Customers Left in Dark in Switch

Vodafone’s post-paid “On Account” customers will not be able to accurately check how much credit they have on their mobile phones from Thursday until June 30.

The firm is switching over to a new billing system that has cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Vodafone promises that customers will soon have “better-value plans” and more services with the new system, developed by IBM for use by Vodafone in Australasia.

The migration will be far from seamless. Customers are being told to check their balances before Thursday and then guess their use in the next six weeks if they want to avoid running over their credit limits.

Even Vodafone’s customer service staff will not be able to provide accurate account information during the transition, which Vodafone describes as a “pit stop” for the business.

Post-paid customers can expect their June bills to arrive late. Since they will be unable to check how much they owe until June 30, Vodafone is telling them to “monitor mobile usage more carefully than usual” and top up their accounts if required.

For 10 days, from Thursday, On Account customers will be unable to set up their mobiles to roam overseas or to switch between call plans or add new connections to their accounts. Vodafone has “apologised for any inconvenience”.

The Age said in 2005 that the original trans-Tasman billing deal was worth $A150 million ($NZ173m), but that costs had risen after a decision to do the project in stages. Vodafone Australia executive director David White likened the original project then to having “a heart and lung transplant, hip surgery and cosmetic surgery at the same time”.

Vodafone New Zealand chief executive Russell Stanners said last year that the billing platform would make it easier for Vodafone to charge for new services, and firms would be able to break down call costs from mobiles by time of day and pay only for calls made by staff in working hours.

IBM signed the deal to provide the trans-Tasman billing system in New Zealand, where it is believed much of the development work has occurred.

(c) 2007 Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.