Dave - do you know what is happening at TPO (mobile operator) at present?

I started using them in June (having discovered them via a post of
yours, in here).
Start of July they breathlessly announced they were about to switch to
4G. Oh and - er - to switch suppliers from EE to Three.
A week later I was unable to refresh my normal 'bundle'. They "fixed"
this, they said, but already it looked like chaos was beginning to
descend.
14th July, my phone went dead with no service at all.
16th July I got an email talking about "problems".
Nothing has happened since: no emails, no service, no bundle existing in
my account.
And NOTHING on their website to indicate that there's anything wrong.
And NOTHING from Google along the lines of "Mobile operator TPO goes
bust".

Do you know anything?

Cheers
John

On Mon, 25 Jul 2016 19:08:39 +0100, Another John wrote:

Dave - do you know what is happening at TPO (mobile operator) at
present?

I started using them in June (having discovered them via a post of
yours, in here).

Eek, don't shoot the messenger!

Start of July they breathlessly announced they were about to switch to
4G. Oh and - er - to switch suppliers from EE to Three.
....
14th July, my phone went dead with no service at all.

What is your phone, can it actually receive a 3 signal? Is there 3
coverage where you are? Do a network scan and see what is out there.
Is it Android? Try Network Signal Info from Kaibits Software, that'll
give you all the gory details.

Do you know anything?

Nope... My phone works but it's contract not PAYG. Will have a dig
about and see if I'm still on EE or silently migrated to 3. later
NSI says EE as Net Operator and Sim Operator as TPO.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:44:12 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

14th July, my phone went dead with no service at all.

What is your phone, can it actually receive a 3 signal? Is there 3
coverage where you are? Do a network scan and see what is out there.
Is it Android? Try Network Signal Info from Kaibits Software, that'll
give you all the gory details.

Forget all that. Just found on the TPO site that if you are without
service since the 14th you need a new SIM. There is an online form to
complete. IIRC it's in the Help section and related to Network
Status.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article l.net,
"Dave Liquorice" wrote:

On Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:44:12 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

14th July, my phone went dead with no service at all.

What is your phone, can it actually receive a 3 signal? Is there 3
coverage where you are? Do a network scan and see what is out there.
Is it Android? Try Network Signal Info from Kaibits Software, that'll
give you all the gory details.

Forget all that. Just found on the TPO site that if you are without
service since the 14th you need a new SIM. There is an online form to
complete. IIRC it's in the Help section and related to Network
Status.

Dave -- thanks a lot for your advice. Regard all the below as mere chat
-- I'm not asking for further advice!


re What you say above .... yes, my initial version of events was
necessarily abbreviated: in fact I did order, and receive the new 4G
SIM last week.
I then went to the web page to activate it, since the new SIM entails
starting up anew with a new operator (3) -- activate a temporary phone
number, PAC code etc etc.

The Activation web page would not work: "An error has occurred". I
figured this was because I ticked the box that says "Send me a PAC
code": see below[1]. So I tried it again without ticking it. I got the
error message again. Maybe the website is swamped, I thought. Tried
again the next day: consistent 'unknown error'.

So I sent a cry for help via their web page. I immediately got an
automatic reply which bounced me back to the
web-page-which-does-not-work *and closed the enquiry*!

I sent another enquiry, carefully not mentioning the 4G system, and I
have heard nothing since -- this was Saturday/Sunday.


[1] The PAC codes are not available: to quote TPO last week "We still
very much hope our network partner will be able to recover your phone
number, but we now understand that it could take longer than we
initially expected to do this." What the heck does that mean?!?!?!?.

Plus: all of this has happened two weeks *before* it was scheduled to
happen. I smell an almighty cock-up somewhere.

I've now ordered a SIM from Virgin Mobile: I have to give up on TPO:
I've been without a phone -- or help -- for 12 days now (very retro!).

As I said: no further comment from you needed. I was kind of hoping that
you'd reply with "Yes! What the hell *is* happening!" but you're
completely unaware of all this, which makes me feel that the almighty
cock-up applies to me alone ... which in turn implies something else :-(

Thanks
John

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:25:02 +0100, Another John wrote:

As I said: no further comment from you needed. I was kind of hoping that
you'd reply with "Yes! What the hell *is* happening!" but you're
completely unaware of all this, which makes me feel that the almighty
cock-up applies to me alone ... which in turn implies something else :-(

TPO are a bit wobbly, I'm not quite sure where the root cause(s) lye.

