HTC Desire Vodafone 500mb Fair Usage Policy

bym007

To be honest with you, this is all down to ASA lettings these muggs get away with murder!

In no other business/industry, can words "unlimited" be twisted to such an extent!

DarkConvict

There was a petition here and at No.10 website, probably more than one to get the word unlimited removed from advertising because it was been abused with *fair usage applies

As it was put on TheRegister

You have sold me an internet connection.
Is there a limit? Yes
Therefore is it unlimited? No.

http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2008/06/11/voda_asa_unlimited/#c_242583

They just need to be open and honest about it, and remove unlimited form advertising unless it really is unlimited, sadly virgin media still get away with unlimited by been unlimited with heavy speed capping on anything but the top 50MB connection.

cmonthegas

Posted this on the Vodafone forums, just re-posting here since it may be deleted/edited. Thanks for all the help and information everyone has given. It has helped a lot of people including me, I will try and add as much as I can.

Phoned up Vodafone via 191 earlier to speak to someone regarding the 'Unlimited Internet policy' and while I was waiting to speak to someone the automatic system informed me that I wasn't due an upgrade until 2012. Strange, considering I signed up for a 12 month contract for the HTC Desire. Anyway, after getting through I queried this error and according to the employee they had no records of me signing up despite having numerous call backs in the days leading up to the pre-order offering this deal! Needless to say, I wasn't happy so I asked to speak to the supervisor who still claimed not to know anything about this.

After asking for a number/address to make a formal complaint to and hinting about taking this further, the supervisor found the 'error' in where the account had been promoted to a 24 month contract. Funny how he found this error after I asked who I should write to regarding formal complaints.

Anyway, after expressing my concern about how they are signing people up for a contract which they never agreed to I moved on to ask about the 'Unlimited internet' in my contract. At first he claimed to not know anything about the change to a hard cap and he put me on hold to find out more about the matter, he came back and explained that they were introducing a 500MB limit on the first of June and if what I hadn't received a letter or text I am entitled to cancel under clause 11 in the terms. I was still in the 7 day cooling off period, so I just took the easy way out and cancelled but that still didn't go to plan:

When I got put through to the returns department I requested my PAC and the guy said that I could have the PAC no problem, but it would require 30 days written notice. Of course I disputed this and said that they had to provide me a PAC code within 48 hours since it says that on their website after all. He finally agreed that he would give me a PAC if I phoned back tomorrow morning.

As you can see I am far from impressed and I will be taking this matter further with all appropriate parties.

I have now cancelled my contract and taken up a 18 month contract with T-mobile, 900mins unlimited texts, unlimited internet (Subject to fair use 3GB)

Jimvy

Posting this as I expect it to be deleted from the Vodafone forum in due course...

Vodafone are starting to make Ratners look like a good business idea...

Does anyone at Vodafone actually realise that beyond the customers posting in this thread there are other customers reading it and building their case to void contracts and passing this information on to their contacts? Dont vent here, take it to friends and family and stop Vodafone relying on customer apathy to line their pockets.

The CEO's office are singing from the same hymn sheet so don't try to negotiate - take it to email/writing, that way you have something more than word of mouth when in dispute. Check your home insurance policy too, many of those have access to free legal advice included with their policy.

I've been a Vodafone enabler for around 15 years between PAYG and then contract and have been materially disadvantaged on many occasions in their favour but this time I'm saying "no" - the cash cow has dried up and Vodafone have had it too good for too long - they've gone from 'give and take' to 'grab grab grab.'

I've been somewhat reticent on posting to forums since this arose but rest assured I'm not sitting back expecting them to do the honourable thing.

Fran.

DarkConvict

At least cmonthegas got himself a free HTC Desire!

Vodafone will delete that im sure about it.

Vodafone need to get their upgrade team retrained as well as they offer deals that do not exist or do not explain deals are limited to only a few months not the whole contract length, they need to go back to black and white written contracts so they can't wriggle out, as the poster said signed up for a contract different to the one vodafone had on record (not massively uncommon given previous complaints on these forums). I'm glad I left vodafone as Orange always did me well.

TheLibertine

DarkConvict wrote: »

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.

That's a hell of a find Convict, I think the decision shows they won't get away with advertising like this after June 1st, where as all other networks will be able to continue due to the FUP argument.

Can someone post a template complaint to the ASA into the following thread? It seems like the more compalints they get the more interest they take. I've added the ASA link and the specific press advert to complain about to the thread below
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/32637705#Comment_32637705

dot111

The reps on Vodafone forum are certainly on the ball today closing threads......
Pity we don't get an answer.

waltsalt

bym007 wrote: »

To be honest with you, this is all down to ASA lettings these muggs get away with murder!

In no other business/industry, can words "unlimited" be twisted to such an extent!

I agree completely. ASA are idiots. Unlimited means no limits - 500MB is quite clearly a limit! It's plain as day so why do ASA not do something about it?

I complained to ASA at a stage about an Orange TV advert in which they claimed they offered unlimited text messages. I got a response saying that the FUP makes it all ok and without it the networks would be put under an unbearable strain. They gave an example of how the networks get jammed on New Year's Eve because of the demands of everybody sending messages at once - the analogy making no sense whatsoever because an unlimited use of text messages for customers does not in any way mean all customers will start sending text messages all at the same time. They are quite simply clueless and offer the consumer no protection at all!

onpoint_2

cmonthegas wrote: »

Posted this on the Vodafone forums, just re-posting here since it may be deleted/edited. Thanks for all the help and information everyone has given. It has helped a lot of people including me, I will try and add as much as I can.

I'm also in the situation of being still in my 7 day cooling of period, and will return just to get out of this. So you arranged your return and then cancelled by asking for your PAC code then taking out a contract else where?

Is it as easy as that and can you do this as long as your out of contract or do you have to give 30 days notice? I was assuming my contract would revert to what it was before I renewed and I'd then have to give 30 days notice despite being out of contract.

I'm unfamiliar with how the termination via PAC code works as I've been with Voda for about 12yrs.

danielz000

Off topic but, I can't be letting Tom delete this classic story can I?!

Reading through all this, I am pretty disgusted with Vodafone, but not at all surprised.

My tale of woe with Vodafone:

They over-billed me for more than a year.

I found out that my free minutes had never been included, and that they had charged me more than £1000 more than they should have, over 18 months. They told me that because I had not spotted this when I was being billed that it was my problem. I presumed that the huge number of texts I was sending was causing the huge bills, but it was because they never included the free texts or calls.

So, they stung me for more than a grand more than they should have and refused to reimburse me.

Then, when I bought my current phone, I was promised in the shop that the phone would be on 2.0 very soon and would definitely be getting Flash. Now, I get told that I'm not allowed to ask about this on the support forum, and there is no more information.

My wife and son are also on Vodafone. When their contracts end, I will be migrating them elsewhere. When my contract ends, I want nothing more to do with this company. Needless to say, I have let all my friends know about how I have been treated, and have mentioned it on several other forums.

I expect this post will be deleted, and I will be get another email telling me that "we have removed the post", but I want Vodafone to know that I will not take this treatment.

Well buddy, your message is safe(ish) here...