HTC Desire Vodafone 500mb Fair Usage Policy

Little_Maya

dot111 wrote: »

Obviously they think if they ignore us we will go away.

Well if people manage to cancel contracts and take their custom elsewhere, then yes...

danielz000

Grrrr... I just spoke to a 'Liam' from Vodafone who stated there would be no change to my terms and conditions on the 1st of June...

I don't believe that for one second and now I don't know whether to send the cancellation letter in or not...

TheLibertine

Underworld wrote: »

ASA does not deal with online ads..

Can I just remind people of the thread set up to compliment this one. As this is 14 pages long and growing it's very difficult for people to find all the information needed to complain to various sources.

The thread below is purely for gathering all the information...ie letter templates, details of facebook groups, people to write to etc. Please post anything like that on this thread onto the thread below.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/32637705#Comment_32637705

Re the ASA specifically I have put that contact on the other thread including the details of which specific press advert to complain about because they don't cover online.

As I'm not on facebook it would be really handy if someone could post the facebook groups on there. I've drafted a letter to Vodafone that's on there and it would also be handy if some other people who know what they're doing could draft letters to Ofcom/Watchdog. Ofcom have cleared these 'unlimited' deals before so I really think we need to focus on the fact that they sold deals as unlimited telling people there was a soft cap, and are now retrospectively implementing a hard cap.

Thanks

Thanks

Underworld_3

TheLibertine wrote: »

As I'm not on facebook it would be really handy if someone could post the facebook groups on there. I've drafted a letter to Vodafone that's on there and it would also be handy if some other people who know what they're doing could draft letters to Ofcom/Watchdog. Ofcom have cleared these 'unlimited' deals before so I really think we need to focus on the fact that they sold deals as unlimited telling people there was a soft cap, and are now retrospectively implementing a hard cap.

Thanks

Thanks

Link posted!!

TheLibertine

Many thanks for your reply,


I understand what you are saying, however I hope you can see my point of view that this is 'morally' a suspect thing to do on Vodafone's part (I'm not asking you to comment on that I know you simply have a job to do).

I was sold an 'unlimited' internet package and was assured many times that this was a soft limit to stop abuse. I considered going to TMobile on the basis of their 3GB limit but was persuaded by Vodafone staff who said Vodafone had the fastest 3G network, I was a valued customer, and it was extremely difficult to exceed 500mb. And even in that event you wouldn't be charged unless you abused the service.

I have an HTC Desire, the most powerful 'always connected' phone available. To be honest I feel let down by the information Vodafone gave me during my upgrade with no mention of the new rules for June 1st. And I upgraded just a week ago.

As a loyal customer of 7yrs who has also personally brought other customers to Vodafone (for example my brother who's upgrades I personally handle with his and Vodafone's permission), I have to say I'm extremely upset and am becoming more so. It only takes a look at your own forum to realise that people are easily exceeding 500mb with the Desire and that's when they're using wifi at home even. The whole point of getting a phone like the Desire was to not have to worry about internet usage and now I feel I'll be spending the next 18months worrying about it. I can't stream radio, watch youtube while on public transport etc etc, as I now apparently have a strict limit of just 16mb per day.

I'd hope there is something you or one of your colleague's could do to help resolve this situation.

Thanks

---

Hi,

I appreciate you worrying about your data usage however there is nothing we can do to change Vodafone's data policy, before any solid decisions are made regarding changing the limit we have given plenty of notice for people to adjust the way they are using the internet on their mobiles.

I assure you as an iPhone user I am a heavy data user myself, I constantly search for push alerts, stream YouTube/Radio, read the news and daily update my social networking profiles and I have never used more than 300MB in a month, so you will probably find like me you will settle into a routine with how you use your phone and not actually exceed the data limit.

Another piece of advice would be to try and utilize a wi-fi connection whenever possible as this is normally faster than 3G and does not come out of the data allowance.