The first SIM they sent me worked, except for incoming CLI. Something
to do with phone (Samsung SIII Mini), the SIM and "the network". they
made a number of test calls to me to get debugging info but ended up
sending a new SIM.

Then I had a billing issue they charged for what should have been
bundled calls and texts, but only on a Saturday or Sunday... Sorted
after the next billing cycle.

Their forgien use charges are a bit of a pain but not being out of
the country for 20 years paid no attention to that. I'm about to go
abroad but I ain't paying £50 plus plus to enable roaming. I'll just
divert to a VOIP number and get a local PAYG SIM.

They are cheap tho' £4.99/month, for about 10 times as many minutes
as I use, at least double the data, but I do sometimes exceed the
texts but provided that is less than 40 it's still cheaper than the
next bundle up.

If I was looking now Asda Mobile would be high up the list. They
allow tethering and their PAYG bundles are reasonably cheap as well.
And before anyone says "GiffGaff" NFG around here, O2 are a 2G only
service...

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article l.net,
"Dave Liquorice" wrote:

If I was looking now Asda Mobile would be high up the list. They
allow tethering and their PAYG bundles are reasonably cheap as well.
And before anyone says "GiffGaff" NFG around here, O2 are a 2G only
service...

Haha -- the only reason I went to TPO is that I was with GiffGaff, with
whom i was very happy except for one little thing: they use O2, and my
house lies in a big fat shadow of O2 coverage (I eventually
discovered!).

I went to TPO because they use EE -- with whom I'd had good coverage in
the past. 3 weeks after joining them TPO excitedly announced that they
were going to an all-4G network ... using Three.

I never got to find out what *their* coverage is like, because it was at
that point that they seem to have zapped me from their service. Whenever
I send an enquiry (I sent another tonight), I get no response; I still
have an account, but it has NO funds (although I know I have at least
£15 in there).

sigh. Actually I'm quite getting to like this no-phone thing.

John

Another John wrote:

Dave - do you know what is happening at TPO (mobile operator) at present?

if you can get a good "3" signal try a Free mobile operator
( ok it costs 99p to join)

https://uk.freedompop.com

For a communications company it seems they are bad at communicating with
their customers.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
idual.net...
On Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:44:12 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

14th July, my phone went dead with no service at all.

What is your phone, can it actually receive a 3 signal? Is there 3
coverage where you are? Do a network scan and see what is out there.
Is it Android? Try Network Signal Info from Kaibits Software, that'll
give you all the gory details.

Forget all that. Just found on the TPO site that if you are without
service since the 14th you need a new SIM. There is an online form to
complete. IIRC it's in the Help section and related to Network
Status.

--
Cheers
Dave.

I don't understand giff-gaff, even though they nicked my name, I use a
dongle on 3G with them, but seem to need more than 1gig a month, but there
seem to be no other options other than goody bags which has texts and calls
which the dongle does not do of course as its for a machine in a remote
location. Thenwhen you are getting quite low it won't let you pay them any
money to start it anew to be sure it has enough data. It also seems to
suggest they give you a generous buffer but that seems to be not the case as
it all falls back to 2g straight away so the upload I'm doing then says
time lift xx days etc. All I want to do is to be able to say, I need 200
meg for this week, if its about to run out, I'll pay for a new bundle now.
No way to do that. its ridiculaous, and when you try to use their talk to an
agent it sends you around in circles because the thing you need to talk
about is not on their list of things to talk about.
I'm beginning to think that all these companies who use web sites as their
bpublic facing interface to use a buzzy phrase could do worse than simply
employ somebody on a phone line instead. Mind you that person might have
english as their 24th language and be no better. Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
idual.net...
On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:25:02 +0100, Another John wrote:

As I said: no further comment from you needed. I was kind of hoping that
you'd reply with "Yes! What the hell *is* happening!" but you're
completely unaware of all this, which makes me feel that the almighty
cock-up applies to me alone ... which in turn implies something else :-(

TPO are a bit wobbly, I'm not quite sure where the root cause(s) lye.

The first SIM they sent me worked, except for incoming CLI. Something
to do with phone (Samsung SIII Mini), the SIM and "the network". they
made a number of test calls to me to get debugging info but ended up
sending a new SIM.

Then I had a billing issue they charged for what should have been
bundled calls and texts, but only on a Saturday or Sunday... Sorted
after the next billing cycle.

Their forgien use charges are a bit of a pain but not being out of
the country for 20 years paid no attention to that. I'm about to go
abroad but I ain't paying £50 plus plus to enable roaming. I'll just
divert to a VOIP number and get a local PAYG SIM.

