PhoenixDown
-- Wants FIOS
Premium
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY
clubs:   | Fraud Alert
Every time I see an issue like this, I ask the same question: Why wasn't this caught by their fraud department and the customer notified before it reached the 54k mark? |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·Comcast
| said by PhoenixDown  :Every time I see an issue like this, I ask the same question: Why wasn't this caught by their fraud department and the customer notified before it reached the 54k mark? Because he ran it up so fast that the accounting systems didn't catch it quick enough.
Vodafone added last night: "The intensity of Ian's downloading was such that by the time our systems flagged anything up he had already racked up a massive bill.
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whatevrzclvr
join:2005-11-16
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
·Charter Pipeline
 ·Vonage
 ·DSL EXTREME
| reply to PhoenixDown
Seriously! You would think that brand new accounts (I'm assuming he's brand new) would be monitored a little more closely.
Even if it's 100% customer error there was obviously a breakdown in communication. This isn't an insurance policy where you need to understand every word of an 18 page policy it's a cell phone and the terms should be clear enough that everyone understands (and I work in insurance, I don't understand every word of our policy). I'm sure that there are thousands of others who, though not to extreme, are surprised by their first bill.
This could be a PR nightmare or opportunity for Vodafone. It would be in everyone's best interest for Vodafone (or any wireless carrier) to take ownership of these things before they get out of hand. I wish him luck! |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | reply to TKJunkMail
why is not a data cap on the pay buy the bite plan and if you hit it they give you a call to ask if is ok with you to keep billing you at that rate. |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| said by Joe12345678 :why is not a data cap on the pay buy the bite plan and if you hit it they give you a call to ask if is ok with you to keep billing you at that rate. Because they don't have any REAL TIME systems in place to do that for cell phone systems unlike some cable systems that automatically send a config file to a cable modem when a cap is exceeded. Cellphone billing is almost always a backroom daily or weekly batch process. And in a day you can run up a massive bill very quickly. And they did call him as soon as the batch system processed his call records.
If these kinds of occurrences become more frequent, I'd bet all cellphone companies will implement REAL TIME systems similar to those cable companies with hard caps.
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brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to whatevrzclvr
said by whatevrzclvr :This could be a PR nightmare or opportunity for Vodafone. It would be in everyone's best interest for Vodafone (or any wireless carrier) to take ownership of these things before they get out of hand. I wish him luck! I agree. They need to make right on this. I know these users are clueless and are technically at fault, but this is so extreme that the company needs to cover the bill when this happens. The customer gets one chance to screw up like this. If they do it again then they have to pay the bill (or some percentage of the bill, then be terminated). |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| How many people need to screw up before either:
1) People use and abuse it... knowingly.
2) People learn to read about their services and stop being idiots.
That picture of him holding up his bill makes me laugh.. if he's smart enough to figure out how to hook up and teather his computer then he should be smart enough to read.
In other words - he didn't read a thing... he just 'did'... Maybe he has a mortgage he can tap into. |
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Thaler
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA
| reply to TKJunkMail
said by TKJunkMail :Because he ran it up so fast that the accounting systems didn't catch it quick enough. It should be automated, or have a better implimentation. It should be pretty easy for a computer to detect a $60-80 monthly user somehow skyrocketing over $1k, disconnect & send an automated "do you really want a $1k+ bill?" notice, and just nip these ludicrous cell bills in the bud.
I mean, credit agencies operate similarly. If all you ever buy monthly is $300-400 in burgers and gas, suddenly dropping $10k at Home Depot would incur a similar automated shut-off. |
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RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| said by Thaler :I mean, credit agencies operate similarly. If all you ever buy monthly is $300-400 in burgers and gas, suddenly dropping $10k at Home Depot would incur a similar automated shut-off. There is a major difference in the credit card set-up. Every time you use your card, it is approved (to insure you do not go over the card limit). Thus there is active real-time tracking of the card usage and an alert can be triggered if the usage pattern changes even though the limit has not yet been reached. With Cell Phones, you have no "allowed to make another call" check but only an "not-allowed to make a call" check. The latter catches attempts to use a lost phone and disconnected account situations so active phones can make unlimited calls. Account Limits do not apply except for Pay-as-you-Go phones/accounts where an attempt to use the phone first checks if you have a credit left in your pre-paid account. |
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Ignite
Premium,VIP
join:2004-03-18
UK
clubs:
·BlueYonder Interne..
·Be There
| reply to TKJunkMail
said by TKJunkMail :said by Joe12345678 :why is not a data cap on the pay buy the bite plan and if you hit it they give you a call to ask if is ok with you to keep billing you at that rate. Because they don't have any REAL TIME systems in place to do that for cell phone systems unlike some cable systems that automatically send a config file to a cable modem when a cap is exceeded. Cellphone billing is almost always a backroom daily or weekly batch process. And in a day you can run up a massive bill very quickly. And they did call him as soon as the batch system processed his call records. If these kinds of occurrences become more frequent, I'd bet all cellphone companies will implement REAL TIME systems similar to those cable companies with hard caps. My cell operator has real time billing systems. Recently had an exceptionally high month of use and part way through it they informed me I'd hit my credit limit and asked me to either make a payment or be restricted... |
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jvanbrecht
join:2007-01-08
Bowie, MD
| reply to TKJunkMail
All cell phone providers have realtime updates. Go use your phone on the internet and make a call, then 5 min later go hit up the carriers web site and view your up to date bill, it will list what you did 5 min prior. There is no issue with capping a cellphone either, as the plan is provisioned on the carrier side and requires no customer interaction or equipment other then his cellphone. Unlike cable, which by the way is no longer provisioned on the CPE (yes there is a config, no you can no longer remove the cap as that is done on the back end, and has been for the last 5 years).
After the cap is reached, the provisioning gets deactivated until the customer calls in. Not very hard.
The reason they do not, is financial, for the most part they make a good amount of money based on incidental overuse, and there is no reason for them to want this to stop. The last paragraph is me with my tinfoil hat, the rest is all real. |
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