Dropped call? Get free airtime
The issue of dropped calls is currently a hot topic, with the cellular providers maintaining that their networks are stable and reliable, while ICASA says the oversubscription of cellular networks in South Africa is the cause of high numbers of dropped calls.
Vodacom, MTN and Cell C have all denied their networks are oversubscribed, adding that their networks are continually monitored to avoid congestion. Many consumers maintain that experience a high number of dropped calls, and feel that subscribers should be compensated for disconnections – especially when charged per voice minute.
Unbeknownst to many Vodacom subscribers the company has a ‘reconnect’ service which reconnects a subscriber after a call is dropped, and gives them a free minute of talktime if they are billed per minute.
“Should you, as a Contract customer, experience the inconvenience of having your call dropped, simply dial 119 from your cellphone! You will be reconnected – the time you spent waiting to be reconnected and the first minute after being successfully reconnected – free! Thereafter, your relevant tariff rates will apply,” the Vodacom website states.
This service is however only available to contract customers. Per second billing contract customers would not benefit from the free minute applied to ‘per minute’ contract customers.
Vodacom said that prepaid clients are billed in real time, which means that they don’t lose any money if they are disconnected involuntary. This is also the case with per-second contract customers, Vodacom pointed out.
MTN said that they don’t offer the reconnect service and that they do not offer any free minutes on dropped calls. Cell C did not provide any feedback by the time of publication, but there is no evidence that they have a reconnect service or offer free minutes for dropped calls.
Cellular dropped call reconnect service – what do you think is fair?
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