Vodafone Data Charges for Automatic Updates!

Vodafone

Hi graemie,

I have received your email and will give you a call this evening to discuss it further.

Hi Guys Dad,

The only update that Vodafone will ever send out to your handset is a software update which you would have to physically accept. If there are any other data charges except what you actually use on the handset, it will be from third party apps updating.

If you ever need to test this, back up your handset and perform a full reset to wipe the phone and then add the apps one by one to see when the charges appear.

Thanks,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

grumbler

graemie wrote: »

Grumbler I think you may have misunderstood the comment.

No. I meant that the timing neither proves nor disproves anything.

graemie

grumbler wrote: »

No. I meant that the timing neither proves nor disproves anything.

Thanks, and agreed, it does not prove or disprove anything but the fact that more than one of us on this thread and other threads have encountered regular 'through-the-night' updates after having willingly connected the phone to the internet for the 1st time, months after starting the contract, does suggest a link.

Not to be disrespectful but not really sure what your point is!

grumbler

The point was that the phones that only 'pull' data during the day get charged usually daily at the same time at night.

My understanding is that the main accusation against Vodafone was that they 'push' data and charge for this. I don't know if it really is the case, but the timing of charges in the bill proves neither directly no indirectly that they do it.

graemie

Agreed again!

But going back to the original complaint, it is all about whether it is morally right and acceptable that without warning from the network provider, Vodafone, and without any clear information in guides or manuals, that a phone can 'silent connect' to the internet by itself to download or receive updates.

With my own contract with another provider, it is obvious to me that my phone is connecting to the internet and downloading updates and receiving push-emails. To a non-savvy user or someone who only makes calls and texts but who happens to have a handset that is internet-capable* it certainly won't be obvious that the phone will automatically connect to the internet almost daily to be updated, after it has connected to the internet for the first time.

* I use 'capable' rather than 'enabled' because I believe that any phone should by default be internet disabled, with the user given clear-warnings of the cost and service implications of enabling it. This of course won't suit the network provider as a silent-majority of passive consumers won't notice or bother to query the resultant charges and so it would be like giving up on an easy income stream.

With my wife now having had a phone-call from the Vodafone Company Representative I am going to remove myself from further comments until we see the outcome. Hopefully will have some good news to report on how it has been dealt with.

Guys_Dad

grumbler wrote: »

The point was that the phones that only 'pull' data during the day get charged usually daily at the same time at night.

My understanding is that the main accusation against Vodafone was that they 'push' data and charge for this. I don't know if it really is the case, but the timing of charges in the bill proves neither directly no indirectly that they do it.

My bill showed a 50p charge each day at about midnight, but a varying amount of data usage at different times between midnight and 5.00 a.m.

Guys_Dad

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Hi graemie,



Hi Guys Dad,

The only update that Vodafone will ever send out to your handset is a software update which you would have to physically accept. If there are any other data charges except what you actually use on the handset, it will be from third party apps updating.

If you ever need to test this, back up your handset and perform a full reset to wipe the phone and then add the apps one by one to see when the charges appear.

Thanks,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

If you are correct, then why did the apps only start updating the day after I accessed the internet for train times which was the only time I used the internet on that phone? And why did the data usage records show varied times between midnight and 5.00 a.m.?

I should also add that the Nokia 5130 was unlocked and I have used it on Orange since then with no data use at all ! This makes me even more suspiscious that it was not handset initiated.

ford_prefect_3

graemie wrote: »

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.

If she did that by entering her details into the mail client on the phone then its going to be connecting to poll for messages even if you put the wrong credentials in and it doesn't actually get any mail.

Over the Air Updates (OTA updates) might also be the cause but given that most mobile operators are rubbish at getting updates out for most handsets I would be surprised at that.

Looking at Vodafones website you can get 600 minutes, 3000 texts, 500MB on a 12 month sim only contract for £20.50 a month, why dont you treat your missus to a new sim so she can use the interwebs more?

forgotmyname

Wifes phone had the same issue, Cheap plan Nokia C6. No internet included.

I removed ALL the internet and WAP access points, Making sure the phone couldnt incur expensive
data charges.

All fine until approx 4 months later, I was checking the bill online and noticed charges for data. All seemed
to have started at 3am one day. Then the phone connected constantly for the n ext 10 minutes. It did this
every day. Luckily it had only been happening for a few days before i noticed.

Customer services were helpful and removed the data charges, Told me to goto a vodafone store to get the
handset checked.

Took the phone in and got that look, Another stupid user who uses the net and doesnt know. Then the blank
expression and some strange noises. Puzzled as to how it can connect to the net with no access points set.

Checked online at my bill and said the connection pattern was strange. Took it to the back room and returned a short while later.

Turned out vodafone 360 was connecting. Which was strange because its not a 360 phone. How did the 360 get onto it?


It obviously stumped them and rather than keep refunding the data charges they added the internet for free.

Guys_Dad

Interesting. Vodafone 360 - which I never heard of - is as follows

Vodafone 360 aims to pull together phone calls, emails, text messages and social networking feeds from all your contacts and present them to you via a unified interface on your phone.

But you need to create a360 account to get started

b: If you need to create a Vodafone 360 account, tap on ‘Sign up’ .
• tap the text boxes to bring up the keyboard and type in your details
• tap # to hide the keyboard, then accept the terms and conditions by tapping on the box next to them, which puts a # there
• enter your date of birth, and whether you’re male or female, then tap # to create your accoun

(The # represents the return key)

Well I didn't do that and I suspect you didn't either, so if you didn't then the technical guys may have been wrong. And, of course, without an access point, how could your handset have been contacted or initiate anything?....................................