Forced replacement of SIM

[Ilmenau]

Hi all.

Apologies in advance for a long post.

I'm asking this question here as I'm not sure I can face another round of frustration with Customer Services on the phone - apart from each call generally being like trying to get blood out of a stone, they NEVER actually do what they say they will which, most recently, led to me being cut off from service because they actually did precisely what I asked them not to and which they promised they wouldn't.

So...

What on earth is going on with these regular forced replacement of SIM?

I have just received an automated SMS telling me that, once again, "To continue to use your mobile service you will need to swap your SIM to a new one", which will be sent to my UK address in early September.

I get that system upgrades might require this but, seriously, this is the THIRD time in little over a year.

I had this in June 2021 and again in March this year! I am already therefore on my third SIM card in less than 18 months and now you want to make it 4!

I am struggling to comprehend how Virgin Media cannot be aware that the actions they have presumable planned far in advance will EACH require every user on their system to be change their SIM.

The waste of resources is staggering - producing and mailing tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of new SIM cards every 6 months and getting users to simply bin the existing, almost brand new ones which are now useless!

What on earth is going on???

But, that aside, this is a serious pain in the wotsit for me, though I recognise that my circumstances are very niche.

I spend the vast majority of my time out of the UK. Sometimes not returning for 6 months or more at a time.

You tell me you WILL send the SIM on your timetable and that I then MUST swap it into my phone within 14 days or I will lose service.

The problem is that I won't be in the country in that timescale.

If I call customer services, I am PROMISED that you will delay starting the process and sending the new SIM until I inform you that I will be in the UK. Then you send it anyway whenever you feel like it and start the 14 day clock.

Last time you did this (March this year) it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to get the SIM sent on to me and receive it within the 14 day period and so I was actually blocked from serivce till it finally got to me.

Yet you refuse to send to a non-UK address, and seem incapable of actually doing what you promise to do in terms of altering the timing of the process.

But, again, why on earth is less happening again only 5 months after you forced it on your users last time? Which, in turn was only 9 months after the previous forced SIM change?

I have been with Virgin Mobile/Media pretty much since it began (at least 20 years now) and have put up with a lot - forced SIM changes; unilaterally (i.e. without my permission) changing me onto a new, more expensive, plan because you simply decided to stop offering the plan I had been on for many years; no access to voicemail while roaming (which is most of the time) for over 2 years now (still ongoing), despite numerous calls to Customer Services and promises that it will/has been fixed (yet voicemail still "works" so people can leave messages but I can't check them, nor can I disable voicemail because I can't access the system); and generally appaling Customer Service - but I am rapidly approaching the stage where I have had enough.

I would be grateful if someone could please tell my why ANOTHER SIM change is necessary and, assuming it is unavoidable, how/if it can be done on a mutually agreed timetable that avoids me being blocked from service because you do it exactly when I specifically ask you not to!

Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long post...

[BenMcr · Accepted solution]

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@Ilmenau wrote:

I spend the vast majority of my time out of the UK. Sometimes not returning for 6 months or more at a time.

This is why you're getting another new SIM.

When Virgin Mobile do network changes they are usually over-the-air and seamless. But they can only be done when the SIM is on its home network in the UK and switched on.

If the SIM isn't actively connected to the home network, then the over-the-air change fails, and Virgin Mobile have to send a new SIM out with the change already enabled for when that SIM is connected to the mobile network.

The changes that have prompted the SIM changes recently have been a change to how roaming works, along with changes to the mobile network connections in the UK from EE to Vodafone, and the current change is from Vodafone to O2.

[Ilmenau]

Thank you for that.

It explains the basics of the "why" - though raises a whole new set of poor-customer-service-related questions - but doesn't address a practical solution.

• mind boggling that it's been deemed necessary to change carrier networks twice in less than 18 months;
• why not actually explain that an automated email or SMS? - "We're changing our carrier network in the coming months which will require some SIM updates. This should happen automatically over the network but, if it fails you might need a new SIM to continue to use the service. Please get in touch if you have any questions." - rather than the first communication being the ultimatum? - "We WILL send you a new SIM in a couple of weeks and you MUST put it in your phone within 14 days or we'll block your network access."
• is the system really so completely rigid that, if a user gets in touch and says there's no way they can make that work in the 14 day period, it just, "Tough. Sorry, you will lose your service then," rather than, "Sorry to hear that, let's find a solution that does work."?
• and, since the system knows the reason the over-the-network updates have failed and a new SIM is necessary is because the current SIM is not on the home network but is roaming, how can the best solution possibly be to send a new SIM to an address in the UK where the user clearly isn't (because if they were there, the over-the-network-updates would work and the new SIM wouldn't be necessary)?

