Retrieve a disconnected number

[tsjdevon]

I am another person who has had our number disconnected due to no use but now realize who important it really is. I would really like to obtain my old number back and I do know that it is not in use.

[BandOfBrothers]

If your pay monthly and still paying your bill then they wouldn't disconnect !

If they have contact customer service via Contact-us.

If your pay as you go then after 180 days of non usage and then a further period of 90 days of non usage they can and will suspend and terminate. 

In this case a person has a short limited time to get it back. 

Again use the link to ask them.if they can give the number back. 

Its put in a quarrantine and then recycled at a later date back into the number pool .

[tsjdevon]

I had the number for over 20 years and when I retired I moved to PAYG. At that time my use of the phone was very limited and I went past the 90 days and no calls so I lost my number. I now realize how many contacts I lost who do not know how to contact me so I would like to get my old number back. I know it is not being used as I called it and got the message, not in use.

[BandOfBrothers]

The agents on 191 or Live Chat are best placed to clarify if it's possible @tsjdevon

[AnnS]

Hi @tsjdevon

The forum Team will pick this up in due course, if there is any possibility of retrieving the number they will be the Team to get the number back.  However, there is never any guarantee.

If it's only been 90 days, the number should have not been disconnected, you have 180 days and a further 90 days to add some credit and start using the service and Vodafone would have sent a message to your phone asking you to be aware of the cut off and start using the service.   

Depending on how long it has been since the number was last used, if you still have the SIM, it might be worth trying to top up the number with a small amout of credit, if the SIM accepts the top up, this will put the number back online.

[Mark]

As @AnnS has advised @tsjdevon we can't Guarantee retrieving your old number. If you contact us by following the instructions in the private message I've sent, we'll be happy to look into this for you. 🤞

[Quarsardog]

They all tell me "after 90 days of not making a chargeable call" receiving calls or making free calls does not count.

The 180 days is right now in the terms and conditions. An employee cannot just change this and disconnect the number especially when there is a considerable amount of credit on the phone.

[Alex]

@Quarsardog Taken straight from our Pay as you go Ts&Cs: 
If you choose to stop using the services. If we suspend the mobile equipment because you have chosen not to use the services for 180 consecutive days, we will send you an SMS notifying you that you should top up your account or make a chargeable outbound call (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS or use your data within the next 90 days. If you fail to do so, we will disconnect your mobile equipment and you will lose any credit held on your account.

I do hope this clears everything up for you, but if you did have any further questions/concerns, be sure to let us know and we'd be happy to help 🙂

[tsjdevon]

A very interesting reply from Alex which intimates that Vodafone would send an SMS notification after 180 days of non use.

To the very best of my knowledge, this was never done because if it had and I had read it I would have done something about it,  My only recollection was that I could not make any calls as it had been disconnected.

[Josh]

@tsjdevon Have you explored whether the retrieval of your old number is possible with us, by following the steps to contact our team detailed in @Mark's private message?