Telcel Amigo Unlimited? I think I am getting ripped off . . .

I have been using the Telcel Amigo Unlimited 200 package for a while now. With this package, I recharge my phone every 30 days. Lately I have been getting messages that I need to recharge my phone before the 30 days are up. I just checked my online account. It says my Friend balance is 0.00 and that I must recharge before 12/01/2021. Then I checked my recharge history; it says I last recharged on 12/13/2019 with 200 mxn. That does not make a whole lot of sense to me . . . A zero balance, but just recharged and must recharge before 12/01/2021? --- a year from now.

Maybe I just don't understand how this thing works. Can anybody shed some light? Am I getting ripped off? Or, is Telcel just typically off the rails?

It appears to be saying that you need to recharge by the 12th of Jan. 2020, since you last recharged on Dec 12 2019. This is one month. They obviously have their computer mixed up on years.

Gamina wrote:It appears to be saying that you need to recharge by the 12th of Jan. 2020, since you last recharged on Dec 12 2019.  This is one month.  They obviously have their computer mixed up on years.

Well I can see how that might be so. But what about the fact that I have a zero balance after having just recharged on the 13th of this month - just 15 days ago.

Not trying to argue. I am just not certain whether it is my screw up or theirs. Or, is there something I don't know or understand about how their system operates. Ultimately, I am trying to gather enough information to know what I am talking about before I go in there. In past experiences, going in without having gathered information leaves me at a distinct disadvantage that has always worked in their favor.

Do you still have the receipt from when you paid them last? If not, I think they win.

I think when you have a plan it doesn't show a balance because it is unlimited. Mine doesnt show a balance either. It just shows when it expires.

The $.09 was what was left on there before I started getting the $200 plan every 30 days.

TelCel gets it wrong constantly. Consistently. Within 24 hours of me charging up $200p, I get a note saying I need to renew my time, because it is up "tonight at 11:59 pm". Then at least one or two spurious, incorrect dates are sent my way.

But NOTE: 30 days is not the plan for anything under $200. Until recently, in fact, the plan lasted 28 days. Now it is back up to 30. I presume that is only temporary, because the whole thing changes constantly.

Things are getting clearer thanks to you all. I am getting the idea that I shouldn't be concerned with what any of the Telcel data says. Instead, I need to keep track and recharge every 30 days. Is that about right?

I used to have a plan that cost about 279 a month. I would often get an email from Telcel telling me when it was due. Then I would go online and use my computer and pay it from my bank account. Now they want me to pay 200 per month. I can pay it months in advance so I don't need to go to a store every month to pay but I can't pay from my home. I don't understand why the change.

Pogo wrote:Things are getting clearer thanks to you all. I am getting the idea that I shouldn't be concerned with what any of the Telcel data says. Instead, I need to keep track and recharge every 30 days. Is that about right?

Yep

Why have a plan? Verses Amigo pay as you go?

The $200 peso plan is all unlimited. If you just add money it may burn up fast if you send a lot of texts and surf the internet.

Ok, thanks. You're right, if i used TelCel for everything it would burn cash up fast.

Pay as you go still works better for me. I see so many complaints and so much confusion regarding the plans. I mainly use tablet for surfing and WhatsApp for texting and avoid TelCel if possible.

I pay 200 pesos , use whatsapp , a whole lot and call Europe with whatsapp and I do not spend a lot of moneyon Telcel

I have had the basic Plan Amigo for many years, and with a $100 peso bill I can sign up for either one or two months. Now, the only way I would get two months would be, if I made almost no phone calls. So, yes, I pay $200 pesos every time my balance gets much below $75 pesos.

With my basic plan, I check my balance and time left by dialing *133#

At this moment, it shows

Saldo Amigo $142.98 al 22/2/20
Elige una opcion.:
0.compra Paquetes/Recarga c/tarjeta
1.Amigo Sin Limite
2.Internet Amigo
3.Detalle Saldo
4, Otros

Any plan gives you Unlimited Facebook, Twitter, and Messenger. At $50 and up, you get Shapchat and Instagram, too. At $100 and up, you add WhatsApp.

So at most levels, you don't have to worry about texts costing you. From $100 up, WhatsApp includes all the videos and photos you could send. All plans, from $20 up, include unlimited long distance within Mexico and to the US and Canada.

The expense comes in when you surf the Web, watch YouTube, that kind of thing, because each plan has a limited amount of MB included. At $200, that is currently 3,000 or 4,000 MB, depending on the whim of TelCel.

A strange way to run a large company. I have given up going to the Telcel store in Laguna Mall as their service can be so bad. All those people working there and they can't explain things simply. Back to the lady at the Telcel store west of El Torito.

I sure hope you mean the lady (Anna) at the Telcel store next to Alex' Pasta and NOT the lady at the Telcel store next to the bazaar.

ferret wrote:I sure hope you mean the lady (Anna) at the Telcel store next to Alex' Pasta and NOT the lady at the Telcel store next to the bazaar.

Yes, Anna

With the$200p plan can you use your phone as a hotspot ?
TIA

Yes, you can but there is no way you can surf the internet for very long. Basically, you are checking your e-mail and not much else.
The other consideration to keep in mind is whether your hotspot WORKS inside your house. Mine used to and then they started having problems with cell towers. Now it doesn't. However, if I go outside and set my laptop and cell phone up on the hood of my car, I can use it.
Where there's a will, there's a way.

Thanks ferret

Pretty sure when you use Telcel as a Hotspot, that is what burns the data & then causes the 200p paquette plan demand for more $, and thus changes the due date of the package.. Telmex internet in Riberas is bad, so I resort to Telcel hotspot on occasion. It's changed my paquette due date from beginning of month to middle now. WYSIWYG.. $10/month, its Mexico. I guess I need to see Ana, see if I can get more data only, without screwing up the billing date.

Using your phone as a hotspot is not the direct cause of using up your allotted Internet data. Using image-heavy apps is. For example, videos from YouTube. TelCel even specifies that Facebook use if free. But that may be misleading, if they don't count images and videos while using Facebook.