A Message for those WHO Change their Plans, and going forward on Prepaid

[makkahn28]

It always seems some people do not fully understand how the system operates in a prepaid system when changing plans. Here's a FULL break-down:

When you wish to change your current plan for either a promo or a different plan (hence a new plan), you ARE GIVEN 2 OPTIONS:

Option 1) Immediately/Retroactively

• Warning: ALL remaining base-plan data (NOT add-on data) will be FORFEITED. It will NOT carry over to the new plan you picked and activated immediately. Also, your renewal cycle will begin right away, on the date of immediate activation, basically a new service period (of either 30-90 days) starts. 

• Warning: any remaining days and data on the current plan will NOT be prorated, meaning you will NOT receive any credit back at all. 

• Warning: if you click "Activate immediately/Retroactively", please ensure you have sufficient funds to cover your new plan. Failure to do so will result in account going into suspension.

• Warning: if you were on a promo plan that is no longer available, you will NOT be able to return to that plan.

Option 2) Next renewal cycle

• Then you continue on with current plan on hand until your new billing period arrives. 

• Then your current plan will be changed automatically to the new plan you chose in the self-serve portal.

With both options, all add-on's, like long-distance and data add-on, will carry over to your new plan.

Hopefully this will clear up the confusion, and people understand... 

[CS_Agent]

Hey @makkahn28

Thank you for your helpful article!

I do see you've made some modifications, since your original post and it surely looks much clearer now and surely customers will appreciate your insight 🙂

Cheers!

Ashley

[dna2016]

@makkahn28, unlike everyone else in this thread I was ok with your bold and CAPS.  To be honest I send emails to directors, VPs, and of course staff at the bottom of the pyramid, on a daily basis, and I work for a large global company so my sample size and different demographics is quite large.  And unfortunately everyone at all levels have selective reading and no matter how much emphasis you put they always still find a way to eff things up.  

I think everything you said was clear and made absolute sense especially for newcomers to PM.  Gotta Always simplify what you say without missing a step, and i think you pretty much captured it all.  You must have taken a good amount of time, thought, and effort putting this together.  Hopefully this helps some people.  

Good job.

[Jessica_T]

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@makkahn28 wrote:

True, BUT IF there are people who may have literacy or dyslexic, which still does exist at times, there must be ways to explain.

Better to be complete than limited.

Always room for improvements

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@makkahn28YOU are DOING the OPPOSITE of COMPLETE. YOU are BEING LIMITED by ONLY DESIGNING a GUIDE to the FEW. IF YOU WANT TO be COMPLETE then write at least TWO GUIDES

You are doing the opposite of complete. You are being limited by only designing a guide to the few. If you want to be complete, then write at least two guides.

[makkahn28]

True, BUT IF there are people who may have literacy or dyslexic, which still does exist at times, there must be ways to explain.

Better to be complete than limited.

Always room for improvements

[mimmo]

@makkahn28 no need to be a graphics designer.   Have a look at some of the other tutorials that have been posted before.

Titles, bullets and spacing are typically all you need.

[Jessica_T]

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@makkahn28 wrote:

Though I may not have the Finesse of a Graphic Designer per say, I do try to break it down as best as possible

Wonder, How would it be done IF it was in Pictures instead of Words?

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@makkahn28Up to you but I think simple letters and words exactly like this post that you just made would be fine. Straight to the point. No caps lock, no underline, no colors. There is no need for graphic designer finesse when a few simple English sentences would suffice.

Read any post from the knowledge base and try to make yours look the same.

[makkahn28]

Though I may not have the Finesse of a Graphic Designer per say, I do try to break it down as best as possible

Wonder, How would it be done IF it was in Pictures instead of Words?

[mh1983]

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@TMS wrote:

80s flashback with all these colours. 

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I was reminded of Geocities websites!

[Jessica_T]

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@makkahn28

Go to the library and randomly pick 5 adult informational or educational books. Open the books. Pick any page at random and read any line. Does that line resemble A, B, C, D, E or F?

A) HOPEFULLY THE cat made ITUP the tree.

B) Hopefully the cat made it up the tree.

C) Hopefully the catMADE IT up the TREE.

