Lost phone number when upgrading to fibre (our phone number since 1988!) Can we get it back?

[LaurenKF]

Hello! I feel awful. I finally managed to convince my elderly parents to upgrade their home phone and broadband to full fibre and digital voice, and they’ve lost their original phone number. It’s been their phone number since 1988, and my dad is in very poor health with doctors and nurses coming and going all the time. 

This happened on Tuesday, and I’ve spent ages on the phone to BT on Wednesday and Thursday and finally last night managed to get them a working landline with a temporary number. The lady said she would request a renumber to our old number but I just can’t find any details of that request in my online account? I’ve spent hours on the phone to them this week and I’m at my wits end. 

can anyone help me please? We would really like to get the old phone number back, as that’s the number the doctors and nurses will be using to get in touch with my Dad. It’s a nightmare. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@LaurenKF 

This is just a customer to customer help forum, everyone here, including myself, are just customers.

The only BT Employees are the forum moderators.

I have asked one of them to reply on this thread.

Have they always been with BT Retail?

I assume that their phone is now plugged into the phone socket on the back of the Smart Hub 2?

[LaurenKF]

Hi @Keith_Beddoe thanks so much for replying. I’m really pleased to hear back from anyone. 

the old phone number was originally a BT number back in 1988, but we were previously with EE and they sold me the BT full fibre and digital voice deal (because they’re the same company now). So that’s why we upgraded and went with BT. 

My Dad does finally have the ability to call out from his landline (very late yesterday evening this finally got up and running). The phone is plugged into the back of the Smart Hub 2. 

Thanks so much for replying. I’m really stressed out about this, mostly because of my Dad’s health and we’re waiting on a phone call from a consultant at the hospital, which will of course go through to the old number. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@LaurenKF 

EE was a separate provider before it became part of the BT Group, so that may be part of the issue, as the original number would have been ported to EE when they moved from BT to EE.

Porting numbers from other providers to BT Digital Voice, can present issues as a new complete routing has to be made, unlike existing BT customers who upgrade and have to take BT Digital Voice, where there is a process built to do that.

If its at all possible, then one of the moderators should be able to help.

[LaurenKF]

Hi @Keith_Beddoe thanks so much for the info, and for flagging this up to the moderators. I’m really grateful 😊

[StuartH]

Hi @LaurenKF 

Thanks for posting, I can have this investigated for you to see if we can get back the original number.

As @Keith_Beddoe has said however it's not something we can guarantee we can get back, but we will do our best to help.

We are working through a small backlog of cases, so it might be next week before you hear back from us.

Thanks

Stuart

[LaurenKF]

Hi @StuartH  thanks so much for replying. I would really, really appreciate it if you could investigate this - do you need some more details from me? Thanks so much for replying 

[StuartH]

Hi @LaurenKF 

Thanks, I've just sent a private message asking for details we need to investigate.

Happy to help.

Stuart

[LaurenKF]

Thanks @StuartH ive just spotted it and replied 

[StuartH]

Hi @LaurenKF 

Thanks, I can see it's popped into our queue once it reaches the top we will be in touch.

Stuart