0.facebook redirected to m.facebook with no warning

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › 0.facebook redirected to m.facebook with no warning

k1wi

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

#70926 2-Nov-2010 21:43

Has anyone else using 0.facebook on Telecom been redirected to m.facebook and charged data usage without warning?

This happened to me this evening - normally if I hit a link that will take me to m.facebook it warns me "are you sure you want to do that " and I always so no, because I don't want to leave 0.facebook and pay data charges. But tonight the first thing I knew that i was no longer on the 0. site was seeing a photo when I really didn't expect a photo. I had simply clicked on a persons name and expected to see their photoless profile. No do you want to continue, nothing.

I know it's only a dollar, but I don't like the idea of being offered a free service, only to be charged for it, so I called up customer support. They told me that 'on this one occasion' they had decided to credit me the dollar, but that if it happened again, I wouldn't be refunded. As if I would go to all the effort of calling support and spending over half an hour on the phone trying to scam them over a dollar.

Is there a way for telecom to turn off access to non-free sites on your mobile? (in the same way that you can call bar 0900 numbers?) Otherwise I'm not going to bother with using 0.facebook from my Telecom phone.

Also, before offering me the refund, the customer rep was nice enough to tell me I still had my 'free' 10MBs to use - Um no, I was charged for those 10 MBs.

SteveON

1916 posts

Uber Geek

#399398 2-Nov-2010 23:41

I hate it when free becomes a right.

heavenlywild

5060 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#399404 2-Nov-2010 23:50

^How does your post help?

k1wi has a legitimate concern. If a service is offered for free, then it should be free. k1wi is not asking for anything more.

I reckon k1wi, you won't be alone on this one. How many times have you pressed on the browser icon on your mobile by mistake? Wham, a dollar is charged, unintentionally.

Maybe there should be warnings in place before data is received?

k1wi

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

#399422 3-Nov-2010 00:52

Well thats it, with 0.facebook there normally is a warning, what reallty gets me is that this time, there wasnt and that's seen as MY fault, and if it happens again, no chance of a refund.

I've had other occasions where I've thought I was clicking on an 'unmetered' service before (on the homepage), only to realise that it is, infact, not and my data usage has been pinged.

I don't think I've ever been charged for pressing the browser button, because it lands on the unmetered home page. So that's okay, I just think you should have to confirm before your first paid byte.

And as to free being a right SteveON? Thanks for your really helpful information. I don't expect everything to be free, but I expect it to be free when it says "Free access provided by Telecom New Zealand" on the top of the page. I also think it should be particularly clear when you are moving to a metered page for the first time.

Morph

190 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#399432 3-Nov-2010 02:34

I have an iphone on XT prepay and can't use the 0.face... as it says my ip doesn't work blah blah ( even tho the 125..... ip is owned by telecom... go figure...

I just use the app and have a data plan ( 12 bucks for 120mb ) which is fine and deal with it as owning an iphone you KNOW you need a data plan haha

muppet

2568 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#399436 3-Nov-2010 06:38

SteveON: I hate it when free becomes a right.

I hope you're thrown in jail, unexpectedly and for no obvious reason, so we can repeat this stupid comment back to you.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

SteveON

1916 posts

Uber Geek

#399442 3-Nov-2010 07:24

I understand that it's a free service, however I was looking at this from a commercial point of view. The amount of time service providers spend on supporting such services which are "free", makes them a real burden. For example spending half an hour to save $1 seems silly for both parties.

There must be something on your phones default browser which is not letting you know that you are leaving "free" land.

akia

489 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#399452 3-Nov-2010 08:05

This doesn't sound right, can you please ensure you ring 123 as well if you have further instances of this to log it. I in the meantime will let the teams know this is happening. Will keep you updated.

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muppet

2568 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#399453 3-Nov-2010 08:06

SteveON: I understand that it's a free service, however I was looking at this from a commercial point of view.

My apologies then. I mistook your original post as being from the "smart arse git" point of view.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

k1wi

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

#399468 3-Nov-2010 08:40

akia: This doesn't sound right, can you please ensure you ring 123 as well if you have further instances of this to log it. I in the meantime will let the teams know this is happening. Will keep you updated.

Thank you for that, I did indeed call 123. But as I said, I have stopped using this service as I was told in no uncertain circumstances that the refund was a one off and I would not ever get it again, if I found that it occured.

SteveON: I understand that it's a free service, however I was looking at this from a commercial point of view. The amount of time service providers spend on supporting such services which are "free", makes them a real burden. For example spending half an hour to save $1 seems silly for both parties.

There must be something on your phones default browser which is not letting you know that you are leaving "free" land.

I would assume that from a commerical point of view it is provided free in order to get people use to using their phone for data: I certainly never used my browser before it was launched. But I am not yet ready to leave the free zone, not at least at a dollar a day per casual usage.

And yes, I think that spending half an hour in order to save a dollar is silly, that's why I wouldn't have done it had I felt that I had been at fault and clicked through a warning page.

At the same time, I know how easy it is for links to get not go through the right pathways, especially in a dynamic environment such as facebook, I would just like more options or safeguards in place for this situation not to occur again (such as a block on leaving the free zone unless you make a specific settings or plan change), or, if they exist, they are easier to find out.