Problem Accessing My Us Vanguard Account In Chiang Mai

[vagabond48]

Although this is an Internet problem I thought there might be more folks here that may have a similar experience.

I just returned from a 3 week trip to Laos and I wanted to complete my quarterly financial report. I have tried to access my US Vanguard account since I returned last Friday with no success. The last time I logged on to Vanguard was mid September. I am on TOT 2 meg connection, using XP and Firefox. I get the message that "Our logon process is currently unavailable" I tried it dozens of times from 1:30AM tp 3:00AM Friday and Saturday morning with no success. I am in Chiang Mai. I friend of mine living in Pattaya said he had no problems logging on. Saturday afternoon, I went down to a neighbor and using his laptop he was able to log on to my account and get to the 2nd security web page, 1 out of 5 times using TTT 2 meg connection. He also got the same message 4 out of the 5 times it failed. He even tried IE which did work at all. I have tried logging on at 2 different locations, again with no success. I dropped in on my neighbor today and ask if he could try it again but this time he could not log on at all. I can access all their other we pages and if I enter the wrong user ID, it returns correctly with the invalid user ID message so it is recognizing my ID. As I wrote previously, my friend in Pattaya didn't have a problem, although I haven't asked him which provider he is using.

This is the only site that I have this problem with.

Anyone have a clue?

[JimGant]

I think they may have changed their web address, as I too had problems logging on using the address I had bookmarked eons ago, and which had, up to now, worked ok. I Googled 'vanguard,' then wandered thru the results, finally getting to a logon page. I believe the address I arrived at was:

Click here for "Vanguard logon"

However, re-reading your specific problem, and the workarounds you tried, we may be talking two completely different problems. But, good luck anyhow.

[Gumballl]

I think they may have changed their web address, as I too had problems logging on using the address I had bookmarked eons ago, and which had, up to now, worked ok. I Googled 'vanguard,' then wandered thru the results, finally getting to a logon page. I believe the address I arrived at was:

Click here for "Vanguard logon"

However, re-reading your specific problem, and the workarounds you tried, we may be talking two completely different problems. But, good luck anyhow.

That's the same page I used to login. But I to am getting the "Our logon process is currently unavailable" message after keying in my user id. Late last week I sent a query to Vanguard to explain my frustration about not being able to login; I have not heard back from them (other than an automated message stating I would!).

Since mid-September (of course, not on a daily basis) I have been trying to get access to my account, but to no avail. I can only imagine now that my investments have vanished. I will have a word or two with Vanguard when I return to the US. If anyone knows a lawyer (in the MD area), please let me know. Without being able to access my account and exercise any trades, I suspect that my nest-egg has been cut in half.

P.S. I use CAT to access the web. I do not think that access to Vanguard is tied to a particular ISP, unless of course Vanguard is blocking certain IP address ranges.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Gumballl

[philstone]

Although this is an Internet problem I thought there might be more folks here that may have a similar experience.

I just returned from a 3 week trip to Laos and I wanted to complete my quarterly financial report. I have tried to access my US Vanguard account since I returned last Friday with no success. The last time I logged on to Vanguard was mid September. I am on TOT 2 meg connection, using XP and Firefox. I get the message that "Our logon process is currently unavailable" I tried it dozens of times from 1:30AM tp 3:00AM Friday and Saturday morning with no success. I am in Chiang Mai. I friend of mine living in Pattaya said he had no problems logging on. Saturday afternoon, I went down to a neighbor and using his laptop he was able to log on to my account and get to the 2nd security web page, 1 out of 5 times using TTT 2 meg connection. He also got the same message 4 out of the 5 times it failed. He even tried IE which did work at all. I have tried logging on at 2 different locations, again with no success. I dropped in on my neighbor today and ask if he could try it again but this time he could not log on at all. I can access all their other we pages and if I enter the wrong user ID, it returns correctly with the invalid user ID message so it is recognizing my ID. As I wrote previously, my friend in Pattaya didn't have a problem, although I haven't asked him which provider he is using.

This is the only site that I have this problem with.

Anyone have a clue?

Call vanguard they will talk you throw the problem you might have a extra dll your computer this has happen to be before with other brokerage account.

[philstone]

I think they may have changed their web address, as I too had problems logging on using the address I had bookmarked eons ago, and which had, up to now, worked ok. I Googled 'vanguard,' then wandered thru the results, finally getting to a logon page. I believe the address I arrived at was:

Click here for "Vanguard logon"

However, re-reading your specific problem, and the workarounds you tried, we may be talking two completely different problems. But, good luck anyhow.

That's the same page I used to login. But I to am getting the "Our logon process is currently unavailable" message after keying in my user id. Late last week I sent a query to Vanguard to explain my frustration about not being able to login; I have not heard back from them (other than an automated message stating I would!).

