Thousands of Vodafone customers have paid a price for a service the mobile phone company advertises as being free.
Customers using the Vodafone Live service this week had all the credit in their prepay accounts cleared out after a technical hitch on the company's network.
Vodafone said yesterday that itdid not think it was in the public interest to say how many customers were affected - although it was thought to be only prepay customers - or how much money had been lost.
However, those who lost the most money were reimbursed on Wednesday night, and Vodafone said it hoped to have repaid everyone by last night.
Sending a text message with the credit, Vodafone apologised for the mistake and any inconvenience.
As of June 30 Vodafone had nearly two million customers and claimed 55.4 per cent of New Zealand's mobile market.
Communications executive Leigh Owens said the problem was fixed on Tuesday and users would not be charged again.
She advised people who had been affected to call customer services.
Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said the way Vodafone was dealing with the problem was "totally unacceptable".
He said it was just a technical breakdown, "not a natural disaster", and Vodafone needed to be more proactive.
Ms Owens said the company regretted "any inconvenience caused".
"Technicians have been working around the clock to find those customers and find a solution."
But Mr Russell said the excuses were not good enough. Customers paid for a service, Vodafone was unable to deliver, so it needed to put things right immediately. "It's unacceptable that they have left their customers hanging."
What is it?
Vodafone Live is an interactive mini-website on a mobile phone. Customers using it can access the latest games, emails, ringtones and downloads.
According to the Vodafone website, it is "absolutely free to explore".
