Forum Topic

Mobile Phone advice please

I wonder whether anyone else has had this problem.I have a second mobile phone on Orange PAYG and because I did not use this phone for a few months and then suddenly discovered I was unable to make calls at all.I called in the Orange store where I was advised that I have now 'lost' my mobile number (which I had for years) and would now have to purchase another sim card for £5 which I reluctantly did.When I asked what happened to the small amount of credit I had on this phone, around £5 the lady just shrugged her shoulders!Now I know it is not a large sum of money, it is the fact that they can just cancel my mobile number and keep my money without even sending me a message to warn me that this would happen if I did not use the phone!I actually switched on this phone regularly as I use it when just popping to the local shops but there was no information or contact from Orange. I only discovered their 'policy' when I called in to the store.I have now sent theman email but am still waiting for an explanation ot a reply.By the way, I have just realised that PAYG customers on most of these deals are charged 20p minimum per call and 10p per text!  As a light user it would not be worth while for me to take out a contract.I have now discovered that ASDA and Tesco only charge customers 8p to make a call and 4p per text! How can they do this when the phone companies charge so much more?Any advice would be appreciated.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5560d19 Comments

Re  perhaps I should investigate!!!              xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    it just so happens Jean on my way to the Bank this afternoon I called into o2 to check on when I can update my handset, and picked up their latest brochure. Cheapest useful monthly tariff would seem to be the Simplicity ones ranging from £10.21 for 100 mins or £15 32 for 600 mins. I am with o2 and get their broadband at much reduced price, which needing 2  connections, is useful to me , one per phone but one of mine goes back 10 years when I paid a one off £90 for lifetime use of 200  " free " off-peak mins a month and which enables me now to have the 2nd b/band at reduced price!. That concession for o2 mobile phone owners still exits, so happy investigating !!

Tony Price ● 5555d

Tony I don't think I would make enough calls to justify a contract. My spare phone was just one I got from a friend and I just use it if I am popping out and my other phone is on charge!I get free calls 24/7 from our home phone so tend to ring friends from the landline. The mobile phone I use just when meeting friends, or for texting friends if I am not at home. I don't have long convesations on the mobile or anything like that.I would like to be able to read my emails from my mobile though but they charge to go online!  Mind you I doubt that I would use £10 per month on calls!Maybe there are some good deals out there, perhaps I should investigate!!!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5555d

Re  I am also going to run down my credit and go elsewhere.      xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    Jean, that you have 2 phones and which must cost a fair amount " to run ", why not go for a Contract, which often works out cheaper as most give a good number of  " free " minutes, depending of course on the amount of the monthly  fee but now might be a good time to investigate, Jan " sales " and all that?.

Tony Price ● 5556d

Is that so that you can order a few snacks on the long journey from your home to the supermarket?Why not take the phone that you carry around with you into the car?  You could get a couple of choc bars in that space which would keep you going for a couple of minutes next time you are "stuck" at the traffic lights in Northfields avenue.

G Lord ● 5556d

AH, as I have explained, the bill is for the phone that I carry around with me, not the emergency one in the car.

Susan Kelly ● 5556d

>>Jean Fernandez asks>> I don't understand why the phone companies, who are no doubt making vast profits, can't even have the courtesy to send a text message warning that unless the phone is used the number will be withdrawn and remaining credit unrefunded!>>AH replies>> My guess would be that mobile phone companies' bulk income comes from customers tied to monthly contracts.  They probably view PAYG customers as a bit of a nuisance and would prefer it for those to sign up to a monthly contract.  (FYI, I have two PAYG mobile phones).  (Aside: not all banks send text messages to customers whose accounts are dormant or heading into the red).

Andy Horridge ● 5557d

>>Susan Kelly asks>> Why does my old Virgin phone in the car still work, in that case, despite not being used for a couple of years?>>AH replies>> Susan, your post on 18/1/2011 at 14.50hrs reads "This months's bill was 72p".  If the phone isn't being used, why do you have a bill?

Andy Horridge ● 5557d

Why does my old Virgin phone in the car still work, in that case, despite not being used for a couple of years? Not all providers are perpetrating this scam.

Susan Kelly ● 5557d

If the Banks can inform customers that a Credit Card may be withdrawn unless it is used within a set period then I don't understand why the phone companies, who are no doubt making vast profits, can't even have the curtesy to send a text message warning that unless the phone is used the number will be withdrawn and remaining credit unrefundable!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5557d

I think you will find that all PAYG mobile phones will cease working (and lose any outstanding credit) after a period of several weeks (typically 3 months) of no outgoing calls being made.  I believe the reasoning to be two-fold, namely (a) the phone companies are in the business of making money (!) and (b) the cessation of 'dormant' mobile phone numbers preserves frequency/data bandwidth (a mobile phone, when switched on, is in constant contact with its nearest transmitter.  Potentially, that bandwidth could become saturated with non-used 'active' phones.)

Andy Horridge ● 5557d

As I said, I don't have prepay credits but pay for my calls each month in arrears by direct debit -- much the best of both worlds!

Susan Kelly ● 5557d

I think Virgin on certain PAYG tarrif may not have an "expiry" timelimit. Usually if you do use the phoen it is kept "live", but your pre-paid credits may not.But you need to double check and get it in writing (email or letter).

Jim Wong ● 5558d

You had me wondering then about the old Virgin mobile I keep in the car for emergencies and haven't used for years, but I switched it on and no problems.I've been with Virgin PAYG for nearly nine years and had no trouble with them. I can even pay my bills monthly by direct debit to avoid the bother of topping up. This month's bill was 72p which is about par for the course.

Susan Kelly ● 5558d

Thanks for the advice Jim, I will do just that!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5558d

u can try making an official complain to Organge and threaten to report them to OFCOM and see if this produce a result.

Jim Wong ● 5558d

Yea Jim, I agree with you but surely a simple text message would have sufficed, at least give the customer some warning, not just remove my mobile number and keep my credit! I wonder just how much these companies make on this sort of underhand business? They can afford it more than I can.Anyway they are not getting away with it. I am also going to run down my credit and go elsewhere. I have been with Orange for many years but this sort of thing has taught me a lesson.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5558d

I don't like it either, but the fact is that we all need to check out the "small prints" and or ask the relevent questions. Most pAYG credits may have time limits and SIM can be deactiviate and number "reuse" if it is not registered or use within certain time.

Jim Wong ● 5558d

I agree Susan, if they had sent me a text then I would have made some calls on that phone but I go no warning whatsoever!No wonder the terms and conditions of these companies are written in such small print no-one can even read it!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5559d

What an outrageous rip off, Jean. I'd heard of phone companies closing your account if you didn't use the phone for six months and charging you to re-activate it, but to lose the number altogether!

Susan Kelly ● 5560d