WebAfrica / Vumatel billing errors and service details

[JollyJamma]

Hi all

I’m just looking at my mom’s internet here as she’s paying R1099 a month for internet which seems excessive.

The cost of the line on the help page is set at R919 per month and when I download all billing details, there are two products listed including the line and a router (the router is R0.0 per month) and it comes out to R1099.

I looked at the invoice and she’s being charged for 50/50 (M) uncapped internet and I can change her to 50/50 uncapped (eic) for R689 per month.

I cannot see any way that the price of the line on the site is ex vat( it just says R919) and the invoice states R955.65 ex vat (R1099 inc) but that’s not the R919 cost of the current deal on the site.

I think my mom has been over invoiced since she took over the line from my step dad when he passed away in Jan 2023.

I’ve logged a query with billing and it appears that Webafrica are useless as a whole and this isn’t uncommon.

I want to move her to a cheaper line but I don’t know what the (M) or (eic) details mean and I don’t want to start cancelling services since she needs internet.

Can I change her line to Vumatel (it’s the only ISP in the Parkhurst area) with WebAfrica to Vumatel with Afrihost?

I looked at the afrihost website and they said that they could host her fibre through Vumatel.

It’s all so confusing and designed to be opaque as possible to screw over the customer.

I just want to help my mom out as she’s now a widow and isn’t coping with life at the moment and doesn’t understand tech as a whole.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

 

[JollyJamma]

Great stuff, such service

https://imgur.com/a/Kg1lOeB

 

[goldfritter]

No idea what M vs EIC is, but unless your mom is using some specific power user feature (idk, VOIP phone maybe? Fixed IP?) she should be fine on any retail fibre package.

I'd contact the "new" ISP (Afrihost or whoever else you pick) and ask them what the procedure is to change over and take it from there. If your mom needs a specific feature over and above just plain Internet, confirm with them if that's included, and if not, how much it costs.

Don't forget to check the original contract to see if there is a fee payable for early cancellation.

FWIW, R 1 099 for 50/50 home fibre is extremely expensive.

 

[Tsakie]

@JollyJamma - You can login to her WebAfrica online portal page and swap to another ISP from there. Would only change 1 March though.

 

[Tsakie]

@JollyJamma - You can login to her WebAfrica online portal page and swap to another ISP from there. Would only change 1 March though.

Axxess also makes this entire process easy with 0 downtime. Also moved from WA on Vuma to Axxess on Vuma recently.

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

R 1 099 for 50/50 home fibre is extremely expensive.

I'm paying R1445,00 for a 1000/200.

 

[JollyJamma]

No idea what M vs EIC is, but unless your mom is using some specific power user feature (idk, VOIP phone maybe? Fixed IP?) she should be fine on any retail fibre package.

I'd contact the "new" ISP (Afrihost or whoever else you pick) and ask them what the procedure is to change over and take it from there. If your mom needs a specific feature over and above just plain Internet, confirm with them if that's included, and if not, how much it costs.

Don't forget to check the original contract to see if there is a fee payable for early cancellation.

FWIW, R 1 099 for 50/50 home fibre is extremely expensive.

Got through to advanced support and they said that it was a legacy fibre deal that doesn't have a cancellation fee but is R400 more expensive per month.

They stated that they 'kept their old customers on the legacy deal to save them the cost of cancellation" which is very much the convenient way of saying "we want to charge people more money for the same line and it'll cost them a nett fortune".

All new lines are much cheaper but will cost R999 to cancel. My mom just needs to use the line for 3 months to save money.

I don't think that there's any other ISP other than Vumatel in her area so I can't move to a new ISP - it seems that Parkhurst is trapped in an ISP headlock.

Going to see what I can do.

 

[JollyJamma]

Axxess also makes this entire process easy with 0 downtime. Also moved from WA on Vuma to Axxess on Vuma recently.

Hooooowwww does that maaaake seeeeenseeeeeee????????

Vumatel is an ISP or illegitimate love child of a mega ISP or what?

How did moving to Axxess as the pimp in this situation help you?

