Vodafone Reveals its Flexi Plans !

May your soul rest in peace brother GRANDMA!

Great person ever seem , he was my ideal person .

Thanks Peterperfect for your feedback about Messieed Industrial city- Vodafone signal. I will wait hoping that things will happen sooner.

its very interesting how people tend to go off on a tangent once they get something into their heads.

In this instance some people are convinced vodafone are bad.

As long time Qtel customer with no ties to either Qtel and Voda, I can say without doubt my initial experience with Vodafone is that they are far far superior to Qtel.

The only reason qtel got away with such a poor level of service in the past is because they were the incumbent with no competition.

My experiences of going into a qtel store have been very poor and close to shocking. How difficult is it to get information on their broad band packages? its as if the staff are doing me a favour by helping me when really thats their job!!!

Qtel are the company that until a few month ago had no inclusive call packages, used to charge extra for caller id (?????!!!) and were without doubt operating as a third tier telco.

Even now I think they have struggled to get themselves into gear as Vodafone begin their service.

The whole brandiing and customer experience between the two could not be any more different.

I will for sure be sticking with my Vodafone line - i dont see the problem with credit card / direct debit payments, I would like to see the level of qtels bad debt write offs or aging of their sales ledger as their credit control is non existant. What vodafone are doing is nothing more than sensible business practice - pretty standard stuff.

It will be interesting to see when they launch the Iphone - if they get the price point correct then they will hit the high spending segment of the market and will surely take alot of customers away from Qtel.

The current penetration rate in qatar is 160%+ (from memory). i,e the average person has more than one line.

I can only see this stat increasing should people take voda lines and have to keep a qtel line for their business mobile / blackberry.

If voda can start offering value added services and innovative products then they will clearly be able to boost their average revenue per user in a country where ARPU is very high already!

As a telco analyst in the past and having experienced the service of a number of telcos throughout the world (esp the UK). I have to say that the launch of voda in qatar has far exceeded my expectation.

I hope they keep up the good work and at the very least kick qtel into shape. It grown into a fat cumbersome corporation with no competition and needs to liven up to the new environment it is operating in.

A happpy vodafone convert - keep up the good work guys!

It has proven quite difficult to get sites to locate our antennas at in Messieed. We've nearly finalised arrangements now, however, that will allow us to put temporary towers there. In the next few weeks you should see these start to appear and work.

When these are in we'll continue working to get sites for permanent installations.

... I'm not Grandma, but I'll ask someone to look into this problem.

We appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Thank you.

Grandma, There is no Vodafone-Qatar signal at all in Messieed Industrial city where I am working. I spend most of the day there. I am not getting the signal there and I am unable to use Vodafone. Are you working on it? Please make the signal strength avialable there at messaieed. Thanks.

Are you planning on releasing the iPhone in Qatar ?

I read a while ago on Apple's website that Vodafone was going to release the iPhone 3G in Qatar but I think it got canceled due to the delays you encountered.

Cheers

Even Etisalat in Dubai has UAED 175 (or a little more , i forget) per month unlimited data plan for cell phones ( iPhone/blackberry is best w/ it). QR 10 per 1 mb is just outrageous on Qtel and Vodafone is bring the same. So what is thedifference you are making, Vodafone? Are you out of your minds??? the hotshot MBA of Vodafone should be fired for such ridiculous marketing.

Vodafone, give us some sane values! There are many takers of mobile internet. we will take unlimited data plan for max Qr200 per month, if not less.

dont know what all the fuss is about, at the end of the day there is more competition...which in the long term will be better for us users...Qtel launched shahry knowing that voda is coming into the market, thats one benefit of Voda in the market already!

and to those who are talking about vodafone being unethical, it is qtel who have been unethical by monopolising the market for soo long!

Graheme im really not sure what you are doing in QL, or if its really you, but shouldnt you have a marketing or PR guy doing this?

That is a smart step. Even though it is a time limited promo, its scale is unprecedented. This should turn a few heads ;)

Now can we see something similar for a data bundle ? A long term generous plan with at least a few GB per month ? Mr. Maher should already know that at least the iPhone crowd (and many others too) are waiting for this.

In fact, it is strange that ICT Qatar has not stepped into lowering the Mobile Broadband tariffs, in the interests of internet usage penetration. After all, everyone has a mobile, not a laptop/PC (even if the mobile has no internet capability) !

Glad to see a wakeup call to QTel :)

First good idea, what's next?

This is just a simple spark.

http://www.vodafone.com.qa/go/pressrelease/join-now-and-pay-only-dhs-50-per-minute-for-international-calls-to-anywhere-in-the-world

^First real BLOW from Vodafone to Qtel, well done, thats what will bring you customers Grandma, great promotion there!

Just put up Flexi 35 and 55 online along with this great offer and see Qtel Panic!!!!

Finally some light and gr8 news from Vodafone !!

Bring it on to Doha and get the goodies with you !

Check out the link.

http://www.vodafone.com.qa/go/pressrelease/join-now-and-pay-only-dhs-50-per-minute-for-international-calls-to-anywhere-in-the-world

Hi Zuzuguy--

I'm afraid you were misinformed. Red won't be launching in a week. We're getting ready, but the timing you were told was incorrect.

But we did just announce a promotion where ALL international calls from tomorrow morning through 30 September 2009 will be only QR 0.50, the same price as all national phone calls. This applies to all Vodafone customers, except those who are still on the 1st 1000 plan. However, all 1st 1000 folks who have switched to a Flexi will be able to take advantage of this offer.

Yes, I work for Vodafone.

-PRG2DOH

Grandma/ Grahame,

With VF since the only option of payment is a direct debit/credit card, you do not have credit risk, this is passed on to the credit card issuer whilst Qtel takes on its shoulders customer credit risk. Since you do not have this risk, you should pass on the price advantage to the customer, which you clearly are not.

VF has historically postioned itself as the Yuppie brand of choice, and the segment characteristics remain the same here in that you are targeting educated professional who can read between the lines.

Guerilla marketing is fun initially from a customer perspective - to sit and watch, but in the long run it is not sufficient to lure one away from the competition.

You do not have a value proposition to offer, being new, young and fun needs to translate to new pricing, and fun product schemes, wanting which we will end up with the naked emperor syndrome.

I apologize for this long winded post, but I write this as I am keen proponent of the laissez faire model of economics and wish to see fair competition in the market place.

Rgds,

J.J

Mob: 500-5437

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - J.Johnson

Finally there will be a service from Vodafone, with no equivalent offering from Qtel ("mobile internet" bundles to be used on any phone).

That would be a real first step in making some real friends here :)

I got information from the store that the new prepaid plan red as they call it will be available in a weeks time from now

[ We will release our pricing for "mobile internet" and "mobile broadband" in the coming month or so ]

hope it wont be like Qtel ... where they said 400Qr / month unlimited* (fair usage policy) .. qtel if you apply fair usage policy .. then dont say Unlimited ... or get a dictionary .. Don't make people fool ..

Thanks all and please keep giving us feedback.

We will review the messages re balances of your account to try and make it clearer....

We will release our pricing for "mobile internet" and "mobile broadband" in the coming month or so. These will be Fexi plans for specific use at special bundle prices. As we have mentioned we will also for have specific Flexi's for International, Roaming etc.

These will be able to be added to your Freedom account so you can tailor your monthly plan for your particular needs. The core Flexi plan is there for completely flexible use of any service at any time at standard rates that are simple to understand.

In some ways it would be nice to have everthing out at once, however we took the view that staged launches is better. Both from a technology stability perspective as well as for clarity of our new innovations in pricing plans and payment methods.

Your input and feedback helps this communication and understanding for all!

One thing I do not understand is why the mobile internet prices are QR10/mb. That is a ridiculously high rate. Back in the UK, Vodafone have unlimited internet on their mobile phone plans inclusive or at an extra of £5 or £7.5 a month. If the cost of mobile internet is high since it is regulated at that price by ictQatar, fair enough. But you gotta give something MUCH better to the customer to be a good competition to Q-Tel. Look at, say, a package of QR 150 for unlimited (or ATLEAST 1gig) data and you will attract lots of customers (especially the ones using iPhones).

Another thing is the blackberry service. I understand that you haven't launched it yet, but look at Q-Tel's pathetic 125QR a month (I think) for just 10mb of data! People need an unlimited package or something around 1GB data, for that price, or even slightly(!) higher.

