LATE PAYMENT FEE! New feature, woo....

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Demeter

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#670894 11-Aug-2012 08:52

Geektastic: Whatever they charge is still too much given the amount people have to pay for telecoms and interweb in NZ in the first place.

I am also enraged at being overcharged for beauty products and salon services in NZ, but that has no relevancy to this discussion, I believe.

There's no personal intervention until way way beyond a few months - it's all automated text, calls and disconnection which does not cost $10.

Disconnections do cost us. Physically disconnecting a line always involves getting a Chorus tech out, and we have to bear the cost of this.

Far better to offer $10 off for paying on time - a much better image.

I cannot speak to why Vodafone chose this route, but let us not insult the average Kiwi by implying that a discount for paying on time is anything other than avoiding a late payment fee.

Speaking as a consumer from my own point of view, if I am paying late, I am paying late and should be held accountable for not keeping to my end of the bargain. If I am not paying my bill on time, I am withholding funds the service company is now unable to use towards their cashflow and I should be penalized for doing so. It is simple economics, yes?

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#670959 11-Aug-2012 11:42

Demeter: Speaking as a consumer from my own point of view, if I am paying late, I am paying late and should be held accountable for not keeping to my end of the bargain. If I am not paying my bill on time, I am withholding funds the service company is now unable to use towards their cashflow and I should be penalized for doing so. It is simple economics, yes?

Playing a bit of devil's advocate here, but does Vodafone pay its own bills on time? I bet the answer is actually "hell no", since no large company or government department pays on time. Especially if the payment is owed to a small business (there has been studies recently that confirm this).

(Fun fact, I've seen several hundred thousand dollar Telecom bills with a footnote of a $14 late payment fee before. Kinda makes you think "drop in the bucket pointless, guys").

DaveDog

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#670966 11-Aug-2012 12:16

princesscami: it's ridiculous!!!. i get paid on tuesday and my bill is due on monday so i have to pay the late fee?? wtf no 3 day grace period like other companies, you have gone from the most laxed 'cool' company to being total hard arses!. i simply cannot afford to pay early every month. i get enough to pay one bill a week and that's it + food. so i have power, internet, and iphone/smart plan and i have medical bills that i have steal out of those funds when they arise and bills that were caused by my horrible old neighbours $2500+ that i am still painfully paying off 2 yrs later. all this is going to do is put me in a more deprived situation and for what? getting your money 1 day later!!!!!!!!!!??

I hate to be a stickler for information but they're not asking you to pay your account early - they're expecting you to pay it on time. I mean, it isn't unreasonable is it - you would have agreed to pay the account by the due date when you signed up, you can reasonably predict each month what the due date is...

In all reality, they're a Telco - not a bank and your financial situation isn't their concern.

Geektastic

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#670977 11-Aug-2012 12:38

DaveDog:
princesscami: it's ridiculous!!!. i get paid on tuesday and my bill is due on monday so i have to pay the late fee?? wtf no 3 day grace period like other companies, you have gone from the most laxed 'cool' company to being total hard arses!. i simply cannot afford to pay early every month. i get enough to pay one bill a week and that's it + food. so i have power, internet, and iphone/smart plan and i have medical bills that i have steal out of those funds when they arise and bills that were caused by my horrible old neighbours $2500+ that i am still painfully paying off 2 yrs later. all this is going to do is put me in a more deprived situation and for what? getting your money 1 day later!!!!!!!!!!??

I hate to be a stickler for information but they're not asking you to pay your account early - they're expecting you to pay it on time. I mean, it isn't unreasonable is it - you would have agreed to pay the account by the due date when you signed up, you can reasonably predict each month what the due date is...

In all reality, they're a Telco - not a bank and your financial situation isn't their concern.

Ok - so when they fail to provide the services in my contract for any significant period of time due to technical faults etc, can I expect them to reduce my bill? Heck no.

Seems like they want to have their cake and eat it!

