vodafone charges

theimps

hi guys,ive been stung by vodafone for a monthly bill of £137.49,my contract is £17 per month.I have a contract for 300 mins but used 620 mins,so that amounts to £120 for 320 mins,i could not believe they could charge so much and have had a conversation with them regarding this and they've offered a £15 discount.They send me a text warning when i nearly reach my internet data limit,but not when i reached my talktime limit(very convenient),this has been a one off regarding usuage due to my wife being in hospital 50 miles from home for 3 weeks and i was wondering if any of you have experienced this before with any mobile phone companies and if you had any joy regarding a reduction in your bill? PS my contract runs out next month so i have told them i wont renew with them and they just say "we understand"dont seem too bothered in keeping me as a customer!!

AJXX

You know you have 300 mins, yet used more than double that.

Vodafone offered a £15 discount (very good of them IMO)

You're moaning because they won't reduce it further when you admit to going over more than double what was contracted?

I find it laughable that you then threatened not to renew the contract and expected them to grovel for your forgiveness/reduce it. If you're going to use double what you are contracted for then turn around and cry like a baby about the cost and refuse to pay then they're probably happy to see the back of you!

giraffe69

Doesn't your phone have something that tells you the number of minutes used? I think a reduction of £15 is a result personally.
I don't see the company you move to being any more accommodating.

[Deleted User]

theimps wrote: »

I have a contract for 300 mins but used 620 mins,so that amounts to £120 for 320 mins,i could not believe they could charge

Your contract allows you 300 free minutes, why do you feel being charged for additional minutes is somehow wrong? As others have said, you were lucky receiving the £15 reduction on your bill. Don't expect them to be so understanding if you do the same in future.

Threatening to leave is unlikely to further reduce your bill.

SeduLOUs

You can normally check where you are up to with minutes at any time during a month, so a bit unfair to say you were 'stung'.

If you go over free mins/data etc it normally results in high charges.

Advice for the future? If you know you are having an unusually high usage month, keep an eye on your minutes, and call the network BEFORE you run out - they may be able to offer a short term solution like adding an extra 300 minutes for a £5 or something similar (O2 call them 'bolt ons' but most networks have similar things).

[Deleted User]

SeduLOUs wrote: »

You can normally check where you are up to with minutes at any time during a month, so a bit unfair to say you were 'stung'.

Yeah, it's easy enough to ring the provider (free call) to check both the minutes available and also any additional charges.

The OP seems to feel that his wife being in hospital should have somehow exempt him from having to pay.

theimps

i have no problem paying for the over use but i do have a problem with such a high pence per minute charge to one of their own customers for talk time without them warning you that you are near your limit(by the way it isnt free minutes as its included in a contract that i pay for!!),they're are quite happy to send me a text/e-mail to offer me more internet data when i'm near my limit but when i'm near a talk time limit that is quite lucrative to them they dont send one,just stating my opinion on that,certainly not looking for any sympathy of anybody and probably blowing off steam as much as anything else and not looking for sarcastic replies

theimps

AJXX wrote: »

You know you have 300 mins, yet used more than double that.

Vodafone offered a £15 discount (very good of them IMO)

You're moaning because they won't reduce it further when you admit to going over more than double what was contracted?

I find it laughable that you then threatened not to renew the contract and expected them to grovel for your forgiveness/reduce it. If you're going to use double what you are contracted for then turn around and cry like a baby about the cost and refuse to pay then they're probably happy to see the back of you!

cry like a baby,wow perspective please,and where do i say ive refused to pay?

theimps

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Yeah, it's easy enough to ring the provider (free call) to check both the minutes available and also any additional charges.

The OP seems to feel that his wife being in hospital should have somehow exempt him from having to pay.

i dont feel i shouldnt pay just because my wife was in hospital,i never said that,i was just explaining the reason why i have gone over my limit for the first time was caused by calling her more than often to see she was ok,and didnt realise how quickly these calls add up,just a thing to learn from and certainly dont expect to be exempt from as you somehow seem to think!

SeduLOUs

theimps wrote: »

i have no problem paying for the over use but i do have a problem with such a high pence per minute charge to one of their own customers for talk time

Call charges are clear as day on Vodafone's website.
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/call-charges/

theimps wrote: »

without them warning you that you are near your limit(by the way it isnt free minutes as its included in a contract that i pay for!!)

Yes, you pay for a contract inclusive of 300 minutes, not 620 minutes.

theimps wrote: »

they're are quite happy to send me a text/e-mail to offer me more internet data when i'm near my limit but when i'm near a talk time limit that is quite lucrative to them they dont send one

They are under no obligation whatsoever to babysit you and let you know when you are likely to run out of minutes. They often send messages re data because apps can chew up data in the background without you realising it's happening.

Your phone however doesn't make calls by itself.

You can check how many minutes you have used AT ANY TIME by either logging into your account or calling Vodafone.

theimps wrote: »

just stating my opinion on that,certainly not looking for any sympathy of anybody and probably blowing off steam as much as anything else and not looking for sarcastic replies

We're just stating our opinions too. The majority here think that you have done very well to get a £15 refund that Vodafone were not obliged to give, so you should be happy.

You used all of your inclusive minutes, and were then billed for the additional minutes at the rate you agreed to when you signed up to the contract. End of story.

[Deleted User]

theimps wrote: »

didnt realise how quickly these calls add up,just a thing to learn from and certainly dont expect to be exempt from

The fact that you demanded a reduction in your bill and threatened to leave when you didn't get one would seem to indicate otherwise.