Digital Voice - Lost my phone number on transfer

[dqj999]

I recently ordered Full Fibre from BT together with Digital Voice, that was supposed to transfer my original account from PlusNet to BT including the phone number.

The Digital Voice service was never enabled successfully on my Smart Hub2 and despite numerous calls to the Fibre Team and Faults they were unable to enable the Digital Voice service. Finally they decided that they would have to do a cease and re-provide and I specifically reminded them that I needed to keep my original number.

I have now been allocated a new number and the Full Fibre team have told me that they are unable to re-allocate numbers on Digital Voice at present. If anyone knows that is incorrect please let me know.

So be warned, you can lose your number in switching to Digital Voice and there is no way to get it back.

Derek

[RIC9380 · Accepted solution]

Similar thing happened to me back in March. Without any notice to me BT ceased my DV line with my old landline number of 40 years and reinstated it with an entirely new number. I had had DV for 2 years having been on the trial. I was constantly told that I couldn't get my old number back but eventually with the right help from the right person I finally got it back. My advice is to raise a complaint and then just persist. It can be done.

RIC9380

[dqj999]

Thanks Ric, I will persist with this. I'll add this to existing complaint about service provision.

Derek

[dqj999]

@RIC9380 

Ric, A quick query - in the 40 years with having the same number has your official address with Royal Mail changed in any way? I'm beginning to suspect that a change to my property name made by Royal Mail has not made its way into the UPRN · Unique Property Reference Number database. My theory is that PlusNet has a different UPRN for my property than the one that BT are using, hence a transfer of service looked like a house move as well as a change of service; Ofcom allow loss of numbers when a house move takes place.

[RIC9380]

Hi, dqj999.
No. I moved into the property in 1982 as a new build then, just under a year after the GPO became BT. I had to wait for a while for the landline to be connected as there was a waiting list. Good luck in your quest!
RIC9380

[RIC9380]

Just to add an update to my DV problems, earlier this week I went to stay with my elderly mum who had had a fall and tried to activate Call Divert which is comes with the DV service. Not on my line it doesn't! It used to before BT cut off my DV service in March without any warning. Anyway, CS were very apologetic but could not find a solution so I've reopened my complaint again as of yesterday...

[dqj999]

@RIC9380

BT really don't seem to be on top of the service aspects of Digital Voice. I found that I could use call diversion once I had done the following:
1. Log onto MyBT and look at My Products - Digital Voice.
2. Scroll down to Digital Voice Features and look at the Call Diversion section.
3. If it says "Manage", click though and set up your diversion. If it says "Upgrade", go ahead and add this feature to Digital Voice. Once activated you should now be able to program your diversion through MyBT.

Hope this helps
Derek

[RIC9380]

Hi, Derek and thanks for that. The problem is that when I go to that section I only have the option to "Activate" which I've tried but that just fails. CS agents have tried to activate it from their end but that has also failed. Their next suggestion was to send an engineer to my home!! I'll be back on the case on Monday.

Richard

[stevebrass]

It may be possible! My story is BT to VM back to BT (this time on DV ).

At first my phone number was not ported; however BT have been trying valiantly to put it right - basically stopping my DV service, then restarting it and then renumbering it with my old number (which was  s BT number originally).

It they succeed I will post back here.

[dqj999]

@stevebrass
You sound hopeful about getting your number back. Good luck, and if you succeed let us know how you did it. I think we need a super complaint to Ofcom to make BT fix this for all of us.