Mobile phone operator refusing to provide a Nano SIM (NS) for an old pay monthly (PM) contract

keralsippi

Hello everybody.

 As per the title I have an old PM plan with T-Mobile UK (TM) that I am very happy with. The current phone I am using has a Micro SIM but I’ve recently been having problems with the
handset. At our Xmas raffle last year I surprisingly won second prize (I’m sure it was fixed as I’ve never won anything in a raffle before) and as luck may have it was a handset. However with it being a newer phone it uses a NS which I didn’t think was going to be a problem but, after visiting two TM stores and having four different conversations with TM customer service reps (including a manager), TM are refusing to provide a NS.

Reasons TM have given are;

 1.       TM is a legacy network which is expensive to maintain
2.       EE is their new platform which is faster and more efficient for their customers
3.       They have no TM NS left!
4.       There is nothing contractually in their (current) terms and conditions (TC) that obligate them to providing NS to their customers on legacy networks
5.       EE are trying to move all their TM customers over to EE

Where I can appreciate the impact of their first response (#1) my suspicions why they refuse to provide a NS (which are somewhat confirmed by #5) are that this is really about money. Regardless of the fact that I’ve been a long-time customer of theirs, nothing in any of their new EE plan offerings match my TM plan by a long way and significantly, on price.

As I mentioned at the start my current legacy plan does everything I need it so there is no reason for me to change at all.

So my questions are;

6.       Are there any legal grounds that allow TM/EE to do this?

7.       My TC are from 2014 and if I’m not mistaken aren’t these the TCs my contract with TM operates?

8.       Would there be any benefit in taking the matter up with OFCOM?

9.       If there aren’t any real contractual solutions to this does anybody have any positive experience of using a SIM cutter to go from micro to NS?

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Neil_Jones

T-Mobile hasn't existed as a company since 2010 and as a brand since 2015.  Whatever you get from EE will be an EE branded SIM.  You should be able just to request a "blank" SIM, fill in a form and have your number transferred that way.  New SIMs you get are of the press out variety, so you can choose what you need.

Buying new phones and having them take smaller SIMs isn't a new thing.  You may even find your T-Mobile tariff has been withdrawn and replaced with something else of similar value.

If worse comes to the worse just order a free sim and transfer your number to that.

eDicky

keralsippi said:

9.       If there aren’t any real contractual solutions to this does anybody have any positive experience of using a SIM cutter to go from micro to NS?

SIM cutters were used all the time before the regular production and supply of 'Tri SIMs', there's no problem to convert your SIM this way if done correctly and it's probably your simplest option if you want to keep the tariff you now have, and if there's really nothing better to switch to on another network with a new SIM.

roddydogs

Will not one of those "phone stall/shops cut it for you, its really fiddly. Cutters for sale on e bay,  videos on u tube. Ive cut normal to micro, but not nano.

alanwsg

I cut a SIM down by hand - you need sharp scissors and a template.
Here's one ...
https://gosoftworks.com/apps/resources/nano-sim/nanosima4.pdf

Neil49

I had the same issue last year when changing to a phone with a nano sim. I contacted EE and the person I spoke said that it was necessary that I had to have a T Mobile labelled sim and not an EE sim and she wasn't sure if they had any left. Fortunately they did and I received a nano TMobile sim in the post. Note, it wasn't a multi sized sim it was just a nano sim which suprised me.

Since that time I have seen another post on this site where the person couldn't get a replacement as he was told they had none left. So I would be inclined to agree that point 3 of the original post is correct - they haven't got any.

Quite why it makes a difference is beyond me but in my case I wanted to continue with my old T Mobile contract as it is costing me little or nothing per month.

I suggest that the OP simply gets his existing sim cut down to size as I believe EE will dig their heels in on this which isn't worth the aggro given that a simple solution is available to him.

Update - this is a sim that my wife uses and I have noticed that it only operates at 3g and nothing faster. That could explain why EE insisted on it being a specific t-mobile sim. 

J_B

Just wonder if @Jon_01 could advise?

IIRC, you used to be able to order a new sim on line ....

keralsippi

thank you to everyone for comments and suggestions thus far. sim cutter looks like the way to go

keralsippi

alanwsg said:

I cut a SIM down by hand - you need sharp scissors and a template.
Here's one ...

Thanks Alan. How did it turn out?

After reading the comments I reviewed a few articles on SIM cutting and it appears some people have had issues with battery drain, network disruption and dropped calls as a result of doing this. Be very interested learn what your experience was

alanwsg

keralsippi said:

alanwsg said:

I cut a SIM down by hand - you need sharp scissors and a template.
Here's one ...

Thanks Alan. How did it turn out?

After reading the comments I reviewed a few articles on SIM cutting and it appears some people have had issues with battery drain, network disruption and dropped calls as a result of doing this. Be very interested learn what your experience was

It worked just fine. Still using it after a couple of years.

Jon_01

J_B said:

Just wonder if @Jon_01 could advise?

IIRC, you used to be able to order a new sim on line ....

Thanks for the vote of confidence J_B, unfounded as it might be !!

All I know is, EE are very keen to get rid of all the old legacy accounts on both Orange and T mobile and by not making more of the old sims they're pushing this forward.
As has been suggested already a sim cutter is the best way to continue to use it.