Apple

[Hmmmm]

Like I said, perhaps it is partly my fault, but I've had this particular phone and contract for well over 18 months so had become a little complacent and hadn't been checking my bill. Unfortunately for me. Still, it works well for Vodafone.

[garethwaterman]

I'm sorry, but a standing charge of £25 a month for nothing without any notification, customer knowledge or consent is nothing short of extortion.

It may well be the case that apps are connecting for data overnight while the phone is in standby, but this is a change resulting from a new phone rather than changed habits or usage.  It's not reasonable to expect customers to assume they need to switch through the various roaming / cell data settings before going to bed, just as it's unreasonable to expect customers to check their usage on-line with Vodafone every day.

I had thought Vodafone wanted to make our lives easier but it seems they'll accept cash over customer service every time.  Since we receive a warning when roaming, how difficult would it be to notify us this was happening too?

[Lee]

Hi garethwaterman,

Many thanks for your post about data charges.

You may believe it's unreasonable to check online for your usage, and for this, we have a solution You can call 44555 and select either option 1 for remaining allowances, or option 2 for current usage.

The above options list current usage, remaining allowances and any out of bundle charges incurred for the current month, so it's easy to keep abreast of your usage.

In all fairness, it's the customer's bill and it's in their interests to be informed. We provide more than one way for our customers to track their usage. Have you been affected by these charges at all?

Cheers,

Lee

eForum Team

[Davidatvod]

Yes, as a relativelyt new pay montly customer I have been experiencing unexpected WAP charges at midnight. I have also had VAT added to a monthly rental fee (£10.50) which is supposed to include VAT. I have mailed Vodafone about this some weeks ago and not received a reply. Disappointing.

[Simon]

Hi Davidatvod

Thanks for your post and welcome to the eForum

As the query regarding your data charges and line rental are account specific we'll require access to the account. I've sent a private message to you with details on how to contact us directly. 

You can find your PM inbox here. If you can't access this link, please ensure that the box next to "Turn on private messages" is ticked on this page, and let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thanks

Simon

[wwwww1]

I'm having the same problem.

[DaveCD]

Hi wwww1

Thank you for your post.

I can see taht you have also posted your query previously here and here.

So we can keep all the information we will be responding to your original post as we answer queries on a first come first serve basis.

Please respond to your original post.

Many Thanks

DaveCD

eForum Team

[Rashmore]

Hi im also getting this but not being charged for it yet!!!!! Could one of the admin on here please look into it for me.

[Dave]

Hi Rashmore,

If you've got a data pack or allowance in place then this would be coming from that, so it wouldn't be charged unless that ran out.

If you don't have one, then check the PM I'm sending you so we can look closer at the account.

You can find your PM inbox here. If you can't access this link, please ensure that the box next to "Turn on private messages" is ticked on this page, and let us know if you need any further assistance.

Dave

[Den777]

The same is happening to me. I've been charged for the WAP downloads.

I've reported it to Vodafone who claims it is a fault with my iPhone and wants me to pay £150 plus repair charges to send my phone back to Apple.

However, I've seen on these forums that it's a known fault with Vodafone so I really need some advice on 1. how to stop it, and 2. how to get a refund.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Matthew]

Hi Den777

I have sent you a private message follow the instructions and we'll be in touch

Thanks

Matthew

[Den777]

I've just had the pleasure to chat to someone at Vodafone who ACTUALLY helped.  Praise is due to Rob (surname removed for security) who worked out that the most likely cause of my excessive data usage was caused by i-Cloud Documents and Data "Use Cellular" button being turned on instead of using it through Wi-fi.

After a very frustrating afternoon, spent speaking to different people and the line going dead (or being cut off) several time, Rob was Brill.  Thanks again.

[jeffkinn]

You need to remember that if you are not in a Wi Fi zone and connected to that network, if cellular data is turned off you will not be able to connect to the internet at all and will not get any emails, or other notifications from apps like Facebook or Whatsapp if you use them. 

[yellowbird]

Like many here, I have the IPhone 4S.

I have checked my bill.  I also am getting WAP usage at mid-night.  I dont understand this at all.

I do not press any buttons at mid-night requesting data. Or request it via SIRI.

I have read the comments and problems in this forum string. 

Can Vodafone Tech, please post here the root cause of the problem (when there are App updates for my ipad, I get the opportunity to do this manually as I can see that the applications have updates), as it does not seem to have been addressed here clearly for the IPhone.  And how to overcome it to stop it.

