Vodacom has not picked up any trouble with its data services over the past few months, says the local mobile giant.
This is despite consumers alleging they are running out of data faster than usual and not being accurately monitored by the company's supplied usage tracker.
However, Vodacom says there have been no irregularities in data and the usage tracker should only be used as an indicator and not an accurate reflection of Internet usage.
“The issues outlined appear to relate to the Vodafone dashboard usage counter, provided with any Vodacom Mobile Connect Card or USB modem, which offers users a tool to view their data usage. As per all communication provided to our customers via various communication channels, they are reminded that the Vodafone dashboard usage counter is only an indicator of the amount of data used, at any given time,” says Dot Field, chief communications officer for the Vodacom Group.
However, one customer says the usage tracker was recently out by more than 150MB, indicating 350MB of the 500MB bundle purchased had been used. The customer received e-mails indicating the full data package had been used. “There is no way I could have used all the data,” explained the client.
Other ways to check
Several residents in the Johannesburg area have complained about the same problem.
One Cape Town resident also says: “I only used the Internet twice last month before my 500MB bundle had run out.” The subscriber says the data bundle was only used for e-mail and once for checking Facebook.
However, Vodacom maintains it has not experienced any problems associated with the monitoring of data usage.
Field says Vodacom customers should make use of all the data checking options available to them. “As soon as a customer has subscribed to a data contract or purchased a data bundle, Vodacom will keep him/her informed via SMS, of their data usage and balance.”
She also notes that consumers can dial *111# free from the SIM card (on which the data contract or data bundle is active), and follow the menu. The data balance will be displayed on the cellphone screen.
Another mechanism for its service provider contract customers is to send an SMS from their data SIM (using the Vodafone Mobile Connect Dashboard) - SMS MM to 31050 - also for free.
This option is only available to Vodacom service provider contract customers.
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