Yellodata - ********* Business Practice
<p>Good Day, I took a package with MTN Yellodata in December 2015, what a mistake.</p> <p>I was called by MTN Yellodata, to add an extra R59 for my number, and was explained that if my data is finished with MTN I change the data settings to Yellodata and then receive an extra 500MB but once the 500MB is finished I would need to switch back to myMTN. I was now debited by an amount of R290.47 which is totally unacceptable, this not what I agreed to. I was advised that after the 500MB is finished it is finished, because if the 500MB was finished it would not allow me to surf the internet until I switch back to myMTN. After calling their very unfriendly call centre this morning I was advised that it was open package and I got billed out of bundle which is bull****!! Because that is not what was explained when I took the package. I was informed that I get 500MB for R59, and when it is finished it stops you can’t go over. The man at the call centre "Sizwe" said they will not refund me as it is in their websites terms and conditions. I checked after and it is indeed there but the fact that this is not told to customers upfront when agreeing to the deal is highly *********. Luckily the banks do allow a debit order reversal so I have taken back the money they tried to *****. His Supervisor "Zanele" was also conveniently not around and I was told she would only be coming in later in the day.</p> <p>Hope this message can serve as a warning to others before accepting any deal with MTN Yellodata as I have no faith that they will try do anything to resolve this matter</p> <p> </p>
Thank you for your post.
We are terribly sorry for the inconveniences that you experienced as a result of this. We completely understand the frustration it causes.
The number you provided does not show the charges you are refering to. Please provide us with the correct number so we can verify the data. I suggest that you set a limit on your number so you dont pay additional charges. Dial *141*5# select option to manage usage.
Rest assured, it is not our intention to displease you. We look forward to improving on the service delivery to you.
Regards
Thabelo
REQ: **********
Thank you for your post.
We are terribly sorry for the inconveniences that you experienced as a result of this. We completely understand the frustration it causes.
The number you provided does not show the charges you are refering to. Please provide us with the correct number so we can verify the data. I suggest that you set a limit on your number so you dont pay additional charges. Dial *141*5# select option to manage usage.
Rest assured, it is not our intention to displease you. We look forward to improving on the service delivery to you.
Regards
Thabelo
REQ: **********
Hi Thabelo,
Thank you for your reply. I did not provide my number as I am not comfortable leaving it on a public forum. I am well aware of limiting my usage and have done so with my MTN Data.
This data is provided by a company called YelloData who is selling MTN Data on behalf of MTN from what I can gather. There is no option to limit data on YelloData and I never thought this was neccessary as they tell you its a once off monthly charge for an additional 500mb of data and then the service is hardcapped and I revert to my MTN Data. This is however not actually happening and they are charging MTN customers out of bundle rates when this is not even discussed with customers when selling the deal. If you do a quick search on HelloPeter for YelloData you will see they are doing this to many MTN customers.
After this incident I have gone through their terms and conditions with great concern I refer to the following 3 clauses:
Clause 3.8 – “If the client exhausts the purchased bandwidth and/or reaches their credit limit, the client will be hard-capped. This means that no further access will be provided thereafter for the remainder of the month. Additional once-off bundles are available for purchase. As per clause 3.7 bundles are refreshed on the 5th of the month”
Clause 4.5 “Should you generate out of bundle usage, a per megabyte rate of 0.79c will be charged for.”
Clause 13 - "In exchange for payment of your Monthly Subscription, the Package you have chosen will provide to you a pre-determined amount of In-Bundle Data. Your In-Bundle Data expires on the 5th of every month in which In-Bundle Data is allocated to you each month. When you have used your In-Bundle Data, you can continue to enjoy our Services by using your Bill Limit. We do not guarantee that your invoice amount will be less or equal to your Bill Limit. If you exceed your Bill Limit, you are liable for the full amount of the invoice. You agree and accept that we cannot guarantee to implement the Monthly Usage Limit and you remain responsible to pay for all usage on your SIM Card including any usage over and above your Monthly Usage Limit. Notwithstanding this, we reserve the right to stop further use of our Services and/or Products if you reach or exceed your maximum Monthly Usage Limit."
What they are basically saying is the data is hardcapped so cant be used once you reach your limit which is what they say when they sell it. The next clause goes on to give the rate for out of bundle data. The third clause then says if they do not implement the hardcap it is too bad and you must still pay. In other words they can charge you what they like although I have never been given a way to monitor usage of this data. This company is losing MTN customers and if they harrass me any further I will be sure to switch to another service provider so I think it is worth your while to investigate them further as they have no interest in dealing with customers complaints and simply told me its to bad and I must pay as it is in their terms and conditions.
Regards,
Ricardo
Hi Thabelo,
Thank you for your reply. I did not provide my number as I am not comfortable leaving it on a public forum. I am well aware of limiting my usage and have done so with my MTN Data.
This data is provided by a company called YelloData who is selling MTN Data on behalf of MTN from what I can gather. There is no option to limit data on YelloData and I never thought this was neccessary as they tell you its a once off monthly charge for an additional 500mb of data and then the service is hardcapped and I revert to my MTN Data. This is however not actually happening and they are charging MTN customers out of bundle rates when this is not even discussed with customers when selling the deal. If you do a quick search on HelloPeter for YelloData you will see they are doing this to many MTN customers.
After this incident I have gone through their terms and conditions with great concern I refer to the following 3 clauses:
Clause 3.8 – “If the client exhausts the purchased bandwidth and/or reaches their credit limit, the client will be hard-capped. This means that no further access will be provided thereafter for the remainder of the month. Additional once-off bundles are available for purchase. As per clause 3.7 bundles are refreshed on the 5th of the month”
Clause 4.5 “Should you generate out of bundle usage, a per megabyte rate of 0.79c will be charged for.”
Clause 13 - "In exchange for payment of your Monthly Subscription, the Package you have chosen will provide to you a pre-determined amount of In-Bundle Data. Your In-Bundle Data expires on the 5th of every month in which In-Bundle Data is allocated to you each month. When you have used your In-Bundle Data, you can continue to enjoy our Services by using your Bill Limit. We do not guarantee that your invoice amount will be less or equal to your Bill Limit. If you exceed your Bill Limit, you are liable for the full amount of the invoice. You agree and accept that we cannot guarantee to implement the Monthly Usage Limit and you remain responsible to pay for all usage on your SIM Card including any usage over and above your Monthly Usage Limit. Notwithstanding this, we reserve the right to stop further use of our Services and/or Products if you reach or exceed your maximum Monthly Usage Limit."
What they are basically saying is the data is hardcapped so cant be used once you reach your limit which is what they say when they sell it. The next clause goes on to give the rate for out of bundle data. The third clause then says if they do not implement the hardcap it is too bad and you must still pay. In other words they can charge you what they like although I have never been given a way to monitor usage of this data. This company is losing MTN customers and if they harrass me any further I will be sure to switch to another service provider so I think it is worth your while to investigate them further as they have no interest in dealing with customers complaints and simply told me its to bad and I must pay as it is in their terms and conditions.
Regards,
Ricardo