2 hours on LiveChat, and say they can't reactivate my SIM, which was deactivated only a week ago

[Sime6954]

I'm going to try to resolve a matter on social media by DM, but understand I need to have posted here first to refer to, so here goes:

I am deaf and disabled, but need my phone for essential SMS, mainly incoming, from NHS, banking verification etc.

I use minimum of chargeable services, or make a top-up to keep the number active.

You'll appreciate keeping the same number is essential.

Last week Vodafone deactivated my Sim without warning (I've checked my call logs to confirm no warning SMS). I'm out of chargeable credit use by a few days.

I've just been on live chat for over two hours and three people, to try to reactivate my SIM, who can't decide which excuse will enable them to refuse to reactivate:

1) it's more than 180 days

2) i've had the warning sms (I haven't)

3) because I don't make calls there isn't enough data to ask the verification questions to access my account and reactivate my sim.

4) Because it's deactivated all my records are deleted, so can't run security check to access my account.

Dates:

My last top-up was 26-11-2019 (I was about £20 in credit)

The last SMS I sent was 24-05-2021

The last SMS I received (NHS) was 19-11-2021

Sometime between 19-11-21 and Sat 27-11 I was disconnected without warning: I'm well within 90 days to reactivate, but all I'm getting is excuses.

Live Chat is exhausted; I'll DM on twitter to follow up.

It is going to be a monumental problem if I lose this number; banking security checks, hospital etc.

This is terrible of Vodafone to do this to disabled people mid-Covid.

[Sime6954]

How incredibly predictable; just had this from Vodafone FRAUD!!!

""Hello Mr ******
Thanks for your request to reset your security details. Unfortunately, we can’t find the <mobile/account> number you provided on the form.
What happens next?
Don’t worry, if you think you’ve made a mistake, you can fill in the form again at vodafone.co.uk/securityreset.
Remember to upload a scan or photo of your photo ID, or a bank statement and utility bill.
My number is correct
If you’re sure you provided the right number, please get in touch using the details below. Also attached the documents again or refill the form again with

Vodafone Account Number
Thank you for choosing Vodafone
The Fraud Team""

I'm getting the run around here; does anyone at Vodafone actually want to solve this, or are you just going to waste my time until I'm exhausted trying and give up!?!

[Sime6954]

To rub salt in the wound, I just tried to buy credit on a new SIM from another provider to tide me over until this Vodafone farce is resolved or abandoned, and I can't use my Paypal for it because Paypal want to send me a code via SMS, but I have no phone service thanks to Vodafone! So your disgraceful actions are now having a detrimental affect on my banking accounts; Paypal is now unusable until the problem is cleared, it's only a matter of time before the same issue arises on my Visa or my bank account when I try to use them, and meanwhile Vodafone are doing nothing.

Cheers Vodafone, you really have let me down and stitched me up in a disgusting, careless way.

@Amanda, Twitter Team are not looking after this; they have left me helpless, and couldn't care less.

Rishabh may have set a reminder, but his involvement so far has yielded nothing except more wasted time and more distress, and he is not even replying to my DMs now.

Why can't you, Rishabh and Vodafone FRAUD just all talk to each other and sort it out? That is what I've asked Rishabh and Vodafone FRAUD to do now; by email reply to FRAUD and Twitter DM to Rishabh, but neither have replied.

[Sime6954]

https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Pay-as-you-go/2-hours-on-LiveChat-and-say-they-can-t-reactivate-my-S...

I was ignored all day on this Vodafone Community board, and by Rishabh on @TwitterUK; no one can justify that.

I am therefore posting this message in both locations to insist that someone responds to me today to advise me of the status of my request to reactivate my SIM.

What Vodafone have done so far is already shameful, but if you really are going to just give up trying to fix your disgraceful actions, than at least have the courtesy to say so.

I'm going to save this page, complete, for my records for future action; I can't believe you'd do this mid-Covid to a deaf, disabled, housebound customer and then just not bother to put it right, and stop replying to me.

[WelshPaul]

I'm just speculating here but I thing the issue is that Vodafone cannot verify you are the account holder due to limited activity on the account. If that is the case, they should just say so and you will need to visit a store with ID. 

[TJ]

Thanks for getting back to us @Sime6954 - if you've been asked to complete a security reset form so we can verify your details, you should have had a reply back from our Security team; have you received this? I'll see if I can get someone to chase up your message via our social channels and get a reply sorted for you. 

[Sime6954]

@WelshPaul,

I just posted a detailed reply to you, which has been deleted. I'm not going to write it all out again, but a précis will suffice, so I can record it before it is deleted; as follows:

There would be no need for ANY speculation if Vodafone had the courtesy to reply:

I've repeatedly requested Rishabh DM's (@twitterUK) to reply to me, to talk to (********Vodafone PIN request response email - REDACTED), or to just have the courtesy to let me know the status of my PIN reactivation request, instead of ignoring me.

I have DM'd @Amanda here this morning to ask for her help in obtaining a response.

I have done a detailed email reply to (********Vodafone PIN request response email - REDACTED), explaining the situation and asking them to discuss it with Rishabh (@twitterUK) .

-= -= -=

@TJ, I have done everything asked of me, provided all information asked of me – and much more, kept everyone informed of progress, requested each department talks to each other, and repeatedly requested replies to my messages and progress updates.

I'm being ignored.

