MTN 3G Billing Fraud - Unacceptable

The MTN 3G Internet access service has proven to be pure fraud as regards billing. I got the following text message the very day I subscribed to the service.

Welcome to 3GB 30-Day data plan. Expires: 17.12.2008 13:08. Text 2 to 131 to check balance. 15kobo per kB applies after 3GB, outside bundle, or after expiry. Time: 17/11/2008 12:13:13

I got the following text message on the 15th December 2008, two days before the expiry date

Your 3GB 30-Day data plan is going to expire on 17/12/2008 13:08. Time: 15/12/2008 12:11:52

On the 16th December 2008 I noticed that though connection was possible nothing could be accessed online, browsing was impossible.

I called 180 and the service was either unavailable or customer care agents were unavailable. I called a friend who works at MTN and after informing him that I could not access the internet he asked me to provide the SIM number.

I loaded N400.00 to the SIM and used the SIM to call another number so as to retrieve the number since I wasn't with the SIM pack and didn't store the number anywhere.


When I tried to connect to the internet everything went fine and for some reasons I decided to check the balance and noticed that under 5 minutes over N300.00 was gone from the credit I loaded without my making any call. I clicked on another page and checked the balance again and noticed that a further N30.00 had been taken.

The MTN 3G Internet Access comes with a User Interface where basic information including statistics can be accessed.

As at today, 16th December 2008 the statistics tab has the following information

Daily - uploaded data - 1.02MB/downloaded data - 1.68MB
Monthly - uploaded data - 103.30MB/downloaded data - 1.7GB
Yearly - uploaded data - 179.89MB/downloaded data - 2.81GB

The last information actually represents total data usage for the first month of using this service.

At the bottom of the statistics page we have the following

Please note: These data counter are used for indicative purposes only (exact words, not mine)

So, the facts are

1. The welcome message clearly stated that 15kobo per kB applies after 3GB bundle, outside bundle or after expiry.

The message is clear but the implementation is unprofessional based on the essence of this piece

2. The statistics tab remains the only visual display or data usage tool that gives an indication of data transferred either direction

This means that this tool should be the definitive guide as regards data usage.

3. MTN remained very silent on what constituted 3GB 30-Day plan as regards the data transferred.

This should be clearly stated so that subscribers would understand perfectly what they are paying for. This is a fee based service so the service provider should be honest and open enough to state what was at stake.

4. Is the 3GB made up of just the uploaded data or both the uploaded data and downloaded data?

Assuming the worst case scenario where the 3GB includes both uploaded and downloaded data as at the time of writing this piece (more than 24hrs before expiry, data usage still below 3GB and about N400.00 extra deducted from account) it is still fraudulent for MTN to take money from a subscriber's account without any notice.

5. The combined total of the uploaded data and downloaded data as at the time connection was cut off was less than 3GB.

Based on this fact can MTN prove that the money taken (about N400.00) was not fraudulently taken since all the available parameters and tools support that I have neither exceeded the 30 days allowed nor exceeded the 3GB bundle allowed.

6. Taking over N400.00 for 2.7MB of data (uploaded and downloaded) without any notice is wrong

At this rate then it is very possible for a subscriber to incur up to N15,000.00 (100MB of data) in a single day without knowing and of course without any notice whatsoever from MTN that the data bundle has been exhausted.

As things stand today, no one (not even MTN) can demonstrate when a subscriber hit the limit of 3GB data bandwidth allowed and paid for.


MTN should demonstrate that it is not deliberately taking money belonging to subscribers unjustly by providing a comprehensive statistics of data usage.

MTN should send a notice to subscriber once the 3GB data bundle allowed is exhausted.

MTN should prompt users to accept the extra 15K per kB after notification has been sent so that any user trying to user the facility will immediately know what the cost is.

Without these implementations then the average user of this 3G internet service will have a very bad time.

Take a look at these scenarios

30 days 3GB data bundle - N10,000.00. Comes to about 100MB per day.


The 15kobo per kB after the 3GB bundle expiry (never mind that you don't get any notice or warning) would amount to a massive N450,000.00 in 30 days assuming you kept accessing the internet even if you were still within the 30 days allowed when MTN starts deducting money from your account.

If MTN can send a reminder to subscribers that the 30 day period is about expiring then I believe it will not cost MTN anything to inform or warn subscribers that they have indeed reached the limit that was placed on the bundle.

