RECOVERY OF CLOSED ACCOUNT AND PHONE NUMBER

[EKENEODUM]

I  have a pay as you go number i have used for over 5 years. I travelled out of the UK for a year and when i tried to access my account through the app, it stated that the account is closed. I want the account reopened and my phone number retained. How do i go about this? Thanks 

[XRaySpeX]

You can't! You chose to not use it for a year. After 6 months it went into hibernation & then as you never contacted EE in the next 3 months grace period to get it reactivated, it was deactivated completely & lost to you.

[SaraHassan123]

Hello, 

I am having a similar issue here with a closed account after only 3 months of being inactive (i wasnt aware that inactivity meant no outgoing calls and actions like top ups) I did make a top up and continued to recieve text messages from EE during the last 3 months.

Is it not unethical to just close an account without notifying the customer, they do know how to send text messages and emails when they need to chase for payments so why not notify the customer that their account is potentially going to be closed?  I am now facing this huge issue with all suppliers, accounts unable to contact me and i need critical medical attention. How can i reinstate my account or even use the number and move to another supplier? what options are available to me? 

[Mod edit: Please do not share personal details as your posts are visible to the public. Thanks!]

[Peter_W]

Good afternoon @SaraHassan123. 

I can absolutely appreciate your concern with this one, and I just want to clear up a few details with you so we can be sure we've got the best possible understanding of what's happening. 

With all UK mobile networks, there is only a finite supply of numbers available, so we need to make sure there's always a pool ready for new connections. 

To help ensure this, a pay as you go account will be deemed inactive if there is no chargeable activity detected within a 180 day period.

At this point the line will be suspended and any credit removed, but this is not a full cancellation; the user will also receive multiple reminder texts from us in advance of this.

The number would only be cancelled permanently if we received no contact about the suspension within the next 3 months.

Have you tried reaching out to anyone yet to check if the number can be resumed?
Peter

[tmmk21]

Hi, 

I have been travelling and encountered a similar issue, my account has been closed. I thought I had been keeping the account active by making regular outgoing calls to 150 & hanging up once i got to a dial tone, but apparently this wasn't working. I have noticed in good time though - i only set it up as pay as you go just before i set off, approximately 160 days ago. How do i retrieve my account? Thanks

[Katie_B]

Hello @tmmk21. 

Thanks for coming here. 

If your account has gone into hibernation you will need to give us a call from another phone to get this activated again. 

After 269 days of inactivity your number will be lost. 

Katie 🙂

[XRaySpeX]

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@tmmk21 wrote:

making regular outgoing calls to 150 & hanging up once i got to a dial tone

---

That doesn't constitute a call in any sense of the word. You made no connection with the recipient.

Sounds like your PAYG SIM may have gone into hibernation due to non-use.

EE PAYG SIMs are deactivated after 6 months of non-chargeable use. You then have a further 3 months period of grace to call EE to reactivate it before it is lost completely.

You needed to make a chargeable action like making a chargeable call or text, topping up or buying a Pack or Add-on, not just using your mins, texts or data from your pack.

As it was switched to PAYG while you were abroad you can't now use it until you return to UK. EE PAYG SIMs need 1st activating on EE's home UK network before they can be used abroad. 

[tmmk21]

Great, thank you!

[tmmk21]

Thanks for the extra info. I return to the UK within a month so sounds like i should be able to restore it then.

I was given the advice to call 150 to keep the sim active from in-store in the UK, when i switched to PAYG before I travelled. I'm no expert and never questioned it 🤷‍♂️. In any case, seems I should be able to rescue the situation.

[XRaySpeX]

Thanks! You're welcome 🙂 ! Glad I could be of assistance & hope it soon gets sorted.