Anyway, the SIM swap is necessary due to my particular circumstances. Accepted.

But then, I regret that I have NEVER encountered any willingness from Customer Services to even attempt to help to find a viable solution that doesn't risk or even cause me to be cut off from the network.

Is that modicum of customer service too much to ask after more than 20 years?

Any thoughts as to how to make this work without me losing network access would be gratefully received.

(Of course there are multiple ways of getting a new SIM to me but they all require time and planning. Post is an unreliable way of doing it since Brexit as many items of personal mail are being returned to sender if there is the slightest ambiguity in the Customs Declaration paperwork; getting a friend/colleague to bring it with them when they are travelling anyway requires working on their timetable, not yours.)

[Adri_G]

Hello ilmenau, thanks for posting and sorry to hear of the issues caused by our network migration and SIM replacement.

We regret to say there is not much we can advise here, we would see into options like sending the SIM to your default or a selected UK address and then have someone post it where you are at the time if abroad as you already suggested.
We can always delay the SIM replacement up to a certain point in time however this cannot be past the network switch date for obvious reasons.

We understand the inconvenience caused by this given the circumstances and all recent changes following Brexit etc.
Since we now partnered up with O2 for mobile, we aim for this to be long-term collaboration and hopefully we will not need to swap your SIM again anytime soon.

If you have more queries or concerns, please let us know - we're happy to assist.

[Lostsim]

Same situation! (again) I've been through this 4 months ago and ended up disconnected because the very short 14 day window lapsed before I got the SIM. I've had mail post delayed a full month in customs more than once, no mistakes on customs declaration btw!

I doubt the 14 days is for any technical requirement. If it is, could it be bad planning, or poor implementation etc. I don't believe that's the reason.

I was pushing updates to PC's across Networks 28 years ago, and not a MS network at that. This isn't cutting edge tech!

I remember some years ago my very old SIM needed changing, it couldn't handle the new 3G network. But someone in the tech department managed to make an update to bring at least my old SIM into line with the current requirements at that time, so a new SIM wasn't required and I was able to connect to the 3G data speeds at the touch of a button!

I would be very interested in what the technical reason is for the update failing outside the local Network!

[enlli]

In truth UK SIM cards are not supposed to be used long term abroad. Roaming was designed for holidays and short business trips. O2 for example quote 63 days in any 4 month rolling period. Other networks are bringing in similar. Virgin, todate have not enforced any restrictions.

This should be the last change now Virgin and O2 are in a Joint partnership. But changing carriers is a gamble you take when signing up to a Virtual network.

[Ilmenau]

@Adri_G

Thank you for your reply.

The problem is that, when this happened last time (February/March), I contacted Customer Serviced by phone and did attempt to arrange a delay, so that the SIM replacement would coincide with a friend's journey, who would bring the SIM out to me.

It was all agreed but you went ahead and sent the new SIM anyway, starting the 14 day clock and meaning that I was cut off from service for a time until I got the SIM.

It seems I have littlel choice but to try this again but I'm afraid I don't have much faith left in your abiity to actually do what you agree to do...

[Ilmenau]

@enlli

Thank you for your reply.

That is good to know - both that most networks do have restrictions on roaming and that Virgin so far do not.

I accept that my situation is not what anyone (the network or I) envisioned but would reiterate that I have been with Virgin for +/-20 years. Life was very different back then and I seldom left the UK, let alone spent most of my time out of it...

[Roseyhue]

I'm not sure that you are right about updates happening seamlessly as long as you are on the home network.  I never leave the country and since early 2020 have not ventured more than 2 miles from home (for obvious Covid reasons!!) and yet I have received all these SIM changes.  And no explanation as to why eg EE to Vodafone to O2

[Megan_L]

Hi Roseyhue, 

Thanks for joining in on the conversation, Virgin Media is always looking to improve service and sometimes that means new ventures with other companies. When this happens we do sometimes need to send out replacement SIMs for multiple reasons. 

Apologies if that comes as an inconvenience to you.

Kind regards, 

Megan_L