Whats up with Virgin Data Rates

C

charlh

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Tzaneen
Suddenly virgin has gone up to R2/meg! Is this only a network problem, or have they suddenly decided to increase their data rate. I tried to phone customer service last night, but after waiting 10 minutes, and not wanting to miss Prison Break on TV, I gave up.
An example.
To get here this morning, according to Netmeter, I used 371.4KB. My airtime used was 71c. (should be ±22c @ R0.60/meg)
This comes down to 0.19c/kb * 1024kb= ±R1.95/meg!!!
This is on roaming with Vodacom, because I can't get a cell-c tower where I stay. Never had this problem before.
Anyone else with this problem?
 
That would seriously piss me off since I just bought a virgin mobile simcard last week for my backup phone so I could use 60c/MB data. I hope you're mistaken otherwise its bye bye virgin for me.
 
I heard another guy complaining about this as well. Think its a bug in their billing system. Try creating a topic at HelloPeter.com that way you could raise people's awareness and possibly get a sollution, rather than frustrating yourself with call support personnel, who don't know what is happinging on a technical level within the network itself.
 
I also think it's just a bug in the billing/network switching system. It's only happened since about Wednesday though. Did an experiment at work today. If I lock the phone to a Cell-C tower, I get 60c/meg(cost me 3c for 48kb of data).
If it locks onto a Vodacom tower, it costs R2/meg (cost me 10c for 42kb!)
Try explaining that to the call centre people. Then they want to know if I have the Virgin GPRS settings on my phone. I've been using Virgin as my only internet connection since 2006. Of course I have the settings on my phone!
I think the Hello Peter option will get some reaction.
 
Last edited:
DJNgoma said:
Last time they did that to me they gave me double the amount that was billed to me on data.
Click to expand...

Who did you contact to sort it out?
I have tried the call centre, emailed data support, and hellopeter.com
Maybe I'm getting no response because it's the weekend?
This is really messing up my airtime budget for the month:mad:
 
charlh said:
Who did you contact to sort it out?
I have tried the call centre, emailed data support, and hellopeter.com
Maybe I'm getting no response because it's the weekend?
This is really messing up my airtime budget for the month:mad:
Click to expand...

Virgin data is sad really. Yesterday i tried virgin cause i was out of my telkom link....and this is what happen

- Loaded 15 bucks of airtime
- Made a connection...about a meg of data used connection went dead
- Reconnection was made
- Was redirected to the Cell C " no more money message"
- BUT I HAD AIRTIME!
- Switched over to my Sony
- Connection made
- Only Google,wikipedia seemed to work!

Yes i had this problem where only certian sites worked! tried this on 2 computers!

I think Virgin cant do much, The Cell C is its network is to be blamed....

Just waiting to get Telkom 3G services
 
This is the reply I get from Virgin on hellopeter.com:

Hello charlh

Thank you for your post.

According to our Data Support Team, roaming from a different base station will not affect your rates.

You will still be charged at the Virgin rate whether it be a call, sms, mms, while roaming on either a Vodacom or Cell C tower.

Cell C has a data charge of R2.00 per megabyte when it comes to their rates and Vodacom differs as they have data bundles.

Regards

Executive Resolutions Team@WoW
Click to expand...

But of course I already know that. It doesn't solve my problem.
And my next comment:
Thank you Virgin for replying to my previous complaint. But you did not read the story properly. I KNOW that I should be paying 60c/meg regardless of whether I am receiving my signal from a Vodacom or Cell-C base station. That is what I have been paying since September 2006.

ONLY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, SINCE 03/02/2009, has the billing system been INCORRECT.

I downloaded my emails, including your reply, after resetting Netmeter, and my cellphones data counters before posting on here.

Here's a breakdown of what happened:-

My airtime balance before connecting R45.63

Data uploaded (as per Netmeter) 5.5kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 5.679kb)
Data Downloaded (Netmeter)131.8kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 133.047kb)
Total data (Netmeter) 137.3kb (Cellphone internal data counter: 138.726kb)

Airtime balance after disconnecting R45.35

28c used.

