Phone number retention

[Emjayf]

Hi all. Recently my contract with Sky ended and I really wanted to stay but sadly they raised the price too high for us to afford. I did try ringing Sky to see if I could get a bit of a reduction but I was put through to somebody I honestly couldn't understand. So I sadly decided to go elsewhere. But I wanted to ask this, do Sky have a habit of keeping your old number? 

I ask as we have had the same number for years, first with BT for a long time. Then with Plusnet, Vodafone and Sky. We have always kept the same number and were promised we could with EE (who we just joined). However they have given us a totally new number (after promising otherwise) but they tell me that Openreach have told them that they cannot get our old number from Sky!

Now do Sky have a habit of stealing phone numbers and not giving them back at the end of a contract? It's important to us as the wife is not a well woman. So many hospital departments and doctor's have our old landline number and to have to inform them all will be a nightmare!

I thought I had left Sky on good terms and thought I would probably like to rejoin once my EE contract ends. But this final note has really left a sour taste to the whole thing.

Any advice would be lovely. Thanks

MJ

[Mark39]

@Emjayf I can't see what Sky would gain by deliberately disallowing your number to be ported to your new provider. There might, I suppose, be technical issues which prevent it.

I'm no expert on number porting, but as I understand it, it's the acquiring provider's responsibility to obtain the number, if requested by the subscriber. In your position, I'd go back to EE, perhaps by way of a complaint, to ask why they've been unable to retrieve your number from Sky.