The only reason why MTN is not doing this is because it will make more money by not doing it. The subscribers cannot determine when they have reached the limit and the only tool provided by MTN cannot be trusted so where lies the ultimate responsibility for accountability here? Certainly not the subscriber who is paying for a service and expects very simple and clear billing process that can be audited.

May be, the ISPs that have been providing regular dial up services with about 5kbs - 14kbs speed (without upper limit) still have something to offer Nigerians.

As for me, I am going to reactivate one or more data schemes from these ISPs because I don't believe in paying for something that cannot be accounted for especially when the service provider should have necessary tools to make the whole billing process open and simple to understand.

Trip to MTN Service Centre

I visited an MTN Service Centre at Opebi to renew my service plan and to change the scheme. When I complained about the billing fraud a lady asked for my MTN 3G data module, plugged same into her laptop and tried to send some messages and after deleting up to 20 messages from the screen she showed me one that stated that I had exceeded the 3GB bandwidth allowed.


Now, I met someone who came to complain about the same thing and his case was even worse because he loaded N50,000.00 and MTN (in my presence) could only account for N30,000.00 deducted over 3 months as the balance of N20,000.00 disappeared as excess charges for the 15kobo per kB outside the bundle and in fact they informed the man that he still has an outstanding N12,000.00 to pay.

In all these, the man did not get any notice, no message, no warning, no prompt. Money was just being taken away with reckless abandon.

After much talk MTN informed us (at least we were two people complaining now) that we should be sending 101 to 131 to check our balance and when I asked the guy how frequent he would advice us to do this since you never can know when you have exceeded the bandwidth and it does not make any sense to be sending a particular code to a particular MTN number every day or every hour for that matter. The customer service agent could not answer this question as the answer would definitely show (as if he didn't know what MTN was doing) everyone around that MTN was making a lot of money by not notifying subscribers that they have reached the limit.

If MTN can send a 30 day expiry reminder (without the subscriber sending a code) then it can also send a 3GB limit reached/exceeded notice to subscribers
without the subscribers having to send a code to MTN every day or every hour.

And why should subscribers keep sending text messages to check balance when most people that use this 3G internet access use it strictly for internet access and not regular calls. This does not make sense. It seems it is a way to make a simple task difficult so that more and more people could be billed without their knowledge.

So, what then is the essence of the Statistics tool when the information it provides is meaningless? Why use a statistics tool that is not only misleading but inaccurate and useless when it comes to billing?

What then is the definitive tool used by MTN to determine that a subscriber has indeed reached or exceeded the 3GB allowed? Assuming there is a tool MTN uses for this what stops MTN from using this particular tool to provide information to subscribers?

I doubt if manpower or technology limitation is the problem here. Obviously, it is a business decision whereby an unsuspecting subscriber (especially post paid plan) could be charged as much as N15,000.00 per day or N450,000.00 in one month just because MTN could not notify the subscriber that the maximum 3GB allowed has been exceeded.

Nigerians deserve better. There is absolutely no reason why Nigerians should be ripped off in this manner. Should we all now budget as much as N450,000.00 for just 3GB data bandwidth at 100MB per day on the average? Even our politicians that make easy money will not find this one funny at all.

what are you, a lawyer?


listen, any data plan includes uplink/downlink traffic, so browsing constitutes data usage out of your 3gig bundle.
also, remaining connected and leaving the computer idle doesnt mean your trafic is idle. for some strange, unknown and disturbing reason the MTN datacard still transmits and receives data on its own.

you ought to be no stranger to MTN's thievery, any one who's played MTN Treasure Hunt will tell you that the giant yellow hungry monster wont balk at any opportunity to milk you of your last kobo. ive never seen a corporate entity this greedy and out of touch with its customers.


its funny though that a company with this shady reputation and which never even once gave out ONE free sms to ONE single customer will con people into thinking it can give away a million naira daily.

@afam. forward this your article to NCC. i am sure the NCC vice chairman would find it an interesting read.

