The Unexpected Journey to Reclaim My Mobile Number
In the fast-paced, digital world we live in, our mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives. Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue, my Airtel SIM stopped working. Little did I know that this unexpected turn of events would lead to a whirlwind journey just to reclaim my cherished mobile number.
It all began when I visited the Airtel store, Bengaluru to address the issue. To my shock, I was informed that the SIM has expired and wasn’t registered under my name but rather under my sister-in-law’s. A realization hit me — my mobile number, a faithful companion for the past 15 years, was suddenly not mine. The confusion traced back to the time when I switched from Vodafone to Airtel during my move to Bangalore.
Putting aside any resentment, the immediate priority was to get my number up and running. Fortunately, my sister-in-law was visiting, and on a Sunday, we headed to the Airtel store to obtain a new SIM card. Little did I know that this was just the beginning of an unexpected odyssey.
The first blow came when, at 9 pm, I discovered that my new SIM hadn’t been activated due to a photo mismatch. Frustration set in as I grappled with the idea of living in a digital world without a functioning mobile number. With my sister-in-law already departed for Belagavi, I found myself discussing potential solutions with my husband.
Options were laid out — either she procures a new SIM in Belagavi and sends it after activation or we embark on a road trip to get it done in person. Opting for the latter meant canceling our planned trip to Coimbatore, but the urgency prevailed. Thus, we set off on a road trip to Belagavi solely for the sake of a SIM card.
Upon reaching Belagavi on the 27th, my husband, accompanied by my sister-in-law, visited the Airtel store. However, the activation failed once again. This time, Airtel store manager Arpita and customer service representative Soniya delved deeper into the issue.
Speculations about the cause ranged from an outdated photo on the Aadhaar card to attempting the use of a passport. Eventually, it was revealed that the photo linked to the mobile number record belonged to me, but the name on the record was my sister-in-law’s. The mix-up occurred during the tumultuous period of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking charge of the situation, Arpita initiated a process akin to number portability. The old record associated with my number in Airtel would be deleted, and a new one would be created under my name and photo. However, this solution came with an unforeseen delay.
One of the reasons for the inordinate delay in SIM number porting was the fact that it was a vanity number(Now what’s that??), requiring additional permissions. This added complexity contributed to the prolonged process.
All this journey and unnecessary delay wouldn’t have occurred had the customer service representative in Bangalore been as vigilant as the one in Belagavi. Had he contacted the backend team to identify the root cause, the issue would have been resolved in Bangalore itself without us having to travel.
After numerous calls and discussions and sitting at Airtel for 2 days, the resolution was in progress. It was a unique case that required special handling, given the mistake on Airtel’s part. Finally, on the evening of December 29th, I held my active SIM card once again. However, this victory came at the cost of losing my previous recharge, valid until March 2024.
Who would have thought that a 1300-kilometer journey from Bengaluru to Belagavi and back would be undertaken solely for the sake of a SIM card? Life’s twists and turns often take us on unexpected adventures, thanks to year end holidays, reclaiming a mobile number turned into a memorable saga.
