[getti]

Over on the Vodafone official eForum, Tom who is a Moderator posted the following information

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for being patient whilst we got the right information for you.

We are planning to introduce Out Of Bundle charging for Pay Monthly customers from 1st June 2010. The reason we're introducing these charges is to make it fairer for everyone, and to protect our network from data abuse. We're introducing a real-time notifications service to be completely transparent about these charges and keep customers in control of their spend. No Out Of Bundle charges will happen this month but they will take effect from 1st June. The messages you've received this month were sent in error and no more will be sent out from today.

The charging will be as follows:

Monthly bundle customers will pay £5 for every 500MB after the first 500MB
Customers without a monthly bundle will pay 50p for every 10MB after the first 25MB

Whilst you've all previously been used to there not being any Out Of Bundle charging, the current information available online is clear in explaining that we could introduce such charging at any time. The Vodafone Mobile Internet costs page does state:
We'll keep an eye on things and let you know your options if it looks like you'll go over your 500MB Flexi or Value Pack limit.

Our Pay Monthly Terms and Conditions already state that we reserve the right to charge for any usage beyond the Fair Usage limit:

27. All Vodafone services offered free or under unlimited subscription are subject to our Fair Use Policy. If, in the reasonable opinion of Vodafone, your use is excessive, we may ask you to moderate your usage. If, after we have asked you to moderate your usage, you fail to do so, we reserve the right to:

(a) charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate;

(b) throttle your usage; or

© suspend or terminate your service in accordance with your airtime terms and conditions.

So you can ignore the messages which have been sent so far, but there's the information we have on this subject.

Thanks,

Tom

eForum Team

[solo12002]

Well I mean it had to come with others ripping the ass out of it. Three on the other had have release new plans, not every one will agree with them but you now get 500MB of data included in all of their plans. You also have the option of buying internext add on which now gives you 2GB of data, if you follow this route its a total of 2.5GB data a month.

http://www.three.co.uk/Home

[DBMandrake]

I just wish networks would drop the "unlimited" moniker and be upfront and honest about about the fact that nobody is doing unlimited, and specify exactly how many MB you get and whether there are over usage charges or not.

Three are just as guilty here as they now have "unlimited" internet bundled with monthly plans which is in fact 500MB, and you can pay £5 for the "unlimited" internet addon which gives you an additional 2GB :p

Three's Internet Max "Unlimited" addon on Pay&Go (which I use) is just as confusing - some parts of the website say it is 1GB "fair use" while other parts say 2GB "fair use", and the new website has made not attempt to clarify what it actually is for Pay&Go...

[Hands0n]

There is such a lack of transparency around mobile broadband plans that I am staggered that OFCOM refuse to intervene. The ASA decided that it was okay to use the word "Unlimited" to describe such - in truth - limited data plans. From there the mobile network operators have behaved like they always do when unregulated, despicably.

Vodafone's decision to change Unlimited is nasty but not totally unexpected. There will be a time of change and churn in the tariffs until the competition, or regulation, kicks in.

I would like the word "Unlimited" to be reclaimed back to its dictionary definition. Now that they mobile network operators are setting hard limits they should lose the right to use the word in their promotion.

I would also like to see very much more transparency from all of the operators. It is the devil's own job finding out what the various data tariffs actually mean in terms of data allowances and how long they are valid for, particularly in the PAYG area.

[miffed]

^^^Agree with the above , I cannot understand for one second what business any of these providers have using the word "Unlimited" in relation to their products .
I find the whole situation baffling as we are talking about something that is a simply case of absolutes , black and white !! - yet the whole issue is tip-toed around (by the regulators) and treated as if it is all subject to interpretation , .....when this is simply not the case !!
Most situations like this , I can usually see both sides of the coin even if I strongly disagree with the other side , but in this instance it is all simply black and white , I cannot understand how it is OK for anyone to call a "Limited" service "unlimited" !!

[Hands0n]

Vodafone have not yet formally announced this tariff change to its customer base. The eForum moderator [Tom] has said that they will do so at least 14 days before the intended change comes into effect (1st June 2010) - see the entire discussion here --> http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/topic/57718-mobile-internet-will-the-500mb-allowance-be-enough-for-internet-usage/page__st__300 . So we should be getting these notifications either in the post or via eMail in the next week or so, at which point decisions have to be made.

There is much discussion about which clause in the Vodafone Ts&Cs apply. I believe that clause 11.b.4 applies and should be the one used if Vodafone refuse your letter of cancellation - note that you must write on paper and sign with your usual signature. It is archaic but a basic requirement of the T&C


11 Ending this agreement

a Either of us may end this agreement by giving the other 30 days’ notice in writing. Your notice must include your mobile number and the signature of the account holder. You must pay the charges during the notice period.

b You may end this agreement by writing to us if:


we don’t do something fundamental that we should have done under this agreement (for example, if there is a complete failure of the network for seven days in a row due to something we have done), within seven days of you asking us in writing;
we tell you that there will be an increase in the line-rental charge by more than the increase in the retail price index (worked out as a percentage) since the last line-rental increase and you write to us before the increase applies;
we increase your charges in the UK which have the effect of increasing your total call and usage charges (based on your usage in the previous month) by more than 10% and you write to us before the increase applies; or
we change this agreement to your significant disadvantage including changing or withdrawing services (we will tell you if this is the case) and you write to us within one month of us telling you about the change. This does not apply if the change relates to services which you can cancel without us ending this agreement.


The above clause is an "or" statement - it would be impossible, and thus unfair and unenforceable, for all four of the conditions to apply concurrently. So, you are in effect ending the agreement because Vodafone have changed the agreement to your significant disadvantage. That would be Vodafone charging your £5 for going 1Byte above the intended 500MB limit - something that would be very easy to do with an Android or iPhone device that "chats" in the background whether you are actively using it or not.

So, for merely having your handset turned on when you are near your 500MB cap you could be hit with an additional £5 charge. The only practical way of avoiding such risk would be to switch it off, or disable the data somehow.

Vodafone will have provisioned for the inevitable churn, or attempted churn, that this change will trigger. Regardless, I think it will have something of an impact to their reputation.

[Ben]

Well, I suppose this sort of charging was inevitable. It seems quite fair, too, assuming the tariff comes with 500MB. "Unlimited" claims aside.

My SIM-Only iPhone tariff comes with 1GB, so I'm going to assume I'm exempt :p

[3GScottishUser]

Considering Vodafone dont allow tethering the 500MB allowance is a lot for handset browsing. You would need to go some to use it all up in a month but I think another £5 for another 500MB is reasonable. Remember the days of £2 per MB!!

[Hands0n]

Well yes, I agree that it is reasonable for £5 for another 500MB - but is it still quite so reasonable when you consider that by going over by a single Byte you will be £5 poorer.

The issue to be considered is that Android handsets, for one, do perform a reasonably constant "chatter" in the background regardless of whether you are using the device or not. This will be for things such as Google's various syncs such as Contacts, Calendar, Mail as standard with other apps such as Twitter and Facebook. So, even if you are careful with your usage you could very well find that this chatter consumes sufficient to take you over your 500MB.

I guess that I can find some peace as long as Vodafone cease using the word "Unlimited". If not I will be writing to the ASA to re-introduce the complaint because with this new hard cap replacing the FUP there can be absolutely no interpretation of the word applicable to this product.