topic Re: Failed Port from Vodafone in SIM cards & Porting

Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 06:53:42 GMT

I am a small business customer who recently joined EE. Porting was supposed to happen yesterday and as per the usual process, my Voda SIM stopped working, followed by a text message from EE stating the number port had been completed.

Data works on the new EE Sim, however when calling or making calls from what should be my previous number, I get the message "You have dialled an incorrect number". Weirdly I can send and receive text messages, but only via the temporary number issued with the EE sim.

Numerous calls to customer services has ended up with me being transferred to an EE store, Apple or the line being cut off rather than any sort of help from the small business team in India. I was told I needed to go to an EE store to provide proof of ID so I can get a password set on the account, the EE store tried a new SIM, and other troubleshooting tactics, but still nothing. The UK team cannot help me as its a small business account and I am stuck with a business line that cannot receive or make calls, or receive SMS.

Is there some sort of escalation path to someone I can speak to in the UK to get this resolved, seems like a simple "Split Port" problem, perhaps needs a network refresh on EEs side. The India team are unfotunately not helpful at times, and where they fall short, they seem to just palm me off to someone else to make it not their problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

bristolian — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:07:58 GMT

You've done absolutely the right thing in contacting EE-CS to report this problem, and you're right - there is an escalation process for these "split port" and similar scenarios.

It sounds like yours might be complicated by the lack of an account password to enable frontline-CS to verify your identity, and they're referring you to an EE retail store to perhaps use face-to-face methods to pass account security instead. In doing so, the store is using some initiative to try well-meaning methods to troubleshoot, without realising your issues are clearly account/core-network level and thus need action directed there.

I am unsure what specific processes CS have to verify the identity of a new business account, but I should imagine they would need to be undertaken by the nominated account point-of-contact in the first instance - after all, the company is the defined legal entity in this case and thus you could potentially be a random third party. Out of interest, how many individual lines are on "your" business account?

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:15:44 GMT

Only the one on this account, set up as a sole trader. I set up another one 2 days previously, with a port from 3, that went through no issues. In all the years of porting numbers, this is the first time one has failed for me and the inconvenience of not being able to receive calls is causing no end of issues, and being a business account I am unable to commuinicate.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

bristolian — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:29:52 GMT

Ah, a sole trader is the "grey area" with business accounts, there's no separate legal entity which remains the individual.

I'm not familiar with CS' processes here, but I should imagine that there would be an option for CS agents to ask alternative account-specific questions that only the sole-trader individual should be in a position to know. That would enable account-security to be passed, a password set, and the technical escalation process to thus be followed.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:42:18 GMT

so we have a password on the account now, as we went into store and verified using photo id. the next steps i would imagine is to get someone in CS to do a sim activation and network reset, but getting anyone in the small business team to do anything seems to be an issue, as they just bat the call off to someone else!

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

Christopher_G — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:35:53 GMT

Hi @AmzChhabra

Welcome to the community.

It's good to hear that you've managed to get the security aspect of your account sorted. I recommend restarting your phone and resetting the network settings on your device:

Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings > Follow the on-screen prompts.

If it still isn't working, I can only suggest speaking with our Small Business team on 150 again, so that it can be looked into further by the team who handle number ports.

Please keep us updated with what happens.

Chris

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:00:23 GMT

Thanks for the reply. These steps have been done, alongside many other troubleshooting steps. I finally got through to someone who didnt transfer me to an EE store or Apple for help, who has raised a ticket with the MNP team to look at the port as it definitely seems to have failed.

My concern now is that the MNP team are only contactable via email from the tech team, not via phone or any other means (supposedly) and there is no timeline on how long this will take to fix.

Annoyingly I am flying out to Greece on Monday, flight is at 9:05am, so if we can't get it resolved today, I will be at a loss with no phone for week which is hugely concerning for me. I cannot even have the calls diverted at a network level to temporary phone as the number now ceases to exist anywhere!

Hugely dissapointing start to a new contract and relationship with EE.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

Christopher_G — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:08:21 GMT

Thanks for the update, @AmzChhabra .

These issues are very uncommon. It is really unfortunate that it has happened this close to your trip too, so I understand your disappointment.

Fingers crossed the MNP team can get this sorted quickly for you.

