Keeping Telmex phone number when you move

[Xena]

A friend is moving from one rental house in Chapala to another one. She wants to keep the telephone number that she has. I remember hearing you could "buy" your number instead of it staying with the house. Has anyone done this? How much did it cost? Thank you for any information.

[Al Berca]

TelMex can tell you who the owner of that number is. It is not necessarily the person whose name is on the bill. The owner of the number would have to be willing to sell it and then you negotiate a price. Prices can be over 1,000 USD in an area where there is a long wait for a phone line. That would be at the extreme high end. No idea about Chapala, but first see If owner is willing to sell.

[Xena]

Thank you, Al. I had heard somewhere it could cost a lot of money but thought it was Telmex charging the big bucks.

So, even though the phone is in her name, neither she nor Telmex "own" it? When she moved in to that house there was no phone service connected. Telmex turned the service on and gave her the number. But, that number could "belong" to just about anyone?

[ComputerGuy]

You would negotiate with the owner. I paid a previous landlord $1,500 pesos, and took the phone number with me. I used part of that to get her a new phone number. Whoever's name is on the bill is who TelMex considers to be the owner.

[JayBearII]

I always learn things on this webboard. Me, I rent now, and I recently had my landlord sign a letter so the phone could be in my name, so I would have an additional proof of residence for those various hoops one has to jump thru here. I now have a valuable commodity, my phone number. Little did I know. Fact is, I have no previous long lost lovers who are going to have my phone number on a worn piece of paper in their wallets, so alas, it does not really matter what my phone number is, sadly. Such is old age; sic transit gloria.

[Xena]

Thanks again for the helpful information.

In my joy at learning the phone number belongs to her I forgot to ask if there are hoops Telmex has you jump through and money you have to pay to THEM to take the number with you?

[alex45920]

Thank you, Al. I had heard somewhere it could cost a lot of money but thought it was Telmex charging the big bucks.

So, even though the phone is in her name, neither she nor Telmex "own" it? When she moved in to that house there was no phone service connected. Telmex turned the service on and gave her the number. But, that number could "belong" to just about anyone?

That number should belong to her. When I moved from Ajijic to Chapala, I kept the same number. I don't remember that Telmex charged me anything extra to keep it. There were no hoops to jump through.

[Xena]

Thank you, Alex! More good news for her.

[Travis]

I haven't done it, but tried, unsuccessfully. I think the info in this thread is correct. I asked at Telmex if I could possibly keep my old phone number (from a previous rental) but that number was in the homeowner's name--wasn't worth barking up that tree--so I couldn't. My new number at the new place is in my name so hopefully it will prove to be portable if I ever decide to move. Good luck to your friend.

Lastly, I was surprised to read from Alex that you could move an Ajijic # to Chapala. But yay Mexico. What's a number anyway? Jajajaja!

[ComputerGuy]

When I moved the last three times, there was an additional charge from TelMex to "transfer" my number.

[Al Berca]

I agree with Alex. If there was no phone there and she had it installed then it should belong to her. She should be able to take it with her when she moves. Again, check with TelMex. They do charge for this service and when a friend of mine did this a few months ago it took longer than she was told to have the line operational at her new residence so there might be a period where her cell phone may be her form of communication.

I repeat, the name on the bill does not necessarily indicate ownership of a phone number. Anyone with photo ID and a utility bill can have a phone bill put in their name, but that does not include ownership of that number.

I'm with Travis. Surprised we can take phone numbers back and forth between Ajijic and Chapala. Did not know this.

[ComputerGuy]

I repeat, the name on the bill does not necessarily indicate ownership of a phone number. Anyone with photo ID and a utility bill can have a phone bill put in their name, but that does not include ownership of that number.

Al, I've yet to see this be an issue. You must get written authorization from the owner of the phone number, in person at the TelMex office of choice, before they will allow that. I've been through it more than once, most recently when I had to provide my previous landlord with a number so that I could keep the one I had. There was a number here in my new place; the landlord in Guadalajara agreed to let his go from this place, to the landlord in my previous place.

The electric bill stays in my current landlord's name (although I've read that for a very small fee, CFE will put your own name on it as if you were the actual owner, without any proof or authorization from the actual owner. Not so with the phone bill.

[Al Berca]

Twice in the last six months only a utility bill with address on it and Mexican photo ID was required by the folks at our local TelMex to put a phone bill, not ownership, into their name. This may be a new change in their policy, but this is the way it is done now.

[ComputerGuy]

Could be. What we did actually changed the ownership.

But of course if this is going on, there's no reliable way to tell who owns the number. And since most places take either the phone bill or the CFE bill as proof of residence with implied ownership, who knows what the fallout might be.

[Al Berca]

Had no idea you were disagreeing with me on something I was not talking about. Appreciate your clarification.

[ComputerGuy]

Sorry, what?

[thomashellyer]

Hola,

In general, numbers are portable. We've done it twice and have an Ajijic number (766) in Santa Cruz.

As long as the infrastructure in the new neighborhood can handle additional lines, it can be done. If you have internet through Infinitum it is free or inexpensive. Some neighborhoods, such as Riberas, do not have space for additional lines, so it would not be possible.

The OP should be the owner of the line and has every right to cancel or take the line since she had the line installed.