Text from Three; translation?

[Chrysanth]

From Three the other day;

"Your balance of €20 EUR will expire on May 22, 2022 12:00:00 AM.  Check your balance and options at 3.ie/My3."

My credit balance is quite a lot more than €20.   (And if you've just told me what my balance is, why go to My3 to see what my balance is?)

Or perhaps it should read "€20 of your balance will expire..."?

If so, it might help me understand another text from Three (received March 30th);

"All new topups from May 3rd will expire after 30 days."  Presumably that means an increase of 2 days before we need to top up again?  (Though it sounds a bit as if the last top up amount vanishes if not used within 30.days).  "Existing credit will expire based on the current expiry date.  ......."  (I gave up at that point).

But maybe the recent one is trying to say that a topup of €20 that I did 180 days ago tomorrow is about to expire; that is, be deducted from my balance?  (That would fit in with things I remember; phone credit not lasting forever, and 3Plus suggesting offers to use some on.before it expires).

If so, is the text just a one-off one?  No great problem if I keep getting them, I suppose (as long as I know they're normal and I can just ignore them).

[Three_Bex]

Hi there, this text is likely to be in relation to a top up you purchased 180 days ago. These texts will only come when credit is due to expire, so it won't be a once off but it also wouldn't be a regular text you'd receive. I apologise for any confusion caused 🙂

[Three_Bex · Accepted solution]

Hi there, this text is likely to be in relation to a top up you purchased 180 days ago. These texts will only come when credit is due to expire, so it won't be a once off but it also wouldn't be a regular text you'd receive. I apologise for any confusion caused 🙂

[Chrysanth]

Thank you for the clarification, Bex.

So are our top ups now due every 30 days instead of 28?

Perhaps Three should consider changing the wording of these texts?

I wasn't alarmed (thanks to being used to ambiguities creeping in), but imagine some customers being if it looks like their phone credit has suddenly gone down to 20, then to zero.

[Three_Niall]

@Chrysanth on Prepay plans the number needs to be topped up every 28 days for the plan to be activated but if you have that text that you received on March 30th send us a message with the text and I can clarify this for you. 

[Chrysanth]

 

[Three_Niall]

@Chrysanth The 30 days at the end of the message is the right to cancel your plan within 30 days or before May 3rd without penalty if you do not accept the changes outlined in the text message. The plan remaining active for 28 days until you need to top up again was not part of these changes and remains the same.

[Chrysanth]

Sorry - my mistake!

And I think this topic is now resolved - many thanks.

But I still find "Existing credit will expire based on the current expiry date" hard to figure out.  And the later text about my €20 "balance" being about to expire, confusing.

Just to be clear, I know very well that it's not just Three's info that can be unintentionally confusing.  (And forums where the mods don't just quote what we've already read on the website are to be treasured!).  And it's not just network providers, or the comms industry, or website designers, or even a recent thing - it's all the manuals and other info that have been baffling home/small business users ever since they became a market for devices and software.

I think it's that in most cases, the last person who should be explaining what to do, and in the right order, is the one who's already familiar with the whole thing inside out in their sleep.  I often wonder how many tech experts think to get an outsider to do an edit, or test their software, or try and get something done via the website they've just designed.

Anyway, thank you both for your help.  (All that remains is deciding which post to mark as 'the' solution…).

[Three_James]

Happy to help out. Have a lovely weekend!