UPDATE: TM has issued a statement to clarify its Unifi Mobile #KreditTakMati validity terms.
When TM introduced Unifi Mobile, they wanted to disrupt the telco space with an offering that’s different from convention. The biggest two propositions are #KreditTakMati and #BayarBilaBila which basically means your credits will never expire and you can pay at any time. With 1 million free SIMs to be given away with 20GB of LTE data, it’s an offer that’s hard to refuse.
When we first posted a quick guide on Unifi Mobile, there were a lot of questions on the plan’s validity. Do you need to top up every month? and are you truly able to keep your bundled calls, sms and data with no expiry?
According to their current FAQ on their website, it’s mentioned that your Unifi Mobile line will be active as long as there’s an outgoing usage, perform a reload or purchase an add-on within 90 days. That sounds pretty straightforward but recently there are users that received an SMS with a contradicting message.
The message, as shown above, is telling users to buy a data, or call & SMS add-ons before a certain date if they wish to remain active. This clearly conflicts with its #KreditTakMati proposition. Why do users need to purchase an add-on if they don’t need it? Since the validity is 90 days, why is Unifi Mobile asking users to purchase an add-on now?
When we reached out to someone from the product team earlier on, we are told that Unifi Mobile’s 90-day validity will reset if you perform one of the following:
- Make 1 outgoing phone call, or
- Send 1 outgoing SMS, or
- Browse for 1MB, or
- Reload any amount between RM10, 30, 50, 100, or
- Purchase any of our data or voice and SMS passes
If we refer to their current FAQ as shown below, any usage is sufficient to keep the line active even if you have unutilised balance and there’s no need to reload. At this point, it should be clear that any activity on your Unifi Mobile SIM is enough to retain your data, calls and SMS.
To find out what’s really going on, I reached out to TM’s Unifi Live Chat on the website to seek further clarification.
Customer Service #1
The first person I talked to insists that you will need to reload once every 90 days or else your line will be terminated. When I point out the details on their FAQ, he insisted that I’ll need to reload or purchase any add-ons to keep the line active.
Customer Service #2
I tried again with another customer service and I asked the exact same questions from their FAQ. Surprisingly, I got the same message. You’ll either need to reload or subscribe to an add-on (even if you have balance) to keep your line active. If there’s no reload, your line will be terminated.
Customer Service #3
Finally, I tried the live chat again but this time it’s through the UniFi Mobile app. At first, he told me that there’s no expiry date for data, calls and SMS but later he mentioned that I’ll need to make a “chargeable usage” within 90 days to keep the line active. When I seek further clarification, he told me that chargeable usage includes purchasing an add-on or a reload.
When I pushed for a confirmation, the customer service agent then checked with someone else for clarification. After a short break, he then told me that anyone can use their bundled “freebies” to keep the line active every 90 days, which supports my original understanding.
The overall experience with TM’s live chat is disappointing but in all fairness, I think they are merely following a standard document that was issued to them. Looking at the responses, there appears to be a disconnect when it comes to product knowledge. The FAQ clearly states that your line can be active by usage alone but the responses from their customer service and the new SMS tells a completely different story.
There’s a lot of room to improve for Unifi Mobile. If #KreditTakMati and #BayarBilaBila are their key differentiator, they would need to make their terms clear and transparent to their users. Consumers generally don’t trust telcos because of bad experiences with hidden terms & conditions. If users are required to reload every 90 days, that means your credit does expire and it’s misleading to say that it doesn’t.
One suggestion is to include an account validity date on the Unifi Mobile app. Alternatively, they could offer a USSD short code for users to check their account balance and validity like most prepaid service. In addition, TM should also ensure that all customer touch points are given the right information to avoid causing further confusion.
We’ve also reached out to TM for further clarification on validity and we’ll update this post if we receive more information.
