Hotlink Tablet Plan Rip Off ! This Can Also Affect All Maxis / Hotlink Users.

I bought this Hotlink Tablet Plan to use as it suppose to, for internet data back up with Long Term Validity, 365 days to be exact. I have been on time to make the Top Up to make sure it does not Expire since this package is not available currently.

It was about 2 - 3 months after my Top Up that I left overseas for a long term assignment. When I came back in April 2017, to my surprise it was not working.

So I went to Maxis TTDI to get it solve but lo and behold, they informed me that my line had expired ! When I pleaded with them to check and they confirm it was expires due to no Top Up and refuse to do anything say that their system is ACCURATE. They asked me to show proof otherwise as they know this is a Prepaid Plan and there will be no statement. Luckily I took screen shots of the before and after successful Top Ups with the new Validity.. 2GB for 1 year validity.

When I provide the proof to them, the Maxis TTDI made a report since they were shock that I got proof of it and told me it would take about 3 – 5 days for a reply. I flew out for my long term assignment again and receive 2 SMS after the 5th day and nothing until I complaint again on Day 31 ! I have to insist on an e-mail response as I do not trust their “useless” system keeping a record of my complaint since their system can’t even keep my account alive !!! Ding dong for like 3 weeks before they actually sent me an e-mail.

To my surprise, they said my number has been given to someone else .. likely a VVIP, and most importantly, they cannot give me back the Hotlink Tablet Plan service.. basically saying, Maxis / Hotlink will not rectify their “wrongs“. They said they will give me whatever Hotlink plan that will be available when I come back ?! And now they want to force me on a 30 days validity compared to a 365 days validity ?!!

I am still waiting for a resolution. Either return my service with properly compensation or compensate me RM 300 to buy back your line that was stolen from me after I made payment !

Maxis TTDI : Sharma

e-mail from
Aravind Gunaseelan, Customer Relations @ customercare@maxis.com.my

Case Ref : C18980353

Maxis@listen is also not listening since the issue is not solve.

I just lost a plan, you might lose your cherish long term number !

Remember, Maxis / Hotlink Is Always right ! Let them proof me wrong.

Time to SKMM...

is there any clause in the terms and condition that says Maxis reserve every right to change the terms of the plan without prior notice?

im a tablet prepaid user myself. i used to purchase a quota with 365 days of validity with no issues. until recently this year, they changed their policy where you have to purchase the line validity at the price of RM 33 to keep it active and on top of that you have the option to purchase a 2GB quota with 365 days for RM 45.

So all in all you would have to pay RM 33 + RM 45 for the entire thing. unless of course you only need a temporary internet access, you have the option to purchase different days of validity in the Red app.

I was pretty pissed at this change initially but thought you know what, i still need them and no other provider is supporting the 365 validity package anymore. so yeah.

So I'm not alone

No more Maxis again !!!

Rm33 for 365 days validity?

yes. just for the line only.

is it for old hotlink boardband plan ? which can use for sms and call ?

Last time I checked... few weeks ago, they've removed the Validity 365 option for this plan.

Was initially the Tablet Plan, then they changed it to Broadband plan after enabling calls and text features.

can use it for call and sms. used to be tablet plan with no calls and sms.

really? you mean through red app? or USSD?

Red app. It's there for a bit then it disappeared.

Can check it for yourself, via app or USSD. Maybe they changed again.

There're also some discussions sometime back when all these changes happened. Just check one or two of the earlier threads about this tablet plan.

This post has been edited by RDoe: Jun 11 2017, 06:55 PM

AFAIK the options to purchase the validity via Red app has gone for quite some time. And this option is hidden a few selections down in USSD to purchase.

So you're saying Validity 365 is still available for subscription via the USSD for this (ex-tablet) broadband plan?

That will be good since I've one such line that I'd like to extend.

yes. under my account & settings if im not mistaken.

