Switched to Digital Voice from copper line and lost landline number please help

[KimWillis]

@imjolly We had a BT anytime (copper landline) package, that got cancelled and closed. We were then wrongly advised by BT that we could get the number back by starting a digital voice package.  It's been an infuriating farce from start to finish.

[KimWillis]

@Keith_Beddoe  I'm not sure exactly what 'retail' is but we are a residential house that had a broadband and copper line package up until we lost the line.

[imjolly]

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@KimWillis wrote:

@imjolly We had a BT anytime (copper landline) package, that got cancelled and closed. We were then wrongly advised by BT that we could get the number back by starting a digital voice package.  It's been an infuriating farce from start to finish.

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but was your phone number originally given to you by BT or by another ISP

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@KimWillis wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe  I'm not sure exactly what 'retail' is but we are a residential house that had a broadband and copper line package up until we lost the line.

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BT Retail is the provider of residential phone lines, and also owns their own number ranges, so if your number was first issued by BT Retail, then they would own the number.

In that case, there should have been no difficulty in getting the number back again on a copper connection, once a new number had been issued. It would be just a case of asking for a re-number, the forum moderators could have sorted this out for you.

As it is, I cannot see a solution, apart from ringing your family and friends, and telling them your new number.

[RIC9380]

KimWillis.

Similar thing happened to me back in March except BT DV line (which had been working perfectly since 2019) was cut off without any warning and BT said I couldn't have my old BT number back by any means whatsoever.  Lots of apologies and lots of many "no - not possible" responses and up through the ranks over many weeks.  Result:  old number restored last month!  It can be done.

RIC9380

[KimWillis]

@imjolly It was given by BT 

[KimWillis]

@Keith_Beddoe  Could I cancel this Digital Voice Line, start a new copper line and the renumber the old number back?

[RIC9380]

KimWillis
Raise a complaint via My BT.
RIC9380

[RIC9380]

That was one option given to me by BT but, as I have said, Digital Voice was working fine for me so I said no. It's BT's problem to sort it out as they messed up (as in my case). Good luck.

RIC9380

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@KimWillis wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe  Could I cancel this Digital Voice Line, start a new copper line and the renumber the old number back?

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That option may be a possibility, provided your exchange is not being offloaded. This is going to happen with all exchanges by the end of 2025, so everyone is going to end up on digital voice or similar VOIP service, so your copper landline would be ceased.

As I am just a customer, I am not sure how you could progress this.