topic Re: Messed Up Mobile Number in Mobile Services

Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:12:38 GMT

Hello,

Help.

EE have apparently given me the wrong mobile number & deleted my default number.

Result: no-one can send me OTPs / text.

For hours I have been on the landline phone to EE over this.

I now cannot contact them - they were meant to phone back - they never did.

Serious now - please help - with thanks.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

bristolian — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:35:37 GMT

@kr236rk wrote:

EE have apparently given me the wrong mobile number & deleted my default number.

Whom or what was told you that you've been "given the wrong mobile number"? And what were the circumstances in which you were told this?

Were you trying to port a number in from another network?

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:02:10 GMT

When I went back to a simple mobile phone, EE took the SIM from my smart phone, & placed it in the simple phone. They put a new SIM in the smart phone which had a new phone number attached to it. However, the new SIM could not be used for telephone or text. Not a problem at the time, but the new number was never explained to me. It's still a mystery, it was a telephone number for a phone which had no mobile telephone connectivity programmed into its SIM card, so it appears to have been a dummy number.

EE have now migrated that number, in error - they say, to my only current mobile phone - which is now the smart phone.

No-one has knowledge of that number, my bank can't recognise it: I am left high & dry in terms of text OTP identification.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:28:26 GMT

That SIM card with the mystery telephone number attached to it, that card effectively turned the smart phone into a mini laptop with WiFi connectivity. I understand that now, I did not understand it at the time - nothing was explained to me. They've now allocated - in error - that weird WiFi telephone number to my only remaining mobile phone - the resurrected smart phone.

So, again, I am left with a smart phone which can't phone, or receive texts.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

XRaySpeX — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:35:18 GMT

How can EE be putting SIMs into phones in your possession?

Sounds as tho' you did an upgrade from the old smart phone to a new simple phone. An upgrade preserves your existing mobile no. with the result that the new simple phone has your existing no. & the old smart phone's contract has been cancelled & its SIM deactivated. Is that right?

WiFi doesn't have phone nos. It connect by WiFi signals.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 01:05:53 GMT

"How can EE be putting SIMs into phones in your possession?"

The SIM from my original simple phone was put into the smart phone in 2019.

"Sounds as tho' you did an upgrade from the old smart phone to a new simple phone. An upgrade preserves your existing mobile no. with the result that the new simple phone has your existing no. & the old smart phone's contract has been cancelled & its SIM deactivated. Is that right?"

Think so. I couldn't initially use the new smart phone because it was in airplane mode - it took ages to discover that. Then there were other hurdles, it's years ago now, of course.

Eventually, I went back to using a simple phone.

This 2nd simple phone came from the EE Shop, as I recall. They then took the SIM from the smart phone, & put it into the 2nd simple phone

BUT

a completely new SIM went into the smart phone, so that it could only be used for WiFi - as in downloading aps, etc - but could not be used for telephone or texts, only WiFi; made it like a mini computer, in effect.

I've been mystified ever since, it has frankly made me smart phone phobic.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 01:27:10 GMT

"How can EE be putting SIMs into phones in your possession?"

It's possible I was kindly guided in this by EE staff, it was five yeas ago. On my last visit to the EE Shop they made me remove the SIM card myself, it was a very difficult thing to do.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

XRaySpeX — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 01:37:40 GMT

So all this happened years ago?

@kr236rk wrote:

a completely new SIM went into the smart phone, so that it could only be used for WiFi - as in downloading aps, etc - but could not be used for telephone or texts, only WiFi; made it like a mini computer, in effect.

That's preposterous! A phone used only for WiFi does not need or use a SIM. A SIM is only needed for the mobile network. You have a now defunct SIM or no SIM in the old smart phone. Open it up & see which.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 02:14:58 GMT

The phone-friendly SIM was put back into the smart phone.

That worked perfectly for 12 hours, after which time, EE deleted my 'good' mobile number in error, and replaced it with the number they had assigned the non-functional smart phone with.

The WiFi-friendly SIM is now in a plastic bag.

An EE bright yellow mobile router had initially been brought in 2019 for train journeys, where no WiFi signal might be picked up. The WiFi SIM used to talk to that, when used as a WiFi entity.

Everything would have been resolved, if EE had left my mobile number alone - a number I have had for decades - they deleted it in error. I'm now told I must wait 5 working days for that number to be re-instated.

I am so baffled by all this, I am considering going Vodafone, I can't take much more.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

XRaySpeX — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 04:30:31 GMT

"WiFi-friendly SIM" - rubbish! "WiFi SIM" - rubbish! The whole thing's gobbledygook!

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

bristolian — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:56:23 GMT

WiFi is just a connection between a mobile device and broadband router, it has nothing to do with any mobile network.

A SIM is needed to connect a mobile phone to a mobile network.

I wonder if the new SIM was a PAYG one that has since been hibernated through lack of use.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

Rach_H — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:02:32 GMT

Hi @kr236rk,

Welcome to the Community!

It sounds like the new SIM you were given might've been a data only SIM, which are more often used for mobile data devices, and would explain why yoi've not been able to make calls or send texts.

I am sorry that you're not currently able to use this number, and that the team haven't gotten back in touch. Are you able to give the team another call, so they can check for any updates?

Rach

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:43:35 GMT

bristolian

said

"WiFi is just a connection between a mobile device and broadband router, it has nothing to do with any mobile network.

A SIM is needed to connect a mobile phone to a mobile network.

I wonder if the new SIM was a PAYG one that has since been hibernated through lack of use."

I'm afraid I wouldn't know - I have been told next to nothing.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:46:32 GMT

Thanks, I was on my BT landline for hours yesterday - I just want my mobile phone to work - why do I simply not just go to another mobile network provider?

They will lose a long-standing customer, but the service they are providing is unacceptable, I feel.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:49:16 GMT

"hibernated through lack of use."

They said the second number had been used for a total of about 6 minutes, over a period of 5 years. They have billed me for it, for 5 years. They are billing me still.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:03:07 GMT

Just phoned 150. EE say there is a 30 minute wait. My mobile still says 'Emergency Calls Only', ie, they've blocked it at their end - ditto sending/receiving texts.

I badly want to change my mobile phone network provider now.

Why can't I just do this please?

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

Rach_H — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:03:25 GMT

Hi @kr236rk,

I can absolutely understand your disappointment, but I would definitely recommend getting back in touch with the team, as we don't want you to continue being billed if you do go elsewhere.

Rach

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:12:13 GMT

Thank you. I can't contact them for 30 minutes - that's 30 minutes more of BT billing, I must have stacked up a huge land-line bill by now.

"We don't want you to continue being billed if you do go elsewhere."

So what, please, is stopping me formally writing to EE cancelling my mobile network contract with them "as soon as possible" ~ ?

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

kr236rk — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:35:58 GMT

Can someone please advise, thank you ~ I want to get back on track with my life, I can't even access my own bank account online now, because I can't verify myself OTP, thanks to EE.

Re: Messed Up Mobile Number

Rach_H — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:46:38 GMT

Hi @kr236rk,

We don't have account access here on the Community, so you would need to speak with the team to get an update about this.

Rach