Porting of number from TalkTalk

[mctdar]

I have been a TalkTalk customer for about 13 years. Recently in my area (Somerset), a local FTTP company (Truespeed) has been offering 300mbps broadband for £25 per month on a 12-month contract.

I took up the offer and my new service was installed on 24th April. I completed a number-porting form and Truespeed submitted it to TalkTalk on 5th May. Since then, nothing has happened. I called TalkTalk on Thursday 18th May and was transferred three times and was finally told that no porting request had been received. I know thats not correct and I have a £15 porting fee to prove it.

Because my number is still with TalkTalk, I am still being billed and have just paid another months fee. This means that I am paying two broadband providers each month.

According to OfCom, switching broadband supplier and porting of a phone number should be a relatively quick and 'painless' process. Something has clearly gone wrong here and so could this be checked for me please.

The new Provider (Truespeed) gives a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, which expires on 23rd May and so I may have to cancel it on Monday 22nd, await a response from TalkTalk and then place another order with Truespeed.

This is not a 'relatively quick and painless' process is It?

Thanks for any help.

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Do you know what date they requested the line?  We would normally see an "unsolicited cease request" which is another provider requesting the line, We have not received this   Does the new provider use the BT network? 

[mctdar]

Hi Arne,

Thank you for the response and advice.

Unfortunately, I am still in a 'catch-22' situation.

The following statement is copied and pasted from an email that I received from the new provider today:-

Once you have received the confirmed porting date you can contact your previous supplier to advise; they should have received the request (as they've confirmed it) and close down your account once the porting is completed.

Please note: We are only able to port from live services (the line must be active) and the order will fail if the line has already been cancelled.

To recap,  TalkTalk advise that I should cancel my account first and yet Truespeed (new provider) advise that the number can only be ported from a live service. You will appreciate that this in bonkers and I have been left not knowing what to do!?!?

Would you please re-check and advise further. Thank you.

Tim

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi @mctdar

Sorry that you are having problems. 

I've checked and cannot find any migration orders for your line. FTTP number porting is still problematic at this time, I suspect that the new provider will be able to claim the number once its has been released which will only happen once your account is cancelled, call the loyalty team on 03451720088 to place the cancellation. 

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

[mctdar]

Thank you. 
Let’s hope that something can be sorted out relatively quickly. 
I have been very happy with my 13 years with TalkTalk and I don’t want to leave on a sour note🤞

[ferguson]

I suggest you wait for further advice from the TalkTalk support team and your topic has been flagged for their attention. They won't be  back online until Monday though I'm afraid.

[mctdar]

Thanks for the advice. 
I did complete a porting of number form and this was returned to my new provider who then sent it onto TalkTalk via the correct means. 
After two weeks without any sign of the porting taking place, I called TalkTalk and was passed from Loyalty to Customer Service and back to Loyalty. That’s when I was told that TalkTalk had t received the form from Truespeed. 
So now I have my new provider telling me that they have done everything correctly and that the porting form has been sent to TalkTalk, but TalkTalk tell me no such form has been received. 
In the meantime, I’m paying for two providers. 
I want to keep my number as I’ve had it for around 23 years, even before switching to TalkTalk in 2010. So how do I get this sorted out? It’s absolute madness and frustrating. 
Thanks. 

[Gliwmaeden2]

@mctdar, Talktalk's own guidelines about cancellation do advise that you also contact Talktalk to ensure that all is in order for the switch, final bill etc, as this has become overly complicated while the technology is changing throughout the land, with different companies. 

Full guidelines are here:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Cancel-your-TalkTalk-service/ta-p/2204737

The text that advises you to do this is here:

 

[ferguson]

No it isn't quick and painless. The Ofcom switching process is woefully outdated and was aimed at switching providers on the Openreach network. Anything else was more complicated and has become more so with the burgeoning number of Full Fibre providers. in the meantime you need to play it by ear. You will probably need to cancel with TalkTalk directly, which you can only do by calling them. It is a shame that your new provider does not seem to be clued up on all this.