[TJ]

I can see that you've been contacted and it looks like everything's sorted @Sime6954. I'm sorry that it took longer than expected, but I'm glad everything's been resolved. If there's anything you need help with in the future, please don't hesitate to pop back to us via our social channels. 

[Sime6954]

I will do an impartial account of what happened, to help other customers in the same difficulty, in due course when I've gathered my thoughts. But there is so much more to this than your 'everythings been resolved' summary.

[Sime6954]

Facts:

My SIM was deactivated on day 181 since my last billable use of it.

I do acknowledge I was over the 180 days since my last billable action, but I was £25 in credit and the phone was continually active (on day 180 I'd had an SMS from NHS).

Vodafone have now confirmed they did not send me the warning messages before deactivating my SIM.

Vodafone never even advised me they had done it (I only discovered it when I went to the top up page and my number wasn't recognised).

My SIM is reactivated.

Events:

Conversation with Live Chat was disgraceful for the following reasons:

They stated they had records of Vodafone having sent the warning messages (later proved to be false)

They stated reactivation was impossible (later proved to be false)

They stated they couldn't register a complaint because I didn't have an active Vodafone SIM (which had just been disconnected – by Vodafone)

They kept repeating 'go into a store', which I repeatedly told them I couldn't because I'm disabled, housebound, and they eventually hung up the chat anyway (I have transcript of the whole 2+hrs).

In general this board proved useful, especially advice from Non-Vodafone employees; thank you. I'm not going to name any names except for one person at the bottom of this, but no one else from Vodafone went past initial general advice, with no follow up; and even failed to reply to my DMs to them requesting help sent on this board.

Social Media (@TwitterUK) was a very mixed bag, from being told it was impossible (it was never impossible – as proved – it was difficult, and too-hard for them, so easier to say it was impossible than find a way to deal with it). I think, in the end, pressure from Vodafone employees here (Administrators?) to a new set of Vodafone employees on social media, together with my controlled anger, distress and perseverance, got the right people involved. Those who previously dumped the conversations on Social Media actually did me a favour because they were replaced by people that could and would and did (solve it), where they couldn't be bothered, and were happy to fail.

The problem:

Other than the now-proven huge, unforgivable error by Vodafone to cut me off without warning, when I was £25 in credit, especially on day 181 during Covid (I could have been in hospital or bereaved or any number of other reasons to be one day over 180) the biggest hurdle (other than staff who wanted to treat it as impossible, rather than make an effort), was that I'd had this SIM so long (approx 15 years) and used it so little (I'm deaf, so only use SMS) that Vodafone's records were too sparse to carry out the normal security checks.

The PIN reset was a total red herring to waste time and do nothing, as I said when it was suggested, because I didn't have a PIN to reset.

On day 181 it's too late; your credit is wiped, you can't top up because your number is no longer recognised, you can do nothing at all to put it right, except go through this fiasco.

My physical disabilities:

These were ignored completely on Live Chat, on here if anyone reads back, and initially on Social media; I cannot 'go into a store' because I cannot leave my home. The World may be becoming educated about disability, but Vodafone has some catching up to do here. Deaf people need to receive SMS for online verification all the time, especially if you're housebound too and have to buy everything online; if you don't want low-using people on your network because we don't spend enough, then say so! Not everyone can get into a store; that's what all the online technology should be helping us with, not being used as a barrier to filter-out the low-spenders.

The solution:

Karla, on Social Media (@Twitteruk) was fantastic. She contacted me on Wednesday afternoon after discussions with her manager and with pressure from here I think, after my previous contact there had abandoned our conversation without explanation – just stopped replying to me. She asked me a set of ID confirmation questions, which I completed fully; she said she was authorised to place my reactivation order; a few hours later she messaged me to say she had done so; it took best part of 20 hrs to happen, but we kept in contact during that time; she told me when she thought it was done and sent me a code to confirm, which I did. She then went on to update all my details on my account, and had the courtesy to apologise for all the discourtesy other Vodafone employees had shown me (even though she had shown me no discourtesy). Proactive, helpful, efficient - thank you again, Karla.

Conclusion (from my own experience):

A large %ge of Vodafone employees preferred to say it was impossible, rather than go the extra mile; don't believe them, it is possible, so persevere.

I will never use Live Chat again; totally useless, and bordering on dishonest I'm afraid to say. Anything other than the simplest of matters is too much work for them.

Keeping a Vodafone account active and up to date is essential if problems arise; there must be plenty of people, like me, who've had their SIM longer than the latest online accounts systems and apps. I never needed a PIN; just bought credit with my Visa or Paypal on the top-up page (input my mobile number only), before that it was a scratch-card you could pick up at any supermarket checkout and assign to your number.

So yes, @TJ, the matter is resolved, if you helped to push it through thank you, but I really don't think Vodafone have anything to be proud about, with the exception of Karla, who was remarkable. I am so dependant on my online activity, and need SMS for it; not only did Vodafone cut me off without warning with rude-haste and without a care, but in general, they couldn't be bothered to try to fix it either. I'm talking about those people I dealt with, I'm sure there were others involved, who got it sorted without being directly involved with me; I'm trying to be fair, not criticise everyone.

I think that's a fair assessment, and hope it helps others who find themselves in similar troubles.

[TJ]

Thanks so much for your feedback @Sime6954 - it's very thorough and it's good to see where things most certainly could have gone smoother.

I'm glad I helped even a little, getting Karla onto your case - I'll be sure to pass along your lovely comments about her too.

As I said before, please don't hesitate to get back in touch if you need any further help in the future 👍