Revert back to old number

[Lilac_94]

Hello,

We have recently swapped my elderly aunt over to Digital voice from Shell so that we can connect her up to LifeLine using the broadband. Also, she had been paying a monthly fee for internet despite not having a router!

Anyway, the installation and the swap over was relatively simple. They gave my aunt a temporary number and asked her to ring up to request to swap back to her old number.

This is where the problems began, we have heard it will take 48 hours to 7 days. Each time the swap doesn't happen she either cannot accept calls in or make calls out, and she gets a new temporary number. She has recently gone over a week without a phone which is obviously not acceptable and very worrying for family and friends who can't get hold of her.

We have escalated this problem time and time again over the past 2 months and have today been told that the issue is that Talk talk still have ownership of her number? Does Shell use talk talk lines? How do we fix this?

This landline number is the only connection my aunt has to her late husbands family and it would devastate her to lose it.

The change over happened on the 29th august and she has paid a bill in September and October. We have told them that we will stop the payment as she is paying for a service she is not getting, however the suggested we kept up with the payments to avoid them sending the bailiffs in!

Thanks in advance to anybody that can help!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Lilac_94 

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

This forum cannot help, as you need to contact Shell, as they are her provider. They need to get Talk Talk to release your number.

BT Retail have no control over their numbers.

[Lilac_94]

Hello,

thanks for your reply. Shell are still her provider despite us swapping to BT? Thanks @Keith_Beddoe 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Lilac_94 

You did not mention she was moving to BT Retail.

When did her BT Retail order complete was it the 29th September?

Was her old number originally issued by BT?

How long has her original number been inactive?

At this point, I cannot see how her old number can be re-instated.

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

The only BT Employees are the forum moderators.

[Lilac_94]

Hello, i mentioned we had moved her to Digital voice I thought that was just a BT thing sorry. 

We placed the order on the 14th august and the switch over happened on the 29th august. She has had different temporary numbers since then. She was with Shell as they took over from the post office who she was with before, I am not sure if the number was originally issued by BT.

Thanks 

[Keith_Beddoe]

It does not sound like it was a BT owned number, its probably owned by the Post Office, and as its already been ported once, I cannot see any way of getting it back.

Not sure what Talk Talk has got to do with it.

If it was a BT number, and was ported over within 28 days, then that is normally possible.

I cannot see any way the number can be recovered.

[Lilac_94]

Thanks for your help, I’m not sure what talk talk has to do with it either but that’s what the voicemail we were left this evening said. Will chase with BT tomorrow. Thanks