Vodafone Qatar has launched its ‘Bill Manager’ solution to ensure Vodafone Red postpaid customers do not experience ‘bill shock’ when travelling abroad.
New research from Vodafone revealed that ‘bill shock’ has been a prevalent issue among holidaymakers travelling abroad from Qatar.
Excessive mobile phone bills when travelling is the leading issue experienced by one third or 36% of people who had a travel problem in the last year, according to a finding in a new survey of more than 200 holidaymakers conducted by Intelligence Qatar – a mix of Qataris and expats resident in Qatar, which uncovered the most commonly occurring issues that people travelling abroad have faced.
‘Bill Manager’ is an innovative product that automatically gives customers the benefits of Vodafone Passport when they roam without having to activate it in advance. ‘Bill Manager’ will also automatically apply the best local data products when customers go out of bundle using local data.
Vodafone Passport is the only mobile product in Qatar that works on all operators in the counties where it applies, once again protecting customers from shock charges that can apply from roaming on the wrong network while on holiday.
Vodafone Qatar COO Mohamed al-Sadah.
As well as ‘bill shock’, other commonly reported complaints uncovered by the research included problems with their accommodation, affecting 25% of people; delays with flights (18%); hidden and additional charges (18%); and poor customer service (11%).
The in-depth research findings also highlight the extent to which such travel troubles threaten to spoil the fun for Qatar’s residents planning their perfect get-away, with more than one in five holidaymakers or 22% saying they’ve had a trip beset by problems in the past.
But the findings also reveal that too few holidaymakers manage such issues proactively. Less than half (46%) of those questioned have complained when faced with such situations, just one in six (16%) made a compensation claim, and almost a third (30%) took no action at all.
With holidaymakers in Qatar spending almost QR16,000 per trip, such issues can prove to be a costly headache, Vodafone said. But the findings also indicate the widespread disruption such problems create, “far beyond their financial impact.”
Of those affected, 45% said they returned from their holiday more stressed than when they left, 36% said issues on their trip caused them to lose their temper, and more than one in five (21%) said such problems ruined their trip altogether.
Vodafone’s ‘Bill Manager’ “is perfect” for customers travelling abroad. For customers who start roaming in one of the 78 countries included in the Vodafone Passport Pack and for those who reach QR100 in terms of roaming data or voice usage, they will automatically receive 1GB data valid in 78 countries, 1GB additional data valid in the GCC countries, and 100 roaming minutes valid for a week with no extra charge.
If a customer consumes the data or minutes within a week, ‘Bill Manager’ will give them the same benefits the moment their usage reaches another QR100 and so on.
Vodafone Qatar chief operating officer Mohamed al-Sadah said: “Our ‘Bill Manager’ service has saved customers more than QR5mn primarily from international roaming usage in just a few weeks. The response from customers has exceeded all expectations. It really is one of the most innovative developments to benefit consumers in recent years.”
Excessive mobile phone bills when travelling is the leading issue experienced by one third or 36% of people who had a travel problem in the last year, according to a finding in a new survey of more than 200 holidaymakers conducted by Intelligence Qatar – a mix of Qataris and expats resident in Qatar, which uncovered the most commonly occurring issues that people travelling abroad have faced.
‘Bill Manager’ is an innovative product that automatically gives customers the benefits of Vodafone Passport when they roam without having to activate it in advance. ‘Bill Manager’ will also automatically apply the best local data products when customers go out of bundle using local data.
Vodafone Passport is the only mobile product in Qatar that works on all operators in the counties where it applies, once again protecting customers from shock charges that can apply from roaming on the wrong network while on holiday.
Vodafone Qatar COO Mohamed al-Sadah.
As well as ‘bill shock’, other commonly reported complaints uncovered by the research included problems with their accommodation, affecting 25% of people; delays with flights (18%); hidden and additional charges (18%); and poor customer service (11%).
The in-depth research findings also highlight the extent to which such travel troubles threaten to spoil the fun for Qatar’s residents planning their perfect get-away, with more than one in five holidaymakers or 22% saying they’ve had a trip beset by problems in the past.
But the findings also reveal that too few holidaymakers manage such issues proactively. Less than half (46%) of those questioned have complained when faced with such situations, just one in six (16%) made a compensation claim, and almost a third (30%) took no action at all.
With holidaymakers in Qatar spending almost QR16,000 per trip, such issues can prove to be a costly headache, Vodafone said. But the findings also indicate the widespread disruption such problems create, “far beyond their financial impact.”
Of those affected, 45% said they returned from their holiday more stressed than when they left, 36% said issues on their trip caused them to lose their temper, and more than one in five (21%) said such problems ruined their trip altogether.
Vodafone’s ‘Bill Manager’ “is perfect” for customers travelling abroad. For customers who start roaming in one of the 78 countries included in the Vodafone Passport Pack and for those who reach QR100 in terms of roaming data or voice usage, they will automatically receive 1GB data valid in 78 countries, 1GB additional data valid in the GCC countries, and 100 roaming minutes valid for a week with no extra charge.
If a customer consumes the data or minutes within a week, ‘Bill Manager’ will give them the same benefits the moment their usage reaches another QR100 and so on.
Vodafone Qatar chief operating officer Mohamed al-Sadah said: “Our ‘Bill Manager’ service has saved customers more than QR5mn primarily from international roaming usage in just a few weeks. The response from customers has exceeded all expectations. It really is one of the most innovative developments to benefit consumers in recent years.”
