Customer lost toll free numbers

[newport21]

One of my clients switched from TDS Metrocom to Time Warner and found out a year later that their 2 Toll Free numbers never switched over. (They mainly use them for fax orders and have no way of seeing traffic on them as they get plenty of local fax orders as well.) TDS now does not own the numbers anymore and it looks like a company called Primetel owns them. My questions is: does anyone know anything about Primetel or if there is a company that specializes in getting numbers back?
THANKS!

 

[Dexman]

Some questions...

Is your customer being billed by Primetel for the toll-free service? Did Time Warner ever successfully port those numbers from TDS? Why did Time Warner release the numbers in the first place? Attempts to port the numbers should have been rejected if Primetel didn't have the correct information about the customer. Is TW doing anything to investigate the situation and pull the numbers back?

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[newport21]

Time Warner never ported the numbers from TDS. The customer assumed they had been ported because they worked after Time Warner ported the local numbers, but it turns out they were still just pointed to the locals. They then cancelled ALL their services with the losing carrier, TDS. After so many days we are assuming TDS released those numbers and Primetel must have grabbed them. When we dial them we get a "This numbers cannot be dialed form your area" message.

 

[Dexman]

If the account was closed before the TFNs were ported...without me knowing legalities...my thinking is that the numbers are gone.

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[newport21]

Does anyone know of companies that help get phone numbers back?

 

[Dexman]

Once another provider takes ownership of the TFNs that effectively removes them from availability...especially if they have already been assigned to a customer.

My thought is to simply check to see if any variants of those TFNs are available...877, 866, 855, 844 or 800...and request them.

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[Mountainbear]

You may try contacting primetel or the new owner, to buy the numbers back. If they haven't worked for a year, changing the numbers shouldn't be a big deal.