Landline Number Transfer when re-contracting with Sky

[strawmeadow]

We had an email from sky saying we were out of contract on our broadband & talk package with them and could click to change to an 18 month contact to save £10+ a month. We followed the links and clicked through and the comfirmation page said

"Landline number transfer

Unfortunately you cannot keep your current landline number. A new number will be provided. Please contact your current provider to cancel the existing service."

Is this right? We don't want to lose a number we have had for 20+ years and as far as I knew we were just re-enrolling on the same basis we already have but back into a long term contract rather than a rolling monthly on. It's not like we've changed provider? I'm super confused.

[Highlinder]

@strawmeadow  Are you already with Sky and just trying to take a new 18 month contract with Sky?

[Mark39]

@strawmeadow so far as I'm aware, recontracting on the same basis shouldn't result in you losing your number. I'd check with Sky,  to be sure.

[TimmyBGood]

@Mark39 

I'd imagine that in the push towards PSTN switch-off a 'recontract' with a cost saving might actually involve a move to SoGEA under the hood (particularly with stop-sell about to be enforced)

@strawmeadow 

Always possible that it's just a badly formatted boilerplate email though: these aren't exactly unknown from Sky.

[strawmeadow]

Well, I spoke to someone at sky yesterday and I don't really think he knew what was going on either.

It looks like the change over has taken place (it happened almost immediately according to the bloke at sky) and our number hasn't changed. We'd have to be sent new hardware if we were being changed over from copper wire to internet calls and apparently we have nothing on order or being sent to us. And we are also marked as not to be changed over because of lack of mobile/health emergency reasons.

I don't think I'll be completely convinced until the 30th which is our supposed change over day (the day that was quoted to us on the confirmation page) that everything is as normal. Honestly, this has been quite stressful for something that was supposed to be simple.

I'd suggest others watch out for this, because I suspect that what @TimmyBGood said could be right and this could have been a recontract with a hidden move in it, which may only have not happened (so far) in our case because of this mark on our account against it.