Calling ALL Vodafone "Unlimited" data plan users

Macspower

Strictly in the interest of research I have set my vodafone connection on a mission and want to see when I will get disconnected.... 3.09 GB used since yesterday....

opening a book as to what figure I hit before disconnection? anyone taking bets?

Cassiel

To the guys whose connection are dropped. I get occasional sh1tty service due to distance from mast. How is your vodafone software configured? Is it '3G only' '3g preferred' or 'GPRs' I was getting disconnects with '3G only' With '3g preferred' it was dropping back to GPRS speeds - not great but better than nothing.


This whole denial of an unlimited contract does seem unprecedented. I think in the mobile phone world if you're on a legacy or discontinued contract they still honour the terms of that contract?

Needs following up for sure.

Macspower

5.04 Gb and counting.....

I also think the service has improved in my area as I would never have managed these speeds before..

I was just going to cancel my connection because fo their messing around via Unlimited vs cap but I think thats just playing into their hands.... so I've been paying for an unlimited service for the last 12 months and suddenly they try to tell me it's not unlimited anoymore..... so action time..... who do I/we write to contact etcetc... let's do it!

6digitnumber

I cant believe how they can change the terms of your contract without you actually having to put pen to paper to sign the thing. Can I change the terms of the contract when I feel like it too? I seriously doubt it!!

How on earth they can change your contract on a whim and keep you bound to it?

If they dont wish to provide me with the 'unlimited' service anymore after the 12 months, then cancel my contract, don't change the terms of it and keep me on it! Surely this breaks all kinds of laws?! I may as well just have signed my soul away to them, this is pure facism.

Cassiel

Don't think I have seen it here but this is from the T&C's on the vodafone website for the 'unlimited' mobile data product:

http://www.vodafone.ie/terms/paymonthly/#3gdata

Existing Customers on Mobile Connect Card can migrate to the Unlimited Data tariff by contacting their account manager, phoning the business helpdesk on 1800 30 80 20 or calling into a Vodafone Retail store or accredited agent.
Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff shall be made available to the Customer from the next bill day following sign up.
Vodafone operates a Fair Usage Policy. It is important to Vodafone that all eligible Customers are able to access our services. Accordingly, we have devised a fair use policy which applies to this Service. Vodafone may rely on this fair use policy where your usage of the Service is excessive or unreasonable as detailed in this paragraph. Vodafone has developed a threshold for the Service and the related tariffs by reference to average customer profiles and estimated customer usage of the Service (particularly the estimated volume and length of free calls likely to be made by users) (Threshold). The Threshold is regularly reviewed against average customer usage and is currently set at 5GB per billing period. If, at the absolute discretion of Vodafone, Vodafone is of the opinion, that your usage of the Service materially exceeds the Threshold over any month, Vodafone may contact you to advise you that your usage exceeds its fair use policy. If the excessive usage continues to exceed the threshold after receipt of a request to desist from or alter the nature of such usage, Vodafone reserves the right to charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate or to suspend, at its absolute discretion, modify or restrict use of the Service or to withdraw access to the Service.
Vodafone reserves the right to withdraw the Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff generally or from any particular Customer at any time and to vary or amend any element of the Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff at any time without further notice. These terms and conditions may be varied or amended by Vodafone for any valid commercial technical or operational reason.

Macspower

I dont think thye are actually changing the terms of it but more like finding a loophole in ithe original one and exploiting it....

The fair useage clause was always there but IMO was meant for those using Tb not Gb's... my whole gripe is that you can buy a 5Gb package for 15 euro Pm and I pay 50 PM for unlimited which no longer seems unlimited...

6digitnumber wrote: »

I cant believe how they can change the terms of your contract without you actually having to put pen to paper to sign the thing. Can I change the terms of the contract when I feel like it too? I seriously doubt it!!

How on earth they can change your contract on a whim and keep you bound to it?

If they dont wish to provide me with the 'unlimited' service anymore after the 12 months, then cancel my contract, don't change the terms of it and keep me on it! Surely this breaks all kinds of laws?! I may as well just have signed my soul away to them, this is pure facism.

