Why can't I 'SWAP' my two numbers?

[JerryMungo]

I have two Cell C contracts, one includes BIS and one doesn't. Because I needed a new phone in advance of my wife and her upgrade came first, I upgraded her contract and took the new phone. A month later I got her the Blackberry she always wanted. The problem is that the Blackberry contract comes with BIS included. Now I pay R60 pm for BIS in my contract and I obviously can't use it with my Android handset. I have tagged BIS on her contract at an extra R60. I have to tag a data bundle for R50 pm onto mine for the Android stuff.

All I want cell C to do is swap our numbers - both contracts are in my name. It cannot be done. I don't get why not. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted something like this.

Can anyone in the know explain why this is the case?

Thanks!

 

[PsyWulf]

Exceptional use case,you made a 24month headache for yourself because you couldn't wait a month ^ Technically doable but a ridiculous amount of work from and admin and technical standpoint

 

[_Jakes_]

its not just Cell C, my vodacom contract is expiring end of april and I want to move my number over to an extra contract that my wife has on her name-not possible.

 

[JerryMungo]

Exceptional use case,you made a 24month headache for yourself because you couldn't wait a month ^ Technically doable but a ridiculous amount of work from and admin and technical standpoint

Obviously it wasn't thought out from the start. It's not the end of the world but man, something that simple should just be... that simple.

 

[Chevron]

I have two Cell C contracts, one includes BIS and one doesn't. Because I needed a new phone in advance of my wife and her upgrade came first, I upgraded her contract and took the new phone. A month later I got her the Blackberry she always wanted. The problem is that the Blackberry contract comes with BIS included. Now I pay R60 pm for BIS in my contract and I obviously can't use it with my Android handset. I have tagged BIS on her contract at an extra R60. I have to tag a data bundle for R50 pm onto mine for the Android stuff.

All I want cell C to do is swap our numbers - both contracts are in my name. It cannot be done. I don't get why not. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted something like this.

Can anyone in the know explain why this is the case?

Thanks!

Why not just swap sim cards?

 

[Nerfherder]

Why not just cancel the bolt on BIS on the one number and put it on the other number ?

With VC you can migrate between the BB contract and a normal contract at any time. ie Move from BB talk 100 to talk 100

 

[PsyWulf]

Obviously it wasn't thought out from the start. It's not the end of the world but man, something that simple should just be... that simple.

Not quite so simple as editing an excel sheet and being done with it

The numbers are linked to sim cards,contracts,bill payer information,contract owners. Sweeping changes on primary records would have to be updated through every inherited record not to mention recordkeeping ( in 5 years time you may want a history of calls made on "this" contract but the numbers were swapped,would be quite a confusing query,instead of select * where number = cellnumber1 )

 

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Why not just swap sim cards?

^ This

 

[JerryMungo]

Why not just swap sim cards?

My number is on my business card, has been on my office email sig for 7 years and is on a bunch of people's phones in about 11+ countries so it's just not practical sadly.

Why not just cancel the bolt on BIS on the one number and put it on the other number ?

With VC you can migrate between the BB contract and a normal contract at any time. ie Move from BB talk 100 to talk 100

It came as a package with a 9360 BB at R200 a month including 100 minutes talk and BIS. I don't think they'll let me take the BIS out as it's supposedly included 'for free'. They probably show it on the bill and have it as a 'discounted' - item.

Not quite so simple as editing an excel sheet and being done with it

The numbers are linked to sim cards,contracts,bill payer information,contract owners. Sweeping changes on primary records would have to be updated through every inherited record not to mention recordkeeping ( in 5 years time you may want a history of calls made on "this" contract but the numbers were swapped,would be quite a confusing query,instead of select * where number = cellnumber1 )

I get that the numbers are linked to loads of stuff, what I don't get is why the heck they use the subscriber number as their primary key for all their tables if it is indeed 'linked'. They should have a seperate account number that they can use for their lookups. I'm sure it's a legacy thing - going back in time to a system that was developed before they realised more than a thousand people worldwide would own a mobile lol... it's probably not even Cell C's issue, but something way bigger - internationally. The CIA would have a hard time keeping tabs on me if I kept changing numbers heh.

 

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

My number is on my business card, has been on my office email sig for 7 years and is on a bunch of people's phones in about 11+ countries so it's just not practical sadly.

Perhaps you didn't make yourself clear enough originally but that seems irrelevant. The way I understood you currently have your wife's phone upgrade with either her SimCard in it...which means you swap the cards...or yours which means there's no problem?

Or do you mean that you've now upgraded your own contract to a Blackberry contract for some unknown reason and downgraded hers to a normal one that could be used for Android? So your wife's phone came first and you got her a normal contract so you could get your android....and then when you upgraded you changed yours to Blackberry so she could get her phone? If so you've created one hell of a mess and honestly paying R110 extra a month is a mediocre fine for your lack of common sense and foresight.

 

[warwickw]

Speak to the Cell C rep here, Armando he just helped me with an issue by coming up with solution that is "out of the box"

Maybe he can sort this out for you.