Voda's You Choose!! , choose how to get locked into a contract!!!!!!! the good the bad and the UGLY!

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand › Voda's You Choose!! , choose how to get locked into a contract!!!!!!! the good the bad and the UGLY!

paradoxsm

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Topic # 5680 17-Nov-2005 00:13

In typical Vodafone style, they announce and aggressivly market what seems to be something revolutionary but as always in true Vodastyle, has a hidden catch.

I made this suggestions in a post two years ago on UCNZ.com (or maybe it was here?) about "build you own plan" by buying modules and building a plan from scratch, no bull "free minute plans" you buy what YOU will use.
If you are a txter then you buy packs of TXT bundles as you need them, the more you buy, the cheaper it is. You buy data bundles as you see you will need them, peak of off peak minutes as you need them, freeing us from these horrible "free minute" plans.

I'll scratch up the post somewhere.

What they have released was something uncannily similar (I actually aimed the post towards Telecom)

The bad....

They sting you with first off, a 24 month contract. WHY! what idiots, I have NEVER signed a term contract and never will. This shows their desperation against churn.

You can't buy an option twice :-( i'd be interested in two 100 TXTs for example.

Video calling is not included

and HOW did they trademark (™) "Add-On"

The obsession with XX.95 charging... $20, $30 $40 was SOOOO much simpler!, bring back Grahame Maher!

The good.

a LOT Cheaper than many current plans, good bundling options,

Vodafone is the leader in new permanent plans (motormouth, per sec charging on prepay, Your-Choice) all of Telecoms stuff they bring to the market is "limited offer" like $10 TXT, 3 minute hours, etc.

just WHY is there that 24 month CONTRACT!!!!!! ARGH!

johnr

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Reply # 23402 17-Nov-2005 08:04

Vodafone were first to launch the 3 minute hour and if the terms of you choose don't suit you move on. There are other plans and no contract has to be signed.

sbiddle

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Reply # 23403 17-Nov-2005 08:22

paradoxsm:

and HOW did they trademark (™) "Add-On"

Easy.. Note that it's still only in the examination process and the TM has not yet been granted. In case you're unfimilair with trademarks the term also only applies in the clases you apply for - in this case they all apply to telecommunications.

Trade Mark Details
Trade Mark Number (210) 737555 Current Status Examination
TM Search Text ADD ON
Trade Mark Type Trade Mark Non-Convention, WORD
Trade Mark Nature
Use Statement (ii) proposed to be used by the proprietor(s), (being the applicant)

Filed (220) 21-OCT-2005

Marks , Device and Device Descriptors (532)
ADD ON

Classification System | Class (511) Specification of Goods and Services
8|36 pricing, prepayment and financial plans and services relating to the provision of telecommunications goods and services
8|38 telecommunication, mobile and fixed telecommunication and telephone, satellite telecommunication, cellular telecommunication and cellular telephone, radio communication radio paging and facsimile services; communication, transfer and interchange of data and information by telecommunications; internet access services; video text, teletext and view data services; sending, receiving and forwarding messages in the form of text, audio, graphic images or video or a combination of these formats; video telephone and telecommunication services

Documents
No documents on record or public access is restricted

Proprietor: (730) Vodafone New Zealand Limited . Level 1, 20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland, New Zealand

Contact : (740) Minter Ellison Rudd Watts . Level 18-20, Lumley Centre, 88 Shortland Centre, Auckland, New Zealand

Service Address: Level 18-20, Lumley Centre, 88 Shortland Centre, Auckland, New Zealand

Action Completed Due Journal Published
Filed 21-OCT-2005 21-OCT-2005

Related Trade Marks
No Related Trade Marks found

Objections / Hearings
There are no current objections or hearings present

Renewal Interest
No renewal interest on record or public access is restricted

Proprietor & Licensee History
No proprietors nor licensees on record or public access is restricted

sbiddle

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Reply # 23405 17-Nov-2005 08:35

johnr: Vodafone were first to launch the 3 minute hour and if the terms of you choose don't suit you move on. There are other plans and no contract has to be signed.

People are moving on.. To the competition in large numbers.

Who wants to start up a partition on partition online to bring back Graham? He is the biggest asset Vodafone have, maybe he could still look after NZ & Oz on the weekends from the UK! :-)

chiefie

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Reply # 23416 17-Nov-2005 09:19

partition or petition? two very different meaning you know? hehe

BTW. they do have Video Calling add-on. it is like $9.95 for 30mins of Video Calling per month.

Do bear in mind though, You Choose is mainly for cost conscious users, like myself, I don't use a lot of VF2VF calling, in fact I call anyone, anytime but i don't call too much either. so Choose 20 will suit me, I txt moderately too, no wasting of txt unnecessarily. so add on of TXT100 is good for me. That's $25.90 per month for 20mins+2mins extra + 100txt to any mobile then +$15 for 3mb data. so less than $50 i can get what i want.

Though I agree, 24months contract is silly...

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Reply # 23432 17-Nov-2005 10:58

It's interesting that their international rates are so cheap though.

Taking the included 90 mins of calls international to oz could be beneficial - I could simply dial my Melbourne number which goes into my Asterisk PBX at home using VoIP and then dial out anywhere in NZ for 5c per minute. Call quality is absolutely perfect (I've already done it a few times) and I'd be getting peak time calls inside NZ dirt cheap..

paradoxsm

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Reply # 23442 17-Nov-2005 14:56

TELECOM introduced the "3 minute off peak hour" first.
Vodafone copied it by allowing 2 hours and restricting it to Weekdays only.

TELECOM introduced $10 TXT
Vodafone kinda brought out a similar deal (free TXT weekends)

Vodafone Brought out Motormouth (on network pricing)
Telecom copied this of sorts

Vodafone brought out better prepay pricing first and still remains
Telecom never really copied this, but put the peak rate from 99c to $1.39 and changed to ripoff rounding (full minute roundup rounding) while voda still remained per sec

Telcom have more agressive "too good to be true" deals that have a limited lifespan,
Vodafone market more the permanent deals that are not quite so stunning but stick around forever.

johnr

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Reply # 23444 17-Nov-2005 15:10

paradoxsm Vodafone UK introduced the 3 minute hour first !!!

Telecom NZ knew that Vodafone NZ would do this promo as well so they introducted it

John

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Reply # 23450 17-Nov-2005 15:49

paradoxsm: TELECOM introduced the "3 minute off peak hour" first.
Vodafone copied it by allowing 2 hours and restricting it to Weekdays only.

Telecom also limited it to prepay, Vodafone did this to everybody.

Vodafone Brought out Motormouth (on network pricing)
Telecom copied this of sorts

Vodafone only introduced it after Telecom dumped it. Telecom introducd it as part of their 027 launch. Virtually the month Telecom dumped it Vodafone introduced it. Telecom then reintroduced it again.

Telcom have more agressive "too good to be true" deals that have a limited lifespan,
Vodafone market more the permanent deals that are not quite so stunning but stick around forever.

Summed up nicely. I think Telecom have learnt from their lessons, particularly when they tried to get rid of $10 TXT. Telecom also have the problem and advantage of having Boost which means they can mess with stuff and not affect the mainstream brand - I bet many business customers wouldn't even have an idea who or what Boost mobile is.