Macspower

Cassiel wrote: »

Don't think I have seen it here but this is from the T&C's on the vodafone website for the 'unlimited' mobile data product:

http://www.vodafone.ie/terms/paymonthly/#3gdata

Existing Customers on Mobile Connect Card can migrate to the Unlimited Data tariff by contacting their account manager, phoning the business helpdesk on 1800 30 80 20 or calling into a Vodafone Retail store or accredited agent.
Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff shall be made available to the Customer from the next bill day following sign up.
Vodafone operates a Fair Usage Policy. It is important to Vodafone that all eligible Customers are able to access our services. Accordingly, we have devised a fair use policy which applies to this Service. Vodafone may rely on this fair use policy where your usage of the Service is excessive or unreasonable as detailed in this paragraph. Vodafone has developed a threshold for the Service and the related tariffs by reference to average customer profiles and estimated customer usage of the Service (particularly the estimated volume and length of free calls likely to be made by users) (Threshold). The Threshold is regularly reviewed against average customer usage and is currently set at 5GB per billing period. If, at the absolute discretion of Vodafone, Vodafone is of the opinion, that your usage of the Service materially exceeds the Threshold over any month, Vodafone may contact you to advise you that your usage exceeds its fair use policy. If the excessive usage continues to exceed the threshold after receipt of a request to desist from or alter the nature of such usage, Vodafone reserves the right to charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate or to suspend, at its absolute discretion, modify or restrict use of the Service or to withdraw access to the Service.
Vodafone reserves the right to withdraw the Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff generally or from any particular Customer at any time and to vary or amend any element of the Vodafone Unlimited Data Tariff at any time without further notice. These terms and conditions may be varied or amended by Vodafone for any valid commercial technical or operational reason.

I have my original contract and it mentions fair useage but nothing about 5Gb... "

"Accordingly, we have devised a fair use policy which applies to this Service. Vodafone may rely on this fair use policy where your usage of the Service is excessive or unreasonable as detailed in this paragraph. Vodafone has developed a threshold for the Service and the related tariffs by reference to average customer profiles and estimated customer usage of the Service (particularly the estimated volume and length of free calls likely to be made by users) (Threshold). The Threshold is regularly reviewed against average customer usage and is currently set at 5GB per billing period. If, at the absolute discretion of Vodafone, Vodafone is of the opinion, that your usage of the Service materially exceeds the Threshold over any month, Vodafone may contact you to advise you that your usage exceeds its fair use policy. If the excessive usage continues to exceed the threshold after receipt of a request to desist from or alter the nature of such usage, Vodafone reserves the right to charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate or to suspend, at its absolute discretion, modify or restrict use of the Service or to withdraw access to the Service. "

this part is new and is not in my contract....

6digitnumber

Macspower wrote: »

I have my original contract and it mentions fair useage but nothing about 5Gb... "


this part is new and is not in my contract....

Nor in mine.

Macspower wrote: »

I dont think thye are actually changing the terms of it but more like finding a loophole in ithe original one and exploiting it...

But how is it posible to change the terms of a contract witout the consent of BOTH parties? I may as well have given them a blank page with my signiture on it and told them go fill the rest in themselves. It's silly. Surely not within the law.

Cassiel

Macspower wrote: »

I have my original contract and it mentions fair useage but nothing about 5Gb... "
...

They've changed it to suit themselves, plopped in a definition of the previously vague Fair Usage with the sole intent of getting everyone moved onto the 5Gb broadband tariff. As has been said why pay €50 when you could be paying €30?

To me, either way, when the push comes they will lose a customer. End of story.
I'll take a look at O2, and even the notorious 3. I'm a 7 to 10Gb a month user, so I'll go with what has a 15 to 20Gb cap. Vodafone's 5Gb is ludicrous.

Having had a look (had been told that 3 offered 20gb!) looks like 10gb is the limit with o2 and 3.

godskitchen

This really is the last time I will say this, its getting insulting now, like I cant read......

NOWHERE does my contract say 5Gb NOWHERE

Sorry to shout but I seem to have to repeat myself about this every week.

Of course they want us to leave, If enough of you can get together you might be able to sort something.

To be honest I would be off to O2 asap if I were you.

6digitnumber

You're right, they do want us to leave, but they want us to leave quietly. I however intend to make noise about it and let as many people as I can know what kind of fascists they are!

Macspower

godskitchen wrote: »

This really is the last time I will say this, its getting insulting now, like I cant read......

NOWHERE does my contract say 5Gb NOWHERE

Sorry to shout but I seem to have to repeat myself about this every week.

Of course they want us to leave, If enough of you can get together you might be able to sort something.

To be honest I would be off to O2 asap if I were you.

I got onto my vodafone shop where I bought it and they provided me with my original contract as like godsplan... NOWHERE does it mention 5gb.... this is an afterthought stuck up on thier website..... my contract does say it is subject to vodafones T&C's which also dont refer to 5Gb anywhere at the time but they have changed them since..... without telling us...... and opnly try to tell us when they cut you off...