Vodafone knows what the customer wants, atleast from this thread. If you understand our priorities, bam! You're in the game.

Good info !

They should have mention all these some where in their site. and the customer service guys told it ll expire with in a month period. so confused ! any ways thanks again !

So our validity also will be carried forward same like the credit or what ?

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

To fully understand the 60 day validity, I think it is best to take an example:

Let's say you join Vodafone today with a Flexi 110. Then your message looks like this:

'Your balance: QR130. 0.00QR expires on 12-08-2009, the rest on 11-09-2009'.

This means that nothing (0.00QR) of your value will expire in 30 days (12-08-2009), the rest of the value (130QR) will expire in 60 days (11-09-2009).

All the calls/SMS etc. you make will be deducted from your value. After 30 days you buy automatically another Flexi your remaining value will be rolled-over for another 30 days.

Example: you make calls and send SMS worth 119QR till 12-08-2009. After your automatic reload of a Flexi your account statement will look like this: 'Your balance: QR141. 11.00QR expires on 11-09-2009, the rest on 10-10-2009'

The 11 QR that you have left from your first purchase will be used first for all your calls/SMS. After that you will use your new value and so on.

Hopefully this example helps!

Cheers!

Maher made the offer after internet users posting on the message board of the “Qatar Living” website expressed their dissatisfaction with the service during the four month test phase, citing patchy network coverage and difficulties connecting calls and receiving text messages.

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Found this today .. have a look.. !

http://www.itp.net/news/561828-vodafone-qatar-offers-refund-to-unhappy-customers-

What is that "the rest on xx-09-2009'" means ???

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Hi rMs_000!

What makes you believe that the validity is only 1 month? It is indeed 60 days.

You can check this on your mobile by entering *129# and then press the 'call'-button. You receive a message with your current value and the expiry date. In your case it should look like this: 'Your balance: QR130. 0.00QR expires on xx-08-2009, the rest on xx-09-2009'

So your just bought Flexi110 value will expire after 60 days! Hopefully this helps!

Cheers!

U AGAIN lied !!!

"grrlgamer said: rMs_000 - 60 days validity ...

"Validity is 60 days for any Flexi -- it doesn't matter if it's the 35 or 550.

You always get 60 days."

I got my vodafone sim which i purchased online (110 flexi). And the validity is only for 1 month

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Mobile Internet is one thing I hoped would change with Vodafone. And I posted my mind about this earlier this thread, on how they just copied QTel on the rates of this service.

Now that someone in a position of real authority is reading this, we hope some action is taken. In fact, if there is an affordable plan, I feel a bunch of people will switch to Vodafone without thinking twice ;D

Hmm.. may be some will wait number portability too..

In fact, I don't understand why Qtel is not allowing the same plans they offer on their USB device directly on the phones ? After all the cost of transferring data is the same. If they allowed this, many more people would use the service. And if they need to use it on their laptops, they will use the phone as a tethering device instead of the USB modem.

The rate for Mobile Internet is QR 10 per 1MB.

come on ???

should be 100 or 200 qr /month ..with unlimited bandwith

We are arranging for a communication for all 1st 1,000 as requested ....In the emantime you can mail me on [email protected] and our team will arrange it and confirm timing etc.

Our new flexis will become available this week for all existing custoemrs and from retail. Online will be a little longer due to a new software release with changes inc the new Flexis.

i too didnt move to flexi as first it was 70/month and now its 110/month...grandma, if u are bringing flexi35 soon, i may continue else goodbye

if u are serious about refund to 1st 1000, please provide all details here else we will assume it to be another commitment made to be broken.

How should I apply for refund of QR280 (I am 1 of the 1st 1000 customer)?

Should we send you an email (what is email id?) or PM on Qatar Living with our Vodafone numbers? How long will it take for the refund to be processed?

I am from 1st 1000 and still havn't moved to Flexi and dont intend to continue.

Kindly provide all details about the refunds here...

Thanks.

I think all off you thinking one accept of it, because off Vodafone in future you see that Qtel also lower its rate then it means all credit goes to Vodafone to creating such competition,….. lol………..think all in future if Qtel lower the rates because of Vodafone then ...........................lol

I think you feel change when Vodafone fully lunch after coming few months before this only Qtel and it has it's monopoly things will change soon its better to have two companies then one, when both are in competition they defiantly lower the price,

How I can change my existing plan to new flexi plan by keeping my existing number? I am one of 1st 1000 customer.

SO where and When should i come to take my refund ??

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Thanks for the ongoing ideas and fedback it all helps

I mean a refund to any of our "First 1000" customer who feels taken advantage of and is unhappy. We will take your suggestion about communicating it broadly that broadly to them.

Sorry if by being too close to the subject that saying "free Vodafone minutes" was not clear enough and we will also improve that on the web site.

Thanks also for the developing thread that is starting to focus on how we can improve things for customers and provide REAL competition. Our local partners, local shareholders and the local regulator are all pushing for real competition. As Vodafone we always aim to compete for the customer..... As i have said before this will take time to develop and we have a lot to do...My commitment is to do all we can so we can provide a choice for customers and then you can decide....

Thanks for the ongoing ideas and fedback it all helps

I mean a refund to any of our "First 1000" customer who feels taken advantage of and is unhappy. We will take your suggestion about communicating it broadly that broadly to them.

Sorry if by being too close to the subject that saying "free Vodafone minutes" was not clear enough and we will also improve that on the web site.

Thanks also for the developing thread that is starting to focus on how we can improve things for customers and provide REAL competition. Our local partners, local shareholders and the local regulator are all pushing for real competition. As Vodafone we always aim to compete for the customer..... As i have said before this will take time to develop and we have a lot to do...My commitment is to do all we can so we can provide a choice for customers and then you can decide....

Thnaks for the ongoing ideas and fedback it all helps

I mean a refund to any of our "First 1000" customer who feels taken advantage of and is unhappy. We will take your suggestion about communicating it broadly that broadly to them.

Sorry if by being too close to the subject that saying "free Vodafone minutes" was not clear enough and we will also improve that on the web site.

Thanks also for the developing thread that is starting to focus on how we can improve things for customers and provide REAL competition. Our local partners, local shareholders and the local regulator are all pushing for real competition. As Vodafone we always aim to compete for the customer..... As i have said before this will take time to develop and we have a lot to do...My commitment is to do all we can so we can provide a choice for customers and then you can decide....

if vodafone want me to b their customer ... i want mobile broadband(7.2mbps) with tethering enabled on iphone ...

yeah its true ... as written by blue ... i pay shahry bill online ... i need not to go to qtel ...

Also interesting is to look at neighboring UAE, and what "competition" has done in that market. It looks like both Etisalat and the new competition Du are pretty much owned by the same folks, and the end result is that there prices for certain services that are out of this world (I remember static IP addresses for hosting remaining exorbitant). This is after Du was launched with much fanfare as "competition". International calling rates are also huge in this age when bandwidth is so cheap, and all VoIP is actively blocked there.

Everybody welcomes competition. The whole discussion here is about how the new entrant is doing its thing. Even now after the big guy claimed they are transparent, look at the webpage http://www.vodafone.com.qa/go/en/getstarted/plans , where there is "*" against "Free Vodafone Minutes" where they make it clear that this promotion is till Dec 2009. But it does not say this is for calling Vodafone mobiles only ! Are we supposed to guess based on the name ? Looks like a case of "transparent cataract".

Vodafone will improve with time, but we just hope it does not become a replay of the UAE story. And we sure hope they talk less (rhetoric), and do more competing in terms of products and customer service. They have a unique opportunity to change the game forever.

"The 1st 1,000 was a method that we used to get feedback. If you were one of the 1st 1,000 and feel you were taken adavantage of then please send me your mobile number and I will gladly refund your costs."

Sandypat - I can read, and that can be read as an offer to all first 1,000 members. I wasn't sure, so I left a question. (As well as reading, I can write - the question mark means it's a question).

Also - if it's just an offer to one, why isn't it an offer to all? Not being funny, but how is it fair to offer a refund to one person, just because he's on Qatar Living? There are quite a few unhappy first 1,000 customers complaining - just not all are here.

