Dtac Offers Free Call To Affected Customers

[webfact]

COMMUNICATIONS

DTAC offers free call to affected customers

USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Total Access Communications (DTAC) today announces conditional free services to ease customers' outcry over yesterday's service disruption.

Posted on its website: "For prepaid customers, get free calling credit within Dtac numbers for 80 minutes from 11pm-5pm, valid for 7 days. To get this privilege, dial *10250. For post-paid customers, get free calling credit of 100 minutes to any network or 7-day free unlimited internet. To get the privilege, dial *1737."

Customers must make the calls before the end of this month to get the free call/service.

The network failure yesterday could draw it a heavy penalty.

"We will definitely slap a fine on DTAC because this is the fifth network failure in the past year.

"The fine can be in the eight digits or about Bt20 million to Bt30 million," said Takorn Tantasit, secretary-|general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

The watchdog will set up a committee to set the exact fine within four days, he said. The DTAC network has gone down many times. If the watchdog declines to take any strong measure, this will affect its image. It will take a harsher action to punish the carrier if its network crashes again, Takorn said.

He said he believed this fine should be based on Bt1 per number and the 130 million mobile-phone users in Thailand, since the network failure yesterday also inconvenienced customers of other networks, who could not contact DTAC's customers.

The regulator will cite Article 33 of the Telecom Business Law, which requires cellular operators to maintain network quality or face a fine of Bt20,000 per day. DTAC has the right to appeal the fine.

The second-largest cellular operator has some 24 million subscribers.

The NBTC summoned DTAC executives for an urgent meeting after the problem occurred.

DTAC said in a statement that one of the several pairs of MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) signalling routers at the Rangsit Switching Centre had developed a fault, resulting in combined downtime of 65 minutes around noon. The mishap affected about 20 per cent of customers in various parts of the country.

"The fault has been fixed and service has now returned to normal. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused," it said.

After many network failures, the NBTC issued an order to DTAC on May 28 to prevent more breakdowns. The company appealed against the order, but the NBTC's telecom committee declined to accept the appeal.

Last December 21, DTAC experienced a network fault that was the result of a critical migration of data from one database to another. On January 5, it experienced another network fault that affected many customers in the southern provinces, who were affected by yet another incident three days later.

On May 4, DTAC's main fibre-optic trunk in the upper North and a backup line failed, disrupting communication services to many subscribers in the area.

-- The Nation 2012-08-29

[rheinwiese]

Tried 3 times the last hour. Voice message: "Sorry, we have many customers interested in our service. Please try again later."

[pattayadingo]

expensive if they get fined the full amount.

[whybother]

Tried 3 times the last hour. Voice message: "Sorry, we have many customers interested in our service. Please try again later."

Just tried ... "Please try again later".

[Pib]

Tried 3 times the last hour. Voice message: "Sorry, we have many customers interested in our service. Please try again later."

Same for me and the wife. I guess their network is not working properly.

But don't worry, I expect we'll be able to get through on 1 Sep (after the freebie offer is over).

[Pib]

Also, seems DTAC could have sent a system-wide SMS to all its customers announcing the offer. If they sent one the wife and I sure didn't get anything yet on our DTAC numbers.

[UbonOz]

How can it be valid for seven days and end on 31 August?

[Pib]

I think the Nation article really meant to say a person must call the *1737 number before the end of the month in order to get the free calls/internet. Once the call is successfully made (but must be made by the end of the month), then the free call/internet clock starts ticking. At least I hope that the way it works if a person can ever get through to the number.

[jpp2bkk]

I guess i will go away from them, to many 1 or 2 bahts disappearing from my credit, network problems, promotions which are not promotions, and now this joke, enough.

