Vodafone prepay balance deducted for "ghost" data usage

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Aaren

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#265674 4-Feb-2020 19:52

I am a Vodafone prepay customer.
I have cell data turned off, but I am still being charged for data by Vodafone. I exclusively use wifi data.
I have turned off background data for all my apps.
I changed phones to confirm that it is not a device issue.
My phone shows that I have used 56 Kb of mobile data in the last month since I changed phones.
I have now installed an app NetGuard to restrict any apps from accessing mobile data.
But I am still getting charged for data usage.
The Vodafone chat reps give me instructions on switching off mobile data, which is already turned off?
I have an Android phone running Android 9. Location services are also turned off.
I am out of ideas now.

Has anyone else faced the same problem? Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks

sbiddle

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#2412711 4-Feb-2020 21:30

Have you actually disabled mobile data or just background data?

They are not the same thing, and based on your comments I can only conclude you haven't disabled mobile data.

56Kb of data is an incredibly small amount. Where are you seeing that?

antoniosk

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#2412715 4-Feb-2020 21:40

What type of phone is it? A Samsung?

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Aaren

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#2412717 4-Feb-2020 21:42

Both mobile data and background data using mobile data have been disabled.
It's 56 Kb because I don't use mobile data. Wifi data usage is in the GBs.
I got that number from my phone's Settings > Network and Internet > Mobile Network > App data usage

Aaren

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#2412719 4-Feb-2020 21:44

Motorola G8 now. Was Moto E in December.

sbiddle

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#2412720 4-Feb-2020 21:45

So what are Vodafone charging you?

Aaren

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#2412725 4-Feb-2020 22:02

It's a couple of MBs

kiwiharry

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#2412794 5-Feb-2020 07:43

When you changed phones, had you disabled data usage on the new phone before you inserted the sim card?

If you can't laugh at yourself then you probably shouldn't laugh at others.

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sbiddle

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#2412795 5-Feb-2020 07:47

What APN are you using? You haven't changed this for any reason?

1101

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#2412861 5-Feb-2020 10:15

Could be the phone or an app turning on 4G/3G automatically
Or txting pics .

Or just Voda's billing system screwed up .
Can you check with them to see how much data they claim you used .

Linux

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#2412869 5-Feb-2020 10:28

@1101 The end user can see the usage online in the Vodafone App and this will be 100% back ground data the handset is using

Aaren

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#2413063 5-Feb-2020 14:11

@sbiddle I have not changed APN, it has been VFNZ Internet.

@kiwiharry it was on when inserting the sim on the new mobile and that's where the 56 Kb usage is from.

@1101 & @Linux, I suspected it could be an app that might be sneakily using data and so installed NetGuard to restrict any app from using mobile data but that hasn't helped as well.

I have been told that a ticket has been raised with the Vodafone technical team and I should hear from them in 48 hours.

michaelmurfy

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#2413093 5-Feb-2020 15:02

It is rare to see somebody run a phone without mobile data - why not go onto a value plan with mobile data included?

Something like Warehouse Mobile: https://www.warehousemobile.co.nz/pricing/ or Skinny: https://www.skinny.co.nz/pricing/plans/ could fit the bill.

I think you're chasing your tail here. If your phone switches on mobile data for any reason you can pretty-much say goodbye to all your prepaid balance. Going onto a value pack means you don't need to manage your phone as much and also have the advantage of having some mobile data to do things with.

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MurrayM

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#2413114 5-Feb-2020 15:28

Aaren:

I suspected it could be an app that might be sneakily using data and so installed NetGuard to restrict any app from using mobile data but that hasn't helped as well.

Surely it would be a bit of a worry if an app could simply override the phone's OS and turn on data without the user knowing?

djtOtago

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#2413138 5-Feb-2020 15:52

If I recall correctly, on a prepaid plan without data you get charged for a minium of 10Mb the moment you phone uses any data for the first time each day, (or maybe month) then x amount per Mb used after this 10Mb alocation is used.

So even if you phone used 1Kb on any given day you would get charged for 10Mb