Lost phone number

[Mar3]

I have just recommended a friend to Bt and now I am left in a very embracing situation. 
he moved his broadband and landline from sky to Bt after being guaranteed he would keep his phone number. After being connected to Bt it has now become clear two things have happened. 1 they gave him a digital phone line which was not requested or discussed and the number has be lost due to a error by Bt . His son is disabled and all support  , help and medical support have the phone number that has been lost so is now complete cut off from desperately needed help given the fact we are now in a pandemic it’s almost impossible to contact these people to give a temporary number. I cannot believe with the technology we now have that this number cannot be reinstated as it’s only a week since the catastrophic error occurred. Please if any one can help l would really be grateful as I feel completely responsible as I was the one who praised by and convinced him to change. How wrong was I and never who recommend by again,

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Mar3 

Welcome to this user forum.

Was your friend ever a BT Retail customer before, perhaps before they moved to Sky?

[Mar3]

Hi, he moved to this address 5 years ago and has been with sky all that time, this number was given to him at the point of moving to this current address  as sky was not able to transfer the number from his previous address. At his previous address before he joined sky he was a bt customer but that was on the different number at the previous which I mentioned a minute ago that was not able to move with him. Thank you for your question, and I hope someone knows a technicality that can retrieve this number as the distress this is causing him is hard to watch given the fact non of us are even allowed to step foot in his house to help him out .

 Many thanks 

[Keith_Beddoe]

Than the number will belong to Sky now, and would have been returned to them.

Each Service provider has their own unique number range which cannot always be imported to another provider.

If it had been owned by BT Retail in the past, then it would have been easy to get it back.

What sort of broadband connection does he now have, as it would be unusual to be offered BT Digital Voice, unless he now has a direct fibre (FTTP) connection?

I cannot really offer any suggestion regarding the number issue, as its not a BT Retail phone number.

[Mar3]

He only has fibre to the cabinet, not into the house. Sky has advised him it’s go in a pot for six  months. after which it would be randomly selected for a new customer . They also say that they cannot access this pot but given today’s technology and the manor in which this has been lost I find it hard to believe that sky or ofcom  can’t retrieve it .

[Keith_Beddoe]

Ofcom only assign number ranges to providers, its up to individual providers what they do with them.

As I am just a BT Retail customer, I cannot suggest any way forward, as its a very common problem that has been raised many times on this forum.

If his number had been originally given to him by BT Retail, it would be no problem, and it easily resolved.

Even if he moved back to Sky, they do not seem to have any method of getting his number back.

I think that the only solution would be for him to update his contacts with his new phone number.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Mar3 

It would be best if your friend raised a complaint with BT, especially if they were promised that they could keep their number.

https://www.bt.com/help/complaints

[Mar3]

He has raised a complaint with Bt but they are extremely un helpful. He told them he would seek legal advice which they just replied there is nothing we can do and was promoted to go and seek legal advice. Not the sort of behaviour I would except from such a company but it seams its another company with the attitude we are bigger than you so have ago as you won’t win attitude.

thanks for your help though, you should get a job at Bt as you are more helpful than there staff.

[imjolly]

As already posted the number belongs to SKY and if they are not prepared to transfer to BT Then unfortunately there is nothing BT can do about it