Vodafone Live! 3G International Costs

[danknightuk]

I suppose someone has to be the first with a thread here!

Just looked online at my bill and noticed that my current unbilled balance is £48. I only made a few calls when in Italy a couple of weeks ago, and I doubt I'd go over usage limits on the £40/month tarrif!

It would appear that Vodafone Live! is charged at £10.28/Mb when roaming on Vodafone Italy (the preferred network) so watching highlights of my Arsenal team squander another lead to lowly West Bromwich Albion cost me £15.94! With other Vodafone Live! usage it is quite easy to get stung for fifty quid over the course of a long weekend. Venice was beautiful by the way. The current fares available from easyJet are cheaper than my overseas browsing!

It was in the small print and available on the website so I shouldn't have any complaints. This is just a warning to others!

I'm not sure if a link to roaming charges will work as it is menu driven, but you can get there from the following menus:

/Get more from your mobile /Going abroad /Costs and coverage /Select Country and Price Plan /Data - GPRS and Vodafone live! (More Info)

If you click on the menu:

.../Select Country and Price Plan /3G (More Info)

you just get an info page saying it works in ten countries (incl. Italy, no pricing information) and then goes on to say that you can video call for 55p/min until 31 March 2005.

I guess I'll have to take this one on the chin but I'm a bit peeved it is so expensive and is not made abundantly clear. These rates may be from when Live! was introdued on GPRS so are nothing new but it was a bit of a shock to me!

Ho hum!

Dan

[A1c]

International roaming has always been a vastly overpriced service but one which the EU have now pledged to act on. Arun Sarin Vodafone's CEO has recently announced lower roaming and data charges will be introduced but we shall have to await the pricing.

As you say, it's worth investigating the costs fully before using your handset abroad regardless of the partner networks available, (I know folks who have been billed for more than the cost of their holiday for calls whilst abroad!).

You will know next time!

[Gunner]

Ouch! Costly!

I have to say, taking a mobile from any network abroad usually works out stupidly expensive. How the networks justify such pricing is insane.

Thank goodness you didn't download some music tracks et al!

[tosh]

You'd think that Vodafone (being the world's largest mobile phone company) would be in more of a position than its rivals to charge lower roaming fees especially when you are logging onto one of their networks abroad. How can they justify charging so much for usage when logging onto Vodafone directly in Italy.....it's because they are big enough to do it and I hope the EU commission does something about it soon. Why is it that the likes of Orange charge far less for international and roaming calls, even though they are a far smaller company and probably have far less clout in terms of negotiating roaming fees with its partner networks abroad.

I use Vodafone, and I think that their service is great. But by having such a large international monopoly allows Vodafone to abuse its position and charge customers far too much for roaming calls, in my opinion.

[3g4data]

Dan, having seen your sorry tale, I specifically asked at my local Vodafone store about data roaming charges and - after the assistant made a phone enquiry - I was told (verbally) it is £5.70 in Europe and £8.85 elsewhere. You might possibly have a case for a reduction. Good luck.

[Obfuscator]

I agree if you want to use data at the minute you will get stung (no choice in the matter), but what I have done is unlock my phone and buy a PAYG sim for the country I am visiting if I am making a lot of local voice calls - definitely worth it! You never know, you may be able to get a local USIM which will allow data at lower costs too.

I know this doesn't reduce your whack to the back of the knees but hopefully it will help for the future.........

[Killahurts]

What a con...plain and simple...

[Gunner]

Better than having no data access at all.

[Killahurts]

So you think £15 for two minutes worth of Voda data access is worth the money do you?

...I mean seeing as that was the point of this thread

[99901]

I say

If you need the data abroad then you pay for it. If you dont need it dont use. then you wont get charged for it and get "conned" in the words of Killa. Most business travelers find it cheaper to use "hotspots" or hotel connections because they are alot cheaper

But seeing we live in the UK then its no an issue unless you are traveling abroad alot.

But saying that at least Vodafone and Orange customers are given a choice unlike 3 customers.

[99901]

So you think £15 for two minutes worth of Voda data access is worth the money do you?

...I mean seeing as that was the point of this thread


And it was not 2 minutes of Voda date is was about 1.48Mb of data that he was charged for ....I mean seeing as that was the point of this thread GPRS and 3G data is charged by the MB. Come on you should know that!!!!!!!?

[Killahurts]

Dear Jon

Whilst I accept I could have tightened my wording slightly, Im sure you understood that I meant it cost £15 to download around 2 mins worth of footie highlights.

Why at £7.50 per minute of highlights or £450 an hour or £18000 a week perhaps Voda have decided to charge rates that equate to the wages of a WBA player....

As for this "not being an issue" it clearly is for the originator of this post who has been slapped with a huge bill and will be for others in the future...