Ability to reactivate a suspended account on a new plan without moderator assistance

[srlawren]

Hi PM.  There has been a fairly regular stream of people posting in recent memory asking about an inability to reactivate a suspended account onto a new plan, and being unable to do so.  This came up in a recent discussion in the oracle area, where @Jeremy_M confirmed that this isndeed currently impossible to do yourself in self-serve, and that the system was designed this way.  At Jeremy's suggestion, I'm here to ask for that to change.

Sometime's people circumstances change, and they may need to select a different plan just to restore their service.  I'm sure you could imagine various reasons why this might be needed.  The current system is a bit frustrating as you have to reactive on your current plan and then either (a) schedule a plan change for next renewal and wait, (b) change it right away and forfeit the payment you just made, or (c) contact a moderator for assistance.  If your account was suspended, (b) is almost certainly not an option, and if you are indeed short on cash and needing a cheaper plan for a while to stay in contact, then (a) isn't ideal either.  Which leads most people to (c), or a variation of (c) where they can't just reactivate their previous plan and need help.

I can't see why reactivating and plan change could not be combined into a single step, provided you have or can add the funds to pay for the new plan you want right away.

Thanks for your consideration!

[stonechucker]

All for this!  Bravo to be applied in 3.... 2..... 1.....

[shartomjam]

Another good idea to help reduce user frustration.  The ability to change plans on expiry seems like a very logical thing to be able to do.

[BrrMcGrr]

Agree, this is a step that is needed to aleviate frustration with some users.

[Maturity]

Totally agree with this and I do not understand the reason for this intentional limitation. For me it would be cheaper and faster to just order a new SIM and move to the plan I want. Cheaper because the SIM costs less than even the 10-day plan and faster because the SIM would arrive before even a 10 day plan expires. In my case I purchased a 10-day plan to make sure that Public works with my device. Now I want to turn it on I can't, have to say that I question the point of a self-service carrier if you can't well service your account... Just my $0.02 (which rounds to $0.00 these days) M

[srlawren]

@David_J now that you're back to reviewing some lab ideas, can you please give this one some consideration?  I've been seeing this very frequently lately in the community.  Thank you!

[lockedoutagain]

....absolutely, especially since the other unreasonable frustrating element, is getting locked out of your account because you cannot hatch the verification "question" that is case sensitive as a requirement for restoring either a username or a password!!!! sooooo, because I am new here, and am all for logic, I too started to see the alternative NEED to go Buy a NEW SIM, since with my three month cycle, which did NOT renew on AutoPay, could now only be topped up with multiple vouchers at a $2 premium each.... aaaand in amounts that have nothing to do with the tarif grid !!!!!

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@srlawren wrote:

Hi PM.  There has been a fairly regular stream of people posting in recent memory asking about an inability to reactivate a suspended account onto a new plan, and being unable to do so.  This came up in a recent discussion in the oracle area, where @Jeremy_M confirmed that this isndeed currently impossible to do yourself in self-serve, and that the system was designed this way.  At Jeremy's suggestion, I'm here to ask for that to change.

Sometime's people circumstances change, and they may need to select a different plan just to restore their service.  I'm sure you could imagine various reasons why this might be needed.  The current system is a bit frustrating as you have to reactive on your current plan and then either (a) schedule a plan change for next renewal and wait, (b) change it right away and forfeit the payment you just made, or (c) contact a moderator for assistance.  If your account was suspended, (b) is almost certainly not an option, and if you are indeed short on cash and needing a cheaper plan for a while to stay in contact, then (a) isn't ideal either.  Which leads most people to (c), or a variation of (c) where they can't just reactivate their previous plan and need help.

I can't see why reactivating and plan change could not be combined into a single step, provided you have or can add the funds to pay for the new plan you want right away.

Thanks for your consideration!

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