Sorry tale of 2 phone companies

[Anonymous]

This is a long and sorry tale of 2 phone providers, bear with me.

I had a contract with O2 for a long time and wanted an iphone. After lots of problems with CS I decided to go with orange because O2 were only really offering the same deals as a new customer.
On Saturday I took out an iphone contract with orange and got my pac code from o2. I quickly found out that I had no signal at all at home and orange agreed to cancel the contract and refund the money paid so far. On Monday the phone went back to the shop, I got a refund - all sorted.

I then went to the O2 shop and took out a new contract (keeping the existing number). Took my new iphone home.

All was well until today when my number was ported over to orange, even though I have no contract or phone with them. I now have a phone but can't use it. Rang O2 CS to be told that the system shows I have cancelled the contract and in a few weeks will be billed for the whole of the 18mth contract :mansurprised:

So I have been told they cannot restart the contract, I have to go back to the shop, hand back this (2nd) iphone, cancel the contract and start all over again.

To say I am ****** off by this is an understatement - especially since its an 80 mile round trip to the shop. I am becoming an expert in setting up then wiping iphones though.....

[Anonymous]

The problem is than when you returned the phone to Orange and cancelled your Orange contract. Orange forgot to cancel the port of your number from O2. When the port took place, it cancelled your O2 contract.
You need to complain very strongly to Orange, they have caused you a great deal of hassle.

[jonsie]

Yes, all of your problems are down to Orange. You may need the Orange number attached to their iphone in order to get the number back. Not sure if Orange can just cancel the port or need an O2 sim card to port the number to.

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking that when I go in to the shop to cancel the o2 contract and then start all over again, I'll just get a new number and then I won't have any more bother. If I get orange to port the number back to o2 it may never get sorted.

[Anonymous]

The number will be sitting on Orange's system as an orphaned number. So they can (and should) be able to port it back to O2. Left to itself, it will eventually be handed back to whichever network it was originally allocated to.

[Anonymous]

Update:
I went back to the o2 shop, handed back the phone, got a refund and cancelled the contract. Then started all over again, iphone no. 3 and another new contract with a brand new number.

On Sat got an email to say a bill for £540 was on its way (the cost of the 18mth contract all in one go). Trying to make someone at CS update their system is like pulling teeth. The saga goes on....

[Anonymous]

Did you complain to Orange as we suggested?