No phone!! Grrrr

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 16:36

Today was the day I was supposed to get my BT line re-activated and my number ported over from NTL. Guess, what, neither my BT line or my NTL line are working. I can dial the number and it rings and rings, but no dial tone on either line. I did get a text message from BT saying they had switched the line over this morning. Well, if either of them think they are getting any money for a non-existant phone line for however long it continues, they're very much mistaken.

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 16:45

Hmmm, just read on the BT letter the fatal words: "provided your Telephone Operator has made your telephone number available to BT."
Now, I wonder what might have stopped my phones working? Of course I don't have a phone now to call anyone to do anything about it until tomorrow when I'm at work!

Shaun · 22-04-2004, 17:03

Can you not ring BT from your mobile, or a pay-phone (or even a friends (its a free call).

The number is 150 or 0800800150 from a non BT line.

HTH and you get it sorted

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 17:42

No good. F**king NTL!! BT say it's a porting issue and that the number porting department is closed after 6pm so I'll have to call tomorrow. I have just got off the phone with NTL. They initially wanted to book an engineer out for the line, but I told them I wasn't bothered about the line, that it was obviously a porting issue. After being on hold for 10 minutes the guy came back and said that BT have requested the number back, but it takes up to 10 days for a number to be ported across and as I was closing the account anyway, NTL just shut my line off. I said that I thought they would just give me a temporary number, give BT the number and just give me a temporary number. The NTL guy said it's BT's fault and they should have given me a temporary number while the number is switched over. I asked why it had been done the same day when I switched it from BT to NTL and he said it was because I closed the BT account on that day so there was no problem, but as NTL have effectively closed my account today, what's the difference? Jesus I'm pi$$ed off!!

Shaun · 22-04-2004, 17:45

From my experience of porting our number, Ntl shouldn't disconnect the line until BT instruct them to. As soon as you notify Ntl that you are porting (or BT do on your behalf) then they should know NOT to disconnect you as it causes problems with porting. Looks like another Ntl mess up sorry mate

Are BT going to sort it for you tomorrow?

Neil · 22-04-2004, 17:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble

After being on hold for 10 minutes the guy came back and said that BT have requested the number back, but it takes up to 10 days for a number to be ported across and as I was closing the account anyway, NTL just shut my line off.

Charming.

Quote:

I said that I thought they would just give me a temporary number, give BT the number and just give me a temporary number.

It should just be a seamless transition.

Quote:

The NTL guy said it's BT's fault and they should have given me a temporary number while the number is switched over.

That is b0llox I'm afraid.

Quote:

I asked why it had been done the same day when I switched it from BT to NTL and he said it was because I closed the BT account on that day so there was no problem, but as NTL have effectively closed my account today, what's the difference? Jesus I'm pi$$ed off!!

This should have been a painless experience......

Neil · 22-04-2004, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellwear

From my experience of porting our number, Ntl shouldn't disconnect the line until BT instruct them to. As soon as you notify Ntl that you are porting (or BT do on your behalf) then they should know NOT to disconnect you as it causes problems with porting. Looks like another Ntl mess up sorry mate

Are BT going to sort it for you tomorrow?

Dell-you & I both know how painless it is when you leave it to BT.

I'm with Dell, sounds like ntl fecked it up.....

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 18:05

To be honest, as soon as I came home, found out there was no dial tone on either line, I was pretty sure it was another NTL ****-up, but I didn't want to jump the gun entirely, but after the rubbish about taking 10 days to port a number over!! It doesn't take that long for a mobile number to be ported, let alone a landline. BT switched to NTL on the same day. Frankly, it doesn't surprise me that NTL couldn't do the same. Unfortunately, it's me who has to get things rolling by calling them up when it should be a seamless piece of work between NTL and BT. Anyway, I'm calling BT first thing and will call NTL afterwards and tell them to make sure I'm not being charged for my phoneline while they have cut me off!

Pritch · 22-04-2004, 20:04

Hmmm... interesting.

If your NTL line has been disconnected, without being exported, you'd normally get NU (unobtainable) when you call it, not ringtone, unless the jumper has been pulled in the cabinet, which is fairly unlikely (although not entirely beyond the realms of possiblity).

Also, it should be possible to provide a dialtone to the BT line, even if the port hasn't gone through yet.

Try this: Plug a phone into one of the lines, pick up the handset and blow into it. Try it with the other one. Can you hear yourself in the earpiece on each line?

Pritch · 22-04-2004, 20:30

Another thought: It sounds like the number you've got there was originally a BT number, not one that was allocated to you by NTL. Am I right?

In that case, NTL have nothing at all to do with exporting the number. Perhaps a little technical explanation of how a number port works would be in order?

When the number was ported to NTL, there would have been a request made to BT to have your calls transferred to the NTL switch. All calls into your line would still go through the BT switch, which would then bounce them out to NTL.

If you are taking this same number back to BT, then all BT have to do is remove the bit of information off their switch that bounces the calls out to us (the export datafill), and calls will route onto your BT line. Apart from ceasing the line, NTL don't have to do anything if you're returning to BT with the same number.

Shaun · 22-04-2004, 20:44

Pritch, what happens if Ntl cease the line too early doesn't that cause major problems??

Pritch · 22-04-2004, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellwear

Pritch, what happens if Ntl cease the line too early doesn't that cause major problems??

I have to be perfectly honest with you here, I'm not exactly sure of the procedures that go with an export to BT, only the technical details, but I can't see any reason for it to cause a problem.

However if, as I suspect, this is a BT number going back to BT (return to donor), then it's entirely in BT's hands. The worst thing that we can do is not cease our line (which is not the problem here, as op stated the line was dead), which would mean that local NTL subscribers wouldn't be able to call it because the calls would route onto the NTL line, not the BT one.

Shaun · 22-04-2004, 20:56

Thanks for sharing your expertise with us Prich (it's much appreciated), I'm sure it'll all get sorted in the end. Lets hope its sooner than later though

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 21:04

Yes, it was a BT number ported to NTL. I can go a day or two without a phoneline, but it was just a really aggravating to get home from the most boring conference at work today to have not only the BT line not working, but the NTL one gone too. It will obviously get sorted out somehow, but I just want to be sure neither of these companies charge me for something they're both failing to provide me with. It's 22 days of my NTL contract left with no phone. I didn't give any instructions to close the line down, just wanted to have the number back on BT again. I got a text message form BT this morning. There is a helpline on that, which I will call tomorrow and hopefully get it sorted.

Charlie_Bubble · 22-04-2004, 21:15

I now think it is not an NTL fault, but a BT fault. Yesterday if I entered my number on the BT site to check for ADSL it said it wasn't a BT number, but today it says I can get it. I will have to get onto BT tomorrow and shout at them.