Disgraceful

Cassiel

I'd say we can't hang em on the fair usage / 'unlimited' thing unless you've pots of cash or you are a barrister with idle time. They do seem to have reserved the right to amend T&C's
Vigorously complain to vodafone, do we do that individually or as a user group? Anyone who hasn't been railroaded onto the other tariff needs to start hollering now, the sole aim would be to revise upwards the 'threshold'. How many users out there? 100? 1000? Enough to hurt 'em if we walked to O2 or 3? Probably not, I'd say the vast majority of users are on the 5gb broadband to go. Still, a letter to customer care would not go amiss, explaining why you'll be leaving Vodafone when your service has been suspended.

kaiser sauze

While I shopped around for mobile broadband earlier in the year I went into my local VF shop and was told that nobody was going over the 5Gb allowance. I laughed and went to O2, no regrets. A 5Gb limit is barely enough for mail, let alone surfing and downloading media/software/online gameplay.

Good luck to you all, and you should force them to back down on this. I have never liked 087, no matter who owned it. You've just given me another reason to be glad for my loyalty to 086 over the last 11 years.

Macspower

as a matter of interest here is my bill which is the same as most of yours I guess..... UNLIMITED ftw!

godskitchen

Yep my bill is the same!

I think if we have bills showing that we used over 5Gb in the past (all my bills are over 5Gb, its my only Internet connection) then we might have something to go on.

Its a good way of showing that a precedent was set.

6digitnumber

Cassiel wrote: »

I'd say we can't hang em on the fair usage / 'unlimited' thing unless you've pots of cash or you are a barrister with idle time. They do seem to have reserved the right to amend T&C's

Yes, the way the contract is worded they probably do have the right to change exactly what their idea of 'unlimited' is, they probably do have the right to decide that the previously undisclosed threshold is now 5Gb (as dishonourable as that is).

BUT, the problem I have is that they should not be allowed to charge me if I go over 5Gb next month, that is not what I signed up for. Instead they should be terminating my contract and not forcing me into a contract I NEVER signed up for. I should not be forced to give 28 days notice to leave a contract that is completely different to the one I put pen to paper on. It's surely illegal.

Cassiel

They cannot charge you 6digitnumber. If you get a bill that is for anything other than the fixed amount as in the bill above, then Vodafone is in hot water. If the cap is exceeded they can withdraw the service or they can suspend the service until the beginning of the next billing period (most likely to happen). They can only charge you for exceeding the cap if you agreed to change your tariff to the 5GB broadband to go @ €30/month.

Macspower

Cassiel wrote: »

They cannot charge you 6digitnumber. If you get a bill that is for anything other than the fixed amount as in the bill above, then Vodafone is in hot water. If the cap is exceeded they can withdraw the service or they can suspend the service until the beginning of the next billing period (most likely to happen). They can only charge you for exceeding the cap if you agreed to change your tariff to the 5GB broadband to go @ €30/month.

this is what I'm talking about...therw was/is no cap on my service.. Not when I signed up no for the last year.... and then they add a cap this month without telling anoyone including their own staff..... (they know now BTW)

smellslikeshoes

Cassiel wrote: »

They cannot charge you 6digitnumber. If you get a bill that is for anything other than the fixed amount as in the bill above, then Vodafone is in hot water. If the cap is exceeded they can withdraw the service or they can suspend the service until the beginning of the next billing period (most likely to happen). They can only charge you for exceeding the cap if you agreed to change your tariff to the 5GB broadband to go @ €30/month.

Thats not true, in the original contract it mentioned that they have the right to charge you if you go over what they deem as acceptable usage though I think they are required to contact you by letter warning you that you have been going over before they can charge you.

The way it is at the moment we are paying 10 euro more for what O2 are providing and we are getting half the cap.

This acceptable usage malarkey should be done away with its either unlimited or its not.

Macspower

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

Thats not true, in the original contract it mentioned that they have the right to charge you if you go over what they deem as acceptable usage though I think they are required to contact you by letter warning you that you have been going over before they can charge you. .

My original contract signed in the vodafone shop has only one line about fair useage.. it just says this agreement is subject to a fair useage policy... thats all... no mention of pay... no mention of cap.... no mention of 5Gb

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

The way it is at the moment we are paying 10 euro more for what O2 are providing and we are getting half the cap.

This acceptable usage malarkey should be done away with its either unlimited or its not.

agreed.... but they still shouldn't change our agreement....

godskitchen

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

Thats not true, in the original contract it mentioned that they have the right to charge you if you go over what they deem as acceptable usage though I think they are required to contact you by letter warning you that you have been going over before they can charge you.
/QUOTE]

Acceptable usage for me most months has been 20Gb+

It wasnt a problem when I signed the contract, it shouldnt be now.

