Is it an on-going problem with the network or have I finished my data?

[Kaguiyaku]

Since last week Wednesday evening, my mobile data has been unresponsive. It gave me the little pop-up saying: "No Internet: You may be out of data." Usually, I only get that notification when I've used up my total allowance for the month. However, I've been tracking my data usage for months to know I still had some leftover for this month. First, I restarted my phone and was back online immediately. Then it stopped again but fully in the same night. I tried taking out my SIM, turning airplane mode on and off, restarting my phone, but nothing worked this time. I called the 3 number, which confirmed I still had a bit of data remaining and that there was a "network problem" at my location. Okay, I patiently wait. 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days. Every morning and evening, I called the 3 number, which kept saying the same thing. They send you a link to the website to use the network checker but it doesn't work/load after inputting the postcode (I'm guessing it doesn't work without a connection.) On Monday morning, it was still off however around 6-7pm, my data came back for about 3 hours before disappearing again. In those 3 hours, I checked the network checker for my area, and it said there were no problems. So I wondered if in those 3 hours, if I consumed all my remaining data but when I called the 3 number, it said I still had at least 1 GB remaining and it mentioned the network problem again. What confuses me is that when I log onto the website to check my remaining data, it says zero. I always track how much data I use every month using my phone's "data usage," so I'm familiar with my total limit, which I had not hit this month. It's confusing because the three website and the three number both contradict each other: one says I'm dataless while another says I still have data. Considering I had no data for 5 days, I'm now confused if I've actually finished my monthly allowance and the 3 number is giving me outdated information or if it's an ongoing issue with the network in my area and how long is it going to last for? Has anyone ever had this problem before? 

[MichaelP]

Hello @Kaguiyaku,

Welcome to the Three Community.

That does sound unusual - it seems that the phone and app didn't sync up with the most up to date allowance remaining. If you lost access to your network, it may not be possible to confirm whether this was due to network problems or because of the allowance running out.

Does the Network Status checker still show any problems in your area? Have you experienced any ongoing service losses, or was the scenario you shared just a temporary issue until your allowance refreshed?

What might be a good idea is to periodically check your remaining allowance through online and by calling, to see if they are synced normally, when there are no network issues being reported.

You could also reset the network settings on your device, as this can sometimes help with patchy service losses.

Thanks,
Michael

[Kaguiyaku]

Thanks for reaching out, @MichaelP 

Unfortunately, I have no access to a network at the moment to check with the Network Status Checker. My only current options are calling and logging onto the three website.

On Wednesday evening, I first experienced the network loss around 8-9pm, but it immediately came back on after restarting my phone. Then, later that same night (I think it was around 10-11pm,) it switched off again and hadn't come back until 5 days later, which was on Monday evening (around 6 to 10pm) this week. My monthly refresh always happens at the start of the second week of every new month so this occured all within my allowance for this month.

What confused me was that when I called, I was consistently told about the network outage in my area. On Monday, when my data had shortly returned, I used the network checker that said there was nothing planned or in-works in my area. Yet when it switched off after 2/3 hours, the number again said there's a network outage, so it left me confused if the issue is the network, why didn't the website pick up on it (unless it was fixed/done by the time I had checked but then stopped working shortly after?) 

Moving forward, I will definitely consider monitoring through the website and by call because this situation has left me so confused about which one is the most reliable.

I've tried resetting my network settings today. At some point, after a few minutes, it seemed like I had a connection for about a second since I received some notifications from apps that need a connection. But it was immediately back to being unaccessible.

I'm just so confused.. if data is the problem, I wouldn't mind purchasing an add-on however if the issue is the network, it would be a waste for me to buy anymore data, especially if I do have that 1GB remaining. I'm left having to call frequently, to see if the number will mention anything different about my data or network situation and considering I've been doing this for just over a week, it's left me feeling rather defeated. It's a weird situation that I've never experienced before, and I'm just lost on how to navigate forward.

[Kaguiyaku]

I just discovered the address connected to my number on the website was not the same one as the one I'm currently at. I updated it just now and tried calling again, which, this time, the number says there's no problems with the network in my area. So I don't think the current problem is the network.. but it's still confusing since when I call about my remaining data, it still says I have that 1GB. It doesn't help that my data last week was unresponsive for 5 days before coming on and disappearing again. I'm still a little confused about what the issue is because the location was updated immediately when I called, but not my remaining data? So I'm still unsure if I have 1GB that I just can't get access to or if it my data has fully ran out and just hasn't been updated on the phone.

[JonathanB · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kaguiyaku,

Have you seen any improvements since your last post? If you haven't already I'd recommend to check in with customer services, as they should hopefully be able to determine whether there is indeed data balance available and there's some account based issue, or if this does seem to be a network problem in your area. As well as the network status checker, we've mentioned, the team can do some more detailed checks against your connection which might shed more light on this.

Thanks,
Jonathan