Mobile Broadband Payg

[klyne]

I have very recently purchased a Mobile Broadband Dongle from Tesco which included a 1GB of usage which can last up to 270 days before needing to be topped up again, very useful for occasional use. I have read somewhere that top ups now only last 30 days and the 270 day option is no longer available, is this correct?

David

[Retired-MattyD1]

Hi David

I can confirm that as of 26th December, the Top Up and Go service changed.

There is a 30 day expiry on the top ups, from then on.

Also now instead of getting 1GB of data for £15, you'll now be getting 3GB of data for the same price.

However, as you've bought the dongle from a 3rd party you may still have one of the older version's in which there is no expiry date.

We'd need to see the APN that your dongle is using to be completely sure.

If it's using PPbundle.internet for the APN it's on the new tarif and the credit will expire.

I'll get an email sent to you and once we've got your reply we can confirm this for you.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Many Thanks

MattyD

eForum Team

[klyne]

Hi David

I can confirm that as of 26th December, the Top Up and Go service changed.

There is a 30 day expiry on the top ups, from then on.

Also now instead of getting 1GB of data for £15, you'll now be getting 3GB of data for the same price.

However, as you've bought the dongle from a 3rd party you may still have one of the older version's in which there is no expiry date.

We'd need to see the APN that your dongle is using to be completely sure.

If it's using PPbundle.internet for the APN it's on the new tarif and the credit will expire.

I'll get an email sent to you and once we've got your reply we can confirm this for you.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Many Thanks

MattyD

eForum Team

Matty

Thanks for the reply and of course I can do as you suggest in your e-mail, however! Perhaps I asked the wrong question! Surely if I have purchased a dongle with the clear information from the vendor that the user allowance lasts 270 days and can be renewed under the same terms surely Vodafone would not change that? I perfectly understand that on new dongles that Vodafone may well wish to apply a 30 day limit but surely they would not do this retrospectively?

David

[thesaint]

I have very recently purchased a Mobile Broadband Dongle from Tesco which included a 1GB of usage which can last up to 270 days before needing to be topped up again, very useful for occasional use. I have read somewhere that top ups now only last 30 days and the 270 day option is no longer available, is this correct?

David

Since you are posting on a vodafone forum; I assume your service provider is Vodafone? I ask because I have had a vodafone dongle for about a year and it had to be used at least every 6 months. I have never heard of any service provider offering 270 days

[klyne]

Since you are posting on a vodafone forum; I assume your service provider is Vodafone? I ask because I have had a vodafone dongle for about a year and it had to be used at least every 6 months. I have never heard of any service provider offering 270 days

Sorry, I thought it would be assumed that I was referring to Vodafone! Below I have pasted the information direct from the Tesco website where I purchased my PAYG Dongle.

David

From the Tesco Direct Website
Vodaphone Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband dongle gives you broadband access at speeds of up to 3.6mbps, without a fixed contract or direct debit, giving you freedom and flexibility to use the internet where ever you are. Includes £15 of top up already loaded, giving you 1GB credit straight away with 270 days to use it in before you need to top up again.

[Ben_H]

Hi David,

Thanks for getting back with the info Tesco supplied. The terms of the dongles we sell direct and via vendors can change as the market is constantly evolving. Once we've had chance to confirm which type of dongle you have we can go from there but I should think a large company like Tesco are selling our product properly; they most likely just have an older version with the lower allowance.

Cheers, Ben
eForum Team

[Digittt]

Can someone explain this to me simply as maybe I am being stupid. I bought a dongle last year from the Vodafone store. It was marketed to me on the basis that I pay £15 to get 1GB and that lasts forever (I don't remember the 270 days, but it may have been there).

Are you guys telling me that when I try and top-up my sim with £15, I won't get 1GB and 270 days to use it? That's all I care about, don't need 3GB's...and if this is the case, I have serious issues...how can Vodafone change the terms of what was sold?

I have just reinstalled my PC and downloaded the latest Vodafone software, so can see that it is trying to use PPBUNDLE.INTERNET...whatever that means.

I haven't used the dongle for a couple of months and it needs a top-up (which surprised me as I thought I had some data left to download)...and it has been in trying to figure out why I had no data which brought me to this thread. This can't be right...can one of you Vodafone chaps educate me please.

Many thanks,

Digittt

[thesaint]

Can someone explain this to me simply as maybe I am being stupid. I bought a dongle last year from the Vodafone store. It was marketed to me on the basis that I pay £15 to get 1GB and that lasts forever (I don't remember the 270 days, but it may have been there).

Are you guys telling me that when I try and top-up my sim with £15, I won't get 1GB and 270 days to use it? That's all I care about, don't need 3GB's...and if this is the case, I have serious issues...how can Vodafone change the terms of what was sold?

I have just reinstalled my PC and downloaded the latest Vodafone software, so can see that it is trying to use PPBUNDLE.INTERNET...whatever that means.

I haven't used the dongle for a couple of months and it needs a top-up (which surprised me as I thought I had some data left to download)...and it has been in trying to figure out why I had no data which brought me to this thread. This can't be right...can one of you Vodafone chaps educate me please.

Many thanks,

Digittt

I believe your original contract still stands. (If you have used it or topped it up within the last 6 months); therefore you can top it up now for another 6 months

[Digittt]

I believe your original contract still stands. (If you have used it or topped it up within the last 6 months); therefore you can top it up now for another 6 months

Thanks. So you suggest I buy £15 worth and I should get my original contract terms?...if the system gives me 3gb/30 days I should be able to chase Voda for the original terms?

[klyne]

Thanks. So you suggest I buy £15 worth and I should get my original contract terms?...if the system gives me 3gb/30 days I should be able to chase Voda for the original terms?

I had to send a couple of e-mails with all my personal details in order to get a not very clear answer! Why they could not give me the answer just with the mobile broadband number I don't know. It seems that if you purchased a dongle on the old terms that remains for the life of the dongle. So every time you renew you get 1GB for £15 and it lasts up to 270 days. Clearly the new system is a backward step for many consumers who are light users and the additional 2GB which you now get with the 30 day top-up is of little recompense. Perhaps what Vodafone should think about is a daily/weekly top-up at a reasonable price.

David