They are cheap tho' £4.99/month, for about 10 times as many minutes
as I use, at least double the data, but I do sometimes exceed the
texts but provided that is less than 40 it's still cheaper than the
next bundle up.

If I was looking now Asda Mobile would be high up the list. They
allow tethering and their PAYG bundles are reasonably cheap as well.
And before anyone says "GiffGaff" NFG around here, O2 are a 2G only
service...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 27/07/16 09:46, Brian Gaff wrote:
I don't understand giff-gaff, even though they nicked my name

Sue them


--
Adrian C

Brian,

Have you checked on this recently. Giff Gaff changed the T&Cs about a
year or so ago and they now do allow early repurchase of Goodybags if
you run out of minutes texts or data. You need to have a queued
goodybag and when you activate it you throw away any remaining data on
the existing one (so you don't do it too soon - but I think it can be
set up to occur automajically). I think there is a similar arrangement
for GigaBags.


https://community.giffgaff.com/t5/An...4894237#M63132



On 27/07/2016 09:46, Brian Gaff wrote:
I don't understand giff-gaff, even though they nicked my name, I use a
dongle on 3G with them, but seem to need more than 1gig a month, but there
seem to be no other options other than goody bags which has texts and calls
which the dongle does not do of course as its for a machine in a remote
location. Thenwhen you are getting quite low it won't let you pay them any
money to start it anew to be sure it has enough data. It also seems to
suggest they give you a generous buffer but that seems to be not the case as
it all falls back to 2g straight away so the upload I'm doing then says
time lift xx days etc. All I want to do is to be able to say, I need 200
meg for this week, if its about to run out, I'll pay for a new bundle now.
No way to do that. its ridiculaous, and when you try to use their talk to an
agent it sends you around in circles because the thing you need to talk
about is not on their list of things to talk about.




--
Chris B (News)

Brian Gaff wrote

I don't understand giff-gaff, even though they nicked my name, I use a
dongle on 3G with them, but seem to need more than 1gig a month, but there
seem to be no other options other than goody bags which has texts and
calls which the dongle does not do of course as its for a machine in a
remote location. Thenwhen you are getting quite low it won't let you pay
them any money to start it anew to be sure it has enough data. It also
seems to suggest they give you a generous buffer but that seems to be not
the case as it all falls back to 2g straight away so the upload I'm
doing then says time lift xx days etc. All I want to do is to be able to
say, I need 200 meg for this week, if its about to run out, I'll pay for a
new bundle now. No way to do that. its ridiculaous, and when you try to
use their talk to an agent it sends you around in circles because the
thing you need to talk about is not on their list of things to talk about.

I'm beginning to think that all these companies who use web sites as their
public facing interface to use a buzzy phrase could do worse than simply
employ somebody on a phone line instead.

Trouble is that is much more expensive and so they wouldn’t
be able to keep offering you the cheapest rates that are the
reason you chose to use them in the first place.

Mind you that person might have english as their 24th language and be no
better.

Most would have english as their second language,
and yes, that is certainly worse that those whose first
language is english most of the time. But again, they
do that to keep their costs down and that is the reason
you chose to use them, the lower price for what they offer.


"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
idual.net...
On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:25:02 +0100, Another John wrote:

As I said: no further comment from you needed. I was kind of hoping that
you'd reply with "Yes! What the hell *is* happening!" but you're
completely unaware of all this, which makes me feel that the almighty
cock-up applies to me alone ... which in turn implies something else :-(

TPO are a bit wobbly, I'm not quite sure where the root cause(s) lye.

The first SIM they sent me worked, except for incoming CLI. Something
to do with phone (Samsung SIII Mini), the SIM and "the network". they
made a number of test calls to me to get debugging info but ended up
sending a new SIM.

Then I had a billing issue they charged for what should have been
bundled calls and texts, but only on a Saturday or Sunday... Sorted
after the next billing cycle.

Their forgien use charges are a bit of a pain but not being out of
the country for 20 years paid no attention to that. I'm about to go
abroad but I ain't paying £50 plus plus to enable roaming. I'll just
divert to a VOIP number and get a local PAYG SIM.

They are cheap tho' £4.99/month, for about 10 times as many minutes
as I use, at least double the data, but I do sometimes exceed the
texts but provided that is less than 40 it's still cheaper than the
next bundle up.

If I was looking now Asda Mobile would be high up the list. They
allow tethering and their PAYG bundles are reasonably cheap as well.
And before anyone says "GiffGaff" NFG around here, O2 are a 2G only
service...

--
Cheers
Dave.