I hate VODAFONE, Mobile networks in general (abroad)

[Jamesuk]

Rant: I am totally pissed off with Vodafone's customer service here in Alicante. I asked for 1GB topup this evening after the girls Failed to help me only the bloke was able to do anything. And now i find out that my 25EURO worth of credit which was put on for supposedly 1GB is actually 25Euro of telephone credit. This makes no sense when i have an INTeRNET SIM card. So i dont speak Spanish(my problem) so need to find someone who can have a proper go at them tomorrow morning to sort this out. Rant over, moaning to continue.

You know the whole EU mobile networks con is a pile of **** for consumers, French Networks i heard have got the right idea concerning there use of home bundled minutes while in Martinque. Vodafone UK should offer proper travelling arrangments to use home contracts in the UK: abroad. i currently pay 30EURO for per month even when abroad and cannot use the phone without it costing on average 80-200 per month (no average there just the range) but instead i have to speak to a Spanish vodafone get Two spanish sims one for voice and one for internet. When i know if i flick on my UK phone i get internet and voice.

I hate you VODAFONE!!!!! Other networks the same no doubt.

I have not been this incensed about a company since having a current account with Abbey National.

Anyone else have problems with SIM cards abroad or have come home from holiday and found a massive bill because of 3G being switched on without a bundle or a block when abroad or WORSE outside the shooty EU mobile networks cartel.

Sorry, im on the boat on my own not even a dog to talk to.

 

[david_bagshaw]

you are absolutely right.

There should be no such thing as EU roaming, we are either in the eu and thus all calls data etc should be a home network rate.

why do we have all the disadvantages and no benefits?


mind you it is better than when gsm first started

 

[westernman]

Assuming your are on a "prepay" contract, just send a SMS to 2207 containing "C PRE" without the quotes.

That will give you 1GB for a month for a cost of 22.42 Euros taken from your 25 euros credit.

If you have the standard Vodafone USB stick you can send the SMS with that directly from your computer. Otherwise you can put the SIM card into a normal mobile phone and send the SMS from that.

 

[sailaboutvic]

First thing I did before leaving the UK 3 years ago was cancel my Vodafone contract and went on pay as you go a lot cheaper . no point in having free mns if you can’t use them while roaming .
Ok now re your problem , you must ask for internet credit when you buy it other wise they might sell you phone credit as it seen to be what happen in your case and once you have use it over a few hours it will run out , this also happened to me and it took me two days on and off the phone before I got it sorted , this is also the case in Spain Portugal and Italy .
Good luck with it your going to need it .

 

[westernman]

For Vodaphone in Spain there is no difference between Internet credit and phone credit. You just have to order one of the Internet packages via SMS once you have loaded your SIM with enough credit.

No idea if Vodaphone data in other countries works in the same way. I use Vodaphone Spain USB internet dongle when sailing in Spain (which is where I sail most of the time).

 

[chinita]

I use Vodaphone Passport for voice calls. 75p connection charge then uses my monthly inclusive minutes. For Internet I use an iPod touch and free wifi in bars. Never had any real problems.

 

[bendyone]

Vodafone do a European package in the UK, £3 a day and you can use your UK minutes SMS and data anywhere in the EU. You only pay the £3 if you use the phone on any one day.

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/personal/price-plans/pay-monthly/eurotraveller/index.htm

 

[Chris_Robb]

I use Vodaphone Passport for voice calls. 75p connection charge then uses my monthly inclusive minutes. For Internet I use an iPod touch and free wifi in bars. Never had any real problems.

Vodafone passport and DATA TRAVELLER is THE best deal on UK phones. It allows you to make 1 hour long calls for a connection charge of .75p, and then you use your UK minutes. You have a daily 25MB of data which is renewed every day - you get text messages to tell you.

Having fiddeled around with Monthly data and local phone cards, this is by far the most convenient and probably the cheapest solution......

 

[Forty_Two]

Vodafone passport and DATA TRAVELLER is THE best deal on UK phones. It allows you to make 1 hour long calls for a connection charge of .75p, and then you use your UK minutes. You have a daily 25MB of data which is renewed every day - you get text messages to tell you.

Having fiddeled around with Monthly data and local phone cards, this is by far the most convenient and probably the cheapest solution......

+1 so shame both are ending. Passport later this year i think & Data Traveller only available on existing packages, the monthly opt in/out has gone & i suspect will go completely on renuwal.

Lets hope they bring in a monthly option on the new daily £3 scheme to make it acceptable for longer term travellers.

 

[Chris_Robb]

+1 so shame both are ending. Passport later this year i think & Data Traveller only available on existing packages, the monthly opt in/out has gone & i suspect will go completely on renuwal.

Lets hope they bring in a monthly option on the new daily £3 scheme to make it acceptable for longer term travellers.

I didn't know they were ending. Shame because its a brain dead deal!

Just checked their tarriffs, the Data Traveller is still there, but no sign of the Passport. Surely they cannot take away this from me next year, as I have a contract due to run at least another year.....

