Vodafone's new ads = dodgy?

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Vodafone's new ads = dodgy?

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266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#37269 31-May-2006 11:44

lokinz: VF are being very straight-up about this

Hold up a sec. You reckon "15c calling for $14.95 a month" is straight up? Riiight. That is the most convoluted piece of advertising I've seen in a while. Even the Voda reps seem a bit confused by the whole thing. There's a difference between fine print and being deliberately misleading.

And as for cheap, get out of here. $14.95 for 100 off-peak minutes + a base plan (min= $19.95) = at least $34.95/month for every customer - locked in for TWO YEARS. How is that cheap?!

http://walkingisoverrated.com

lokinz

298 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#37270 31-May-2006 11:46

spazz: Mate, it's not an excuse. What/who am I trying to excuse here? I'm merely pointing out to those who are happy to ride with the status quo, i.e., you, that we could have it so much better, but we don't. And that's unacceptable. But hey dude, if you're happy to keep plodding along as things are, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the developed world are paying half as much as Kiwis do, then more power to ya \m/

-end-

Let me quote the wise tonyhughes, not exactly the same circumstance, but relevant none the less.

tonyhughes: How about:

New York City: Area: 785 sq km
Population: 8 million

New Zealand: Area: 269,000 sq km
Population: 4.2 million

The difference in amount of cell towers and infrastructure required is enormous.
We have over the 300 times the land area, which is predominantly hilly (our plains are usually no more than tens of kilometres across), and only half the population.

Cost per user to deliver these services would have to be astronomical compared to just this one state.

spazz

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#37271 31-May-2006 11:51

Point taken Lokinz. However we both know that the actual cost of a same-network cellphone call is a [i]fraction[/i] of what the incumbents currently charge us per minute. Prices could be so much lower than they are. They just want to screw us out of as much money as they can :/

http://walkingisoverrated.com

lokinz

298 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#37272 31-May-2006 11:53

spazz:
lokinz: VF are being very straight-up about this

Hold up a sec. You reckon "15c calling for $14.95 a month" is straight up? Riiight. That is the most convoluted piece of advertising I've seen in a while. Even the Voda reps seem a bit confused by the whole thing. There's a difference between fine print and being deliberately misleading.

And as for cheap, get out of here. $14.95 for 100 off-peak minutes + a base plan (min= $19.95) = at least $34.95/month for every customer - locked in for TWO YEARS. How is that cheap?!

Yes it is, If you use your 100 mins then you ARE paying 15c a min. Kinda logical I thought, but hey not everyones brain functions that way.

And cheap, well let's see. TC Mytime 100 - $20, VF Get 70 - $20. 100 OP mins $14.95 Yeah I'd say it's cheap.

spazz

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#37273 31-May-2006 12:03

Lol. *goes round in circles*

But it's NOT 15c calling is it? It's 100 free (well, "included") minutes. It's only 15c calling if you use 100 minutes. This is just as bad as Xtra's $29.95 Broadband plan. But I digress.

It's not cheap. Here's why.

Telecom - 100 offpeak minutes costs $20.

Voda Get70 - 70 offpeak minutes costs $20

Voda YouChoose 20 + "15c calling" - 100 offpeak + 20 anytime (woop woop) costs $34.95

Telecom wins. Hands down.

http://walkingisoverrated.com

lokinz

298 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#37274 31-May-2006 12:07

spazz: Lol. *goes round in circles*

But it's NOT 15c calling is it? It's 100 free (well, "included") minutes. It's only 15c calling if you use 100 minutes. This is just as bad as Xtra's $29.95 Broadband plan. But I digress.

It's not cheap. Here's why.

Telecom - 100 offpeak minutes costs $20.
Voda Get70 - 70 offpeak minutes costs $20
Voda YouChoose 20 + "15c calling" - 100 offpeak + 20 anytime (woop woop) costs $34.95

Telecom wins. Hands down.

No Telecom charge $1.39 p/m daytime rate.

