PAYG Mobile Internet Dongle

[hantsman1954]

I pruchased the Vodaphone Internet Dongle over 12 months ago. Admittedly I rarely used it as we have broadband at home.

However, I now need to use it and the software is saying I needed to re-activate it. So I called Vodaphone Customer services and they informed me I just needed to buy a new SIM card and some new "top-up".

So I went to our local Vodaphone store in Andover and I was told that the Dongle is now totally useless and can't be used as the SIM card is tied-in to the Dongle.

Could someone please confirm that what I have been told in the Vodaphone store is correct.

If this is indeed true, what a total and utter waste of money. £24.99 + £15 top-up.

Thanks.

[AnnS]

PAYG dongles come with a data SIM as part of the package and you cannot purchase a PAYG data SIM separately. As with PAYG voice SIMs, the dongle needs to be kept active.

If you do a search of the forum, you will find some previous threads which will confirm this answer.

[hantsman1954]

Ah, undertsand, thanks. The dongle doesn't actually need to be kept active, but the SIM card it uses does.

So the problem is actually down to Vodaphone not selling replacement PAYG SIM data cards.

If they did sell replacement SIM cards, it could be mapped to the IMEI of the dongle and things would be honky-dory again.

Money grabbing **********'s.

I certainly won't be buying any Vodaphone products in the future.

[HHGTTG]

Frankly, the problem lies with you and not Vodafone. PAYG phones and Dongles need to be used regularly, say, once within a 3 or 6 month period to keep them active otherwise you have had it.
If you bought a dongle then it would have been sensible just to connect a few times during the year after having bought a top up voucher of course as the data/£15 top up is only valid for 30 days.
Hope I have my facts right and apologise, unreservedly, if I haven't.

[hantsman1954]

That's not true of PAYG phones. They can be shelved for months and months on end. All that is required is another SIM card (and "top-up" of course) and they can be used again.

I fail to see why Internet Dongles aren't treated in the same way as they are, essentially, the exact same thing.

[HHGTTG]

Yes OK anotheer SIM card but you lose your old number don't you? And unless you unlock your phone you have to stay with the same network.

[hantsman1954]

Indeed HHGTT that is true, but with an Internet Dongle the mobile number it uses is not of any importance.

All it needs is for Vodaphone to sell replacement Data SIM's rather than asking customers to buy a completely new dongle.

I'll stick with my original comment :smileywink: - money grabbing . . . (can't remember what I called them at the time but it wasn't nice!).