DaveDog

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#670979 11-Aug-2012 12:46

Geektastic:
DaveDog:
princesscami: it's ridiculous!!!. i get paid on tuesday and my bill is due on monday so i have to pay the late fee?? wtf no 3 day grace period like other companies, you have gone from the most laxed 'cool' company to being total hard arses!. i simply cannot afford to pay early every month. i get enough to pay one bill a week and that's it + food. so i have power, internet, and iphone/smart plan and i have medical bills that i have steal out of those funds when they arise and bills that were caused by my horrible old neighbours $2500+ that i am still painfully paying off 2 yrs later. all this is going to do is put me in a more deprived situation and for what? getting your money 1 day later!!!!!!!!!!??

I hate to be a stickler for information but they're not asking you to pay your account early - they're expecting you to pay it on time. I mean, it isn't unreasonable is it - you would have agreed to pay the account by the due date when you signed up, you can reasonably predict each month what the due date is...

In all reality, they're a Telco - not a bank and your financial situation isn't their concern.

Ok - so when they fail to provide the services in my contract for any significant period of time due to technical faults etc, can I expect them to reduce my bill? Heck no.

Seems like they want to have their cake and eat it!

It seems to me that they do do what you say. In cases of prolonged outages or ongoing problems we have seen our Telco's offer discounts and credits back to their clients.

Demeter

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#670981 11-Aug-2012 12:49

Geektastic: Ok - so when they fail to provide the services in my contract for any significant period of time due to technical faults etc, can I expect them to reduce my bill? Heck no.

Seems like they want to have their cake and eat it!

I shall direct you to section 3.a. of the Vodafone Terms of Service to which our customers agree signing up for our Fixed Line and Broadband services:

3. Coverage and Services (a) While we will do our best to provide quality services, because of the nature of telecommunications, it is impossible to guarantee a fault-free Service, as the quality and coverage of the Services depends partly on our network, and partly on other Telecommunications Service Providers to which our Services are connected.

Please feel free to approach us for credit when you experience a fault as our agents are usually happy to oblige. But also be prepared to accept what will probably amount to around $3 credit for the time spent offline when you have a fault, as it rarely persists for more than an hour or two.

I'm not really sure I understand why Vodafone is being persecuted for what the majority of consumers consider to be a fair business practice.

princesscami

55 posts

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#670985 11-Aug-2012 13:03

DaveDog:
princesscami: it's ridiculous!!!. i get paid on tuesday and my bill is due on monday so i have to pay the late fee?? wtf no 3 day grace period like other companies, you have gone from the most laxed 'cool' company to being total hard arses!. i simply cannot afford to pay early every month. i get enough to pay one bill a week and that's it + food. so i have power, internet, and iphone/smart plan and i have medical bills that i have steal out of those funds when they arise and bills that were caused by my horrible old neighbours $2500+ that i am still painfully paying off 2 yrs later. all this is going to do is put me in a more deprived situation and for what? getting your money 1 day later!!!!!!!!!!??

I hate to be a stickler for information but they're not asking you to pay your account early - they're expecting you to pay it on time. I mean, it isn't unreasonable is it - you would have agreed to pay the account by the due date when you signed up, you can reasonably predict each month what the due date is...

In all reality, they're a Telco - not a bank and your financial situation isn't their concern.

excuse me!. in order for me to pay it on time i would have had to have paid last week! (out of last weeks pay) so that is early isn't it!. and a 3 day grace period is pretty common practice with other companies so why does vodafone have to be so harsh about it. geeze, that is a great attitude you have not caring about others, that is why the world is in the mess it's in!.

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princesscami

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#670988 11-Aug-2012 13:07

tukapa1:
princesscami:
mjb:
scuwp: Don't like it? then pay your bill on time or use one of the automated payment methods. Simple, and then the late payment fee becomes irrelevant.

+1. Who commits to a contract that they can't service?

lots of people have to make ends meet and having a phone is often a necessity not a luxury and in my case internet is essential as i cannot work and any extra income is generated through this in the way of online sales. not every one has it so cushy!.

