data usage difference

[bryan267]

so my tarriff provides 3Gb of data, 50% more than my last contract with O2, which i never exceeded. But while i set alarms on my handset, it appears vodafone is recording 3 times the amount of data my phone is recording. The last few months i have received warnings about nearly exceeding my inclusive data, offering to sell me more, nice touch to tell me, and to offer to block further data if i dont. i understand that my handset may request data it never receives, but exceeding my 3Gb inclusive when i have only had 700mb is way off. why such a disparity?

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

A phones inbuilt Data monitor is a good guide to go by and some have the feature to show what is using data too in the way of apps etc. 

These inbuilt monitors usually need the statistics resetting each allowance refresh. 

The Vodafone option in myvodafone should be more accurate although they can't break down what's using what. 

Sometimes a new app with its own permissions can use more data or a change in specific settings such as location etc can use more data. 

I was under the impression Vodafone don't stop data use on Pay Monthly unless if on one of the newer contracts a data cap can be applied. Data-capping - What-are-the-data-caps

Using-more-Mobile-Data-than-usual-My-Guide.

[bryan267]

Vodafone do not restrict data, but offer a data cap, wich can be switched on or off, to stop you using more than the inclusive data. Vodafone also offer you the ability to buy extra data before your inclusive data runs out, this particular month or every month from there on. If you dont then they charge you a premium on the usage in excess of the inclusive data.

Of course the data monitor on the phone is accurate, it should know and yes it does break it down into the applications that are using it. But what it does not show, are the applications that requested data the phone did not receive. As an end user, if the mobile data connection is no longer active and receiving, then one would hope that is the end of the charging cycle for data. Vodapfone, like many providers, take the view that if you requested the data, you will pay for it no matter if your phone received it or not. What I am unaccustomed to, is my chargeable data usage being so far in excess of my actual data usage.

Data usage settings allowed me to set warnings and caps, but at the current ratio, when my phone switches mobile data off in the given monthly charging cycle at 3GB, I will have already exceeded my data usage allowance by 9GB, and having not previously agreed the usage Vodafone would charge that to me at £6.50 per 250Mb, that would equate to an additional £281 on my £32 per month.

My question is why has the disparity got so big now? I'm used to seeing my data at around 70% of provider data, not 25%, thats just silly. If I open a browser to utube is vodafone preloading every video on the page for me and charging me for it? what is it that is unusual about vodafone data charging that 02 dont do? where its data I havent had, and given the value of data, perhaps vodafone should have a running monthly total detailing the apps that requested it.

[bryan267]

It seems Vodafone billing also records the data usage and lists it, up to the 6th February, 6 days into the billing period the total data usage in the breakdown amounts to 415Mb, my handset registers 423Mb, I didnt add up the Vodafone part Mb, just the whole numbers so that seems about right. Then why does the my vodaphone app show the usage at 1.2Gb, and clearly given the data usage warnings, the myvodafone app is the usage indicator that is linked to the billing. Seems even Vodafone arent sure how to record and inflate my usage properly.

Its enought to lead you to believe that it is being inflated somewhere, with the sole intention of revenue creating. Taken on any new staff from BT's Italy operations recently? Lol

[Jenny]

@bryan267 - As Lee said above, there will be differences between what your phone records and what is recorded over the mobile network.

Also, your bills won’t usually run from 1-31 of each month, so you’ll need to make sure your phone’s set up to record and refresh over the same period, as your billing cycle.

Some phones do allow you to choose which apps you track the usage on, so I recommend you check both your data tracker settings as well as each individual apps settings, to see if this option is available.

[bryan267]

handset monitoring cycle is the same as billing cycle and handset monitors all apps. As I said, I understand the network and handset measurements may differ, handset is actual data and network is requested data. The issue here is why has the disparity increased so dramatically.

More to the point, in a further input by me I saw, in Myvodafone online, details of data usage which agreed with my handset. Now if Vodafone know how much I used, itemised it by date and amount, and its in very close agreement with my handset records, then why is my chargeable data still so far inflated?

You answers keep pointing out the obvious and skirting around the crux of the matter. chargeable data is many times greater than both Vodaphone records and handset records seem to indicate. How and why is that? The further I dig the more I think you have an issue.

[Carly]

@bryan267

Have you checked your bill at all? If not, please check this on the My Vodafone app.

The bill will give you a breakdown of the data used on each day, this may be helpful to us if there's specific days that you feel there wasn't much data used.

Once you've done this, pop to Live Chat and we'll investigate this for you.

[bryan267]

as said in other messages in this conversation, yes i have checked my daily data usage on myvodafone.co.uk. There are data usage details on 3 places, androids on data monitors on my handset, the my vodafone app downloaded from playstore and the myvodafone account details at myvodafone.co.uk. The vodafone app on the handset does not break down daily usage, only the online section of my account in myvodafone.co.uk does that. the my vodafone app only provides a chaegeable total which does not agree with either my handsets data monitor or the myvodafone.co.uk. i will pop on to Live chat at some point as you wish.

[Colleen]

@bryan267 Our Live Chat team will be happy to look into your query. Please let us know how you get on.