Virgin Media Community

[Felim_Doyle]

I had an SMS text at lunchtime yesterday stating ...

URGENT: We've made some changes to our network, so we've sent you a new SIM. Your old SIM will stop working in 2 days. To continue to use your mobile service, you urgently need to swap it over if you've not already done this. Not received your SIM or need info? Go to virginmedia.com/newsim or call 789.

... which is not an acceptable notice period. Surely Virgin Mobile / VMO2 have been planning this for quite some time given their initial move from EE to Vodafone and subsequent collaboration with O2.

I am currently in Ireland looking after my brother following his cancer surgery and I expect to be away from home for several weeks or even a few months more. I was expecting any switchover to be seamless and to only happen once in the next five years while Virgin Mobile still has its MVNO agreement with Vodafone at which point I expected to be switched seamlessly to VMO2.

Furthermore, I am concerned that these network changes will affect coverage. I moved from Vodafone to Virgin Mobile because of poor signal (and unsatisfactory customer service) with Vodafone in the locations that I frequent most and some transport routes that I use regularly. Within weeks, Virgin Mobile had announced its switch to Vodafone and shortly afterwards its effective merger with O2. Some customers who have already been transferred from EE are reporting loss of service.

If my current SIM card does stop working in the next few days or, when I return to the UK, I find that my service is adversely affected, I will be raising the issue with Ofcom.

[enlli]

@Felim_Doyle 

OFCOM will do no more than note your complaint. They don't deal with individual cases.

The deal with Vodafone is now dead in the water 

As you are out of the UK, Virgin have no way to update your present SIM, hence the new one.

I agree things have been done badly and the time period too short. It was also done in July and August when a number of customers would be out of the country.

[Felim_Doyle]

This isn't an individual case. The whole thing has been handled appallingly and Ofcom should intervene.

[rigsmith]

We have a Virgin Mobile phone for our son who is currently deployed with the UK armed forces overseas. He's just received the same message that he needs to swap his SIM within 7 days or lose service. As the SIM needs to be activated in the UK and then sent abroad this means he's effectively cut off. We've contacted customer services who were next to useless and informed us there is nothing they can do and simply offered compensation - completely unacceptable short notice with serious implications on their customer base. 

[Travis_M]

Hi @rigsmith

Thanks for posting on our community forum and my apologies for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately with the SIM swapover there isn't anything we can do now the SIM has been sent out as every single one of our mobile customers are being changed over so we can run through the O2 network.

I completely understand your frustration and my apologies for this.

[Tonto1976]

The same thing has happened to me, I`m a posted worker in Norway at the moment. waiting for my sim to arrive...
I`ve now been cut off....
I`ve work related apps I need to access on a construction site with no Wi-Fi as it's a construction site in the middle of eeffffffffffing nowhere.

I`m now sat in the site office with my thumb up my arse because I`m unable to use the work-related apps....
Thanks, Virgin, for your poor service.

[Paul_DN]

Hi Tonto1976,

Sorry to hear your Mobile has gone off due to the Sim changeover to O2 and that you are posted abroad and didnt get it, we apreciate the frustration and hope you are able to get your new sim ASAP, unfortunately we have no way to send these overseas.

Regards

Paul.

[Felim_Doyle]

The SIM cannot be activated from outside of the UK, or so I've been told by VM, so it wouldn't matter if VM sent it abroad or someone forwarded it, it still wouldn't work.

I was without service for a month while I was in Ireland looking after my brother who has had colon cancer. My wife offered to forward the SIM to me but I had been told that it wouldn't activate while roaming.

The whole switchover has been extremely poorly announced and implemented especially as it happened in August when many people were on holiday.

I moved from Vodafone to Virgin Mobile for a variety of reasons just before it was announced that VM were ending their 30 year relationship with EE and moving customers to Vodafone, albeit mostly 5G customers initially. Then, less than a year later and at very little notice, we were being moved to O2 with a very short cut-off from the issuing of new SIMs.

My VM contract expired last month and I am currently reviewing the situation. There are far better SIM-only deals out there like 30GB for £10 or 120GB for £12 with SMARTY (on Three) whereas I'm currently paying £11.34 for only 10GB with VM.

I am also with Three on a 30GB SIM-only deal for £12.54 (which is way better than VM) so I may move both to SMARTY.

[Gareth_L]

Hello Felim_Doyle.

Sorry again for the inconvenience this is causing you.

Please get back to us if you need any help at all.

Gareth_L