Shame on You - VODACOM FIBRE

I recently moved home and had to change my ISP for my Fibre connection. I have been using the Vumatel fibre network, with CellC as my ISP, for 3 years. My contract was 20/20 uncapped. I never had any issues around the amount of data I downloaded every month - I signed for an uncapped service after all. CellC don’t even know how much data I used every month!

My new premises have Metro Fibre installed. I looked @ the various options available for different ISP's and decided to go with the Vodacom 50/50 UNCAPPED. I specifically asked for a data contract that would offer me 50/50 24/7. I was assured that this was the case.

I app**** online and was approved. Installation took about a week. At no point was I told that Vodacom still apply a FUP ( Fair Usage Policy ) to their UNCAPPED plans. Yes, I ticked the box that said I had read the T&C's. In my mind, and over the past 3 years using CellC, I never thought that a FUP would apply to an UNCAPPED fibre plan. ADSL, years ago, app**** a FUP because the line couldn't handle too many people using data @ the same time. Fibre does not have the same restrictions.

I have asked around, and googled other ISP's and VODACOM is the ONLY ISP that enforce a FUP on their UNCAPPED plans. What this means is that when I reach an amount of data, that Vodacom decides is ‘fair’, then my line is throttled to 2/2 until the following month. Vodacom don’t offer an option to ‘top up’ or un-throttle my account. You simply have to live with a 2Meg line, even though I am paying for a 50/50 line ! This is why they say that their plans are uncapped, because they don’t cut you off completely.

In short, I signed for a 50/50 24/7 Fibre contract that I was told was uncapped. In fact, what I actually signed up for was a 50/50 fibre plan that has a set data limit that once reached, throttles your line to the speed of an old modem.

If I cancel my contract now, after only 1 day of having fibre, I am liable for thousands of Rands.

Should anybody wish to open a fibre contract I STRONGLY recommend that you choose ANY ISP OTHER than VODACOM. At the very least you will get an UNCAPPED, UNTHROTTLED, 24/7 uninterrupted fibre connection.

Shame on you Vodacom…..