Well if you are using all of the non-essential services like broadband and smartphone for business purposes then you should be able to claim those expenses back through your business.

That is if you are registered with the IRD and paying tax.

Which you would be if you are generating income through online sales right?

i don't have a business i sell 'things' that i bought before my nasty neighbours put me into debt.
and those services are not non essential for me, i am sick.

tukapa1

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#670999 11-Aug-2012 13:20

princesscami:
tukapa1:
princesscami:
mjb:
scuwp: Don't like it? then pay your bill on time or use one of the automated payment methods. Simple, and then the late payment fee becomes irrelevant.

+1. Who commits to a contract that they can't service?

lots of people have to make ends meet and having a phone is often a necessity not a luxury and in my case internet is essential as i cannot work and any extra income is generated through this in the way of online sales. not every one has it so cushy!.

Well if you are using all of the non-essential services like broadband and smartphone for business purposes then you should be able to claim those expenses back through your business.

That is if you are registered with the IRD and paying tax.

Which you would be if you are generating income through online sales right?

i don't have a business i sell 'things' that i bought before my nasty neighbours put me into debt.
and those services are not non essential for me, i am sick.

I'm sorry you are sick but I'm not sure why being sick would necessitate an iPhone or any other smartphone for that matter. A basic phone maybe.

In any case let me know what you are selling as I am always looking to buy things, provided you are happy to send me something so I can use it for three days before I decide whether I can afford to pay you for it.

After all that is what you are expecting Vodafone to do for you.

Personally I don't enter into contracts unless I can afford to pay my bills on time.

princesscami

55 posts

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#671001 11-Aug-2012 13:24

Demeter:
Geektastic: Ok - so when they fail to provide the services in my contract for any significant period of time due to technical faults etc, can I expect them to reduce my bill? Heck no.

Seems like they want to have their cake and eat it!

I shall direct you to section 3.a. of the Vodafone Terms of Service to which our customers agree signing up for our Fixed Line and Broadband services:

3. Coverage and Services (a) While we will do our best to provide quality services, because of the nature of telecommunications, it is impossible to guarantee a fault-free Service, as the quality and coverage of the Services depends partly on our network, and partly on other Telecommunications Service Providers to which our Services are connected.

Please feel free to approach us for credit when you experience a fault as our agents are usually happy to oblige. But also be prepared to accept what will probably amount to around $3 credit for the time spent offline when you have a fault, as it rarely persists for more than an hour or two.

I'm not really sure I understand why Vodafone is being persecuted for what the majority of consumers consider to be a fair business practice.

2 hours outage can cost people a lot of money i usually don't say anything if its a couple of hours just vent to myself but that reminds of a time when i was preparing my court case and all of my vodafone emails got wiped from the web including incoming emails for a couple of days this happened twice (last year) and cost me thousands as i was no longer able to proceed (lost evidence) never said anything to vodafone cos they're not likely to pay me for the lost money are they??? :s

princesscami

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#671004 11-Aug-2012 13:32

tukapa1:
princesscami:
tukapa1:
princesscami:
mjb:
scuwp: Don't like it? then pay your bill on time or use one of the automated payment methods. Simple, and then the late payment fee becomes irrelevant.

+1. Who commits to a contract that they can't service?

lots of people have to make ends meet and having a phone is often a necessity not a luxury and in my case internet is essential as i cannot work and any extra income is generated through this in the way of online sales. not every one has it so cushy!.

Well if you are using all of the non-essential services like broadband and smartphone for business purposes then you should be able to claim those expenses back through your business.

That is if you are registered with the IRD and paying tax.

Which you would be if you are generating income through online sales right?

i don't have a business i sell 'things' that i bought before my nasty neighbours put me into debt.
and those services are not non essential for me, i am sick.