Since mid-September (of course, not on a daily basis) I have been trying to get access to my account, but to no avail. I can only imagine now that my investments have vanished. I will have a word or two with Vanguard when I return to the US. If anyone knows a lawyer (in the MD area), please let me know. Without being able to access my account and exercise any trades, I suspect that my nest-egg has been cut in half.

P.S. I use CAT to access the web. I do not think that access to Vanguard is tied to a particular ISP, unless of course Vanguard is blocking certain IP address ranges.

Why can not you trade on the phone Yahoo messenger permits free calls to 1 800 and 1 866 numbers check it out.

[vagabond48]

I think they may have changed their web address, as I too had problems logging on using the address I had bookmarked eons ago, and which had, up to now, worked ok. I Googled 'vanguard,' then wandered thru the results, finally getting to a logon page. I believe the address I arrived at was:

Click here for "Vanguard logon"

However, re-reading your specific problem, and the workarounds you tried, we may be talking two completely different problems. But, good luck anyhow.

Although that is not the log on page I normally use, I did try that one many times but to no avail. Thanks anyway

[vagabond48]

That's the same page I used to login. But I to am getting the "Our logon process is currently unavailable" message after keying in my user id. Late last week I sent a query to Vanguard to explain my frustration about not being able to login; I have not heard back from them (other than an automated message stating I would!).

Since mid-September (of course, not on a daily basis) I have been trying to get access to my account, but to no avail. I can only imagine now that my investments have vanished. I will have a word or two with Vanguard when I return to the US. If anyone knows a lawyer (in the MD area), please let me know. Without being able to access my account and exercise any trades, I suspect that my nest-egg has been cut in half.

P.S. I use CAT to access the web. I do not think that access to Vanguard is tied to a particular ISP, unless of course Vanguard is blocking certain IP address ranges.

I don't think it explains why one friend (in Pattaya) I know has had no problems and why neighbor was able to get in last Saturday, although with multiple tries. Last Friday when the market was frying I called at about 2:30AM using Yahoo messenger and got disconnected from two 5 minute calls with the message, that due to technical problems they could not process my request. Finally on the 3rd call using an alternative method, I got through. Of course, the rep could not help me with my problem. Had I wanted to buy or sell, I would have been able to do so with him so trying to sue them because you could not access your account online, might be a lost cause. Sorry

Vanguard has been problematic for me with their attempt at securing their site. 2 years ago when I came here without my laptop, they did not allow people to access their account (only in Thailand) from public internet sites, siting security reasons. They were the only one of many sites that I access that involve financial including the US government that prevented me from accing my account. I was soooo happy that as they stated "were looking out for my (their) best interests". I was on the phone countless times with managers but with not success. They were either too uninformed or too cheap to update their security log procedure on at that time. The fact internet fraud can happen anywhere in the world didn't phase them. My friends here, used their laptop at internet cafes with the same fraud exposure and logged on, duh. I think their IT management staff was clueless.

[vagabond48]

Call vanguard they will talk you throw the problem you might have a extra dll your computer this has happen to be before with other brokerage account.

Sorry, but that doesn't necessarily explain why I was unable to access the site at 2 other locations (1 public, the other private) without my laptop or that my neighbor 2 days later was also unable to access my account on his laptop. Over the last 5 years (limited memory), I have NEVER had a technical problem with any other financial site other than Vanguard.

I plan to call their webtech support staff number 800 860-8394 8a-7pm m-f tonight but in the past my experience dealing with techs on the phone unless they are 1st level support has been rather disappointing. I was a IT Director in a former life so I have a higher level of expectation.

[vagabond48]

I hope others with a US Vanguard account will reply if they are able to log in and please give some specifics like city, success rate, from where you are logging in (home or public site) and which ISP you are using. Thanks

Edited October 14, 2008 by vagabond48

[cloudhopper]

I just logged in to my Vanguard account with no problem. I recently bought a Mac and could not access my Vanguard account, but could still access it OK via my existing Windows laptop. I called Vanguard tech support at their 800# and they got me access with the Mac. Call them while online as previously advised and they will set you up. You will only be able to access your account from LOS on computers that Vanguard recognizes as belonging to you, e.g. not from cyber cafes. Stop blaming Vanguard, they are only trying to protect you from identity theft.

[Jingthing]

Yes. this IS a real problem.

You have to get a cookie on your machine where Vanguard recognizes your computer as your home computer. One way to do this, call the site using a dialup US ISP from Thailand, this will get a US cookie on your machine, then answer the security questions and you will get the cookie on your computer. Then you will be able to logon later using your Thai ISP on that computer. Another way if you have a laptop, you can get the needed cookie in Singapore. You can also call Vanguard and tell them to open up Thailand for you.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Jingthing

[vagabond48]

You will only be able to access your account from LOS on computers that Vanguard recognizes as belonging to you, e.g. not from cyber cafes. Stop blaming Vanguard, they are only trying to protect you from identity theft.

