New bigger FlexT bundles (for existing customers too!)

[Guest xspyda]

Thanks for the update shadamehr.

On the back of all the problems I have been having since the 'upgrade' and after talking to several people with no clue in Customer Services, I fired my complaint off. I am sure T-Mob will be receiving a LOT of complaints about this once people realise what's going on!

I am pleased to say that having received a phonecall from Head Office, things are now resolved as far as I am concerned - with my tariff back to exactly the way it was pre upgrade (something I was told could not be done).

During my conversation I was told that I should have been advised of the changes between the two plans. The new plans are not (as I thought) simply a better version of the old plans - they are in fact completely different!

In my case I lost the ability to use IM from my phone, I lost my 25% Go-Direct discount and voicemail became chargeable!

Once I had finished the telephone conversation and the changes had been made to revert my plan, everything worked exactly as it should!

In case anyone is still considering asking to switch to one of the new plans, my advice is DON'T!

Note: Perhaps there should be a warning added to the first post in this thread for those that don't make it this far down?

[Guest Confucious]

I was warned that I couldn't have W'n'W Plus so didn't change.

AFAIK no one has been told about the voicemail bit - well spotted Shad!

Glad you are sorted xspyda -although you shouldn't have had the hassle at least they did get it sorted. As the 25% is for life I was very surprised they took that off.

[Guest xspyda]

I was warned that I couldn't have W'n'W Plus so didn't change.

AFAIK no one has been told about the voicemail bit - well spotted Shad!

Glad you are sorted xspyda -although you shouldn't have had the hassle at least they did get it sorted. As the 25% is for life I was very surprised they took that off.

I was never given any such warning, unfortunately. In fact I was told nothing would change other than the included allowance.

Yep. I am pretty sure I could have gone down the compensation (or goodwill gesture route) as well but to be honest I just wanted it sorting.

Quite right though,I should not have had all that hassle and had to go to those lengths. At least the lady I spoke to acknowledged that too though.

I have to admit, once the right people got involved it was all resolved very rapidly. Better training needed methinks!

[Guest shadamehr]

I agree with you xspyda though...

Paul, given the SIGNIFICANT DETRIMENTAL changes these new bundles/allowances ALSO come with, (WnW Plus issues or not possible/Data issues/IM Not permitted/Chargeable Voicemail, plus who knows what else is hidden in it), can you please add these to your first post in this thread, so people are aware, the downside can pretty much equal, or for some such as me, far outweigh, the pluses, of these extra limits...

Would be prudent and helpful.

Cheers.

[Guest Confucious]

I've already PM'd Paul on this, so hopefully he will.

[Guest andrewkeith5]

I'm confused:

firstly, flext 25 (the package i'm on which is perfect for me) seems to have completely disappeared...does this mean that when i come to upgrade or change my phone i can't have it anymore?

secondly, my allowance (the old package) doesn't inlude voicemail as far as i'm aware...it always seems to be billed on top

thirdly...i'm very confused as to these web 'n' walk oddities...i'm on w'n'w standard and subscribed in january, well after the new restrictions supposedly came into place, but i get everything - IM, phone/modem use, HSDPA, without problems...

[Guest Confucious]

1) You should be able to keep your existing package when you renew

2) Maybe it was only on the higher packages? It's always come out of my allowance on Flext35 - or maybe they changed it for new contracts some time ago?

3) IM and modem use are specifically excluded from W'n'W std - they maybe there but you are breaking the terms of your contract if ypu use them (or so I believe). As for HSDPA - are you actually getting HSDPA speeds?

[Guest shadamehr]

Duplicating Confucious to a large extent here, but to also offer:

1) You can stay on your 'old' package as long as you like, even when upgrading handsets, on completion of contract dates. As long as any add-ons, bolt ons, and such that you may, over time, add to your account, don't make it impossible for them to keep you on the old package. But if things are much the same when you come to upgrade, and you want to stay as you are, and just take out a new handset, this should be fine. Make sure you enforce this upon them at the time however - that you do not want ANY change to your existing package etc. That gives you scope for complaint and action if they cock anything up.

