Vodafone only charges for facebook when you have credit

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand › Vodafone only charges for facebook when you have credit

tardtasticx

2894 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 387

Topic # 65810 7-Aug-2010 00:31

Not so long ago, say about 2 weeks, I got a dual sim adaptor which involved me cutting up my sim card, short story shorter, I ended up needing a replacement one, $30 for sim card, $20 for topup because the man at the counter said I needed atleast 1c on my account before I could do it.

I tried to make this credit last but some how it was getting wasted bit by bit, and always in 20c amounts, and I thought I was texting someone on another network on accident but I noticed it only did it after I text facebook. All my facebook texts went through before I had credit, and I wasnt charged then, and my mates who have no credit and only use text2k are still able to use facebook texting aswell. Why did Vodafone suddenly change their mind and not even a word of warning?

Bachelor of Computing Systems (2015)

Late 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina Display (4GB/2.4GHz i5/128GB SSD) - HP DV6 (8GB/2.8GHz i7/120GB SSD + 750GB HDD)
iPhone 6S + (64GB/Gold/Vodafone NZ) - Xperia Z C6603 (16GB/White/Spark NZ)

Sam, Auckland

richms

21725 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4509

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 364533 7-Aug-2010 01:25

They changed their mind after some person came on here blabing about facebook not charging them, so it was fixed.

Now you have said that its not charging when you have no credit, expect that to get fixed.

on CDMA it comes off the 500 text thing which to me is a massive incentive to stay there for now.

Richard rich.ms

tardtasticx

2894 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 387

Reply # 364534 7-Aug-2010 01:29

One of the few goodies we had left at vodafone. Oh well. Since they started charging for facebook I can't afford to keep monthly internet on my account now. To bad for them.

Bachelor of Computing Systems (2015)

eXDee

4025 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1076

Trusted

Reply # 364538 7-Aug-2010 02:00

richms: They changed their mind after some person came on here blabing about facebook not charging them, so it was fixed.

Now you have said that its not charging when you have no credit, expect that to get fixed.

on CDMA it comes off the 500 text thing which to me is a massive incentive to stay there for now.

Any idea if it comes offf the 2500 texts on XT?

Not that it matters, i use the facebook for android app or touch.facebook.com rather than texting or 0.facebook.com

tardtasticx

2894 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 387

Reply # 364539 7-Aug-2010 02:01

Nah one of my mates on XT says they dont

Bachelor of Computing Systems (2015)

sbiddle

27428 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6878

Moderator

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364554 7-Aug-2010 08:22

Facebook SMS updates have always cost 20c on Vodafone. Receiving them has always been free.

If there was a glitch and it was free expect it to be fixed now!

cokemaster

Nate wants an iphone
3906 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 33

Mod Emeritus

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364560 7-Aug-2010 08:43

tardtasticx: Nah one of my mates on XT says they dont

From the telecom help site

If you're on the XT network then to message your friends or update your Facebook via text message will be go against your included texts. If you do not have a text plan it will cost you 0.20c per text message.

webhosting |New Zealand connections | geekzone IRC chat
Loose lips may sink ships - Be smart - Don't post internal/commercially sensitive or confidential information!

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2600
Inactive user

Reply # 364594 7-Aug-2010 10:43

SMS to 3223 (face) for prepay and postpay customers was free for a promotion this ended along time ago and prepay customers were meant to be paying 20 cents per SMS sent to 3223 but something happened in the config and prepay customers continued not to get charged.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
62041 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12655

Administrator

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364596 7-Aug-2010 10:47

As johnr said... Sending Facebook updates was only free during a promotional introductory period, and Vodafone was always clear about it.

If the SMS were not being charged after that it wasn't because of being free, but because some wrong configuration was in place.

Vodafone didn't change anything, just fixed the process.

Backblaze cloud backup (personal and business) | Geekzone broadband switch | Amazon (Geekzone aff) | MightyApe (Geekzone aff) |

My technology disclosure | Business Transformation | Enterprise Content Management | Customer Relationship Management | Sharesies investment fund

tardtasticx

2894 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 387

Reply # 364623 7-Aug-2010 12:48

Well nice of them to tell us it was only a promotion. When was the start and end dates? I never heard anything about free FB texting as a promotion. Everyone who uses FB texting has just accepted it as always being free.

Bachelor of Computing Systems (2015)

sbiddle

27428 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6878

Moderator

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364624 7-Aug-2010 12:54

tardtasticx: Well nice of them to tell us it was only a promotion. When was the start and end dates? I never heard anything about free FB texting as a promotion. Everyone who uses FB texting has just accepted it as always being free.

The "promotion" was for probably a month or so around this time last year. During initial testing (before the service was actually announced) sending a TXT was free. Vodafone made it very clear when the service was launched that SMS's cost 20c and were free to receive.

sbiddle

27428 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6878

Moderator

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364636 7-Aug-2010 13:10

This thread here that you started mentions numerous times about the price and near the end John saying that the issue was being fixed where people were not being charged for the service when they should have been.

tardtasticx

2894 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 387

Reply # 364640 7-Aug-2010 13:21

But it never said anything about it being a promotion

Bachelor of Computing Systems (2015)

sbiddle

27428 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6878

Moderator

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 364645 7-Aug-2010 13:39

tardtasticx: But it never said anything about it being a promotion

That's because it wasn't. The reason you weren't paying was because of an error in the billing system. This was also discussed in this thread.

The promotion was for several weeks last year. Vodafone told people testing the service that they would not pay for SMS's sent to 3323 until the service was officially launched. From the launch date they advised people that the usual 20c fee would apply.

eugeneykc

30 posts

Geek

Reply # 364938 8-Aug-2010 10:32

freitasm: As johnr said... Sending Facebook updates was only free during a promotional introductory period, and Vodafone was always clear about it.

If the SMS were not being charged after that it wasn't because of being free, but because some wrong configuration was in place.

Vodafone didn't change anything, just fixed the process.

Voda was obviously having issues with their FB charging system in the early days. Either PB or JR offered FREE testing to FB on Twitter one night and I still ended up paying for those txts.