Hi Folks,

Just got off the phone from Vodafone (have been talking to them for approx 45 mins).

Had a call bar put on my account this morning despite paying $300 two weeks ago (I have been travelling abroad so assumed this was for outrageous roaming charges). They told me that I had an outstanding bill of $500 that I needed to pay before they would lift the bar. I told them I had just paid 300 and they said 'Oh yeah, you only need to pay 175 then'. I asked what the 500 was for and they said they couldn't open my bill as it had only just been issued. I said I wasn't happy to pay a bill if they couldn't tell me what it was for and they said 'tough luck' - either I pay without knowing or I can't use my account.

As I use my VMC as my business internet connection, I was forced to pay 175 without knowing the reason to get my business reconnected to the internet.

So, after getting reconnected, I check out my account and find I've been charged 175 a month for my data/voice plan. I was pretty sure it was only about 40 or 50 bucks when I signed up so this is a bit of a shock.

So my question is - am I being ripped off? I need a normal mobile voice connection and a 1GB data account. Is 175 the standard amount for this? If not, what is the process for getting my money back? Has anyone been successful in doing this?

Cheers,

Chris