@Afam
I was hoping to read from you but not in this way. Jesus! Are you that trusting? I'm sure it took you no less than 30 mins to draft and type this Declaration Of Exploitation. If you took that much time to read the small print, you'd not be a yellow man. I was going to buy the same service last week and called Customer Care to confirm the details. They didn't say anything about the billing as at then. Then, i noticed that a friend of mine in whose house i saw the modem was loading 400 every 20 mins and then i knew something was wrong. Hello! It took 5 agents to finally confirm my fear. AND you will only find that out if you ask the right question (no pun intended from our inverter beef, lol). That question is AM I GOING TO PAY MORE AFTER THE 10K? Then you'll hear 'Yes, 10k is just the access charge. You have to load to browse.'
i am still undecided on which internet service to apply to but i know for certain it's not MTN. I have an MTN sim card, that's enough torture. My name is not Robert Jeffery from Ohio. I am a naija boy, u no fit comot SA come build supermarket for my head.

@Afam
I was hoping to read from you but not in this way. Jesus! Are you that trusting? I'm sure it took you no less than 30 mins to draft and type this Declaration Of Exploitation. If you took that much time to read the small print, you'd not be a yellow man. I was going to buy the same service last week and called Customer Care to confirm the details. They didn't say anything about the billing as at then. Then, i noticed that a friend of mine in whose house i saw the modem was loading 400 every 20 mins and then i knew something was wrong. Hello! It took 5 agents to finally confirm my fear. AND you will only find that out if you ask the right question (no pun intended from our inverter beef, lol). That question is AM I GOING TO PAY MORE AFTER THE 10K? Then you'll hear 'Yes, 10k is just the access charge. You have to load to browse.'
i am still undecided on which internet service to apply to but i know for certain it's not MTN. I have an MTN sim card, that's enough torture. My name is not Robert Jeffery from Ohio. I am a naija boy, u no fit comot SA come build supermarket for my head.

@Flyuche,
Very true. It's a very interesting read. I'd advise forwarding to NCC, EFCC, CNN, The Punch, Tell and the producer of Straight From The Heart.
@All
In case you don't feel mtn is doing enough to con you, please change you billing plan to mtnzone. A trial will convince you.

@Phony200,

While I disagree with MTN on its fraudulent billing I do not agree that the N10k is for access charge only.

If you can handle about 100MB per day you will be just fine. So, anyone paying more than the N10k in any given 30 day period would most likely have exceeded the 3GB.

My problem with MTN is that it will not send any notice that you have exceeded the limit allowed (even when it can effortlessly do so) neither will it provide you a reasonable tool to monitor your data usage (since the one provided is not used by MTN to determine actual usage.

Put differently, MTN can wake up one morning and change the status of your plan to data exceeded and then proceed to bill you like mad.

NB: I don't need 30 minutes to type the post above as believe my typing speed is very ok.

@ Afam

Is your windows automatic update turned on? That might be the culprit in the case of the missing downloaded data. It's possible that the Mtn data card's software doesn't take into consideration the data downloaded by windows automatic update & hence doesn't add it to it's calculations (just a theory).

In any case, I totally agree with u that Mtn should send an sms indicating that one has exceeded the 3gb limit before proceeding to deduct credit like mad.

sfinxone:

@ Afam

Is your windows automatic update turned on? That might be the culprit in the case of the missing downloaded data. It's possible that the Mtn data card's software doesn't take into consideration the data downloaded by windows automatic update & hence doesn't add it to it's calculations (just a theory).

In any case, I totally agree with u that Mtn should send an sms indicating that one has exceeded the 3gb limit before proceeding to deduct credit like mad.

I agree with you, probably it also adds ups the updates from microsoft as well as that of your antivirus if ones in installed.

For me who's got Norton Internet Security 2009 installed and gets about 35MB of updates bi-weekly what would be of me if am on mtn 3G. I think if we all make complains, they'll see towards making better services available. I mean, their connection is okay but the billing thing applies to some ppl not all (that i can tell)

Am looking forward to getting one soon but i will have to speak to a friend who works there b4 doing that !!!

Thanks for the comments.

Even if Windows automatic update is turned on and data that has to do with anti virus is taken into account, it is the duty of the service provider to make available whatever tool it is using to determine when a subscriber has reached or exceeded the limit.

And to begin to take more from subscribers without any notice is wrong considering the amount of money that is involved. I mean for just checking you email you could end up spending N400.00 in under 4 or 5 minutes when we have ISPs that provide 24hr internet access for less than N400.00 or even N300.00.

