Every once in a while we use up data (god knows how) and need to top up during the billing month.

I have 1GB + 300mb as part of my post paid package and very rarely need to top up during the billing month. If I do have to top up it is normally due to too much use of Google Maps or unexplainable and most probably a glitch by my provider (which they will deny).

My provider in the UAE is Du.

In the 3 week of the billing cycle my phone stopped having data. I couldn’t top up as I didn’t know the text message to use to top up and couldn’t get online until i went to a cafe and asked for their password.

Once I got in touch with Du by Twitter (I can’t talk to the du people on the phone they annoy me so much), they told me what to SMS to top up.

 

 

(Side note – despite so many years requesting for SMS’s to be sent in English only they still persist in sending them to me in Arabic. How hard can it be to allocate me to the English SMS’s!?!?).

Anyway so I sent the message and got this message:

 

Although self explanatory, I entered that i wanted “300MB o”. I didn’t really need 300MB, but thought I might as well and also it would roll over. Yes I know it says Prepaid customers only but it seemed absurd so tried.

However, I wasn’t allowed to top up 300 MB one off.

I tried 1 GB one off.

 

Nope.

I tried online when i got home and found I  could only top up 1GB recurring.

I don’t want to have a recurring 1GB top up. It costs 100AED extra and I don’t need that much. I don’t understand how you cannot top up for an amount of data for a one off.  Do any of the data plans allow for one off top ups or am I the only unlucky one to have a plan that doesn’t allow for it???

So I called Du. The long and short of the conversation was that I had to top up 1GB Recurring but that I could cancel before the 17th November.

 

The man was even nice enough to send me the message to remind me to cancel the top up.

So of course I tried to deactivate the data bundle. Did it work? Of course not!

I tweeted and got slow replies. I had tooth issues so couldn’t speak, so asked for them to just deal with it and cancel this recurring cost I never wanted.

Today I got a call from a Du service guy. He informed me that I couldn’t cancel until the next  cycle on 17 December. Which means I am forced to have this data package that I never wanted for a month more.

I asked him what my data amount would be after the 17 December. 6 times!

I got the answer eventually. I will now have 100mb and not 300 mb.

So in short:

a. I had 1GB + 300mb

b. I tried to top up 300mb but had to top up 1GB

c. Deactivate the 1GB from 17 December as they wouldn’t let me do it on 17 November despite trying to do it by SMS.

d. I will now have 1GB + 100mb.

So they forced me to cough up money for a bundle I never wanted. Now I have requested to go back to my previous package and stop this ordeal they are deducting 200mb off my package.

Awesome.

I have topped up in the UK with my old O2 account (which was also postpaid) and it used to be so easy doing it on the automated system as soon as my data was gone.

It seems like Du want to ensure that it is an ordeal to top up and also want to force us to pay extra. Of course that is the way to win the hearts of the customers, force them into paying more for something they don’t need or want and then penalising them for wanting to be on their package.

I will be escalating this to TRA as well. I’m sure as with other government companies and bureaucracy requirements, I will be required to complete millions of forms with information including my mothers’ maiden name, Emirates ID and what I last ate before I can file the complaint.

*bangs head on table again*.

If you are on Du and have topped up, what has been your experience. Has it been an easier experience or just as difficult (or worse). Would be interested to hear your answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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