tmobile/t mobile dongle

[johannab]

Hello, this may have been covered already and apologies if it has.

 

We have a t mobile dongle /mobile internet USB device. (£15pcm)

 

We are over a year into a 2 year contract. We pay it monthly but my Mother in law uses it (she is in Maidstone,we are in east London).

 

The network is appalling (and its not coz she's in Maidstone,the signal is available there ,in theory). She has continually tried to log on and its fifty fifty as to whether she will be successful or not.Its been getting progressivley worse over the last year. It didn't work at all in May and she used it maybe 3 times in June.She even went to the t mobile shop in Maidstone and they agreed that the network was down 'temporarily' and that even THEY couldn't log on.

 

I am preparing to write them a damning letter but am not sure where to start.We wish to be released from the contract but know we have no chance.My mother in law has made numerous calls to them and one of the representatives even said that we wouldn't be refunded for May and June (when there was no coverage) !!!

 

Where to begin...? what to ask for...? its never been great and in past complaints they have fobbed us off. Its recently been sent back for repair but they have simply replaced the sim and not sent back the connecting lead.We therefore can't even test the thing out as they have sent it back missing a vital component.

 

She has given up on it and signed up for normal BT wireless broadband . If the dongle had been decent then she would not have taken this step.My husband and I are now in possession of a dongle/service that we have no use for . My mother in law would rather spend £15 pcm than continue 'using' something we have provided to her for free lol. Thats an indication of how bad it is.

 

Any advice welcome

[buzby]

Wireless anything can cause problems - not simply issues of coverage (although that it bad enough), but when there IS coverage, yet there is no bandwidth available when the service is used.

 

Since there has been no reported major technical outages, if she's using the dongle at normal internet 'peak' times - then she's in the queue (along with everyone else) for the available bandwidth. This holds true for all internet access. Get her to try the service again but mid morning or early afternoon - if the service is there, then it is simply the sheer weight of numbers using the service that is causing the problem.

 

As there are no service guarantees on consumer BB contracts, users are expected to work round t as best they can - and you're right, it's not a valid reason to terminate your contract.

[johannab]

hi, yes,many thanks for taking the time to reply. I see what you are saying about wireless devices.

Do you think we can even get money back for when there was no service at all? that was in May and most of June.

It has always been erratic and we put that down to the fact it was wireless and not normal broadband...but it literally didn't work for weeks and weeks.Surely that is not normal and not to be expected...

I appreciate your help and realise we are locked in. Its not the end of the world financially,its just frustrating to be locked into something that doesn't work.

She used it at all times of day as she is at home.She couldn't sign on at any time,day or night, and the tmobile shop in maidstone concurred.

[buzby]

Money back...?

 

Well, there's nothing stopping you asking - but as there is no service guarantee they are not obliged to, and any repayment would be based on their own records of system outage (and that means total downtime of the network in a certain area where you cannot make 'calls' not just BB blockages).

 

If you don't ask, you don't get - but be prepared only for 'sweetners' - a future bill credit or something else that requires you to spend money to get some back. As for being locked in to something that doesn't work - you'll find what their obligations are in the contract that was entered into, invariably it will allow for minimal credits, but not the wholesale cancellation of the contract.

 

It is NEVER a good idea to enter into any enforced commitment - consumers do not know when they will need to change their arrangements, and agreeing to any form f lock-in is just asking for trouble. There are always alterntves if you search for them, and I would never, EVER be tied in this way - it is not 'routine' as the networks wish to make you believe. It is a commercial gambit that will haunt them as folk continue to desert the minimum contract model and go for PAYG or 30-day notice deals.

[johannab]

Hi, I will certainly not get locked into anything again after this.

 

I will write to complain about the service with dates and times etc of the lack of service and see what they say. I can but try.

 

thanks again for your wise words.I have much to learn.

 

Once bitten ,twice shy.

[GeorgeIII]

I purchased a T-Mobile Dongle and do Pay as you Go - 30 days.