People aren't throwing accusations about - Vodapeople didn't start the thread, but they came on and used a lot of comparisons that seemed fake. When people questioned that - and pointed out that their rates are currently higher than Qtel's - the response is patronising at best ("it's great that Qatar has things like QL that encourage open and real communication "), deliberately misleading at worst.

brian, you might be big, but can you read, man?

what granny said was "If you were one of the 1st 1,000 and feel you were taken adavantage of then please send me your mobile number and I will gladly refund your costs"

now i'm a foreigner and all, but they way i had english beaten into me results in me reading that as an offer to a person. of course, other unhappy individuals could see it and ask for the same thing, but you're nearly losing the run of yourself if you manage to read that as a "promise [of] a full refund for the first 1,000 customers"

sorry to pick on you but this is a symptom of what's going on here. people seem throw accusations of lying around the place like rice at a wedding. and what good does it do?

just because you don't agree with someone, or because you slice the salami differently, the other lad/lassie's not necessarily lying. have yiz ever heard of honest differences?

let's face it, if Qtel's been a monopoly since adam was in nappies then the great likelihood is that they're not doing the best job they could do for Qatar if a bit of competition made them fitter.

vodafone's just started its engine and its not surprising that there's a few squeaks and rattles to be ironed out.

let's have a bit of a gas here about what works with one or the other and leave all the accusations out of it. i've seen quite a few differences of opinion in this thread and its very enjoyable mostly, but for all the accusations and all I don't see any outright dishonesty

i switched to Vodafone because when i roam home it'll be cheaper and i use my mobile for the odd call home that will now be included with my plan, but that won't work for everyone. what's so bad about that? the idea is to have two competing operators not to replace one monopoly with another. right?

Did you just promise a full refund for the first 1,000 customers? Or just the customers who read Qatar Living?

Of course, if it's a full refund, then you'll be publishing this on your website, and contacting the first 1,000 to offer their money back, won't you? That would be the transparent thing to do...

too little too late. You were shouting on top of your voice for the past year or so, saying you will do this and you will do that. At the end of the day nothing much has happened except a few broken promises along with a great PR disaster..........

Keep up the good work

Hi all

This forum continues to form part of our research as well as many others. We have studied all of the competitive information etc, but the best research is from experiences and the experiences of other users of the services.

The 1st 1,000 was a method that we used to get feedback. If you were one of the 1st 1,000 and feel you were taken adavantage of then please send me your mobile number and I will gladly refund your costs.

I have not tried to suggest that Vodafone is responsible for competition improving the market ....You are right that other competition will have achieved the same thing but the important fact is ........competition is improving services for all customers and we are the competitor.

Thank you for sharing your perception that we are not clear. We certainly will contiue to try be clear and that is our Goal! We were clear in all of our press releases, the web etc the the Vodafone Free minutes are Vodafone to Vodafone and if this was not well communicated, then I apologise.

We will continue to increase coverage and work with other international operators to change all the things that need to happen when a new competitor comes into a market for the first time. These changes do take time and part of how we are dealing with this is to launch our services in stages and not claim that we have it all ready at once. That is why we are starting with the 110 Flexi and up, via online, with CC first. Then over the next months we will launch more and more services, options and deals.

As we do this we will use this and other forums to hear from you, what you like and what we need to do better. Then based on how we respond customers will tell us what they think and feel.....That will be the way I judge our success in Qatar.

Honestly, it is highly unusual to see a CEO (if that is true) not being abreast with the changes in his competitive landscape ! And it is not like there are 10 competitors. Isn't that (i.e. continuously watching the competitor's offers) one of the first things CEOs do (and one of the first things that is taught in business/MBA classes) ?

As much as we are appreciative of your audacity, may we suggest that as a company Vodafone is better off NOT being active on QL ?!?!? Unless you want to take some time, think carefully and discuss internally (there must be a PR department somewhere inside a company like Vodafone); and then come and post here.

As users, we are not sure we are ready yet to handle this level of "competition" ! And we certainly do not want to feel like we have to pray for Vodafone also during the Friday prayers (today).

I am not sure why the Vodafone CEO would actually give themselves a pat on the back for improving QTEL's Services and rates. It might be the case but shouldn't they strive to be bring BETTER services than saying BRAVO to QTEL for better services and taking the credit for it?

Why would Vodafone resort to using a general/public website for answering questions and queries? If this is important for them, isn't it easier to create a forum from the Vodafone Website itself? WAIT... wasn't that what they created for and limited to the "1st 1000" which they called a blog, and was filled with suggestions and complaints from the 1st 1000 users. And to which they just "unplugged" and "shut down" after announcement of the Flexi plans to avoid more complaints from their "1st 1000" users.

In the end, even if they Vodafone gives me better rates than QTEL, I wouldn't dare loose QTEL. Until Vodafone provides me a better and stable service. Your 1st 1000 have repeatedly commented on the "no service" areas especially in City Centre and Ras Abu Aboud and till now, after 4+ months, coverage hasn't really improved much, if at all, in those areas.

Also, why haven't you worked out with companies like Kahramaa for their SMS services, banks or even Karwa? I was trying to ask for a taxi from Karwa and was told they can't call me back because they can't call Vodafone numbers. I had to use my trusty QTEL number. Vodafone numbers are not recognized by their systems so how can you expect people to use Vodafone if these mobile alerts/services are not available on your network?

Or how about not receiving SMS from other countries? Imagine Vodafone asking the 1st 1000 customers to call their country's Telecomm companies so that they could open their network for Vodafone Qatar or recognize their numbers. Weren't they supposed to do that? Nor should we call QTEL and tell them that we've been receiving the same SMS 30+ times in a day from a Vodafone number. Wasn't that supposed to to be worked out by Vodafone? People agreed and paid to help you by reporting the problems but not to solve the problems for you.

I've been using their network as part of the "1st 1000" customers and frankly, I don't want people "jumping" in without knowing what they're getting into when joining the Vodafone Network. I don't care if I save 10-15 QR on Flexi or Shahry, HALA or RED. You can do all the calculations you want but nothing beats knowing what you're actually paying for and what you expect from the service.

If they are doing damage control at the moment, they are failing miserably. Whoever thought of launching a new service for a higher price (no matter if I get more calls/SMS) is stupid...plain and simple. And to keep drilling "Flexi" and "Freedom" is more irritating than a chalk on a board as there is nothing flexible with their plans nor do I get any freedom at all when I can't fully trust your service and coverage.

STOP patting yourself on the back with QTEL aggressive campaigns but give yourself a kick in the a** so that you could move forward and do better than QTEL. Cause if that is not your goal, then I could already give you my applause, stick with QTEL and be happy I don't have to change numbers and confuse my friends who use QTEL.

http://www.lifeonthespot.com

must be a lot of noobs in that company.

I think you are living in a fool's paradise. Here you have people using Qtel for more than 20 years and have not experienced the problems that you have mentioned. It looks more like you dont know how to read the bill?

You're the CEO of a multi-million dollar telephone enterprise, but you based your comments on a public forum based on your personal experience of arriving in Qatar last year? (Even though yesterday you were talking about 'every Qtel customer' telling you your "facts?")

"I have learnt a lot form this thread including the way the structures of Qtel billing apparently works as it is different to my experience of the last year as a customer." You haven't seen any research about the services from Q-Tel, which has been in the market for decades? Did you not think that might be useful for your launch? You're either spinning, or you're really bad at your job!

It's that kind of dishonesty that has got people's back up. You guys need to stop congratulating yourselves on the benefits of competition. Any company who had won the license would have brought competition - so what are you bringing that's different or better?

(They also probably would have launched earlier, with better networks, and not managed the farce of the first 1,000 rip-off, but that's another story).

I think it is great that Qatar has things like QL that encourage open and real communication forums where everyone is treated equally .......and not based on their roles or status.

I have been enjoying this thread of discussion and love to be involved and share my personal view. I am NOT acting in a positional role or trying to advertise. I have learnt a lot form this thread including the way the structures of Qtel billing apparently works as it is different to my experience of the last year as a customer. I have been surprised by bills that were larger than I expected and I did not know how to have control of my spend, I was paying for things that I did not understand due to very complex price lists and a multitude of fees and I lost monthly fees that I did not use in a month. These were all on a company Post Pay, and we were not lucky enough to be transferred to new plans. These may well have changed with new plans and if so I am glad that competition is helping improve services for everyone in Qatar.