[Pib]

Hey, when calling *1737 a minute ago I got a "different" recording....all in Thai...no English version of it....then the recording hung up. The recording was definitely saying something different and I could tell it was talking about free minutes/internet. So, I get the Thai wife ready to listen in as I dial back (several times), but unfortunately all I got was that other recording in Thai followed by English which basically said they are too busy right now and to try again later. I'll try a few more times tonight and maybe tomorrow if necessary. STOP...STOP...LATE BREAKING SMS JUST CAME IN...

The SMS from DTAC read, " You can now enjoy free call 100 minutes valid for 30 days. Check remaining free minute, dail *121*6*9#

So, I dial above number and I immediately get another SMS that reads, "Sorry. Your number is not eligible to use this service. More info, please call 1678 DTAC call center."

So, I give up. Calling the Call Center 1678 number costs 3 baht/call if I remember right...if I get through they'll probably just tell me my number is not eligible. End result: DTAC made another 3 baht off me....and I get no free minutes.

[asiaexpat]

Tried over 15 times throughout the day and only got the same message others received "Sorry try again later". DTAC can not even handle these calls.

[isaanbrit]

Got through on sevent attempt - credit added khop khun krap

[Buchholz]

Tried 3 times the last hour. Voice message: "Sorry, we have many customers interested in our service. Please try again later."

Just tried ... "Please try again later".

Tried over 15 times throughout the day and only got the same message others received "Sorry try again later". DTAC can not even handle these calls.

Another day... same result.

"Sorry...."

.

[Pib]

Hey, when calling *1737 a minute ago I got a "different" recording....all in Thai...no English version of it....then the recording hung up. The recording was definitely saying something different and I could tell it was talking about free minutes/internet. So, I get the Thai wife ready to listen in as I dial back (several times), but unfortunately all I got was that other recording in Thai followed by English which basically said they are too busy right now and to try again later. I'll try a few more times tonight and maybe tomorrow if necessary. STOP...STOP...LATE BREAKING SMS JUST CAME IN...

The SMS from DTAC read, " You can now enjoy free call 100 minutes valid for 30 days. Check remaining free minute, dail *121*6*9#

So, I dial above number and I immediately get another SMS that reads, "Sorry. Your number is not eligible to use this service. More info, please call 1678 DTAC call center."

So, I give up. Calling the Call Center 1678 number costs 3 baht/call if I remember right...if I get through they'll probably just tell me my number is not eligible. End result: DTAC made another 3 baht off me....and I get no free minutes.

Update the morning of 30 Aug 12: The wife and I are on the identical DTAC postpay packages. This morning I tried on my phone/number the "*121*6*9#" number again and instead of getting a SMS a few seconds later that said "Sorry. Your Number is not eligible to use this service. More info, please call 1678 DTAC call center" I got a SMS that said "On top package Free call 100 min 30 days free remain 100 min expire 28/09/12." So, it looks like I got a free 100 minutes to use by 28 Sep 12. However when trying the *121*6*9# again on my wife's phone/number the Sorry Charlie SMS is still returned. Maybe it is now identified in DTAC system my number was affected by the outage (heck, I don't know if it was or not for those few hours DTAC was having problems with some of its numbers) and maybe the wife's number was not....maybe, it because I tried calling above mentioned DTAC numbers quite a bit yesterday using my phone/number and the DTAC system picked up on this and gave me the credit when trying again today. I don't know...I will try a few more times today using the wife's phone/number to see if we can get her 100 free minutes.

[carra]

Called it this morning, the message said the operators were busy and to call later, 10 seconds later I got a sms saying I have the 100 free minutes.

[Dork]

AIS may be the network that everyone loves to hate (incl myself) but it is the only one that consistently works properly.

[Pib]

Oh, I don't really have any complaints about DTAC...I've been very happy with DTAC for the almost 4 years I been with them...the only time I've called them is for some info....no plans to change. Even AIS and True have their network problems. I was with True about 4 years ago for about 6 months and canceled because of piss-poor billing service. With AIS I've only used their service with an Aircard type SIM for one month during the flood in late 2011 and that EDGE internet service worked fine.

