Prepaid

[djcassar]

A few days ago I went to the $29 plan section on vodafones website and selected the galaxy s2, read the terms and conditions and gave them a call and ordered the phone.

Yesterday when I looked at the My Vodafone section I noticed the terms and conditions were different and that I would be charged money anytime I accessed social network sites such as m.facebook.com even if I was under my download limit.

I complained about their breach as this was not the terms I had agreed too and while I am very angry and still not happy about what they have done to rectify the circumstance they have given me a datapack for a year which lets me get free access to the social networking sites. (However my contract is 24 months not 12)

My question is:

Is there anyway I can prevent my phone accessing the sites that could give me additional fees. For example if I run an app that uses facebook, I don't want to find in 12 months time I am getting fees for nothing.

Can I assume if I run these apps via wifi only I should be ok?

[Madeleine]

Hey Djcassar,

djcassar wrote:

A few days ago I went to the $29 plan section on vodafones website and selected the galaxy s2, read the terms and conditions and gave them a call and ordered the phone.

Yesterday when I looked at the My Vodafone section I noticed the terms and conditions were different and that I would be charged money anytime I accessed social network sites such as m.facebook.com even if I was under my download limit.

Thanks for taking the time to come to us and clarify the details of your new plan. I admit that it all can be a little confusing. I went to the plan section of our website which you can view here, and had a scroll through the details of the $29 Plan. I wasn't able to find anything about the inclusions including social networking? Are you able to link me to where you found this?

It sounds like you might have accessed an old link as we've made some changes to our plans in recent months. Most of which were just before the end of February this year. Unlimited social networking was something we offered in the past on the $29 Cap but don't any longer. Accessing social networking sites such a Facebook, Twitter, My Space, etc will all now come out of your monthly data allowance. So even without that data pack that our Care Team added, it would have still come out of your included 200MB before you would have been charged any extra. We recommend using these sites through the m. and official Apps to minimise data consumption.

djcassar wrote:

I complained about their breach as this was not the terms I had agreed too and while I am very angry and still not happy about what they have done to rectify the circumstance they have given me a datapack for a year which lets me get free access to the social networking sites. (However my contract is 24 months not 12)

Keep in mind too that the "unlimited social networking" offered with this data pack will also require that you use the m. or official App. Also any external links accessed through social networking will also come out of your data inclusion.

djcassar wrote:

My question is:

Is there anyway I can prevent my phone accessing the sites that could give me additional fees. For example if I run an app that uses facebook, I don't want to find in 12 months time I am getting fees for nothing.

Can I assume if I run these apps via wifi only I should be ok?

When using a Smartphone such as the Galaxy SII it is a good idea to ensure all data based Apps are properly closed down when not in use to avoid any background data charges. You can do this by holding down the home key, selecting "Task Manager" and then exiting all active applications. I have the Galaxy S II too and I downloaded a fantastic App called "Advanced Task Killer (Free)" from the Android Play Store. This will shut down all running applications at the tap of a button. Alternatively you can turn off your data altogether through your settings tab. Select  "Wireless and Network", then "Mobile Network Settings", then untick the "Use packet Data". When your using WiFi and the WiFi symbol is on your screen you should be safe. If you are concerned you can switch the data off while using WiFi.

I hope this clarifies some things for you. I apologise for the miscommunication. Please let me know if I can assist you any further with this?

Cheers, Madeleine

[djcassar]

---

Madeleine wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to come to us and clarify the details of your new plan. I admit that it all can be a little confusing. I went to the plan section of our website which you can view here, and had a scroll through the details of the $29 Plan. I wasn't able to find anything about the inclusions including social networking? Are you able to link me to where you found this?

---

When I log onto the My Vodafone website and goto:
 

Log on - Update Details - Account - Your Plan - View Plan Details
 

It comes up with the terms and conditions, in which suddenly appears the following line:

Vodafone wrote:
Social networking such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter, foursquare & LinkedIn within Australia will be charged at a standard rate of $0.25 per MB

Nor does it clarify if other programs I download that do access social networking sites will incur me charges particularly as there is no way of telling where they are sending/retreiving data and how much data they are sending.

[djcassar]

Having a look at the plans (the same one you linked me to) it says that the Unlimited offer ends in August. Yet the people I spoke to on the phone said it had already expired.

Can you suggest anyone I can contact with regards to this? I have tried phoning Vodafone but other than a data upgrade which is not what I want they can't do anything.

[Jess]

Hey djcassar, 

Thanks for letting me know about where you found those details on your MyVodafone account. 

djcassar wrote:

When I log onto the My Vodafone website and goto:

Log on - Update Details - Account - Your Plan - View Plan Details
It comes up with the terms and conditions, in which suddenly appears the following line:
Vodafone wrote:

Social networking such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter, foursquare & LinkedIn within Australia will be charged at a standard rate of $0.25 per MB

It does sound like when you upgraded to your new Samsung Galaxy SII you also changed to the new version of the $29 plan that no longer offers free social networking. 

Unlimited Social Networking is available on our Mobile Internet Packs which can be added on a pay as you go, 12 or 24month basis. You can find out more information on these packs on our Website. 

djcassar wrote:

Nor does it clarify if other programs I download that do access social networking sites will incur me charges particularly as there is no way of telling where they are sending/retreiving data and how much data they are sending.

---

When you receive your new Samsung Galaxy S II I recommend updating the software to 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich so you can fully utilise the benefits and features of your new device. Our Blog has a Great Article with some good hints and tips in assisting with this update. 

One of these great new features is in phone data monitoring. Our support team have written an Article on how to utilise this new feature of your phone. 

djcassar wrote:

Having a look at the plans (the same one you linked me to) it says that the Unlimited offer ends in August. Yet the people I spoke to on the phone said it had already expired.

Can you please let me know which area in that link you are looking at so I can take a closer look for you. As mentioned previously this offer has stopped being sold but still available for customers remaining on their existing plan. When you upgrade this will move you onto the newest version of that plan. 

djcassar wrote:

Can you suggest anyone I can contact with regards to this? I have tried phoning Vodafone but other than a data upgrade which is not what I want they can't do anything.

---

You can contact me and I can certainly have a look for you however if you have upgraded I will not be able to revert you back to your previous $29 plan as it is no longer available. 

So that you can contact me I have sent you my details in a Private Message. 

Please let me know if you have any further questions. 

Jess