Gripe: Moving to Telstra prepaid isn't so straight forward...

[Comet]

I've been using Virgin mobile for my iPhone the past month and a half and decided that I might indeed need the edge speed. Plus, not being able to check how much of the cap without calling was annoying.

Anyways, I did my research and decided to grab a prepaid starter kit for telstra. Being convenient, I went into the nearby newsagency and asked for one. To my surprise, they had 2. 1 was $25 and the other was $3. Anyways, since I knew I had to purchase a $40 recharge card to get the Prepaid Friend's deal, I went for the $3 option. After activating my SIM, I rang up and transferred my virgin over which took about 20 minutes in total.

Now, this is where the frustration started. To create your friends list, it says to go to the My Prepaid part of the website. So I go and sign up and get an error telling me that the number and the data on their server does not match. Call 1258880. So I ring up and get to a lady who tells me she's not trained to deal with error codes. So she forwards me to another person. After 20 minutes on hold, a guy tells me that I'm in the wrong queue. He puts me through to another person. 10 minutes later I get hold of someone who tells me I'm in the wrong queue. He then puts me through to another number which sounded exactly the same as the 1258880.

During the time I was waiting, I dialed #100# to try and recharge, and find out that there is no $40 recharge option. Rather than spending $50, I decided to ask how. After 10 minutes on hold a lady picks the phone up so I ask how to recharge the $40. She asks me how much credit I have and I say none, to which she tells me that's not possible.

Anyways, after I tell her that I got the $3 starter pack, she tells me that I can't get Prepaid Friends with that SIM card. I really don't get it. How can a service be locked to a SIM card type? She tells me that I have to get the $25 starter pack and transfer my number over to it before I can get the $40 top up.

So here I am, with a Telstra SIM card, no credit, and questioning whether EDGE is really worth it....

Anyways, enough of my gripe. For those considering the Telstra Prepaid option, make sure you get the $25 starter kit option.

[decryption]

I just got my first bill from Telstra.

I thought my plan was $40 "cap" with $40 of calls (i.e: I make all the calls I want but say, I only make $20 of calls, I still pay $40, no mater what). Well it seems it's actually $40 "line rental" and then my calls on top.

Fuckkkkk. I need to change plans.

[[MREVO8]]

You thought something from Telstra would be straight forward?

[craigd]

goto your kepypad and type #100# then send this then brings up your prepay menu.

you can then follow the prompts to add numbers i think you need to goto my prepay then my numbers its pretty easy pm me and ill call you and talk you through it if that helps

[chocho]

i wish everyone left tel$tra so it collapses on it's ass i hate everything about the company and bleeding the public dry... power to the people, refuse to be treated this way!

[Comet]

goto your kepypad and type #100# then send this then brings up your prepay menu.

you can then follow the prompts to add numbers i think you need to goto my prepay then my numbers its pretty easy pm me and ill call you and talk you through it if that helps

Thanks for the offer craigd. I think this is where the $3 starter kit and the $25 starter kit differs. The only list that I can edit is a FreedomList.

The damage is $3 so I can live with that. Hopefully the other things will work out after I get my starter kit tomorrow and the mysterious $40 recharge that has no information on their website.

[Comet]

Ok, so I went to the Telstra shop to sort this out and the guy tells me that I only need to recharge with the $5 and spend a dollar to switch to the prepaid friends. Anyways, that worked so here I have an iPhone on prepaid. Great.... but now I find out that the only way to recharge the $40 is to walk into a telstra store and purchase a $40 recharge voucher. That's the only freaking way!

I'd go postpaid if they wouldn't lock you into a 12 month contract... sigh...