ESim request to customer services has disconnected me!

[Chateau57]

I am about to take a delivery of a new iPhone 14. As I plan to use an eSIM in my new phone, I called Customer Services today to request an eSIM pack to be sent out (containing the QR code. I need to install it on my new phone).

The advisor told me that it would take three working days or maybe slightly more because of the Christmas post.

Shortly after the call ended. I noticed that I was disconnected from the O2 network on my current phone (which also uses an eSIM). I now have no working phone on the O2 network and my new phone, for which I ordered the same does not turn up for another four or five days.

my wife bought a new iPhone recently and went into an O2 shop to pick up an eSIM pack with a QR code. This was left to one side until she had the new phone delivered a couple of days later…..

it appears 30th one, requests and eSIM/Sim swap with Customer Services disconnects your current Sim from the network more or less immediately! It appears had I gone into an O2 shop and requested an eSIM pack then my phone would still be working until such time as I got a new phone and swapped it over using the swap my Sim process. 

Help !!

[pgn]

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@Bx917 wrote:

I am one of the many unlucky Virgin mobile eSIM users who have been left with no access to their calls after a bungled migration.

my physical O2 SIM and O2 eSIM packs arrived in the post. I waited for my virgin SIM to go dead then inserted my physical O2 SIM (removing my physical work SIM in the process). I then scanned my eSIM QR code which after thinking for a while said there was an error and to contact customer services. Which I did via phone using the physical SIM.

I then spent 36 mins of back and forth with the very pleasant call centre agent (mostly spend on hold listening to that incredibly painful LoFi polyphonic hold music - please please please change it).

the call was ended abruptly after the agent entered my physical SIMs SSN and I lost signal. I waited a bit for the signal to reconnect but it never did.

I accessed the webchat through the app as the only method available to me now as I am without a working SIM. It told me to try again during working hours - it was 7.20pm.  I tried again and got an agent who asked all the questions then ran out of time at 10pm. When I woke up this morning a new agent had checked my account saw that an eSIM was active against my number, pasted a bunch of promo material about O2 rewards and closed the enquiry conversation.

so I try again. Three ish hours later the new agent tells me there is an eSIM active against my number. I catch them before the 10min time out (unfairly quick considering I have to wait several hours for a reply!!!) and explain (again) that I don’t have the eSIM on my phone because the QR did not work.

1hr later they reply that I have the eSIM active on my account.

I explain again (again) that it may be active on my account but it isn’t on my phone, I have no access to calls or SMS and can only contact them via the chat when I am on WiFi which is incredibly frustrating since they aren’t reading the conversation history!

and so it goes on another few times.

I have finally managed to get the newest agent to offer switching my old SIM back on and posting me a new eSIM pack. 

Now, the old SIM hasn’t yet reactivated but if it does at least I won’t be entirely cut off from the world while waiting for a new eSIM to arrive. although, I will still be juggling back and forth between my work and personal SIMs which is annoying (and not actually great for SIMs). And reading this thread does not fill me with confidence that the system can actually do it so.

This experience has really not endeared me to O2. Nor encouraged me to remain on the network any longer than necessary.

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This case could benefit from the help of a Forum Advisor, @Bx917 - none on duty today, it being Sunday, but @O2Sarah- is on at 8am Monday morning - could you check back here after that time to see what extra info she needs from you (via private message) to give things a kick for you?

[O2Sarah-]

Thanks for the tag @pgn 

@Bx917 I will send you a private message so we can look into this. 

[MD567]

@O2Sarah- exactly the same thing happened to me today! Requested esim and got immediately disconnected !what is happening in here? Can you bring me back online ?!

[Enlli]

@MD567 Sarah is no longer with us as all agents were removed from the Community in the summer. We have no O2 staff here now.

This disconnecting of SIM cards when any sort of replacement is ordered is just another example of O2's crazy way of working.

You can try contacting O2 but I doubt you will get anywhere

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