Vodafone free Facebook not free?

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binarybrother

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#86874 14-Jul-2011 17:57

My wife’s on super prepay and signed up for the free Facebook and Twitter promotion and has been using it for 2 months now. At the start of this week she’s suddenly noticed her ‘offnet’ usage suddenly spike.

She’s using an HTC Incredible S and is using Facebook for Android App. She hasn’t updated the app or the OS for a few weeks. She’s done some pretty careful analysis of what could be causing the usage and today did a test by disabling mobile data for the night and in the morning when she enabled it opened up facebook for android, recorded the time accessed, and did the same again later on in the day. She rang up Vodafone who looked up her usage details. Usage records line up exactly when she access facebook for android and there is an on-net and off-net charge at exactly the time she accessed.

Voda are refusing to acknowledge any problem and won’t escalate the fault to L2.

So is anyone else experiencing anything similar with free Facbook?

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#493455 14-Jul-2011 18:07

Is the app she is using in the approved app list as shown on the Vodafone NZ site?

binarybrother

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#493478 14-Jul-2011 18:56

yes, according to the vodafone site 'Facebook for Android phones' is one of the recognised apps. This is the same app she's been using for the last 2+ months.

johnr

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#493500 14-Jul-2011 20:09

ok I will take a look tomorrow if its that easy to replicate bypass level 2

johnr

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#493598 15-Jul-2011 08:31

binarybrother I am in the office now if you are ready for some testing,

Should not take too long

(PM sent)

binarybrother

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#493609 15-Jul-2011 09:07

So some additional info, did another test using the browser on the phone to access Facebook and that appeared as just about all on-net 'free' traffic when VF checked. So it seems to be related to the Facebook for Android App.

She's running 1.6.0, however I see 1.6.1 has just been released so will try that.

Klipspringer

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#493632 15-Jul-2011 10:01

Have noticed this too.

And I have a feeling that if you have facebook and twitter to make use of secure pages, https. The traffic is encrypted, and therefore vodafone cannot snoop in on the trafic. Hence, becuause the traffic is unidentifiable, its just billed.

I was on one of the addons a month or two ago, which had the free facebook/twitter. It was nearing the end of the monthly bundle, I had about 100MB left. I took some photos (a good few), uploaded them into facebook (its free afterall), immediately I received an SMS stating that I have used up all of my data. It could only have been because the traffic was encrypted.

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johnr

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#493633 15-Jul-2011 10:05

We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

Klipspringer

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#493634 15-Jul-2011 10:08

johnr: We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

Only now? You guys were advitising all facebook/twitter traffic to be 0 rated?

Klipspringer

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#493641 15-Jul-2011 10:24

johnr: We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

The T&C Still states the following under Metered:
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/specials-promos/nonstop/nonstop-facebook-and-twitter.pdf

Secure pages (HTTPS) e.g. payment pages,
logging in

If the traffic is encrypted vodafone is unable to identify the traffic, so then how does vodafone identify a login page, or a photo upload, view, etc..

So are you now saying that now all facebook traffic thats encrypted is free? Including the so called HTTPS pages?

I think the T&C need to be updated to explain more clearly whats actually free and whats not.

johnr

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#493646 15-Jul-2011 10:32

BraaiGuy:
johnr: We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

Only now? You guys were advitising all facebook/twitter traffic to be 0 rated?

Ok further changes, encrypted was zero rated before

Klipspringer

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#493647 15-Jul-2011 10:33

johnr:
BraaiGuy:
johnr: We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

Only now? You guys were advitising all facebook/twitter traffic to be 0 rated?

Ok further changes, encrypted was zero rated before

No it wasn't. It even says so in the T&C.

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binarybrother

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#493652 15-Jul-2011 10:54

Thanks John, we'll re-test and let you know if things are looking ok

johnr

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#493656 15-Jul-2011 11:00

BraaiGuy:
johnr:
BraaiGuy:
johnr: We have just made changes for the encrypted traffic to be zero rated

Only now? You guys were advitising all facebook/twitter traffic to be 0 rated?

Ok further changes, encrypted was zero rated before

No it wasn't. It even says so in the T&C.

Sorry your correct

stevehall

36 posts

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#494006 16-Jul-2011 13:58

That is what I found a while ago, and suspect still being charged now,

It was not free, and any calls to the help desk, they make you out to be an idiot.
It also would not work till she put $1 credit on my phone, even though it was suposed to be free.

I need to check again, but the last few times I have done tests, it has been using up my data and has not been free.

Klipspringer

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#494016 16-Jul-2011 14:33

as far as i know its only free with a data addon.

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