This topic

Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:34:51 GMT

Hi,

I'm desperate for any advice. There is no consistency in training when you speak to BT telephone support staff. I have been told conflicting information more times then I care to remember, the telephone support is a horror show.

In short we have been switched onto a Digital Voice telephone package having previously had a copper line telephone system. Our previous landline telephone number, which we need, has been removed and we've been issued a new telephone number. I have been told it is currently not possible to renumber an old copper number to digital voice telephone number, i have no idea if this is true or not having been told the opposite last week. Can anyone offer any advice on this? I can't face the telephone support anymore.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

pippincp — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:38:18 GMT

I don't know why you chose Digital voice but hey ho.

Give the FTTP team a ring and they should be able to sort you out. 0800 587 4787

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:43:36 GMT

@KimWillis

If you have been migrated to BT Digital Voice, not by choice, then you should be able to keep your phone number, provided it is a BT Retail phone number, and has not been ported over from another provider.

If you have requested BT Digital Voice yourself, then your options are limited.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:53:14 GMT

@pippincp "I don't know why you chose Digital voice but hey ho" Long story - we were at one point advised by BT rep that this was the best way to get our original number back.... As i say different reps tell you different things

on the phone to the fttp team now to try as you advise. I can't help but have zero hope at this point.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:53:40 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe "If you have requested BT Digital Voice yourself, then your options are limited."

What are our limited options?

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:57:31 GMT

@KimWillis wrote:

"If you have requested BT Digital Voice yourself, then your options are limited."

What are our limited options?

If you requested it yourself, then I do not think there is an automatic process to migrate your number on all exchanges, so you are given a new one. Most things in BT are done robotically using software.

Those people who are told that they are being moved onto BT Digital Voice, are those who`s exchange is scheduled for closure first, as part of the PSTN closure plan, so there would be an automatic software process in place, to create the required re-routing.

BT Digital Voice does not offer many advantages, and service is lost if there is a power cut, or network routing failure.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:58:17 GMT

@pippincp spoke to FTTP and have been told it is not possible. I'm in shock at how bad a service we've received from BT, truly awful, but unfortunately we are completely at their mercy. Thanks for your advice any way.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

imjolly — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:58:21 GMT

was your number originally given to you by BT and you are now trying to port it back to BT from another provider?

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:00:42 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe we did not want to be on Digital voice. We had out landline cancelled in error and were advised that if we switched to Digital voice we could get our original number back. It's been an utter nightmare.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:03:11 GMT

@KimWillis wrote:

Yes, we did not want to be on Digital voice. We had out landline cancelled in error and were advised that if we switched to Digital voice we could get our original number back. It's been an utter nightmare.

That is where the problem has occurred, I think its only possible to get back copper landline numbers, provided they were owned by BT Retail.

The cancelled landline, was it a BT Retail phone number?

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:02:36 GMT

@imjolly We had a BT anytime (copper landline) package, that got cancelled and closed. We were then wrongly advised by BT that we could get the number back by starting a digital voice package. It's been an infuriating farce from start to finish.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:03:59 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe I'm not sure exactly what 'retail' is but we are a residential house that had a broadband and copper line package up until we lost the line.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

imjolly — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:11:14 GMT

@KimWillis wrote:

@imjolly We had a BT anytime (copper landline) package, that got cancelled and closed. We were then wrongly advised by BT that we could get the number back by starting a digital voice package. It's been an infuriating farce from start to finish.

but was your phone number originally given to you by BT or by another ISP

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:11:57 GMT

@KimWillis wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe I'm not sure exactly what 'retail' is but we are a residential house that had a broadband and copper line package up until we lost the line.

BT Retail is the provider of residential phone lines, and also owns their own number ranges, so if your number was first issued by BT Retail, then they would own the number.

In that case, there should have been no difficulty in getting the number back again on a copper connection, once a new number had been issued. It would be just a case of asking for a re-number, the forum moderators could have sorted this out for you.

As it is, I cannot see a solution, apart from ringing your family and friends, and telling them your new number.

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

RIC9380 — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:17:52 GMT

KimWillis.

Similar thing happened to me back in March except BT DV line (which had been working perfectly since 2019) was cut off without any warning and BT said I couldn't have my old BT number back by any means whatsoever. Lots of apologies and lots of many "no - not possible" responses and up through the ranks over many weeks. Result: old number restored last month! It can be done.

RIC9380

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:21:03 GMT

@imjolly It was given by BT

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

KimWillis — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:23:39 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe Could I cancel this Digital Voice Line, start a new copper line and the renumber the old number back?

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

RIC9380 — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:24:12 GMT

KimWillis
Raise a complaint via My BT.
RIC9380

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

RIC9380 — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:28:39 GMT

That was one option given to me by BT but, as I have said, Digital Voice was working fine for me so I said no. It's BT's problem to sort it out as they messed up (as in my case). Good luck.

RIC9380

Re: Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:29:46 GMT

@KimWillis wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe Could I cancel this Digital Voice Line, start a new copper line and the renumber the old number back?

That option may be a possibility, provided your exchange is not being offloaded. This is going to happen with all exchanges by the end of 2025, so everyone is going to end up on digital voice or similar VOIP service, so your copper landline would be ceased.

As I am just a customer, I am not sure how you could progress this.