Data Plan Usage and Free Additional Data Add-ons

[Villefranche]

My wife and I both have the same plan: 100 minutes of talk and 250MB of 3g Data. 

My account shows my usage of the current month's data plan first, and when I go over 250MB it automatically starts using one of my 3 or 4 free add-ons.  My wife's on-line plan details show that she also has 250MB of data per month, but when I look at her current usage numbers, that line item doesn't show, and her current month's usage seems to be coming from one of her free add-ons.  Does anyone know why there is this inconsistency?  Why isn't my wife's account showing the data plan she buys every month so that she too uses the monthly 250MB up before accessing one of the free data add-ons while mine appears to be accessing the data plan I pay for in each 30 day billing period first?

[Anonymous]

 @schultzter : Yup. We've wondered about it all this time. But then I wonder...for how long? Maybe they show the data line and that it's 250 / 250. But your data isn't working. Ok. What's more intuitive...seeing it's 250 of 250? Or just not there? Then for how long? Next renewal? What about an add-on? Maybe add-ons drop off but plan data and minutes (and the old limited texts) just show that they're at maximum. Maybe.

But it seems this place barely responds to feedback so we all continue to wonder.

[schultzter]

Seriously?! 

That makes absolutely no sense to actively obfuscate information and make it more difficult for customer's to self-service!!! Especially since everything is supposed to be self-serve!!!

[Anonymous]

 @Villefranche 

Yup. That's been suggested for years. It was just a year or so ago that they added the bit of text saying that if you don't see a feature then you've used it.

Did you get a 100% text? Or did it just stop working?

[Villefranche]

Thanks everyone. 

As of this morning I now see that I have just used up all of my monthly data and now my account also no longer shows that line item.

Just a tip for the company reps if anyone is monitoring this forum: it might help avoid confusion if the line item for monthly data usage showing the total value of data used for the month with no data (or talk time) remaining stayed on the user's data/talk minutes usage history summary page when the pre-paid amounts are completely used up, rather than just having it disappear completely from the summary information.  In other words, in "My Data & Add-Ons" in my case under "Data & Add-Ons" it would say "250 MB at 3G speed" and under "Amount Used" it would say "250.00 / 250 MB".

[AE_Collector]

@Villefranche 

Your wife likely knows my wife. My wife is much more likely to go through her data and start into the freebie data plans then I am. But I know better than to suggest checking for free wifi if out at one spot for a bit and using the phone data.

AE_Collector

[darlicious]

@Villefranche 

Actually @metropublic brings up a good point. Occassionaly autopay can fail if you want to be100% sure that you do not lose your service (even briefly) then you should manually pay for your service a day or two ( or an hour or two) before renewal. I also take a screenshot of my overview page. Then the first day of my new 30 day cycle I log in and take 2 screenshots one of the overview and the other of my payment history for my records. Then if something unusual happens like your data not resetting correctly you can prove it didn't reset vs being pretty sure based on a hunch.

[metropublic]

@Villefranche  It means that your wife used up all her 250 MB and that is why you don't see the 250MB counter anymore. To confirm that her 250MB counter gets reset properly check her selfserve account just after her plan renewal to see if the counter shows up on her selfserve account.

If you think there is a problem and her counter does not get reset after each plan renewal then submit a ticket and ask the Moderator Team to investigate.

[JoyLuck]

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@Villefranche wrote:

My wife and I both have the same plan: 100 minutes of talk and 250MB of 3g Data. 

My account shows my usage of the current month's data plan first, and when I go over 250MB it automatically starts using one of my 3 or 4 free add-ons.  My wife's on-line plan details show that she also has 250MB of data per month, but when I look at her current usage numbers, that line item doesn't show, and her current month's usage seems to be coming from one of her free add-ons.  Does anyone know why there is this inconsistency?  Why isn't my wife's account showing the data plan she buys every month so that she too uses the monthly 250MB up before accessing one of the free data add-ons while mine appears to be accessing the data plan I pay for in each 30 day billing period first?

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In self service if you do not see the 250 MB listed it means that it has been used up.

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@Villefranche 

Once you use all of your plan data or for that matter limited minutes or add ons they disappear once depleted.