Virgin Media Community

[Mas99]

Dad using old Nokia 1100 to make and receive a few phone calls. New Virgin Mobile SIM arrived and inserted as instructed. Getting the SIM not valid message, and asked to switch off and on again. It is now over 14 hours since I swapped the SIM. No text received. It looks like the new SIM might not be compatible with the old phone. I was never advised that this SIM change would mean we could not use the phone. I do not want to buy a new phone. Does this mean that in 9 days the old SIM will stop working / the new SIM will not work and I will lose the credit I have on my phone and basically be forced to leave my Virgin mobile account?

[TG22]

I have exactly the same experience. My Nokia 1100, which is used for very occasional phone calls or texts, has the new SIM card inserted but just gives me the message "SIM not valid", however many times I turn it off and on. I see this model is not listed on the Virgin simhelp website. If it simply won't work with the new card, why didn't you say so in the letter?

[Hollie_B]

Hi there @Mas99 and @TG22 

Thanks for your posts, apologies for the delay in response, we have been very busy and doing all we can to get back to each customer ASAP.

Sorry to hear that you've both been having issues with this specific phone and the new SIM sent for the migration. 

Have you since been able to get the new SIM working in your handsets? 

Thanks, 

[Messybeast]

It looks like I am going to be in the same situation. I use an old Nokia on PAYG basis. 

[TG22]

Hi Hollie,

Thanks for getting back to me. No, the new SIM doesn't work, and I believe never will on a Nokia 1100. I rang your 789 helpline, and eventually spoke to a very polite and helpful Filipino who (after trying to persuade me to get a 4G-compatible phone, which I don't need: all I want to do is make occasional phone calls and send texts) agreed to disable the new card and allow me to go on using the old one. I understand that as long as there is 2G/3G coverage it will continue to work, but that if that coverage is ended with the move to 4G we will all have to get new phones. Is that correct?

Best wishes,

Toby

[enlli]

2G will continue in the background for some time as it is used for the likes of SMART meters. Moves to end 3G are already afoot and it will be gone in a couple of years

I was not aware 789 could stop the migration to the new SIM card in the long term as they won't work once Virgin move signal supplier.

I'm going to be brutally honest and say Virgin have plans to close PAYG which are on hold because of C19. I would think about using up your credit and then swapping suppliers 

[michaelkay]

You have to realise that Virgin media are an awful company who don't give a hoot about their customers.  They have the worst website and support facility I know of.  Nobody cares at all about you.  They stole £25 from my mother as she hadn't used her phone for 6 months and now they are effectively keeping the balance I have on my PAYG phone as their new SIM is 'not valid' in my old phone (now for emergency use anyway, but that's not the point).  When I bought a smart phone, I switched to Vodafone who have been everything Virgin has not.

Don't waste your time ringing them, you never get any meaningful help, just a chance to speak to someone miles away who doesn't care about you in the least.  Their website was designed to make finding any useful links practically impossible and is very badly designed and unappealing.  The script they read at you when you get through, is designed to make you get off the line.

VIRGIN MEDIA ARE THE WORST COMPANY I KNOW.  PERIOD.

[Hollie_B]

Hi @TG22 

I'm afraid that if the SIM isn't compatible with the handset you would need to possibly change the handset. If you continue using the old SIM you will eventually lose all service as your account will have been migrated to the new SIM. 

Did we advise that we cannot use an unlocking code for you? 

Thanks, 

[TG22 · Accepted solution]

Hi Hollie,
Your Filipino colleague told me that he would NOT migrate the account to the new SIM, but would deactivate the new SIM. Was he wrong?
None of your publicity, either in the letter I received or on your website, says that certain phones are not compatible with the new SIM. This is an astonishing failure of communication.
I have been a loyal customer of Virgin Media for many years, bu tam disappointed with the way this has been handled.

[TG22]

That's really helpful - many thanks! I think different Virgin spokespeople are giving different and contradictory advice...