Posts by Mark Coley

Manchester biz raided in text message spam clampdown

Delivery reports

BBC and ICO are saying not to reply to these spam messages as it says it lets the spammers know they have sent them to a valid number. Do these people not know about delivery reports?

Vodafone takes one on the chin for billing problems

Has Vodafone fixed its problems?

The front page of the online billing is reporting my current bill is expected to be £-56.74. This is the first time it's been negative. Perhaps they've finally worked out by how much they've overcharged me! A few weeks ago I had a mysterious credit for calls whilst in the USA. I haven't been to the USA. No one at Vodafone could explain why this credit was there and there was no record of who'd applied the credit to my account either. Vodafone's billing system is full of holes too, eg text messages to Guernsey mobiles are included in message bundles, yet calls to the same numbers are not, but calls to Guernsey landlines are included. Guernsey is not in the UK, but has a normal UK dialling code. With Vodafone about to start putting up masts in Guernsey you'd have thought they'd have figured out a consistent charging policy by now.

Mobile-mast danger is all in your head

RE: Was the test determining whether the RF was dangerous, or just detectable?

Perhaps I should add that I have spent several years working with MRI scanners, where there is a limit to the amount of RF that can be used to irradiate a person. The amount is based on the heating effect of the RF and the amount of heat that the body's circulation can dissipate. As the wavelengths are similar with MRI and mobile phones, the heating effect will be there too (though undoubtedly much less). The point is there are physiological effects from bombarding people with radiowaves, so it is hardly suprising (to me at least) that I can often detect tingling on my cheek, or I feel a different sensation in my head when transferring large amounts of data over wireless lan. The whole idea of radio is that a changing field in one location can cause a changing field in a conductor at a distant location, so why shouldn't nerve cells occasionally be triggered? As I said, whether it is safe or not is a different issue, but I've no doubt (from personal experience) the RF can be detected.

Was the test determining whether the RF was dangerous, or just detectable?

I have a mobile phone and the cheek nearest the phone always tingles when it is being used, more so in 2G mode than 3G mode, especially if there is a bit of stubble. I also feel my head throbbing a bit when transferring large files via wireless LAN, so much so I leave the room till it is done. The throbbing stops within a few seconds of turning off the transmitter. My Freeview box also gives up when the wireless lan is transmitting a lot, so it's not surprising really I might be able to feel something. So, detectable, undoubtedly, but unsafe, who knows! That's where they need to do the research.

Vodafone data bundle pricing slips out

Still no details of how the charging scheme will operate

It is now 4th June and Vodafone's online billing system still does not indicate how they are charging for data traffic. I made several test connections on 1st June using a variety of ports to see how I might be billed. The online system was down all weekend and calls to 44555 (which trigger an SMS showing usage) on Saturday said to try again the next day. Calls on Sunday also said to try again the next day. It is working today, but only shows events up to the end of the 31 May which was 4 days ago. I get the impression they are hiding something - maybe their billing systems aren't working yet? It might explain why the data pack will not now appear till the 6th.

As I am locked into a contract that agreed to provide me with £30 of text messages at 12p per message, or data at £2.35 per megabyte, as part of my standard monthly charge, I expect Vodafone to continue to abide by that contract.