Chris

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

bristolian — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:18:37 GMT

@AmzChhabra wrote:
Annoyingly I am flying out to Greece on Monday, flight is at 9:05am, so if we can't get it resolved today, I will be at a loss with no phone for week which is hugely concerning for me.

My understanding is that some of EE's MNP-support does work outside weekday hours.

Much depends where the issue lies here - whether it's internal to EE or requires co-op from the donor-network. If you've got a single-user fault raised, that's absolutely the best course of action.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:59:15 GMT

OK so the plot thickens, and I am now losing the will to live with the support team. It appears the port is correct, although the MNP team have not confirmed. I am now being told that the SIM card issued to me is actually inactive, and the SIM provided by the store yesterday as part of their troubleshooting is the correct SIM, but that one is completely dead and will not register to the network.

I am at a loss here, they are saying the new SIM card is active, so they cannot activate it again, yet it is completely dead. The original SIM works for data and SMS (on the temp number).

They have conveniently asked me to wait 24 hours from when the SIM was registered in store, which according to their systems is 18:04, just after the time at which small business CS closes!

Is there not anyone else in EE that can help here @Christopher_G? I seem to be going around in circles, and the lost time and revenue at this stage is more than the contract is worth over the next 10 years!

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

bristolian — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:12:48 GMT

@AmzChhabra wrote:
They have conveniently asked me to wait 24 hours from when the SIM was registered in store, which according to their systems is 18:04, just after the time at which small business CS closes!

The 24hour timescale is often part of CS process, although should not be treated arbitrarily IMO.

I'd be tempted to call in as close to 6pm as you dare, and offer to wait on the call until the 6.04pm deadline has been & gone, querying what the next step is.

Without having account-access, it sounds like the store's attempt to help by replacing the SIM, has inadvertently made it worse - I'm not overly surprised. Once a SIM has been deactivated, it cannot normally be reactivated.

I suspect this may end up with another SIM replacement - not so much for the physical card being faulty, as to re-provision your account onto a clean one.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

Christopher_G — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:14:05 GMT

We don't have access to customer accounts here in the community, @AmzChhabra, so it's difficult to comment on what is happening with the port or SIM.

Do you live near the EE Store? It may be worth popping in again so they can double-check your account and make sure the correct SIM is registered.

Any discussions around your account and compensation need to go through the Business Customer Support team.

Chris

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 19:51:06 GMT

Thank you for the reply. I tried this, and unfortunately it wasn't the case, both sims still dead and the number is nowhere to be seen.

The representative I spoke to this time again went back and said its still with the MNP team and I would need to wait until Monday, so now I am frantically trying to find something temporary to use next week as I will be in Greece with no possibility of getting to a store on Monday to grab another SIM.

I wonder if it is worth grabbing a PAYG sim from the airport on the way out to potentially transfer to if they say that is the case, although I will have no means of testing it as I will not be in the UK?

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

Lesley_W — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 09:31:54 GMT

Thanks for the update @AmzChhabra

When will you be travelling to Greece? Activating SIM's when abroad is not recommended as they need to be connected to our network first in order to activate properly, so avoiding that would be best.

Lesley

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

bristolian — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 10:03:40 GMT

@AmzChhabra wrote:
I wonder if it is worth grabbing a PAYG sim from the airport on the way out to potentially transfer to if they say that is the case, although I will have no means of testing it as I will not be in the UK?

PAYG SIMs need to be used in the UK first before they will work abroad. This is different from pay-monthly which - although far easier to activate in the UK - can be roaming-enabled abroad via a call to CS.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

AmzChhabra — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 08:18:52 GMT

Flying tomorrow 9:05am so unless it's working before then, I will be without a phone for a week. I have picked up a data SIM to use while out there so at least WhatsApp works, but the fact I cannot receive calls to my number as it shows "you have dialled an incorrect number" is the biggest concern.

I have been assured I will not lose the number, I am just at a loss as to how this takes so long and there is nobody to speak to to get it resolved quickly.

Re: Failed Port from Vodafone

Lesley_W — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 13:13:52 GMT

I'm pleased you have a back up plan for now @AmzChhabra

I'm sure the team will be working on getting this sorted as quickly as possible and will have an update for you soon.

Lesley