OK, I'll go check that out. Thanks!

if i were you, i would get a new card everytime i come home. so much less grief and monetary loss

this is true when my tablet plan exp month ago, i resub 2gb only to found that there is 2 diff exp date, one for line and 1 for data.

i shocked when i dm hotllink twitter than i need toup every month to keep my line active even my data exp is 365 or sub rm33 for 365 days vaidity.

but then i made ruckus that my plan is suppose tablet plan not broadband plan which we are use for data only and not for call and text and add more if we need to use call and text features it is nor different to ordinary prepaid plan to hotlink twitter.

i also rage that hotlink change tablet plan into ordinary plan without informing us via text or email which almost wasted rm 90 (2sims) when resub 2gb

finally, managed to compromise with hotlink where they agree to extend my line validity align with data expiry date (365 days -next year 2018) by only topup rm 5 for each sims instead of rm33

next year probably i will abandon this plan and hope there will be telco that provide same plan as the ORIGINAL TABLET PLAN

Sorry as I was away overseas.

It looks like Maxis is trying to get everyone to get off their Tablet Plan or any plans that they do not want to service anymore.

I knew there were some issues in the past with the RED app but I managed to get the Tablet Plan renewed for both my accounts.

But one of them was terminated.

This should not have occurred but as some youtuber mentioned before, most people still think Maxis is the best that is why they dominate and nearly all subscribers are lazy to change. This cause the telcos here to be dominant. I have a school mate that have been using Maxis and thinking Maxis is the best, paying RM 250 for limited calls and SMS due to the very old plan... No Data ... AHAHAHA.

I know nearly all the subscribers are paying more than what they can consume as I was one of them in the past. Now I only get plans that I know I can consume on average. Hope people will change services every 1-2 years so they telcos here can buck up.

Sometimes, Pay Per Use data is cheaper at the end.

My fight still goes one with Maxis / Hotlink as they are insisting I go to their branch to sort this out.. meaning they will issue me the latest Hotlink Plan and give me some small credit that will be consume in 2 months rather than a year !

This bullying by Maxis Has To Stop !!

I have been e-mailing them since I was overseas but there was no help.

I think they want to force their latest Hotlink Plan on me so please let me know if there is a body to complaint about this issue.

So can I report Maxis to ?

And government body I should contact or other parties ?

If no one ever complaint, then there will be no complaint on record.

I have just top up for a year and was told that my number has been recycled. I have no proof. Hope that you report to SKMM and force them to rectify the problem.

I just wonder how many of us are affected since I do not think most people will complaint since this is Prepaid and got no proof of Top Ups.

Just to share, I always make a balance inquiry before I top up, if I'm not sure of the expiry status. You'll then know if it's terminated, and refrain from topping up if so.

Honestly .. this Maxis hired a bunch of monkeys !

When this fella Arvin Gunaseelan - Customer Relations keeps repeating himself over the standard procedures without listening to my problem, I requested to speak to his Manager to solve my problem as my patience have already worn thin talking to all their channels.

Arvin Gunaseelan behaviour was not of a manager and he never did tell me he was a manager when I ask him many times to pass me to his higher up.

When a Customer Relation Manager called me and introduced himself as Vind, I ask him if he is the manager of Arvin Gunaseelan and he said he was !

Today I found out it was the same person ?!! The lies that Maxis makes ! And no, I did not misunderstood. I repeated to get confirmation.

WTF is wrong with MAXIS !

For All The Hotlink Users !

Please Make Sure You Keep A Paper Trail Of Money Paid For Top Ups As The App Will Not Display Your Cell Number And Account Details In The Same ScreenShot ! My Transaction Was Capture By Maybank Online So Maxis Cannot Refute It !

When You Complaint, Make Sure You Copy And Paste What You Want To Send To Their Three Complaint Sources.

1) e-mail : customercare@maxis.com.my

2) Maxis Facebook.

3) Twitter Maxis@Listen.

4) Make Them Call You. Why should you pay to call them.

Continue to blast until you get a solution !