I note that a response has been "it is in your allocation", but that is not the point.  It should not be happening to use up any allocation - especially as this will put some customers over their allocation and having to pay for something that they have not requested or used...

For now, I am deleting most of the apps on my IPhone, and switching it off over mid-night.

I have to admit, I am bit of an old 'fogey', and am new to Apple and this new App technology, so please assume I know very little, so please provide idiot proof assistance

Helen

[danielp808]

As stated it is the total days internet you are seeing, added to the bill at midnight, not usage at midnight.

This would be for all apps downloads and internet usage including from within apps, email, and siri use ect for that day.

If you want to understand better what used up your Vodafone data allowance, in setting, general, network then switch off "mobile data" then if the phone tries to access the internet you will be prompted to return to settings and switch it back on.

[kids]

yellowbird wrote:

Like many here, I have the IPhone 4S.

Can Vodafone Tech, please post here the root cause of the problem (when there are App updates for my ipad, I get the opportunity to do this manually as I can see that the applications have updates), as it does not seem to have been addressed here clearly for the IPhone.  And how to overcome it to stop it.

The procedure is the same for an iPhone as it is for an iPad.

When there are updates available you will see a badge on the App icon telling you how many updates are avaiable and you can then go the to App store and select whichever updates you want. (see attch ). Updates do not download without you clicking on the update button first and then entering your iTunes ID and password.

[yellowbird]

mmmm.  Interesting.   What I did not say was the following:

I rarely get a connection on line when I am not in a WIFI zone.  3G does not work very often. e.g. tonight, as per usual, the Vodafone app is unable to load any data.  The only app that I would really want to use is maps, but am consistenly being told that the server is not working.  Yet, I am getting charges?? I cant get onto the internet on my IPhone 4S via WAP/3G.  Is this normal to very rarely get an internet connection (eg 1 out of 10 times?).

Plus, if a system is able to tell you that you have been on line, it should be able to tell the user at what time, and for how long....???    If Vodafone cannot be clear with what it is charging for, how can customers trust it?? 

We are be given many reasons why we are being charged e.g. :

1.  Updating applications

2.  For Vodafone's updates

3.  For accessing the internet over 3G

But there is no traceability provided to the customer. 

We customers want to know what we are paying for, when, and the expected charge for that item before we use it.  Call me old fashioned, but I want to know what services I am using, when, how long, and what for.....  Then I can contest, and fraud can be high lighted.  I had the same with Orange a number of years ago when I got charges for WAP.  I had no idea of how to use WAP.  I had not got a password or passcode at the time.  Yet some one was using my account for their WAP access.

Please can Vodafone be more transparent with what it is charging for by being specific on the bills of when the data is being downloaded, and for what application/useage.......

[scorpio2011]

Glad its not just me being ripped off left right and centre by VF over data charges. Even with my phone turned to flight mode each night and "mobile data" disabled whenever I'm at home using WIFI I still see huge chunks of data coming out of my allowance, and hence have to pay excess charges.

Why are the charges all rolled into this midnight amount? Its so customers have no idea how to question/query the charges and gives VF a quick one-size fits all response.

Transparency is one word you can certainly not apply to Vodafone.

[kids]

Unless you have a fault with your phone it is technically not possible for you to be using any of your data allowance with airplane mode on and Mobile data off. Where are you seeing the 'huge chunks' racking up?

All networks bill data alowance as an accumulative figure, to bill every single KB as and when it happens would be a logistical nightmare. If you are convinced that what you are saying is happening a visit to an Apple store for them to run a diagnostic test on the phone is your best bet.

[Dave]

Hi guys,

The data usage is not shown session by session following feedback from customers who were more concerned with total use than each individual session. As kids mentions, itemising every session made the bills very hard to follow. This accumulated total shows as being around midnight, so there is not necessarily usage taking place at that time.

For security of customers’' privacy, we also don't get to see exactly what the data usage was for. Similarly, it's not possible to say that any given activity will use a specific amount of data - the data usage involved in loading a video from YouTube, an email or a Facebook page, for example, would never be a fixed amount. 

With regards to data usage whilst mobile data is disabled, I would recommend ensuring that all apps are closed at that point, as some may "hang on" to the connection used when they were launched, and therefore continue using your data connection even when switched off. Mobile networks do not know when the data has been switched off on the device, so they simply respond to requests received.

Dave