[Steve Chapman]

Hi,

Does anyone know if you move to a different area whether you can rent your existing number still ?

And how you go about it ?

Im being told I'll have to have a new number if i move but for obvious reasons need to keep the existing one ,  im sure theres a way of still renting your old number and having it diverted etc ?


Any ideas

Regards
Steve

[derek west]

from my experience, no.
luckily when i moved out of our exchange, i had a mate who never used his phone line so i used his line and diverted it to my new number, i've moved again back into the exchange so i have it back at home now.

[Ian Gourlay]

I know some companies appear to get a message saying number is discontiued please dial but how its done I have no idea

[Jim_77]

Course you can Steve

There are lots of companies around who can do this for you.  You need two services - "number porting" and "remote call forwarding".

You would need to contact a telecoms firm to provide the service for you, such as http://www.callsuretelecom.co.uk/ (I use this one, they are pretty good but I'm sure there are plenty others out there)

You'll get some paperwork from them. Inform your current provider you wish to port your number, and get the forms filled out.  You'll need to provide the number you wish the calls to be forwarded to (e.g. your new landline number)

Normally takes a week or two for the number to port over (you current provider may drag their heels)

I think the porting costs a one-off £20 and the remote call forwarding £4 a month.  You're charged per minute for the forwarded calls obviously, but the rates are very reasonable.  Well worth it.

It can be a little bit of a faff to get this set up, but once you're set up that's it, forget about it

[Steve Chapman]

Thats interesting Jim,

I spoke both to Talk Talk and BT and got absolutely no where with them, they both said it cant be done and were extremely unhelpful,

Are you saying you can port a number to a new phone number even if you dont have the original line anymore ?

BT told me the only way i could keep that number is if i physically had a line connected to a premises in that exchange area, ?

Does this work even though its a residential number ?


Regards
Steve

[cleanability]

Just get a friend/relative in your old exchange area to let you have a line in their place. Been doing it for years. Its on permanent divert and all correspondence for the number from BT come to you so they'd never even notice theres an extra line in their place.

Chris

PS dont ask Talktalk to do anything complicated they'll damn it up. They did with me  :

[cleanability]

Ok "mess" it up then

[derek west]

Thats interesting Jim,

I spoke both to Talk Talk and BT and got absolutely no where with them, they both said it cant be done and were extremely unhelpful,

Are you saying you can port a number to a new phone number even if you dont have the original line anymore ?

BT told me the only way i could keep that number is if i physically had a line connected to a premises in that exchange area, ?
Does this work even though its a residential number ?


Regards
Steve

i got the same response steve when i had the same problem, bt said it couldn't be done. but ive just checked out jims suggestion and it seems it can be done, here the page, got to be worth a call http://www.callsuretelecom.co.uk/porting_phone_and_fax_numbers.html

[Steve Chapman]

Yep certainly on the surface it does seem like its possible ?

Will give them a call and see what they say ?  -  Just cant believe BT  would blatantly lie and say theres no way it can be done !  :

Must be getting old 

Talk Talk just said they couldnt port any numbers to anywhere, so im saying goodbye to them and going back to BT, at least that way if I can port im with the best provider to do it ,


Ive had the same number for over 20 years so its gotta be worth me trying to keep it and paying if i have to


Regards
Steve

[Doug Holloway]

Steve

I had a similar problem even though I only moved 2 miles, BT said no way.

I parked my line in my daughters shop and put it on permanent divert to a bt mobile, which only works out at £30 a month for a Blackberry.

Cheers

Doug

[Paul Moss]

Doug is it this shop 
http://www.harmonysouthend.com/

[AshWhite]

A sex shop? I just e-mailed them and asked them to send me £10 worth 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Paul

No it's not but I could tell you a few stories about it, used to live next door to the owner !!

Cheers

Doug

[Paul Moss]

  Now why don't I get to live next door to places like that. Life is so unfair

[Steve. Taylor]

They do a rabbit thats great for agitation, according to the wife

[Art of Clean]

If you are not under contract with BT anymore (usualy 12 - 24 months after install) you can port the number to another provider. If you go for Vonage - www.vonage.co.uk - they will port it for about £20 and then charge you about £8.99 per month and you get free local and some international calls - Nice bit is diverts to landline numbers (01and 02) is FREE so if you use a answering service you can divert free.

Phone Vonage and ask - 0800 008 6000

[peter maybury]

This has been a problem for me over the years as we have had several different addresses both commercial properties as well as moving home. There was times when I was paying rental for 5 landlines and the cost of forwarding.  This is where 0800 and 0845 numbers come into their own for those that do not want to phone an 08 number from mobiles you always advertise a mobile alongside an 08 number.
Things are a lot easier and cheaper than they used to be, the vodaphone package for taking local numbers diverted to your mobile is a good way of building an area within reasonable travelling distance to your own. The gateway that we have offers us even more possibility s without extra cost by converting a landline call to a mobile call.   

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[Jim_77]

Steve you can't just port your number to a new line and it'll keep your old number.  You need a brand new line installed with a brand new number, then port your old number to the call forwarding company, so it doesn't actually physically exist anywhere.  Then they use the remote call forwarding to send calls to your old number via their system to your new line.

Sounds a bit complicated but in reality it's pretty simple.  Just "fit and forget"