Sky have "tagged" my landline number and won't let TT use it

Meradowlark

I just tried switching my phone/broadband from Sky to TT, but Sky have seized the number and won't release it. TT tell me that I must get a new number, even though I've had this one for nearly 40 years! Both companies blaming each other, Sky denying that it has been blocked, TT telling me it has.
Surely they cannot do this? My contract with Sky is yet to end and I'm still using the number, but Sky won't let me take it when/if I do jump ship.

[Deleted User]

If you cancel it down with Sky rather than letting Talktalk transfer it for you that's what happens. This applies to all suppliers btw as I believe it's how the system works. If you're more than 31 days from cancellation you could stop the cancellation going through and then get TT to handle it for you perhaps.

LazyTyper

I don't know what is meant by "Sky have seized the number" but if they are currently providing service to you with the number in question then they will allow it to port.

From what you have described it appears TalkTalk are speaking rubbish. They just need to issue the port request, as per their business as usual process.

Have you spoken with a manager at TalkTalk, or at least someone with a clue?

teddysmum

From posts 2 and 3, it's occurred to me that they have ceased (not seized) the number and this happens if you cancel with your current provider instead of requesting the new one to take over.There is usually a charge for cease, too.

Meradowlark

Taken me a long time to get back to this. Sky would not let another provider use my phone number. That's what I meant by "seized." I was going to switch to TT, but they told me I had to get a new number so I ditched that idea.
I spoke to both TT and Sky at length and they both blamed each other an neither was willing to budge or to help.
Eventually I went to Origin and they had no trouble using my existing number.
I know the difference between "ceased" and "seized!" This was my phrasing, not what I heard.

iniltous

Meradowlark wrote: »

Taken me a long time to get back to this. Sky would not let another provider use my phone number. That's what I meant by "seized." I was going to switch to TT, but they told me I had to get a new number so I ditched that idea.
I spoke to both TT and Sky at length and they both blamed each other an neither was willing to budge or to help.
Eventually I went to Origin and they had no trouble using my existing number.
I know the difference between "ceased" and "seized!" This was my phrasing, not what I heard.

Taken a long time to get back to this , at 8 months a bit of an understatement
The fact that you got what you wanted and ported to Origin, pretty much shows the problem was with TT and not Sky, after all the process used between Origin and Sky would have been exactly the same process TT could have used, the rules don't allow Sky to cherry pick providers they will play ball with and those they won't, and given that you say you had the number for decades the number must be a 'BT' number range number anyway ,sounds like for whatever reason TT were using the wrong process to port, or were trying to get you to accept a TT number for their own reasons

AntonyStark

I decided to switch telecoms provider for my landline. Like Meradowlark, I too am suffering in suspense, my situation is not about Sky but it is about tagging. Our house has had our landline number over 30 years, we moved from BT to TalkTalk and kept the number. I rang PO Telecoms re switching to them and they offered a cheaper deal but their confirmation letter has quoted a different landline number. I rang immediately to say this is a deal-breaker - that if I can't keep my existing number I don't want to change provider. Incredibly PO cannot tell me for sure, they say it is to do with differing technologies and ownership of numbers, and they don't seem able to tell me in advance. I rang PO again today, spoke to another person but got the same message. PO says I won't know until the day the switch happens, but fingers crossed! When I rang TalkTalk they said they do not prevent their customers from taking their existing numbers with them. Neither company used the words ‘tagging’ or ‘porting’ but that is what I want to do. PO seems to be saying it will try to port but can’t guarantee that it will succeed. Why not? It is difficult for me to gauge whether this is a widespread problem or not. I bet there IS a way for the 2 companies to confirm with each other IN ADVANCE whether or not a number can be ported. They just are not trying hard enough. I rang Ofcom who said it is up to each provider whether to offer a porting service or not. PO are saying yes they do but it might not work. Martin should highlight this potential problem in his money saving tips.

iniltous

AntonyStark wrote: »

I decided to switch telecoms provider for my landline. Like Meradowlark, I too am suffering in suspense, my situation is not about Sky but it is about tagging. Our house has had our landline number over 30 years, we moved from BT to TalkTalk and kept the number. I rang PO Telecoms re switching to them and they offered a cheaper deal but their confirmation letter has quoted a different landline number. I rang immediately to say this is a deal-breaker - that if I can't keep my existing number I don't want to change provider. Incredibly PO cannot tell me for sure, they say it is to do with differing technologies and ownership of numbers, and they don't seem able to tell me in advance. I rang PO again today, spoke to another person but got the same message. PO says I won't know until the day the switch happens, but fingers crossed! When I rang TalkTalk they said they do not prevent their customers from taking their existing numbers with them. Neither company used the words ‘tagging’ or ‘porting’ but that is what I want to do. PO seems to be saying it will try to port but can’t guarantee that it will succeed. Why not? It is difficult for me to gauge whether this is a widespread problem or not. I bet there IS a way for the 2 companies to confirm with each other IN ADVANCE whether or not a number can be ported. They just are not trying hard enough. I rang Ofcom who said it is up to each provider whether to offer a porting service or not. PO are saying yes they do but it might not work. Martin should highlight this potential problem in his money saving tips.

