Amid creeping competition from communications service providers such as Telkom, and MWEB's recent campaign offering an extra 30 days in which to use its data bundles, it looks like Vodacom is finally buckling under pressure and relinquishing its hold on unused bandwidth. Yes, that's right - they have finally introduced a rollover for data, so any bandwidth you have paid for but have been unable to use within the month will automatically carry over to the next month. Having personally lost hundreds of rands in unused data to the service provider, I think it's about time too. And I'm sure their customer service department will be a little quieter this month without irate users phoning in to vent their frustration over losing excessive amounts to this exploitative practice. Perhaps it goes to show that if you yell loud enough and long enough, you'll eventually be heard. ...Or maybe it has something to do with the Consumer Protection Bill that was passed by Parliament in February and is now only waiting for President Motlanthe's signature. In other news, one man, who has been quite vocal about the Gauteng Liquor Board's delay in the processing of liquor licence applications in the region, has indeed played his part in the establishment of the new Gauteng Liquor Agency. The agency will replace the board and will therefore take over its duties. Meanwhile, according to Nielsen IAG's latest survey, if companies aren't waxing lyrical about themselves through advertising and marketing campaigns, it's very likely that consumers will think they're in trouble or, at worst, going out of business. So, whether you're a consumer or business, if you're not getting what you want, it's time to make yourself heard.

Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor retailnews@bizcommunity.com Responses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive.