Tesco mobile - porting number *rage inside*

Caporegime
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Are they the biggest bunch of useless ****s in existence? Can they not do simple tasks that they do god knows how many times every day!?

My Dad went to Tesco on the 12th to get a new phone, HTC Wildfire S, with his PAC code from O2. Guy there said it would be done Monday... come Tuesday it's not been done, Dad rings up Tesco and asks them what's going on, they say it'll be done on the Friday and yep, once again it wasn't done. So on the weekend my Dad rang up Tesco told them to stick their contract, stop the number port and he'll return the phone on Sunday, woman on the phone is saying you don't have to do that I promise it'll be done on Monday etc but my Dad says no and they cancel the contract. So my Dads taken the phone back on Sunday and then you'll never guess what on Monday around mid-day his phone stops working. No signal at all, because they've gone and ported the number!

Dad rings up Tesco and ask them what they are playing at because now he has no mobile, which he needs for work and for football, they apologise a lot and tell him to go back to the store because they should still have the phone and SIM that he returned and see what they can do. So my Dad went back to Tesco on Monday talk to them, they've offered him some money off a new contract on a Blackberry which he says is ok, the only problem is that he can't use the SIM card that has had his number ported to, so they would have to port his number to the SIM card that is with the Blackberry. They say it'll definitely be done on Tuesday... and guess what, come 6PM on Tuesday it still isn't done.

By this point my Dad is fuming so he rings the store and asks them to speak to the manager who sorted it out for him on Monday, but he's already gone home, speaking to the deputy manager and she says she has heard about it and will contact the mobile department asap, she has then gone and rang the 'Non food and grocery manager' of the store that delt with my Dad on Monday, on his home number he then rings our house from his home! To apologise himself to my Dad and tell him he'll try and sort it asap. Yesterday morning he rings up and tells my Dad it will be done on today and that he should keep his Blackberry off all day to make sure that it's done.

And guess what, my Dad has just turned his phone on at 8:30PM and it's still not ****ing done! He's just rang their 0845 to which he was on for just on 15 minutes once again, to a supervisor of their night team who said they'll speak to their manager right now and get it sorted over night asap, and that he should turn his phone off again and wait until the morning before turning it back on.


He isn't happy to say the least. Any bets on if it'll be done tonight...?
 
Getting a number transfered from 1 sim to another takes 10mins to process and around 4 hours to activate (well its how fast Orange does it when we have to put numbers on new sims at work)....

Why did they say it would be done a specific day O.o

Although mobile companies are never good at porting, we had orange port a VIP a week before he was ment too be, at the time he was on holiday in france...not a happy bunny!
 
Getting a number transfered from 1 sim to another takes 10mins to process and around 4 hours to activate (well its how fast Orange does it when we have to put numbers on new sims at work)....

This timeframe isn't accurate. The amount of time it takes to transfer is dependent on 2 companies (or just the cust details db if it's solo) and the respective system working together to do the exchange and then updating their customer details database. There can be a whole bunch of problems along the line (big queue, db's up/down, links between operators at capacity) and even once the customer details db is updated you need to configure the network parts to recognise the new MSISDN and then finally allow access onto the network. This is why the timeframe is often quoted as 3 days.

Report them to ofcom, or at least threaten to do so.
Should give them more incentive to sort themselves out.
Will do nothing except make the CS rep laugh with the mic muted. Don't bother.
 
It seemed to be happening today!!! (Well earlier on yesterday)

Though not great because my Dad went to Scotland with work today, so he's had no mobile. Great timing.
 
This is why the timeframe is often quoted as 3 days.

Regulations changed this year though and a number port has to be done in 1 day now, it used to be 3 days.

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/05/25/changes-to-european-telecoms-law-–-benefits-for-uk-consumers/

The new regulations require mobile providers to port customers’ mobile phone numbers to a new provider within one working day.

Ofcom implemented this on 11 April 2011 for individual mobile numbers and it is now extended to other customers, such as businesses, who want to port a large number of mobile numbers at one time.

For fixed number porting, switching providers involves certain additional steps, such as measures to ensure that customers are protected from slamming (where a customer is switched to another provider without their permission). Providers will have to port fixed numbers within one working day but only after these steps have been completed.

Providers will also have to pay reasonable compensation to customers should they not port the number within one working day, or if there is an abuse of the porting process.
 
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Thanks for that Broken Hope. :)


My Dad just Tweeted me, of all methods of communication, to say his sim was still playing up so still doesn't have a phone.
 
Dad's just rang me to tell me it's been done. wow what a joke it's taken that long! Will get him to ring up Ofcom and when he gets in and see if anything can be done against Tesco.
 
They will tell you to phone up tesco and ask for it AFAIK - it's operator response first in most cases with OFCOM. It's true it was recently changed (along with the end of the "odd" 36 month contracts we used to run for a fiver) but I have a feeling there is some technicality which gives them a bit more time although it's not days.

There are 3 stages to porting (open, closed, locked) and at a guess you got stuck in open where a time/date is not set for the "handover" and then the system goes a bit weird while it tries to secure a date for transfer.

What I don't get is why they didn't use the manual process that allows them to do this REALLY quick (1hr) which is in place for VIPs etc...
 
Dad has just text me, but the number it's from is the number the Blackberry sim had so it looks like it hasn't actually been done. :confused:
 
Oh dear - I'm going to get my number moved over tomorrow sometime, this doesn't sound good lol! At least I don't actually use my old phone for anything though!
(Orange -> Tesco)
 
I sent the number porting request online today, will report back about how long it takes them!
 
I'm loving this thread :)

Without revealing tooo much, I was involved with a lot of Tesco Mobile's system development (be it call centre apps, MTM, IVR, SMS, Porting in/out, Bundle development etc) over the last year and I feel I am qualified to say that Tesco Mobile management staff, are indeed not the sharpest tools in the shed ( I believe the word %$&*^$%^ morons were used many times in the office)
Very very simple concepts, their staff could not understand... and I'm certain a Tesco store somewhere has a few shelf packers short and are now in charge :D

Don't get me started on how shambolic the blackberry offering is ;)
 
Dad has just text me, but the number it's from is the number the Blackberry sim had so it looks like it hasn't actually been done. :confused:

Due to the way Handsets & SMSC's work this may not be too much of an issue - a call display number is more accurate really. He rebooted the handset right?

Supercow - credit where it's due - you broke your BIS server in a way I find amazing (block BBOS browser traffic- let through all other) when it first came out ;)
 
It's been done today!

Dad rang up earlier and had another rant, managed to speak to some one high up and they found that there was two processes going through. One wasn't working and another was there waiting and the one that wasn't right was holding up the other one.

Before it was done though they changed my Dads contract to a pay monthly, cheaper to what he's paying now which is good. So after the month he could cancel it and have a nice new Blackberry. :D Obviously have to port the number though. :D
 
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