How to confirm a mobile number status (active, assigned or not, etc.)?

[Jackinthebox]

Good day all, up to October, I had a prepaid mobile number with Koodo. Had it for a few years. Long story short, the number was cancelled on me and the sim card rendered void while I was abroad. Shortly after, I contacted Koodo and it was agreed that they would hold my number until I came back in Canada and be able to get a new prepaid sim card without any assigned number. They would then assign my old number to this new card. When I tried to get a new sim card a couple of days ago, the seller did a quick informal check and told me that my number had been given to someone else with Public Mobile. I tried to contact that person to confirm that but I can't get through. It rings but no one ever answers.  I'd like to get the exact current status on my number (active and assigned to someone else or not, since when, etc.) before going ahead with getting a new number (if I have to), most likely with PM... Do you know how could this be done? Thanks.

[darlicious]

@Jackinthebox  No worries...at least you tried. If it's only been reassigned to the pool there is always a chance...if you're going to activate on public mobile best to wait til Friday to see if they put one last flash sale on before xmas.

[Jackinthebox]

Hi Darlicious,

It probably ended  either late September or early October. I would need to dig in my file to get the exact date. But there's not much point now. I'll just get a new sim/number in the coming days. Thanks for help all the same.

[darlicious]

@Jackinthebox  Did the 90 days without payment end in october? What was the date of your last day of paid service?

[Jackinthebox]

Hi Dan,

Yes, It seems to be 90 days. I found out about the problem just a few days after that grace period and called them. Online access to my account was already disabled. It was then agreed to somehow let me keep that number as long as I get a new sim within a certain period. The agent mentioned that the number couldn't otherwise be assigned to anyone else for a few months.

Anyhow, since the number has been reassigned, not much can be done now. But thanks anyway. 

[darlicious]

@Jackinthebox  Yes it is likely that it has been reassigned. No doubt if koodo wanted to keep you as a customer they would try to retrieve the number if possible. Did any of your friends or family call the number and get an answer? Resign yourself to choosing a new number and if your meant to get it back it will come to you....you would technically be in the telus pool of numbers with koodo and pm. You could have some fun looking at available phone numbers in the change number feature in your account. You never know it could in theory come up in the future and you could jump on it.

[Dan]

@JackintheboxIt seems on Koodo prepaid it is also 90 days, you should be able to login to your prepaid account on Koodo's website and just top up.

[Dan]

It seems a bit weird though if OP had the SIM card active in October, that by December the number is already given to someone else, in just 2 months. There must be some grace period on Koodo prepaid like there is on PM (and on PM it is 90 days after plan expires, if it were PM OP could just topup and continue using the same SIM card). Even if that grace period on Koodo prepaid is shorter than 90 days, phone numbers that were recently in use are not recycled back so quickly into circulation, so it is very strange to see a number that still belonged to someone in October is now already assigned to another person. Something is not right here. Does anyone know what the grace period for expired plans is on Koodo prepaid? I tried to find it but couldn't.

[Jackinthebox]

No need to be rude, Will13am. I'm not an idiot and the idea wasn't to harass that person, obviously. I didn't want to know who they are either, simply whether or not the number has really been assigned since the only way I could check so far is by calling through Skype and with that app, "ringing" isn't necessarily conclusive of anything. I'll move on when I decide to do so... Thanks.

[will13am]

@Jackinthebox , the fact the phone rang when you called your old number is sufficient to confirm the number has been assigned.  Assigned to whom is not important and a matter of privacy.  You cannot get it back.  Trying to locate the new owner isn't going to work either.  How would you like it if you were on the other side of the table and a stranger bugged you about having their old number?  Time to get over it and move on.

[popping · Accepted solution]

@Jackinthebox 

Your number had been assigned to someone since you can call your number and it rings.

[ShawnC13]

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@Jackinthebox wrote:

Good day all, up to October, I had a prepaid mobile number with Koodo. Had it for a few years. Long story short, the number was cancelled on me and the sim card rendered void while I was abroad. Shortly after, I contacted Koodo and it was agreed that they would hold my number until I came back in Canada and be able to get a new prepaid sim card without any assigned number. They would then assign my old number to this new card. When I tried to get a new sim card a couple of days ago, the seller did a quick informal check and told me that my number had been given to someone else with Public Mobile. I tried to contact that person to confirm that but I can't get through. It rings but no one ever answers.  I'd like to get the exact current status on my number (active and assigned to someone else or not, since when, etc.) before going ahead with getting a new number (if I have to), most likely with PM... Do you know how could this be done? Thanks.

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This really seems like an issue with Koodo if they said they would keep the number for you.  I would think due to privacy laws that they can't tell you who has the line.  If you were told it is in use by a new customer not really sure what you can do about that.