BT changed my landline number by mistake and it’s my lifeline

theguardian.com:

Unbeknown to me, when BT installed fibre in my home, it changed my landline number which I’ve had for seven years. Anyone who calls now goes through to a BT voicemail telling them to leave a message. So friends and relatives have been leaving messages for two weeks but I have been unable to access them.

After several calls to BT, I was told that a mistake had been made and that I would have to wait a fortnight, then call again to see if I could get my number back. In vain did I point out that, since it made the mistake, it should be contacting me. I’ve spent hours on the phone being passed between agents who usually conclude that they can’t help me and cut me off.

I live alone and I got so upset during one frustrating call that I burst into tears and had to end it.JM, Witchford, Cambridgeshire

You depend on your landline to keep in touch with family and it’s shocking that BT was content to let you remain cut off from your lifeline. You were able to make calls out on your new number, but short of ringing your entire contacts book and your financial, retail and health providers, you faced missing all inward calls while the company dithered.

You wrote to me in desperation three days after you discovered the problem and I alerted BT. That same afternoon you were contacted by the executive office and your line was reinstated four days later. But that wasn’t the end of the saga. When calls resumed to your old number your voicemail was mysteriously deactivated. This time BT acted swiftly, supplied new handsets and supported you until your phone was fully operational. BT was contacted for a comment.

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