Mobile Broadband Credit Runs Out After 30 Days?

[woollygirl]

I asked around about dongles and was told Vodafone's one is one of the few where the credit doesn't run out after 30 days - but a look on your website says otherwise. When did you change it and why?

[deadkenny]

I don't see how it's great value at all. I've had mine for ages (maybe a year), and I've spent £2 out of £15. I use it very occasionally, and even when I do use it I manage to do some decent amount of surfing and get good speed out of it if I manage to find a 3G connection, but yet I consume little of my credit.

If I was on the new T&Cs the same usage would have cost me £180 in credit instead of £2. How on earth is that great value? !!!

So, can we be assured the T&Cs will not be changing for those of us on the existing plans and what happens when we top up? The instant you change it to 30 day limit for me, you've lost a customer, so please keep it unlimited.

Sadly I was recommending this product to friends and colleagues. Now I cannot do that. Very poor "business" decision. Sure I can understand the desire to make more money, but you've killed the desirability for the product.

[Nick2]

I researched mobile internet dongles at the end of last year and strongly favoured the Vodafone offering because of the non-expiring credit. I intended to purchase this evening and am disappointed to find this policy changed. I shall not be buying under the new terms.

[daveastra]

just thought id put on here that i was in a store today and got told they are now £25 not £35, which is great, also im guessing that the decision was made as there were more customers topping up more than £15 in a month, therefore the higher data limit for the same price will benifit that majority of customers (total theory but it would make sense) also its nothing like being on contract, buy it, use it, when topup expires, if ya dont want to go online, then dont topup, as long as you connect once every 90 days your fine, so to be fair to vf you dont `have` to top up every month, which would in effect make it contract

that said i think they should of had both running side by side to service both demographics, however i can only imagine the world of issues that would of created

[tgold]

Hello woolygirl

The new sceanrio for the Payt usb modems was a business decision. The change took place just after Christmas.

It is still great value for our customers .

To the posters who have taken issue with Albert's assertion, I would point them of the Upton Sinclair theorum: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

Tony

[xaltu]

Although the top up lasts for 30 days I also notice in the handbook of a newly purchased USB modem that it states that if the modem is not used for 180 days then the broadband will be disconnected. I could find no mention of this on the website and feel slightly conned by this extra restriction on top of the 30 day one. The whole idea of Pay As You Go is that you pay when you need it. With the current conditions it costs £15 every 3 months without ever actually using the connection to keep it active.

In my earlier post I made a mistake and put 3 months rather than 6 months (180 days). The last sentence should read "With the current conditions it costs £15 every 6 months without ever actually using the connection to keep it active." I tried to edit the post again but couldn't as other people had posted first. It would be good to have clarification from Vodafone whether connection without topUp (credit) classes as usage to avoid disconnection.

[nick_elton]

So let me make sure that my assumption is correct.

I purchased one of the PAYG modems in September 2009 and it's in the non expiring credit, providing I use it at least once every 180 days the credit remains on.

Have I got this for ever or am I now subject to these new terms whereby the credit only lasts 30 days?

[tgold]

We've only been told we still have it for now. If this deal ever ends I would expect it to happen by VF no longer allowing new credits to be purchased. I signed up for a tariff on Orange called Virgin OVP (Orange Value Promise) which disappeared from their list many years ago, but I'm still happily trucking. I don't expect VF to behave less honourably.
Tony

[tgold]

Although the top up lasts for 30 days I also notice in the handbook of a newly purchased USB modem that it states that if the modem is not used for 180 days then the broadband will be disconnected. I could find no mention of this on the website and feel slightly conned by this extra restriction on top of the 30 day one.

Could someone from VF please respond to this point?

For example, if some I buy a dongle under the newer R branded plan and then allows the credit to expire for a period of over 180 days, what action or payment is needed to obtain a new SIM or to re-register the old one in order to add to credit for a new 30 day period after a long gap in use?

My question is only about the newer plan and not about the one that was available before last Christmas.

Are the complete detailed T&Cs for this newer plan published online somewhere? And if not - why not?

Tony

[cyclicdogs]

Could someone from VF please respond to this point?

For example, if some I buy a dongle under the newer R branded plan and then allows the credit to expire for a period of over 180 days, what action or payment is needed to obtain a new SIM or to re-register the old one in order to add to credit for a new 30 day period after a long gap in use?

My question is only about the newer plan and not about the one that was available before last Christmas.

Are the complete detailed T&Cs for this newer plan published online somewhere? And if not - why not?

Tony

Is THIS what you're looking for?
It's the nearest I could find to an answer, but, as with other info on the site, it's open to interpretation

C

[tgold]

Is THIS what you're looking for?
It's the nearest I could find to an answer, but, as with other info on the site, it's open to interpretation

C

Thanks, that is indeed most helpful and I wonder why that can't be displayed in the T&C tab of the product. So the next significant milestone is 270 days without use - and what then? Would we need to throw away the nice working and nearly new modem and buy a new one? If so - what a waste!
Tony