SIM card Registration Failed

[very_perplexed]

I have a PAYG phone with credit on it that was working fine last month. Today when I switched it on, it came up with a SIM card Registration error. I had an online chat with somebody from Vodafone who proceeded to state that the account was suspended because the phone has not had any outgoing use for 90 days. Trouble is that the there has been outgoing, in the form of text messages, use of that phone in the past 90 days.

I thought Vodafone's policy for PAYG disconnections was 180 days + 90, and this phone has definitely being used in the past 270 days.

Vodafone disconnecting phones in the middle of the current crisis is not very helpful.

[very_perplexed]

Now I am getting confused, we know there was no outbound chargeable activity in the past 90 days. I thought the terms are 180+90 = 270

[very_perplexed]

At this point, this is going to require a customer service complaint.

Vodafone keeps changing the message, they don't seem to have an online process for this. First they said reset the secutiry on the phone with proof of id. After doing this, Vodafone is now saying that this can only be resolved by going to the shop, when it opens, with the SIM and a photo id. Most likely by then the number may be irretrievable and I wouldn't have a phone in the meantime. The irony is that apparently you can get a new phone online with Vodafone or somebody else but Vodafone cannot resolve this problem online.

The quality of customer service is appalling. They don't seem to be even trying, it is impossible to get a human involved in resolving this, it is all automated or semi-automated messages. I guess they don't care about losing customers nor the difficulties they are causing in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Given their poor customer service and apparent indifference they may have lost 2 customers, one of whom has had a monthly Vodafone plan for a decade.

[AnnS]

Hi @very_perplexed 

I am wondering if the SIM hasn't been disconnected from the network, it would be very strange to disconnect a PAYG SIM when there is credit and the phone has been used for sending the occasional text message, you should also have received a text message before disconnection to ask you to make a chargeable connection to the network or top up to keep the SIM active.

If you have an online account or have the My Vodafone application on the phone, that would be the first place to check, if your account is active, this will confirm your SIM has not been disconnected.

It may just be a SIM error or the fact your phone is not reading the SIM.  To eliminate a SIM or phone fault, if possible try your SIM in an alternative phone, when you replace the SIM in the phone try doing a manual roam from the connection settings onto an alternative network and back onto Vodafone, this will refresh the network on the SIM.

A replacement SIM from Customer Services to enable you to do a SIM swap here Swap your SIM may solve the problem, also it won't hurt to do a further online chat, you may get an advisor who actually looks at the account and doesn't just give the first answer.

[johnwaters]

That’s really annoying! If you’ve sent texts in the last 90 days, the account shouldn’t be suspended. Try calling Vodafone support and let them know you’ve been using it—they should be able to fix it for you.

[Cynric]

@johnwaters You are replying to a stale thread that's four years old.