I have been consistently blasting for a month now and my solution is there ! Just Maxis is making their last attempt to make me wait for my check (I offer them to buy back my line and compensate me.) Their offer was crap so I offered them a solution with double the amount of their crap offer which was reasonable in my view.

Maxis know Malaysians are lazy and will not complaint long, so they will continue to wear you down and hopefully you give in.

If all Maxis customers that have problems continues to blast all these 3 sources, it will not look good for them and they will resolve your issue quickly.

You Pay Money For Service, Make Sure You Get The Service !

Don't Let Maxis Cheat You !

This post has been edited by extercy: Jul 25 2017, 03:58 PM

Same here. I am using the RM45 for 365 validity and now Maxis msg me saying that i need to topup my line in 2 days or i will lose everything. I think Maxis didn't expect that many users will prolong their 2GB for so long and not topup. I was a Holink user last time and ported to Digi, and now I might not use their Tablet/Broadband anymore.

Sorry to hear the troubles you are going through now. As for myself, my line validity is perfectly fine so I have no case point to make.

Just Be Cautious As You Might Be Next !

At Least With Some Proof, You Have The Chance For Maxis To Compensate You ! If Not, Most Likely You Get Burn !

This hotlink tablet plan still available?

Nope, not available for many months already.

No point for it now .. might as well you get TuneTalk and use PPU at 2cents / MB compared to Hotlink Tablet Plan RM45 for 2GB at 2.19cents / MB.

TuneTalk reduced their PPU from 3cents / MB to 2 cents / MB.

Okay, normal tune talk data plan is it?
Saw tunetalk have 1 year RM200 72 GB PLaN

PPU is not a data plan .. it is Pay Per Use or Pay As You Use Data at 2 cents / MB.

Now with Validity 1 year at only RM 10 .. worth to get compared to Hotlink.

With TuneTalk, you get to use it for voice, sms and data. Tablet Plan is only for data... no SMS, voice calls, etc.

Just lodged a case to MCMC today.

Good for you bro !
Hope more people that are affected by this to lodge a complaint.

Maxis TTDI staff...sigh.....hopeless bunch yet berlagak bodoh sombong

After reading all threads, now I understand why my hotlink tablet plan suddenly can't even connect to maxis network, while the 2gb valid till may 2018. It really a maxis scam,change of the plan without written inform or any sms. Maxis #Hotlink

This post has been edited by ikengkai: Sep 11 2017, 09:43 AM

You are right about that !

Report to MCMC.. if no one reports, then Maxis will do this again in the future. I don't know if Maxis is following some ISO standard.. if not can report to the ISO body also for failing to comply to standards.

After reading the post from other thread, after complaint they just extend the expired date to original 2GB 1 year, but not change back to previous Hotlink Tablet Plan, mean I need to face the same issue at 2018 again. I will find other telco that suite my backup usage model and avoid Maxis / Hotlink (Maxis & #Hotlink ). What they had did to those Hotlink Tablet Plan was a slap on their own face! They could just stop sell new plan, and encourage people move to other plan, but not quietly did it.

Try to search for alternative to the Hotlink Tablet Plan, it seem that 2 good options out here.

1. Buzz Me - ride on U Mobile network.
The Smart Surf with RM45 for 3GB, data validity follow the main account. Thus to subscribe the Smart Validity for RM38 for 365 days, then good to go.

2. Tune Talk - ride on Celcom Network. (prefer this)
RM10 for 365 days validity. And the pay per use is 2sen per MB, or per session. There is other monthly data plan like RM28 for 4GB. For minimum and occasionally data usage, or internet for tablet, the 2sen per MB sound good to me compare the Buzz Me plan, which per year minimum need to spend RM 83. For tune talk, it could be just RM30 - RM50 for my usage pattern. For those super high usage, there is RM200 for 48GB yearly plan. It translate for 4Gb per month, and RM16.70 per month subscription. Sound like good deal huh...

Just worry how the Celcom network perform, as lot of people claim it spotty and not stable, anyhow, it should be far better than U Mobile.