D) hoPEFULLY the CatMADE it UP thE TREE

E) HOPEFULLY the Cat MADE itUP thETREE

F) HopEFUlly the cat made it up THE tree.

[TMS]

80s flashback with all these colours. 

[mh1983]

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@makkahn28 wrote:

Tried to make the Message CRYSTAL CLEAR and in the areas that need to be highlighted and MARKED in Certain Colours

This way, People know and understand what is states, and know that these are the guidelines

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This can actually have the opposite effect of what you intended. I think your overreliance on emphasis dilutes the otherwise excellent points in your post.

[Jessica_T]

@makkahn28My eyes are bleeding after trying to read this.

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@makkahn28 wrote: IMMEDIATELY/ RETROACTIVELY

BUYER BEWARE: ALL REMAINING BASE-PLAN DATA, NOT Add-On DATA, will be FORFEITED, it will NOT Carry Over to NEW Plan you Picked and Activated Immediately/ Retroactively. Also, YOUR Renewal Cycle will BEGIN AT POINT of Activation, BASICALLY Anew SERVICE Period, either 30 OR 90 DAYS

ANOTHER WARNING: IF you CLICK ACTIVATE IMMEDIATELY/ RETROCTIVELY, PLEASE ensure YOU have SUFFICIENT Funds to COVER

FAILURE WILL result in ACCOUNT going into SUSPENSION

FINAL WARNING: IF you were on a PROMO Plan PREVIOUSLY AND it's NO LONGER Available, you will NOT be able to RETURN to that PROMO

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@makkahn28 wrote:

Tried to make the Message CRYSTAL CLEAR and in the areas that need to be highlighted and MARKED in Certain Colours

This way, People know and understand what is states, and know that these are the guidelines

 @makkahn28 Everyone is telling you that marking in random colors with capital letters and changing around the font options make this less clear. If you want to help, please work on your delivery.

Have you ever seen anyone do this before when trying to explain something? This is extremely difficult to follow.

[makkahn28]

Tried to make the Message CRYSTAL CLEAR and in the areas that need to be highlighted and MARKED in Certain Colours

This way, People know and understand what is states, and know that these are the guidelines

[Anonymous]

And please, for craps sake, stop with the caps! Again. 

[Someone_here · Accepted solution]

@makkahn28

Not to complain, but I have to agree with others here and on your other post. I stopped reading at "BUYER BEWARE"... that's too much for me sorry.

Please please please... For a given word/group of words, use only caps, or only color, or only bold, or only underline... And if some sections are more important, than a combination of two of the abouve should suffice.

Well, my 2 cents 😉

EDIT: In my opinion, it is not "CRYSTAL CLEAR" if people don't read it at all 😉

Here how it could be done, still a lot of color, but at least more readable:

It always seems some people do not fully understand how the system operates in a prepaid system when changing plans. Here's a FULL break-down:

When you wish to change your current plan for either a promo or a different plan (hence a new plan), you ARE GIVEN 2 OPTIONS:

Option 1) Immediately/Retroactively

• Warning: ALL remaining base-plan data (NOT add-on data) will be FORFEITED. It will NOT carry over to the new plan you picked and activated immediately. Also, your renewal cycle will begin right away, on the date of immediate activation, basically a new service period (of either 30-90 days) starts. 

• Warning: any remaining days and data on the current plan will NOT be prorated, meaning you will NOT receive any credit back at all. 

• Warning: if you click "Activate immediately/Retroactively", please ensure you have sufficient funds to cover your new plan. Failure to do so will result in account going into suspension.

• Warning: if you were on a promo plan that is no longer available, you will NOT be able to return to that plan.

Option 2) Next renewal cycle

• Then you continue on with current plan on hand until your new billing period arrives. 

• Then your current plan will be changed automatically to the new plan you chose in the self-serve portal.

With both options, all add-on's, like long-distance and data add-on, will carry over to your new plan.

Hopefully this will clear up the confusion, and people understand...  

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[stonechucker]

@makkahn28, this is a great post, but the entire post looks like a huge, non-working hyperlink.

Also, all add-ons are retained in an immediate plan change, there is no billing but rather a renewal date.