bhavv
06-11-2007, 10:49 PM
I recently upgraded on my (Ex) Advange Plan with T-mobile and experenced a few nasty problems. The advantage plan was an emplyment benefit that T-mobile used to give out to some companies, and granted their employees a 50% line rental reduction for life like T-mobiles own staff discount.
Prior to the upgrade, I E-mailed and called both the Advantage plan helpline and customer services and asked if the tariff I wanted was compatible with the discount. I were told a definate yes all three times, and I managed to get the E-mail department to offer me a free K850i (Long but irrelevant story there lol). So after the K850i was released, I called to upgrade and the person doing the upgrade confimed everything I had previously been offered was correct - Web'n'walk Max with Flext 35, Free K850i, and I could retain my advantage plan and only pay £28.75 a month for this. Obviously this was an amazing deal and I took it.
However, two days later and my tariff changed to the new one, but the advantage plan was removed from my account. So I called customer services who and the lady I spoke to said that this had also happened to her with her staff discount when she upgraded and that all I had to do was call the advantage plan number and they would put the discount back on. So I call them, and firstly ask without going into my account details if the tariff I chose was compatible with the discount, and again was told yes, all the current tariffs are compatible. So then I asked why my advantage plan was removed when I upgraded and if they could put it back on for me. They tried to put it back on and then said:
'Unfortunately the web'n'walk max tariff you are on doesnt allow us to add the advantage plan to it, the only way to get it back would be to cancel your upgrade, return the phone, revert to your old plan with advantage plan and upgrade again. Also it doesnt say anywhere on your account that you were offered to keep the advantage plan when upgrading'.
At this point my heart nearly stopped working. I was in shock and sickened by the response and spent a while aguing the T+C of the advantage plan, that it was a lifelong deal and that everyone I had asked had said I would still get it on my new tariff after upgrading. They still wouldnt change their attitude and still said the only way I could get my discount back was by cancelling the upgrade. I rang two more people and they all said the same thing, first I ask is this tariff compatible and they all said yes. Then when I ask to reactivate the advantage plan they said no it cant be done on that tariff!
So I then called customer services to cancel the upgrade explaining what had happened, and also requested to speak to the person that had done my upgrade. She called me an hour later apologising for what had happened and said that as far as she was aware I should still have my advantage plan and that neither she nor the upgrades department were responsible for me losing it. So she offered to call the advantage plan team for me to sort it out and get it added back on and guess what?
..
..
..
They refused to reactivate the advantage plan at the request of the upgrades and loyalty department. She was pretty much as frustrated as I were about this and went to speak to her manager about it. Apparantly if I would have cancelled my upgrade and had done it again with the same tariff change, she said it would get removed again because it wasnt within the upgrade departments power to keep the advantage plan on the account even though I had been assured so many times that I could keep it. Because of this she offered me a direct 50% line rental reduction through the loyalty team with no expiration date and a note saying that it cant be cancelled untill I choose to end the contract and she assured me that I would still be able to upgrade every 18 months and keep this discount.
So it was sorted out in the end, but I think anyone reading this can tell how much I were screwed over losing my advantage plan and nearly being forced to cancel my upgrade to get it back. If I hadnt been able to contact the person that had done my upgrade, I would have had no chance at keeping this offer.
Prior to the upgrade, I E-mailed and called both the Advantage plan helpline and customer services and asked if the tariff I wanted was compatible with the discount. I were told a definate yes all three times, and I managed to get the E-mail department to offer me a free K850i (Long but irrelevant story there lol). So after the K850i was released, I called to upgrade and the person doing the upgrade confimed everything I had previously been offered was correct - Web'n'walk Max with Flext 35, Free K850i, and I could retain my advantage plan and only pay £28.75 a month for this. Obviously this was an amazing deal and I took it.
However, two days later and my tariff changed to the new one, but the advantage plan was removed from my account. So I called customer services who and the lady I spoke to said that this had also happened to her with her staff discount when she upgraded and that all I had to do was call the advantage plan number and they would put the discount back on. So I call them, and firstly ask without going into my account details if the tariff I chose was compatible with the discount, and again was told yes, all the current tariffs are compatible. So then I asked why my advantage plan was removed when I upgraded and if they could put it back on for me. They tried to put it back on and then said:
'Unfortunately the web'n'walk max tariff you are on doesnt allow us to add the advantage plan to it, the only way to get it back would be to cancel your upgrade, return the phone, revert to your old plan with advantage plan and upgrade again. Also it doesnt say anywhere on your account that you were offered to keep the advantage plan when upgrading'.
At this point my heart nearly stopped working. I was in shock and sickened by the response and spent a while aguing the T+C of the advantage plan, that it was a lifelong deal and that everyone I had asked had said I would still get it on my new tariff after upgrading. They still wouldnt change their attitude and still said the only way I could get my discount back was by cancelling the upgrade. I rang two more people and they all said the same thing, first I ask is this tariff compatible and they all said yes. Then when I ask to reactivate the advantage plan they said no it cant be done on that tariff!
So I then called customer services to cancel the upgrade explaining what had happened, and also requested to speak to the person that had done my upgrade. She called me an hour later apologising for what had happened and said that as far as she was aware I should still have my advantage plan and that neither she nor the upgrades department were responsible for me losing it. So she offered to call the advantage plan team for me to sort it out and get it added back on and guess what?
..
..
..
They refused to reactivate the advantage plan at the request of the upgrades and loyalty department. She was pretty much as frustrated as I were about this and went to speak to her manager about it. Apparantly if I would have cancelled my upgrade and had done it again with the same tariff change, she said it would get removed again because it wasnt within the upgrade departments power to keep the advantage plan on the account even though I had been assured so many times that I could keep it. Because of this she offered me a direct 50% line rental reduction through the loyalty team with no expiration date and a note saying that it cant be cancelled untill I choose to end the contract and she assured me that I would still be able to upgrade every 18 months and keep this discount.
So it was sorted out in the end, but I think anyone reading this can tell how much I were screwed over losing my advantage plan and nearly being forced to cancel my upgrade to get it back. If I hadnt been able to contact the person that had done my upgrade, I would have had no chance at keeping this offer.