Number swapping.

[Jeffrsnapln]

Question for any vodacom okes who troll this forum:

Vodacom say they can change my cell number on my Vodacom contract for R285.00, but can only change it to a brand new number that has never been used. If I have a prepaid Vodacom number that I would like to use, why can't they give that number to the contract?

 

[Ockie]

Question for any vodacom okes who troll this forum:

Vodacom say they can change my cell number on my Vodacom contract for R285.00, but can only change it to a brand new number that has never been used. If I have a prepaid Vodacom number that I would like to use, why can't they give that number to the contract?

That is correct.

1. You can change your number to a new number (not a existing prepaid number) if you are on a Weekender or above contract (Top Up can not change their numbers)
2. Existing prepaid number may be converted into a new contract to enable prepaid clients to retain their number when switching to contract
3. You can not swop numbers that is already in use, for example change contract number to a prepaid number already active on the network.

 

[Jeffrsnapln]

That is correct.

1. You can change your number to a new number (not a existing prepaid number) if you are on a Weekender or above contract (Top Up can not change their numbers)
2. Existing prepaid number may be converted into a new contract to enable prepaid clients to retain their number when switching to contract
3. You can not swop numbers that is already in use, for example change contract number to a prepaid number already active on the network.

That's what they told me. My question is why won't they use an already existing number? I have no doubt that its possible. I get that they may be trying to force people in this situation to take out new contracts in order to make more money out of them but in my case it impacts them negatively. The Voda contract concerned is currently unused. The prepaid number is currently a Cell C contact that is ending and I thought to port it to voda prepaid just to keep it.

I want to use the Voda contract in place of the Cell C one, but don't want to change my number.

So this clever little rule of theirs is encouraging me to stay with cell c (In principle that is, nothing in the world could persuade me to actually stay with Cell c), and preventing them from making more money out of me.

 

[isie]

That's what they told me. My question is why won't they use an already existing number? I have no doubt that its possible. I get that they may be trying to force people in this situation to take out new contracts in order to make more money out of them but in my case it impacts them negatively. The Voda contract concerned is currently unused. The prepaid number is currently a Cell C contact that is ending and I thought to port it to voda prepaid just to keep it.

I want to use the Voda contract in place of the Cell C one, but don't want to change my number.

So this clever little rule of theirs is encouraging me to stay with cell c (In principle that is, nothing in the world could persuade me to actually stay with Cell c), and preventing them from making more money out of me.

are you planing on porting the cell c number to vodacom and then taking out a new vodacom contract with that cell c number ? thats alowed.

 

[Ockie]

That's what they told me. My question is why won't they use an already existing number? I have no doubt that its possible. I get that they may be trying to force people in this situation to take out new contracts in order to make more money out of them but in my case it impacts them negatively. The Voda contract concerned is currently unused. The prepaid number is currently a Cell C contact that is ending and I thought to port it to voda prepaid just to keep it.

I want to use the Voda contract in place of the Cell C one, but don't want to change my number.

So this clever little rule of theirs is encouraging me to stay with cell c (In principle that is, nothing in the world could persuade me to actually stay with Cell c), and preventing them from making more money out of me.

The system draws numbers from a pool of "available" numbers. This pool consists of numbers that has been recycled or numbers that have never been used. It is not possible to change to a number that is "marked" as active on the system. It takes a few months after a number has been de-activated before it gets recycled and goes back into the pool of available numbers. Can you imagine the consternation it would cause if operators could just swop numbers around? Peopl's numbers could be stolen etc etc. Vodacom has a responsibility to protect itself and its clients against such things.

 

[Funjunkie]

Managed to get my MTN prepaid no changed to a contract number a few years ago. It was a new contract though.
I think MTN marketed it as "Number for life".

 

[Jeffrsnapln]

are you planing on porting the cell c number to vodacom and then taking out a new vodacom contract with that cell c number ? thats alowed.

No I wanted to port the cell C number to vodacom and then replace the existing voda contract number with the ported cell c number.

 

[Jeffrsnapln]

The system draws numbers from a pool of "available" numbers. This pool consists of numbers that has been recycled or numbers that have never been used. It is not possible to change to a number that is "marked" as active on the system. It takes a few months after a number has been de-activated before it gets recycled and goes back into the pool of available numbers. Can you imagine the consternation it would cause if operators could just swop numbers around? Peopl's numbers could be stolen etc etc. Vodacom has a responsibility to protect itself and its clients against such things.

Yes, I appreciate the possibility of fraudulent swapping etc. I wouldn't have thought that it would be a problem if all the credentials are above board etc.

Anyway, its not the end of the world, I just wondered why they wouldn't do it. i'd rather change my cell number every week than stay with cell c.