Vodafone cuts off emergency use mobiles

PEOPLE RELYING ON MOBILE PHONES for use in an emergency are being put at risk by the small print in their contracts. If the phone isn't used, telcos will snatch back any calling credit after 90 days and disable the SIM card if the phone isn't used to make a chargeable call for 180 days.

One of the most common uses for Pay As You Go (PAYG) mobiles, apart from drug dealing and bank robbery, where their complete lack of traceability is a major plus, is for an emergency standby phone left in the car for use in an emergency. By purchasing a new PAYG SIM card for a few pounds, an old mobile can find a new lease of life and give users peace of mind that, should they break down in the middle of nowhere on a rainy night, they can get in touch with someone to come to their rescue.

Many husbands will have provided a mobile for their wives and kids for just this reason, but if the phone isn't used for a few months, they may find it has been rendered useless by the telco disabling it and reallocating the number. Because PAYG phones don't have a billing address, the phones are disconnected without their owners being made aware of the fact.

My ex-wife discovered this to her dismay last week when she had a puncture and tried to call for assistance. The phone I had given her about a year ago for use in just such an emergency was unable to register itself on the Vodafone network because it had been surreptitiously disconnected by them. She eventually flagged down a passing motorist and used their phone to call for help. Hardly an ideal situation for a woman on her own.

Her dismay was later passed on to me in no uncertain terms and when I read the small print in the Vodafone contract that confirmed the disconnection policy, I passed on her message, along with a few adjectives of my own, to the company. The customer support call centre had a simple solution - I should go out and buy a new SIM card, and no, they would not refund the calling credit they'd taken back. As I was obviously going to get nothing other than increased blood pressure by prolonging this conversation, I rang the Press Office instead.

I asked why it was not made clear to purchasers of PAYG SIM cards that they were liable to be disconnected without warning. A spokesperson told me it was because they were often sold from outlets where the staff had no technical knowledge. I bought the SIM in question from the Vodafone shop in Basingstoke and was not made aware of the disconnection policy.

Few phone users will ever read the small print in their contracts and something as fundamental as having the phone shut off without warning surely deserves being made absolutely clear to every purchaser. How many women have been stranded by a breakdown only to find that the emergency phone they had with them was useless?

Even if you register your PAYG phone with Vodafone, you will not be notified if your calling credit is about to be repossessed or the phone deactivated. Merely switching it on occasionally to check the battery is not sufficient - you have to make a chargeable call to keep the phone working.

To give them their due, Vodafone reactivated my SIM card, but had to give me a new number as my old one had been reallocated. The company also refunded the calling credit it had snatched back. Whether this will happen in all cases, or just those involving stroppy hacks on IT news sites remains to be seen.

Vodafone says it is reviewing its policy on PAYG phones. Let's hope they come up with a solution before someone dies. µ