Digital Voice and porting telephone number

[stevebrass]

First the facts. Had a BT landline. Moved to Virgin Media for Broadband and ported the phone number over. 3 years ago.

I have now gone back to BT for FTTP broadband (works great) and Digital Voice.  Broadband started mid April.

The problem is getting the phone number ported back to BT.

BT have requested it once, but the port failed. VM are keeping the phone account open and are waiting on BT to retry.

I have been in touch with the FTTP team and they have said at various times - can't be done - can be done - can be done but tricky!

My BT account shows the phone number I want porting. The SH2 shows a different number. The VM number is still active as I ring it to check.

HELP!

[imjolly]

if you have FTTP and DV then you are dealing with the right people - FTTP team  just a matter of perseverance

[iniltous]

Have you ceased your VM service ?, normally it’s not the appropriate thing to do as this is done by your new provider requesting the number to be ported , or in this case returned to the number range holder, but if your BT service is already in and working but with a different number, then it’s gone wrong anyway and ceasing VM is probably cannot hurt , (if not already done )...if the number was originally’BT’, it would be returned to BT by VM after the cessation and then it would presumably only need a ‘renumber’ from one ‘BT’ number to another, this assumes the address is the same as when you had BT in the first place

[Keith_Beddoe]

@stevebrass 

As @iniltous  has said, you need to cease the VM phone line, and as your number was issued by BT Retail, it will return to them.

All you will need then, is a renumber back to that number.

[stevebrass]

I hadn't ceased the landline with VM but I just have. Bit of a kerfuffle on the final bill but there you go.

I think I'll tell the FTTP support team what I have done so they don't keep asking VM to port the number (which should be in the BT pool).

Thank you!

[stevebrass]

An update on this. BT tried to get the member from VM and this failed. The number was not free to port from VM, apparently, even though my VM account is closed and the number inoperative.  BT suggested I ring VM which I did. VM confirm the number is not on my account but couldn’t confirm “where it was” as it were. 
BT have tried again (Saturday) but no luck so far. 

[stevebrass]

Update to the update. just had an email from BT confirming that new DV number is now..................not the number I wanted to be ported (but the new one given me on setting up DV)

So - still no joy.