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TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

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Caz6caz6
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TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

My elderly parents are about to switch phone and broadband to plus net but are being advised they cannot keep their existing landline number. They’re not moving house.

Sounds ludicrous but they’re bright and capable and have been told there’s no way round it.

It’ll be a right faff for them to change their number with everyone so I’d like to help them avoid it.

Any advice please? Switch date is 24th June. Thanks in advance x
18 REPLIES 18
daveplus
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/switchi... for why TT is wrong.

The one thing that I gained from my year in hell with TT was that you have to pester them until they relent. Most of their CS people then were totally ignorant.

HTH

Dave

MisterW
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@Caz6caz6 as @daveplus  quotes, you SHOULD be able to retain the phone number. There are some unusual circumstances where the routing for an LLU line (like TalkTalk) is through a different exchange somehow(I don't understand the technicalities!) and moving to a BT wholesale supplier means the number cannot be routed through the local exchange.

However, this is very unusual and there seems to have been a number of situations where people have been told (for whatever reason) that they can't keep their number , when in fact they can!. We need one of the experienced PlusNet help team to look into this particular situation more deeply, to see what the real problem is here.

@Gandalf any chance of you looking at this please ?

 

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@daveplus Thanks for the reply, they’re switching from TT to Plusnet... thoughts?
Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

Thanks @MisterW, I think they either are or have been told they are one of those rare cases... would appreciate the eyes of a super helpful person on it! Thanks for tagging Gandalf!
MisterW
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@Caz6caz6 I think they either are or have been told they are one of those rare cases.

If that's really the case then I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done. Was the number initially allocated by TalkTalk ?

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@MisterW well yes I wonder if it really is the case... it seems unbelievable and would put some off switching and so is anticompetitive.

I’m just checking with her but I think it was virgin when they moved in and they allocated the number (or maybe it was already there?) and they switched to TT a few years ago.
MisterW
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@Caz6caz6 well yes I wonder if it really is the case... it seems unbelievable and would put some off switching and so is anticompetitive.

In theory yes, but I've been doing some digging to try and understand the problem a little more.

From what I can find it seems to be a limitation of BT's exchanges. From this thread https://community.bt.com/t5/Landline/Informed-unable-to-port-number-from-Sky-to-BT/td-p/1800313

The BT exchange equipment will have a range of numbers allocated to the Remote Concentrator which cannot be altered

Outgoing calls from the exchange have to originate from one of those numbers. This is a legacy issue which can cause problems.

Incoming calls are not a problem, as they can be dealt with at the OLO (Other Licenced Operator) network interface.

Porting from BT to Sky, or another operator, is easier, because OLOs can generate an outgoing call on any number, as they are not tied to the restrictions that apply to BT exchanges.

So if that is correct, its not anticompetitive in that other networks can cope with it but BT can't!

The fact that the number started originally with Virgin probably muddies the water even more 🙄

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@MisterW wow, your knowledge on this matter is impressive! Thanks!

The virgin but was a red herring! Turns out the house was already on TT when they moved in. They took a new number (ie not the previous owner’s) when they moved in. So in summary it’s always been on TT while they’ve lived there.
Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@MisterW is there any way I can check this exchange issue with their address?
MisterW
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@Caz6caz6 

wow, your knowledge on this matter is impressive!

I can't take the credit for that. I was aware that a problem could exist with porting some numbers. Your case triggered me to try and understand the problem better, google did the rest!😀

Is there any way I can check this exchange issue with their address? 

I don't believe there is, it requires access to BT's systems I would guess, in order to check that the number is within the exchange range. Only something that PlusNet (or other ISP using the BT network)  would be able to do.

To some extent , if this is the situation in this case, it underlines the inadequacy of OFCOM. They make sweeping declarations of 'everyone has right to take their number with them when not moving house' without either an understanding of why and when that might not be possible, OR better still forcing BT to get their act together and make it happen!.

People are then rightly miffed when the ISP says , sorry you can't take your number with you...

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Caz6caz6
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@MisterW urgh I guess I have no choice but to concede on the number porting then...TT must’ve thoroughly miffed them off!!
Gandalf
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

Thanks for getting in touch @Caz6caz6 

I'm sorry for the issues with porting your parents' landline telephone number. I suspect the problem's as @MisterW has explained but could you drop me a private message with their number and also username if you know it?

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
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MisterW
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

@Caz6caz6  don't give up completely yet, until the wizard has had a look!

If I'm right with my explanation (and its still an if), then its not TT that are preventing the number port, it's the fact that the BT exchange can't support that number.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Gandalf
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Re: TalkTalk to Plusnet - keeping existing phone number

Fix

Thanks for the private message @Caz6caz6 

I've messaged you back but to drop a reply onto your thread too, I can confirm that we're automatically importing your parents telephone number and everything's good to go for their activation date. I'm unsure where we've advised the contrary but I apologise if we had provided any incorrect information. 

If there are any further issues, please feel free to let me know. Smiley

[edit]

The problem that's described above that can happen is, at least in my experience, an absolute rarity and I'm not sure if those type of issues are even a problem nowadays although I could be wrong on that. 

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet