AD-Hoc bundle expiry date change

Iam3G said:
Again, MM to 31050 is for contract subscribers. It returns a SMS saying how much you've used and how much you have left.

SMS'ing balance to 100 returns a SMS displaying your current airtime balance, data bundle balance(if any loaded), with data bundle balance expiry date.

Vodacom4me does show the expiry date of data bundles for PREPAID subscribers.
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Thanks, I realise that, but I am talking about contract subscribers, not pre-paid.
 
Ad-hoc bundles

Why is it that when u buy a ad-hoc bundle that if u dont finish it in the month u bought it, it is only accessible AFTER u use up the next months bundle?

I only wish that if u have bought a ad-hoc bundle that u are in the position to use it up and THEN the new months bundle would kick in.

Guess thats my rant for the week
 
Bedford said:
Why is it that when u buy a ad-hoc bundle that if u dont finish it in the month u bought it, it is only accessible AFTER u use up the next months bundle?

I only wish that if u have bought a ad-hoc bundle that u are in the position to use it up and THEN the new months bundle would kick in.

Guess thats my rant for the week
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If you get data on a contract, it makes sense that the contract data is first used. Any 'extra' data you have can then be used.

In the old days you would have lost any ad-hoc data by month end. Now that we roll it for 30 days, you can actually use it the next month.
 
vodacom3g said:
If you get data on a contract, it makes sense that the contract data is first used. Any 'extra' data you have can then be used.

In the old days you would have lost any ad-hoc data by month end. Now that we roll it for 30 days, you can actually use it the next month.
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IMO data bundles should be depleted on a FIFO basis.

For example, if one has a normal [contract] or Bolt-On CDB {CDB_1} in month x, and then one later purchases and effectively adds an Ad-Hoc CDB {CDB_2} to the pre-existing normal or Bolt-On CDB {CDB_1} in month x, then data usage should first be depleted against {CDB_1} until that is completely used up, and only then should data usage be depleted from {CDB_2}, however when one enters into month x+1 and {CDB_2} has not yet expired and has not been completely depleted and a {CDB_3} similar to {CDB_1} is automatically added, then {CDB_2} effectively becomes the pre-existing CDB that must first be depleted before {CDB_3} is depleted.
 
ic said:
IMO data bundles should be depleted on a FIFO basis.

For example, if one has a normal [contract] or Bolt-On CDB {CDB_1} in month x, and then one later purchases and effectively adds an Ad-Hoc CDB {CDB_2} to the pre-existing normal or Bolt-On CDB {CDB_1} in month x, then data usage should first be depleted against {CDB_1} until that is completely used up, and only then should data usage be depleted from {CDB_2}, however when one enters into month x+1 and {CDB_2} has not yet expired and has not been completely depleted and a {CDB_3} similar to {CDB_1} is automatically added, then {CDB_2} effectively becomes the pre-existing CDB that must first be depleted before {CDB_3} is depleted.
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OK, now my head hurts :)

Basically, if one signs a monthly contract, that bundle must be honoured first. If we don't it opens up a number of issues.

In the past you could only top up within a month and you would lose any unused data in the ad-hoc bundle.

So the issue of FIFO or FILO never came up.

Then (mostly because of this forum), we introduced the ability to roll any unused data in your ad-hoc bundle over to the next month, but with a 30-day life cycle to make it consistent across the different products.

So, it was an improvement over the first system, but it opened up this conversation on FIFO, etc.

From a system perspective, it was relatively simple to let the unused portion be added on top of the next month's contract bundle. But to build a system to dynamically manage a FIFO system while honouring contractual parameters would be another matter (if possible).
 
vodacom3g said:
If you get data on a contract, it makes sense that the contract data is first used. Any 'extra' data you have can then be used.

In the old days you would have lost any ad-hoc data by month end. Now that we roll it for 30 days, you can actually use it the next month.
Click to expand...

I disagree. It makes more sense to use the ad hoc bundle first, because the chances of me finishing the following month's contract within 30 days of getting the ad hoc bundle are slim. That also leaves me with a gap at the end of that month when I will be forced to buy yet another ad hoc bundle or operate out of bundle, at huge cost.

If I could buy a ad hoc bundle on the 25th and use it till it's finished say on the 5th of the net month, my contract will last till the end of that month, meaning that I can use one ad hoc bundle to bridge two months.

Currently I will need to use my contract bundle before the 25th of the following month to be able to use the ad hoc bundle that month, and from the 26th onwards I'm stuffed.

