Big Problem - hope this is the best place to post!

I would be so grateful if anyone could give me some advice here or point me in the direction of someone who can!

A customer of mine who has his own farm ordered broadband on his line just before christmas. When he phoned up BT to order he was told that his current line would not support broadband and the only way he would be able to get it would be to have a new line installed with a new phone number. (the broadband checker said that he could get broadband of up to 1 meg on his exisiting line). He had some misgivings about this because he didnt want to pay two lots of line rental and he also didnt want to change his phone number so he asked if he could get the new phone line, get broadband on it and then switch his old number to his new line. He was told this would be fine and so he went ahead and ordered. He had his new line put in and the broadband was activated on it and working well. However when he phoned back to swap the numbers he was told this wasnt possible. A few weeks later his new phoneline was disconnected and his broadband was gone. He is now left with 2 lines - his original number with no broadband and a new number with no phone or broadband.

I`m unsure about the best way to help him - according to the bt website he can get broadband on his original line so i`m tempted just to order it on that and hope it works. I have tried just getting the old number transferred to the new line and then ordering the broadband after that but cant get any sense from bt on this.

Any help would be much appreicated!

I think I would try just orderinng on the original line and see what heppens.

That does leave you with the second line, but as that was only ordered on the basis that ADSL would not work on the orignal, (and there will be emails\call recordings to back this up) if you get ADSL working you have a good case for ceasing the new line without charge.

PM the user BT_Care on here.

Why was the new line disconnected? Have BT given a reason?


As for transferring numbers - it can be done, you just need to be lucky and get a person who understands the requirement.

there is another facility whereby a second number can be overlaid on an existing line - so there are effectively two numbers which have different ring cadences. If service can be restored to the second line then arrange for the first to be terminated and the number moved across to the second line. I just cannot think of the service name that BT uses but it can be done.

Call Sign

That's the one.

In reply to a post by shtu:

you have a good case for ceasing the new line without charge.

Sounds as if it already is. He said it was disconnected and had no phone.

Complete with a bill for terminating before the contract was up. Not daft this BT group. It would be much easier if they just didn't pretend they are all separate. They also share the same bank account as far as I can tell.
I 'lost' my number a few years ago when I department terminated the line at the same time as another changes something. Two days later I got the promised if you don't... you service wil be terminated letter, my number had disappeared into the pot, but I did have another line I could use. You really can't make it up, can you?

you cannot request a specific number on callsign.

If you have the numbers already you can, or you could in the past. I have arranged that on several occasions.

ok we need to find out what happened to the new line first thast had working bb on it.

i would guess that the new line still "has a working bb service on it" this would be according to bt retails billing systems but when you requested the renumber they have not done this right for you and openreach have bodged the job in the exchange and a simple call should sort that problem out.

Next would be dealing witht the "first line cant carry bb issue" why not ? get the call recordingslistened in to this iwll allow you out of the secodn line contract if this proves to be false.

As for callsign you cannot ask for a specific number to be allocated to this service so this is a no go for you.

You can renumber the secodn line with the first line number bu this is now a very difficult task due tot the different systems BT Retail now use as they no longer have acces tot the openreach ones, it is doable but you need ot speak to the right people to get it done.