If you have had the number for 30 odd years then the number is originally from BT's number range , so you want to port a number from TT to the Post Office that is already ported from BT to TT, the PO are not saying they cannot get you the number you want , they just don't guarantee it ( in case things go wrong) ultimately it's your choice, take a chance with the PO , pick a provider other than PO or stay with TT,
BT could probably guarantee to get the number , then port to the PO, but you would have to see out a minimum term with BT before switching to the PO , or pay BT an ETC, but that may not make financial sense

Ironically , AFAIK , the Post Office use TT network to provide service

AntonyStark

Thanks for this, iniltous. I delayed posting to see how my switch worked out in practice. Not well. When the switch from TalkTalk to PO Telecoms took place, it was with the new (wrong) number. I rang PO Telecoms to complain, they said wait 10 days (because the old number is held till then by TalkTalk), then we will try and get the old number back, but we can’t guarantee. So I rang TT and asked if they still controlled the old number and if so could they guarantee to give it back to me. They said yes, come back to us as a new customer and we do guarantee. So TT told PO Telecoms I wanted to switch back to TT. However when the 2nd switch happened I was given the old (wrong) number which was ported from PO Telecoms. When I rang TT the story had changed, they no longer guaranteed, they said my original number was now controlled by PO Telecoms, whom I should ring. So I rang PO Telecoms and they said I was no longer their customer but they would do their best to get the old number back for me if I signed back up with them (the 3rd switch), but I would have to wait another 10 days. Due to holidays, that means 11 January apparently. I asked where my old number had gone, whether it could between now and 11 Jan be assigned to some other customer. They said it had gone to an Openreach place, but that recently released numbers are not normally reassigned to customers.

So there IS a systemic problem in the way telecoms providers transfer customers. Also, until I used the word ‘porting’, no customer service agent used the word; and they seem remarkably unaware of how distressing it can be to long-standing customers who have published their landline number to many neighbours, friends and businesses suddenly to have their existing number taken away for what, in the customer’s eyes, looks like no good reason.

iniltous

iniltous wrote: »

If you have had the number for 30 odd years then the number is originally from BT's number range , so you want to port a number from TT to the Post Office that is already ported from BT to TT, the PO are not saying they cannot get you the number you want , they just don't guarantee it ( in case things go wrong) ultimately it's your choice, take a chance with the PO , pick a provider other than PO or stay with TT,
BT could probably guarantee to get the number , then port to the PO, but you would have to see out a minimum term with BT before switching to the PO , or pay BT an ETC, but that may not make financial sense

Ironically , AFAIK , the Post Office use TT network to provide service

AntonyStark wrote: »

Thanks for this, iniltous. I delayed posting to see how my switch worked out in practice. Not well. When the switch from TalkTalk to PO Telecoms took place, it was with the new (wrong) number. I rang PO Telecoms to complain, they said wait 10 days (because the old number is held till then by TalkTalk), then we will try and get the old number back, but we can’t guarantee. So I rang TT and asked if they still controlled the old number and if so could they guarantee to give it back to me. They said yes, come back to us as a new customer and we do guarantee. So TT told PO Telecoms I wanted to switch back to TT. However when the 2nd switch happened I was given the old (wrong) number which was ported from PO Telecoms. When I rang TT the story had changed, they no longer guaranteed, they said my original number was now controlled by PO Telecoms, whom I should ring. So I rang PO Telecoms and they said I was no longer their customer but they would do their best to get the old number back for me if I signed back up with them (the 3rd switch), but I would have to wait another 10 days. Due to holidays, that means 11 January apparently. I asked where my old number had gone, whether it could between now and 11 Jan be assigned to some other customer. They said it had gone to an Openreach place, but that recently released numbers are not normally reassigned to customers.

So there IS a systemic problem in the way telecoms providers transfer customers. Also, until I used the word ‘porting’, no customer service agent used the word; and they seem remarkably unaware of how distressing it can be to long-standing customers who have published their landline number to many neighbours, friends and businesses suddenly to have their existing number taken away for what, in the customer’s eyes, looks like no good reason.

TBH, I'm not sure it's a systemic problem, IMHO it's probably more a case of poorly trained advisors who have little knowledge of systems or process, and these advisors may well be incentivised to sign up potential customers at all cost, so over promise and quite often under deliver, what's more ( and it no criticism really ) customers that start the process of migration with a company, then cancel that order 'mid flight' and sign up with another company all add to the chance of something going wrong.
If a company wants to import numbers from another company number range, they must also export numbers from their own number range to other company's on request, and numbers that are ported to another company and then effectively ' ceased' rather than migrated, are effectively returned to the original number range holder

In your case it certainly was possible for your (originally BT) number that was successfully ported by BT to TT, to be 'ported' again to PO, provided both TT and PO deal with the order correctly, obviously something went wrong, and chances are you will never know for sure if it were TT or PO that messed up, but the chances are the number is now back with the original number range holder (BT)

I'm guessing that given your choice of provider that you choosing to use BT for your service is not likely , but the chances are that because the number was originally a BT number , and is probably currently in 'quarantine' with them, before it becomes available again to be re-allocated to a BT customer, that becoming a BT customer is probably your best chance of you getting the number back

AntonyStark

Thanks for another very useful post, iniltous. Wise advice, I may well end up following it.