Advice please

Crisp_£_note

Hi hoping someone can advise please.

My mum is trying to sell her home and while it is on the market she is staying with relatives. She has recently cancelled her phone, broadband and TV contract with Sky. They have written to confirm cancelations of all 3 services at the end of the month and have supplied a MAC code.

Mum wants to keep her existing number but as she is moving eventualy when someone buys the house and doesnt use the telephone in her own home anymore is worried that once the service is cancelled her number will be disconected and not useable or transfereable in the future.

How can she keep her number without using the landline is there a provider that will charge her just for the line rental without the outgoing calls or just allow the line to be inactive but dormant?

Many thanks

Ypaymore

If Sky has unbundled (llu) her exchange then she will probaly find it hard to move her number anyway,unless it originated from BT in which case she could move it to BT.

All providers tend to include some sort of package with their line rental, whether you choose to make calls or not.If she can move it easily suggest she moves it to Post Office Homephone who dont have a lengthy contract, so she want have cancellation fees when she does move.

Crisp_£_note

Ypaymore wrote: »

If Sky has unbundled (llu) her exchange then she will probaly find it hard to move her number anyway,unless it originated from BT in which case she could move it to BT.

All providers tend to include some sort of package with their line rental, whether you choose to make calls or not.If she can move it easily suggest she moves it to Post Office Homephone who dont have a lengthy contract, so she want have cancellation fees when she does move.

Thanks. She was previously with BT with her phone and BroadBand until earlier this year (Feb / March) when she switched all 3 to Sky. Since then my Father passed away and she doesnt stay in her own home anymore and has put it on the market. She has managed to cancel the contract with Sky who are ending it at the end of this month (August 28th). Sky has provided her with a MAC code.

She may move to a different area so a new number maybe inevitable as area code changes but for now she is wanting to keep her old number just incase house doesnt sell.

I have had an idea she may be able to move back to BT (or a cheaper provider for light user under circumstances she doesnt use the phone line) and get calls transferred to her mobile or an answerphone or something?

Any suggestions helpful.

Thanks

Mark_In_Hampshire

If the desire is to retain the inbound number in the short term (more so than being able to make calls), a VOIP provider like Sipgate.co.uk will enable you to port in an existing number (sometimes) and then you can set up diversion to a mobile. No line rental, but 9.9ppm for the divert to the mobile. This would retain/"park" the number for later use if wanted if you keep the Sipgate account running.

Regardless though there may be a timing issue - I presume once the telephone service is cancelled (end of the month) the number goes back into a pool which can be reused. So you need to get the number ported before then if you want to keep it.

Crisp_£_note

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

If the desire is to retain the inbound number in the short term (more so than being able to make calls), a VOIP provider like Sipgate.co.uk will enable you to port in an existing number (sometimes) and then you can set up diversion to a mobile. No line rental, but 9.9ppm for the divert to the mobile. This would retain/"park" the number for later use if wanted if you keep the Sipgate account running.

Regardless though there may be a timing issue - I presume once the telephone service is cancelled (end of the month) the number goes back into a pool which can be reused. So you need to get the number ported before then if you want to keep it.

Thanks. This all sounds as though it will be too complicated for her, especialy as she doesnt usualy use or understand her mobile anyway.

I can understand why she doesnt want to lose her number but it does sound like she will have to. I will look into it though so thanks again.

Crisp_£_note

Do you have to pay to reconect a line (not instal one). I think my mum would be better off losing the line and starting afresh when she has moved but this worries her as she will lose her current number and her friends and important people like the estate agents wont be able to contact her (even if she doesnt live there anymore). The whole thing is confusing her and she cannot cope with it but something needs doing before Sky cancel the contract at the end of this month. I think she is worried incase she loses any friends or contacts because she misses out on lettig them know her new number etc.

If she goes to BT or someone who can get landline calls transfered to mobile phone will the caller be charged extra or is it billed to my mum and will it be a lot or free?

I am sorry to cover old ground again and repeat this but want to be sure whats best to do for her as she cant cope at the moment and has left it up to me.

Thanks for any help

Mark_In_Hampshire

The Sipgate option (VOIP) means you doing a bit of work yourself to set it all up, and I have no experience with the number porting. As you say however a telephony company should be able to sort it all out for you. When a caller dials a landline (the existing number) and it's diverted to a mobile, it isn't the caller who pays, but the owner of the landline number. The caller just pays for a landline call.

I am not sure how much sense you'll get from BT but it might be worth a try; can Sky not help in any way? Finally, yes, you do sometimes have to pay circa £120 to reconnect a line - connection and installation are the same thing from a billing point of view though sometimes the charge gets waived if the line is/was working - it's a bit hit and miss.

Crisp_£_note

Thanks for the help. I will see what Sky suggest as she is currently with them and I noticed they already offer the call transfer feature at a fixed price each month. I will also have a look around at BT etc.

If we lived in the same area it would be easier (I live in West Sussex and Mum in South Wales) as I would have it diverted to my phone and ask her to pay the additional cost. As we live in different areas and have different codes this cant be acheived (I assume).


Can they disconect her and just lock the number so as not to give it to anyone else other than her when she needs it again?
I think she will have to pay £120 whatever happens at this rate.

Thanks again