I am on TuneTalk and it is pretty good since most of the time I am on WiFi, so no point for high GB data.

Whether it is Digi, Celcom or Maxis, it depends on location. Some location you don't have a choice as that provider have better coverage there. So change providers based on location, no point being loyal to just 1 telco provider as these main telco providers are not interested in customer service.
In Klang Valley, all the telco providers are the same.. all also have some dead spots here and there but generally ok.

Agree with you, based on location and some top telco will have dead spots too.
Will go ahead to online order the Tune Talk sim card... Bye bye Maxis Hotlink.

Just for you guys info, Maxis has come up with such Tablet Plan T & C to cover their a**.

Hotlink Tablet Plan - Terms & Conditions

As expected, this is an unfair term and condition most of telcos will use to backup themself. Even bank and those credit cards TnC did this.
Need to boycott those unethical big shot...

With so many telco providers now, there are options but Malaysians mentality have to change since majority thinks Maxis is the best, hence the dominate and not being competitive.

Plain laziness also as I have heard some funny comments of Maxis users in Maxis centre .. hahaha.

But not to be a fool like the rest, I plan to revise my plan every 1 - 2 years.

There is so much data online, especially in forums, to make your own judgement on what is good for you since this is based on individual needs.

whoa this is new. only with maxis. Celcom old student-of-x validity until 2022 no need reload register year 2008 still working great today.

Glad to have found this thread and to know that I am not alone.

I have 2 Hotlink Tablet SIMS that I have maintained for the last few years, and one of them stopped working when I wanted to use it on Sat. I know the last top up on this SIM was in Apr 2017 and at that time I also renewed the 2GB for 1 year data plan.

I visited the Maxis Centre at Danga Bay JB and the staff insisted that I had let the line expire by not topping up every 50 days. The way she put it, it was my fault and nothing was mentioned about Hotlink's change in rules even though I kept saying I never had to top up every 50 days previously.

I asked her how come my other Tablet SIM line was still working, and she told me that that would also expire next month unless I topped up.

Maxis is a bloody unethical company and I am dumping both SIMs even though there is lots of data left in my quota. Not letting them earn another cent from me.

Should use up all the data and credits, to load their network.

from my conversation with the hotline care, the operator is saying that my 2GB tablet plan will still be rm45, and will be valid for 1 year after I renew it, including keeping the phone line active.

Well this is exactly the opposite of what is happening and what the service centre staff told me.

I already have 1 dead SIM with approx 90% of data quota gone. Come Oct 10, my other SIM is also supposed to expire according to the service centre, even though my last top up and subscription to 1 yr data was done in June 2017.

The operator sounds professional and confident, saying that he's not aware that its going to expire like your case. In fact, he also stated that maxis has no right to simply change the customer's plans.

Anyway, will keep my fingers crossed, as I have just purchased the quota upgrade yesterday, and the validity is 1 year from now.

i'm also 1 of the victim.

trust me, YES that 2gb rm45 (also got 1gb rm25) valid for 365 days.
but NOT your prepaid validity. this will follow normal hotlink plan.

please share with us, few info from your hotlink red app?
what is the plan name?

mine:
internet: tablet 2gb for 365 days - expires 17 mar 2018
balance: rm15 - termination date 11 oct 2017
settings - rate plan: broadband

previously (2016),
internet and balance will have same expiry date! even the balance is rm0
rate plan: tablet plan!



This post has been edited by erry-: Sep 30 2017, 03:23 AM

the thing is, this hotlink tablet plan previously is 2gb valid for 365 days together with sim validity. most people use it as a 2nd or backup sim (i'm 1 of them), purely for data (the original plan itself not supporting call & outgoing sms) - not for primary sim / number

for primary sim to call sms of course they are so many plan available out there. no need 1 - 2 years, every 3 months also can port, or every month can change plan within telco

This post has been edited by erry-: Sep 29 2017, 11:58 PM

There was another chat regarding the Top Up since keeping extra credit does not benefit the user.

