Is there still a problem with Jump modems not being properly de-linked?

Partners trying to reissue returned modems during the last 3 months have experienced numerous problems when they try to use these ‘de-linked’ modems, only to discover they are still linked to the previous owner’s email.

I appreciate that this has been extremely frustrating and appears to have resulted in partners feeling a bit nervous about re-issuing de-linked modems.

We think the problem is because of staff changes in the Skinny Jump team and misunderstandings about the de-linking and resetting processes. We appreciate that there has also been confusion about exactly what is required to de-link, reset and reprovision a Jump modem.

After much discussion between the Jump team in Spark and the Skinny support team, a new de-linking process was introduced on 24 March 2025 that we believe will solve the problem.

We have also used this as an opportunity to be very clear about what is meant by the terms used to describe this process. It is unfortunate that the language used in the new November 2024 Jump Partner Guide is still a bit confusing.

The umbrella term to be used for all returned modems is now “de-linking”, whether the modem is to be reused or sent for repair.

This involves completely deleting the customer account linked to the modem, which both frees up the modem for re-use as well as releasing the customer’s email for reuse should the customer wish to set up a replacement modem.

In the past, we have used the terms “resetting” and “reprovisioning” to explain how delinked modems are readied for reissue with a 35GB start-up data plan, but we are going to stop using these terms, as they are just sub-sets of the de-linking process.

Every modem that is delinked is automatically reprovisioned with a new 35GB start-up data plan, whether the modem is for reuse or repair.

The only exception is modems that are reported as ‘lost’ or ‘stolen’; these are permanently blocked.

The good news is that the new process seems to be working well, with timely notifications to partners as well as excellent tracking of the various components of the de-linking process. The not so good news is that the delinking process is taking a bit longer – up to 3 or 4 days. But in our view if this results in a more robust process it is well worth the wait.

We are going to be watching very closely any modems that have been delinked since 24 March to make sure the new process is working as expected. Partners holding modems that have been reset before this date are welcome to submit them again if you have any concerns that they might not have been de-linked properly.

Footnote: You might also be wondering what happens to any credit on a customer’s account when their old account is deleted. The Skinny team records the amount of this credit on the customer card, so that when a customer calls up and asks for the credit to be transferred to their new account, they can arrange this.