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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Not willing to port my landline number

Hello everyone. 

I am not sure if anyone in the community or at "NOW" can help me but I have nothing else left to try.

I did raise a complaint with the following with "NOW" but received no actual help or resolve.

The problem is not actually that complex. I will try my best to keep it concise.

On March 20th I ordered online NOW Brlilliant Broadband with landline and calls package this all seemed to go through absolutely fine. (My current provider is Sky).

Without ANY doubt I selected keep my current telephone number as this is VERY important to me as I have a disability that to cut a long story short requires my landline number for various care, safety and NHS direct contact etc. I really dont mean to moan about the disability factor I only mention this to emphasise the imprtance of retaining my landline number which I have for almost 30 years unchanged.

Therefore the problem. The same day as I ordered, I first received an email confirming everything and that included saying my NOW Broadband landline phone number would be my current number. Therefore everything looked great to me.

Later that evening I received another email from "NOW" informing that there had "been a problem with my order" and that I would be allocated a NEW landline number on the changeover day which is April 3rd 2019.

I was stunned by this as I everything I read indicated there should be no problem whatsoever in retaining your landline number when changing broadband provider. I am also aware that Sky and NOW are linked companies so I would think the porting aspect would be simple.

I then made a formal complaint regarding this (by email)  to NOW which after 48 hours I had to chase up, then it was passed from one department to another starting off at NOW TV although i did use the online form.

I should mention I could not (not would not) phone customer service at NOW due to mentioned disability. (Phone use is for my family to use).

I eventually got an email reply which frankly just went around in circles and solved absolutely nothing at all. I do have a reference number for this.

The customer service operative simply did nothing that I can see to attempt to solve the problem.

They could not explain what had happened or why I had to have a new landline number, just stating that I would basically.

The only solution they offered if you can call it that was to, instruct Sky I no longer wished to leave (NOW had cancelled me with them automatically), then cancel my order with NOW, then make a new order with NOW then cancel again with Sky. 

I was at first simply stunned by this as a so called solution as it seemed an utterly ridiculous situation given that I had done nothing wrong at all.

I did ask the customer service advisor if they could do this for me and I gave them full permission to do so and explained I COULD NOT telpehone Sky. They said no I had to do it.

I then spent almost three hours trying to contact Sky on their live chat to start the process requested by NOW but could not get an operative and I had to give up.

I emailed NOW back to explain this and also to inform them I was going into hospital on Monday morning and that I was by now extremely worried that this mess may mean that by the time I was out of hospital this may be after the changeover date and as things were panning out I could be left with no broadband or landline at all as Sky had sent both an email and a prompt letter to confirm i was leaving them. 

I do appreciate that under legislation and the 14 day cooling off period I could have and still could cancel NOW Broadband but having cancelled Sky, I hope you will see my point that I feel I had/have a real risk of having no broadband as explained. With it at the time only hours before going into hospital on Monday morning I made the decision to let the order with NOW Broadband proceed.  I emailed in reply to NOW customer service always replying to the same email as instructed thus using the same reference number and informed them of this and asked at the least could they confirm what the new phone number would be so I could inform my accesability and mobility advisor at the hospital, I also stated it was with the GREATEST reluctance i was having to give up the landline number I have held for 30 years. The brief reply just stated the order would proceed and they did not know what my new number would be as it was not on the system. This is despite me receiving an email from NOW on March 20th starting this whole stressful mess informing me they were giving me a new phone number and the email stating what it was !!

My accesability and mobilty advisor at hospital kindly contacted Ofcom for me who assured her that this was not acceptable practice and that I shoud be able to retain my landline number that I have held for many years and it should simply be "ported" on the day of changeover. She feels that it will be very time consuming for me and health care providers to change to a new number and that there will be a "high risk" of loss of essential contact due to this, but she also agrees in the situation it is difficult to simply cancel everything with NOW as there is a risk of now broadband provision happening as the changeover is next week on April 3rd.

What a horrible stressful situation this has been.

I feel there is no point in emailing NOW again as no actual effort was made to retain my phone number or solve the problem. The only option I was given I could not do as explained.

I got out of hospital this afternoon and this matter has been quite a worry.

The only thing I could think of doing was to try here on the community help in the hope that someone could possibly help me or that someone who works for NOW Broadband would read this and just try and resolve this.

I cannot believe all this should happen just to keep my current landline phone number especially as I have not even changed over yet.

Clearly just allocating a new number is the easier or cheaper option for NOW as a company, yet Ofcom state I should be able to keep my current phone number and that porting should be straightforward as I am within the same network and not changing froma  cable network.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

Sorry the message is so long. I just wanted to try and explain what is happening correctly.

So very disappointing that this is happening, I am shocked that the lack of help from NOW broadband appears to be so bad. 

 

33 REPLIES 33
Anonymous User
Not applicable

it just keeps getting worse...………….

 

after agreeing termination of the service on 18/11. I received an email advising termination tomorrow! on calling them, they have cancelled the termination but I now have to call tomorrow to re-request cancellation of the agreement...……….

