Olde customer with olde mobile phone does not charge up

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It's one of those flip up Virgin mobiles from about 15 years ago with a top up card. When it's turned on up comes the message Hellomoto, then the main menu, but with 'no network'. It was used only in emergencies (as a back up, or when one of the couple had an extended stay in hospital, which is currently the case)

The last time it was used was 2008, still has a good battery, and the customer believes there should still be around £20-£25 available but the card cannot be read by the supermarket that usually adds credit to his partners phone.

I am hedging my bets the original contract has been terminated by the provider and the service updated since the phone has not been out of the drawer in over a decade, but the questions are

1) Will the mobile accept a new Virginia PAYG card, or is it also a case the mobile is limited to the old style contract SIMs ?

2) Has Virgin a responsibility to have kept the money in the event the client does continue to use them but with a different mobile/contract ?
 

statalite

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AFAIK they would have terminated after 180 days of non use, I think this is standard for "consumer" contacts.
I also believe they would not credit back, as they will say in their terms, they may so as good will but I doubt it.
They will probably try and sell the customer a basic contract which are not too bad on price these days. If the don't want this then basic phones and PAYG sims are freely available cheaply.
 

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Thanks.

A basic contract is out of the question, since one mobile is used in emergencies only and they are really rare as mentioned. The question was more about reading the top up card , and if it is just the newer supermarket till systems that might have this version removed from their database.
It is a magnetic strip version as opposed to a chip type, if that helps.

Since I am able to remove the existing SIM card from behind the battery I could try it inside another phone here with access to Virgin, just in case. They can then use it if it kicks back into life.

I'll also grab a PAYG package from a number of suppliers, including Virgin, just in case it doesn't.
 

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I may be wrong however I doubt the backward compatability of sims from that era applies to that Pay As You Go old type sim which may even be an old analogue type. The contacts arrangement has changed considerably over the years as we know from our old hobby of card flashing, having said that I have been proven wrong many times before, but how would you unlock the phone to accommodate a different provider? Get them to splash out on a £20 replacement Alcatel 2038X | Pay As You Go Phones | Tesco Mobile
 

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The mobile is a Motorola W375 (or at least something very similar). Other sites confirm these are still functional on the the UK networks, so I believe it is the SIM card expiry and not much else that is preventing it from working.

The client has no problem with taking another PAYG card to use on the Virgin network so unlocking it is not an issue, only the lost credit remains, which is about the same price as replacing it for another mobile, the operation of which would need to be learned by the client's partner, which could be an uphill struggle.
 

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What sort of emergencies is it required for? If it's just to call 999, then you don't require a SIM in it, as it'll pick up any network available to route the call to the emergency services...

If it's for other personal emergencies, then best go with a GiffGaff SIM (assuming the phone is not locked, don't think Virgin tended to do that, but can't be 100% sure), as they send reminders for keeping the SIM alive by email, and their SIMs still support GSM phones... :)
 

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Virgin use the EE network so an EE one might work also.
 

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Thanks, I might have to since no shop is showing Virgin SIMS in their inventory.
 

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You might find that modern sims are not compatible with such an old phone - istr the voltage changed from 5v to 3v or something similar at some pont as I couldnt get an ancient sim to work when I updated a phone many years ago. Much to my disgust as I was on a nice payg service and Cellnet (?) wouldnt provide me with a new sim on the same terms
 

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I don't think its that old, I have something archaic that is working fine.

This one even shows the IMEA code which mine cannot.
 
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