EE took my phone number…
Discussion
My iPhone is a dual SIM version - one physical SIM, one e-SIM.
The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
Nigel_O said:
My iPhone is a dual SIM version - one physical SIM, one e-SIM.
The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
I ran a 'good' PAYG number as a back up for a while, but life disappears quickly and I missed the 'make a call within 6 months or we cancel the number' date.The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
Any chance of getting it back, I asked in the shop.
Apparently not, and it wouldn't be 'recycled' either.
So I guess you are marginally better off in that regard, in that you might potentially be able to acquire it again in time...?!
It is very annoying, I totally agree, but all in the T&Cs.
100% raise it, if you get no where with customer service, I have found out through my own experience you are best going through the CEO/Directors email address these days.
I have had two occasions where CS havent been helpful at all but emailing a director directly get me a resolution pretty quickly (Barclays and Ryanair).
My dad used to work for Singlepoint before it was purchased by Vodafone and he had a few "gold numbers", we have two still one ends in 666 and the other the last 3 digits are a repeat of the first 3 digits.
I have had two occasions where CS havent been helpful at all but emailing a director directly get me a resolution pretty quickly (Barclays and Ryanair).
My dad used to work for Singlepoint before it was purchased by Vodafone and he had a few "gold numbers", we have two still one ends in 666 and the other the last 3 digits are a repeat of the first 3 digits.
Nigel_O said:
My iPhone is a dual SIM version - one physical SIM, one e-SIM.
The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
You need to make as much noise as possible, but it is almost certain that they have applied the T&Cs to which you agreed and they don't HAVE to help you at all. The chances of you being successful? Less than 50% at a complete guess.The main SIM is my personal number on a pay-monthly contract and the e-SIM is (was) for receiving support calls for my software business and is on a pay-as-you-go contract.
The e-SIM number is what might be called a ‘golden number’ - ends 993999.
However, because I rarely make any outgoing calls, EE have cancelled the number and pocketed the £10 PAYG credit.
They’ve told me that they sent me a text on the day they cancelled the number, but I genuinely don’t recall receiving such a text. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it.
They’ve told me that I can’t have the number back and that they will ‘recycle’ it in 18-24 months and re-issue it.
I’ve raised a complaint, but I’m not confident I’ll get anywhere.
Any thoughts?
We have some golden landline, mobile and 0800 numbers from when we used to run a telecoms business. I have a repeating Outlook event every three months, to make a 10-second call to or from them, as appropriate, to avoid this very problem.
Bit late but why would such an important number be on PAYG rather than a proper contract?
It sounds like you did not meet the terms of the PAYG contract and the inevitable happened, does not appear they are in breach of contract so I think you only have goodwill to fall back on.
As for the memorable number I think that is gone.
It sounds like you did not meet the terms of the PAYG contract and the inevitable happened, does not appear they are in breach of contract so I think you only have goodwill to fall back on.
As for the memorable number I think that is gone.
Spoke to EE again, after I received no acknowledgement of my complaint. They hadn't logged it as a complaint....
I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
Nigel_O said:
Spoke to EE again, after I received no acknowledgement of my complaint. They hadn't logged it as a complaint....
I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
Did you pay them for the number, though? On the basis that it was a golden one?I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
Nigel_O said:
Spoke to EE again, after I received no acknowledgement of my complaint. They hadn't logged it as a complaint....
I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
Complain to Ofcom, especially if they admitted sending the text to the cancelled number.I also quizzed them a bit more on the cancellation. They say they sent me a text on the same day that they cancelled the number, but they sent it to the cancelled number.... Call centre chap couldn't answer when I asked how I was supposed to read it.
Then, to cap it all, they said that the number would eventually be released back into the available numbers pool and I might be able to buy it from them. I very firmly suggested that they had a bleedin' nerve to offer to sell me something I'd already paid for once!
Nigel_O said:
Louis Balfour said:
Did you pay them for the number, though? On the basis that it was a golden one?
No - I purchased the number long before I moved to EEOkay, it IS a but like cherished plates. If you buy a DVLA cherished number and don't play by the rules you can lose it without recourse. But nevertheless, I would feel slightly more bullish about your phone number.
As I said earlier, I would be making as much noise as possible. Make it easier for them to say yes than no.
Louis Balfour said:
Nigel_O said:
Louis Balfour said:
Did you pay them for the number, though? On the basis that it was a golden one?
No - I purchased the number long before I moved to EEOkay, it IS a but like cherished plates. If you buy a DVLA cherished number and don't play by the rules you can lose it without recourse. But nevertheless, I would feel slightly more bullish about your phone number.
As I said earlier, I would be making as much noise as possible. Make it easier for them to say yes than no.
As a general rule we don't 'own' our mobile numbers, they are assigned by the operator and owned by them, you are just using the number. Things are different with Gold numbers where you actually pay for the number and therefore have ownership, bit like car number plates and cherished plates.
It is a little unclear whether you purchased a gold number or just got a slightly unique number issued randomly that you do not have any ownership rights to but think you do.
boyse7en said:
I can't help with the OPs query, but what is a "Golden Number"? And why are they important?
Golden numbers are attractive numbers, like 07980 123456 and, in the past, some operators have "sold" them to people.I have a few of them, landline, mobile and 0800, that I didn't pay for, because I was in the trade, and I am subject to the same rules as everyone else. Use it or lose it.
If it is a PAYG SIM that you had then all operators seem to have the same terms, if it's not used to make an outgoing call within usually 3 months they will cancel it. It's in the terms and conditions. You put £10 in and don't make any calls to use it but receive many calls doesn't count. You're using their network but EE aren't making money. If originally it was a contract sim number, changing to PAYG will mean use it or lose it.
boyse7en said:
I can't help with the OPs query, but what is a "Golden Number"? And why are they important?
Think Singlepoint/Vodafone started them years ago my dad had 3 when he worked for Singlepoint (became Phones4U). I have one of his now and my sister has the other.
Mine is 07979 ABC ABC , obviously I've removed the numbers but you can see the pattern.
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