Cingular GoPhone Sim Unregistered

If you do not use a pre-paid phone with ANY company for more than 3
months it's cancelled out by their systems. It's no different than
TRACFONE or anyone else.

All you needed to do was sign up for a new GO Phone account, get a new
SIM card (included in sign up) and not pick out a phone! A phone is
NOT mandatory! You simply then take the SIM card, add money to it via
a GO Phone card, and put it in your old phone, and BAM! Instant
success!

In regards to your text message taking 6-8 dollars... it was either
multiple text messages, OR picture/video messages which also charge
you for the bandwidth used to send the picture at a rate of 1-3 cents
per kilobyte. (It is currently 1 cent per kilobyte).

Honestly, look to your kids! They probably were showing off that they
got a new phone and had to prove that theirs could do something. It
was probably internet charges, and not even a text message.

I had this same problem. I got a Go phone for my mom about a year ago
to use in emergencies (she is 82). She never used it and I looked at
it the other day and it said, "Unregistered SIM". I took it to AT&T
and the guy spent 15 minutes on the phone with someone trying to fix
it and then finally asked me, "Is this a Go phone?" I answered, "Yes",
and he said, "Sorry I can't do anything with it, it has expired." I
understand that it has expired, but why can't I renew and reuse this
same phone? Why do I have to get a whole new phone? Since I have to
get a whole new phone, I will get it with another provider and when my
AT&T contract expires in September, I will also switch my own account
to a new provider.

Many of these responses sound as if they are AT&T employees. The
policy is ridiculous, and the real lesson to be learned is that these
phones are designed to provide revenue to the corporation and not to
provide you with inexpensive service. Your best bet is to avoid
prepaid phones and if you need cell service then research the best
options and get a reliable provider, I do not recommend AT&T.

A single text message costs you $6-$8??!!? Seriously???

I have a friend with one of these phones and they have to buy cards
for it regularly. I thought most people knew they had to.

Cingular (now the new AT&T) has a policy that they deactivate pre-paid
phones on their Go Phone program after they have been inactive for 60
days which means that they have been sitting idle for that period of
time because no money has been added to the account.

Unfortunately for your son, I think this situation needs to be used as
a learning experience for him in how important it is to read and
understand the terms and conditions for any service related item he
purchases in the future. I work with AT&T everyday of the week and
they are not going to bend the rules for him and they most certainly
are not going to refund your money becuase you didn't understand the
60 day rule with regards to inactivity.

Jerita,
Maybe you can reduce your losses by selling the $25.00 Phone Card on
ebay.
Bill R.

This could have been resolved simply by reading all the rules, etc
BEFORE the phone was purchased.

CIngualr's website spells everything out clearly, as many have already
indicated. You are owed nothing.

How disappointing for your son! I've learned quite a bit from reading
the others responses. I have a prepaid phone here in Holland and it
doesnt work this way at all! I can go as long as I like without adding
minutes. I was actually considering getting a prepaid phone to use
when I'm in the States, but now I can see that wont work at all. I'm
sorry this has been a nightmare for you, but thank you for sharing
your experience. You've saved at least one person going through what
you've gone through.

Jerita, as you have been told by other posters, it is you and your son
that are incorrect in assuming that the phone could have minutes
purchased arbitrarily. There is a cost to keeping your son's phone
number reserved, therefore the requirement to refresh the minutes no
longer than sixty days after your minutes are used or expire.

Unfortunately, whereas this mistake was yours, there is no need on
Cingular's part to reimburse you for this new phone card, much less
the phone that was purchased sometime ago.

I can understand your frustrations, and I really feel for your son, he
must really be disappointed. I hate to be the bearer of bad news...
but it's the way most of these companies work.
I have tracphone and the extra features eat up a lot of units and some
phones can't get some features...
You may just need a new sim (not a new phone) to activate the phone.
The only difference is, he'll be issued a new phone number, that is if
you decide to stay.
If you go to their site
http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/go-phones/?source=IC9301j01
c00n100&WT.mc_id=IC9301j01c00n100

click on "Go Phone" Plans and among other things it states:

"...Pay As You Go accounts will be canceled 60 days after expiration.
A service activation fee and new wireless phone number will be
required to reactivate service."

I use a prepaid phone and I have to either buy a one year activation
card or make sure to buy more minutes every couple of months. Prepaid
phones have a specific timeframe in which you must use the minutes
purchased and if you do not purchase more minutes before your time
expires you lose you phone number and have to start all over again,
the expiration times are on their website:

http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service//cell-phone-plans/pyg-cell-
phone-plans.jsp