Old landline number retrieval

[WIRRALDAVE]

This is to the whole Community.... has ANYONE successfully  retrieved their old landline number ? I suspect I won't find anyone .. We were told a) verbally AND b) by email, the same day ( 27/10/23 ) that a) it WOULD be done on 2/11/23 and b) it WOULD be done within 10 days .  Needless to say, it WASN'T and the " explanation" was that " the system wouldn't allow it ... Any similar experiences ?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@WIRRALDAVE 

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

I have moved your post to this new thread, so you can get personal help from the community or moderators, so please watch this thread for updates.

There have been many cases where BT have been able to arrange a re-number of BT Retail  owned numbers.

A lot depends on which provider owns the number you are trying to get back. If its owned by BT Retail, then its normally possible to keep the number, provided its done within 28 days. If its owned by another provider, then it can present a problem.

[iniltous]

There are too many variables to ask the question and get a simple Yes or No , was the number originally BT and exported to another provider and you are attempting to switch to BT and retrieve the number , are you with another provider , the number is part of that other provider’s number range and you want them to export it to BT when you become a BT customer, are you already a BT customer with a number that has always been a ‘BT’ number , you have migrated to DV ( digital voice ) the original number somehow ‘lost’ and the problem is getting this number onto DV .
They are not the only permutations, so without context, your question cannot really be answered .

In general number portability ‘generally’ is successful, but hopefully you appreciate in most cases there are at least two parties involved, an error by either can mess up this process

[WIRRALDAVE]

Hi Keith, we started the process  10 days after the contract ( switch from copper to Full Fibre ) was set up and, notwithstanding that, we received verbal AND email confirmation, of getting our old landline number back, 16 days after the contract was set up...

Thanks for your interest,

Dave ( Ball ) 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@WIRRALDAVE 

As @iniltous  has pointed out, there are a lot of variables.

The main one is whether you moved from another provider, or whether you are an existing BT Retail customer upgrading to full fibre, and you already had an existing BT Retail number.

Did you ask to retain your existing number to be transferred over to BT Digital Voice, when you placed your order?

[WIRRALDAVE]

Hi Keith,

Yes, we were a BT/EE Retail Customer and, Yes, we were in a BT Directory ... We were not  made aware of any need to mention " Digital Voice " ....

Dave

[Keith_Beddoe]

@WIRRALDAVE 

When you move to full fibre, the only option for a phone service is BT Digital voice, which is delivered to the phone socket on the back of your BT Smart Hub 2.

Is that where your phone is plugged into at the moment?

Was it BT Retail or EE that issued your original phone number?

[WIRRALDAVE]

Ha again,

Yes that's where, and how, it was plugged in.. and, Yes, the old number was issued by BT when we moved here nearly 4 years ago...

This is possibly, though you would know better than me,  all semantics, as we WERE told, verbally and by email that the old number WAS being retrieved ...

Dave

[Keith_Beddoe]

Is the number you want, the same number that you had working on your old copper connection before you were upgraded to fibre? Or are you trying to get back an old number?

[WIRRALDAVE]

Yes to the first option Keith,

Dave