MTN: Surreptitious, scandalous and downright underhandedness!

In these days when Cellular Service Providers are under pressure to reduce their user charges for Airtime and Data, we regularly see them clambering to claim the “moral” high ground of ‘really trying’ to reduce rates to their consumer.

Well here is what MTN do to mislead their clients. They offer a package, for me, a 1 GB package with 100 minutes Air-time and 500SMS’s on a month-by-month contract. ±R235pm.

Now to make more money from the contact they send out the following advance notice to clients:

"As of 8 March 2019, there will be an update to the voice pricing on My MTNChoice data plans. The out-of-bundle voice rates will change from R1.20 to R1.99 per minute. In addition, the voice and SMS bundles will no longer be available on the My MTNChoice data plans".

This is a 66% increase in call charges out-of-bundle and MORE, namely a reduced service offering on the contract for the same fee!

When I referred back to my contract, here is Clause 12 titled "Charges"

“By notifying you in advance, we may amend charges from time to time and if you do not accept them, you may end the contract by notifying us, subject to clause 15”

Simply, 'take-it or leave-it', or crudely FIFO!

A 66% increase in ‘out-of-bundle’ voice rate charges plus Voice and SMS bundles removed from the package. This translates to a significantly more expensive contract for 1GB of Data.

Surreptitious, scandalous and downright underhandedness!

Shame on you MTN. Role on ICAS and downward pressure on telecommunication prices.