Problems with Account Summary and +Other Allowances...ongoing!

[msfy1306]

OK. Let’s see if we can this sorted, once and for all. The following problem related to my PAYG broadband data packages.

After I have logged into my account and gone to my Account Summary, it shows amongst other information, ‘+ Other Allowances’. I click on this and this shows me how much data I have left from the ‘UK 250MB 30 days £5’,

for eg: 48 out of 250MB.

Below that information there is a meter in green depicting that information, similar to a fuel tank meter/gauge.

In order not to be left stranded and without broadband, I have always purchased a further ‘UK 250MB 30 days £5’ pack as back up, which would take over if the pack currently being used ran out earlier than expected.

This back up pack USED to be shown and depicted on the same page ‘Account Summary’ under the current green meter/gauge telling me I have ‘48 out of 250MB’ left, as a full green meter/gauge, ready to take over when the current pack ran out.

With this being shown I was quite confident in the knowledge that should my current pack run out in the middle of purchasing items online, dealing with banking etc., that new pack would kick in and not leave me stranded and at risk.

Now, this green meter/gauge showing back up data pack has not been shown for some months and caused me endlessly to try and explain this either on the Instant Messaging chat function or by attempting to explain this over the phone, to no avail. All that use to happen is that after trying to explain the above, customer services would tell me they have activated a data pack and that it would be ready to be used immediately. This has never happened as ‘it can take upto 72 hours for packs to be updated’ and left me high and dry and at risk. This also meant that I lost the remainder of the current pack.

However, notwithstanding the above, if I then go to the left hand menu and click on ‘Manage Services’ and scroll down to ‘+Data’ and click, this shows that I have purchased the back up ‘UK 250MB 30 day £5’ data pack for back up. It also shows the start date of this pack, such date being the end of the data pack in ‘current use’. So, arising from the above;

i)  Why does the ‘Other Allowances’ no longer show the pack that I purchased as back up, ready to take over once the current pack runs out, whether this is due to 30 day limit or, as which arises in my case, if I use the allowance within 30 days?

ii) How do I activate the pack that I bought as back up, which is clearly shown on ‘Manage Services’ page ‘+Data’. Clicking on the ‘manage’ option at that stage takes me to the data page again showing that I have purchased a data pack as back up?

[janescl]

This is very similar to a problem I've been having.  The same thing happens - I buy the datapack and although my credit balance goes down the queued pack does not appear in "My Allowances" the way it used to.

BUT... after a few minutes the £5 I used to buy the datapack gets refunded to my account... so at that point I know the datapack purchase has failed, rather than it just being the display in "My Allowances" that doesn't work any more.

I also show two datapacks in "Manage Services" - "+Data" but they are both dated January 27th, the infamous date when they changed from the non-expiry data to datapacks.  I think the information in that section is meaningless.

Have you watched your online credit balance to see if it went down when you purchased a data pack, and if it went up again after a few minutes?

[nonplussed]

Why Doesn’t the My Account page work?

I don’t know who ‘msfy1306’ is but I was beginning to think “did I write that” as my experience so closely mirrored his!

Some different outcomes though, when a Data Pack expired earlier this year & my ‘back up’ Data Pack didn’t activate – just when I needed it & as the only web access was Vodafone pages – I purchased a second pack in desperation, but despite the “Success  we have initiated a 250MB 30day UK pack to Vodafone Number......”  message – I ended up with two Data Packs that I couldn’t use!

A trip to the local Vodafone shop produced a phone number that ISN’T advertised on the My Account/Contact Us pages - & later that evening – lo and behold all was resolved & I thought to myself at least I know now what to do - next time!

When the last of those restored Data Packs activated – felt confident enough to buy another Data Pack out of my remaining credit – once again that message “Success  we have initiated a 250MB 30day UK pack to Vodafone Number......”  BUT after waiting a reasonable amount of days – this pack wasn’t showing as ‘queued’.  

Tried the number I’d been given previously – but an automated voice said that the number had been changed – re-dialed the (cheaper?) number - & half way through the various call centre options, a second automated message THIS (2nd ?) number has been changed – re-dialed THAT number & finally got through to someone who EVENTUALLY confirmed that the Data Pack had been purchased  but,  somewhat ominously, he said he’d put a note on my account for the next time I phoned!

Despite this latest reassurance – the Data Pack was still not showing as queued!

Several days later, whilst checking My Account in a forelorn hope the ‘missing’ Data Pack had miraculously surfaced – with some trepidation decide to try this (new to me) Live Chat option – lo and behold the chap replied “I can fix that”, and after a few minutes of Q&A typing he said the data Pack was now queued! Despite his confident reassurance, the Data Pack was still not showing as queued – but having exhausted all contact options, I was left in a ‘wait & see’ limbo.

 Miracles do happen however, because when the then current Data Pack expired, that Data Pack (which never appeared on the My Accounts Summary page as ‘queued’ or ‘waiting for use’ suddenly activated! So the Live Chat (sort of) worked?

With little over a week until this now current Data Pack expires – time to risk purchasing a ‘back up’ in the vain hope of a seem-less changeover!  Used my remaining £5 credit, received a Thank You message that pack had been initiated (note they no longer say Success!) and my credit balance of £0 reflected a successful purchase?  Later in day the £5 credit had been re-instated – delete expletives!

Another session on Live Chat – seemed like susccessful session, so perhaps someone at vodafone knows what they are doing?  I hope so, because despite reassurances that a Data Pack had been activated & queued – it doesn’t show as such on any of the pages on My Account! So either I am back at square one or I wait & see if the promised queued pack materialises at changeover - or is one miracle all I can expect from Vodafone?    

OK they’re only £5 PAYG Data Packs, so of little consequence to Vodafone – but from my point of view it’s just as well, as this poor service certainly does not inspired me to spend more than the absolute minimum!

[suemillard]

Clearly this non-acknowledging of data pack purchases is a problem they haven't thought worth fixing, because it is STILL happening. I've bought £20 worth of data usage at a time (I use the mobile signal because it's 3x better than our local landline...) and credit still shows at £0. But when I spend 45 minutes on the online chat (if you can find a live link to it) I'm told the data pack is there. So it damn well ought to be - but it never shows up on My Account.

The icing on the cake is the chat support person telling me he'll "credit my account with the data" that I've just paid for, "for free"  - no, what I want is for the data I paid for to show up on my account, so I know the service won't be interrupted!

I guess what VF would really like is for the annoying PAYG people to move onto a monthly plan and a 24 month contract.