Home phone - Is this right?

Hi,

In the process of moving my phone service over to plusnet. When I called to arrange everything I forgot to ask to have my number made ex-directory (as it currently is with BT).

I raised a ticket yesterday asking for this to be done and was told that I'd have to wait until after the service is switched (29th Dec) then re-request.

That doesn't sound right to me?!? Surely it can be done during the order process.

Is it me?

Ticket number is #49859364 if that's any help

I believe that we perform these transfers 'like-for-like' so if you are currently ex-directory then you should stay like that. To change the status needs to be done once the order has completed (we can't easily modify an order that's already in progress).

Thanks for the prompt reply Chris.

is there any way of checking?

Yep, I've asked Adam to take a check.

Thanks again

Hi there,

I've just checked the original order we placed to transfer your service over to us and can see that we did request the line to be kept as ex-directory.

Sorry for any confusion.

Edited by deleted (Thu 15-Dec-11 11:11:08)

Brilliant!! Thanks for that.

Is it worth introducing the question to the sales/ordering process?

For that matter, they could ask if you want to keep number withheld and do you want to keep caller Id, instead of having to do it in the control panal once the line in changed over.

Post deleted by Metronet_James

Edited by deleted (Thu 15-Dec-11 13:00:36)

Hi,

I can flag to the teams, however this should essentially be a non issue as all of our automated phone orders are now placed ex-directory.

Blimey - 3 isp reps here this morning

Must all be after their Christmas bonuses

Edited by deleted (Thu 15-Dec-11 13:15:33)

In reply to a post by Metronet_James:

I can flag to the teams, however this should essentially be a non issue as all of our automated phone orders are now placed ex-directory.

?
Are you saying that if I migrated my phone and broadband to you, entirely through your website, then I would automatically become ex-directory? Even though I am not at the moment?

That would be quite likely, yes.

We can easily reverse the directory listing though. In today's climate of data security consciousness we decided that this was a sensible one and I for one have dealt with a number of complaints from people who thought (for an apparent reason) that they were ex-directory.

Do customers get told this during signup? It's a bit late afterwards, particularly if it happens in the short period that the relevant Phone Book may have gone to print.

What about people on business connections?

How frequently are all the various Directory Enquiry services updated? Are they oalmost immediate? I suppose they have to be .

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 15-Dec-11 14:19:09)

I'm 99% certain that this doesn't apply to businesses.

I don't believe it's covered anywhere within the signup journey, but I also do not believe that we are obliged to place someone in any of the directories. I understand where you're coming from though.

The directory entries are generally updated within a working day or so. On the odd occasion we need to ask them to remove someone nicely, but it's generally pretty swift.

In reply to a post by Metronet_James:

... I also do not believe that we are obliged to place someone in any of the directories.

That's a very strong statement! I would be extremely surprised if OfCom don't require it, but have to admit I haven't checked.

Going ex-directory is regarded by most people as an optional feature to be requested, not a default that requires reversing. And if it isn't even notified to the customer ....

Edit - interestingly, I've just seen an almost certainly correct statement that in 2008 54% of residential numbers were ex-directory !!!!??

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 15-Dec-11 15:41:52)

Perhaps it may have been a touch on the strong side - what I meant is that I have not seen anything statement that it is a requirement. I've just scoured through the Ofcom General Conditions and I think this is covered in GC8 as something we should do if asked, but it's mainly focusing customers having access to a directory.

It's definitely covered in GC19, which states (in my view) that we have to comply to directory requests form our customers, however does not state that we have to apply a directory listing by default.

Here's the "compressed" version if you're interested:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/telecoms/g...

I believe we have work planned for some stage next year to make this an option via our sales journey.

Been dog-walking .

That edit of mine in the previous post was from an OfConm stakeholder consultation doc, objecting to proposals to get rid of OSIS, and the inadequacies of GC19, (as it was at the time), as a replacement. OSIS would seem to be or have been the underlying landline number record for the UK.

As you say, the easily available info seems to be aimed at the provision of directory access. However that has to be pointless if the directories themselves cannot be guaranteed comprehensive. Particularly as people now pay to access them. Incomplete directories being charged for would have to be "obtaining money by false pretences".

I shall find something, sometime .

Edit - 2 typos.

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 15-Dec-11 17:13:53)

We recently moved our line from another provider to BT and they automatically made us ex-directory without asking. We had to request to be put back in again.

This is staggering!

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Edit - interestingly, I've just seen an almost certainly correct statement that in 2008 54% of residential numbers were ex-directory !!!!??

often wondered why the phone book was getting smaller when the population was getting bigger

It's all those unsolicited marketing calls we get!

Plus they are printing it on thinner paper in such a small unreadable font!

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

Plus they are printing it on thinner paper in such a small unreadable font!

It's now sponsored by Specsavers

Where do I find their number?

I think that there's is genuinely more and more people who just don't want to be in it these days.

More and more people are getting more and more conscious about their data security. I know I wouldn't want to be in the phone book. But then I don't use a landline phone!

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Where do I find their number?

The print is a bit bigger here