4G PAYG Dongle with 6GB of Data only conects at 3G

[SimpleTruth]

Just purchased 4G dongle and 90 day 4G sim card package. The sim will only connect at 3G, when tried in the dongle and an iPad. I have a separate pay monthly data sim and this will connect at 4G in both dongle and iPad. APN settings have been changed as necessary.

I have used " live chat", contacted 191 and visited the local Vodafone shop. No one has been able to resolve the problem. Looks like the sim is provisioned to only connect at 3G. The physical sim has been changed by the local Vodafone shop and they say that the 4G "Tick Box" cannot be selected when provisioning the sim.

Looks like Vodafone's central software application does not allow a PAYG "data only" sim to be provisioned for 4G.

So, I suppose my real question is - How can I get through to a high enough level in Vodafone support in order to resolve this problem?

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Can you hang in there while the Vodafone Tech support team here read your thread and engage with you?

They are a small team so please be patient. 

Is 4G turned on in the ipad? Which model are you using may I ask ?

Can you try using another device to test if 4g can be obtained on it. 

[SimpleTruth]

Hi Lee,

Thanks for the reply! I will take your advice and wait for Tech Support to engage.

The iPad is an Air 2 model and 4G has been enabled. If I don't enable 4G then the contract sim won't connect at 4G either. I have also tested the sim in an unlocked Huawei E3372 and an iPad Pro 12.9 inch. The contract sim always connects at 4G in these devices but the PAYG will only connect at 3G even though 4G is selected.

Regards,

SimpleTruth

[BandOfBrothers]

You're welcome. 

It could then well be the Payg sim card or account. 

Sometimes a simple swap can help. 

I hope this is resolved asap from you. 

[SimpleTruth]

II have already had the sim card changed at the local Vodafone shop and this has not resolved the issue. As far as I can see, the only thing left is the provisioning of the account at Vodafone. I was told in the shop that the 4G "tick box" on the account was not selected and that their application terminal would not allow them to select it. They have also tried to resolve this by contacting their Vodafone support however, without any luck!

[Rahim]

@SimpleTruth This is something we can certainly check for you. 

I've sent you a private message with details on how to get in touch.

[neilwilford]

Hello,

I purchased a Vodafone Mobile Wi-Fi R216 with 6GB of PAYG data at the beginning of the year and have exactly the same problem. The Vodafone shop also tried changing the sim card(several times) but could not get the device to use the 4G network.

After running some checks with colleagues and friends, I know 9 other people encountering the same problem.  Some of them were completely unaware that there is a problem with provisioning the sim cards and that their device would not connect to to the 4G network. After running a few searches and checking various forums there seems to be plenty of unhappy customers, including myself.

In addition to this I have a distinct disprepancy with the data transmit and receive rates shown by network monitoring and those reflected in my account balance.

Having already spent £75 on top-ups I have to ask why I'm paying for a service I'm not receiving? More importantly, why are Vodafone advertising and selling a 4G product for use on their 4G network when it is unable to get on the 4G network.

If there is a fix available, I hope it will be implemented not just for myself but for everyone affected.

I would be very grateful if the Tech Team would get back to me at their earliest convienience.

Regards,

Neil - A very unhappy customer....... 

[Becca_P]

@neilwilford

Sorry to hear you're having issues with your Pay as you go (PAYG) dongle.

So we can look into this for you, please speak with our Live Chat team.

[superstock]

Vodafone 4G 'service' is a shambles. We provide a fast broadband service via 4G to areas where landline speeds are painfully slow with options to use viable 4G service providers of their choice. A high proportion of those that opt for Vodafone have great difficulty in getting their sims registered for 4G and deeply regret their choice. They spend much time in fruitless conversations with technical 'support'. We, too, experienced great frustration in conversations before getting an acknowlegment of problems at Vodafone's end. It was eventually resolved, only because of our detailed knowledge of the technology, that a regular consumer would not have or be expected to have.  Of greater concern is these 'support' people not understanding their product offerings and worse, offering totally fictitious reasons/suggestions of incompatible or faulty hardware.

As stated at the beginning, a total and disgraceful shambles, that does suppliers of 4G technology immense potential harm to our goodwill.

[Sukhi]

@superstock

This is disappointing to hear, we'll make sure that this is fed back.

If you need help with anything else, please let us know.