Watch Free m.youtube.com

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Watch Free m.youtube.com - Not so free!

MrWombat

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#20147 14-Mar-2008 17:45

Hi Guys,

Might pay to check your data usage over the last couple of months. Vodafone were advertising a "Watch For Free" mobile youtube service that actually incurred data use charges. My partner and I have just fought them over the last couple of days and have both had full refunds.

They have now removed the link but I have a image of the wording.

Vodafone came to this conclusion... "After some investigating, I agree with you that it is misleading when it states "Watch For Free". With this in mind, I have credited your account with an additional $XXXX incl GST...."

It was very hard to convince them but they did the right thing in the end.

Good luck,
MrWomat

freitasm

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#116660 14-Mar-2008 17:56

"Free" is very powerful, but it is confusing.

For example you see some software companies with links saying "Free download". Yes, they won't charge you for the download, but then they will need a fee for the registration of the software itself.

The same goes for this. "Watch for free" as in "YouTube will not charge anything for this content", but they miss the "but standard data rates apply" bit...

It's the same when people say "Free voice calls over the Internet". Yes, but you still have to pay for the broadband connection, right?

There's no "free" really. But you are right, the wording there suggests the content and distribution are both free.

sbiddle

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#116679 14-Mar-2008 18:51

Vodafone have made it very clear in the past however that you will never be charged for a Live! service without giving your permission. This is typically by a screen advising of the costs. Entering the YouTube screen you were not presented with any such option so could only assume that the service was infact free.

MrWombat

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#116691 14-Mar-2008 19:39

I never interpreted it like that freitasm, good to hear another opinion. Vodafone kept coming back to the fact that I'd left the Live! website. I agreed that I'd left Live! but thought "watch for Free" actually meant that and data charges would not apply.

ajobbins

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#116816 15-Mar-2008 14:17

If I recall correctly, when Vodafone first added YouTube to their Live! menu the subtitle read somerthing like "Free for a limited time" which I understood to be, the content and delivery was zero rated, but only for a while as a promotional thing.

Obviously they have changed the wording now they are now charging for the content delivery however as you have all pointed out it was very misleading. I'm sure ComCom would not look kindly upon this. I wonder how many PrePay users for example will never know they have been charged anything due to the fact they do not get any kind of usage breakdown.

grasshoper

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#119126 27-Mar-2008 18:35

the exact same thing happened to me, except i'm on prepay. I had seen youtube on the menu when it said something like "free for a limited time" and then it disapeared for a few months. Then the other week i was watching a youtube video for about a miniute and then it just cut out, i could still browse the site, just not watch videos. I was in full 3g coverage area. I didn't think to much of it until i tried to send a txt and realised i had run out of credit! Since i only had about 7$$ left on my account i didn't bother ringing up, allthough i probably should of. Who else has had this problem?

ajobbins

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#119133 27-Mar-2008 19:18

Apparently this is the same for Sky mobile TV. My flatmate was saying he was using it alot on his N95 plugged into his TV and got a MASSIVE data bill (He was on casual). Rang Voda who confirmed that its $2.50 a week, plus data.

adventdesigns

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#119258 28-Mar-2008 07:22

Sounds like vodafone is being very very naughty with false advertising, if what you say is true about the mobile sky tv then they are completely misleading there customers.

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/live/mobile-tv.jsp

Check out the main page for mobile tv, what impression do you get?

Eight Sky TV channels live on your Vodafone 3G mobile screen
Just $2.50 per week
Watch as much as you like, as often as you like, whenever you like

There is no mention on that page, even in little small writing about paying for data. This sounds like absolute bullsh*t to me and hardly seems legal.

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VFNZPaulBrislen

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#119288 28-Mar-2008 09:31

adamj: Apparently this is the same for Sky mobile TV. My flatmate was saying he was using it alot on his N95 plugged into his TV and got a MASSIVE data bill (He was on casual). Rang Voda who confirmed that its $2.50 a week, plus data.

Sorry but that's untrue. Sky Mobile TV is charged at $2.50 per week for all eight channels and that's all you pay. You are not charged data on top.

Now, plugging your N95 into your TV to download a TV show and watch it on the big screen - that's a different matter entirely and isn't at all the same thing as Sky Mobile TV.

I think someone's got their wires crossed.

Cheers

Paul

EDIT: changed number of channels. Thought we'd dropped one. We do also charge for pay per view events (cricket matches etc) but NOT for the data.

Paul Brislen
Head of Corporate Communications
Vodafone

http://forum.vodafone.co.nz

adventdesigns

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#119310 28-Mar-2008 11:04

That makes a little more sense :D, thanks for clearning that up.

ajobbins

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#119333 28-Mar-2008 12:39

PaulBrislen:
Now, plugging your N95 into your TV to download a TV show and watch it on the big screen - that's a different matter entirely and isn't at all the same thing as Sky Mobile TV.

Not the case, I am talking about Sky Mobile TV not downloading something on the device and playing it. I guess we can (again) put this one down to (a) Voda's billing system still having serious issues and (b) your CSR's have no idea what they are talking about.

VFNZPaulBrislen

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#119938 31-Mar-2008 15:19

adamj:
PaulBrislen:
Now, plugging your N95 into your TV to download a TV show and watch it on the big screen - that's a different matter entirely and isn't at all the same thing as Sky Mobile TV.

Not the case, I am talking about Sky Mobile TV not downloading something on the device and playing it. I guess we can (again) put this one down to (a) Voda's billing system still having serious issues and (b) your CSR's have no idea what they are talking about.

There is no way someone can be charged data for watching Sky Mobile TV. To watch it, a user must go via the live! APN which is zero rated. You cannot see the Sky Mobile TV content without using this APN.

Cheers

Paul

Paul Brislen
Head of Corporate Communications
Vodafone

http://forum.vodafone.co.nz

simon14

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#120020 31-Mar-2008 19:52

Sky mobile TV only costs $2.50 per week - no other charges apply.

I've been using it for almost a year with no additional charges.