Swapping sim / activating phone

[Anonymous]

I recieved a new phone after mine being robbed (I have the iPhone 6s), however my contract sim was taking a few more days to arrive. I was told on o2 live chat it would be okay to activate my phone with a different sim card just so I could actually access the phone and then just use it for wifi purposes as once it was activated I took the sim card out. When my contract SIM card came I was told it could take up to 24 hours to work, it's now been two days and still says no service. I searched up and it says how you have to text a number off the first sim card I used to swap the number and then put my contract sim in. However I was not told this is what I have to do so I no longer have the original sim card I used to activate my phone and can't do this process. Is there anything else I can do to get my SIM card to work? I've tried resetting my whole phone the lot.

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

You need to call customer service. Your account would have been blocked when you reported the phone stolen and you need to ask them to remove the bar on your account. O2 won't send a live sim in the post so please call them or possibly use live chat.

Around 8.30am is the best time to call.

http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

[MI5]

I'm sure this is something that could be better explained to customers.
We seem to get quite a few who don't realise they need to call to lift account restrictions after reporting a device as lost or stolen.

[Cleoriff]

I agree about the explanation to the customers. There seems to be a real breakdown with this. A customer reports phone lost or stolen...then when they receive a replacement device/sim, they think everything will be working as it should. Very few realise they have to take further action...

[MI5]

Having never had to report anything stolen, i'm not sure what documentation is received with the replacement sim or what the customer is told, but it would make sense to include an explanation with the sim card when sent out.
Maybe @Toby could check this?

[Toby]

Hi guys,

I'll report back on this. Where in the process would you think would be best to include any info on bar lifting?

[MI5]

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@Toby wrote:

Where in the process would you think would be best to include any info on bar lifting?

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With the replacement sim card but also the CS agent could inform the customer verbally at the point of reporting the device lost or stolen.....

[Cleoriff]

.the CS agent could inform the customer verbally at the point of reporting the device lost or stolen......

This is key I think ^^^^^^^^ (as I suspect the sim being sent out is from a different department?)

Unless every sim sent out had this included 'If this is a replacement sim for a lost /stolen device please contact CS to activate or lift the bar on your account'...

[madasaf1sh]

This should be included on the Sim Packaging, it can be a generic line, and also in My o2, at the top of the page, it could be a be a link to activate new sim card here

[jonsie]

To be fair I had my phone stolen NYE and reported it stolen on live chat. The adviser did point out that when the new sim arrived that I would need to get the bar lifted on the account. I did know that but it was good that the adviser made a specific point of it.