By the middle of the coming year 2009 asroid technologies will lunch it free to air browsing cheat and this will have unlimited downloading, it will be more faster than 3g and other like mtn celtel glo, wireless of what ever people re using for now, there is somthing more than a free browsing we only keep our secrete to ur members so tell your friend and families to join us now for the upcomming 2010 Asroid free to air telecomm project, Remember to tell all the telecomm operatetors and others you knw in nigeria that asroid technologies is comming to breaks imposibilites to be posible for people to live in free communication enviroment, join us now, eliroid@yahoo.com

here is where it gets really ugly real fast: by peddling 3gig a month you automatically assume that just browsing and no downloading puts you on the safe side. WRONG!! you're better off downloading than simply surfing with that MTN doohickey; surfing a single webpage costs a lot more than downloading the equivalent data size in files. im a heavy user of MTN's 3G money drainer and ive never come even close to maxing out my quota all the way to the 30th day no matter the ration regime i employ.

my belief is this: just like some certain gas stations do tweaking the pumps to cheat customers, i think someone in MTN has tweaked the data meter to suck every precious kobo out of thin air even if you so much as sneeze at the modem. i tell you, my systems have updates turned off, no antivirus installed and no one sitting at the keyboard but the counter still keeps ticking away.

Afam, unfortunately all you can do is gripe. if you want to suffer indignity over your rights, go to MTN stores and wait in queues before being presented with a printout that supposedly shows your data usage, including websites and downloads you've never even heard of before.

the truth is, MTN is customer-unfriendly, greedy, and mean.

glo, zain make una launch seriously nah. this monster MTN is a kobo sucker!

@ Afam,

Men, i am seriously feeling your plight. The MTN 3G of a thing is nice and very fast if you are within 3G coverage area but the 3GB bandwidht cap really sucks and the ultimate ball crusher as far as i am concerned.

Ex Inferis:

here is where it gets really ugly real fast: by peddling 3gig a month you automatically assume that just browsing and no downloading puts you on the safe side. WRONG!! you're better off downloading than simply surfing with that MTN doohickey; surfing a single webpage costs a lot more than downloading the equivalent data size in files. I'm a heavy user of MTN's 3G money drainer and ive never come even close to maxing out my quota all the way to the 30th day no matter the ration regime i employ.

my belief is this: just like some certain gas stations do tweaking the pumps to cheat customers, i think someone in MTN has tweaked the data meter to suck every precious kobo out of thin air even if you so much as sneeze at the modem. i tell you, my systems have updates turned off, no antivirus installed and no one sitting at the keyboard but the counter still keeps ticking away.

Afam, unfortunately all you can do is gripe. if you want to suffer indignity over your rights, go to MTN stores and wait in queues before being presented with a printout that supposedly shows your data usage, including websites and downloads you've never even heard of before.

the truth is, MTN is customer-unfriendly, greedy, and mean.

@ Ex Inferis

My brother, what the HELL then are you doing ? Abi, you are sitting gazing over gamine's screensaver on your desktop and drooling all over your keyboard ? (Anyi Sallah lafiya. Ina Aiki a KD yanzu.)

Just load only N100 each time u want to browse so that they wont have much to still

Wow, it may interest you to know that MTN calculation is 28 days and not 30 days. Quote me. I complained to my friend the first time and he too complained for more than 3 diff times, so we concluded that their calendar is 28 and not 30.

@poster
all dis is just talk; mtn wil continue n foreva remain d thieves dat dey r
i' wud advive u to do wat phony200 said; send dat ur report to ncc. efcc,cnn, other major media houses n also to those thieving mtn pple telling them u've sent d same report to ncc n others
After reading wat u've gone tru i wudnt advice u to continue using dia stupid 3g service; there r beta options like starcoms Izap or DirectOnPC's Unwired broadband or beta yet Zain's 3g
Cheers

@Lynxnoon
I believe that we nigerians are professional whiners. My lecturer always tells us that people get the leaders they deserve. I'd say we get the network and services we deserve! Do you realise that it's only like once we've held cellphone boycott if i'm not mistaken? I personally am still searching for an internet service provider. I know mtn 3g is one of the best but i just refuse to allow white man open shop on my head. I'll buy starcomm 1x worst come to worst and pray my #10k rent doesn't burn every month. But e pay me since i'll still travel to ogun state and be able to use it. If you know it's bad, nobody superglued modem to ur port, neither did mtn modem follow your lappy come. Enough Said. If you dine with the devil, a long spoon is prescribed. This particular devil, e better make hunger kill you.

but you can always text 2 to 131 to monitor your usage as at when you want. Things can be better though.

