UK phone operator Vodafone have been criticised by many of their pay-as-you-go customers as they make the switch from a per-second billing model to charing per-minute for calls.
The changes will come into effect from the first of August at which point an additional minute’s worth of talk time will be charged once a new minute begins. A one minute and one second phone call will now be billed at the same rate as a one minute and 59 second phone call.
Vodafone contacted their pay-as-you-go customers today with an automated text message which claimed that the new charging model would ‘simplify’ phone bills. Despite these assurances, the BBC reported that users on the Vodafone support forum had criticised the move, claiming that it served only to increase revenues for the operator.
Vodafone join Orange and T-Mobile in charging for calls by the minute, while Virgin and O2 still retain a per-second model with a one minute minimum charge.
