I am in a unique situation for which there does not seem to be any process for O2 to resolve!!!
I got an O2 PAYG SIM about 15 years ago - it is the old LARGE SIM card with 'O2' logo on back. (1st generation?)
I was using it to 'keep' my old contract number which was getting a large volume of sales/spam calls and I check the voicemail about once a month. This always worked ok.
At the end of 2019 (October/November) I swapped the SIM into a different phone and got a message "no sim inserted". I tried in other phones and get the same error.
I logged into my account online and found information how to replace a damaged SIM which told me to go to an O2 Shop.
I went to an O2 shop and they told me I need to telephone customer services.
I then thought it might be easier to just get a PAC code (no new SIM card to be sent in the post) over the phone and join another network.
I telephone customer services and after passing security the man starts his sales pitch asking why I am leaving. Once he finally gives up trying to sell me something he tells me the SIM needs to be working to receive the PAC code (I'm sure online help said customer services can give out the PAC code over the phone).
The man tells me he has to put me through to another department to send me a new SIM card.
A lady takes the call and I pass security then explain the situation. The first thing she asks me is to read out the 16 digit code from the back of the damaged SIM card.
I explain to her my damaged SIM card is a LARGE 1st generation SIM card with no numbers written on it - just the O2 logo on the back. And I have had this SIM for a long time and O2 have never replaced it with a modern micro or nano SIM card.
The lady keeps asking me for the 16 digit number on the SIM like she just does not understand or is NOT listening to what I am telling her.
I repeat myself 3 times that this is an old LARGE SIM card which doesn't have any codes/numbers on it and I cannot make one up for her.
She still does not seem to understand or care and I ask if she can put me through to a supervisor or manager. She tells me to hold.
Then another lady takes the call and I explain to her that I have an old LARGE 1st generation SIM card from at least 15 years ago which seems to be damaged as multiple phones report "no sim inserted".
And that I just want to get a PAC code to move to another network and the previous customer services person kept asking me to tell her the 16 digit number from the SIM card which does not exist on my damaged SIM card.
She tells me that I need a working SIM to receive the PAC code and she asks me the basic security questions asked by the other 2 already. I get a slight feeling this lady may finally be able to help.
Then she says she needs to ask some more 'security' questions for me to prove my identity and asks me to tell her some 'frequently dialled' numbers from the number.
I tell her I have not used the number for about a year so no chance of remembering and state it's probably just voicemail retrieval.
She then states "within the last 3 months"....
I tell her the SIM card stopped working 10 months ago so that is a completely impossible question to fulfil as in this situation NO calls have been made for at least 10 months.
I ask if she can not ask about the other account security questions and answers?
She says no.
I comment that what is the point of having the additional account security questions?
She says it is for online security while customer services use different questions.
She tells me without answering her security question (which is not possible as the damaged SIM hasn't worked for 10 months) there is nothing that can be done.
How is this even possible with a company such as O2?
If you have an old SIM card make sure you swap it for a modern nano version with the 16 digit number AND make sure you make a call every 3 months so you can pass customer services 'security'.
Needless to say I'm never going near O2 ever again!
