The curious case of disappearing data minutes in Smart #Flexitime

I was resubscribed to Smart Flexitime 100 this week. Yes, silly me — I didn’t learn from my experience about the depleting data minutes faster than real time use. But more than the hurried diminution of data minutes during use of Smart’s (Smart Communications Inc.) internet, what irks me the most is the continued depletion of data minutes even when their internet is not in use — at all!

I was using my Smart Bro sim for the last two days while subscribed to Flexitime 100 and plugged to my 3G Wifi modem router, the Huawei E355 — a batteryless pocket wifi that can only be powered when plugged in a running USB slot:

This is Huawei E355

At 10:37 AM the day before yesterday, I unplugged my modem when my remaining #Flexitime data minutes clocked in 829:

Data minutes remaining at 10:37am, October 5, 2015

When I checked back later, at 11:47 AM, my data minutes is down to 774 — a good 55 minutes gone in thin air:

Data minutes remaining at 11:47am, October 5, 2015

Perhaps, I was not so convinced yet, so I did another test yesterday.

I started using Smart Bro at 4:21 PM until 5:37 PM — that’s only 76 minutes. But my data minutes dropped from 497 to 385 — another 112 minutes gone in 76 minutes:

Smart Bro is fast to deplete data minutes

So, where did the difference of 36 minutes go?

Anyway, moving on, later that night I used the Smart Bro again for some couple of minutes and noted that at 7:51 PM, data minutes registered 381:

Data minutes remaining at 7:51pm, October 6, 2015

And then, for good measure, I unplugged the modem and removed the sim card:

Huawei E355 3G Wifi Modem Routeer with the Smart Bro sim card removed

I checked back 40 minutes later at 8:31 PM and noted that my remaining data minutes was down to 317.

Data minutes remaining at 8:31pm, October 6, 2015

Now, imagine this: 64 minutes slashed from your total allowed data minutes under Smart Flexitime in a matter of 40 minutes without you even using your sim card or attaching it to anything! How can you explain that @SMARTCares?

Note 1: When checking back in my.smart.com.ph, I was using a different internet connection than the Smart Bro.

Note 2: Apparently, I’m not alone with this issue. Check out the keywords @Smartcares and Flexitime on Twitter, as well as the comments in my previous post.

Note 3: I’ve been contacting @SMARTCares on Twitter since last week, but they’ve been able to revert back to me last Monday only. They DM’d last night saying they’re investigating my particular issue. I still have to hear from them since then.

Note 4: Here are the most recent complaints on Twitter about Smart Bro Flexitime:

[twitter-timeline id=651990989339406336 username=deuts]

1 Comment

  1. The problem is Smart’s software. It’s not accurate and the workers don’t know how to use it effectively. Typical Smart: Cheap software and workers who don’t have the training or a clue what customer service is suppose to be.

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