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Media ArticleDemand for equal SMS accessMedia Release - 26 September 2002Vodafone faces a discriminatory complaint from a Deaf consumer who claims he is locked into a contract which offers free voice calls but no free SMS. Robert Adam said that he joined a contract with Vodafone in June 1999 at the cost of $35 per month so he could use its SMS services to communicate with work colleagues, family and friends. "The monthly cost of the contract allows for free voice calls up to $35 in a month but does not include free SMS," Adam said. "As a deaf person, I use my mobile phone almost exclusively for SMS," he said. "I accepted this charge because at the time there were no SMS plans offered by Vodafone." Adam subsequently joined a Vodafone "My Choice 17" plan in January 2001 at $17 a month for 24 months. Again, the plan included $17 worth of free voice calls but no free SMS. In September 2001, Vodafone launched "No-plans" so consumers could join Vodafone services without being locked into a contract. This was good news for Adam as he would no longer have to pay for the voice calls he would never make. "I wrote to Vodafone in January to ask for a refund of any unused portion of voice charges I paid since June 1999," Adam said. "I also requested for my contract to be renegotiated so I am not penalised for voice calls," he said. In response to Adam's letter Vodafone claimed that their plans were not discriminatory and refused to grant his request. Vodafone instead offered a discount of $20 per month for the next six months but Adam believes the offer neglects the issue of Deaf consumers paying for a service they do not use. Deaf Australia manager, Karen Lloyd, said that telecommunications companies are ignoring the needs of the deaf community in Australia. "Such providers need to consult the Deaf community about their mobile phone needs in future," she said.
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