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VM is ending PAYG - so where now to go?

HenryQ
Superfast

VM has texted me that their PAYG service will be switched off on 11 Jan 2022. I bought my phone from VM some years ago and, because I only make a few calls a year (e.g. to call the wife when I'm going to be late), I don't need anything other than a straightforward PAYG.

I don't use the phone for anything else, except to receive those annoying one-time-passwords that banks insist upon.

I'd welcome thoughts on where to take my (PAYG) custom, since I have no need of a monthly contract.

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

Problem solved
My phone is now unlocked. I spoke to a third VM support person this morning and, to my relief, she understood the problem perfectly.

To summarise, VM sent me an unlock code, looking something like this:

1234567890,1234567890

It turns out it is not a single 21-character unlock code. It is two separate 10-digit unlock codes separated with a comma. I entered one of the 10-digit strings and, Bingo, the code was accepted and my phone is now unlocked.

There was nothing in the email containing the unlock code that described this.

Thanks everyone above for their interest in the problem.

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25 REPLIES 25

jb66
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

You can get a sky mobile Nokia handset deal for £1.50 per month

 

 

https://www.sky.com/shop/mobile/phones/nokia/nokia-105-(2019)?colour=Black&capacity=4MB&sort=price-l...

 

-tony-
Alessandro Volta

3 have a payg deal afaik - i have one that they used to call 321 - thats gone but i think they have similar but more expensive

think asda do one as well

the 3 one needs a fiver on the phone or did maybe a tenner now - just use the phone at least every 180 days to keep the sim live

____________________

Tony.
Sacked VIP

Thanks for the replies. I confess that VM's action is quite irritating as I have been an extremely good customer. Since the 1990s. I have used VM for Internet connection, TV and telephone land-line. VM's service has always been very good - so I don't really understand why they want to p**s off such a long-standing customer. They must have had thousands of pounds out of me over the years.

Still, there is plenty of competition out there. Mobile phone today - but a short step from my cancelling everything else with them and moving to a different provider.

enlli
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

This may be of some use as a starter. Just remember Three do not have a 2G network so if your phone is only 2G you need to knock them off the list

https://www.simsherpa.com/sim-only-deals/pay-as-you-go/cheapest-basic-rates

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That's a very helpful link. May thanks.

To tell you the truth, I have no idea how many "Gs" my mobile phone has (2G, 3G, 4G, 20G, 1000G?). I just use it to phone the wife about six times a year. There is usually between £10-20 pounds in the account, so never a problem running out of credit.

I am by no means a luddite as, although now long-since retired, I did spend my whole working life in software engineering. It's just that I retired before mobile phones in recent years became (apparently) so crucial. I have never needed one other than for the quick call home. All of my Internet activity is conducted via a high-spec laptop. I have recently built websites for local not-for-profit organisations but simply just want a PAYG for the occasional phone call. I suspect there are quite a few of us out there. 

Well, I selected my new provider a couple of days ago and purchased a PAYG SIM from them.

A couple of words of warning for other VM PAYG customers. When I logged onto my VM Mobile account, a message said that my remaining credit would be non-refundable. "Theft" in other words.

More straightforwardly, I was able to get hold of my PAC (Porting Authorisation Code). You will need this in order to transfer your existing phone number to your new PAYG provider. So far so good (well except the theft bit obviously!).

But now comes more trouble. Although my phone recognises my new provider's SIM, VM have locked my physical phone. When I switch it on, I am asked to enter a "Serv, Prov. key". My new provider told me that this is a VM key, so to contact them. I did so and VM emailed me the key for my particular phone. The key looks something like this:

1234567890,1234567890

Ok, I started to enter it but, because the phone is locked, I couldn't bring up special characters to enter the comma. So I phoned VM again and was told you don't have to enter the comma, just the 20 digits. Bizarre and if so, why include the comma in the first place?

So I went to enter the 20 digits without the comma. But but (splutter, splutter!!), the field on the phone only takes 16 digits - which makes it impossible to enter the final four.

I am now down to eight tries left, after which my phone will be dead for ever. I do respect VM's right to discontinue its PAYG service but not its right to punish us like this.

Does anyone know how to enter a 20 character code into a 16 character field?

I just posed a follow-up but it seems to keep disappearing. Here's another go.

I have purchased a PAYG SIM from another provider and provided them with a PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) obtainable from VM if you want to take your VM phone number with you. Once the transfer of my phone number was complete (took a couple of days), I inserted my new provider's SIM, which was recognised. Unfortunately VM have locked my phone so, when I switch it on, I am asked to enter a "Serv. Prov. key". I phoned VM and, after much discussion, they realised what I was talking about and emailed it to me. The code's syntax is two sets of 10 digits separated with a comma.

But, after entering the first 10 digits and, because my phone is locked, I was unable to bring up special characters in order to enter the comma. So I phoned VM again. They said to ignore the comma and just enter the 20 digits. So I started entering the 20 digits without the comma - but the input field is only 16 characters long, which makes it impossible to enter the last 4 digits.

I'm down to 8 tries left, after which my phone will be dead for ever. Does anyone know how to enter 20 digits into a 16-digit field?

enlli
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

OK. What make and model of phone. 

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Alcatel OneTouch 20.12G which I purchased outright from VM some years ago. It's my property not theirs.