Truphone SIM replacement heads up!

[davidtheprof]

Truphone's 'upgrade' seems to involve a loss of key functionality...
got an email today with this:

"If you have additional mobile numbers associated with your account and you would like to keep these you need to enable auto-renew within your Truphone account or you will lose the number permanently. To do this, simply log into ‘My Account’ via the Truphone website (Truphone), select ‘Manage Upgrades’ and ensure ‘Auto Renew’ is set to on."

For me, an important feature was the ability to switch on a UK (or Australian) number for just a month when I travel for $8, and then turn off auto-renew again. Now we'll lose the UK number, unless we pay EVERY month. I suppose we can live with a different number each time we travel, if that is possible, but it makes Piranha look more enticing.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

Truphone's 'upgrade' seems to involve a loss of key functionality.....
"If you have additional mobile numbers associated with your account and you would like to keep these you need to enable auto-renew within your Truphone account or you will lose the number permanently.

Not something I envision using, but thanks for the warning.

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

For me, an important feature was the ability to switch on a UK (or Australian) number for just a month when I travel for $8, and then turn off auto-renew again. Now we'll lose the UK number, unless we pay EVERY month. I suppose we can live with a different number each time we travel, if that is possible, but it makes Piranha look more enticing.

So you kept getting the same phone number every time you turned it back on? Was this something they documented or was that just he the way things worked? Perhaps they need to conserve their numbers more than in the past.............or just wanted to enhance revenue per month.

[davidtheprof]

yep, I have a fixed UK number on each Truphone sim card (one for the wife!), and we'd just turn them on and pay $8 each for the 1-2 trips back to the old country each year. Not sure if it costs them a lot to maintain a bunch of numbers that are only used for a small part of the year.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

yep, I have a fixed UK number on each Truphone sim card (one for the wife!), and we'd just turn them on and pay $8 each for the 1-2 trips back to the old country each year. Not sure if it costs them a lot to maintain a bunch of numbers that are only used for a small part of the year.

I saw the fuller letter at HoFo. One way to optimistically interpret it is that it needs to be on autorenew when the transition happens or all is lost.
Perhaps, after the transition, it will be back to the old ways?
I am perhaps being too optimistic?

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

yep, I have a fixed UK number on each Truphone sim card (one for the wife!), and we'd just turn them on and pay $8 each for the 1-2 trips back to the old country each year. Not sure if it costs them a lot to maintain a bunch of numbers that are only used for a small part of the year.

This morning I called Truphone to request 4 blue SIM cards. The agent was in the UK. I asked about the 'transition' and the autorenew of the additional phone numbers. He understood what I was asking and talked to his supervisor.
He said that the auto renew needed to be on inorder for the phone number to transition to the new system. The transition will be done in batches. After the transition autorenew will be automatically turned off. And things will be like before where you will get the same number when you turn it back on. I believe that this is what the plan is. Whether it will really happen that way is an issue.

I strongly suggest that you call Truphone CS and see if they say the same thing to you. Perhaps during the day when you will probably get a UK CS person who can ask a supervisor who might know what is going on.

$8 to keep a phone number through the transition might be worth it to you.