I'm elderly...please help me if you can

[Caroline]

Hello... I am an elderly woman who has tried to move from Vodafone to Smarty, and my number has not transferred across.

The man on the chat said it was 'stuck' and that I need to wait 5 days for the 'back end' team to sort out the glitch.

I don't have a landline anymore so I can't call anyone now! 

If I have an emergency I can't call my doctor.

I asked the man on chat to get it fixed quicker, as I am elderly and now isolated with no means of communication, but he said I have to wait five days.  I can't believe it.

He told me to call Smarty accessibility help line..!  How can I do that when I have no phone!

Oh dear.  I want this escalated as urgent, but I don't see how.. the man on chat just ended the conversation and left.  I think he wanted to go home.  Benjamin.. that was his name.

I need this sorting right away.. I need to be able to call people 😧

Oh I wished I had stayed where I was now 😢

I saw someone talking to @Natalie in another chat... she seemed super kind and helpful.. I think I need her help?

[Bryan]

First time I've heard of numbers being stuck. I searched Google with the line: 'can a phone number be stuck when transferring' and got some interesting results. Have you searched yourself for answers?

AI says: 

What to do if your number is stuck:

1. Verify Information:

Double-check all information provided to the new carrier to ensure accuracy.

2. Check for Missing Documentation:

Ensure all necessary documents have been submitted. 

3. Contact the Carriers:

Reach out to both the old and new carriers' customer support for assistance. They can investigate the issue and provide updates. 

4. Consider a Temporary Number: 

If the transfer is taking a long time, consider getting a temporary number to use in the meantime. 

5. Stop the Port (if needed):

If the transfer is not desired, you can ask a customer support agent to stop the porting request. 

These results only scratch the surface. I would certainly verify the information you've submitted as the first move.

Hope you get this sorted if not already.

[Caroline]

12 (TWELVE) days now and counting.

All 12 days that I've been with SMARTY

Number has [allegedly] now completed the port from Vodafone.

However, I cannot make OR receive calls.

Data and SMS fine.

Back and forth with people on chat and email.. everyone just seems to be a message deliverer, rather than have any valuable contribution.  I send a message, they send it to the "back end team".

The "back end team" respond and the message deliverer emails me for more info.

It is clearly a split port/routing issue.  But how the hell do I get someone to sort it out?

I sooooo wish I hadn't joined SMARTY.

I am old and vulnerable and my husband has dementia - I am so worried that I can't call anybody if I need to.

I only moved provider to save money... 😞

 Any thoughts? 

[MSF]

@Caroline I think that you should raise a Complaint then and point out vulnerability as you have a potential medical need for a phone working.

[MSF]

@Caroline  When you initially activated your sim, you would have been allocated a random mobile number. This number should be visible on your Account Dashboard (until your original number is transferred across).

This means that you certainly can use your phone to make and receive calls. The only downside is that your number will show to people as the random one and not your usual number.

I know it doesn't help, but there seem to be a number of people whose transfer has not happened in timely fashion - no idea why though.

[Caroline]

Thanks for your reply.  Sadly I cannot make calls.  I get a message saying you do not have permission to use this service.  I do receive incoming calls though, made to my old number.

It feels like it has 'half transferred'

[MSF]

@Caroline The numbers you are trying to call, are they standard 01, 02, 03 UK numbers?

If you are calling a company, sometimes they have internet based numbers. There can at times be a problem in connecting and I think that this is due to the call going from your mobile system to a landline system and then onto an internet system. I have experienced this and when I retried later on all was fine.

As a test, can you make a call to a standard mobile number perhaps (friend/family) just to check?

If calls are coming in when dialled to your old number, then it looks like the transfer has happened - you should see this on your account dashboard.

Don't worry about being elderly....some of us are well past our first flush of youth. Mobile phones are not the preserve of the young and remember that youth is wasted on the young (Oscar Wilde I think). 

[Caroline]

These are outgoing calls to my son's mobile.  I'll try his landline

UPDATE: Same outcome.
'You have not been registered for this service'