Perhaps I wasn't clear, I have a laptop and I was able to access my account before I left 4 weeks ago.

Regarding their security restrictions in Thailand, I log on to over a dozen major financial companies and government agencies , Fidelity, TDAMeritrade, HSBC, to name a few and Vanguard (bless their heart) apparently is the only me that is locking me out for my protection? I think it is more likely they are out to protect themselves because they did not have a very secure log on procedure. It did improve some about 6 to 8 months ago. If they were so concerned about ID fraud, they would have to lock out US people overseas in more than 3/4 of the world, Russia, China, India to name a few.

[Gumballl]

I finally received a reply from Vanguard concerning access to my account. Here's their reply:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for contacting Vanguard regarding your online access concerns.

We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced while attempting to

access your accounts through Vanguard.com.

At Vanguard, we are committed to protecting our clients' personal account

information and safeguarding their assets. Vanguard has taken, and will

continue to take, every necessary precaution to safeguard our investors.

As such, we did temporarily restrict online access to the region of the

world from which you were contacting us due to an increased risk of

web-based fraudulent activity. This restriction was implemented as an extra

security measure to protect our clients living or traveling abroad while we

investigated the situation.

You will be happy to know that as of Tuesday, November 14, 2006, online

access restrictions to the public portion of Vanguard.com have been

completely lifted. More importantly, clients residing or traveling in this

area of the world will once again be able to log on and have full access to

the secure areas of our site provided that they are logging on from a

computer that we recognize (i.e., client previously completed our online

Enhanced Security process).

At this time, I would ask that you attempt to log on to our site from a

recognized device. This is the computer that you primarily use for

conducting online activity. Attempts to log on to our site from an

unrecognized device (e.g., a PC at a public location such as an internet

cafe) will result in an error message and you will only be able to access

the public areas of the site.

We appreciate your patience in this matter. If you are still having

difficulty, please call our Voyager Services Department at 1-800-284-7245

and ask to speak with a Web Technical Support Specialist. We are available

to assist you Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Eastern Time.

If you are calling Vanguard from outside the U.S., please call us collect

at 610-669-1000. Our operators are available to direct your call to Web

Technical Support Services Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Eastern Time.

Catherine A Humes

Support Specialist

Vanguard Web Technical Support Services

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It appears the 3rd paragraph from the bottom contain the instructions we need to follow to get access to our accounts.

[Jingthing]

Yes, and that is why if your computer doesn't have the cookie they want to see, you need to get that cookie.

[Gumballl]

Yes, and that is why if your computer doesn't have the cookie they want to see, you need to get that cookie.

I visited the website again, looking for how to get my system blessed, but nothing stood out. Any ideas on how I can get the cookie?

[vagabond48]

Yes, and that is why if your computer doesn't have the cookie they want to see, you need to get that cookie.

I beg to differ. I don't believe in this case, the cookie is the problem unless it got corrupted. I last access Vanguard on my laptop in late September with no problem. I shortly after put my laptop away and took off for 3 weeks. My neighbor, who I asked to try to log on to my account, is an Ozzie and does not have a Vanguard account, so his laptop should not have the Vanguard cookie but using my ID on Saturday, he was able to log on to the 2nd page security (that's as far I wanted him to go on his laptop). He failed to log on the 1st few times but got through about 4 out of 11 to 15 tries, then 2 days later, when I asked him to try again and he was no longer able to log on and btw, he has his own private line while I use the apartment building wireless connection.

Since I returned to Chiang Mai Nov 2007 with my laptop, I have been accessing Vanguard with no problems at wireless public and private connections.

Didn't have a chance to call tech support last night so I will call them tonight and see what they have to say.

[Jingthing]

Yes, and that is why if your computer doesn't have the cookie they want to see, you need to get that cookie.

I visited the website again, looking for how to get my system blessed, but nothing stood out. Any ideas on how I can get the cookie?

Yes, see post #11.

[vagabond48]

I finally called Vanguard web tech. They reset my secret questions on their side and I re-applied them and was able to finally log on.

The lesson learned, don't waste too much time to try to figure out why I can't log on and just call tech support and have them reset their side.

[luvthailand]

I finally called Vanguard web tech. They reset my secret questions on their side and I re-applied them and was able to finally log on.

The lesson learned, don't waste too much time to try to figure out why I can't log on and just call tech support and have them reset their side.

Vanguard recently changed their policy and started blocking access for travelers in Thailand until you call in and answer security questions. My understanding is that this new policy only applies to Thailand and a few countries in Africa. It is a new policy and applies country-wide in Thailand.

For more details, see this thread on the Vanguard bogleheads forum (I can't post a link yet, so you may need to modify this):

www. bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25462&start=0

The reason that folks that were already in Thailand did not have this problem is that they were apparently grandfathered in, either because they have a Thai address or they were primarily already accessing their account from Thailand.

Anyway, I hope this helps (my first post!).

Luvthailand