"Your current package does not allow for advance data bundles"

[ginggs]

Since porting to Vodacom late last year, a friend of mine has been purchasing 2GB Standard once-off data bundles on vodacom4me as required. I told him about the price reduction in Advanced bundles, so when he depleted his last bundle on Tuesday he logged into vodacom4me and selected the 2.5GB Advanced once-off bundle.

After not receiving the SMS notifying him that the bundle had been activated, he called 155 and after explaining the problem to the operator he was put on hold, after several minutes he was disconnected. A few minutes later he received the following SMS:

please call 082155 for migration as your current package does not allow for advance data bundles, thank you Vodacom

Unfortunately no reference number.

He ended up just buying another Standard bundle instead.

@VD: What does this mean? Why do some packages not allow Advanced bundles?

 

[Ockie]

I have not heard of this problem before. Do you know what package he is on?

 

[ginggs]

I have not heard of this problem before. Do you know what package he is on?

I think it's a Talk240, but I'll confirm.

 

[Ockie]

can you pm me his number asseblief.

 

[ginggs]

I think it's a Talk240, but I'll confirm.

Confirmed, it is a Talk240.

can you pm me his number asseblief.

You have PM.

Broadband Advanced just seems to have been plagued with problems since its inception. Vodacom never ever solved the problem with the speed profile dropping from 7.2 to 3.6 on the 1st of the month, the only reason it has gone away is they no longer differentiate between speeds. I am also a bit wary of recommending Broadband Advanced once-off bundles as there were reports of the OOB=IB falling away on the 1st of the month as well, and I don't know if this has been fixed yet. This is not a problem for Broadband Advanced month-to-month bundles though.

Maybe Vodacom should just do what MTN did and make all of their bundles "Advanced" (i.e. OOB=IB).

 

[Antonf]

Broadband Advanced just seems to have been plagued with problems since its inception. Vodacom never ever solved the problem with the speed profile dropping from 7.2 to 3.6 on the 1st of the month, the only reason it has gone away is they no longer differentiate between speeds. I am also a bit wary of recommending Broadband Advanced once-off bundles as there were reports of the OOB=IB falling away on the 1st of the month as well, and I don't know if this has been fixed yet. This is not a problem for Broadband Advanced month-to-month bundles though.

Maybe Vodacom should just do what MTN did and make all of their bundles "Advanced" (i.e. OOB=IB).

The problem is/was that there's nothing "Advanced" about the bundle to start with. It is only relevant to contract subscribers in any case. Finally, I think you mean Vodacom must make all bundles "Standard" - there are no bugs with them, and just change the rates accordingly?

 

[SlinkyMike]

I told him about the price reduction in Advanced bundles...

Mind repeating what you told him pls?

I have been wondering about this myself...

 

[ginggs]

Mind repeating what you told him pls?

It went something like this:

Vodacom now have the 2GB Advanced bundles for R385 listed on their website, this is the same as you were paying for the 2GB Standard bundles previously, but without the huge penalty for going out of bundle. I can't see them on vodacom4me and Customer Care deny they exist, but if you're going to be using a lot of data this month have a look at the 2.5GB Advanced bundles for R469.

@VD: Any ideas on the packages/migration/Advanced bundle issue?

 

[VodacomData]

Number ?
is there a pending migration ?

 

[ginggs]

After PM-ing VD the number in question I get this reply:

If you do not have a month to month bundle or only have a standard m2m bundle you cannot add an advanced bundle.
You are able to add an advanced month to month if you have an existing m2m advanced bundle, of course it would only actually make sense to a add once off advanced bundle bigger than your m2m bundle as the in and out of bundle rates are the same

 

[SlinkyMike]

@ginggs thatnks for the info.

After PM-ing VD the number in question I get this reply:

If you do not have a month to month bundle or only have a standard m2m bundle you cannot add an advanced bundle.
You are able to add an advanced month to month if you have an existing m2m advanced bundle, of course it would only actually make sense to a add once off advanced bundle bigger than your m2m bundle as the in and out of bundle rates are the same

@Vcomdata: just look at the quote above, can you honestly say that that level of convolution is in any way a necessity? Please push to sort this scene out... the people who are using these bundles are paying top dollar, I am one of them but I can assure you that if this malady lingers any longer, I'm going to opt for an alternative.

 

[morkhans]

If you do not have a month to month bundle or only have a standard m2m bundle you cannot add an advanced bundle.
You are able to add an advanced month to month if you have an existing m2m advanced bundle, of course it would only actually make sense to a add once off advanced bundle bigger than your m2m bundle as the in and out of bundle rates are the same

You have got to be kidding me? On my corporate account I was on 2.3GB BBS M2M and they managed to get it migrated to 2GB BBA M2M (have yet to see it kick in 1st July).

 

[VodacomData]

You have got to be kidding me? On my corporate account I was on 2.3GB BBS M2M and they managed to get it migrated to 2GB BBA M2M (have yet to see it kick in 1st July).

Yours is a migrations his is a normal m2m

 

[morkhans]

Yours is a migrations his is a normal m2m

So he also wants to migrate. I have a M2M BBS bundle on my voice contract and migrated that to a BBA bundle. Surely anyone should be able to do this?

 

[ginggs]

Yours is a migrations his is a normal m2m

No, the number I sent you does not use month-to-month bundles, my friend just wanted to buy a once-off Advanced bundle.

 

[ginggs]

Just to clarify, a contract subscriber cannot purchase a once-off Broadband Advanced bundle unless they already have a month-to-month Broadband Advanced bundle, although pre-paid users can. Am I understand this correctly?

Is this a new rule? Can you point it out in the terms and conditions please?

 

[Ockie]

huh??? now I am lost. I just checked on my personal number on the system, and it give me the option to activate advanced month - month and once off bundles....the same with standard bundles. I dont know if it will go through though as I am not actually going to submit it....dont have money to pay for it hehehe.

 

[VodacomData]

Just to clarify, a contract subscriber cannot purchase a once-off Broadband Advanced bundle unless they already have a month-to-month Broadband Advanced bundle, although pre-paid users can. Am I understand this correctly?

Is this a new rule? Can you point it out in the terms and conditions please?

That is correct , and there are no month to month bundles on prepaid as it is not a subscription service. Therefore any bundles added for prepaid is considered adhoc.

Cant find it in T&C's but that it the way it works.