alcazar

iTrader: (2)

...........switch the damned things off if you don't use them for 6 months?

My wife has a little Samsung clamshell for dire emergencies, since neither of us LIKE mobiles.

Last week her car broke down on a motorway, and lo and behold, stupid O2 had turned her simcard off!

WTF sort of a system is that?

Alcazar

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

If it's not used they kill it and recycle the number.

Not liking mobiles. What's not to like?

Nido

Perhaps also because the networks are there to make money, not to provide a public service? If you haven't used your phone in 6 months then they aren't making money, and as said will re-use your number. Why keep millions of un-used numbers on their books?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Charging the damned things every turn end,
Having to take the charger too when you go away,
Buying a small neat phone to find the charger is large and cumbersome,
Carrying the phone round with you,
Learning how to use something that is overly complicated,
Being unable to buy one that JUST MAKES PHONE CALLS!
Being overcharged for calls abroad,
People being able to get hold of me whenever they like,
People walking EVERYWHERE with a mobile glued to their ear, shouting their conversation.
Being interrupted/bothered by them, in pubs, bars, restaurants, on trains on buses, etc etc! And that's not MINE, it's other rude peoples'!

Shall I go on?.............

Alcazar

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

I could give you a perfectly valid counter argument for pretty much each of those but if you're so against them then that's up to you. like any device that is there to aid your lifestyle it's down to how you use it.

As for your thread topic and the problem I'm not sure how you'd avoid what happened other than just making a brief call once a month for example. May be worth speaking to the network and finding out the situation on usage and when or why they will cut you off

scoobyster

Nice little earner for them to close your account and not refund your unused credit, I think that's the root of it. It would still have worked for a 999 emergency but I agree it's pretty poor form to leave someone in trouble like that. I think phone providers do provide a public service and so have responsibilities to uphold, whether they're making much money from a particular customer or not they're still a customer. I doubt a landline provider would get away with such antics.

Nido

Really? Try not giving yours any money for 6 months and see if you can still make a call.......

PaulC72

This is not true will all mobile companies, our Virgin sims have not been used for over 6 months before and still work when put in a phone, it will depend on the T&C's for that company.
Also if a company closes your account they should refund you the money on the account also otherwise you could argue it is theft.

scoobyster

Ok, bad analogy! That's the line rental though - you could make no calls for 6 months provided you the line rental. S'pose the same is true of a contract mobile though.

Ok, how about another utility supplier. If you don't use any gas/elec for 6 months (say because you've gone on a work placement abroad) and they can still read your meters, you won't have to pay them anything. They won't withhold supply from you when you need to start using it again, however.

Nido

Nope, you'll still have gas, electricity & water charges even if you don't use anything.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

PAYG phones do not need to be used they just need to be logged on to the network during the 6 months, it is not necessary to make any calls as long as the phone is seen on the network every so often. Then it will not be cut off.

j4ckos mate

On the subject of phones why cany they make one charger fits all.

scoobyster

Depends on your tariff. I have experience of an almost always empty property costing almost nothing in elec and gas (proportional to usage, no 'line rental', as it were) that's why I used the example.

scoobyster

Good point, and in fact, why can't they make all things that need charging 'one charger fits all'. Douglas Adams said something about Sony et al being in the business of making chargers in the same way that Xerox are in the business of making toner, not far wrong!

Scooby Soon!

no they dont, tmobile cut you off if you dont make a call after about 3 or 6 months