 

I am unable to attach a picture or file to any email account that I have - it goes so far and then freezes! It isn't too big so I can't understand why I am unable to place any attachments onto an email.

 

I have a Sony Viao laptop, with 4GM.

 

Can anyone help?

[buzby]

It'll probably not be with your BB connection, so T-Mobile won't be of much help. I can think of a good many reasons; Corrupt File, Size limitation on the picture size by your email provider (try sometihng around 100Kb), you've got attachments blocked, you're using an Email program that requires files to be sent from a defined upload directory, that the network is nusy and the file is so big the upload times out.

[GeorgeIII]

Thanks Buzby. I'll give these a go, reduce photo size and email program. Fingers crossed.

[GeorgeIII]

Oh dear, reduced a picture to 88.2KB and still unable to send! Checked all the email providers filters and there doesn't seem to be any restrictions! I also can't download pictures to Facebook or sites like that.

 

Pulling my hair out now!

[johannab]

Hello

, I wil be getting my dongle back from my mother in law in a couple of days. I wil test out the attachment thing you are talking about and let you know if ours allows it. We had various problems with ours and eventually they told us to send it to repair centre. The problem was it was a lot of phone calls before they invited us to return it. They assume that the customer knows nothing and that the equipment is not faulty, but that the customer is faulty.

[buzby]

Oh dear, reduced a picture to 88.2KB and still unable to send! Checked all the email providers filters and there doesn't seem to be any restrictions! I also can't download pictures to Facebook or sites like that.

 

Pulling my hair out now!

 

Do you mean UPLOAD pictures to facebook?

 

This won't have anything to do with email then - as you won't be using an email program to access this. I'm assuming you can view HMML websites and see the web pages without difficulty?

[buzby]

and that the equipment is not faulty, but that the customer is faulty.

 

In most cases, it is - as a configuration or setting error is the customer's responsibility, not the network. Try the dongle in a different PC/Laptop!

[GeorgeIII]

Hi Buzby,

 

Yep I can see the web and pictures with no problem at all. Now I know why people hate Windows Vista!!!!!!

[buzby]

Well I don't - I've has less problem with Vista than with any other Windows version, and I've used them all. If you are getting full web pages, then the dongle is doing what it needs to do - there's no issue there. It'll be a config issue anf may just need a box checked (or unchecked) to fix. The trick is finding which one!

[GeorgeIII]

Buzby, yipee. Got there in the end. Slowly went through all the 'boxes' and found two that I needed to 'tick'.

 

Pleased to report I have now sucessfully sent photo's by email and download a picutre to Face book.

 

Thanks for all your help, couldn't have done it without you. My husbands happy that I'm not tearing my hair out anymore.

[buzby]

Great! Glad it worked out!

[mw0191]

I had problems attaching files and uploading pics! I spoke to T Mobile about it and it turns out they have a faulty batch of dongles. All you need to do is go to the T Mobile website and download a firm ware update for your dongle "problem solved":)

[buzby]

I wouldn't say that the batch was 'faulty' (and I bet they didn;t either). A firmware update can resolve issues with anything from OS incompatibilities to adding new functionality. It is always worthwhile checking if new drivers or firmware is available for anything that causes problems, mobile phones too!

[mw0191]

buzzby that is excactly what the t mobile representaive told me! They have a batch of the older dongles made by huawei.

 

Why can't I upload pictures to Facebook using my Mobile Broadband USB stick 110?

 

 

 

When using a Mobile Broadband USB Stick 110, you may experience problems uploading images to websites such as Facebook. There is now a firmware update to resolve this.

 

This is the type thats faulty:

 

 

[buzby]

All the Huawei stricks had an fimware update late last year, this was across all network locked dongles, so each has a link and a request for a firmware update. If this network says its 'faulty' they're leaving themselves wide open for a SOGA challenge.

[mw0191]

well mine didnt so not everyones did! nevermind just thought it might help some people!