No service - sim reverted back to Tesco Mobile two months in

[Julief]

Any advice would be appreciated with this strange problem as O2 tech help seems to be struggling to fix the issue.  I have now been without O2 service for nearly two weeks and despite having logged the problem with the online contact us, travelled 25 miles to my nearest O2 shop and asked for the issue to be escalated, I am still waiting for a resolution.  Here are the details:

- I changed my contract from Tesco mobile to O2 on 19th jan 2024.  I took my old number with me using the PAC code system and it all worked perfectly
- some time around 13th/14th March I stopped receiving calls and texts on my O2 sim and my old phone with the Tesco sim started to receive calls and texts.  I could not get data on either sim or phone.
- I contacted O2 chat on Sunday 17th March.  After a 4 and a half hour back and forth the advisor agreed to escalate it to the tech team and gave me a ticket reference with a 5-10 day wait
- In the meantime I travelled to my O2 shop where the assistant said she had never seen this happen before, tried all the obvious stuff with the phone and then advised that I swapped to an ESIM.  She did this for me but the activation failed and she said that she was unable to help further.
- on Sunday 24th March I stopped getting any service from my Tesco phone, so I am now unable to receive any calls or texts or get data at all.  I contacted the online help again who said that I would have to wait for the technical team to fix it.  Today, the 10 days are up, so I contacted the online chat - I was polite but made my frustration clear, but the advisor escalated it again to the tech team and I’ve been given another ticket with a 5 day estimate. 

Where do I go from here?  Any idea what the problem could be? I really want to jump ship and leave but I’m only two months into a two year contract!

Thanks in advance

[Enlli]

Very hard to give advice on this. As the shop says it is quite unique seeing the number ported correctly and worked for a while.

The fact that the Tesco number reactivated in part makes me wonder if Tesco don't have an involvement somewhere. Long shot, but have you spoken to them.

We are all customers here so can only advise keeping on at O2.

Unless another member has some ideas

[Julief · Accepted solution]

Thanks so much for your reply.  Yes spoke to Tesco in the early days who said the account as all closed down and therefore the sim should not be active and they could not advise further.  Think I may have to just sit this one out until the o2 tech team (hopefully) resolve it.  Thanks again

[madasaf1sh]

@Julief 

I would also be chasing Tesco Mobile, as it does sound like something as @Enlli says at there end, that has triggered the number been returned to them, and then reactivating the sim card..    

I do wonder if it has been caught in a bulk port, where a PAC code has been issued for a lot of numbers, and your number has been mistakenly added for example instead of a 1 someone has typed a 0.. 

I dont think with 20 years in the IT Industry and dealing with Enterprise mobiles, I have seen a network claw back a number, they can block ports for non payment, still in contract, etc....

But as I said chase Tesco at the same time

[Julief]

Very interesting- thanks so much for that.

[Chacha18]

Have you had any luck? I'm having a nightmare with my new sim and getting my old number and the agents are useless now been 6 days unable to call or recieve calls. Apparently went escalation team they couldn't fix it, then it went to the higher up tech. The agent said today it was fixed and it will work anytime today. It's now 23.18 and still not changed!

[Oxonian]

@Chacha18 

If that question is aimed at @Julief, you need to tag her thus ! 👍 

[Julief]

In the end I was three weeks without service and despite speaking to o2 numerous times the tech team never seemed to even address the issue and my account is still associated with my old phone which has never had an o2 sim in it.  However I managed to sort the problem myself by activiating an eSIM that was installed by my local o2 shop (which wouldn’t work when they installed it).  It was a very strange problem

[Oxonian]

I am pleased to hear your problem was resolved @Julief ! 👍

Does that help you @Chacha18 ? 

[Chacha18]

I'm glad you managed to fix the issue! I had went into tesco mobile to see if there was anything they could do but they said they were unable to do anything. My sim number was changed on the 5th, so that's now 11 days and nothing. I know tesco is interlinked with o2, so I might try going to see them and see if they can do the same. So you managed to get your previous number back?

Thanks