I currently use a pre paid SIM to buy my ad hoc bundles, and run on that SIM till the bundle is use then swap back to the contract SIM. I'd far rather Vodacom allowed the ad hoc bundle to be used till it is finished, as the effect of putting it to one side and switching to the new contract bundle means I lose wahtever I haven't used by month end.
 
vodacom3g said:
OK, now my head hurts :)

Basically, if one signs a monthly contract, that bundle must be honoured first. If we don't it opens up a number of issues.
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Understood, but I expect that the same issues that apply to honouring a normal contract or Bolt-On CDB {CDB_3}, will also equally apply to honouring a pre-existing Ad-Hoc CDB {CDB_2} - which if true suggests that a balance needs to be struck such that both {CDB_3} and {CDB_2} are honoured equally by deducting half the data usage for time period {SESSION} y from {CDB_3} and the other half of the data usage for period y from {CDB_2}...this would be even more complex to implement than simply looking at the timestamps of when both {CDB_3} and {CDB_2} were added and deducting data usage from the one with the oldest timestamp, which would be {CDB_2}.
vodacom3g said:
In the past you could only top up within a month and you would lose any unused data in the ad-hoc bundle.

So the issue of FIFO or FILO never came up.

Then (mostly because of this forum), we introduced the ability to roll any unused data in your ad-hoc bundle over to the next month, but with a 30-day life cycle to make it consistent across the different products.

So, it was an improvement over the first system, but it opened up this conversation on FIFO, etc.
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Yep :).
vodacom3g said:
From a system perspective, it was relatively simple to let the unused portion be added on top of the next month's contract bundle. But to build a system to dynamically manage a FIFO system while honouring contractual parameters would be another matter (if possible).
Click to expand...
Understood, but it would probably be simpler to just change the system to just deduct data usage from the oldest CDB that has not yet expired and still has data left to deplete - this would informally create a FIFO depletion methodology using the existing queue of CDBs that must already exist...
Colin62 said:
I currently use a pre paid SIM to buy my ad hoc bundles, and run on that SIM till the bundle is use then swap back to the contract SIM. I'd far rather Vodacom allowed the ad hoc bundle to be used till it is finished, as the effect of putting it to one side and switching to the new contract bundle means I lose wahtever I haven't used by month end.
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Just a technicality issue here - Ad-Hoc data bundles are by definition a type of Contract Data Bundle and cannot be purchased using a pre-paid SIM Card, the correct terminology to use above would be PPDB [Pre-paid Data Bundle].
 
I understand the rationale of using the bundles (be they contract or ad-hoc) in sequence.

As I said, there are some issues around this (for example never supplying a contract bundle because there was ad-hoc data in the 'queue'), but let me chat to P&S again.
 
vodacom3g said:
I understand the rationale of using the bundles (be they contract or ad-hoc) in sequence.

As I said, there are some issues around this (for example never supplying a contract bundle because there was ad-hoc data in the 'queue'), but let me chat to P&S again.
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Another possible [and more controversial] solution to the Ad-Hoc {CDB_2} inaccessibility problem when a normal contract or Bolt-On {CDB_3} is deemed to be the active CDB against which data usage is deducted, is to dynamically extend the expiry date of {CDB_2} for every day that {CDB_2} was inaccessible due to {CDB_3} being active, such that when {CDB_3} expires or is depleted, {CDB_2} becomes the active CDB against which data usage is deducted, however this would then need to be extended to scenarios where a normal contract or Bolt-On {CDB_4}..{CDB_Z} becomes the active CDB...this would also be extremely complex to implement and would then get all PPDB users upset that their PPDBs do not rollover, which in turn would result in all the normal contract and Bolt-On CDB customers complaining that their CDBs do not rollover...
 
ic said:
Another possible [and more controversial] solution to the Ad-Hoc {CDB_2} inaccessibility problem when a normal contract or Bolt-On {CDB_3} is deemed to be the active CDB against which data usage is deducted, is to dynamically extend the expiry date of {CDB_2} for every day that {CDB_2} was inaccessible due to {CDB_3} being active, such that when {CDB_3} expires or is depleted, {CDB_2} becomes the active CDB against which data usage is deducted, however this would then need to be extended to scenarios where a normal contract or Bolt-On {CDB_4}..{CDB_Z} becomes the active CDB...this would also be extremely complex to implement and would then get all PPDB users upset that their PPDBs do not rollover, which in turn would result in all the normal contract and Bolt-On CDB customers complaining that their CDBs do not rollover...
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OK, now my head just exploded!

