It's not the money ... it's the principle ...

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › It's not the money ... it's the principle ...

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355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#158832 21-Aug-2008 23:07

Both UK and Australia have heavy legislation governing the telecoms industry and look at how low their prices are. We take a long time to catch onto... well pretty much everything - but it does happen eventually

Geektastic

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#158835 21-Aug-2008 23:17

JoeBloggs: Both UK and Australia have heavy legislation governing the telecoms industry and look at how low their prices are. We take a long time to catch onto... well pretty much everything - but it does happen eventually

I do hope that they break with tradition and decide not to re-invent the wheel! There seems to be a pervasive belief that adopting systems developed at vast expense elsewhere in the world is somehow a Bad Thing.

(See also driver testing & licencing, town planning, architecture, highway engineering & design etc etc ad infinitum!)

I think that here we have an ideal market for heavy and firm regulation because it simply is not large enough yet to make an attractive investment for too many competitors.

JoeBloggs

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#158853 22-Aug-2008 08:00

"Geektastic" (See also driver testing & licencing, town planning, architecture, highway engineering & design etc etc ad infinitum!)

Haha, quite right. At present I think the politicians are too busy bribing votes. ACT would have us completely deregulate the entire economy ("but look how well America's economy is going!!"). National might have some claws, we'll have to wait and see. Reform is definitely happening, it's just at the kiwi pace

crichton

111 posts

Master Geek

#159409 24-Aug-2008 21:38

I’ve just caught up with four pages of this tortuous topic and I have a question:
In November 2007 Vodafone’s computer deleted the credit on my three Prepay phones - without warning or reason. (To be fair, my several phone calls and faxes followed by two letters achieved a satisfactory result after only 2 months.)
I’m already dreading the approach of November 2008. How will I contact Vodafone Customer service if the computer deletes the credit again? Will they IOU me $2 so that I can make the calls for help?

Tony027

12 posts

Geek
Inactive user

#159418 24-Aug-2008 22:13

they will lend you 5 dollars plus a 20cent service fee

JoeBloggs

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

#159420 24-Aug-2008 22:17

The only reason this should happen now is because you haven't topped up within a 12 months period. If you have, complain and you will get your money back. You may have been on the Supa Prepay plan back then which deleted credit every 3 months if not topped up.

Geektastic

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#159422 24-Aug-2008 22:28

I suppose many people could just avoid paying by being on account! I am sure that most telcos would prefer all their customers on account because that way they do not have to develop ways for people to top up their phones etc etc.

Unless you don't want the phone to be traceable I have never worked out the attraction of pre-pay - seems very complex and means I have to surrender my money before the service is delivered which is not something I am a very big believer in.

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Juicytree

141 posts

Master Geek

#159425 24-Aug-2008 22:41

Like crichton above, I too have just caught up on this topic and after spending several hours on the phone to the Vodafone help desk this afternoon and about five bucks poorer, I still haven't got my voice mailbox activated.

The thing that really pi##ed me off late this afternoon that after pressing 1 to acknowledge that the call would be costing me (another) dollar, I was informed that I was calling after helpdesk hours and please call again tomorrow!!

I also suspect that every time I unsuccessfully attempted to call voice mail to configure my voice mail, it was costing me 20c too.

As the topic says "It's not the money.....

crichton

111 posts

Master Geek

#159432 24-Aug-2008 23:10

Tony027: If they lend me $5 will they take $1 for the call I make to ask for a loan? And how will I get through to them to ask – since they can’t take $1 from a phone that has $0 balance.
JoeBloggs: As I said, there was no reason. I had already topped up $20 each phone in early November several days before due dates. Then on the old anniversary dates all three phones just dropped to $0. At least $75 each plus $20 new top-up. Definitely not on Supa anything.
Geektastic: Prepay is much much more economical than on account if you only make one call a week – or only one call a month. I’m already regarding Vodafone as my second bank. A deposit of $20 every twelve months for many years does mount up! Maybe I should sell a well-heeled phone at an online auction site!

richms

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#159434 24-Aug-2008 23:22

Last I checked, prepay was the best way to have a phone that you only recieve calls on, like when selling a car on trademe, or expecting callbacks with quotes or other things where you dont want to give your usual number since you may end up with people calling at stupid hours or calling again and again after you are done and dealt with. "Oh mate, the cars broken and its gonna be $500 to fix it, I want money back" or tradies that keep pestering you for other jobs when you turn them down from their quote.

Richard rich.ms

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#159437 24-Aug-2008 23:28

richms: Last I checked, prepay was the best way to have a phone that you only recieve calls on, like when selling a car on trademe, or expecting callbacks with quotes or other things where you dont want to give your usual number since you may end up with people calling at stupid hours or calling again and again after you are done and dealt with. "Oh mate, the cars broken and its gonna be $500 to fix it, I want money back" or tradies that keep pestering you for other jobs when you turn them down from their quote.

interesting. Those are not problems I have ever had but I guess that might be useful if you experience them! Mind you, your home phone would have to be unlisted too for it to work!

richms

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#159438 24-Aug-2008 23:33

You have never sold a $1000 car on trademe I take it. ;)

Looking a number up is beyond the skillset of the buyers.

Richard rich.ms

Geektastic

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#159471 25-Aug-2008 08:30

richms: You have never sold a $1000 car on trademe I take it. ;)

Looking a number up is beyond the skillset of the buyers.

No - I didn't even know road-legal cars could be bought that cheap!!

I can well believe your second point, in that case!

ahmad

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#159690 25-Aug-2008 20:08

Hi Paul,

Not sure if you are still monitoring this thread but a desperate plea from me and other users:

PLEASE let us check our "last 5 transactions" or something similar in self-service on the website and/or on 777.

Because of the not too infrequent billing errors, there is no way currently to know if we have been mis-billed, and we shouldn't have to pay $1 to check this!

I'm not asking for a monthly statement.

Just a list of the last x transactions and what those charges relate to.

PLEASE :)

Thanks.

davide

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#160300 27-Aug-2008 22:41

Hi Paul (or someone from Vodafone)

When I was on account, I could ring up and request that GPRS access on the account be turned off, therefore I could not reach VodafoneLIVE! or send MMS's. Two questions:

1) Is this possible on Prepay? I don't want to ring up and be charged $1 only to be told it's not, and then have to argue with the CSR to get the money refunded.

2) If it is possible, am I correct in stating that I should ask for the $1 charge to be refunded, as I am requesting something to be done that is not possible for me to do in the self help options?

Cheers
David

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