I'm sorry you are sick but I'm not sure why being sick would necessitate an iPhone or any other smartphone for that matter. A basic phone maybe.

In any case let me know what you are selling as I am always looking to buy things, provided you are happy to send me something so I can use it for three days before I decide whether I can afford to pay you for it.

After all that is what you are expecting Vodafone to do for you.

Personally I don't enter into contracts unless I can afford to pay my bills on time.

excuse me i can afford to pay my bills i just have to juggle, you are so rude!,.. i am having hospital treatment and can't work so what do you expect ya meany!.

and if you really want me to explain my business to you (because you think its your business to know the ins and outs of why i do the things i do) before my iphone i bought the cheapest cell on the market and it was unreliable and lost sound. my phone is needed for medical emergencies so i needed a quality phone, i couldnt afford to buy a 4 or 500 dollar phone and my cheapest and best option at the time was to pay $149 for my iphone and pay it off effectively with the contract, and i really think that you have some limitations if you think paying a day or 3 days later than required means you cant afford to pay your bill!? :s

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#671031 11-Aug-2012 14:44

1. If you're going to take something to court you protect your evidence at all costs. In the case of communications this means printing them out, storing them on your local PC, CD/DVD, USB memory stick etc. The fact that your court case fell apart because of loss of messages in your inbox suggests that there wasn't much of a case to begin with.

2. You get a bill. You get a grace period to pay that (aka the due by date). Telcos like other businesses have expenses and these don't go away (ie. network upkeep, staff, license costs etc). It sounds like you might be living outside your means if you're using an iphone (I'd assume it was either brought outright or on a monthly contract).
Perhaps moving to prepaid or a lower plan might help your situation. Alternatively give the credit department a call and they might be able to sort out a payment plan which doesn't involve getting slapped with late payment fees.

3. You say you sell stuff online - would you give negative feedback to someone who buys your products but doesn't pay straight away even though you've already sent them the product and instructions to pay promptly? Late fees are there to provide a disincentive for not paying your bills or paying them late.

4. You claim you need a phone for emergencies and you can't afford a mid-range feature phone, yet you buy a iphone on a contract ($149 upfront). There are lots of cheap phones, even some cheap android phones that are below or at the $149 mark - thats open term, no contract required. There are even basic phones for under $50 brand new these days - perhaps you could sell your iphone, buy a basic phone and use the spare cash to shore up your accounts?

I'm a little sceptical of the points being put forward and will end with this: Its sad that you're in this position but its not Vodafones fault that you're living outside your means. There are some great budgeting advice places around I suggest you look at using them and also talk to Vodafone about your situation - they might be able to sort out a plan downgrade or a payment plan.

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Dratsab

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#671057 11-Aug-2012 15:18

Can't believe the attitudes of some people here - if you've entered into a contract, you've agreed to pay your bills on time. Do it - simple.

If you're going to have trouble doing it, ring the company and dicuss it. You'll find they're generally very reasonable about things as long as they know what's going on.

A personal example I have (different sector but same principle) was when I was flatting with a group of others about 6 years ago and our meter didn't get read for 7 months, we just kept getting estimated bills. When it finally did get read we ended up with an $800 bill one month. I rang the company concerned and had a (polite) conversation with the call taker who got a CS rep to call me back. We worked out a repayment plan with no fees or interest and some of the bill even got wiped.

If you decide to not communicate with the company and just not pay on time, expect to whacked with a late payment fee, and in some cases interest.

Really, it boils down to using common sense, which seems to be a fairly rare commodity these days.

richms

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#671077 11-Aug-2012 16:11

Vodafone give a huge time to pay the bill from delivery of it. Unlike slingshot who give you a whole 7 days.

The huge time means you should have no problems sorting out a payment to happen before that date. If you have organizational problems that lead you you forgetting you have no sympathy from me just like that guy in the "I lost my phone number" thread. There are many free calanders online and in outlook its a simple matter of dragging the bill email from the inbox to the appropriate task folder to make one.

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