So 20 daytime mins + 100 op mins is $47.80 or as you said $34.95 on VF

VF wins.

lokinz

298 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#37277 31-May-2006 12:25

On a side note, please define the word "from" in the context of "calls from 15c per minute"

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nzbnw

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Spark NZ

#37279 31-May-2006 12:30

Sorry *spazz* this post may have been just a little harsh.

Cheers

mikman

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Master Geek
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#37281 31-May-2006 12:37

how about playing the ball and not the man people?

Telling anyone who compares NZ to the rest of the world to go and live somewhere else is not particularly constructive. Seems to me as though the geekzone forums are becoming less about constructive debate these days...

freitasm

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#37294 31-May-2006 13:21

I agree, and everyone should play nicely in the garden. We have been locking users this week, and I don't want to go down the same way with people in this thread.

I agree local services may be expensive, advertising is misleading, and I don't like Vodafone charging $30 per megabyte when I am overseas using a roaming network that charges locals only US$19.95 for unlimited data. That fact doesn't make it reason enough for me to move to USA.

spazz

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#37304 31-May-2006 14:02

I agree local services may be expensive, advertising is misleading, and I don't like Vodafone charging $30 per megabyte when I am overseas using a roaming network that charges locals only US$19.95 for unlimited data. That fact doesn't make it reason enough for me to move to USA.

Precisely. Apologies if it appeared I was making things personal - certainly not my intention. I guess it's just that the argument "If you don't like it here go live somewhere else" doesn't sit particularly well with me. Change would never be brought about if everyone thought that way :/

http://walkingisoverrated.com

alasta

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#37312 31-May-2006 15:40

Earlier this afternoon I saw a Stagecoach bus dressed in Vodafone's '1c TXT' banner go past my window on The Terrace, and I would have to agree with those who have been critical of this particular promotion. The phrase '1c TXT' is enormously bold, while the phrases 'from' and 'on you choose' were very difficult to see even though I was looking at it at close range.

I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad offer, but the advertising material is definitely not as clear as it should be, and it wouldn't surprise me if Vodafone end up with the Commerce Commission nipping at their heels over this.

Aloha

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#37323 31-May-2006 17:12

Basic rule of marketing: catching your attention.

I is a kollege stoodent. Bee nice.

richms

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#37324 31-May-2006 17:30

Sorry, rates are not coming down at all in NZ.

Back in 1990something (97 I think) I had a phone on telecoms independance plan, it was $20 for 20 mins and then 20 cents per min off peak after that, nice and simple and cheap.

Its still about the same cost these days. If costs had come down then the $20 would buy me a hell of a lot more then it does these days. Costs havent moved much, and if anything they have gone up since most of the vodafone deals nowdays have 49c offpeak (get 300 is the only exception I can see) - or require the purchase of a set amount of mins at a good price then sting you on the rest of them. Telecom are similar in that offpeak is quite a lot once you use the included mins.

As for the term... Getting a $30 handset subsidy and then having to pay $180 to get out of it is just a total rip in my books. Or I could choose the exciting offer of 2 mins extra each month, worth what? A dollar so its $48 over the cource of the contract or I have to pay $180 to be out of it. Those early termination charges make the ones that ISPs charge on there free installation deals look great in comparison, and they have an actual outlay unlike vodafone when taking on a new youchoose customer.

Im at the stage where I am activly avoiding using the mobiles just because they are such a ripoff, Put the $20 on each of them anually and use it, and once its run out just text on the weekends. I would like to go on a plan for the one that I use the most but vodafone cant do that without changing my number. The brainiacs at the vodafone shop let me get almost all the way thru the application process before telling me that. I was not amused.

When I see the add for 15c calling with no fine print visable, then thats what I expect, not to have to go on a term and pay a base fee for a plan and then have to pre-purchase the minuites and lose them if I dont use them within that month.

asa.co.nz here I come.

Richard rich.ms

spazz

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#37327 31-May-2006 18:18

When I see the add for 15c calling with no fine print visable, then thats what I expect, not to have to go on a term and pay a base fee for a plan and then have to pre-purchase the minuites and lose them if I dont use them within that month.

Exactly :D I'm glad someone else sees where I'm coming from!

http://walkingisoverrated.com

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