This is long winded, but I want others to know my experience.
On the 20th January I was contacted by the vodafone sales team and was offered fibre broadband, I accepted the offer under the caveat that I want to transfer my home phone number from Virgin media once I was happy the install was up-and-working. The Sales person said that would not be a problem, checked with his manager as I repeatedly checked that this would be ok, again he said it would not be a problem and to just contact customer services when I was ready.
The install happened smoothly with plenty of comunication leading up to the install from Vodafone and City Fibre. Waited a couple of weeks to make sure I was happy, then contacted the customer services to begin the transfer. I was told that it was not Vodafone that handled this, but Virgin. I contacted Virgin, they said it was Vodafone and whilst talking to them I gave my notice on the Virgin media contract.
Contacted Vodafone again, was put on hold with a customer services agent whilst she looked up what to do, after about an hour of holding the line when dead.
Rang again, put on Hold again for about 50 minutes to then be told that it would not be possible to transfer the home number from Virgin as this can only happen at the point of taking the contract out, the agent said she could cancel my current contract and start a new one without any cost, but I would be without internet. I agreed as I still have the Virgin running. This was organised for March 15th. After putting the phone down, I then received a series of emails telling me I owed Vodafone about £700 of contract termination fees and that a new contract would be £13 more a month than I am currently contracted for. Rang customer services again...
Spoke to an agent who cancelled the contract cancelling. Then spent a further hour on hold whilst she tried to work out what had happened. Finally she came back and said that there was no way to 'port' my existing home phone number that I have had for over 20 years without it costing me a termination fee. She said she would raise this as a complaint and that I was to contact them again in a week to give them time to find the recording of the original sales call to prove that I was telling the truth.
Waited a week and rang customer services again yesterday, was put on hold for half an hour again whilst the agent looked up what to do, I was then transferred to another agent in a different team who had no clue what to do, put me on hold for 40 minutes whilst she tried to find out. Finally came back to say that there is no record of asking to retrieve a recording of the sales call, that none of the people she had talked to could understand why retrieving the call could help, and the reason I cannot transfer the number is because City Fibre had run out of lines? When I explained again I have working internet and all I want is to transfer the number she said there was nothing they could do. Suggested I contact the complaints department. The number I was given goes to a message that the department is closed.
Tried the on-line chat today as I wanted a record as I’m fed up with nobody being able to help, I was bounced between different departments, none of whom can help. Got transferred back to broadband help where the person obviously had not read any of the previous chat, said to me the order was placed without a number transfer and then the on-line chat died, presumably I was hung up on. No chat history, just a blank page.
Cannot possibly express how bad my experience trying to resolve this has been.
I know don't know what to do, I've had my number for over 20 years and fear it will be lost. I was promised that it would be a simple process and my notice period for Virgin Media is coming to an end.
Darren
