Vodacom voted ‘best cellphone service’

Who provides the best cellphone service?

  • Vodacom

    Votes: 42 60.9%

  • MTN

    Votes: 23 33.3%

  • Cell C

    Votes: 1 1.4%

  • Virgin Mobile

    Votes: 3 4.3%
  • Total voters
    69
Been on Vodacom for 4 years.Nokia phones & e620/e220 datacards. Not spending hours on the phone, but when using it for SMS, 3G surfing it is always available. Calls from Pta/Centurion always go through 1st time and can't recall when I last had a dropped call (well only calls to 155 got dropped once or twice).
 
MTN provides me with VOIP call quality far better than Vodacom. I use Truphone and the service level on Vodacom has been hopeless. Nobody could explain to me why for the past 2 years and MTN handles those calls perfectly.

Vodacom carry over for 6 months on minutes is nice. MTN only 2 months is not as great, but most of the time I use the minutes in my allocated time.

Been on MTN the past 2 years. Have had amazing service from them. Been Vodacom 2 years prior to that and Cell C two years prior to Vodacom. (ProCall 120, Talk 120 and Casual Chat 100 respectively)
 
IMO consumers tend to have very subjective opinions as to which network operator and network is best, I suspect that very few consumers regularly use multiple networks in the same areas which would allow for a more balanced opinion, quantifiable results are what count, which is why I tend to think the 702 approach is more realistic than an IOL poll of what [fickle] consumers might be thinking at a particular point in time.

Considering that the quality of any one network operator's cellular service in any given area {x} is likely to differ from that which is delivers in any other area {y}, for example due to residents blocking the construction of base-stations and available backhaul as well as many other factors, is there much point in declaring any one network operator's cellular service to be better than any other network operator's cellular service?

Perhaps a better way is to compare the number of base-stations that have been deployed on a per-network basis [i.e. compare 2G with 2G and 3G with 3G due to the differing coverage footprints of the different network types] - since dropped calls etc are less likely when more coverage and backhaul are available.
 
have cell c and vodacom contracts. cell c bcoz they previously had better quality handsets at a lower package, and voda bcoz better the devil i know. my only exposure to mtn is my calls consistently dropping when speaking to someone on the mtn network. cell c terrible quality. which makes voda better (what else?)
 
ic said:
Perhaps a better way is to compare the number of base-stations that have been deployed on a per-network basis [i.e. compare 2G with 2G and 3G with 3G due to the differing coverage footprints of the different network types] - since dropped calls etc are less likely when more coverage and backhaul are available.
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Comparing 2G/3G, vodacom would win hands down.
I am yet to be in an area where vodacom does not provide 3G & MTN does.
Even in some PMB surburbs (close to the city) MTN has no 3G while vodacom covers the entire town & surrounds. In fact in one area vodacom has 3G+ while MTN only have GPRS.

3G wise, MTN sucks!
 
Having gone from Vodacom to Virgin Mobile to MTN - I'm now going back to Vodacom, I think that speaks for itself. I won't even consider MTN again.
 
ic said:
IMO consumers tend to have very subjective opinions as to which network operator and network is best, I suspect that very few consumers regularly use multiple networks in the same areas which would allow for a more balanced opinion, quantifiable results are what count, which is why I tend to think the 702 approach is more realistic than an IOL poll of what [fickle] consumers might be thinking at a particular point in time.

Considering that the quality of any one network operator's cellular service in any given area {x} is likely to differ from that which is delivers in any other area {y}, for example due to residents blocking the construction of base-stations and available backhaul as well as many other factors, is there much point in declaring any one network operator's cellular service to be better than any other network operator's cellular service?

Perhaps a better way is to compare the number of base-stations that have been deployed on a per-network basis [i.e. compare 2G with 2G and 3G with 3G due to the differing coverage footprints of the different network types] - since dropped calls etc are less likely when more coverage and backhaul are available.
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Why would they conduct a poll now when MTN (& others) are experiencing a degraded service? Surely the best time for a fair poll is when there are an average number of problems reported across the board. Also, conducting a poll in this thread would be skewed by the title, which already proclaims a 'winner', namely "Vodacom voted ‘best cellphone service’".
 