2) I'm confused too about chargeable Voicemail, but as Confucious says, it might be due to it being a lower value tariff - why not ring them up and check, pointing out your not on the NEWER Flext tariff, your on the OLDER lower allowance value one, but yet Voicemail has always been CHARGEABLE for you, how is that? Then let us know what they say?

3) I too can pretty much use all the options you list, but just like Big C says, that doesn't mean I am ALLOWED/AUTHORISED or MEANT to. So for genuine honesty and clarity, suffice to say I have tethered my phone to a pc ONCE, in order to get drivers needed for a friend's Broadband service downloaded to his PC, and I use 'streaming' once or twice a month at most, for about five minutes, to use my SlingPlayer on my Symbian phone, merely to set anything I have forgot or missed in Sky+ (I don't really watch it at all, is the next obvious response, but if I do, it's via WiFi for free in MacDonalds etc). And as MS now CHARGE for Messenger on a Mobile/Symbian, I don't use this at all now. So I 'can' do all those things too, but it doesn't mean I am authorised too, and thus is why I don't as such, barring the minor exceptions mentioned on very rare and short occasions, which to the spirit of things, I am sure T-Mo are ok with perhaps.

Hope this helps.

And Big C, Paul will be far too busy to update the first page post, now that he's a famous Notorious Hacker, according to today's el reg *lol* :

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/07/16/ma..._osx_onto_wind/

[Guest Confucious]

And Big C, Paul will be far too busy to update the first page post, now that he's a famous Notorious Hacker, according to today's el reg *lol* :

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/07/16/ma..._osx_onto_wind/

But it says

Man hacks Mac OS X onto MSI Wind

Sureley he's much more than just a mere 'Man'?

:D

[Guest andrewkeith5]

Right, heres the official reply from Nikki at customer services when I rang today:

1) All new pay monthly price plans after 17th October 2007 have voicemail chargeable as standard, and do not include voicemail in the allowance

2) Paperless billing is being trialled at the moment on a random selection of customers. Once the trial is over (I wasn't told how long it would be), then if succesful paperless billing would become the default and you will have to opt-in to paper billing

3) Flext 20 and 25 are gone, are no more. Upgrades and existing customers can keep the plan. I was reccomended that the Combi 25 plan would be a better option for me, however my flext "go-direct" discount would be lost, meaning I'd have to pay £5 more a month for 150 minutes I would most likely not use. I would personally reccomend that if you are on flext 20 and 25 and benefit from any discounts to stick with that plan for as long as you can unless you need to upgrade to a higher flext plan

and theres the answers to my questions....thanks for your input guys.

Just to clarify, by default any discounts will be lost if you change your plan, so make sure you definately and clearly inform CS that they are to be kept (which I believe they can do), the only time it is nigh-on impossible to keep discounts is if you are changing between types of plan (for example Flext>Combi or Combi>Solo)

Andrew

Edited July 16, 2008 by andrewkeith5

[Guest Confucious]

I was told my 25% was for as long as I stay with T.

When it comes to upgrade I will have to make sure I keep the 25%

And the £10

And the £5

Interesting about VM - been 9 Months and Shad was the first to notice...

Thanks for the clarification Andrew - just shows new deals aren't always as good as they seem...

[Guest tsutton]

3) Flext 20 and 25 are gone, are no more.

Interesting, thanks for posting it. I'm on F25 and it's good enough for me. Wonder why they got rid of it...

[Guest xspyda]

I was led to believe the 25%n Go Direct was as long as you stay on a Flext Plan as that's the range the discount applied to way back when ...

[Guest shadamehr]

@ Andrewkeith,

Thanks for the update mate.

But concerning Point 2, just to indicate that even my paper bill this month warns me that I will be moved to e-billing unless I opt IN. To do so a user simply needs to:

Text the word "bill" to 49015 for FREE, and a confirmation will come back.

But the bill makes it clear, unless I do, I move to e-billing only.

So I would recommend all that wish to stay with proper paper bills too, to text in.

Hope this helps, and thanks for the update on the rest!

@ Confucious...