Which comes to ±R2.04/meg
I know of other people in the area who are experiencing the same problems
No-one from Virgin has contacted me yet since I logged a complaint on Friday.

Please can someone contact me about this. It's costing me a lot of unnecessary airtime.
Thank you
Click to expand...

Lets see if they understand the problem now
I might just be forced to update my signature...:mad:
 
Last edited:
charlh said:
Who did you contact to sort it out?
I have tried the call centre, emailed data support, and hellopeter.com
Maybe I'm getting no response because it's the weekend?
This is really messing up my airtime budget for the month:mad:
Click to expand...

This was last year when it happened to me.
Well, I just called in to the call centre on 123, because they overcharged me, I told them of the issue and they said they would sort out the problem, then a minute later they transferred R35 free of charge.
 
DJNgoma said:
This was last year when it happened to me.
Well, I just called in to the call centre on 123, because they overcharged me, I told them of the issue and they said they would sort out the problem, then a minute later they transferred R35 free of charge.
Click to expand...
Guess you got through to the one person that knows what's going on!
 
Originally posted here

vodacom3g said:
Can I suggest you do a test that's slightly larger than 28c and check if you still see the R2/MB.
Click to expand...

Ok. Here goes.
I reset Netmeter, and my cellphone data counters again.

Airtime balance before connecting: R45.35

Netmeter Upload 59.5kb
Netmeter Download 1.08mb
Netmeter total 1.14mb

Cellphone data counter upload 51.4kb
Cellphone data counter download 1.12mb
Cellphone data counter total 1.17mb

Windows dialup counter upload 65.37kb
Windows dialup counter download 1.12mb
Windows total 1.19mb

Airtime balance after disconnecting R43.03

Airtime used R2.32

Just over a meg of data, and chowed more than R2.
 
My point is that if roaming on local networks like Vodacom is going cost Virgin users more, at lest inform us! Not so long ago they changed their data prices without us knowing,more over that if data prices are going off, WHAT ABOUT CALL RATES??

Virgin Mobile whats going on seriously
 
From hellopeter.com

I wondered why when I was spending about R40 a month on GPRS I added up my airtime bills and found it to be a whopping R780 over 3 months! Instead of an advertised 60c its about R1.90 per mb.

I asked the manager at Virgin Adderly street Cape, on Monday 23 Feb 2009 if he had ever heard of this - and he said NO. I asked him to report it. escalate it or whatever fancy words they use.
Well I'm still waiting - its Friday.
Not a call yet.
I call the data dept. - and they say - you cannot speak to data dept- they will call you back- well they dont! i want a refund on all these FRAUDULENT charges that have been happening behind my back.


....No response from Virgin Mobile
 
Someone from Virgin did get back to me today. Apparently the problem lies with Cell-C. But no idea yet as to when it will be sorted out. But he did promise me some free airtime to compensate.
 
I went to buy a Virgin starter pack yesterday at CNA Stellenbosch. The lady told my that I must go downstairs to Woolworths since theirs are cheaper. Woolworths however informed me that they don't stock Virgin starter packs anymore, only the airtime.

The CNA lady then told me that they are not going to get another batch Virgin starter packs in either and will only be selling the airtime.

But why?

(Haven't been able to get my GPRS settings to work last night. That "send me the settings via sms" option doesn't respond)
 
MadMan!! said:
I went to buy a Virgin starter pack yesterday at CNA Stellenbosch. The lady told my that I must go downstairs to Woolworths since theirs are cheaper. Woolworths however informed me that they don't stock Virgin starter packs anymore, only the airtime.

The CNA lady then told me that they are not going to get another batch Virgin starter packs in either and will only be selling the airtime.

But why?

(Haven't been able to get my GPRS settings to work last night. That "send me the settings via sms" option doesn't respond)
Click to expand...

Yes is seens like Virgin doesn't want any new clients. I only found a starter pack at a Checkers after trying a CNA and 2 Woolworths stores.
 
Virgin is useless. In South Africa at least.

I wish they'd step up a notch or three - like Sensorei, I can't even go onto the internet for 95% of the time (no jokes) - and the "send settings" also doesn't work.

Absolutely dissatisfied and I plan on moving once my "commitment" has ended.
 
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