True,i loaded 10k which was supposed to be on for about 2 weeks,but to my consternation,within 1 week access was blocked.This mtn guys are really terrible in their billing.That's why i don't blame those who research on fbt.

I think the MTN 3g is the best internet service that I have used. I do more than 200mb daily and have always enjoyed service with little or no outage.
i had used starcomm, visafone and reltel, they are all slow.
Most people that use the Mtn 3g are on pay as you surf platform without knowing.
I advice that they go to Mtn centre and make a report ,so that their problems can be solved.
There is a nice lady at Mtn office in Portharcourt that supports 3g customers

wel am sticking to my staroms izap

can anyone give me a link to MTNs 3/3.5G coverage areas?

obua:

I think the MTN 3g is the best internet service that I have used. I do more than 200mb daily and have always enjoyed service with little or no outage.

with that traffic you'll exhaust your quota in less than 15 days.

Men I feel your pain; i once used the 30 day night plan (and i was on gprs too) one day i checked my balance while just before i started browsing; later on i checked my balance while i was browsing and the balance hadn't changed somewhere along the line i checked my balance again and found out they had deducted over N100 (or was it 200? i can't remember anymore) and it wasn't as if my plan had expired; i still had weeks to spare. Me i've learned my lesson, immediately my plan expired i got a different line for browsing; the trick is to load only as much as you need for that plan so at the end of the day they can't deduct your credit. am presently on starcomms evdo; it may not be as fast as mtn but at least i can download as much as i want while my plan lasts. By the way is mtn 3g users mtn still as fast as when they first started?

MTN's a KoBo Sucker Indeed
If it aint ZoomMobile's USB Modem, I dnt think I can use any other.
Its pretty Fast and reliable.
All u need do is Pay ur 10K Monthly Subscription and you're Online
Wish Ya'll d Best

PS: ZoomMobile is former Reltel Wireless.
I aint Advertising , Just a peice of Advice.

MTN a sucker. No 3g cell @ ajah. only gprs and paying for the services of 3g. They should wise up.

@airroseice

what kind of speed do you get with zoomobile?

whao, Nigerians are too dumb!
when they get series of law suites, they would learn their lesson. but who cares, who would make that bold step, do we even know when our rights are infringed on?

Bros,

Go and get UGO Broadband from Cobranet and get treated like a king.

Some of this problem can occur unknowingly to the service provider. I have once use mtn N2,500 NIGHT PLAN, i think i really monitored my data usage and it was ok and expired as at when due.

YOU KNOW,READING THIS THREAD MAKES ME WONDER REALLY ABOUT THE MENTAL STATE AND COMPETENCE OF PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT FBT.

SEE THE NONSENSE YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY FROM FORIEGNERS! THEY ARE PROVIDING SERVICE TRUE, BUT SINCE WHEN DID THAT BECOME A LICENSE TO ROB PEOPLE BLIND? THEY ACT LIKE THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SCENARIO BUT ITS RIDICULOUS. AND ASK SOMEONE FROM S.A. AND THEY WILL CONFIRM THEY DON'T TRY THIS CRAP OVER THERE.

WELL MTN ANTECEDENTS SPEAK FOR ITSELF, WHAT IS FUNNY IS THAT THESE DAYS SEF THE 3.5 G HAS LIKE 10 DAYS DOWNTIME OUT OF 30.

REALLY PRAYING GLO MAKES A DIFFERENCE THOUGH AM NOT HOLDING MY BREATH.

TO SUE THEM YOU HAVE TO ADD THE REGULATORS AS RESPONDENTS AND U MUST HAVE GONE THRU SOME LOOONG PROCEDURAL STUFF AND FRANKLY LOOK THE REGULATORS HAVE BEEN BRIBED BLIND TO THESE THINGS SO THEY WILL ONLY DAMAGE YOUR CASE. THOUGH AM THINKING OF BUYING A PLAN ALONG WITH SOME OTHER FOLKS AND COMPILING A CASE AGAINST THEM FOR KICKS, AT LEAST I WILL BE TRYING,