Vodafone cancelled phone number/SIM??

Nine_Lives

We have/had a Vodafone SIM with credit on it. It was being used for online banking (Santander).

Anyway, just went to use it now & it suddenly says inactive SIM.

Do Vodafone cancel the number if it's not used for phone calling for a certain length of time?

Is there any way to get this re-activated & the money returned? Seems along the lines of theft to me. You put money on a SIM, they inactivate the SIM & take your money.

custardy

K_P83 wrote: »

We have/had a Vodafone SIM with credit on it. It was being used for online banking (Santander).

Anyway, just went to use it now & it suddenly says inactive SIM.

Do Vodafone cancel the number if it's not used for phone calling for a certain length of time?

Is there any way to get this re-activated & the money returned? Seems along the lines of theft to me. You put money on a SIM, they inactivate the SIM & take your money.

you mean apart from the T&Cs?
every PAYG provider has T&Cs about making calls/texts within a certain period to maintain activity

6. Suspension, disconnection and ending the agreement

6a.We can suspend (in other words bar), restrict or stop providing the services (all or part of them) in the following circumstances:
If we believe your mobile equipment or the services are being used in a way we do not allow under this agreement.
If we believe that the right to use any number or password used in relation to the services or your mobile equipment is or has been gained in an unauthorised, illegal, improper or fraudulent way.
You choose not to use the service for 180 days. Using this service means making any chargeable outbound calls (but not calls to 191) or topping up your account.
If you do not keep to this agreement.
If we believe that when you have topped up (or have tried to top up) your service, you have paid or are trying to pay using a stolen or otherwise barred or false debit or credit card or if the debit or credit card transaction is at some time charged back to us. In these circumstances, we may also:
bar the mobile equipment for outgoing service; or
bar the mobile equipment number so that it is no longer available for use for top-ups with the top-up line or other electronic facility.
We may remove the bar when we have been paid the amount you owe us.
If you tell us that your mobile equipment has been lost or stolen.
If you do anything (or allow anything to be done) which we think may damage or affect the operation or security of the network or the services.
If you become bankrupt or make any arrangement with your creditors or you go into liquidation or if an administration order is made or a receiver is appointed over any of your assets.
If we are permanently unable to provide the services to you.
If the emergency services tell us to, or a law or regulation is passed which means we need to do so.

jayme1

yes most networks deactivate PAYG sims if for 180 days nothing billable happens (ie sending a single text message), therefore to prevent them from becoming deactivated you need to send a text massage every 179 days.
As for getting your money back each network varies but if the sim was deactivated after 180 days I would say the chances are practically zero, as they have full right to deactivate the sim due to the T&Cs

balmk

From the Vodafone PAYG T's & C's (truncated for ease of reading):

6. Suspension, disconnection and ending the agreement
6a.We can suspend (in other words bar), restrict or stop providing the services (all or part of them) in the following circumstances:

You choose not to use the service for 180 days. Using this service means making any chargeable outbound calls (but not calls to 191) or topping up your account.

6b If we suspend the mobile equipment because you have chosen not to use the services (as defined in 6a3 above) for 180 days, we will, if you ask within 90 days of the suspension, reconnect the services and make available any previous credit held on your account at the time of the suspension. If you have not kept to this agreement or not used the services for 270 days, and we disconnect your mobile equipment, you will lose any credit held on your account.

Im_just_careful

I've found Voadfone to be very helpful if you call them up if this has happened.

My mother has a mobile she only used when on holiday, more than 6 months between holidays and the phone stopped working !.

Now she makes a short call on it once a month to keep it active.

JethroUK

K_P83 wrote: »

We have/had a Vodafone SIM with credit on it. It was being used for online banking (Santander).

Anyway, just went to use it now & it suddenly says inactive SIM.

Do Vodafone cancel the number if it's not used for phone calling for a certain length of time?

Is there any way to get this re-activated & the money returned? Seems along the lines of theft to me. You put money on a SIM, they inactivate the SIM & take your money.

I've had that message 100's times - usually means your sim card needs taking out and cleaning and putting back in

Nine_Lives

JethroUK wrote: »

I've had that message 100's times - usually means your sim card needs taking out and cleaning and putting back in

Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the case. Now the 180 days thing has been mentioned - that is very likely.