Switching telephone provider - Phone number not switched? 26 March 2021 at 2:26PM in Phones & TV 5 replies 122 views

claire8606

I recently moved telephone providers based on price.
My old telephone number was changed, when i moved to the new provider i informed that they my number has been changed ( i am sure that i didn't ask for it to be changed) i notified them straight away and have contacted them on numerous occasions, we are now 6 weeks after the switch date and they have now informed me that i am unable to keep my old number and have offered me some compensation due to the inconvenience caused,
I was wondering what my rights are, can i:
1) Move back to the older provider and reinstate my old telephone number
2) Continue to complain to talktalk and hope they reinstate the number
3) Cancel my contract with talktalk due to the shocking customer service provided.
Any advice would be much appreciated. 
Many thanks

Penguin_

Did you tell them you wanted to keep your number? I know you said that you're sure you didn't ask for it to be changed, but did you say "I would like to keep my telephone number"?

JJ_Egan

As above you need to port the number to the new supplier .

(1) Move back to the older provider and reinstate my old telephone number )

Number may have been passed on to another customer .

(3) Cancel my contract with talktalk due to the shocking customer service provided.)

Then they are liable to get debt recovery involved and trash your credit record for  6 years if you break a valid contract .

Key fact is you do not own the number .

ZappyBoy

You could try complaining but I wouldn't hold my breath with talktalk. I switched my dads internet and phone from sky to talktalk recently. The internet switched fine but over two weeks later his old phone number hadn't been ported across. Multiple phone calls and threats to leave, they finally arranged for openreach to fix the fault. Beginning to regret choosing talktalk so I feel your pain.

iniltous

Openreach don’t ‘fix’ number portability problems, all Openreach do , that is even remotely associated with number portability is move the ‘line’ jumper that runs to the address, between the service providers equipment in the exchange , OR are instructed to recover the ‘jumper’ from the ‘line’ to Sky’s equipment , and then rejumper the same ‘line’ to Talk Talks equipment, the internal call switching arrangements within both company’s ‘networks’ has nothing to do with Openreach, all OR have to do is try and do the work on the day they are told , which is ( obviously ) the day the customer expects to stop being a Sky customer and start being a TT customer.
 If the dialtone the customer gets switches from Sky to TT , then OR’s job is done, they don’t make test calls to ensure calls get through, it’s nothing to do with them, number port issues are almost always with incoming calls not getting through, not outgoing calls.

As far as the OP, the only realistic way to get the number back , is to join whatever company ‘owns’ the number range the number is a part of ( so the very first company to issue that number )  usually joining that company and accepting a random number, then when the wanted number is ‘returned’ after the porting arrangements are removed , getting  a renumber from the random number to the wanted number, this isn’t instant, there may well be a delay, and no absolute guarantee of success , so joining that company requires something of a leap of faith 

J_B

Plusnet lost my number a few years ago (but, this was simply disconnected, not switched/ported)

BT got it back for me