Number Port from Virgin Media. What's the issue???

[Seanieboy]

Would any of you wise people be able to help me with this issue please? I had my Vodafone Fibre Broadband installed successfully back in March of this year and along with this I was given a free Vodafone landline number which up until now has gone unused. I have bnow decided to disconnect from Virgin media and port my VM number across to Vodafone to replace the generic one given by Vodafone at point of install. I started this process last week and up until now have had no confidence in the answers given over chat or on the phone. I have been told (excerpts from chat below)

Edenthari : As far as I know we are unable to take over landline number from Virgin As Virgin are using their own infrastructure . Apart form Virgin we can easily retain their number .

Edenthari : Sean, I've double checked with my support team and I am sorry to inform you that we are unable to retain the number from Virgin . However, if you wish we can try to port in the number after placing an order ,but there is less chance and I cannot promise you number would be ported in successfully to be honest.

Edenthari : Apart from Virgin there is no problem in retaining their existing number . Edenthari : What I means to say is that , we do send and inform them about you need to port in your number and release your landline number as soon as possible . However as Virgin are using their own line and infrastructure there is less chance to retain your existing number , they may not release your landline number . And over the phone I have been told that no chnges can be made to my account as it is outside the "point of sale". Does anyone have any sense around this please? I just want to port in a number, something I have done successfully many times over the years. I used to work for VM and ported in countless numbers of customers number so I dont get what the issue is?

[WelshPaul]

Virgin Media landline numbers can be ported but I suspect the issue is down to Vodafone not having a porting agreement in place with Virgin Media.

[Seanieboy]

WelshPaul thanks, where do you think it is best to get some sense in Vodafone please as 2 different Chat Agents and 2 phone techs have blanked me although I suspect this is all vert possible?

[Jayach]

From forum posts it seems porting in from Virgin is often problematical. (mind you nearly everything is problematical with Vodafone).

I would think they do not have a process for porting in, except at sale time.

[WelshPaul]

Porting landlines is a messy process compared mobile numbers and if there is no porting agreement in place,  you can't port the number over. 😔

Even if there is a porting agreement in place, many landline providers only allow you to request a number be ported in at the time of ordering or within the first so many days of the service going live. So the first thing you need to find out is if you can port in months after the service first went live (you can on their mobile service).

I guess if Vodafone were to allow you to port in after an extended period of time but they don't have a porting agreement in place with Virgin Media then you could port it to a provider that they do have an agreement with and then port it to Vodafone. It's a pain but I have done such a thing myself in the past, although I ported it to a VoIP provider as to avoid lengthy minimum term contracts.

[Jayach]

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@WelshPaul wrote:

then you could port it to a provider that they do have an agreement with and then port it to Vodafone. It's a pain but I have done such a thing myself in the past, although I ported it to a VoIP provider as to avoid lengthy minimum term contracts.

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I have never ported a number to a VOIP provider, but from posts on here porting from VIOP to landline or even another VOIP provider is nigh on impossible.

[WelshPaul]

No it's not, been doing it since 2006.

As long as there is a porting agreement in place the number can be ported.

My landline number is owned by BT, been ported to Voicehost, then to Voipfone, and then to AAISP. I pay £1.20 a month for my landline! 👍

[Jayach]

I stand corrected. Wonder why other people seem to have had problems.

[Seanieboy]

Ah right

So what is my best tactic here gents, I am fairly new to Vodafone so this is my first (uninspiring) contact with the customer service function although the guy who took my order was faultless.

Do I reach out via Social media to try and get a defacto answer? Nobody seems to be able to give a next step on the phone.

[Jayach]

As you are finding, customer support in Vodafone is woeful. As @WelshPaul has experience in this field I will leave it to him to advise.