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Strange excessive data use on mobile broadband

jeffdawson78
4: Newbie

Hi,

I've very recently - 9 days ago - signed up to Vodafone mobile broadband 50GB plan using there mifi mobile router for use at home on my boat with our laptops.

 

As I have not used this before I have been keen to see how the speeds compare to my old Plusnet broadband and keep an eye on data usage.

I was therefore very surprised to see my account saying I had used 13GB of data over 2 nights! I checked the usage breakdown and saw a number of very strange readings of the same amount at small intervals:

 

16 Jan 2107
18:34  990.03 MB
19:33 990.03 MB
21:07 967.97 MB
21:25 990.03 MB
21:41 967.97 MB
21:57 765.02 MB
22:10 967.97 MB
22:30 199.16 MB

17 Jan 2017
07:09 11.49 MB
20.21 990.03 MB
20:35 967.97 MB
20:49 990.03 MB
21:05 967.97 MB
21:21 495.01 MB
21;28 967.97 MB
21:47 990.03 MB

22:05 234.86 MB 

 

On the 16 I did download a couple of shows from iplayer (approx 1.5GB) but nothing to use anywhere near that much data. 

I called the supprot line this morning but whilst courteous weren't able to do anything other than suggest visiting a store.

Has anyone experienced similar issues and how did you resolve it?

Thanks for any advice!

349 REPLIES 349

Nabs
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

@Elaines35 Ah right, that's a pain in the behind! I wonder is @jeffdawson78 has the same experience when they try to add the data cap?

If yes then it would suggest an issue with the way the accounts have been set up.

Elaines35
4: Newbie
Spoke to the online chat but they basically said it's not their department. Just hope to get some resolution. This data was clocked up over night when everyone was asleep.

Elaines35
4: Newbie
After trying to get online chat to add it they said to text UK data cap to a number which I can't remember of hand but the messages kept failing so I have the sim removed a the moment until I get answers

ChazzD
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

@jeffdawson78 Please let us know the outcome when you get the device back from our repair centre.

 

@Elaines35 I'd advise taking your device to your nearest Vodafone Store so they can check it. 

 

The data cap is only available on our newer plans. Our Live Chat team will be able to check whether the plans you're both on can be capped. 

Elaines35
4: Newbie
I purchased my device out side of the contract so as it was open to any network. Not sure if Vodafone could do anything with it. I had it on ee for a few months and had no problems but changed to Vodafone after Christmas. I have tried numerous times to cap it but with no success

Nabs
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

@ChazzD I think @Elaines35's information is good enough evidence that the issue isn't with the devices (sorry @jeffdawson78 looks like yours has been sent away needlessly) themselves rather an issue with Vodafone's systems.

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

From the dates given by both @jeffdawson78 and @Elaines35, the contracts were entered into very recently, and the data cap should surely apply: "A data cap is one of the tools available in Vodafone Data Manager, and is included in all Pay monthly phone and SIM only bundles bought after 5 May 2016, and Mobile Broadband and tablet bundles bought after 28 September 2016."

 

Also, @Elaines35 seems able to see the tool within Vodafone Data Manager, even if it doesn't work. Other customers enquiring about the data cap in respect of phones seem unable to see the control if their plan began before 5 May 2016 (if I've understood their posts correctly).

I may have a similar problem.

My bill for mobile broadband on my laptop shows the following usage:

DATA National   205.75 MB  14 Aug 2017  £6.50
DATA National   990.03 MB  14 Aug 2017  £19.50
DATA National   956.01 MB  14 Aug 2017  £26.00
DATA National   860.00 MB  14 Aug 2017  £26.00
DATA National   971.20 MB  14 Aug 2017  £6.50
DATA National   785.31 MB  11 Aug 2017  £0.00
DATA National   471.50 MB  22 Jul 2017    £0.00

 

I now have £85 extra added onto my bill. I was online at those times but I was only using Facebook and checking emails. How on earth can Vodafone claim I have used that much data? Unless I have missed something?

 

I have a 2GB allowance and over the 7 years of using, there are only a couple of times I have gone over, and only by £6.50.

 

I have asked for my bill to be recalculated after speaking to a lady in a Vodafone store, but online chat says they cannot recalculate, and that my bill is correct.

 

I have tried to find the log of the times it claimed I used this data. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm sure I saw it somewhere. I am not happy to pay for something which I am pretty sure I have not used!

I have had this "problem" and have identified the cause as my wife's Windows 10 Dell computer carrying out updates.  Taking her computer off and putting it back on the wifi network a number of times soon identified it as the culprit!  I recently updated my TomTom map which was a 3.6gb update.  When I looked at my data usage it showed up as a number of 960 (ish) mb packages - in other words Vodafone does not show it as one package of data, it breaks it down so each package is less than 1gb.  

 

Hope this helps explain the strange data usage for some!

 

Cheers

 

John

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

Within Windows 10 there is a setting to do updates only over an unmetered connection, and to tell it which connections are metered or unmetered; though I've an idea that it disregards the setting if MS has classified the update as urgent. I think this may have been mentioned somewhere above, but it's worth mentioning it again here, as this topic doesn't seem to be going away.

Yes, Vodafone charges per 250MB, so the account will show (some of the) time points at which the meter ticks over into the next 250MB.

@jojie4584 You should have received a warning message as you approached the top of your allowance. Worth discovering where such messages show on your system, so that you don't miss any such warnings in future. Also, if your account is recent enough, you should have access to a data cap; turning this on would at least protect you from unexpected data charges, although it doesn't address the question of why this should have happened now, when it hasn't happened in the last 7 years.