Vodafone Data Charges for Automatic Updates!

graemie

Its a Nokia C6 by the way - but we do seem to have got it sorted out on the technical side - its now about how poorly Vodafone have dealt with it and their complete disregard for us as customers trying to get to the root of a problem.

They have literally done nothing except give us the impression it is an inconvenience and annoyance for them to have to deal with queries such as this. The poorly written letter which completely missed the point and basically told us Vodafone are right and we are wrong, with my wife's name wrong, did not help matters at all!!

Vodafone

Hi graemie,

I am disappointed that the service you received was not at a level you would expect.

To clarify if you have a phone that has things like apps or emails, they will regularly connect using data to check for updates. For example, my email account is registered on my phone and it is set to fetch new data every 15 minutes. If there was a new email, it would push that through to my phone.

This is where the additional charges will be coming from. I understand that people are not always aware of how it works. If you have a phone that uses data, we would always reccommend having a package that includes it to stop extra charges.

I can see that the issue has now been resolved, which is great!

If you need to discuss anything in more detail, you can email me directly via the address here with WRT135 FAO Heidi in the subject and by including a link to this thread.

Many thanks,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

diamonds

(third party) Staff at Vodafone must be very disappointed at work^ either that and/or Vodafone's copy/paste is very generic (like third party staff not giving a fook - thats commonly generic at customer services too ! ohh the ironic similarity! ) "I am disappointed that the service you received was not at a level you would expect"
*
"To clarify if you have a phone that has things like apps or emails, they will regularly connect using data to check for updates. For example,* MY* email account is registered on my phone and it is set to fetch new data every 15 minutes. If there was a new email, it would push that through to my phone"

MY ? whats YOUR email got to do with the customers data ?, less personalisation via email is more professional & much less assumtion customer is idiotic.

"This is where the additional charges will be coming from. I understand that people are not always aware of how it works. If you have a phone that uses data, we would always reccommend having a package that includes it to stop extra charges" Well is not you AUTHORISED dealers and Vodafone Retail staff job ? to make sure customers understand everything of the phone that causes charges ! Why even sell a phone that connects to the internet periodically without data plan UNLESS a customer SPECIFICALLY signs this is explained & per MB charges are £XX and data budles can be added later by calling customer services if the need arises.

"I can see that the issue has now been resolved, which is great!" Should never have happened !!

Guys_Dad

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Hi graemie,

I am disappointed that the service you received was not at a level you would expect.

To clarify if you have a phone that has things like apps or emails, they will regularly connect using data to check for updates. For example, my email account is registered on my phone and it is set to fetch new data every 15 minutes. If there was a new email, it would push that through to my phone.

This is where the additional charges will be coming from. I understand that people are not always aware of how it works. If you have a phone that uses data, we would always reccommend having a package that includes it to stop extra charges.

I can see that the issue has now been resolved, which is great!

If you need to discuss anything in more detail, you can email me directly via the address here with WRT135 FAO Heidi in the subject and by including a link to this thread.

Many thanks,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Hold on a minute Heidi.

About 18 months ago I had a problem with my basic Nokia as well. I had no problems whatsoever and no data charges until the one time I connected to the net to check train time.

From that moment on, I got charged every day for connections between midnight and 4.00 a.m.. Resolved by Vodafone removing data from my package.

Now I never changed any settings before or after my one internet connection. And there are other posts on this forum about phantom charges from Vodafone for data.

So I am not sure that Vodafone do not do a "push" service as you claim. I still don't know why my one connection to the net on my Nokia caused a daily silent connection from that day forward. If the handset instigated the connection, then it would have been doing it from day one. My belief is that once it had made itself known to the network on the data side, Vodafone then instigated the connections.

If anyone is interested in proving this one way or the other - and I wish I had done this - then if the charges are in the early hours, then by changing the time on the handset by moving it 12 hours forward, if the handset is instigating the updates, then the time of these will move by 12 hours too. If they stay at the same time, then it has to be Vodafone pushing the updates.

graemie

Heidi

Thanks for coming on here to respond.

However, my first comment would be that this complaint, as far as our dealings with Vodafone are concerned, is absolutely NOT resolved. My wife has sent another final letter outlining her concerns and we are awaiting a response.

As you have requested, I have emailed you directly to explain that my wife does not use the internet on her phone for emails or apps etc. The most she ever uses it for is an occasional picture message download, for which she is happy to pay for data used. Never at any time was it explained, or made clear in any documents that a data package is recommended as the phone may connect to the internet to receive updates. So, your suggestion that "we would always reccommend having a package that includes it to stop extra charges" is wrong.

It is interesting that Guys Dad in his post has had very similar problems and suspicions about what is going on. Looking around the forum I am actually seeing more and more posts which are similar.

I look forward to your reply, either on here or privately through the contact details I have sent you.

graemie

Diamonds - couldn't agree more with your comments!

Guys Dad - Your comments and experiences interest me. My wife was told at one point the phone was connecting to the internet through the night and we had a verbal admission that Vodafone were 'sending updates' to the phone. Similarly again, this did not happen for some months and then I wonder if my wife has gone on the internet for some reason and this is what has triggered the start of the updates like you?

Guys_Dad

graemie wrote: »

Diamonds - couldn't agree more with your comments!

Guys Dad - Your comments and experiences interest me. My wife was told at one point the phone was connecting to the internet through the night and we had a verbal admission that Vodafone were 'sending updates' to the phone. Similarly again, this did not happen for some months and then I wonder if my wife has gone on the internet for some reason and this is what has triggered the start of the updates like you?

That's why I wish I had tested the push or pull controversy before getting data switched off by resetting my handset's time. I am totally convinced that my using the net on that one occasion, that did something at the Voda end to alert them to my internet presence and for them to start sending me unrequested updates.

Check with the internet use on the relevant bill to see if dear wifey did, in fact, go on one day and that started the deluge. :beer:

graemie

Funnily enough, she does think she went on the internet one day to see if she could access her Hotmail account. It didn't work and she never tried again.

The timing of that coincides with, as you call it, the deluge of updates starting, which also seemed to be through the early hours of each day.

grumbler

graemie wrote: »

...
The timing of that coincides with, as you call it, the deluge of updates starting, which also seemed to be through the early hours of each day.

This doesn't mean anything. See, for example, Midnight WAP internet charges on mobile bill

graemie

grumbler wrote: »

This doesn't mean anything. See, for example, Midnight WAP internet charges on mobile bill

Grumbler I think you may have misunderstood the comment.

My comment was in response to Guys Dad, who, similar to my wife, had had a contract without any data charges for several months. This means the phone did not automatically connect to the internet and therefore no charges. Then, after connecting to the internet once, the phone subsequently began receiving or connecting for updates on a daily basis, despite no voluntary settings having been changed.

This is the cause of concern - that Vodafone can extract data charges from customers who do not voluntarily use the internet on their phones, simply by pushing updates to their phones. Suspiciously this seems to begin happening after the customer connects to the internet once on their handset, for whatever reason, and despite no settings being changed voluntarily by the customer.