I have also used prepay in the past year for my family as they were unable to get approval for an account. We have paid a large premium to post pay as well as having to line up for credit at a store or a machine.

I have heard the same experiences from people I have spoken with and as we think about what we can do the innovate and improve these things for customers we have developed our solutions today of FREEDOM and FLEXI that are designed to address these issues. I hope we can improve the experience for people with these and encourage these discussions to continue so we can learn if we have made a difference or not and to make sure we continue to innovate and change based on people experiences. Please also remember if you use any of our services and do not like the experience you can leave as we do not have lock in contracts or hidden terms that force people to stay when they would rather CHOOSE to leave.

I have been lucky enough to be able to experience both Vodafone and Qtel services and continue to learn. At Vodafone we will continue to launch new services and pricing based on your feedback. I encourage everyone to try it as well and please continue the debate so we can learn and improve .....cause that is what happens with competition...improvement as we have already witnessed in the last year.

While I am lucky enough to be involved at Vodafone Qatar I promise to continue to stand for the customer and try to do all I can to improve telecommunications services for all the people in Qatar and hopefully make a real difference for the ceat State of Qatar.

Its all too surprising and infact a shock that CEO of brand like Vodafone is talking repeatedly about negatives of Qtel.. I have a simple saying for u Mr. CEO:

People who have their houses made up of glass should not throw stones at others!

^Remember this saying for rest of ur stay in Qatar, people in Qatar (majority expats) are not fools or can easily be fooled as you assumed, just because you keep repeating Qtel is bad, Vodafone is Good does not make it good, bring real competitive stuff and compete "ethically".

Prove your competitiveness to the customers by following Best Practices in business and attract customers by providing value for money stuff instead of cashing in with negative publicity campaign towards Qtel.

Qtel responses to spread of negative marketing by Vodafone has to be appreciated here and in the past media releases from them, it shows Maturity and competing attitude from them.

Welcome to Qatar and wake up to reality Mr. CEO!

1) All these comparisons with "available" minutes mean next to nothing, because [a] a large part is for calling Vodafone customers only and nobody else is on it and [b] it is a time limited plan.

2) The key would have been doing things differently at least on things where QTel totally sucks now, like their lack of any sort of affordable data plan for general mobile phone Internet access. And what did the all wise Vodafone do ? Came up with a plan that is exactly the same as QTel (QR10 per MB). Bravo... Vodafone was given (on a golden platter!) one of the REAL reasons people had for switching to them, and they decide to ape the existing nonsense ?!?! Did you just hire the same market analysts from Qtel, or did you come up with this entirely on your own ? It must have taken you a lot of thought and sleepless nights coming up with such an original idea !

The only bright side I see so far is that somebody is offering customer support on QL (and that too sounds like it is conflicting with information dished out by their own call center!).

Viva La Revolucion.... Vodafone ;D

GG,

It seems you can't comprehend anything that you weren't trained to say/write...

QtelComms,

Thanks for the clarifications, unfortunately, they don't know how to read... I hope they don't keep misleading the public.

I think nobody in vf has actually used or studied Q-Tel's services, they just assume that it's expensive, difficult, and bad, then they start from there...

They have a fixed message that some marketer prepared for them, they will repeat it forever ignoring real market conditions, the actual truth, and any criticism, the message they convey is simple:

QtelVodafone

OldNew

BadGood

ExpensiveCheap

ComplicatedSimple

StupidIntelligent

......

They try to blind us with the numbers, thinking we're a bunch of idiots who don't know how to use a calculator. They also keep repeating it, going by the Arab proverb "repetition teaches the donkey".

I just hope your company doesn't stoop to that low level.

Dear All,

I’m a Qtel representative, and we don’t normally try to get in the way of discussions on Qatar Living, unless it’s to answer questions or respond to complaints.

However, since the CEO of our respected competitor has tried to turn a public discussion into an advert – and has posted a number of inaccurate statements into the bargain – it’s only fair that we provide our customers with some correct information.

To respond to some of the false statements:

• “There are high rates once you exceed your Shahry bundle.” Not true! The rate that applies is the standard Shahry Peak and Off-peak rates of QR 0.35 and QR 0.30 respectively, not a high premium charge. In fact, these rates are cheaper than the standard Vodafone charge of QR 0.50 for local calls!

• “You lose whatever minutes or texts you do not use by the end of the month.” Not true! There’s an automatic roll-over of one month for any unused minutes on all our Shahry plans.

• “Qtel customers don’t know what their monthly bill is until they get it.” Not true! You can find out online or use a variety of measures to check your balance. I’d argue there’s a bigger shock for the Vodafone customers who get automatic charges to their credit card without prior permission being sought.

• “You’re paying a BIG premium to be a Qtel account customer.” Not true! You’re paying QR 50 (receiving QR 25 worth of airtime) to become a Hala customer or as little as QR 25 per month to be a Shahry customer (on the one year payment plan option). You can then pay for whatever calls you make (which could be as low as Zero in a particular month, especially if you are travelling). However as it currently stands with Vodafone, you have to commit to paying at least QR 110 each and every month just for the right to start making calls on the Vodafone Network.

In terms of Flexibility, we think Qtel is offering much greater flexibility in our price plans. Qtel customers can pay however they want to pay, including prepay, scratchcard, cash and credit card. Our competitor is forcing people to pay by credit card – excluding a high number of customers - and surprising people with automatic charges.

Also – we think Shahry is more transparent than the Flexi plan. Customers can easily see how many minutes, SMS and MB of data they have paid for, rather than with Vodafone’s cash bundles, where you have to actively track voice, SMS and data activities, and work out for yourself how much of their cash bundle you have left at any point in time.

Qtel’s all for competition, and we made a pledge earlier in the year that we’d compete in a fair, transparent and open way. So we’re all a bit stunned when the CEO of our the new mobile market entrant posts misleading information on Qatar Living. However, we hope this is an aberration, and that we can look forward to clean competition in the weeks and months ahead.

first step if vodafone really cared for customers is to apologize to the first 1000 customers who paid a whopping qr70/month to provide feedback and test ur service which was pathetic. its vodafone who should pay to the beta participants and not the other way round that happened, so an apology is the least vodafone owes to the first customers.

but grandma or grahame maher more than presenting vodafone in good light is trying to present qtel in bad light and hence making vodafone look so unethical.

bring on flexi 35 and give "freedom" to the customer to have a choice rather than forcing them pay min 110/month. most people signing up on voda atm is to book a fancy number with hopes to sell later and if u see QL classifieds the selling has already started.

fixed comparisons will not take u anywhere, u are comparing ur best with qtels not so good, how can u even compare postpaid with prepaid?

I aint support Qtel as well VF !

I hate BOTH ! but i'm forced to use BOTH !

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Dear Grahame,

Thanks for coming on here, and it’s great to see a CEO take time out of his schedule to argue on Qatar Living.

But!

I think it’s a bit cheeky to claim that Vodafone are reducing the number of “tricks and surprises,” when everything you’ve done so far is the opposite of transparent.

For example, I’m a bit surprised that I can only pay by credit card to get a Vodafone account, and that your next step is to offer direct debit. This seems a bit tricky to me, since it means you charge me without providing the control that cash payment offers. Why can’t I pay by cash or get a scratch card? Why can’t I get a bill sent to me? You’re giving me less choice, and telling me you’re making a world of difference. “Automatic payment” isn’t necessarily a good thing for a lot of people, and signing up to a payment plan isn’t my idea of FREEDOM.

Also – with Flexi, people get charged for the entire bundle again once the value is over, or at the end of 30 days, regardless of how much the balance is. With Shahry, I only get charged for the usage. This seems fairer to me.

You didn’t say when you launched that the free minutes only applied to calls to other Vodafone users – you sneaked that detail out the next day. You haven’t made it clear that the free minutes are only available to 31st December. You haven’t even apologized to the first 1,000 who – if the comments on Qatar Living are anything to go by – you should be saying sorry to for the poor service and confusion.

If you’re really listening to “customers,” you’ll be hearing that we’re not impressed by Vodafone so far.

RESPECT

Sorry to disappoint, but Vodafone is better value than Qtel. That is not a lie. Look through all the comparisons in these posts. Those are factually correct.

