This topic

Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 03:09:15 GMT

In October 2022 I moved a landline service for an 87 year old lady from Shell to BT. Her original number was to have been moved from Shell to BT but this is proving very difficult as BT tell me that since Shell ceased the number they cannot retrieve it. Shell say that they have done every thing correctly and that BT is now the range holder for this number. The Shell landline ceased on 15/03/23n and despite numerous phone calls and emails to both companies I cannot get this resolved. I am seriously thinking of contacting OFCOM to see if they can help get this resolved. Any help or suggestions how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 04:50:49 GMT

@anneblair43

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

This is just a customer to customer help forum, everyone here, including myself, are just customers.

The only BT Employees are the forum moderators.

I assume she is now a BT Retail customer?

It may be too late now to recover the number, but I have asked a moderator to assist.

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 06:16:11 GMT

@anneblair43

Please can you also confirm that her number was originally issued by BT, and not Shell?

If it was not originally issued by BT, then its not going to be possible to recover the number.

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 06:53:45 GMT

Thank you for replying, her number originally was a BT number { this was confirmed by BT themselves when I made the request to both BT and Shell for the number to be ported} she was with BT until she moved to the Post Office who were then taken over by Shell. Hope this helps. Best wishes

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:01:14 GMT

Thank you I am at my wits end here trying to sort this out as I said she is 87 years old and she also is quite hard of hearing.

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:20:10 GMT

@anneblair43

I assume she only has a phone line and not broadband as well?

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:43:21 GMT

Thank you Keith_beddoe,

My apologies I should have made things clearer. I only referred to the landline as this is where the number porting was relevant. She had a landline and broadband from Shell and I started the process of moving her to BT in October 2022 for both landline and broadband.

Due to various delaying factors the Shell service wasn't terminated until 15/03/23 { it was supposed to have finished on 27/02/23} BT has placed orders for this number on at least 6 occasions and each time they are unsuccessful BT say that the problem lies with Shell.

I have been in touch with Shell by email and phone almost non stop and they are adamant that they have done everything correctly and that the problem is with BT.

I think that you would agree that I am caught between a rock and a hard place!

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:52:11 GMT

@anneblair43

That might be the issue as most new broadband orders require that any phone service is carried over BT Digital Voice via the BT Smart Hub 2, as the analogue phone network is closing down.

Under those circumstances a number cannot be ported to Digital Voice unless its within 28 days of it being ceased.

Can you please confirm that she has a new number, and its carried over Digital Voice, with her phone plugged into the back of the BT Smart Hub 2, or she is using one of the free BT supplied portable phones?

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 08:05:05 GMT

Keith_Beddoe

Yes she has a new number and a new Digital voice phone { supplied by BT} it is connected into the new BT Smart hub.

Her original line came in by copper wiring and was connected to a non digital handset. This was the line that the Shell service came in on.

One of the delays in moving to BT was that a new fast fibre line had to be installed to her house.

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 08:50:30 GMT

Keith_Beddoe,

Don't know if the following is of any help, but on practically every occasion that I rang BT about the porting order for the old BT number, I am told that because Shell ceased the number on 15/03/2023 they cannot retrieve it and that Shell needs to reinstate/reactivate the line for them to retrieve the number.

Shell have said that when the number was ceased on 15/03/2023 it would have been released back to BT within 10 working days of the line being ceased and that BT would have had full control of the number from then on. and that BT is now the Rangeholder for this number.

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 08:53:01 GMT

@anneblair43

In that case I am almost certain that the original number has been lost, based on what a moderator has said in the past.

See https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Recover-previous-number/m-p/2268146#M87405

Can she manage with the new number?

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:18:54 GMT

Unfortunately she is very upset about getting a new number and wants her old one back as she has had it since she moved into her house over 40 years ago.

I am finding it hard to understand why the time lapse criteria applies to her number as I {once Shell let me know when their service would stop,} rang BT and gave them the date. BT say that they did put in a porting order but this was unsuccessful.

{ Each time a porting order was placed I received confirmation by Email and Text and then without fail the next day I got a text message from BT asking me to contact them as they needed further details. When I rang I was told the order had failed but that they would reorder it for me. this has happened on at least 6 occasions from 15/03/23 }

I appreciate that it is now beyond the 30 day period but surely the number could have been ported before the lapse of this time period.{ I was not advised of any problems just that the order had failed nor was I advised of a time limit in porting a number.}

Re: Number porting

imjolly — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:37:50 GMT

@anneblair43

Sorry but it not clear when you moved the lady from shell to BT di you advise Shell you were terminating contract and moving to BT or did just start a new contract with BT without advising shell?

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:37:57 GMT

Keith_Beddoe,

Sorry in my previous reply I should also have said that all her friends, companies and organisations, have her old number and the fact of having to advise them that she has a new number is very daunting for her especially as she is hard of hearing.

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:41:31 GMT

imjolly,

Shell were advised that the contract with them would be finishing and that a new contract was being taken out with BT. Shell were advised of this at the start of the process of moving my friends account to BT.

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:50:39 GMT

@anneblair43

That is where it went wrong.

The correct process is to place an order with BT. They then contact Shell and tell them that they are taking over the service and the number. That ensures that the number is still active when BT take over the line.

As it is, you told Shell that you wanted the connection ceased as you were moving to BT. When that happened the number was lost and cannot be retrieved.

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:57:19 GMT

Keith_Beddoe

When I was talking to BT initially about moving my friend to BT I asked them did I need to contact Shell to let them know that that BT were taking over the service, I was told that in some cases BT would get in touch with the new provider but in this instance that I was to inform Shell myself.

Based on this advice{ and what now appears to be erroneous advice} I contacted Shell

Re: Number porting

anneblair43 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:05:54 GMT

Sorry posted my last reply too early, meant to say that the reason BT gave me for asking me to contact Shell was that their service{ Shell's} was on the old copper wire service and the new service {BT's} would be by full fibre . I duly contacted Shell based on this advice from BT

Re: Number porting

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:32:17 GMT

Not sure whether you were given the right advice, only the moderators, who are BT Employees could answer that.

Re: Number porting

DanielS — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:39:50 GMT

Hi @anneblair43,

I am sorry to see that her number has been lost. With Shell ceasing the line before we could take over the number, it hasn't helped.

At this stage, it's highly likely that we can no longer port the number. However, I can have one of my team check over this, during the week, just in case there is anything that we can do at all to help. Again, as the number has been cancelled for over 30 days, we might not be able to get it on our Digital Voice call system.

I'm going to send you a private message shortly, that you can reply back to us on.

Thanks

DanielS