Now, more update on getting the free 100 minutes for the wife's phone/number--as mentioned in my above post #14 I had got my 100 minute credit this morning. I had also called the DTAC call center two days ago to ask some questions about MultSim costs. Well, after being on hold for about five minutes they said leave a message and they would call me back. So, I leave a short message as to the info I was looking for. I could tell they called me back on the same day and yesterday but I missed both callbacks. About an hour ago they called again (third time) and I had a nice and informative discussion about the MultiSim costs.

At the very end of that call I said, By the way, can you help me with another issue. I tell the rep I had been trying to get the free 100 minutes for the wife's number. The rep took the info and said she would forward it along. Ok, I hang up and the wife and I go take the dogs for a 30 minute walk.. we get back and see a SMS on the wife's phone saying she has been credited with 100 free minutes.

Yeap, got 100 minute credit on both our numbers...just took a little while with all the people trying to get this freebie whether they were affected by the couple hour outage or not that affected about 20% of DTAC numbers. I ain't got a clue if I was affected....neither the wife or I tried to make any calls during that timeframe and no one called us later saying they had tried to reach us earlier but couldn't. All the wife and I know is DTAC has given us 200 free minutes good for 30 days and we've been happy with them for almost 4 years now.

[laislica]

Recently there was the broken fibre optic cable at an international gateway which slowed the internet down, now this. When we have so much dependance on technology we can expect to be devastated when a failure occurs.

The question for me is: Are the problems avoidable or is negligence the real cause?

With some products like computers and software, we seem to accept failure, even expect it.

Edited August 30, 2012 by laislica

[Pib]

I see when going to the DTAC landing page you now have until 14 Sep, versus 31 Aug, to take advantage of applying for the free minutes/internet. Link

[JanKlaasen]

I hope they save some money for their next fine, as tonight their 3G hardly can be called functioning as it takes ages simply to open any webpage.

[GreenSnapper]

I hope they save some money for their next fine, as tonight their 3G hardly can be called functioning as it takes ages simply to open any webpage.

Not only today. It was fast at the beginning and now total crap. Often the old Edge works even better.

Dreaming of Vietnam where 3G is actually working nation wide....

[jpinx]

I see when going to the DTAC landing page you now have until 14 Sep, versus 31 Aug, to take advantage of applying for the free minutes/internet. Link

Would you be kind enough to quote please? I can't get Dtac's cumbersome flashy pages to load over Dtac's gprs

[Pib]

It says the same thing as the Post #1 except it now says you have until 14 Sep versus 31 Aug to apply. All the other info the same.

Sorry, I tried to upload an image/jpg of the update in case you can view on ThaiVisa, but this morning ThaiVisa is not working properly to attached files...it gives an error of "no file selected for upload." I've attached/uploaded attachments many, many times before and I still have 1.41GB freespace on ThaiVisa to upload, but for some reason I can't upload/attached this morning...tried both their uploader selections...no problems last night. Appears ThaiVisa is having network problems...see it happens to other folks than DTAC also I see other folks have identified the upload problem in the ThaiVisa Support Forum...expect it will be fixed soon. Anyway, same as post #1 but you now have until 14 Sep to apply.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Pib

[Buchholz]

here's their updated notice:

btw, trying again this morning, it's still "Sorry..."

.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Buchholz

[Pib]

Thanks for loading the DTAC webpage image. The ThaiVisa Attach Files function is still not working for me...I just tried it again after seeing your were able to load above...I guess some members are affected and others are not. Hey, just like the DTAC problem...some people affected; others not affected.

[jpinx]

Thanks for that! Dtac prepay un-registered SIM here ..

I've been redialling *10250 every ten minutes or so and variously get a dual language message saying too many people are trying, and a thai-only message which I don't understand Still no SMS to say I've been credited, and when I try *121*6*9# it tells me I am not authorised to use that service.

Does it apply to all prepaid accounts, or only registered ones (as I have seen in other situations with carriers in other countries)?