BT have lost my phone number

[Normanthomson]

Please can someone help .

We have had to switch from Plusnet (who were brilliant) to BT for our Broadband and Landline.

Broadband connected no problem.

Our phone line was supposed to be transferred over on the 23rd October, AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME WE STILL HAVE NO LANDLINE.

We are a retail business with internet and phone ordering so LOTS of our sales comes via the telephone,

We have been calling for the last 3 weeks and keep being told that there was an issue with our account and the Cloud and that the order had to be cancelled and re booked and this would take 48 hours.

Every time we call (daily) we hold for at least 40 minutes or more and then explain the whole situation over again and we are told that it will be resolved and will take another 48 hours.

Today we have been told that our number is lost and we will have to have a new number. 
The lost number has been associated to our business for nearly 100 years. 
We have build our business around this number and BT are trying to destroy it in matter of week. 
But even worse NO ONE at BT cares in the slightest. 

Please can anyone give me some advice as to who I can contact who can sort this mess out.  We have called every BT number that we can find and have still not received any joy.

I have spoken to the ombudsman but they won’t get involved for at least 8 weeks. 

[AdamC]

Hi, 

I am very sorry about this. Can you message me directly with 

Your Full name

Contact mobile number 

Company name

Business Account number

Business Telephone number

Full Address including Postcode

I will call you and we can get this sorted out. Thank you, Adam

[LOSTnumberBYBT]

I have had a very similar experience to you over the last few weeks. My business landline has been unavailable since 2/11/23 - although I too still have working broadband and am still liable for Cloud Voice charges. I have had daily attempts to call BT enduring the 40 minute waits and having to start explaining the situation from scratch over and over and over again. Each time I am politely told that that it will certainly now be dealt with and fixed within 24-48 hours and each individual claims that they will now take responsibility for the fault and will call me back with an update - but that doesn't happen. Today the complaints team eventually did phone me on my mobile to say that MY NUMBER IS ALSO LOST and can't be re-instated and the only way that I can get a working landline back is if a new number is issued. We have had the number for almost 60 years and the impact of changing to a new number will be hugely detrimental to our small business where customers know our existing number without attempting to look it up. I agree that I am left with the impression that no one at BT Business cares at all - there is a culture of passing the buck on to someone else (by email which is then not picked up) and absolutely no accountability for any of the call handlers/advisors and no way for a business to obtain help when they urgently need it. Dealing with BT business has been unbelievably stressful and futile. I asked to have a call back from a manager today which did not happen and yesterday I was given an email contact so that I didn't have to go through the arduous phone route - but no-one replies to the emails.

I hope you have some success with Administrator AdamC but I fear that BT are not capable of finding numbers even when they are the effective owners or range holders of the numbers which should always bounce back to them. CHAOTIC ORGANISATION!!!

[LOSTnumberBYBT]

Hi Adam C

As I've also been told that my number has been lost and after 59 years I can only reinstate my landline if I take a new number. Can you please also sort the lost number for me?

(Project Reference PX29-DDLEHMI)

As of today BT have informed me that my number has been lost and with another provider (Sky). Sky have had confirmation that the number has bounced back to BT and I tend to believe them as they were very helpful and informative and unlike BT were forthcoming on detail. My experience of being fobbed off by BT call handlers over recent weeks makes me suspicious that this is happening again and its easier for BT to issue a new number than to search for and reinstate a de-activated one. My business will suffer greatly if the number is lost going forward and I can't believe it is impossible for BT to rectify this for me and the other business.

[AdamC]

Hi, 

I am very sorry about this. Can you message me directly with 

Your Full name

Contact mobile number 

Company name

Business Account number

Business Telephone number

Full Address including Postcode

If you send me this I can call you and the gain access to the account with you. Then I can assist. 

Thank you, Adam

[biofma]

Hi, did you ever get anywhere with this? Phone Number back or compensation? Any help from ombudsman?

I have had the same issue, BT have strung me along for months and wasted so much of my time only to say this week that they can now no longer reconnect my phone number which has been with us for decades. I have signage on the front of my business, lots of stationary, and obviously the social media, and internet sites that will need to be changed. I have wasted so much time, energy and wages for staff to try and sort this, only to be massively let down by BT.

[BethM]

Hi biofma

Can you please send over a private message with some account details so I can look into this for you?

[HMaccounts]

Hi,

We lost our telephone number during the transition to a different provider. After spending hours on the phone with BT, they informed me that the number could not be retrieved.

Can you please also sort out the lost number for me?

[BethM]

Hi HMaccounts

I have replied to your private message.

[AnotherLostNumb]

We have had a very similar issue. We’ve had our business number for decades and BT have lost it and are saying we can’t have it back. We were changing over from a copper landline to VOIP and our number got lost. All our vans are sign written and the business has only ever had this number. We haven’t had a phone line for weeks and BT just don’t care!!