These days, local mobile telephone operators were, once again, at the center of their customers' complaints. With the emergence and massification of smartphones and the gradual arrival of 4G telephony, companies decided to change mobile phone subscriptions, especially with regard to data packages. That is, the number of megabytes that a certain subscription includes (prepaid or postpaid) for the device to connect to the Internet. For example, plans that had 300 MB of data available per month or prepaid plans were moved to others in which the payment is made per day. Faced with this situation, reports from users have multiplied who allege that they receive a message warning that there was an excess of 15 MB of daily browsing, and that to obtain another 15 MB you have to pay $3.30.
The most problematic change was that of Movistar, which changed many users' plans by adding them to a subscription that offers Internet per day. According to the company, these are customers who were subscribed to plans that Movistar no longer offers and that it decided to cancel. The users complain because, they allege, the company did not notify them about the change or offer them other options. Meanwhile, the company assures that it did so.
The National Communications Commission (CNC) is investigating the situation. On March 31, he charged the company with not properly clarifying the changes in the conditions of service provision.
Personal and Claro are also modifying the plans, but with a different strategy. In the case of the first, data packages with 4G will be discounted until the 15th. Claro will officially activate its 4G network in June and is modifying the subscriptions: the monthly rate of available data has increased.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Communications, "users who have not been informed by the provider's different communication channels of a modification in the commercial offer of the plans must make a complaint to the company and, if they do not find a satisfactory response, file a complaint at www.quenosecorte.gob.ar or contact 0800-333-3344 to receive advice."
Now, megabytes
With the emergence of 4G, companies expanded - in the most expensive subscriptions - the amount of data available. Thus, Movistar did it between 2 and 5 GB per month (if that traffic is exceeded, it switches to the Internet mode per day until the end of the month); Of course, between 3 and 10 GB - the surplus is $3 per day - and Personal, between 1 and 10 GB of monthly data.
In the cheapest plans, Personal offers Internet per day at $3.50 for 10 MB or 300 MB per month in cases of fixed subscription; Movistar, daily connection (at $3.30 for 15 MB) and also offers 500 MB subscriptions; In the case of Claro, the base is 200 MB, with a daily payment for excess of $3.
Each company has more than twenty options to contract. And each of these plans is adapted to the needs of the users, in principle. Although there are other variables, such as: the use of the device and the time spent connecting to Wi-Fi, among others.
The latest smartphones offer tools to control the monthly consumption limit and receive an alert if you are close to exceeding it.
Before changing subscriptions, it is preferable to try to determine the average consumption of each user.
According to two of the three national operators, last December, the local average was 405 MB per month. According to a Cisco study last February, in 2014 the global average mobile data usage was 819 MB per month. It grew, compared to 563 MB in 2013.
It must be taken into account that those who use services such as Spotify or YouTube for a long time will consume more data than those who only use the phone to check Whatsapp or Facebook. The automatic updating of applications or the backup of photos to an online service will also have an impact.
An option to "save" on data usage is to use a free application known as WePlan (both for Android and iOS) which, having loaded a large part of the subscriptions from the companies Claro, Movistar and Personal, suggests, based on the user's history (of calls, messages and data consumption), choose which one best suits their habits.
Keys about an issue that affects users
Where to complain
If there is a change in plan, first communicate it to the company. If there is no response, complain to the Ministry of Communications at the number 0800-333-3344.
Know the consumption
When choosing a plan, you must take into account the type of data use that is made with the phone. Knowing, for example, that connecting to services such as YouTube or Spotify will imply greater data consumption
Compare plans
Another way to know which plan to choose is to download the WePlan application that allows you to compare them according to the use made of the cell phone.
Source of Information: Matias Aimar para LA NACION
