 
The_Librarian said:
And the OOB shark strikes again...
Click to expand...

What does OOB stands for?
(I am still learning. Precisely why I am putting energy into this. There are millions out there - like me - that doesn't know all the terms and stuff. We just want to go onto the internet, that's it. These network companies use this lack of information to THEIR advantage!)
 
Tinkiewp said:
What does OOB stands for?
Click to expand...

Out-of-bundle. Basically OOB usage is when you have used up your "inclusive" data bundle subscription for the month and you are being billed a substantially inflated price per each MB that you use after depletion of your inclusive bundle.
 
ajax said:
Out-of-bundle. Basically OOB usage is when you have used up your "inclusive" data bundle subscription for the month and you are being billed a substantially inflated price per each MB that you use after depletion of your inclusive bundle.
Click to expand...

That is how VC makes its money, and why they don't like top-up data contracts.
 
morkhans said:
Yet they sell them quite happily to anyone who asks.... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That is not true, they do not sell their data contracts as top-ups.

For example, they refuse to sell the new 2+2 as a top-up - if they did I would already have one !!!

I would even take it if it was just a 2GB top-up!
 
Last edited:
Jola said:
That is not true, they do not sell their data contracts as top-ups.

For example, they refuse to sell the new 2+2 as a top-up - if they did I would already have one !!!

I would even take it if it was just a 2GB top-up!
Click to expand...

That's correct. The 2+2 promotion is not available on top-up. There are however many other data options available on top-up.
 
This tienkie has a point though, most of you aren't seeing it from her side. (a regular non-pc-techie person)

Imagine going to a buffet for R120, and afterwords the bill arrives for R800 and they say "but you ate a lot of shrimp"
- Nowhere is a sign that says "Shrimp costs R10 each, even for buffet".
- Nobody told you that you are already on a bill of double what you intended.
- Nobody could tell you how many shrimp you have eaten until the final bill comes.

I don't get why I may use 4GB for R150, yet if I use 4.2GB I have to pay R550
R400 for 200mb? are you kidding me?

I don't get why they can't put a limiter on your account - R15,000 for internet? really vodacom?

This is robbery of the general Public on a massive scale, and somebody should do something about it





Seriously, why am I not "Allowed" to put a limit on my Contract, it's absurd



edit: Tienkie, I don't think you have a case against Vodacom - saying you didn't know the rules won't hold up in court

BUT

I think you should go to Carte Blanche - they would scoop up a ton of people with stories like yours
This is a story the SA Public must learn about, it would be a Great Story, these ISPs robbing us for Thousands of rands and destroying lives for a few measly megabytes
 
Last edited:
This is probably after the fact but none the less. The call limit on the account might be a safety net but it might not lock you on the amount you specified. The best option would always to go for topup/prepaid if you are worried about exceeding.
 
R20000 after an 8 week period here. This was on my girlfriends phone that I was paying for. When I asked them if they could send me proof that they sent the warnings to the handset in question, they said no, not even if I visited them at their offices. Their sharks! They know most people are ignorant of the tech involved and pricing plans rules and bs. It's 2012 and this is still happening and judging by the comments here and the complaints on HelloPeter about this exact issue these are not isolated cases either. One very unhappy panda here :( Screw you Vodacom.
 
PLease pm your number , if this was escalated there would be ref and i will be able to see what transpired.
 
I had the same pleasant surprise a few weeks ago. According to Vodacom I burned through R600 worth of out of bundle data, while I still had data left on a 500mb bolt on bundle. Strangely enough - I did this while in a area with horrendous cellphone coverage. You're lucky to get 3G there.
And I did not receive a single notification.
I did follow up with Vodacom - a very helpful call center operator tried to assist me - once their system was back up. He escalted it and I received a sms that someone would come back to me on my query within 14 days. That was 5 days ago. Will keep you lot in the loop what happens.

Funny thing - I have 3 cellphone contracts with Vodacom and 2 data modems with MTN. Guess which 2 has never given me any issues...
 
Tinkiewp said:
Vodacom has unexpectedly deducted about R15,000 over 3 months from my bank account. They insist I have used that much data. IMPOSSIBLE!!! They have ruined me financially because of this. WHO has R15,000 for an internet bill alone??? On my complaint, all they had to say is that it was either a virus or I have used that much data. Then HOW do you explaine this:
I tested this by buying a sim card. Purchasing pay-as-you-go airtime and switch it to 2.3 gig of data.
By then I was SO depressed because of my financial state that I spent most hours in bed, thus spending lots MORE time on the internet than ever before. GUESS WHAT? I went crazy (compared to before) and the 2.3 gig still lasted met SEVEN WEEKS at a cost of less than R300 only!!! How the hell do you explain this?

I am building a case against them. I have several sworn affidavits already from several people I know personally - so now I wonder how many people are out there that I don't KNOW - that has experienced the same.

At that stage Vodacom didn't even have ANY explanation on their website of how to convert airtime to data via a cellphone. I want to CHANGE the law, to close these loopholes.
They are the masters at what they do, but they USE their knowlegde to our dis-advantage. We don't know all the naming of options, the know-how's, etc... they are the one getting rich from our lack of knowledge!

My one neighbour has installed a program to double-check what his network billed him for. His bill should have been less than R100, but they billed him for over R700. I want to built a strong case and sue them for damages done and to have them clear my name.

Join me in this by emailing me if you had a similar experience or can add some value to this.

GREETINGS
TINKIE
Click to expand...

AS Morkhans has suggested , please send me your number and i will have a look.
 
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