FAO: Vodafone customers

[Besty 4]

Hello all,

 

Firstly, if you have an iPhone or Google Nexus One with Vodafone, you may safely leave. Nothing here affects you as your contracts are different.

 

If you have a Vodafone contract that advertised "Unlimited Internet Usage" read on.

 

On the 1st June, Vodafone is introducing a new charge called Out of bundle charging which will change how your internet usage works. Before, you had a soft fair usage policy which essentially means if you drift over 500mb with your "Unlimited" internet they wouldn't bat an eyelid.

 

Their exact terms and conditions state this

 

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;

( throttle your usage; or

© suspend or terminate your service in accordance with your airtime terms and conditions.

 

As of the 1st June, this is changing. As stated here you will now be charged £5 per 500mb over the initial 500mb you're allowed. You won't get a warning. You won't be throttled. You will simply be charged as soon as you exceed 500mb.

 

Now, those of you that were with Orange a while ago will remember this gives you quite the opportunity. Under Clause 11.2 of your contract;

 

11.2. You may end this Agreement by writing to us if:

 

© we increase your Charges in the UK which have the effect of increasing your total call and usage charges (based upon your usage in the previous month) by more than 10% and you write to us before the increase takes effect; or

 

(d) we change this Agreement to your significant disadvantage including the change or withdrawal of Services (we will tell you if this is the case) and you write to us within one month of us telling you about the change. This does not apply where the change relates to Services which can be cancelled without termination of this Agreement.

 

So, if you use over 500mb on a regular basis, you can cancel under clause 11.2©. Everyone else has the right to cancel under 11.2(d). You should be able to cancel at no extra charge and keep your phone, as your phone doesn't form any of the terms of your contract and was offered "free"

 

Also, if you may not have received any notification that these changes are being introduced. If thats the case, Vodafone are violating another term of their contract

b We can make changes to or withdraw services at any time and we can make changes to or introduce new terms to this agreement at any time. We will give you at least 30 days’ notice of these changes if we do and you may have a right to end this agreement under clause 11.

 

You'll obviously be aware that it is less than 30 days until the 1st June, so Vodafone are struggling a bit here.

 

You can view more of a breakdown here and here

 

Ok, I get you. How do I cancel?

 

Good question at this stage. I've just got off the phone to Vodafone and spoken to a "manager" who disputes the points I've made here. I'm awaiting a call back and will be phoning Ofcom to speak to an advisor when they get back from training at 10:30am. I will keep you all up to date and let you know where to go from here.

 

 

Useful Links

 

Money Saving Expert Forum Thread

Bitter Wallet Break Down 1 & 2

Vodafone e-forums thread

Ofcom Details

 

 

[soccermom 0]

This for real??

 

Any more info then cos I'd love to cancel mine and it was advertised with unlimited use.

 

Help me cancel mine.

 

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.

[Besty 4]

Vodafone have posted on their official forum with new terms which seem to be saying they're going to uphold the fair usage policy, meaning we can't cancel!

 

It seems they have realised that there is a huge issue with the way they're rewording the contract and as such, they are going to do things differently.

 

Hello Everyone,

 

We have seen quite a bit of speculation on the out of bundle charges for Vodafone UK mobile internet users on forums and in the media. We wanted to clarify things. Here are the facts as they stand today:

 

In June we'll be introducing a free text service to tell our contract customers when they're approaching the upper limit of their data bundle. As the vast majority of our mobile internet subscribers (more than 97 percent) never reach the limit they will not be receiving the text alerts at all.

 

The minority of our customers (less then 3 percent) who do come close will receive a text telling them they are approaching their data allowance and advising them to monitor their usage going forward. At this point customers will not be charged anything more.

 

If after receiving several such alerts, over a period of few months, customers continue to use excessive amounts of data they will be contacted by Vodafone and advised to upgrade to another data plan to avoid incurring unnecessary additional charges.

 

Customers will be able to make an informed decision on whether to continue, limit their use or change to a different price plan, giving them total control of their spend.

 

 

However, if customers continue to use excessive amounts of data over a longer period of time, the costs are as follows:

 

Current charge Out of bundle charge

 

No handheld data bundle 50p a day for 25MB 50p for an additional 10MB

 

Handheld data bundle £5 a month, or £7.50 with a flexi-bundle £5 for an additional 500MB

 

Note: 500MB means you can read and reply to thousands of emails, download 24 Google maps and read 8,000 BBC News stories. Today, a tiny fraction of our customers use their full allowance.

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

eForum Team

[soccermom 0]

Ah come on boys, can I? Can't I? You're just confusing me now.

 

Me no speakee technical or jargon. Can you just explain to me in easy peasy pleasey?

Thanks x

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Ah come on boys, can I? Can't I? You're just confusing me now.

 

Me no speakee technical or jargon. Can you just explain to me in easy peasy pleasey?

Thanks x

 

Do you want me to come around and clarify things for you?

[Kevin Carr's Gloves 4087]

Ah come on boys, can I? Can't I? You're just confusing me now.

 

Me no speakee technical or jargon. Can you just explain to me in easy peasy pleasey?

Thanks x

 

Write to them saying you want to cancel due to changes in your contract which mean a change in your pricing structure. You can call and tell them that is what you are going to do as well.

[soccermom 0]

No thanks little lad, KCG's already doin that for me.

 

Cheers hun, I'll give that a go, They can only say no right?

[Jusoda Kid 1]

No thanks little lad, KCG's already doin that for me.

 

Cheers hun, I'll give that a go, They can only say no right?

 

Surprised you're still awake conversing with mr sleeping tablet

[soccermom 0]

No thanks little lad, KCG's already doin that for me.

 

Cheers hun, I'll give that a go, They can only say no right?

 

Surprised you're still awake conversing with mr sleeping tablet

 

 

I'll have you know there have been the odd occasions where he has kept me up all night

Edited May 16, 2010 by soccermom

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Christ, I couldn't think of anything worse than listening to him full of whizz, would be like the worst come down ever.

[Kevin Carr's Gloves 4087]

No thanks little lad, KCG's already doin that for me.

 

Cheers hun, I'll give that a go, They can only say no right?

 

If they have changed your pricing structure significantly they cant say no. And you know I am always at your service. Thats the thing about being a full grown man we can reaches the places other shorter people cant.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

No thanks little lad, KCG's already doin that for me.

 

Cheers hun, I'll give that a go, They can only say no right?

 

If they have changed your pricing structure significantly they cant say no. And you know I am always at your service. Thats the thing about being a full grown man we can reaches the places other shorter people cant.

[soccermom 0]

Thank you for the advice and the entertainment gents, as always the pleasures been all yours. x