Porting landline from TalkTalk

[ukmark]

It appears that there are several reported issues of not being able to keep your existing landline number when joining Vodafone broadband. I currently have an order to be joining VF on 16 Sept 2022. When filling in the form I could not choose "keep existing landline". I have lived at same address over 40 years and had same landline over 40 years. I can't understand why porting is such a hassle.

I spoke to an adviser and he said to request a new landline number (in order for me to complete the online form to request 24 months broadband contract). He said, that they would try to keep the landline when switching. TalkTalk have acknowledged my request to leave. They want me to stay (obviously) and although landline numbers are not as important as they once were, it would still be a big inconvenience to go through all your online accounts and phone book etc to change/notify the new landline.

Could somebody from Vodafone please explain why it seems so difficult to preserve your existing number? Who can I contact from VF before the switch to request that my existing landline number is preserved. I do have an order # from VF and that is [Removed].

Hopefully someone will respond. Thanks to all.

[MOD EDIT: This post has been edited to remove personal information please see Community Guidelines]

[Shooby]

Thanks Jayach.

Of course, and it probably makes more sense to ultimately do 2-stage via your mob anyway, as it's usually in your pocket.

The point I was making is, if Voda don't sort this, then I will have additional hassle of contacting all the banks and organisations that I have set up for 2-stage verification like this. And then there's all the ones that don't require 2-stage, but still have my LL number as their contact - I have literally no idea how many that will be. And then all my other, personal, telephone contacts. I simply could not list them all from memory - some will raise their heads over time, I'm pretty certain. There will be dozens and dozens and dozens.

And, since I am holding Vodafone to their promise of porting my old number, I have only told a few of my immediate family what my 'new' - temporary - number is, as I obviously won't want the repeat hassle of changing it all back when Voda finally sort this.

Because they can sort this. If they want to. If they could be bothered.

I find it implausible that they cannot.

It's the limbo of the current situation. Coupled with the boring boring delay. And allll the 'Chats' I've had to have, where I had to repeat myself, only to be given the same fob-offs.

It is staggeringly incompetent.

[Shooby]

From info given by a member of TalkTalk's forum, this situation has nothing to do with Openreach (as I'd assumed), but lies between TalkTalk (or the original ISP) and Vodaphone. They suggested I contact Voda again and tell them to contact TT and request this number - yes, something I'd have thought had already been done...

Anyhoo, I 'Chatted' with Voda again on the 18th, told the Rep what I'd been told, asked them to make contact with TT to request this number. It took a few minutes on 'hold', but the rep came back and confirmed they'd done that.

This morning, my phone started ringing again!

So, it CAN be done. In fact, it SHOULDN'T have not happened!

Why has this been so painful?! I have 21 pages of 'Chat' transcripts saved from this, and that doesn'tt include the phonecalls!

But, it's finally sorted.

[Jayach]

@Shooby 

Well done on your perseverance. I'm sure I would have given up long ago.

[sanpat]

Hi Shooby,

I am currently experiencing the exact same issues you faced (moved from TalkTalk to Vodafone and they have failed to port my old landline number across).

Vodafone are saying they cannot speak to TT.

Do you remember which department at Vodafone you spoke with that was finally able to resolve your issue (i.e. which department were the ones to speak to TT to request your old number)?

When I speak to TT sometimes they are saying my line has been disconnected so they cant get number back, and at other times they say that Vodafone has to contact them directly to request the port-in.

Would really really appreciate and advise you can provide (this is an absolute nightmare, I have spent so many hours on the phone and online chats!)

[Shooby]

Hi Sanpat.

It was 'just' another online 'chat', but I happened to get someone with a bit of nous. But I made it clear what I now understood had to be done - ie Vodafone HAD to contact TalkTalk and 'request the number'. So, tell the person - repeatedly - that this is what needs to be done. Needs to. Must. Needs to. No excuse.

This is VODAFONE's task. End of.

Also, the person should be able to do this task there and then - whilst you hold on the 'chat'. They should come back and confirm, "I have made that request to TalkTalk".

If they do not confirm that this is what they have actually done, or even if they do, tell them that if this doesn't work, then it'll be a formal complaint to Vodafone (there's a form on their site), followed by an escalation to Cisas. Give them a couple of days for your number to come back, and then make the formal complaint - it can always be resolved/cancelled later.

Keep the formal complaint as short & succinct as possible.

I had made the 'formal' before I got this person on the Chat, so a few days later I got a call from Voda very keen to resolve the 'formal' matter. I did insist on a token amount as compensation - £30 - as I told them that this should be on the record as an issue handled badly; they had essentially been fibbing to me about who was responsible ("it's TalkTalk"), wasted hours of my time, and had on more than one occasion fobbed me off with a, "It can't be done" - another fib.

Oh, and when you finish a chat, copy and paste, or otherwise save, the content.

Keep us updated 🙂

[sanpat]

Hi there,

Here's an update:

Several calls and a formal complaint later I have been called back by the complaints handler today who has told me that my old landline number is owned by Sky. Vodafone can only port numbers from OpenReach (i.e. numbers owned by OpenReach). Vodafone have made a request to OpenReach to get that number onto OpenReach so that it can be ported. OpenReach would have contacted Sky to get the number as part of the request. However, Vodafone have told me the request was rejected.

So basically Vodafone are telling me there is no way they can get that number for me.

They said I could try contacting Sky to see if they can give me that number (but I would have to sign up to Sky in that scenario).

Vodafone have told me that they should not have promised me that I would get the number and that was their mistake (i.e. the mistake of the various Vodafone employees who told me that).

So now I will have to call Sky and see what they say about getting that number.

Will provide a further update soon.

Wish me luck!

[Jayach]

Good Luck, you will need it.

My number was originally issued by Sky, but I transferred it to Vodafone with no problem.

[sanpat]

I'm on the phone with Sky right now and they are telling me that Vodafone likely screwed up by not requesting the line takeover from TalkTalk soon enough (which is why TalkTalk cancelled the line and the number reverted back to it's original owner, i.e. Sky in my case).

I think Vodafone are giving me incorrect information and excuses as to why they cannot get the number back for me.

[Shooby]

I was wondering where 'Sky' came into this!

Is this a 'normal' landline number, with the usual area code?

With my situation with TalkTalk, I had a thread going on their community forum as well as on here, and - 'Arne' - a member of the TT Support Team, came on and confirmed when the transfer notification was received, and when the order was 'completed' (right down to the second!). More significantly, Arne confirmed that the original order "...was to take the number with it." The implication was that the order was normal at that point (it wasn't that Voda failed to include the number in the transfer request), but Voda failed to do something afterwards, and it was when that last Voda rep I chatted with finally made this 'request' to TT - and confirmed they had - that the transfer was made.

How was it left with the Complaints Manager who called you back? I presume it means the complaint has not been resolved?

Have you also asked about this on the TT forum?

Sounds like it's time to escalate - Cisas..

[sanpat]

Yes it's a regular number (area code 01895 XXXXXX).

When I moved into this house I had a new line installed and the provider was Sky. So Sky issued that number to me back then, I think this is why the number is showing up as being owned by Sky.

On one of my many calls to Vodafone, they gave me this website below that can tell you the owner of the landline number if you type it in:

https://telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm

In my case it says the owner is Sky.

However, I have just got off the phone with Sky, they said they cannot recover the number and that BT is the only one who might be able to get it back!

I'm going around in circles. I don't fancy my chances of getting it back!