A grieving daughter claims she was heartbroken when EE recycled her dead dad’s phone number.
Kim Sadie messaged her late father on special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays and the birth of her children.
She said it helped her to process the grief.
Last Friday (5 Dec), she texted her dad Wolfgang’s number to say she was thinking of him and wished he could be around for Christmas.
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The 30-year-old was “shocked” when a message suddenly came through from the number belonging to her dad who passed away in 2015 aged 61.
The text said: “Who’s this? I’m not your dad.”
Kim replied: “Oh my god. I’m so sorry.
“This used to be my late dad’s number.
“I didn’t realise it was in use.
“I’m really sorry.
“After my dad passed, I kept texting him,”
Kim, from Lincoln, told Need To Know.
“It felt like my way of still talking to him.
“I’d send messages, even leave voicemails.
“Over time the messages became fewer, but I still sent them on special occasions.
“Since he never had Facebook, texting him was my version of leaving posts on a memorial page.
“I’d message him on his birthday, at Christmas, or when my children were born.
“Just normal life updates that made me feel close to him.
“In the early years, it helped me grieve more than anything else.
“Ten years later, I was shocked to see someone finally using his old number.
“Honestly, I nearly fell out of bed when ‘Dad’ popped up on my phone.
“I’ve learned that some people have their loved ones’ numbers recycled within a month of their passing, which must be incredibly difficult, especially since many people grieve through texting.
“I’m ok that I can’t text him anymore.
“I guess I’ll have to email him instead.
“I still can’t believe numbers can be reused so quickly after someone dies.”
Wolfgang passed away after finding a lump in his throat lead to him being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
Mum-of-two Kim had just turned 20.
She added: “He became ill very suddenly, a lump in his throat made it hard for him to swallow.
“He passed away at home, in our living room, completely unexpectedly, right as we were preparing to start a new round of chemo.
“My dad was a larger-than-life character, funny, clever, dramatic, so honestly, a living-room exit suited him perfectly.
“I’m the baby of the family, with five older siblings, and we’re lucky to have an amazing mum who helped us get through everything.”
An EE spokesperson said: “Ofcom directs all mobile network operators to reuse and recycle mobile telephone numbers that are not in use.
“This avoids the UK running out of mobile numbers for new customers.
“We’re sorry to hear of the loss of this customer’s father, without specific information and time to investigate we’re unable to comment specifically on this case.”
