Problem with number transfer from Virgin to BT

[Hazelk]

Hi DavidM.

I'm having the exact same problem with my number!

I called to sign up with BT, as my service with Virgin was really poor!

I was assured when I called that I could keep my Virgin phone number. (I wouldn’t have switched to BT if I couldn’t keep my number, as we have a small business and our vans are sign written with our landline number!)

BT then for some unknown reason cancelled my order, then re-ordered my services but left out the TV service (I ordered the classic bundle with TV, broadband and phone line)

I was then sent an email, confirming my order (the wrong order) of broadband and phone line. But the phone number you sent in the email was not the email I needed transferred over!

i called BT to say I ordered TV as well and I needed my virgin number transferred over. I was again assured that I could keep my Virgin phone number, but I was told I had to extend my services with Virgin to the 22nd October (was supposed to be the 13th)

So I extended my services with Virgin. But I was away for the transfer. I came back home last night to try to set up the BT broadband and phone line, but it wasn’t working due to a fault.

when I called BT, I gave my old virgin phone number, which couldn’t be found! 
so you haven’t transferred my phone number over! 
im getting nowhere fast talking to BT on the phone! Your operators keep side stepping the fact that my number hasn’t been transferred over! I stated three different times to three different people that I need to keep my number, and each time I was assured I could!

now I have no internet, no tv (as because you cancelled my first order, the booking with the aerial engineer was cancelled and they cannot fit me in) and I have a land line that doesn’t work, and even if it did it’s not MY number!

please can you help me? I have two young children to try to entertain with no internet or TV and a small business to try to run with no internet and no phone. 

im at my wits end.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Hazelk 

Welcome to the BT Residential Customers  forum

As you are a business user, please could you post on the BT Business forum at http://business.forums.bt.com/

The moderators her cannot help with business numbers.

Virgin numbers cannot normally be ported over to BT, as Virgin have their own network and their own number ranges.

Each BT exchange has its own unique number range which cannot be changed.

You may have to stay with Virgin, if you want to keep your number.

Was it Virgin that originally issued your phone number, or was it BT, and then you ported it over to Virgin some time ago?

[Hazelk]

Thank you for your reply Keith,

we don’t have a business account. I have signed up to BT from our home address as we are only a small business. 

I don’t understand why the person who sold me the BT package didn’t tell me that the number couldn’t be swapped. I spoke to three different people emphasising the need to keep my phone number, they all said it could be done, with one person even telling me to extend my contract with Virgin from the 13th to the 22nd in order for the phone number to definitely be transferred over.

If a virgin number can’t be swapped to BT, then that’s pretty deceptive of the three people who I talked to, as I would never have left virgin if I knew I couldn’t keep my phone number.

it’s going to cost me an awful lot of hassle and money to put this right!

[Keith_Beddoe]

You should have signed up with a  BT Business account, not BT Residential account, as you are not allowed to run a registered business on a residential account. It would not have helped in this case anyway.

Was your number originally with BT or was your number issues by Virgin?

Each provider has certain number ranges allocated to them.

If you have a quick look at the OFCOM website :-

http://static.ofcom.org.uk/static/numbering/index.htm#geog1

and download the spreadsheet that contains your number range (note the numbers exclude the leading zero). The line in the spreadsheet will show to whom the range is allocated.

If it was originally a BT number, then it will have been returned to BT, and will still exist on the same physical exchange, and could be reallocated to you.

If it was a Virgin number, then they cannot be ported to BT.

Its possible to port a BT number to Virgin, as they can emulate the number, but it will always belong to BT, and could be lost if there are any changes to your VM account.

As I am just a customer, there is nothing else I can suggest, apart from what I have said above.

[Hazelk]

Sorry Keith, I thought you worked for BT.

i have had a look at the Ofcom link you sent through, but I can’t find it on there. The numbers in the 17 range only go up to 172... whereas my number begins with (0) 1752 .

i think however that I’m just going to have to suck it up, as my phone number was allocated to me through Virgin when I first signed up with them. As it’s never been a BT number I guess I can’t get it back.

Thank you for bringing the business account to my attention. As we are only small, I didn’t think I needed to get a business account. But once the phone line and internet is up and running, I’ll call to switch to a business account.

Thank you again for your help.

[Keith_Beddoe]

If Virgin issued the number, then its never going to exist on the local BT exchange, so I cannot see how the sales agent could have even suggested it.

It would be better to speak to BT Business now, to see what the best options are. BT Business users get priority if there is a fault, and they can also offer web hosting and a btconnect email address which uses Microsoft Office 365.

Trying to transfer to BT business at a later date, may cause issues with the phone number again.

You should also get a much quicker provision date than you would with residential.

https://business.bt.com/sme/

You mentioned about TV on your first post, I am not sure about that, its something you would have to ask about, however there is nothing to stop you using a retail YouView box, or any other set top box for subscription channels, there are plenty of other options.

[Andy_N]

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@Hazelkwrote:

Sorry Keith, I thought you worked for BT.

i have had a look at the Ofcom link you sent through, but I can’t find it on there. The numbers in the 17 range only go up to 172... whereas my number begins with (0) 1752 .

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The spreadsheet actually goes up to 1799 and is over 32000 lines long. It is an Excel spreadsheet, which can be opened by other products.

Virgin allocated numbers are (1752) 20, 21, 24, 29, 30, 31, 378, 398, 43, 471, 475, 51 and 58.

[Hazelk]

Thank you for your reply Andy.

As my internets not working I was going from my phone and it must have only downloaded until the 172 numbers.

my number began with  (0)1752 291 so I guess there is no hope in getting it back then?