Can Or How Do You Get A Mobile Switched Back On?

Garrett

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The best thief you'll never see.
My parents got a mobile, the pay as you use calls type. They more or less got it for emergencies.
Yesterday they was going to use it and found it was not working. They tried a new sim card in it and that did not work. Today the rang the operators and was told that their number has been disconnected and also there sim card is no longer of use even though they have quite a bit of money on it.
The reason being they have not used the mobile in 60 days.
 
So which crummy network was the perpetrator of this heanous crime?

I think I can accept that a long-term unused account is an unnecessary cost to the network and would condone their putting it to sleep. However, I consider it unforgivable for the remaining credit on the account to be permanently forfeit. At your request, they should be willing to resurrect it (with a new number, maybe, if your old one has been reassigned).

FWIW, we have a 'spare' PAYG account with Orange. It has been dormant, with a small residual balance for over a year. I tried it the other day - it still works and the balance is still there.

I do seem to recall something in the small print about having to make a call every (6 was it?) months to keep the account active. I guess that if something like this forms part of the T&C for your supplier you don't have any redress.
 
BT Cellnet.

I think the phone was used recently but for an incoming call and they took it that was using the phone. I spoke with them again and I think the said it was 60 days in the book that came with the phone but they said who ever they rang said it was 6 months.
I think my parent would have accepted the phone being cut of but as you say Nigel they are upset they cannot use the sim card in an other mobile.
 
No wonder it doesn't work Garratt, Bt Cellnet doesn't exist anymore! :D
 
Originally posted by Games Guru
No wonder it doesn't work Garratt, Bt Cellnet doesn't exist anymore! :D

Well that’s funny since I got mine through them and mine is still working. They have probably just changed there name or something like transferred there customers to an other service.
 
Originally posted by Garrett
I think my parent would have accepted the phone being cut of but as you say Nigel they are upset they cannot use the sim card in an other mobile.

Unless the phone handset itself has been reported stolen it is unlikely to be disabled. I'd guess that it is the account that has been killed. And the only thing that tells a phone what account it is being used for is the SIM - not the phone itself. So it's hardly surprising that the SIM doesn't work. My guess is that another, active SIM (on the same network) will actually work in the handset.
 
No I tried my sim in there phone and it does not work and is the exact same make and model.
But as of yet have not tried their sim in my phone.
 
Yes, but is your account on the same network? Most phones sold by franchised network dealers are locked to the one network. So if (for example) their phone was bought from BTCellnet and your SIM is from (eg) Orange - it most likely won't work. To test the phone handset, you will need to try a SIM from an active account on the same network. BT Cellnet is now known as O2. Or get the handset unlocked to all networks (expect to pay GBP10 or so at an independent mobile store or market stall).
 
I bought mine from the same place as my parents within days of each other and it came with some free phone time, and says BT Cellnet on the boxes. Also when you switch on you get that symbol with the bloke blowing his longhorn.
 
Originally posted by Garrett
Also when you switch on you get that symbol with the bloke blowing his longhorn.

How rude! I didn't know we allowed things like that in public! :eek:









Sorry... couldn't resist, I'm bored and it made me smile :rotfl:
 
Well in that case, I'm puzzled as to what is wrong - unless the handset has either been blocked (which they should only do if it was reported stolen) or it has died. It seems that a new handset may be in order. As for recovering the residual credit - as I say, it was probably in the T&Cs that dormant accounts are forfeit.
 
Originally posted by rct

Sorry... couldn't resist, I'm bored and it made me smile :rotfl:
No excuse for boring the rest us with such an obvious joke which I thought no one would stoop to when I posted.:p
 
I got in touch with them and they have gone and got a new mobile, and uses O2 which I’ve been told is BT Cellnet.
I was talking to a mate last night and he was saying the price of the phones are a lot cheaper than they should be but the companies make there money back with the cost of phone calls. So it seem silly they have just lost some more money by switching there old mobile of.

Thanks for all you help Nigel:smashin:
 
BT at one stage used to sims lock the phones, usually the trium (spelt something like that). This meaning, the phone would only work with the sims card issued with the phone. They also did this with their deal which allowed free calls to one land line number. that is probably the problem you have.
 
The mobile they have now is a lot more difficult to use the facilities and the instruction book is not much help. I said to try the new sim card in the old machine but they said it was a different size and does not have a corner missing.
 

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