No Sim, number already transferred, no means to get help

[#1]

Hi.

I signed up for new sim on 3rd Dec, account setup on 4th. Plusnet requested my phone number transfer before I have received the sim. I am now here on the 6th Dec and you have already had my number switched from my old provider (so that I now have no phone and cannot be contacted and cannot phone you help desk) but I have no new plusnet sim.

I also transferred my wife's mobile at the same time last week and she also has no new sim and now has no working mobile phone. Please can you advise how I can contact someone to either get our phone numbers temporarily switched back to our old provider or get the sim cards resent ASAP. 

Thanks

Cathal McMahon

[#2]

@Cathal 

I'm afraid that your stuck. The number will have been transferred to the new SIM and the SIM will be in the Christmas post.

I fear that you are stuck until the postie gets around to delivering it.

[#3]

Wouldn't it make more sense for the process of transferring phone numbers and Plusnet telling my old provider to cut me off to be triggered only after the new customer has received the physical sim cards and taken some action to activate the sims? I am sure most people would rather be double billed for 2 or 3 days than to be without any communication at all for an unknown period of time. I am sure I am not the 1st this has happened to

[#4]

@Cathal 

The sensible option at present is to not submit the PAC code when you sign up but wait until you have the SIM card in your hand ready to insert it in to your phone. At this point you will have your old SIM still working and the Plusnet one with a new number. At this point if you submit the PAC to Plusnet the number will be transferred and the old account will not go dead until the transfer is complete. You can then swap the SIMs and all is well with the world.

It saves the mobile company time and effort by asking for you to submit a PAC when you sign up, but it isn't necessary. It probably works fine in normal times with no Covid or Christmas post, but these aren't normal times as we used to know them.

[#5]

Sims arrived today so problem solved. I guess they need to program in a delay. I will know for next time not to give by PAC code to anyone until I have new sims in my hand. It was quite stressful with neither my wife or myself having working phones and not being contactable by schools or work. I was seriously considering going out and buying a landline phone so that we could be contacted during our personal black out.

Any tips for avoiding a period of no service when switching broadband provider in case I am brave enough to do that in the future?

[#6]

A couple of obvious tips for you, but bear in mind there will always be a period when you switch there will be an outage, the trick is to keep it to a minimum.

1. Never try and port on a Friday - if it fails you will be without service all weekend probably.

2. Make sure you have the new sim before submitting a PAC code.

3. Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday tebd to be the best days to submit a PAC code, morning being the best chance of getting your new service working the same day - the later you leave it the more chance your new service won't be ready until at least the next day.

HTH

[#7]

@Cathal 

To add to @Mustrum‘s list a landline phone, which can also be a useful tool if you have a broadband fault, hardly costs the earth.  https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5529610?clickPR=plp:8:11