Sackboy said:
Why would they conduct a poll now when MTN (& others) are experiencing a degraded service? Surely the best time for a fair poll is when there are an average number of problems reported across the board. Also, conducting a poll in this thread would be skewed by the title, which already proclaims a 'winner', namely "Vodacom voted ‘best cellphone service’".
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So we must wait till the service providers don't have problems? Surely problems are the cause of the ratings - if a network has problems - then it deserves negative ratings.
 
A very good example of MTN's crappy service, it has been near impossible for me to phone my girlfriend today (I've just been trying) - I can't even get the cellphone to dial out, and when I do, the call gets dropped every couple of seconds... for people that rely on their network for business, its not acceptable.
 
xrapidx said:
So we must wait till the service providers don't have problems? Surely problems are the cause of the ratings - if a network has problems - then it deserves negative ratings.
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If you want an untainted poll, then I would say wait until there are no significant problems that would affect the results. Polling is a science and you can't figuratively just run into the street and ask 2000 people. You need to organise it properly.
 
xrapidx said:
A very good example of MTN's crappy service, it has been near impossible for me to phone my girlfriend today (I've just been trying) - I can't even get the cellphone to dial out, and when I do, the call gets dropped every couple of seconds... for people that rely on their network for business, its not acceptable.
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So if you were polled today, your response would be negative - same with me. Next week, maybe another story.
 
Vodacom are guaranteed to win any vote like the one given in the article simply because it mirrors their market share. It is a stupid and totally pointless exercise.

I've always been with MTN (and see no compelling reason to change one mediocre, overpriced service for another), so I can't make any meaningful comparison in a poll like this because I haven't made use of any of the competing providers.

I just hope that Vodacom makes a massive contribution to the coffers of this site, given the relentless and nauseating stream of pro-Vodacom propaganda that is churned out here.
 
Sackboy said:
If you want an untainted poll, then I would say wait until there are no significant problems that would affect the results. Polling is a science and you can't figuratively just run into the street and ask 2000 people. You need to organise it properly.
Click to expand...

Sackboy said:
So if you were polled today, your response would be negative - same with me. Next week, maybe another story.
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Um - so we must wait until the networks have no significant problems? Who decides what significant is?

Part of service delivery is dealing with these problems - something MTN is not very good with - if you asked me 21 months ago, the day I got my contract from MTN, I would have told you their service was crap - they hardcapped my line within 2 hours of giving me the phone because I had reached my limit. They refused to help me. Their service has been a complete let down from day 1 - I have not dealt with one honest, hardworking person at MTN.

If MTN are having problems, its because they are doing their jobs poorly, which should and does reflect in a survey, it will probably reflect the same results six months from now.
 
I moved from MTN to Vodacom last year, after being with MTN for 6 years.

Very happy with Vodacom's voice and data service
- vodacom4me is a great tool
- Vodacom Helpdesk is much better than MTN's Helpdesk

....and I can get the latest iPhone. :)
 
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xrapidx said:
Um - so we must wait until the networks have no significant problems? Who decides what significant is?

Part of service delivery is dealing with these problems - something MTN is not very good with - if you asked me 21 months ago, the day I got my contract from MTN, I would have told you their service was crap - they hardcapped my line within 2 hours of giving me the phone because I had reached my limit. They refused to help me. Their service has been a complete let down from day 1 - I have not dealt with one honest, hardworking person at MTN.

If MTN are having problems, its because they are doing their jobs poorly, which should and does reflect in a survey, it will probably reflect the same results six months from now.
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Questions, questions .... That's why we should leave it to the professionals.
 
Sackboy said:
Questions, questions .... That's why we should leave it to the professionals.
Click to expand...

Nah - its up to the customers, I am unfortunately paying my bill monthly, while MTN has these problems - so in-effect, I am paying a network that is not delivering, I think ICASA (who don't have the balls) should make them refund all fee's until they get their network sorted, I bet you it would be resolved in a couple of days (hours even). Money talks.
 
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