What Would You Do? (How Bizarre?!?)

Alty · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:25

Heya folks, I have an interesting question/situation in front of me and would like some advice! The story goes as thus......

I received my landline phonebill today and have noticed that there have been no calls charged since 19th June. I know for a fact I have used the phone since then.

My family and friends for weeks have been saying they have not been able to get thru to me on my landline as I never pick it up (to which I answer I never heard it ring) - as such they call my mobile instead.

I misplaced my mobile earlier and used my home phone to locate it. When I looked at the number calling my mobile I noticed it was not my home number. I thus dialled my home number and it rang but there was no physical ring in the room. I then rang this "new" number and my home phone rang!

My phonebill received today still states my regular phone number. What do I do:

- report it to the telephone provider and get them to correct it?
- rage the phone as its not showing any calls from 19th June
- anything else I can do with it?

I do recall there being a problem with the line and it going dead upon which I had to report it to the telephony provider who re-instated it. I am assuming that they have put me on a different line by mistake! The strange thing is I have not received any calls from family or friends or ANYONE on this number for weeks!

Theoretically if I were to make phone calls (which I have to family etc) on this line and have not been charged for - what do I do? I assume my contract with the telephone provider is for my original home number (which is still present on my phone bills) and as such not liable for calls made on this new number?

Any thoughts?

Scuzi · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:28

I would call my service provider, tell them exactly what you've told us and tell them to sort it out.

It's not rocket science is it?

Priapus · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:29

I would just get it changed over. Or give everyone new number = free calls.

Alty · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:32

In essence it appears that I have a free phoneline so part of me is thinking keep quiet about it - if the calls are made on this new number then can they make me accountable?

Scuzi · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:35

Alty said:
In essence it appears that I have a free phoneline so part of me is thinking keep quiet about it - if the calls are made on this new number then can they make me accountable?

They'll seem like free calls until the phone company catch on and send you out a massive bill with the backlog of calls on it. Call them and tell them the score, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Priapus · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:35

No. Just act dumb and say people have phoned you on your normal number. And you don't really look at your phone bill, so didn't noticed it had no calls on it. Or just say you only keep it for emerganices?

Edit: Scuzi sounds right, tbh.

Alty · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:36

but surely the contract between provider and user is for the stated number on the contract unless notified of change from either party in writing?

*edit* i know scuzi is wisely tellin it how it should be - but you have to admit this situation is pretty tempting!

*edit2* i phoned the provider the other day and part of security was to tell them my landline number of which I said my regular one - they didn't say anything about a new number.

DannyDan · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:42

Presumably they made an error in the local exchange or switch cabinet. Personally I'd let them know, it's not really worth all the potential trouble it might cause further down the line (pun intended

).

Scuzi · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:42

Alty said:
but surely the contract between provider and user is for the stated number on the contract unless notified of change from either party in writing?

*edit* i know scuzi is wisely tellin it how it should be - but you have to admit this situation is pretty tempting!

Tell me about it, I was in a similar situation a few years ago with my first ever contract mobile phone

The calls I were making weren't being charged to my bill and I thought it was great, calling everyone without it costing me a penny. That was until about 4 months later I got a very scary bill. I called the provider up and explained the situation, playing dumb but they were having none of it. In the end we negotiated my bill down to £500 if I signed up with them for another year. I think in the end it turned out that someone had been messing with my Nokia brick and had put some sort of hack or code into it which messed with the SIM.

I'm wearing the sensible cap because I've been stung like that and don't want someone else going through what I did.

Priapus · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:44

Scuzi said:
Tell me about it, I was in a similar situation a few years ago with my first ever contract mobile phone
The calls I were making weren't being charged to my bill and I thought it was great, calling everyone without it costing me a penny. That was until about 4 months later I got a very scary bill. I called the provider up and explained the situation, playing dumb but they were having none of it. In the end we negotiated my bill down to £500 if I signed up with them for another year. I think in the end it turned out that someone had been messing with my Nokia brick and had put some sort of hack or code into it which messed with the SIM.

