Mobile Phone Number Changing

peter413

Right, looking at trying to get a new Iphone 4S to replace my 3GS to give myself a bit more memory space. I'm on a contract on my 3GS that still has a year left on it and the 4S would be a completely new contract on a different network.

My question is, is it possible to change my number from my existing contract to the new one but still keep the existing contract with a new number for my brother to use? Hopefully someone will know, I'm finding it difficult to find the answer anywhere else and don't quite trust the guys in Carphone Warehouse to know the answer.

thekickingmule

Yes it is. You need the PAC code off your old phone and the new one, and you want them to swap numbers. The best thing to do is phone your network provider and ask them, they'll explain it in more detail as to how it will work, how long it will take etc.

peter413

So basically I just have to go through the normal procedure of changing just the one number but do it for them both. Brilliant, thanks.

Chunkers1980

Don't get it? Why do you need a PAC code? They have different sims so just get the new one as not micro, give that to your bro in the gs and then get a new micro card for your one that is currently in the gs to go In the 4s

peter413

Chunkers1980 wrote:

Don't get it? Why do you need a PAC code? They have different sims so just get the new one as not micro, give that to your bro in the gs and then get a new micro card for your one that is currently in the gs to go In the 4s

Not quite sure what you mean?

thekickingmule

Chunkers1980 wrote:

Don't get it? Why do you need a PAC code? They have different sims so just get the new one as not micro, give that to your bro in the gs and then get a new micro card for your one that is currently in the gs to go In the 4s

But doesn't that mean the his bro gets the new contract in the old phone? What if OP wants the new contract as he gets more for it? He'd need to swap numbers then.

peter413

Ah I get you now. Yes I do want the new contract because it has far more data and minutes, he only needs the unlimited texts. Correct me if I'm wrong as well but wouldn't I need to get both phones unlocked to be able to do that as well since they are on different networks?

thekickingmule

Yeah, if you swapped the SIMs you would need to unlock them (I think, I'm no expert at this). But if you want to swap them, you'd need the PAC code for a new network

peter413

Well apparently it can't be done. Only one number can be changed over and once that's done, that would cancel the contract that the number has come from meaning I would need to pay the excess (supposedly the rest of the contract price which is another year :shock: ). Guess I'll just need to put up with a having a different number.

Another thing I found out is Orange's customer service is terrible. A lot of computer generated questions, none of which were relevant to what I was needing to know and when I did finally get through to a person, it was some indian woman who I could barely understand a word of and she barely had a clue what I was asking, pretty sure she started going through the process of canceling my contract, never once telling me of any excess. Luckily the guys in the shop seemed to know their stuff.

Northwind

To be fair, I hardly ever understand wtf you're talking about, it's not just an indian callcentre thing.

Sadly once you're in a mobile phone contract, generally the only way out is via a massive shafting.

peter413

That's the thing though, I wasn't trying to get out of it, just change the number over so that when you inevitably forget what number I have, you don't accidently start sending stuff to my brother, could end badly

thekickingmule

Surely you can change the number on any contract if you wish to? Go into a shop and ask, I'm also certain you can. You may need a third SIM to do it though (this is what I had to do, but I was moving inside the same company).
So then you swap your number onto the third SIM, this shouldn't cancel your contract as far as I'm aware, then you can move it from there to your new contract.

If you can't, then that's stupid. If you're prepared to pay for both contracts, why shouldn't you be allowed to move numbers? I really do hate mobile companies.

peter413

The woman at Orange said there was no way of keeping my contract and changing the number to a different contract. I can change the number on the contract though so I'll just be doing that so my brother doesn't have my old number and he can keep his old pay as you go number. Such a ballache having to let everyone know your new number though.

thekickingmule

Great way of losing anyone you can't stand though!

I had a similar problem with Orange, tried moving my number from one contract to another (within Orange). It was a real ballache and it took ages, until the woman at the end of the process did it in about 5 minutes :roll:

projectsome

TL;DR

just use call forwarding