When I called to the US, why was it that instead of using my US minutes, it used my international?

[lavieenrose]

I have the 1000 US minutes and I also recently got the holiday bonus (500 international minutes). I called to the US yesterday. I thought I would be using my US minutes allotment, since that's what I bought it for (I would have liked to save my international minutes to call overseas family in another country). How does PM decide which minutes to use first if there are 2+ add-ons that overlap? I thought using up the most specific (US minutes add-on for calls to US) would've been the most logical... apparently not?

EDIT: It looks like it's possible (though unclear) if this is a bug. I have reached out to PM and will let you know of their response. Thanks!

EDIT 2: The Agent told me this:

The free add-ons are going to be used first then the add-ons that are paid.

That is how the system works. In most cases this is a positive thing but indeed, in your situation, it is unfortunate that the 500 minutes are spent when you call the US

[AE_Collector]

@darlicious 

Agreed. PM can’t even correctly report what countries can be called with these plans. The International calling plans will never be logical and self explanatory unless the completely redo it again and put all the old plans into one big bundle of minutes.

AE_Collector

[darlicious]

@AE_Collector 

The add ons are supposed to be coded to know to take from the add on that benefits the customer the most and/or is specific to the country being called. So with the old add ons US calling would come from the $8/200min US/Canada calling add on if given the choice between it and the $15/400 min Canada/US/International calling add on even though at $0.04/min was higher in price than $0.0375/min.

I think the problem for the OP and probably others with the two add ons is the new holiday gift smply wasn't coded correctly. We all know the CSA response is flying by the seat of their pants so its a matter of IT going in and fixing the coding before a whole slew of customers start complaining and want their add ons reset.

[Anonymous]

 @AE_Collector : My main account has paid data and gift data. I seem to be consuming the earliest paid data. It's the $10 plan so it's all add-ons.

When they came out with the Canada LD it got confused with the other Canada/US and used that. This was complained about and they apparently fixed it. Maybe that was the same idea of the more expensive one being used (or the other way around?). Dunno.

[AE_Collector]

@Anonymous 

I’m not disagreeing with that at all, just wondering if my theory may be how they actually programmed it.

I don’t think they could have possibly created a bigger mess of LD plans if they had tried. Generally the rates dropped and more countries were added so that’s good. But as many commented at the time… just sell buckets of LD and have Canada calls be a multiplier of 1, US calls a 1.5 multiplier and up from there.

I haven’t made a LD call since receiving my third International LD calling plan a couple of weeks ago but I occasionally make a call to the USA and I have had minutes removed from each of the International gift plans. 

As for data add-ons most of us on here have several of them received as gifts. So far I haven’t seen data taken from one until the other is used up but…. It doesn’t move on to use the oldest data add-on next OR the smallest one next to quickly get rid of the small stuff. Once a 1GB add-on ran out it headed for my 5GB add-on next even though I had older and smaller unused data add-ons. I know, it’s free so… but as someone who likes neat organized stuff, my list of add-ons is getting to be a freakin mess!

AE_Collector

[Anonymous]

 @AE_Collector : Excellent explanation. Still ain't right. As a customer I would wanna use individual buckets of minutes rather than a grab bag bucket.

[AE_Collector]

So here’s what I’m thinking, maybe it actually uses the lowest per minute plan that will complete the call rather than the plan that is closest to just getting to that country.. if that makes sense. What I’m getting at was the old US was 200 minutes for $8 so 4C a minute. I know the New US plan is more like 1.5c a minute so could it be that the OP’s US plan is the old 4C a minute and the new international calling plan clocks in at less than 4C?

AE_Collector

[popping]

@J_PM Please past this thread to the IT department to update the server to use the US minutes add-on first before using the International minutes add-on reported.  Read the OP post for details.  Thanks.

Happy New Year to everyone and PM team.

[Anonymous]

 @Anonymous : Of course it's for all. But this customer has noticed it so they need to fix it.

It's not right to consume minutes that could be used elsewhere when specific minutes are present.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

yeah your right but the need to fixed it the system code and is not about one customer that issue,, is it for all customer.

[Anonymous]

 @Anonymous : It used to. I had the 400 minutes and the Canada/US. When the Canada-only was introduced, calls to Canada came out of one or the other of the first ones. It made no sense. Complaints were made and they fixed it.

In this case, it should come out of the US-only...not the international. They should fix it. It's not right and fair. The priority should be a specific add-on rather than the general one.

[hTideGnow]

No need to argue.  None of us know how it was programmed (No one work for PM here, right? 🙂  )

Have the OP to open a ticket and will let PM to investigate and decide 

Afterall, you always ask customers to open ticket with PM, don't you?

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

do you think the system take the wrong from Canada LD used to take from the international,

but the OP has also 1000 U.S. Add-ons,, and how the system know to choose for which one 

to take first?

i think the system is right working the first needed to used the Free gifts and when is end to purchase Add-ons.

[hTideGnow]

HI @lavieenrose ,   I agree that PM would be able to fix it.  Since it definitely look like a bug, PM would fix it (Just like when we see unfairness, we report to PM for them to fix)

Please open a ticket with PM and let us know how it turns out.

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

@lavieenrose 

but is a system whatever is the take which first of your used of your Add-ons,,, i don't think so anyone can change that..

---

 @Anonymous : They did change something when they introduced the Canada LD. It used to take from the international. Then they fixed it that Canada calls came from Canada only.

[Anonymous]

@lavieenrose 

but is a system whatever is the take which first of your used of your Add-ons,,, i don't think so anyone can change that..

[Triguy]

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[Anonymous]

 @lavieenrose : You're absolutely right, there should be a priority of consumption. You'll need to contact the CSA's to straighten that out.

It was a problem with the introduction of the Canada LD too.

[HALIMACS · Accepted solution]

@lavieenrose 

If you DON'T have a US Add-on, it will draw from the International minutes which include the US as a calling destination.

HOWEVER, if you have BOTH a US & an International calling add-on, then I agree that PM should be drawing upon the US add-on 1st.

I would request that PM support review this if this is what has been done.  Use the chatbot on the lower right to request Customer Support Agent assistance.

EDIT:   @lavieenrose , below is a more descriptive way of contacting the CSA's:

To contact a Customer Support Agent, there are 2 methods:

1. Use the ticketing system for a faster response time. Click here and type Customer Support Agent, then select contact Customer Support Agent, then select other (or the topic that more closely matches your request).  Click the result which states Click here to submit a ticket and follow the prompts,  or, 
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