Yes, we must all be blind, as having read Paul's first post again, and re-visit the website, it does indeed state that Voicemail is chargeable on the new allowances, albeit in the usual small print at the bottom method etc. But I question the date, as I can't see it going back as far as that.

And Paul is just a man, but in the sense of "yes, He's the MAN" a la SpyKids 3D - THE Man! *lol*

[Guest Confucious]

Paperless billing is being trialled at the moment on a random selection of customers.

@Shad - maybe you and I are the only two randomly selected customers?

They will text us the bill total and as mine is always £20.62 i really am not fussed about paper bills so for me it's not an issue but if you want/need your bills I can see that it might be, although you can always 'opt in'

[Guest madferret]

@Shad - maybe you and I are the only two randomly selected customers?

No, I got the notification as well. Nice to be one of the Special Few. :D

1) You can stay on your 'old' package as long as you like, even when upgrading handsets, on completion of contract dates. As long as any add-ons, bolt ons, and such that you may, over time, add to your account, don't make it impossible for them to keep you on the old package. But if things are much the same when you come to upgrade, and you want to stay as you are, and just take out a new handset, this should be fine. Make sure you enforce this upon them at the time however - that you do not want ANY change to your existing package etc. That gives you scope for complaint and action if they cock anything up.

I agree with everything you say, but would add that T-Mo also offer loyalty discounts if you are willing to extend your old contract without taking a new handset. I did this last year and now have £5 discount on top of my original Half Price Line Rental offer! I used the discount to pay for WnW plus (I am still on the original 40MB/month WnW basic tariff), so I get 200 mins + 3GB data for just £16.38 a month.

I've been through the usual CS misinformation process when I've called them but lately, emails via the form on the My T-Mobile page (i.e. not by regular email) have always got through to someone that understands and can sort out the problem. The last couple of times these have also been followed up by 'customer care' calls from Germany to make sure I am happy.

[Guest Confucious]

I got £15 loyalty discount (although it shows as £10 + £5) and was pleased to find it comes off after my 25% discount, not before. I pay £20.62 for Flext35 and W'n'W Plus

Not had any problems with CS myself - guess I'm just lucky!

[Guest WearTheFoxHat]

I was told that they could not give W'n'W Plus on the new allowance so I did not upgrade. Did you lose any other discounts or 'just' the 25%?

Yup, they told me exactly the same.

Although I'm kinda tempted to downgrade to WnW, save the fiver, and put it towards a Three Mobile broadband dongle.

[Guest shadamehr]

I was told that they could not give W'n'W Plus on the new allowance so I did not upgrade. Did you lose any other discounts or 'just' the 25%?

Yup, they told me exactly the same.

Although I'm kinda tempted to downgrade to WnW, save the fiver, and put it towards a Three Mobile broadband dongle.

Sounds like a loads of RUBBISH to me. Because if you visit the T-Mobile site...

• Choose Plans...
  
• Choose Pay Monthly...
  
• Choose something like "18 month Flext 35" (note, NOT the tab or option for Flext AND WnW, obviously).
  
• Then Choose a handset (say for example Nokia E51).
  
• The next stage is Optional Extras.
  
• And in the drop down box for "Internet on Your Phone", you can choose ANY flavour of WnW you wish - standard, Plus, or Max.
  

So clearly, you can NOT have Flext xx + WnW Plus or Max (that is, as a standalone named Tariff, as complete tariffs never really existed as such for Plus and Max as part of Flext - they were always bundle additions).

But you CAN easily now take out a Flext Bundles of the new higher allowance level, BUT now including CHARGEABLE voicemail (I wish Paul would add that to his first post in this thread still!). And then you can add, as a bundle or bolt on, any flavour of WnW you wish.

So absolutely ZERO reason, existing users cannot have the magic button pressed to change them over to the newer higher allowance level Flext plan, AND keeping the same extra flavour of WnW Plus or Max they already have.

Just remember, doing so will affect any loyalty bonuses you have, AND will now mean chargeable voicemail on the newer Flext plans.

[Guest Confucious]

For me, as I never get anywhere near my limit but do, occasionally use voicemail, it still makes sense to stay on my existing plan.

But, yet again, more useful info - thanks Shad.