EDIT - checked with Voda - will keep it till I either change my price plan or upgrade my phone - I cannot do that till late 2013.

 

[colind3782]

O2 do something similar for a 50p connection charge and using your UK minutes. I also have a Spanish PAYG for local calls.

 

[Ludd]

I have a V/dongle in Portugal----€1 per hour. €10 credit gets 10 hours BUT if you put on €20 you get 30 hours . They don't tell you this,I found out by trial and error.
I now have bought Skype credit,and can phone landlines and mobiles for about 1.5p a minute(+ of course the €0.7 dongle charge) from my computer.

 

[westernman]

Vodaphone Spain does some reasonable deals in prepaid mode:-

http://vodafone.es/particulares/es/internet-y-tv/internet-movil/internet-movil-prepago/
Click on "Bonos de Navegacion".

This is what I use. It would be even more convenient if you could top it up via the internet without having to use a Spanish bank card. But you can buy credit in many stores and also there are companies on the internet who will top it up for you (for a fee on top of the top up amount).

NB. For the OP. If this is what you have, then they will have put 25 euros credit on it in the shop. You can then decide what you want to do with that credit and send the appropriate SMS to get what you want.

 

[spynappels]

I didn't know they were ending. Shame because its a brain dead deal!

Just checked their tarriffs, the Data Traveller is still there, but no sign of the Passport. Surely they cannot take away this from me next year, as I have a contract due to run at least another year.....

EDIT - checked with Voda - will keep it till I either change my price plan or upgrade my phone - I cannot do that till late 2013.

Correct, I just upgraded and lost my 25MB per day whilst in EU, I was disappointed but nothing would make them budge.

 

[SeamanStaines]

I think if you dial 22189 from the SIM you can select english and get an english operator

 

[Blue5]

My Vodafone contract for i-phone has just come an end with the 25mb euro roaming and they offered me the £3 day option but by my reckoning £90 month is not a good deal.

I have an unlocked 3 dongle that I use for laptop internet but that refused to work in Portugal so I ended up buying a Portuguese Vodafone dongle. Vodafone really have got it sewn up making dongles country specific.

Has anybody got a dongle or method that can be used in several countries. I do not mind buying a separate sim in each country but hardware as well makes it a bit expensive. I thought the unlocked 3 dongle was going to be the answer.

 

[SeamanStaines]

Unlocked Dongle will work, I use a Three MiFi. Dont forget though that you have to enter the correct APN for each countries SIM.

You can get the correct APN's from many sites, here is one

http://blog.mobilebroadbanduser.eu/page/Worldwide-Access-Point-Name-(APN)-list.aspx#415

I suspect your problem with an unlocked dongle not working is incorrect settings. The shops by the way have no idea at all about this!

 

[Blue5]

Unlocked Dongle will work, I use a Three MiFi. Dont forget though that you have to enter the correct APN for each countries SIM.

You can get the correct APN's from many sites, here is one

http://blog.mobilebroadbanduser.eu/page/Worldwide-Access-Point-Name-(APN)-list.aspx#415

I suspect your problem with an unlocked dongle not working is incorrect settings. The shops by the way have no idea at all about this!

Thanks for the link, I suspect you may be right about shops not knowing, I guess it is also not in their interest, we are back to Spain and Portugal shortly so I will give it a go again.

 

[Steve C Cronin]

It's all down to what you want surely.

I am 24/30ths into the first month of a Vodafone contract (Min 2 months; one month notice for canx with Vodafone Greece) Gives me 5G a month for €30 and the hotspot cost €80 up front. Have used just over 2G so far, including watching a 1hr BBC TV prog last week and a lot of work data transfer.

I also have a list of freinds all over this area (Ionian & Gulfs) who allow me access via our RadioLabs amplified antenna so we think we now have the ideal combination.

*Needs proof of a long-standing berth in Greece.

 

[Jamesuk]

Vodaphone Spain does some reasonable deals in prepaid mode:-

http://vodafone.es/particulares/es/internet-y-tv/internet-movil/internet-movil-prepago/
Click on "Bonos de Navegacion".

This is what I use. It would be even more convenient if you could top it up via the internet without having to use a Spanish bank card. But you can buy credit in many stores and also there are companies on the internet who will top it up for you (for a fee on top of the top up amount).

NB. For the OP. If this is what you have, then they will have put 25 euros credit on it in the shop. You can then decide what you want to do with that credit and send the appropriate SMS to get what you want.

Ahh ok, i have calmed down a little since then, i went to the shop and they said i went over my allowance but they also said it sounds more like a technical glitch in short i used 1GB in 25 minutes and no not watching anything or downloading unless Whatsapp caused it!?!?... Its one thing having one of those in the UK it is quite another in a country that i dont speak the language and the staff are demotivated.

I have internet again now 1GB so happy again. Expensive all this credit!! I think i should give up the money draining beasts and read.

I actually have special SIM card holders now i have so many SIMs from different countries. Annoying considering i turn on my UK phone and everything will work but at the other emd of the cost spectrum.