 

clearly, this forum is not monitored by the company: I have apparently been promoted to 'advocate' for my postings! this appears to be highly defective organisation with only automated processes which cannot manage any problems...…………………...

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I am in a similar situation ; Raised a web-order to transfer from talktalk to Now and know for sure that I ticked the box to keep my old number. 

 

Found out the day after changeover from a relative that they couldn't contact us - had to phone them and get them to phone back to tell us what our number was! 

 

Now not only failed to port our number, but didn't gave us notification before, during, or after changeover of the actual changed number.   We've had our original number for 30+ years, and it ported over OK when we changed from Virgin to Talktalk - despite needing a change of line from cable! 

 

I have contacted BT Openreach, who tell me that a remedy is simple - Now should raise a Number Port order directly with Openreach, who will reclaim and transfer my old number - however Now c/s tell me that they do not subscribe to Opnreach's number port service. 

 

They even have the temerity to suggest that (1) I didn't submit a retention request on my order, and (2) they have no responsibility for insuring web-orders are processed correctly. 

 

There appears to multiple incidents of flouting Ofcom regulations, and distance-selling requirements here.  

 

Ironically I left Talktalk because of appalling customer service! 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I am due to start with NOW on 5 may 2020 however have just seen the message about my new phone number?  Has anyone else had this problem and, if so how did you resolve it?  Many thanks, deb1

Anonymous User
Not applicable
Deb1. I have previously posted about this issue. Nowtv will not port your current number. Cancel your order and demand reinstatement of your number. If they don’t, raise a complaint.........................
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Now eventually ported my parents number after hours chasing up spending on the phone. It took about a month. You just have to constantly harass them. The only positive aspect was that you get through pretty easily, pre-covid that is. They kept shifting the blame on to BT OpenReach. Persevere, do not give up. Best.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Interesting this seems to be an issue. I completed the 'joining' process only to find I cannot transfer my number from VM and attempted to find out why. At this point, I discovered there is no public number to contact them, their BOT is unattended, which means it acts as a search engine and cannot respond to specific questions.

Through this process I decided - why would I want to join a service where there is no service and the writing is on the wall of potential issues.

I have decided that whilst their offers are extremely competitive, you get what you pay for. Broadband is very subjective in the UK since folk have issues up and down the country and with all providers. Ofcom - I can assure everyone, is not a patch on the consumer laws that exist in Germany. Add that to the employment laws of the UK not being up to par with the rest of Europe and you conclude we did not embrace EU laws when we were in it!  Off on a tangent here, but consumer laws here are a joke of bare minimums.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I subscribed to Nowtv for broadband and landline. Am absolutely positive I ticked the box to retain the landline number I have had for 25 years. I know I searched through the current provider and chose Talk talk. My broadband and landline went live today but  discovered by phoning family that they were seeing a different incoming call number. Tested it myself and my landline number has changed. Really unhappy as my family, doctors, hospital and friends have my original number. Phoned Nowtv, they told me I had not ticked the box to transfer my number. I know I did but having no option to print my original order I cannot prove it. I am within the 14 days of going live and after all the hastle of speaking to the departments at Nowtv will cancel my order and find a better provider. Nowtv provided the option of cancelling my original order and reordering, the new order would take approximately 11 days to go live. In the meantime I would have no broadband or landlinIe I have reported the problem to Ofcom wait is an illegal practice to deny transfer of landline number

 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I will be moving house mid-January and did not think that porting my phone number would be a problem - OFCOM certainly don't think it should be.  I have already asked in December and been told that it can't be done but thought it was a mistake. However, reading the comments on this forum has made me rethink my plans; I now intend to cancel my Now-TV service and sign with another supplier, all of whom seem happy to port my number. If anybody knows that Now-TV have changed their procedures PLEASE let me know so I can look further into the matter.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Sadly I am having the same issue. NOWTV not ported my number which I have had for 45 years. I feel like I have reached the end of the road now. My daughter has made a complaint on my behalf and was told I will get a response within 56 DAYS. I am flabbergasted and feel very let down. I would not recommend NOWTV to anyone.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I would be interested to know how your move went.  

 

For anyone moving they may be interested to have this clarification ; It is generally possible to move (or 'port') your existing number if you change service provider but do not move away from your local exchange area. 

 

If you move to a new address which is attached to a different exchange it is generally not possible to retain your old number, even if you stay with the same provider.  In some cases even moving one street away (or even across the street / road) would change your connection exchange. 

 

The numbers are 'owned' (in the UK) by BT-Openreach, not the subscriber or the service provider.  Openreach allocate blocks of numbers to service providers for allocation to new connections, but when the correct paperwork / procedures are followed a number may be transferred by them between providers.

 

(e.g. my 'lost' number was originally allocated by Openreach, as part of a block, to Virgin ; It was 'ported' over, on my behalf, when I switched to Talktalk - Now failed to action a port for me when I switched to them last week, and gave me a number from a block allocated to Sky!   Openreach tell me that they could reallocate the number if asked - but I cannot action this as I am not a Service Provider, and Now refuse to do so.)