Phone completely UNUSABLE after O2 migration almost 4 days ago

[ML861]

Hi, so my current phone was bought from Virgin mobile years ago and I've been a loyal customer with them. We even have the full virgin media tv, broadband, land-line package which we pay an extortionate amount for every month.

My contract on my phone is paid off and I only pay the tariff bill which is less than £15 a month. I have no need for a new phone, definitely can't afford one and was happy with my current tariff and 6gb data which was more than enough for me with Virgin Mobile. Against my wishes I was moved, like everyone else, from Virgin Mobile to O2. This was almost 4 days ago and since then my phone is UNUSABLE. 

The only way I can use it is by being connected to WiFi at home. Outside or when Wi-Fi is switched off I literally cannot do anything but make a call. I first noticed this when I was out with my 6 year old on Monday trying to access my banking app in the supermarket. I couldn't do anything. Not even text my husband or go online to see what's the issue. When I'm driving I can't use my maps, I can't access my emails, WhatsApp, Google, even any text messages I send fail.

I've called O2 three times in the past few days and they've tried everything on their end to figure out what's wrong. Basically my phone still thinks it's virgin mobile. Under network name in settings it says virgin. Cause I've been moved to O2 virgin is disconnected now. I've tried resetting network settings, everything. O2 sent me a new sim card that's activated but still my phone doesn't work. Still says virgin under network. I still can't access my data at all. They even asked me to put my new O2 sim card in another phone which I did (into my husband's phone) and it works fine! He's able to access data and there's so issues sending text messages. So the customer service people at O2 think something is up with my phone why there's a configuration problem.

Now bear in mind I have had NO issues with my phone up until a few days ago when I got moved to O2. It's not been damaged, it's not broken. O2 advised me to take my phone to a Virgin Media shop and have them look at it. Which I can't as they've all been shut down. So earlier today after being in hold for 40 mins, I finally got through to a customer service representative at Virgin Mobile. She hung up on me after keeping me on hold and finally coming back on the line to tell me because my contract has expired (which it has as I've paid my handset off completely) that if I want to send my phone to them to repair it (there's nothing wrong with it, worked fine 3 days ago) that I would have to pay for it. Or my other option is to cancel my contract and find another phone company to go with / get a different sim. I never got an upgrade when my current contract ended as I was happy with my phone. She didn't even let me finish talking and hung up. After VIRGIN MOBILE caused all this stress. 

The amount of stress this entire migration to O2 has caused me is unbelievable. The long hours waiting on hold on the phone to O2 representatives, then talking to them for ages trying to sort this out. Being out with my daughter not being able to access anything on my phone. Especially this all happened on Mon and I was trying to connect to my email to check for the code for Taylor Swift tickets to buy them for my daughter whose been so excited. I couldn't do anything. While Only days ago my phone, data, everything was fine and now Virgin Mobile are going to do NOTHING when it was them against my wishes moving me to O2 that has left me with a phone that doesn't work. 

Does anyone have any suggestions what to do except the obvious cancel with Virgin Mobile /O2 or get a new phone. Which I shouldn't have to do. I didn't ask for this and don't really understand why my phone isn't working after this O2 migration. I want to take this further because it feels like if I cancel my contract then Virgin Mobile just get away with how they've treated me, how they've treated a loyal customer and don't even have the decency to offer me a solution. How do I take them to a small claims court over this? I'll definitely be cancelling our Virgin Media TV, broadband package with them too. They obviously couldn't care less how their customers are treated. 

Thank you 

Mev

[Arissa_H]

Hi there 👋🏼.

Thank you for posting and welcoming you onto our community forum ☺.

Sorry to see you are having issues with your mobile service ☹.

Has the sim arrived yet?

Have you tried this on another device? 

Let us know we are here to help. 

Thank you. 

[ML861]

Hi, sounds like exactly what happened to me!! They said my situation was isolated and hasn't happened to anyone else. My phone is definitely not locked by virgin mobile so that's not the reason the O2 sim isn't working. The only option I've been given is try a full factory reset or get a new phone by upgrading and put my current O2 sim in it. I took the phone into the O2 shop yesterday and everyone was boggled why it was still saying it has a Virgin sim in it when it's an O2 sim. Yeah definitely let me know! Have you tried a factory reset yet? I think I'll have to just bite the bullet and get a new phone!