Show me how Shahry 100 is better value than Vodafone 110. And to do that you have to show not just rate card, but what you *actually* get. Total value.

Sorry, I don't see where you state lies. I understand that you don't like Vodafone, but doesn't mean that what I've posted is a lie.

All examples have been factually correct. You can do the math yourself if you don't believe me.

I'm really trying to understand what you think I've been lying about.

look at my previous posts, I listed all the lies...

u again lied !!! ;P

"I'm not attacking anyone here. How am I a rabid dog?? Just because I point out how Vodafone is actually better value than Qtel??"

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

I'm not sure what you mean by lies. Can you tell me what's the lie so I can address it?

I'm not attacking anyone here. How am I a rabid dog?? Just because I point out how Vodafone is actually better value than Qtel??

golf_fanatic make sense please.

Don't compare postpaid system with prepaid system in the telco world.

Compare apple with apple, not with orange.

Bravo golf_fanatic !!!

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Hi Everyone!

There seems to be a lot of interest in the Flexi 35 so I thought I would do a quick comparison to HALA 30.

With Flexi 35 you get QR 37 worth of value plus 35 free Vodafone minutes. With HALA you pay QR 30 and get QR 30 worth of value.

AS AN EXAMPLE - if used all of your value for national calling, with HALA you get 60 minutes and with Vodafone you get 109 minutes. That's 82% more minutes for just QR 5 more!

Maybe Vodafone network isn't ready, right?

And that's maybe why they don't want to have alot of clients to overhealm their network ATM, so they came with these prices till they fix their network?

Beside, ppl don't want to use their CC to be in Voadfone system, they want same services for paying Qtel has.

I prefer Qtel sahray over Vodafone flexi.

You might want to read this: http://www.ict.gov.qa/output/NewsPage.aspx?PageID=732

gg,

I was thinking of switching MANY phones to vodafone after studying it after it stabilizes in a year or two. After this thread, I wouldn't trust anything that vodafone says or offers...

The vodapeople here just attack qtel like rabid dogs, with lies and calculated examples...

I used to be hopeful that with a new operator we would have a fair competition, but what you are doing here is not fair at all.

QTel will probably keep it's customer base for a long time, and voda needs to reevaluate its priorities.

Then i should applause your costumer care service as well !

i called your costumer service center 2 times, each time they told validity is only for 1 months if it is 110 flexy plan ! :(

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Validity is 60 days for any Flexi -- it doesn't matter if it's the 35 or 550.

You always get 60 days.

I don't understand your anger. We aren't misrepresenting facts. We've been up front about being Vodafone employees. We have stated only the truth -- honest side-by-side comparisons of what Qtel and Vodafone offers. Just because you don't like the comparisons and don't like Vodafone doesn't make them wrong or unethical.

Please, go head and call the Gulf Times or any other paper. I'm sure they'd be happy to report on how people are actively discussing competition in the market. It's just another example of how Vodafone is bringing change to Qatar; competition is good for everyone here.

Was going to be cheaper. In case some of you don't realise Qtel has very large debts that it took on to take over several overseas operators.

Without a strong customer base they would be unable to re-secure this debt when it rolls over. Qtel's major asset is it's customer base. They are a pretty profitable network.

If Vodaphone came in an severely undercut Qtel they would find refinancing their debt more difficult.

The real Question we should be asking is this.

Vodaphone supposedly spent 700 Million Dollars buying the license. They recently had an IPO and raised 929 Million Dollars.

WHERE HAS THIS MONEY GONE ?

the validity could b3 35 hours who knows.

Is there anything with Vodafone that compels a person to change his carrier? Other than the new company tag?

this thread has been entertaining, the more i know about this new operator the more i feel fortunate of not being vodafone customer.

qtel rocks anytime atleast when compared to vodafone, i am not paying qr110/month for low level of service also would not want any friend to get trapped in it...

This thread is getting exciting and exposing vodafone unethical approach to competition, wonder if Gulf-times people are reading here they can make a good article quoting Vodafone people......

lol, get some ethics guys, compete with class, not go down the level to put up lies against your well established competitor.

qtel cards/recharges are available anywhere and everywhere. to try the service qr35 is acceptable but Qr110/month?

but then u even charged qr 70/month from ur beta customers to test for u and give feedback so what can we expect from vodafone than just making money by presenting things as if its value when its not!

i know that.

But my question is how much is the validity for flexi 35 !!

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

if i am not mistaken it is valid for a month and if not carried over to the second month and if still not used it expires end of 2nd month.

So in the mean time this is happening the first month you get 110 chopped from your account, 2nd month you get 110 chopped from your account .. and it goes .. either you use the credits or not .. you have grace period of 1 month to use it up or else you loose your money.

Dont you feel that we will be actually forced to make calls for the 110 just to ensure that we dont loose our moneys worth ?

for flexi 110 , validity is only for 1 month.

So what in case of flexi 35 ???

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Why is Flexi 35 not launched along with the rest of the FLEXI 110?

As quoted on your website and other places Flexi 35 and 55 will be available at retail stores ? If that is the case then the point you made about the queue in QTEL offices will be the same for Vodafone? We will have to stand in Queues just to get our Flexi 35 or 55 cards? now tht is inconvenient ! Why would we want to try something new and pay 110 QAR every month for beginning, and a lot of reviews saying Vodafone has bad coverage, there is nothing tempting us, Flexi 35 was a head up for us to try and now we have to queue up in retail stores to get it ? hmm...

To top it up i have been trying to call 800 7111 for 3 days in a row and its busy all the time ? Strange but true did anyone else experience this ?

After all this is Qatar....

_______________________________________________________

"A Wise Man knows what he does not know!"

It's not the best approach to dictate how people see value, you have a formula you see as valuable, obviously from your own marketing perspective, and I have my own theory of value for money as well.

For example, if you give me 110 free junk minutes that I can only use to call vodafone customers, that is no value for me at all.

Even if I managed to have vodafone contacts in my phonebook, I will not be able to be in touch with them most of the time because your coverage is really bad.

RESPECT

hahaha.. ROFLING bleu.. !!

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

more lies: "geting a Qtel account is difficult and paying it is inconveient", "every Qtel post pay customer I have asked does not know what their monthly bill will be till they get it, and it usally a nasty surpise!"...

All you need to get a QTel account is your ID card.... how difficult is that?

Paying is easily, I do it online whenever i want to. And it's very convenient, I've done it at 2AM while I'm in my underwear...

And I'm never surprised by my bill, I know what it will be, I just click on the "Unbilled" link and I get the full details.

Vodapeople, you're hurting your company's reputation by these lies....

Even the CEO of the Co. is Ql ing.. So wat ll be the case of employeess ? lucky employees......... lool

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

lol Graham Maher posting on QL and saying pls switch to vodafone since we are better, we are better.....haha...

launch flexi 35 then there can be some comparison, atleast for now vodafone is very costly for any average subscriber. who would want to pay qr110/month and go through the hassles of informing the world of their change of number?

bring competition to qtel and not just profits to voda-fone.

and welcome grandma ... oops i mean grahame maher!

Are u tellin you are Grahame maher ???

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

the rates you have quoted are correct but you need to add in the bonus value and free minutes that you get from Vodafone to get a true picture. For example on Flexi 110 you get QR 20 of bonus value AND 110 free Vodafone minutes.

Vodafone has focused on delivering more value to customers which means you get more for what you pay e.g. 68% more talk time with Flexi 110 for the same spend.

Forget about comparing rates and look at what you actually get for the money you spend and you will find that you always get a better deal with Vodafone :-)

No she is not Grahame maher ....but this is me!

Thanks for your comments and it is great to see the whole on line community so involved in the subject of us launching in Qatar.

We want to "make a world of difference for all people here in Qatar" and that will take some time. Your feedback and input will help us do this ...so thanks to you all for taking the time to comment.

I think we have made a difference already by giving Qtel an incentive to change some of their products and pricing which have already been good for people!

What I want to do now is to CHANGE the whole industry as there are many "tricks and surprises" in the current pricing practices in our industry, and they are used here by Qtel.

I want to make sure we provide clear, simple and transparent plans that give customers control of their spend and deliver great value!

We will change the industry to do this by not using complex pricing plans that are designed to trick people. We have removed the nasty "post pay" procing tricks, such as .....high rates once your free minutes and texts are used up, like loosing whatever minutes or texts you do not use by the end of the month, like having no flexability in the bundle to use what you need and most importantly having no control of your spend!

