What rights do I have over my phone number?

bukko

Ok, I've stopped laughing now.

Anyhoo I phoned EE asking for a PAC - they said I can't have it while the account is under investigation as the amount for the stolen phone is still on the balance.

But they say the investigation "might" be completed as early as Monday, which would be VERY cool

halibut2209

Every landline and mobile contract I've ever had has been quite clear that it's for personal use only and not for business. If EE have decided to buck the trend then fair play.

Not sure why they have a whole section of their website dedicated to business owners though.

JReacher1

halibut2209 wrote: »

Not sure why they have a whole section of their website dedicated to business owners though.

Probably because they do business contracts.....

There are benefits to having a business contract as opposed to a personal contract if you run a business for example: All bills will be linked to one account, the SLA from the phone provider will be better than a personal contract etc.

If you've checked the website I assume you've not found anything that supports your ridiculous statement that EE could sue the OP?

halibut2209

I would liken it to paying a licence for software. You have several options each with varying degrees of cost. For example, you could claim you're a student and get it at a reduced cost. Or more appropriately claiming that you are using it for personal reasons and not professional reasons and again, getting it at a reduced cost.

That's a contract. And if it is broken, then the supplier of the licence has made a loss, insofar as the user has taken services to which they are not entitled.

Now, if EE don't prohibit their personal contracts being used for business purposes then I will happily retract my statement. But in my experience of phone contracts, I haven't seen that.

JReacher1

halibut2209 wrote: »

I would liken it to paying a licence for software. You have several options each with varying degrees of cost. For example, you could claim you're a student and get it at a reduced cost. Or more appropriately claiming that you are using it for personal reasons and not professional reasons and again, getting it at a reduced cost.

That's a contract. And if it is broken, then the supplier of the licence has made a loss, insofar as the user has taken services to which they are not entitled.

Now, if EE don't prohibit their personal contracts being used for business purposes then I will happily retract my statement. But in my experience of phone contracts, I haven't seen that.

I knew you wouldn't retract and would almost certainly try and muddy the water by trying to bring something else unrelated into it E.g. A student contract.

Why don't you post something from one of these other phone companies that prove you can't take business calls on a personal mobile phone contract?

d123

bukko wrote: »

At the beginning of November someone used my mobile account details to fraudulently obtain a new phone by using an upgrade I was due.
EE only became aware of this because my phone stopped working so I called them to find out what had happened.

We have always been very careful with personal details so I was shocked, although it's actually quite easy to defraud EE this way. Now I know how I could do it myself!

After a bit of detective work I actually have the address the phone was delivered to. Good job I'm not the vigilante type (where did I put that shotgun...?)

A week (and several calls) later I still don't know when I'll get my number back, which is a problem as I work freelance and all my clients tend to use my mobile number.

EE's attitude to the lack of contact from them was "the fraud team will be in touch if they need more information".
Thanks guys - what about what I need?
When I said "Surely the customer comes first" the response was "By investigating to make sure this doesn't happen again, we are putting the customer first."
*rse covering more like.

They say the account is locked while the investigation is ongoing, but I need my number back.
Do I have any rights at all in that regard?

Just for clarity, it's not actually your number.

You have no right to own any phone number.

Ofcom and Telephone Numbers

The situation with telephone numbers and ownership is quite clear but definitely not obvious. So with all the usual disclaimers about not relying on this without taking professional advice I'll try and explain how telephone numbers work in the UK.

Who is Ofcom?

Ofcom was established as a body corporate by the Office of Communications Act 2002. Ofcom is the regulator for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. The Secretary of State responsible can wind it up at any time.

So who does own telephone numbers?

There seems to be no concept of telephone number ownership - it seems no one "owns" them.

The question is then who manages them and the answer to that is clear. Ofcom says:-
"Telephone numbers are a critical national resource, for consumers, businesses and the delivery of key public services. They must be managed effectively, so that they are available when needed, do not have to be changed, and mean something to those who call them. This is Ofcom's responsibility."
Ofcom got this responsibility from Oftel when they packed up and Oftel got it from BT when they were privatised.

So you don't own your phone numbers?

You don't own your phone numbers and they can be changed at any time. Ofcom have demonstrated this on many occasions such as the reallocation of London codes.

If the network had an operational or technical reason they could change your number without your consent.

wealdroam

d123 wrote: »

Just for clarity, it's not actually your number.

You have no right to own any phone number.



If the network had an operational or technical reason they could change your number without your consent.

Just for clarity, could you please provide a link to that quote of yours starting:

Ofcom and Telephone Numbers

The situation with telephone numbers and ownership is quite clear but definitely not obvious.

bukko

You may be taking a few odd words slightly too literally.

To be honest I wasn't thinking that I owned the number.
If it makes it easier, you can replace "my number" with "the number I have been using for the past 20 years".
Doesn't roll-off the tongue quite as easily though.

There are a few reasons why numbers have been changed.
For example, my number originally started with "097" and now starts with "0797" for clearly operational reasons. The rest of the number has always been the same, so I think it's reasonable to say that [the] number has been relatively unchanged.

I assume you get the point of the question though?
Clearly we do have some rights over "our" mobile numbers, as we have the right to move them between providers, apart from in the situations I gave above.

I think this has been answered now, unless anyone wants to question the definition of "rights", or start a discussion on "we didn't need rights when I was a lad", etc...

Zandoni

bukko wrote: »

You may be taking a few odd words slightly too literally.

To be honest I wasn't thinking that I owned the number.
If it makes it easier, you can replace "my number" with "the number I have been using for the past 20 years".
Doesn't roll-off the tongue quite as easily though.

There are a few reasons why numbers have been changed.
For example, my number originally started with "097" and now starts with "0797" for clearly operational reasons. The rest of the number has always been the same, so I think it's reasonable to say that [the] number has been relatively unchanged.

I assume you get the point of the question though?
Clearly we do have some rights over "our" mobile numbers, as we have the right to move them between providers, apart from in the situations I gave above.

I think this has been answered now, unless anyone wants to question the definition of "rights", or start a discussion on "we didn't need rights when I was a lad", etc...

That's one of the problems with this forum, every word said is taken so literally, which causes so many arguments.


I'm glad your problem looks like it's sorted and you'll get your number back.

pvt

halibut2209 wrote: »

I would liken it to paying a licence for software.

And I wouldn't.