Apologies if this is not the answer you were looking for, the removal of the fair usage policy is across the board to everyone including us (the staff) and there is nothing we can do to change this.

Thanks

eForum Team

---

Thanks for your reply,

However the following statement you made is simply not true...

before any solid decisions are made regarding changing the limit we have given plenty of notice for people to adjust the way they are using the internet on their mobiles

Firstly a solid decision has been made to implement a hard cap. Secondly Vodafone havn't given me any notice to adjust the way I use the internet on my mobile. Everything I've found out I've had to discover myself, unless you can point me to some information/notice that you've given me?

And it may affect you too, but you took out an iPhone contract in the knowledge that was a hard data cap. Vodafone sold me a Desire while telling me it had a soft data cap (see my original email).

And again I repeat you only have to look on your forum to see how easily people are exceeding 500mb.

I feel I have been sold a contract on the basis of false information, no one told me of changes to the data policy when I upgraded!! That is the fact here surely?

I appreciate your reply and I understand Vodafone staff are having a difficult time defending this policy, however I ask again what can you do for me as a loyal customer of seven years? I really don't want to be at the point where I have to leave Vodafone after this contract finishes but on the basis of the customer service I've received I see no other option. This really is scandalous.

Vodafone is at liberty to put a hard cap on for new customers, but to upgrade me and persuade me away from TMobile on the basis that the FUP was purely to stop abuse/tethering, and then retrospectively apply the cap for customers sold unlimited internet is appalling. Vodafone may or may not be within the letter of the law, but morally it's a terrible way to treat customers.

Thank you

---

Won't get a reply on the last one until tomorrow but as I point out what they said was utter rubbish! How have we been notified???

TheLibertine

Underworld wrote: »

Link posted!!

Just been there and can't see the link??

Strangely I noticed that on my Vodafone letter template the MSE admin have edited the post and removed the email addresses of the chief exec and ceo and replaced it with the web relations email???

Bizarre I didn't realise the admins did stuff like that on these forums

DarkConvict

Give this a read http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2008/9/Vodafone-Ltd/TF_ADJ_45008.aspx

ASA Adjudication on Vodafone Ltd

Its not the first time VF have been called up by the ASA on unlimited advertising.

Basically vodafone got away with it saying fair usage, however now there is a hard cap there is no way they can have it both ways, all adverts must state 500MB internet.
Vodafone are now advertising products which are due not to be available even though they still let people sign up to them, come 1st June they will defiantly not be allowed to be advertised as unlimited.

DarkConvict

Death to unlimited pricing

However, some users are still upset that the proposed change is coming, despite the fact a number of websites and newspaper advertisements are still claiming you can buy an HTC Desire with unlimited internet (with the fine print pointing to the fair use limit of 500MB).

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/vodafone-defends-decision-to-drop-unlimited-internet-688313

VF are still advertising unlimited so that would be in breach of ASA once those changes are implemented.

bym007

DarkConvict wrote: »

Give this a read. <link>..
ASA Adjudication on Vodafone Ltd

Its not the first time VF have been called up by the ASA on unlimited advertising.

Basically vodafone got away with it saying fair usage, however now there is a hard cap there is no way they can have it both ways, all adverts must state 500MB internet.
Vodafone are now advertising products which are due not to be available even though they still let people sign up to them, come 1st June they will defiantly not be allowed to be advertised as unlimited.

What really is eye-opening for me from this is:

It is September 2008 and Vodafone thinks that customers "typically" use less than 500MB of internet per month. Move 2 years on, and add loads of Web applications, and data hungry breed of mobiles (insert your fav iphone, andriod etc here), vodafone still thinks that 500MB is enough for customers ???

Are they drunk in that board room?????

Underworld_3

if very small percentage of their customers reach 500MB, that does not make 500MB become unlimited by any way!!!
If people use less internet now, they can reduce the "unlimited" to 300MB, then less then less...

Our contract is Unlimited data, with 500MB limit.. How sensible