I'm wearing the sensible cap because I've been stung like that and don't want someone else going through what I did.

Ouch.

Alty · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:47

there is no answser when i dial my own regular phone number and I have never received any calls since i have had this new number.

Is there no way I could blag it?

*edit* as far as the provider knows I have the regular number

Priapus · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:53

Alty said:
there is no answser when i dial my own regular phone number and I have never received any calls since i have had this new number.

Is there no way I could blag it?

*edit* as far as the provider knows I have the regular number

i think in this case, as it's not your fault they screwed up, you can more then likely get away with it. Hey, give me a call if it's free!

lol randomness for the morning....

Alty · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:55

Never had the pleasure of Durban but my mum lived in Gabarone for a few years as a teacher and I went out to visit - loved the whole africa experience and Jo'burg ROCKED

Mum is thinkin of retirin to S.Africa at some point and she has a soft spot for Durban - have things calmed down yet over there?

Priapus · 7 Aug 2006 at 23:59

Alty said:
Never had the pleasure of Durban but my mum lived in Gabarone for a few years as a teacher and I went out to visit - loved the whole africa experience and Jo'burg ROCKED Mum is thinkin of retirin to S.Africa at some point and she has a soft spot for Durban - have things calmed down yet over there?

It's not as bad as you UK and other places make it out to be. I left this place when I was 11 moved to the UK, five years later came back. i've never felt safer and better. I love this place and just something about it that I missed so much.

Like I say, not as bad as people make it out to be

Edit: Jo'Burg is my home town. Am thinking of moving up there to live at some point. Durban is a lot calmer though.

Alty · 8 Aug 2006 at 00:01

well i deffo intend to go back over at some point, its a beautiful place

Anyways.... back to the topic - what would you do?

Priapus · 8 Aug 2006 at 00:03

Use th phone until they say something. Don't use it too much for the first month or however the bill works over there and see if they do charge you this time if not, carry on.

Definitely come back to this awsome place if you can

Morlan · 8 Aug 2006 at 00:05

It is tempting to say nothing but those calls you're making are being logged somewhere on their system. It will be flagged somewhere and they're well in their rights to charge you for them - even if it's a few months down the line.

Are you charged line rental?

Alty · 8 Aug 2006 at 00:15

The last phone call i have been charged for was on the 19th JUNE 2006.

The average cost of calls on my landline previously from JANUARY to MAY 2006 was around £7 per month so I am not a heavy user in their eyes anyway since I use my mobile for the majority of my calls.

I pay phone line rental and DSL line MONTHLY and have had no call charges for the JULY bill which I paid today. It was just line rental - no call charges at all. It has been 6 weeks since I have been charged for a phonecall!

Alty · 8 Aug 2006 at 10:26

**UPDATE**

my DSL went down last night so I called the provider up this morning and asked them to investigate. They did a line test and discovered a problem and rectified it. They confirmed my regular phoneline to me and that that was what they did a linetest on. I asked them to do a linetest on the new number i had acquired and the results came back saying that it was not recognised in their system. I have looked more closely into the new number as it is not one i recognise and after some investigation it appears to be a finland number! It deffo looks like some kind of mixup but I aint too fussed now about it - I will just continue to use it as per norm. I just cant see how on earth things will be traced back to me and if they do then I'm gonna plead ignorance. My service provider confirmed that my line was my regular number and they did a number of tests on it including fully disconnecting my phoneline and DSL and reconnecting them after and even tho I have my regular number to them I still have the new number! Its well weird lol!!

Gibbs · 8 Aug 2006 at 10:30

BT messed up of landline number. On a friday the phone was grand but the next day it was buggered, people were phoning looking other people saying that this was their sisters number, who are you and what not.

Called up BT, the service engineer had put wires in the wrong way at out exchange box and messed up the phone lines.

Got it sorted though.

You say its seems like a Finish number, now that is werid.