All of these are answered with FLEXI on.... FREEDOM our innovative new account structure! The main benefit of a FREEDOM acount is that it gives you full control of your spend! This is not new for prepay customers as they already get control but every Qtel post pay customer I have asked does not know what their monthly bill will be till they get it, and it usally a nasty surpise! Customers have also told me that geting a Qtel account is difficult and paying it is inconveient. A FREEDOM account is simple to join is paid automatically and most importantly gives you FULL control and visibility of your spend.

If you are a Qtel pre pay customerr you know you are paying a BIG premium to a Qtel account customer. Vodafone Felxi on Freedom is easy to join gives you the great value of post pay and and you keep the control of pre pay, plus you never have to line up to buy a scratch card!

Finally as we launch I wanted to make sure we did this in stages and not try and do everthing at once. We will continue to launch and add new things for all Vodafone customers and this thread is real helpful n us priortising these....like Flexi 35 on line. Please keep the suggestions coming!

I asure you new services and offers will come and they will be great and competitive and we will listen to our customers....YOU

ThnX !

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

You can switch your Flexi plan at any time and at no cost. Simply 800 7111 and let them know which plan you'd like to move to.

You can absolutely call Qtel lines form Vodafone. You can call Qtel mobile or landlines for the same rate no matter what day or time.

Can we convert out 110 flexi plan to flexi 35 ?

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

The retail stores are opening very soon! You'll be able to get the Flexi 35 and the Flexi 55 in store.

Basic Mobile services for customers are the calls and SMS.

a quick comparison shows the following

Peak Call Rates: Qtel: 0.35 VF: 0.50 Savings with Qtel:43%

Off Peak Call Rates: Qtel: .30 VF: .50 Savings with Qtel: 67%

SMS Peak: Qtel:.30 VF: .40 Savings with Qtel: 33%

SMS Off Peak: Qtel:0.20 VF 0.40 Savings with Qtel: 100%

Outcome: If you look at the services people user everyday, Qtel is way cheaper, that's before looking at things like better coverage, valuable offerings... etc.

RESPECT

I am waiting for the Vodafone's Flexi35 plan. When it is going to be available online?

I am waiting for Vodafone's Flexi 35 plan.

I have vodafone, we are shareholders though. I pay 350 QR each month to get 1000QR credit.

i can beleive that some ppl think, because VF plans are simple and allow everything and that qtel plans are also simple but lots of stuff is not in the plan, so VF not as good as they expect. but at least VF try to shake things up and its working.

you must have your head in a bucket if you think ppl cant call from one network to the other? maybe qtel like this, but governemnt wouldnt allow

Dont believe all you read/hear. Not even on QL ;-)

Hi peterperfect et al working for Vodafone

I know there is no legislation that I can find regarding the proximity of cell towers and residential areas, but you guys are doing yourselves a serious injustice by placing a mobile cell right next to a school. I drove past the American School of Doha the other day and saw a Vodafone mobile cell right next to the elementary ASD school playround. Without going into the medical do's and don'ts of cell placement and health risks, outside an elementary school playground?? Come on, this is going to bite you on the ass pretty soon.

Get rid of it soon, i predict a storm of protest re cell placement next to kids playgrounds, and forget about quoting medical journals.

If we take it also we will not be able to call our Q-Tel friends who r using Hala....I heard calling is vodafone to vodafone only...

lol bleu they are dreaming everyone will make a switch just because they are vodafone, how do they forget that over 70% population are expats who look for value for money which vodafone is not offering at this time.

introduce flexi 35 then we will see otherwise u are forcing minimum expense of QR 110 everymonth giving useless 110 minutes to vodafone network.

WELCOME TO QATAR!

Yes, i would agree the plans in themselves seem very simple, you pay x amount, you use x amount plus whatever bonus the plan gives you, regardless of what you use your credits on i.e. sms, mms, local calls, international calls, with a flat rate regardless of time of day or day.

As I said in the original post, and what you have said, the comparison is difficult. Regarding the comparison to what, well, that one is easy. Qtel have Shahry in various forms, and Hala in various forms, pus a few special offers regardless of the package.

The onus is on Voda to demonstrate to the market that their plans are better value, not the other way round. Qtel has an advantage in that it has a proven network, a base of subscribers and the difficulty that that base of subscribers will have in migrating to a new number.

It is useless saying "Vodaphone gives you more", people want to see demonstrable economic benefits before changing to a new provider. No matter how appealing the marketing bumph is with penguins jumping into a sea of freedom, the price people pay for their services at the end of the month is the acid test. Voda has seemed to underestimate the churn from the incumbent.

That said, the economic benefits of using the Flexi plans still seem to be elusive, just read the previous 55 posts for proof. The benefits ma be as clear as daylight to you guys who have worked on the launch, but it is seriously lacking for normal consumers like me.

Personally, I would have adopted a more aggressive marketing campaign, highlighting the flexibility of the plan, the economic benefits COMPARED to Qtel, and the promise that Voda will deliver a world class network in Qatar.

The way you guys have marketed your introduction and first impressions into the Qatari market sells your entire organization short.

OK, vodafone is perfect, I'll switch today!!!

I was crazy using Q-Tel, they are the devil, thanks for showing me the true path.

I'll need to tell everybody I know to switch, or I'll be stuck with the free minutes I can't use.

What a choice of words, so any Q-Tel customer is an "unfortunate" idiot who is wasting money?

Since you are working with Vodafone, could you tell us when is Vodafone RED planned to Launch ? And what can we expect compared to HALA ?

Regarding Flexi, FLEXI 35 would sell more as a lot of us are using more than one number to start with and FLEXI 110 for everymonth is quite a bit. Why dont we have the option to Opt for Flexi 35 on the net while purchasing a number ?

Trust me you will double or triple your sales instantly.. as FLEXI 35, means 35 everymonth is nothing, and depending on our usage we will upgrade to 110 when we start getting used to it. 110 irrespective of how we use for a starter is a bit of a drawback.

Tell me if FLEXI 35 is available now online, i`ll pick up a minimum of 2 instantly.

... the complexity is in the comparison, as you say. And what's the comparison with???

For example, what's simple about an unfortunate Shahry 130 plan user having to pay EXTRA for the 31st SMS s/he sends?

It'll never happen with a Flexi!

And Flexi is THAT simple!

1- Too confusing.

2- They keep repeating the same words over and over, expecting different results...

3- They will hammer it in your head until you believe it.

Is vodafone a new cult???

Having followed this thread with much interest over the past couple of days, I think one thing is very clear:

People have a hard time understanding the structure of the Flexi Plans compared to the Qtel Shahry plans.

As the 1st competitor in the Qatari telecoms market, I would have thought Vodaphone would have made it very clear in its marketing material what the differences are between the Voda and Qtel packages.

You two guys seem to do a better job at explaining the differences than the Voda marketing department.

I suggest sending this thread to the marketing/product teams as a case study in how not to communicate price plans in emerging markets.

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That's not what rMs_000 was talking about. He was talking about if you only used Shary for SMS. Read his post:

...If u top up with Qr. 100 with qtel, u will get 110 talk time. and sms rate is 0.3 which is less than vodafone and we can send 367 SMS !! ...

^lol at you, what a comparison, shahry 130 gives 30 sms only and Vodafone 110 gives 325 sms? Does shahry 130 gives only 30 sms, nothing else????

i hope u are not from vodafone bec ur reply is really silly for vodafone standards...

Hi rMs_000,

Which Shahry plan do you use? With the Shahry packs you get a set amount of SMS that is prescribed to you. If you use over your allowance during the month you have to pay extra for every SMS! With Shahry 130 you only get 30 SMS so compared to Flexi 110 where you could use 325 SMS, you get MUCH more with Vodafone!

For example to get 367 SMS on Shahry 130 would cost QR 231!

I too use Shahry...its value for money...

Its great to have choice and choice would be one offering best services at best rates in which Qtel beats Voda hands down at this time!

...to have choice?

Life is suddenly more interesting!

http://www.qtel.com.qa/NewsFull.do?News=17582

Dr Nasser Marafih Qtel’s Chief Executive Offer “We have not been surprised by what we have seen from the second operator in Qatar. We have been ready for a while now. We have looked at what has been launched by the second operator and do not feel that there is a need to change what we are doing – we believe this is an indicator of our strength and readiness.”

