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Virgin Mobile: More abuse of the word ‘unlimited’

Started by Ewan · 7 months ago

Virgin Mobile have just announced a fixed-price per day of 30p for pay-as-you-go (albeit post-paid) data and unlimited use.
For fun, let’s remind ourselves of the definition of ‘unlimited’:
un-lim-it-ed [adjective]
1. not limited; unrestricted% ... Continue reading »

16 comments

  • AJ

    7 months ago

    Do work emails violate the non- commercial requirement. I am not 100% convinced about that.
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    Commercial use - without any further qualification (there isn't) that means any use for commercial gain...
    reply
  • TerenceEden

    7 months ago

    25 MB a day is ~750MB a month. More than Vodafone offer for "unlimited" data - less than some other operators' "unlimited" offer. Different pricing though.

    Utterly shocking that all operators can get away with this. But the first to say "Get XYZ MB" will lose out to the unscrupulous ones saying "Unlimited".

    That being said - have you ever taken a detailed look at how much mobile data you burn through?

    I'm a really heavy data user on my BB8800. Lots of browsing, Google Maps, Games, ringtones, YouTube. I use it a lot. My total data usage for August was less than 100MB.

    My N95 8GB - with its faster 3G radio - similar pattern of usage every day- less than 160MB.

    I seriously cane these devices. The only think I use WiFi for on the N95 is downloading video podcasts. I may rethink that as I'm obviously not as heavy a user as I thought!

    I don't know (and if I did, I doubt I could share) the average amount of traffic an "average" user get through. But I suspect it may be less than many of us hope.

    All that being said - the number 25 is sooooo far away from unlimited it's not funny. I wonder if I could pay Virgin an "Unlimited" amount of money for cable tv...?

    T
    (Not speaking for Voda - or anyone else of interest)
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    Terrence - if taken across a month I'd agree with you... it's reasonable under the current mass-abuse of 'unlimited' (Voda included). But per day doesn't give any flexibility for one busy day and then a few quiet ones which I think is a more typical usage.

    300MB per device is my 'heavy use' max too, but if I go to a party I'll exceed 25MB with pictures, google maps and the like fairly easily.
    reply
  • Mac Morrison

    7 months ago

    yep i used 60+MB yesterday downloading one album on nokia music store.
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    ...or 1 podcast
    ...or a few biggish apps
    ...or a party's worth og big pics
    ...or some QIK streaming

    All of this is allowed by the T&Cs but makes it very easy to exceed 25MB...
    reply
  • technokitten

    7 months ago

    30p a day is *revolutionary* and a great step forward bearing in mind it was only on Monday I was begging the operators to stop having silly tariffs [ video and blog post about it here http://technokitten.blogspot.com/2008/11/there-... ]. Yes, the small print is annoying and how you work out your megabyte usage anyway is a mystery to me and definitely to normobs. But looking at Terence's comments, it's going to be quite hard to kill your phone datawise unless you're downloading full fat video all day.
    Also, how do you define 'work' email? Are they going to check every email in my gmail account then to work out which one is a work one and which is not?

    Seriously though, 30p a day is a great start, with no contract, makes mobile internet usage much less scary for the average prepay normob in the street. A step in the right direction for sure.
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    Helen: Saw you presentation. Loved it and agree... but...

    30p is only a great deal if it is unlimited. 25MB is so low as a per day limit (note: it's not an average over a month) that consumers need to monitor use on this tariff even more carefully than the existing monthly ones.
    reply
  • technokitten

    6 months ago

    So what does 25MB look like to the average normob? What level of browsing, gmail, twitter, facebook does that give you? It might be easier to lobby for Virgin to make it clear what 25MB actually means than get them to up their limits.

    I also think Virgin have to show customers when they're near their limit so they can choose to curtail their mobile internet usage so that billshock isn't the result.

    Of course, if it could be aggregated over a month so that the charge was 30p a day up to a maximum of £9 a month or something it would be better.

    It's very frustrating that mobile tariffs are so complex. How anyone is supposed to work it out is beyond me :/
    reply
  • Simon Wilcox

    7 months ago

    ASA already ruled that it's OK to say unlimited as long as it's clear on the poster that it isn't really unlimited.

    http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/...

    Worth complaining again though.
    reply
  • goodygoody2

    7 months ago

    What a load of complete and utter twoddle!!

    So basically you can print/broadcast whatever headline you like so long as the small print retracts the statement...?!?!?!

    Imagine the chaos if this type of logic was applied to other industries?

    "Go-away-Baldness

    Hair Re-Growth Formula***





    ***Will not reduce the rate of your baldness"


    What is the point in that??
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    Ahhh... good spot - I missed this.

    Wonder if trading standards would be interested instead (misleading sales material, rather than the advertising)?
    reply
  • Mark

    7 months ago

    I have t o go with Helen here... I think its a fantastic step forward and will take the fear away for the average user.

    What would be great would be a text message from Virgin to say you are close to your daily limit.

    Maybe it could be a tick box option that used some of your credit to send the message or something?

    £2.10 for 175 meg of data a week is pretty cool if you ask me !
    reply
  • goodygoody2

    7 months ago

    In Ireland with Voda you get 50MB per day for 99c, Since November last year (I think).

    So that equates to 86p in the UK at today's rates. Erm........this post would looked a lot better a few months ago when exchange rates were in your favour...

    Im gonna shut up now :)
    reply
  • Ben Smith

    7 months ago

    I think all the networks here offer something like this for up to £1.50 per MB, but this is the only one I know with such a low daily limit.
    reply
  • technokitten

    6 months ago

    The full tariff table is here http://is.gd/dbd5
    reply

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