HTC Desire Vodafone 500mb Fair Usage Policy

Little_Maya

DarkConvict wrote: »

just purposely start hammering your internet connection just to be sure.

That's exactly what I am doing, I have come very very close to the 500MB a few times already anyway (without watching anything on youtube, or any radio use) so it's not particularly difficult to go over

Little_Maya

N20Y1D wrote: »

Thanks for the info, they really dont appear to know what they are doing, only this morning Tom stated this was vodafones official statement which seems to be contardicted by what Jakub has told you:

Does that surprise you? The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing... I bet that anyone phoning 191 would get a few different answers to add to the mix

Tony5101

andywicks wrote: »

I have just been speaking wiith Jakub Hrabovsky, Vodafone's head of web relations. He has been able to provide responses to my questions and is happy for me to post his responses here. The wording below is mine but the overall messages are what Jakub said.

1. As of the 1st of June, Vodafone will be implementing a text service to notify 'heavy' users that they have used their allowance. The exact wording of this text is still being clarified. Jakub thought heavy users would be all users who used over 500MB. No additional charges will be applied to their account at this stage.

2. If they continue their heavy usage in the following month, they will be called by someone from Vodafone to discuss what options they have - either reducing usage, upgrading to a Mobile Broadband bundle or having charges applied to their account in subsequent months. No additional charges will be applied to their account at this stage.

3. If the users doesn't take an additional bundle and their heavy usage continues then they will be charged at the rate of £5 per additional 500MB. Jakub confirmed that if these charges were to lead to an increase in your total bill of more than 10% then you should have grounds to terminate your agreement under clause 11.2.c. without incurring early termination charges.



- Jakub confirmed that no-one will be charged for excessive usage before they have been contacted by a vodafone representative.

- Vodafone are still trying to clarify the definition of 'excessive usage'

- Jakub said that it is highly unlikely that customers who use in the region of 500-600 MB per month will incur additional charges.

- There are discussions going on with their legal department around the following clause in the Terms and Conditions:


The clarification is around "your price plan's standard rate". It has previously been confirmed on the Vodafone eForum that no pricing structure has been in place for this and so this might require a small change to the Terms and Conditions.

Jakub also provided more information on the 3% figure previously quoted. This is the number of Mobile Internet users who use 500MB in a month. He also used the figure of 1% to describe the number of customers whose use is 'excessive'.

I also raised the question about why the 500MB limit was deemed to be sufficient to most smartphone users whilst it was decided that 1GB was needed for an iPhone or Nexus1. He said that this was confusing and would be looked into, but was not able to provide a more detailed response.

Andy

Andy - you've done a sterling job there mate - well done!

N20Y1D

I'm not interested in what my previous bills were, i have an 18 month contract with vodafone which i am less than half way through.

As of last week we are no longer allowed to piggyback the office Wi-Fi, so things like podcasts which i listen to on my commute will eat into my 500mb - very heavily - eg i listen to a twice weekly podcast each one is on or over 60mb. So that alone will take me over the limit.

is anyone here good at writing letters of cancellation ;o)

danielz000

N20Y1D wrote: »

I'm not interested in what my previous bills were, i have an 18 month contract with vodafone which i am less than half way through.

As of last week we are no longer allowed to piggyback the office Wi-Fi, so things like podcasts which i listen to on my commute will eat into my 500mb - very heavily - eg i listen to a twice weekly podcast each one is on or over 60mb. That alone will take me over the limit.

is anyone here good at writing letters of cancellation ;o)

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=32690957&postcount=9

Can you adapt that?

bym007

N20Y1D wrote: »

I'm not interested in what my previous bills were, i have an 18 month contract with vodafone which i am less than half way through.

As of last week we are no longer allowed to piggyback the office Wi-Fi, so things like podcasts which i listen to on my commute will eat into my 500mb - very heavily - eg i listen to a twice weekly podcast each one is on or over 60mb. That alone will take me over the limit.

is anyone here good at writing letters of cancellation ;o)

I have couple of thoughts about that.

A. Vodafone has not sent us any message to notify of this change about to happen. I mean a letter, email, call or text message. EForums are all good, but only 1% (ok I made that up like vodafone) of the customers visit them. So Vodafone has to inform everyone just to be on legal side.

B. Before writing a template, would it not be better to wait for the dust to settle, since Vodafone is changing its mind every 10 minutes. In my opinion, it would be better to wait for a final announcement from Vodafone before sending the letter.

Agree ?

On a side note, I suppose there are a few letters kicking about, but it would be better to consonlidate all into 1 letter effectively! Now who is up for that ?

Little_Maya

There are discussions going on with their legal department around the following clause in the Terms and Conditions:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Priceplan Terms and Conditions from 1st July 2009 said:

27. All Vodafone services offered free or under unlimited subscription are subject to our Fair Use Policy. If, in the reasonable opinion of Vodafone, your use is excessive, we may ask you to moderate your usage. If, after we have asked you to moderate your usage, you fail to do so, we reserve the right to:
(a ) charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate;
(b ) throttle your usage; or
(c ) suspend or terminate your service in accordance with your airtime terms and conditions.

The clarification is around "your price plan's standard rate". It has previously been confirmed on the Vodafone eForum that no pricing structure has been in place for this and so this might require a small change to the Terms and Conditions.

Wouldn't even a "small" change to the terms & conditions require 30 days' notice?

Norro

Little_Maya wrote: »

Wouldn't even a "small" change to the terms & conditions require 30 days' notice?

I expect the discussions in the legal dept are on how to avoid that.

superbrainz

Just heard back from Consumer Direct. It might not be relevant now in light of the latest statements we are hearing from Vodafone. However, it gives otelo as another point of contact in case of a dispute.

Here's what Consumer Direct had to say

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Dear Mr. XYZ,

Thank you for your email to Consumer Direct dated 10th May 2010. Your reference number for this case is XXXXXX, which should be quoted in any future contact about this issue.

Based on the information supplied within your e-mail it appears as though your enquiry is outside the normal remit of Consumer Direct as your query relates to an internet provider.

You should be arguing with Vodafone that it is a significant change to the contract and should therefore be in a position to cancel your contract.

I would therefore suggest that you inform the trader of your complaints straightaway, and confirm this in writing via their official complaints procedure.

If you do not get a satisfactory response then you should contact the Ombudsman that Vodafone are a member of. They are called OTELO and you can contact them on 01925 430 049 or via their website www(dot) otelo(dot)org(dot)uk

Your letter needs to be sent by recorded delivery post so that you can prove it has been received and a photocopy kept for your reference. I have attached a suitable template letter for you to adapt to your own situation and use in pursuing your claim.

If you require any further advice or information about this case, please do not hesitate to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 quoting the case reference number.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Sel


Consumer Direct

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danielz000

bym007 wrote: »

B. Before writing a template, would it not be better to wait for the dust to settle, since Vodafone is changing its mind every 10 minutes. In my opinion, it would be better to wait for a final announcement from Vodafone before sending the letter.

Agree ?

Unfortunately, I do