Qtel is telling people not to be disappointed with offerings from Vodafone:

Dr Nasser Marafih added:

“We know that there have been mixed reactions until now with many people disappointed about the pricing levels offered. People should not be disappointed.

Qtel surely knows how to do business and hit the right chords when required...

Are you Grahame Maher ? i want to talk to him ! :)

--

tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

I like to make sure my facts are correct! :))

What do you want to know about the Vodafone Foundation? Happy to answer any specific questions you have about it. And I'm totally serious about our looking for ideas, suggestions, etc., from the community. I'm sure everyone here on QL has ideas for how to make a world of difference to all the people in Qatar! :)

http://www.qtel.com.qa/ParentProdSrvcesLinks.do?idnum=9&prodtype=1#Standard-Shahry

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

Hi RMS_000,

Check out the SMS rate on HALA, it's actually 0.40 not 0.30. Here is the link - http://www.qtel.com.qa/HalaNew.do?#Tariff

I am going to stick by my maths :-)

Stop you copy paste and answer to us !! ;P

http://www.vodafone.com.qa/go/pressrelease/vodafone-announces-the-setting-up-of-the-vodafone-qatar-foundation-vodafone-group-starts-the-process-with-a-qr-1000000-donation-to-qatar

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

hey NMK -- Just wanted to be sure that you know that after the IPO in April, Vodafone Qatar is 77% Qatari owned. We're not a "foreign" company, but a local one that benefits from having ties to the largest mobile operator in the world.

In regards to philanthropy, we setup the Vodafone Foundation in Qatar in March. This allows us to leverage the Vodafone Group Foundation which was established in 2002, and since then has raised over £125 million (QR 625 million). Vodafone has strict guidelines with disciplines and structures in place ensuring complete transparency for where money raised has gone.

Vodafone Group Foundation is proud to have brought the benefits of mobile to some of the world's most pressing problems. Examples include partnering with the United Nations to support the World Food Programme's emergency ICT response and funding an award winning disease surveillance programme- now used to track diseases in 22 African countries.

Like other Vodafone Foundations, Vodafone Qatar will also establish the "World of Difference" Programme. This is a really innovative programme that pays people a year's salary to take time off work to focus their time fully on making a positive impact in their community.

We've only been in the market for a short time. Look for many more announcements from us in regards to the Vodafone Foundation. Of course, we welcome ideas from the community at-large. And, look for us in future Reach Out to Asia activities in the coming months.

hallo,

If u top up with Qr. 100 with qtel, u will get 110 talk time. and sms rate is 0.3 which is less than vodafone and we can send 367 SMS !! and can save 10 Qr as well. look at my previous post..

u are too bad in maths bro.. Dont say anything blindly to support YOUR co.

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

You also get great value for SMS usage with Vodafone.

If you do the same comparison of Flexi 110 and HALA 100 with Flexi you get 325 SMS and with HALA 302 SMS - sounds like more with Vodafone to me!

The great thing about Flexi is that we don't tell you how to use your phone. Unlike other plans where you get a set amount of minutes or SMS, with Vodafone you can use the value you get with Flexi for all of our services (including national calls, SMS, international calls, roaming etc)

Hi Everyone!

I have a quick explanation of why we chose the HALA 100 as a comparison to Flexi 110. It's actually the fairest comparison and if we took the example of a customer buying 2 30 cards and 1 50 card - Vodafone actually gives you 80% more talk time! (370 minutes on Vodafone as opposed to 205 on HALA)

We recognise that there are lots of different combinations of how people use their phones and we picked national calling as one example of how Vodafone gives you more. We have done the calculations across HALA and Shahry and believe that however you look at it Vodafone always gives you more! For example if you compare the same spend on Flexi 110 and Shahry 130, you get 39% more talk time with Vodafone.

Hope this helps!!

And yes I work for Vodafone too!

Exactly, with Hala recharge with 100 and above, u get 1 year validity plus lot of talktime.

If you dont make many calls/sms u dont pay anything but in case of Vodafone, no control, you use it or dont use it, pay minimum 110 every month....no thank you vodafone, we thought you are here to compete but u are here to make money, money and more money.

good quote bleu!

lol bleu..

i dont think vodafone will catch up the market with these kinda offers..

i just took vodafone only because i got a VERY NICE no. if one number changes frm my number, it costs 1,000,000 Qr. i just got mine for 160 QR while spinning ! :)

and i should top up monthly for 110 Qr. and whom will i call for that 110 free vodafone calls ? not a single frend of mine uses that ! :( .. and network coverage ??

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

rms, you know the quote.... "There are three types of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics."

U are only talking about the call rates.. take the example of sms.

Qtel 0.3 per sms (local)

Vodafone 0.4 per sms (local)

so if we top up with 110 Qr with vodafone, we can sms only 325 times.

In case of Hala, as u told u ll get 121 QR of value for their 110 QR spend, we can sms 404 times !

79 more sms !!! :)

I'm not supporting Qtel, i have both. but just a reply for you statistics !

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!

QTel customer service is far from impressive, but at least the fact that they are Qatar-based and are involved in sooooo many social activites in Qatar is a good reason to stick to QTel. They contribute hundreds of thousands of riyals for charity, especially during Ramadan.

Vodafone are a foreign company, has nothing attractive to offer and with such a deep penetration, there's no way they can capture the QTel market without something spectacular.

LOL grrlgamer, u or Vodafone guys think people of Qatar are fools? u are comparing one aspect of Qtel out of many available with Vodafone's offering?

masses will not move to vodafone if there are only marginal differences, bring real competitive rates or just be in ur dreamworld. people are excited about selecting numbers thats why u see some amount of traffic to buy on ur site, once people settle and start paying, they would realize they are not getting anything but qtel in comparison was better. how many of ur 1st 1000 will stay after they empty their balances?

i can just laugh at ur comparison with qtel, i say it again, with qtel customers are in control but with voda customer has no control.

Ohhh What's the point

grrlgamer,

such a "fixed" example will do you no good....

You choose QR110 just because Q-Tel offers a QR100 option, then you say "the customer can buy 2 100 QR HALA cards"!!! Why would the customer do that????

How about this:

The customer buys One QR50, and two QR30 cards.

And you also say "If the customer uses all of this for peak time"....

You portray everything that Q-Tel does as being bad, and anything that vodafone does is the best ever: You ignore shahry, you ignore all the offers Q-Tel has, and choose the worst example you can find, and compare it with the best possible case that vodafone could provice.

You are a good marketer who knows how to twist the facts.

I feel there's something wrong with vodafone, and I'm not switching... After a few years, IF they prove themselves, I MAY THINK ABOUT IT.

If they provide QR100 20Mbps Internet, I would switch to their ISP. If they provide QR20, 1000 minutes per month GSM, I would switch. But they're only offering marginal differences that could be higher or lower depending on your usage pattern for a month.

Vodafone will launch traditional prepaid later this year.

text messages and 1 free call number for life - I never pay more than 350QR even with my additional texts I send - its way cheaper than when I used Hala....

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qaws.org

I THINK VODAFONE DOES NOT HAVE ANY options for prepaid services also like Q-tel and there are also no recharge vouchers available everywhere like Q-Tel..

VODAFONE SUCKSSSSSS!!!!!!

Q-TEL IS BEST...

Fantastic to see such an active thread about Flexi! I just want to point out a few things...

If you look only at the rate card, you're not getting the full picture. When you compare what you get with Qtel vs. what you get with Vodafone, you always get more across the entire range of plans. Up to 68% more!

With Flexi on Freedom, customers can use their plan for all of Vodafone's services -- you are not locked into a prescribed amount minutes or sms and if you want to make an international call, it's all included (unlike Shahry where you pay on top of your monthly fee). Plus, if you use more value than the Flexi plan you're on, we won't penalize you for talking or texting more. You simply get another Flexi added to your account and you enjoy the same rates and great bonus value. Unlike the competition where you are charged a higher rate. And, with Vodafone there's no peak or off-peak; no on-net or off-net. Our pricing is straight-forward and very transparent; no surprises or bill shock like you can get with the competition. Flexi is actually incredibly innovative.

