topic Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification in Get Support

US Addon Expiry Clarification

ShawnC13 — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:11:44 GMT

Just putting this out here so when I get the answer I can update the thread so other know. I received a text last night at 9:02 Pacific on 14 June which would be 1202 Eastern on the 15th, saying my US roaming addon would expire tomorrow. We have always been told that the addons are Calendar days based on the Eastern Time Zone so I thought it would expire at 1200 am Eastern June 16. But it looks like it actually expired sometime today because there has been a glitch where after your US roaming addon expires you can't receive texts. I was receiving texts until 920 this morning and then nothing so that was the first clue that it actually expired today. Now it is just to see if @CS_Agent will answer my PM tonight that I sent 3 hours ago or if I have to wait until tomorrow. Anyways a weird glitch that I will find out the answer and post for others so we can all kind of know when things expire lol

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

NDesai — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 01:02:24 GMT

I would like to know this as well. I will be doing a 7 days trip to the USA in Aug.

Thanks Shawn.

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

will13am — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 01:03:53 GMT

Oh my, so even the clock has problems keeping time! Do you have records of exactly when the add-on was purchased? Just trying to see if there is correlation to timing of the add-on and when the add-on expired today. Maybe through round-off you lost a day in translation.

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

ShawnC13 — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 01:12:09 GMT

@will13am wrote:
Oh my, so even the clock has problems keeping time! Do you have records of exactly when the add-on was purchased? Just trying to see if there is correlation to timing of the add-on and when the add-on expired today. Maybe through round-off you lost a day in translation.

I should have paid attention to the time. It could be close I remember doing it on the 5th two days before I was leaving and it probably was in the morning.

ETA: I should have made a note that I bought it on the 5th that would mean it would expire today but why did my texts work until after noon EST?

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

ShawnC13 — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 04:17:55 GMT

Update texting is back but still would like to get some clarification

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

srlawren — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 18:55:41 GMT

@ShawnC13 if you bought on the 5th (let's assume), then the 5th was day 1. Day 10 would be Thursday the 14th, so yes it would have expired at midnight that night Eastern, the midnight between Thursday the 14th and Friday the 15th. So getting the text at around 9PM Pacific is correct, I think?

The expiry bug does indeed self-correct and the timeframe isn't precise--it's "up to 24 hours" after the expiry. What happens is the add-on expires but does not correctly remove itself from your account; while it sits there expired on your account, it prevents the system from delivering you any inbound SMS messages (MMS do still work FYI). At some point duirng the 24 hours after the expiry, an automated job will remove the expired add-on and the service resumes* again on it's own. Moderator involvement is needed if you cannot wait the "up to 24 hours" and need it resolved right away. Moderator procedure** is to remove the expired add-on manually, and then they message you back telling you to reboot (which wans't necessary in my experience, but it never hurts as a precaution). All of this info was provided to me a while back by @MarieHelene_L, so I believe it to be trust-worthy.

* yes, the incoming SMS will start flowing again. The worst part of this bug is that any messages sent to you between the expiry happening and the add-on actually being removed are completely lost in the ether with no indication to the sender that they were never delivered, nor any indication to you that you missed any messages.

** Every. Single. Moderator should be well versed in this procedure to manually remove the add-on. If they are not, this needs to be brought to the attention of @Shazia_K or @Mary_M.

Re: US Addon Expiry Clarification

ShawnC13 — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 19:12:14 GMT

@srlawren, but the text I received said it would expire tomorrow. So receiving it at 902 PM Pacific that would be the next day eastern and thought it would be another day. Another glitch to this whole thing is that I was receiving texts up until 920 AM Pacific and then didn't receive the ones from my wife at 926? (no I do not have her blocked that would be a death sentence lol)