In the UK, I have a fibre contract with an ISP. They handle everything. I don't need to switch between back-end ISPs to change my billing.

The backend ISPs might handle the whole network but i never have to deal with them at all.

 

[goldfritter]

Got through to advanced support and they said that it was a legacy fibre deal that doesn't have a cancellation fee but is R400 more expensive per month.

They stated that they 'kept their old customers on the legacy deal to save them the cost of cancellation" which is very much the convenient way of saying "we want to charge people more money for the same line and it'll cost them a nett fortune".

All new lines are much cheaper but will cost R999 to cancel. My mom just needs to use the line for 3 months to save money.

I don't think that there's any other ISP other than Vumatel in her area so I can't move to a new ISP - it seems that Parkhurst is trapped in an ISP headlock.

Going to see what I can do.

Vuma provides the fibre infrastructure backbone. Most areas have only one option for a fibre network operator (FNO).

The ISPs like Afrihost and Webafrica provide the Internet service.

It's like back in the day your ADSL landlines would be on Telkom infrastructure but you'd pay MWEB for your actual Internet. Vuma = Telkom and Webafrica = MWEB.

Your mom will stay on Vuma fibre but her ISP will change from Webafrica to Afrihost.

The ISP pays the fibre operator the fees for using their infrastructure, you then pay the ISP.

I'd wait the 3 months and then change.

 

[JollyJamma]

Vuma provides the fibre infrastructure backbone. Most areas have only one option for a fibre network operator (FNO).

The ISPs like Afrihost and Webafrica provide the Internet service.

It's like back in the day your ADSL landlines would be on Telkom infrastructure but you'd pay MWEB for your actual Internet. Vuma = Telkom and Webafrica = MWEB.

Your mom will stay on Vuma fibre but her ISP will change from Webafrica to Afrihost.

The ISP pays the fibre operator the fees for using their infrastructure, you then pay the ISP.

I'd wait the 3 months and then change.

I have no cancellation fee with the current arrangement with Vumtal/Webafrica.

If I moved to Axxess would I still have a cancellation fee?

The whole ISP thing here is super predatory.

 

[goldfritter]

I have no cancellation fee with the current arrangement with Vumtal/Webafrica.

If I moved to Axxess would I still have a cancellation fee?

The whole ISP thing here is super predatory.

Oh if you have no cancellation fee now then you can move now.

The cancellation fee usually only applies if you cancel within the first year. It's to recoup the cost of giving you a free router and/or installation if you cancel before they've started making a profit off you.

Definitely double check, but I'm 80% sure it only applies if you cancel soon after joining.

 

[JollyJamma]

Oh if you have no cancellation fee now then you can move now.

The cancellation fee usually only applies if you cancel within the first year. It's to recoup the cost of giving you a free router and/or installation if you cancel before they've started making a profit off you.

Definitely double check, but I'm 80% sure it only applies if you cancel soon after joining.

Says 6 months according to what I can find so that's nice.

Just trying to see all of the Axxess, WebAfrica, MTN and so on that I can get my mom onto so that she saves some money.

Thanks everyone for your help!!!

 

[Chilo_92]

I was also being taken for a ride by webafrica was paying R980 or so for 50/50 for months but when I checked the portal the pricing was way cheaper R650+- I did the switch on the portal and everything was fine thereafter. Was pissed cause noone bothered to downgrade me but what can I do...

Now every month I check the portal to see if the prices changed.
Use Vumatel site and check from there for pricing there I'm moving soon and already see there are cheaper guys with good reviews(not the 1 review Jane's and Peter's)

 

[madness_inc]

Fwiw Supersonic does the same shit, drops prices but keeps customers on the more expensive legacy pricing for "convenience"

 

[Mr_Birb_ZA]

R 1,100 for 50/50 is crazy, thats almost the 500/200price for Vumatel

I'm with Vumatel and pay R 727 (Incl VAT) for my 50/50 line

I would recommend Afrihost as an ISP as you can do everything (Log issues, manage account etc) on their APP

 

[Smurf]

Try Mind the speed? Really hassle move over as well

50/50 is R695 and there support is awesome!