Question for LJ

[enismirdal]

Our ex-flatmate is the account-holder person named on our phone bills. He is the only person named on the bills.

He has now moved out.

We want to switch the bills to our names and pay them out of our account.

However, my instinct says that BT are not going to be massively helpful if we ring up as non-named persons and try to change a lot of details, including the account holder's name. Odds are they'll want to start a whole new account, with associated faff.

My question for LJ is: what are the odds that we'll find a way to keep our current phone number and not have our phone cut off for however long BT feel like cutting it off for when we try to switch everything over?

(And no, I will not be asking ex-flatmate to sort it. He's a nice bloke, but the only way to make him deal with this kind of thing is to scream at him. He only became the flat's "accountant" because he had a spare bank account to offer up for us to use.)

Comments

[aduial-peredhel.livejournal.com]

Well, if the UK is like the US, I'm going to say they probably will throw a fit if anybody but the account holder tries to make changes. The cell phone bill for my family is under my name; if anything is wrong with the bill, I have to call because they won't listen to anyone else. I had to authorize my mom and my brother to make changes, and they can only do so to their individual lines.

It's a total pain in the ass really.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sounds about right. I managed to change over the other utilities without any real problems, sometimes by making a new account and once by discovering he'd put me as a joint name on the account without my asking! But the phone...I just don't want to be internetless for a month, or have to contact everyone currently holding my phone number and tell them it's changed!

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

If it's anything like here, you don't have a prayer. Sorry love.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

I had a bad feeling that would be the answer...

Re: This is long, sorry!

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Luckily I don't think they'll be quite as strict as written orders here. We are considering just phoning up and asking to change the bank account...but that will have to be Other Male Flatmate, as the previous flatmate has a rather definitely male name and they might ask questions if I phone up in my high-pitched squeaky voice and try to change details when I'm obviously Not Him!

[jaiden-s.livejournal.com]

I'd keep it all in his name until he made me change it. It's not worth the headache.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

It's true, it seems to be a bit of a headache - the name itself is not so much of an issue as the fact that we're currently paying our phone bills out of his spare bank account which he's not paying any money into! So we are anxious to at least change accounts, and having me as the new administrator will make it easier if we need to call up in future, I suppose!

[ewx.livejournal.com]

With Virgin Media (formerly known as NTL) I had to create an entirely new account when LNR moved out. They weren't unreasonable slow or expensive about it thought. I can't comment on BT not having lived anywhere with an active BT line for over a decade.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Ring up pretending to be the account holder?

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Hehe, reckon I'll manage a convincing impersonation of a Swiss male? *grin*

[coppertimo.livejournal.com]

Based on our own experience of customer service (at both ends of the phone line) I'd say that the chance is pretty much zero. It would actually be illegal for them to allow you to have anything to do with the account.

IIRC though when we had our own BT troubles, the amount of time we were actually cut off without a phone wasn't very long. 48 hours I think?

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I had a feeling that would be the answer. What do they do if there's a couple, and the one who manages all the bills and stuff passes away? It's hardly an analogous situation but I imagine sorting it out must follow largely the same process, changing the accounts to new management with minimal disruption and so on.

48 hours I can live with! It was weeks and weeks that worried me - getting the phone set up here in the first place was a pain in the butt.

[casteylan.livejournal.com]

If one passes away, the one that remains mails in a copy of the death certificate. I believe there's also something that can be mailed in if the account holder is sent to jail, or if he/she is no longer medically sane. If its divorce the account stays with the account holder. There aren't any other circumstances where an account can be transferred without the account holder's permission. That's basically theft (and is what Talk Talk are in huge legal trouble for, regarding our telephone line that they hijacked).

[cobalt-skye.livejournal.com]

Yup, they'd need to get disconnection permission from him to close his account and then re-connect you. However, if you could give them his phone number they might be able to do it relatively fast. Otherwise, from past experience, they'll make you wait thirty days (during which times fruitless letters will be sent to the last registered address for him), then disconnect and reconnect, though they'll let you keep the number.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Ooh. At least if the number doesn't change, that's a plus. I can deal with lack of internet for a few days. What I'm not looking forward to is having to go and contact the million and one companies and people with my home phone number and change it!

[mdavison.livejournal.com]

From my experience (principally with Buisness lines) the process is as follows:

1. The current account holder calls BT, and tells them that he does not want the line any more (there is a technical name for this that I fail at remembering) specifically saying that someone else will be taking over the account.

2. You call BT, give them the number, address etc, and say you want to take over the line. They *will* insist on a monimum 12 month contract.

When I have done this before, we did not have any discontinuity in the phone service. The lines in question did not carry broadband, which complicates matters a lot.

I would check the above with BT customer services before acting on it though, the procedure may be different for residential lines.

Just a warning: with BT, if the line is cancelled to change the name on the account, it will automatically cancel any broadband service on that line.