Actually, we (seriously) have a position open in Products & Services on the data side. Shall I introduce you to the guys? ;)

Although, you'll do well in legal as well! :D
 
ic said:
Just a technicality issue here - Ad-Hoc data bundles are by definition a type of Contract Data Bundle and cannot be purchased using a pre-paid SIM Card, the correct terminology to use above would be PPDB [Pre-paid Data Bundle].
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Ah, but my 'ad hoc' was in lower case which means that I was using the phrase to mean umm, you know, whatever it means in the dictionary ;)

vodacom3g said:
I understand the rationale of using the bundles (be they contract or ad-hoc) in sequence.

As I said, there are some issues around this (for example never supplying a contract bundle because there was ad-hoc data in the 'queue'), but let me chat to P&S again.
Click to expand...

Thanks (as always).

vodacom3g said:
OK, now my head just exploded!

Actually, we (seriously) have a position open in Products & Services on the data side. Shall I introduce you to the guys? ;)

Although, you'll do well in legal as well! :D
Click to expand...

Can't you get sued for offering someone a job in legal? Well, except for the fact that the lawyers wouldn't get it...
 
Colin62 said:
Ah, but my 'ad hoc' was in lower case which means that I was using the phrase to mean umm, you know, whatever it means in the dictionary ;)
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Yes, except that when posting here, this forum's already established terminology and the contextual application thereof, supersedes the vanilla definitions that one finds in a dictionary [just running with that legalese aspect of my personality that v3g hinted at] :p :D.

In layman's terms, what I meant was, that one should write "PPDBs" when one means PPDBs, and Ad-Hoc when one means Ad-Hoc CDBs, so as to avoid any confusion that might otherwise arise...:)
 
ic said:
Yes, except that when posting here, this forum's already established terminology and the contextual application thereof, supersedes the vanilla definitions that one finds in a dictionary [just running with that legalese aspect of my personality that v3g hinted at] :p :D.

In layman's terms, what I meant was, that one should write "PPDBs" when one means PPDBs, and Ad-Hoc when one means Ad-Hoc CDBs, so as to avoid any confusion that might otherwise arise...:)
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Ok, you've trumped me there.

And if I'm going to be brutally frank, I didn't realise that the terms were that clearly defined. (I've always seen a pre-paid bundle and an ad hoc bundle as equivalent - purely because they cost the same.)
 
Saule said:
How about AD-Hoc CBDs expiring at the end of the following month in which it was bought?:D [Which could in effect be as long as 60days.]
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IMO an excellent idea :), but I don't think it will happen for several reasons including the PPDB customers' green with envy issues I mentioned earlier...
vodacom3g said:
I'm sure with the data-bundle description ic gave, there must be some shark in his ancestry ;)
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Not AFAIK :).
Colin62 said:
Ok, you've trumped me there.

And if I'm going to be brutally frank, I didn't realise that the terms were that clearly defined. (I've always seen a pre-paid bundle and an ad hoc bundle as equivalent - purely because they cost the same.)
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Yep, we've been having it - for several years now :D.
 
ic said:
IMO an excellent idea :), but I don't think it will happen for several reasons including the PPDB customers' green with envy issues I mentioned earlier...Not AFAIK :).Yep, we've been having it - for several years now :D.
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Yep, that is what I though too, but I just put my idea out there in case V3g was feeling in generous mood:D.
 
Confusion about ad-hoc data bundle expiry

I bought a 1Gb ad-hoc bundle on the 20th August. The Terms and conditions read:

Terms and Conditions
* Unused in-bundle data expires 30 days from date of purchase.

I log into Vodacom4me, check my balances and get:

Adhoc Data bundles
Bundle Month Threshold Used Bundle Remaining Bundle Expiry Date
AGG1 Adhoc One August 1.00GB 103.33 MB 920.67 MB 31 August 2008

Indicating that my ad-hoc bundle, bought on the 20th will expire on the 31st August.

Which is correct? And who do I complain to if my bundle is cut off on the 31st?

Thanks, Ken
 
Make sure you loaded an Ad-Hoc bundle, and not a Month Only bundle. AFAIK, the Ad-Hoc bundle last 30days, whereas the month only bundles last to the last day of the month you purchased it.
 
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