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @ML861,

Welcome back to our Community Forums! Thank you for your post and I'm sorry to hear that you're having some issues with your mobile service since the switch.

Have you tried resetting your phone as recommended by the team? Is that what the O2 team advised when you contacted them about this?

Please let us know. Keep us updated on how you get on and if you need any further assistance.

Thank you!  😊

[Anonymous]

Hi, yes I tried a factory reset but it didn't help. Phone still has wifi, but doesn't work as a phone and no data. NO WAY am I buying a new phone (can't afford to anyway) - still awaiting second replacement SIM. There are loads of us this has happened to. Hope your weekend hasn't been ruined - like mine has - by not having a working phone, when it worked absolutely fine until Virgin's jiggery pokery began. Grr.

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thanks for coming back to us. Have you been in touch with the O2 team about a replacement SIM card? Has this been sent out to you?

We do apologise that your Mobile is not currently working. Our team will be working hard to assist with this issue.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Still awaiting my second replacement SIM. Been without a mobile for a week now.

Meanwhile, I received this 'helpful' email from O2 : "If you've ordered a replacement sim, swapping it over is easy. When it arrives, you can activate it quickly and easily by texting SWAP to 20220"

Yeah, right, if I could text, I wouldn't need to fix the phone you broke would I ? Doh!

To add insult to injury, i'm being charged £s to spend hours on the landline to O2's 0344 number.

Abyssmal service, massive disruption to my work and social life.

Thanks.

[ML861]

That's the same for me ! I did the factory reset which I really didn't want to do AND IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!! STILL somehow my phone think's it's virgin with an O2 SIM card and the only thing I can do is make phone calls or use data only at home when connected to WiFi. This has been such a nightmare. I've not been able to do anything when being out with my daughter. The main things I need my phone for is map's, banking apps, being able to text/ use what's app, go on Google etc which I can't!! I've also being getting charged for numerals phone calls to virgin/ O2. It's ruined my time with my daughter in the summer holidays as trying to sort out my phone has taken up so much time and caused so much stress. I never got an upgrade years ago when my handset was paid off and I mainly use WiFi at home not much data when out so my phone only had 6gb data a month which is more than enough for me. So I just gave up cause for some reason my phone isn't compatible with the O2 SIM and just got a new phone with same ish amount of data being only a tenner extra a month for the handset with the tariff the same amount it was before which is affordable but if I wanted 20gb /30gb of data it would cost me £35 - £50 a month easily which I definitely CANNOT NOT afford!! Now I'm trying to set up this new phone and log into everything again and personalise it which is another stress and definitely time consuming. But being out and about with my wee one I need to be able to used my phone. If all this hadn't happened this migration to O2 I never was planning to get a new phone it's lasted me 5 years perfectly fine until this SIM swap nightmare!! I really hope you get your phone working. Really do understand exactly what you're going through!! What phone do you have again?

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @Anonymous and @ML861,

Thank you for coming back to us about this ongoing SIM card issue. We do apologise that you've had a poor experience with this process. 

Please take a look at the other O2 contact options to ensure that you can speak to the O2 team further.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

My O2 replacement SIM arrived today: I put it in the phone, restarted .. and nothing. Didn't ask me for a PIN .. still showing service disabled .. no data .. unusable as a phone or to text ... so can't contact O2 with it .. or use their website as they want to text me a code to continue .. dreading spending another hour on the phone to O2 on their O344 number .. anxious at the bill I've already run up on that number .. completely lost now .. without a working phone for a week .. quite depressed, stuck and stranded without it: I'm not even a heavy-phone user, but many things are now impossible without it .. work, banking codes, hospital appointment, arranging transport, communicating with family and friends, It worked perfectly without a hitch before this switch from Virgin to O2 .. was one of the most reliable bits of tech i've had .. and i've been using computers, sequencers, drum machines, synths and stuff for 30 years. It's not like i don't know what i'm doing!

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thanks for updating the thread and we do apologise that this has been your experience with our O2 team recently.

Please get back in touch with them so that we can look into rectifying this ongoing problem.

Thank you.