Let's say a customer spends 110 QR per month on their mobile and uses their mobile *solely* for national calling.

With Vodafone the customer can get a Flexi 110 which includes 130 QR of value. If the customer uses all of this for national calling at a rate of 0.50 they get 260 minutes of calling. In addition they get 110 free Vodafone minutes making a grand total of 370 minutes with Vodafone.

With Qtel, the customer can buy 2 100 QR HALA cards and use 100% of one card and 10% of the second to make up the equivalent 110 QR spend. On HALA the customer would get 121 QR of value for their 110 QR spend. If the customer uses all of this for peak time, national calling at a rate of 0.55 QR, they get 220 minutes. This is one example as with Qtel you get charged different rates depending on what time of day it is and which network the person you are calling is on. With Vodafone it is one simple rate to call anyone nationally, any time of the day!

When you compare the 370 minutes with Vodafone to the 220 with Qtel, the customer gets up to 68% more talk time with Vodafone!

I've used HALA as the comparison as 86% of customers in Qatar are on HALA, as opposed to only 14% on Shahry. So wanted to show an example that would be the most common. If you compare Flexi against Shahry, you still get a whole lot more.

I encourage everyone to look at total value -- it's about what you get with Qtel vs. what you get with Vodafone. With Vodafone, you *always* get more!

Yes, I work for Vodafone. :)

xtian001..you summarized everything in ur post but point number 3 is not entirely correct as annual Shahry pack is QR300 and they still offer it both for old/new customers. Also, they give 1 year validity on Hala on any recharge of QR100 or above, that is what is value for money, complete control of ur spendings whereas in vodafone u are forced to pay monthly QR 110 as the minimum, irrespective of ur usage, all control is with vodafone and nothing with customer.

As a 1st 1000 customer, i would never recommend vodafone to anyone till they improve or atleat provide some money saving plans, why would anyone pay higher for a low level service and go with the hassles of changing their number?

I think Vodafone is actually dreaming of a sudden migration of QTEL users to their services especially with the crap offerings that they have and the services that they provide.

1. As a "1st 1000" customer and using their services for the last 4 months, I can say that it is not even close to 80% coverage and stability that QTEL provides. Limited signal to no signal at all in City Center and Ras Abu aboud along with other points in the City. Repeated SMS messages being received the whole day and not receiving messages on time.

2. Tries hard to advertise that they "bring change in Qatar" but looking at the offerings, there's nothing new to what they are offering. Higher rates in some instances and minimal discounts in some. In the end, what is a 10-30 QR saving a month if you can't have a stable service?

3. QTEL provided a promotion of paying 350QR/year for a Shahry service. It might not include any free minutes but it's a post paid plan that's cheap and allows you to pay what you actually use. How come Vodafone can't provide such package?

4. After all the hoopla and delays, is this the best that Vodafone can give us? A disappointment (at least for me).

http://www.lifeonthespot.com

I agree Mooody 85 but you fail to see that Qtel has over 2 million subscribers in Doha. How many of these will migrate over to Vodafone and whats the point of having 110 free vodafone minutes when they will expire just when lots have joined (i.e. Dec 2009)

Amnesia you obviously have been misled. Because Vodafone is offering 110,120 and so on packages and the link mentions only 2 packages which are not part of the flexi packs available. The chart dates back to 14 April 2009 when the plans were introduced today :O

Regardless this is a pick and choose plan and may suit certain people. The primary point of most commentators is Vodafone did not undercut Qtel and with poor reception they are going to have a hell of a battle !

Veni Vidi Vici

Dears ,,

The qtel offer which called shahry is also for Qtel numbers only

Guys, you're calling it uncompetitive because you're not seeing the 'end result'.

Take a look at the comparison chart here (I'll update it in a few days)

Either way though, it's how much you get for your money, not individual tariffs that you look at.

If they said they'll give you a million riyals for 10 but charge you 5qr p/m it's still value for money.

__________________________

Mr. Q's Blog - A Qatari's view on Qatar.

is similar to Hala not Shahry... so I think the rates are okay... but the reception is not satisfactory.. lets all wait n see..

Who said nothing is impossible?? I've been doing nothing for months...

And 370/110 is not 0.30 :S

Veni Vidi Vici

Mooody 85.....wth??? that's what you call marketing :P

firstly as anwarpp said its a short term promotion if you read the statement following the asterix.

And secondly and more importantly the 110 minutes are only to vodafone numbers. How many of your friends and family will get vodafone numbers??

Veni Vidi Vici

The extra 110 is a short term promotion till December. So it is more like .42 per min.

Come on Vodafone rate is .30 per min

yes only ,30

look good you pay 110 QR and you get

130 balance which means = 260 mins and they give you 110 free that's mean 260 + 110 = 370

370 min \ 110 that u pay = .30 only per min

Did you understand all that vodafone rate is cheaper than qtel or not ??????

I also prefer to have 'Q' services while I am in Qatar.

*********************

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Visit : www.vodafone.com.qa

Here are the Flexi Plans:

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

Here are the call rates:

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

@MoOody85: Check Qtel plans first before drawing your conclusion:

http://www.qtel.com.qa/ParentProdSrvcesLinks.do?idnum=9&prodtype=1#Value-Packs

Also, the call rates of Vodafone are much higher, almost 30% higher than Qtel Shahry.

Its unbelievable Vodafone is launching without giving Qtel a run for their money by offering uncompetitive rates, with such rates and plans Vodafone may find it hard to penetrate Qatar market or even remotely compete with Qtel.

Either way,

In Dubai I did not change to Du.... here I will not change either.

Vodafone sounds nice, but QTEL... it has the Q, which says all.

Its true truthfulvisitor

There is nothing good about Vodafone in other countries - the only good thing about them is their advertising, which is absolutely fantastic. i love the feelgood branding, the now-ness of the whole thing and they always have a very hip online presence too. They have done the same wonders with advertising in Qatar - I loved their illustrated visual map of Doha, and the Qatar website is very slick.

None of this means cheaper calls or high quality networks - in fact, they have to pay their account at Saatchi's or JWT somehow.

I have used a few Vodafones in different countries and they are neither the cheapest nor necessarily have decent call quality. Voda UK has good coverage but Voda Egypt, for example, is pretty sh*tty, because as with most markets they just bought up the existing crappy network and put up their shiny red logos all over the place.

Why would anyone expect them to trump old Qtel? I would just love to know the kinds of politics and fighting going on between the two companies. I can't imagine Qtel taking anything lying down, and given that QF are the majority share owner of Vodafone here, there must be some of the most nasty politics going on between the two of them, behind closed doors. Meanwhile Vodafone has this CEO from England who has said he's never worked in a situation when his own firm is not owning their whole business outright before. He must be having a very interesting time at the moment witnessing all the things he realises he is not allowed to do or say ...

To be honest I'm sticking with Qtel anyway. I have only been here 2 years and I have none of the age-old resentment towards the company that I've read from others here.

None of this 'war' will result in lower prices, of course, or even a network that will be built on time, but it would make for a nice little TV series or something like that, I guess.. !

thanxs 4 da heads up fishermanalex

just got my self a new number :P:P

we will see ..now the cost of the number is 500 QR if u get it online u will receive it for free????!!!!

come on why you all talk like that , don't you see that there is a free mins every month , there is a free bouns and free mins it's much much better than qtel , I don't work in vodafone but I have a vodafone line and really it's very nice

QR10 per MB of Mobile Internet ! Same as QTel. So much for waiting for Vodafone to come up with a sensible data plan for phone users.

yeah messy network, high rates, bad rapport with their 1st 1000 customers, wonder how would they compete with Qtel which is any day better than Voda compared to current offerings from both.

Wish they would reveal their network....

^.10 less than qtel, maybe you are talking about Hala but Vodafone plans are for postpaid so it should be compared to Qtel Postpaid rates which are:

Local Voice: QR 0.35 (Peak) and QR 0.30 (off peak)

Local SMS: QR 0.30 (Peak) and QR 0.20 (off peak)

So Vodafone after delaying their launch time and again will finally launch at very high rates...

hm.. not much competitive.

Call rate : .10 less than Qtel

SMS: .10 more than Qtel

so what is the difference ?hmm..

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tEaCh Me RuLeS, i'Ll TeAcH hOw To BrEaK iT ..

rMs..!!