In order to do this, you can top up RM 30 + RM 10 + RM 5 to a total of RM 45 for 2GB for 365 days.

You are correct on this as I also obtained the Hotlink Tablet Plan just for data, but that was about 2 years ago. I was just suggesting current available options with roughly the same price for those that do not want to use or trust Maxis / Hotlink in not screwing up the users of Hotlink Tablet Plan. TuneTalk PPU data is very competitive.

OK, so as I expected, my SIM card has stopped working after the balance expiry date. The app doesn't work anymore as well, but this time I am prepared and took a screenshot of the page showing that my "Tablet 2GB 365 days" plan has 1.4gb left and should expire in June 2018. How is it even logical that I have a valid data plan but an expired SIM ?

Now thinking whether or not to waste time and energy pursuing Maxis on this

Update : I could not find an email for Hotlink customer service so contacted them on Twitter.

They replied v fast - confirmed that my SIMs are expired and dead even though my data plans are valid until 2018.

Reason they gave is that this is SKMM direction - so now its all SKMM's fault ?

This post has been edited by jmts: Oct 13 2017, 03:55 PM

summon Maxis and #Hotlink

This post has been edited by fkinmeng: Oct 13 2017, 04:25 PM

this is what hotlink done to tablet plan as me and other members talking about.

the data is valid for 365 days, but number validity is following standard prepaid topup validity

dont waste your time. hotlink will always win because they changed the t&c already

This post has been edited by erry-: Oct 17 2017, 02:38 PM

but topup rm30+rm10+rm5 if in 1 time, your validity is only 30 days!

seems now need to topup rm50 then rm30, buy 365 validity rm33 then only buy 2gb 365 days rm45.
now is rm78 for 2gb for 365 days

its time to go for other telco ~

This post has been edited by erry-: Oct 17 2017, 02:41 PM

Move to other telco, forget about Maxis / Hotlink.

purchased RM45 for 1 years 2 gb in aug 2017 which i always use it as backup

today i only noticed the line is terminated

This post has been edited by asiatrader98: Oct 26 2017, 11:16 AM

i will follow too

even only rm50 .....

i checked , mine is boardband plan. can i mnp out ?

now i knew that, not only me having these problem.
hotlink haven't reply me yet.

https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...99s+Tablet+Plan

Hotlink Tablet plan already changed to Hotlink Broadband plan for nearly a year already...

I bought it coz it's nice number. But sadly it's can't mnp.

I'm too a victim for this stupid hotlink plan. Already complaint to MCMC & now forcing maxis to reimburse my money. Hope everyone affected by this to do the same.

I have just email complain to CFM <aduan@cfm.org.my>

I'm still holding one Hotlink Tablet simcard now:
Data Plan expire on : 12 Feb 2018
Line Active until : 23 Mar 2018

Plan to topup and buy RM45 for the data and RM33 for the 365 days validity, I still can proceed with this?

Mine is expiring in May. Thinking to renew it as well.
But remember that the validity365 only available in USSD option. For the Data Plan still can use app to purchase.

I see. Thanks for this.
As long as buy the validity365 before the due date then will keep the line alive, right?
Data can purchase/renew later.

It should be that way if no changes.
As I recall correctly our plan got no grace period (50 days) after the validity.
Wonder they have include any grace periods into this 'new' tablet plan or not.
Anyway, i will not take that chance, just try to renew it few days before validity expire :>

Yeah, I think the same way too.
Well, can Hotlink Tablet topup with "share topup" from other Hotlink normal prepaid simcard or buy "share topup" from shopee / lazada?

This one not so sure. The option is available in the app, maybe you give it a try and let us know ^^

I just did a test. Shared a topup from Hotlink prepaid simcard (with USSD option) to my Hotlink Tablet Sim, no problem with it

This post has been edited by sam240: Feb 10 2018, 04:45 PM

Thanks for trying and updating

You're welcome.

Purchased share topup from Shopee, paid RM64 for RM80 credit and buy 365 days directly, worry forgot and lost precious simcard