Vodafone taking money in advance on PAYG?

Spark

It started happening yesterday, when I tried to go on the internet with my phone, I got two messages saying that :

You've started using data, so we've taken £1 from your credit and given you 25MB to use in the UK today

It happened again today with my other phone, when I sent two messages and made a phone call, the same, two messages telling me that I have to pay for something I will not use today.
So, does that mean that I was charged £4 in two days for a service I haven't used, or very little of it?
I am on a pay as you go, that means you use, you pay, and not pay in advance for a product you might not use fully.
Nevertheless to say, I am waiting for a sim card from Tesco, I certainly am not staying with Vodafone, they are getting worse by the minute.
And I'll make sure I am not using data until I can move from them.

gjchester

Spark wrote: »

It started happening yesterday, when I tried to go on the internet with my phone, I got two messages saying that :

You've started using data, so we've taken £1 from your credit and given you 25MB to use in the UK today.

Anything checking in the background (such as facebook/ email) will trigger this. You may not even recieve emails but data is used to do the check.

Opening the Internet browser may cause a data connection to be establsihed and data use regardless of if you then use it to actually use the web.

That said you should query why tour being charged twice, it should be just once per 25MB block.

[Deleted User]

Several PAYG operators charge a flat fee as soon as you use the internet but with the Tesco sim you mentioned you will be charged by the Kb at a rate of 10p a Mb.
It even works well on 2G! browsing ITN news for example costs just a few pence (cost me 3p last night).
10p a Mb is only expensive if you use a lot of data (smartphone use) and Tesco Mobile have a monthly bundle available at £5 for 500Mb if you need that much data.

grumbler

Spark wrote: »

...I am waiting for a sim card from Tesco, I certainly am not staying with Vodafone, they are getting worse by the minute.

Consider Ovivo that give you 200m+300t+500Mb every month for free.

Spark

gjchester wrote: »

Anything checking in the background (such as facebook/ email) will trigger this. You may not even recieve emails but data is used to do the check.

Opening the Internet browser may cause a data connection to be establsihed and data use regardless of if you then use it to actually use the web.

That said you should query why tour being charged twice, it should be just once per 25MB block.

I do understand that, and I did notice before that my credit was going down even if I wasn't doing much with the phone, that's why I am setting the phone on airplane mode when I couldn't use it (cannot use phone at work for example), but it's the first time I get emails telling me that I have been charged in advance for the future use of 25MB on the day. What if I don't use the 25 MB on the day then? That's how I understand it anyway.
Ovivo sounds too good to be true (just been on their website). Any catch?
Which network do they use? How is their customer service?

notbritishgas

Spark wrote: »

I do understand that, and I did notice before that my credit was going down even if I wasn't doing much with the phone, that's why I am setting the phone on airplane mode when I couldn't use it (cannot use phone at work for example), but it's the first time I get emails telling me that I have been charged in advance for the future use of 25MB on the day. What if I don't use the 25 MB on the day then? That's how I understand it anyway.
Ovivo sounds too good to be true (just been on their website). Any catch?
Which network do they use? How is their customer service?

They use Vodafone:eek:

Virgin also charged my OH £1 a day if she used any Data. Switched her to 3 which is only 1p per meg.

Spark

Yes, I have looking at user reviews for Ovivo, and I did notice that they use the same network as I am now. They are also complaining about the slow speed when they use the internet, to the point where they can't even see the advertising sent by Ovivo (it seems that's how they make their money, with advertising). With vodafone, sometimes I can't use the internet, it goes up and down all the time, while my colleague is surfing happily on the O2 network without any problem. He used to be with vodafone, he changed because he wasn't happy with the service.
I had no problems with my previous non smartphone mobile, but since I joined the smartphone club, I don't stop having problem after problem with them.

gjchester

Spark wrote: »

I do understand that, and I did notice before that my credit was going down even if I wasn't doing much with the phone, that's why I am setting the phone on airplane mode when I couldn't use it (cannot use phone at work for example), but it's the first time I get emails telling me that I have been charged in advance for the future use of 25MB on the day. What if I don't use the 25 MB on the day then? That's how I understand it anyway.

The message tells you the phone has started to use data for the first time in that day, not that they are charging you in case you use the data. It could be very little, even just one byte of data counts. You are then being charged £1 for up to 25MB. Once that 25MB is used you'll be charged another £1 for the next 25MB if you keep using it.

Best guess is something is checking for data or an update in the background and using data. Could you have left an application open that is checking back?

Spark

On the first phone, the messages appeared when I tried to go on the internet (and failed) as the connection had dropped, like it does from time to time. On the second phone, it was when I had sent a message.
But why now? I've never had messages like that before.

Im_just_careful

Something on your phone (an app, e-mail, browser) is using data. If you don't want to pay for data, turn mobile data off and it will stop happening.


It sounds like you need a network suitable for low data use ("3" or Ovivo are good suggestions).


One of the Vodafone PAYG tariffs includes "free" data when you top up by £10 but the data only lasts a month. The £1 for any data use in a day is poor but not unusual for the "major" networks.


I have the impression Vodafone are not that interested in personal customers, more after businesses.

Spark

I ha a good look at Ovivo, and, after looking into it, it seems that many people have problems with poor speed when they use the internet.
I don't want to struggle every time I use the internet, already with Vodafone it's touch and go, I don't want anything that can be worst.
I want out of Vodafone, not only for this but for the many problems I have experienced in the past with them.
I have ordered a PAYG sim card from Tesco, they seem to have some good tariffs for PAYG customers.
Hopefully their website will be working better than the dreadful Vodafone website.