My prepaid number has been assigned to someone else

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › My prepaid number has been assigned to someone else

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#668820 7-Aug-2012 11:44

GrandMasterSaxay: I did not top up for 12 months, its the fact. The number got deactivated in Jan, I recharged in May, poped in my sim card at Telecom Store, confirmed with the consultant, my sim was active with network bars. I guess I visited the Telecom Store on Saturday (24th June), and on monday (26th June) the number got connected to someone else's account.

I think perhaps you may be looking for a conspiracy where in fact its just an old fashion cock-up.
As you say - you didnt top up and the number should have expired at that stage.
What Telecoms systems should have done was invalidate your sim card and lock out the internet top-up site for that number - but it seems that didnt happen.

Sounds like the number then got allocated as a post-paid - but somehow your sim is still actively tied to the number (as is the new 'owner's SIM) and somehow you can access top-ups?.

You have found an problem in their system/procedures.
They certainly should refund your topups - I think perhaps you may have to kiss the number good-bye though.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

GrandMasterSaxay

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#668824 7-Aug-2012 11:48

If this would have been a matter of $10 I would have let it go, i hope you understand.

ibuksh

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#668826 7-Aug-2012 11:51

GrandMasterSaxay: If this would have been a matter of $10 I would have let it go, i hope you understand.

It was a number that was special to you and you kept it.. its the telecom part of misinforming you that your number is still active on your sim.. which is where the problem started.

They should have told you upfront in May that the number has already been issued to a post pay customer because you didnt top up on time and it would have been easier for you to accept it at that point..

thats totally understandable..

GrandMasterSaxay

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#668830 7-Aug-2012 12:01

That is what my concern is. Initially i was been told that the number got new customer in June end (coupld of days after i visited the store) but yesterday I got to know that the number was connected and disconnected in March. If that is the case, how come my sim was active and showing network when I visited the store in June ? If someone else was the owner of my number, the sim should not show active.

freitasm

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#668835 7-Aug-2012 12:09

As in all other recent cases, we only know one side of the story - I'm not saying it's right or wrong. Telecom won't comment on that in any case due to the Privacy Act. We might or might not learn the full story one day.

scuwp

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#668894 7-Aug-2012 13:08

Full story would be nice, but in the end ultimately pointless.

Customer did not top up in time and therefore lost the number after a small grace period. Someone else has it now. User error, end of story.

If you think you have paid/they have accepted the $10 top up in error, ask for a refund.

If you want the number back, as stated previously call the new owner and negotiate something.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

GrandMasterSaxay

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#668896 7-Aug-2012 13:10

Thanks for the straight forward answer, but you are not getting the point here. If you will read the full story, you might understand. Thanks again.

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freitasm

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#668921 7-Aug-2012 13:26

GrandMasterSaxay: Thanks for the straight forward answer, but you are not getting the point here. If you will read the full story, you might understand. Thanks again.

Here's the first post again:

... have a Telecom XT prepaid sim which was connected to a unique number. I possess this since late 2010, however I never used it in day today life. As the number is unique I wanted to keep it for future as a business number.

I topped it up in October 2010 and then directly in May 2012. I visited Telecom store in June end and confirmed it with the staff, poped in my sim and it was working fine. However, when I went to the same Telecom store last week (4th Aug) to get a new micro sim for the same number, I was been told that the number is assigned to someone else.

As per the Telecom staff the number was deactivated in Jan 2012, as I did not top it up since Oct 2010. But I topped it up in May 2012 and it was active again and ready to use. To my surprise, the number was assigned to someone in June 2012, same week I visited Telecom.

Last topup was October 2010, which means the account expired October 2011. Add to this a six month cool down period, then April 2012 the number would've been released to be assigned to another account.

You say there was a topup in May 2012. You said you inserted the SIM in a handset and it showed signal.

Did you tell the store person the last topup was more than 18 months before?
Did you place phone call them to confirm it was actually active and in working order?
Did you use the phone to recharge, or was it done over the counter to the number?

GrandMasterSaxay

33 posts

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#668944 7-Aug-2012 13:33

You say there was a topup in May 2012. You said you inserted the SIM in a handset and it showed signal.

Did you tell the store person the last topup was more than 18 months before?
No I did not. I went to the store in June and i topedup in May, one month prior to my visit.

Did you place phone call them to confirm it was actually active and in working order?
I did not have a 3g phone, the consultant check it on her own test device. She confirmed it, i did not check

Did you use the phone to recharge, or was it done over the counter to the number?
I recharged it online on Telecom website.

freitasm

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#668946 7-Aug-2012 13:35

Based on that I am not sure the account was still yours at that time. It had passed the cool down period by then.

We will only know more when someone from Telecom tells you what's happened and you share with us.

GrandMasterSaxay

33 posts

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#668955 7-Aug-2012 13:42

Telecom replied back with the following email

"I have confirmed that this mobile number has been reactivated to postpaid on March 22, 2012. Then, it has been temporarily disconnected, as requested, on May 31, 2012; and got reconnected back on June 25, 2012"

If this really happened then why the consultant at Telecom store and the call centre reps did not tell me when I called up for the first time on 4th Aug.

freitasm

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#668963 7-Aug-2012 13:47

GrandMasterSaxay: "I have confirmed that this mobile number has been reactivated to postpaid on March 22, 2012. Then, it has been temporarily disconnected, as requested, on May 31, 2012; and got reconnected back on June 25, 2012"

"Reactivated on postpaid on March 22, 2012" sounds like associated with an account (not prepaid).
"temporarily disconnected on March 31 'as requested'". Was this the (then new) account owner?
"reconnected back on June 25, 2012". Again, was then the (then new) account owner?

To me it looks like the number was lost in October 2011 and snapped by someone else after six months.

The other questions would be:

How come the SIM showed connected to the network (did it really?)
How come Telecom accepted the topup if the number was on postpaid?

I still think there is more to this story.

GrandMasterSaxay

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#668976 7-Aug-2012 13:52

"Reactivated on postpaid on March 22, 2012" sounds like associated with an account (not prepaid).
YES. It was on account but they do not provide any information
"temporarily disconnected on March 31 'as requested'". Was this the (then new) account owner?
No idea, they are not giving out the owner information
"reconnected back on June 25, 2012". Again, was then the (then new) account owner?
No idea
How come the SIM showed connected to the network (did it really?)
Telecom store consultant told me it is active and ready to use, i did not check it personally
How come Telecom accepted the topup if the number was on postpaid?
That seem to be a loophole (may be intentional), I tried toping up another mobile number which is on account, the payment went through, the amount got deducted from my bank account.

freitasm

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#668981 7-Aug-2012 13:54

GrandMasterSaxay: That seem to be a loophole (may be intentional), I tried toping up another mobile number which is on account, the payment went through, the amount got deducted from my bank account.

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

GrandMasterSaxay

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#668994 7-Aug-2012 14:03

Ripping off customers should not be a business. If they can run such a massive telecommunication company, can't they validate if the mobile number is on prepaid or on Account ? and prompt a message appropriately ?

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