Lets not kid each ohter here about what is really going on, Vodafone want us off the "Unlimited" plan.

They are hoping we bend over and take what ever degraded service they offer us with "Oh but you get the first 3 months for only BLA BLA BLA"

Please dont try and sell me something I understand more than you do.

Please dont tell me about a service I have been using long than you have worked for Vodafone.

Please dont talk to me like I am stupid when I say I am on "Unlimited". "Oh but sir we have never offered that"

The least Vodafone can expect from this is some very bad press, we need to get together and get our names down, we need to complain to the NCA, get a reference number from them, then we need to contact the press!

smellslikeshoes

Macspower wrote: »

My original contract signed in the vodafone shop has only one line about fair useage.. it just says this agreement is subject to a fair useage policy... thats all... no mention of pay... no mention of cap.... no mention of 5Gb

I'll have to see if I can dig out the original terms that I signed up to but I'm certain that it said there was a fair usage policy and that they have the right to charge you if you go over what they deem acceptable.This might have something to do with when I signed up for it, It was only available for a week or two when I got it. You are right about the cap though there never was any mention of caps.

tigger1962

I'm an "unlimited" user too... I have to admit I've never gone over the "5Gb"limit they are now imposing.However i dislike being told on one hand you have unlimited usage and then being told that this means 5Gb when everyone else is at least up front and telling you 10gb!! I used to be a vodafone phone user also but i found their "eircell" mentality so bad and the fact that I live of the edge of the border and have been done for unnacceptable roaming charges that I gave up using them. i went for vodafone boradband at the time as they were the only ones doing the usb modem (nobody seems to be using expresscard). My contract expires at the end of december and now thanks to their customer attitude I will not be renewing my contract. I honestly think vodafone Ireland have lost the plot when it comes to customers in Ireland!

Macspower

it's the 5th of the Month!!! I've strted using it on the 3rd of the month.....

ERROR 619!!!! :mad: btw I have 6.8Gb used.... on my "UNLIMITED" plan

goign to phone them now and go through the usual routene..

"Unlimited" ehhhh we don't do that etcetc.... report back in a few mins

Macspower

Ok After ususal on/hold music to hang yourself by 10 mins....
I got through to data support..... goes as follows...

Error 619 hmmm havn't seen that before 1 sec...

I don't see that error listed....
ok it seems like you have reached you 5Gb cap for this month sir.... are you using it a lot...

Yes I am...

We'll you've hit your cap for this month..

I don't have a cap I'm unlimited

Ohh yeah so you are... I really don't understand this then...
Give me one second...
Ok I'm sorry about this sir... it seems we got you mixed up with our capped customers and I've turned you back on there now.
Sorry about that...

Ok thanks...


LOL lets see how long it lasts....more misinformed staff it seems...

6digitnumber

You will certainly be cut off again soon Macs. I got the same when I rang them, a customer service rep who hadn't a clue that the unlimited plan ever even existed. When I insisted that I could not be charged for going over 5Gb I was put through to her supervisor who took the liberty of switching me over to the new capped tariff without my permission. I'm sure they will try to force you into the new contract also sometime soon.

godskitchen

6digitnumber wrote: »

You will certainly be cut off again soon Macs. I got the same when I rang them, a customer service rep who hadn't a clue that the unlimited plan ever even existed. When I insisted that I could not be charged for going over 5Gb I was put through to her supervisor who took the liberty of switching me over to the new capped tariff without my permission. I'm sure they will try to force you into the new contract also sometime soon.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Vodafone really do have some questions to answer.

Can anyone who wants to take this further please PM me your Name and contact details, we need to get work together on this.

Having a unified approach will help.

Once we have enough people, contacting the National Consumers' Association is the next step.

As I have said before I am leaving Vodafone anyway but dont want them to have an easy ride!

machalla

Do any of you remember Esat "No Limits" by the way? As soon as people started using it in an unlimited way (dialing up at 6pm and staying on till 8am) they kicked a load of people off of it. There was no comeback on that one either.. "Unlimited", I do not theenk that word means what you theenk it means..

6digitnumber

Like I said, they can kick me off it/terminate my contract by all means. But to try to tie me into a contract that is completely different to the one I signed is wrong wrong wrong. I should not have to give 28 days notice to cancel a contract which is completely different to the one I signed up to, when they changed the terms of my contract it should have been nulled, voided and terminated automatically.

Godskitchen, I'm not sure where one goes to complain about this kind of thing, I just plan to cancel my contract, switch my phone provider and let as many people know what they're up to as I can. If you want to do something extra then sure, I will put my name to it if you want.