Buying a competitors phone number

Buying a competitors phone number
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nunya @ 5th Nov 04:44PM:
Buying a competitors phone number

I've been kicking this around for some time. The competition is dropping like flies around here. I've been thinking about buying their old advertised phone numbers.
They still have residual ads in the yellow pages for the next few months. They have lots of business cards and adverts out there on refrigerator doors, panels, and Rolodex.
I know it seems kind of smarmy at first thought, but they aren't going to need the number any more. Kind of like a dead mans shoes.
Does anybody know of any VoIP providers that will port targeted numbers? Is there any provider with a lookup tool for targeted numbers?
TIA
--
Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America.
Nancy Pelosi - House Minority Leader 2010
Harry Reid - Senate Minority Leader 2010
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rickbarnett @ 5th Nov 04:54PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Don't want you to think you can call the ILEC and simply say you want xxx-yyy-zzzz because it is no longer being used. Don't work that way...

Depends on the status and nature of the company's demise. If they went belly up and left the ILEC hanging for the bill, you may be able to negotiate with the ILEC to gain control of the number by paying the bill, subject to negotiations.
If the competitor is in bankruptcy you may be able to contact the court or trustee to make an offer on buying the phone number.

My experience has been that when a number goes inactive for almost any reason, it goes into a 'purgatory' of sorts before it is returned to the available number pool after a decent mourning period...
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josephf @ 5th Nov 05:03PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

In New York I was told by Verizon a number remains unassignable for 90 days after it was disconnected, but the period is longer for high-use numbers.
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rickbarnett @ 5th Nov 05:34PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Sounds reasonable and conforms to my experience with V in DC area
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PX Eliezer @ 5th Nov 06:36PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Nothing wrong with that, being that they are out of business, why not.

I don't know if it will help or not, but why not keep track on »tnid.org/ as to who is servicing those various numbers. Maybe it will help to acquire them later on.
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RockyBB @ 5th Nov 06:37PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

have you thought about contacting the liquidators, and acquiring the numbers the way all other assets are salvaged?
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josephf @ 5th Nov 06:50PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Often the business cancelled the phone line when they went kaput. So it is possible if not probable that the number is now owned either by the last LEC to service it, or the original LEC that issued the number. And that's where one would need to go to try to obtain the number.
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burgerwars @ 5th Nov 07:08PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Do you really want a number that may get you tons of wrong number calls? Unless you're in the same business that the number was being used for, I'm unsure what good it will do you.

In thinking about this, lets say you're a plumber, and you get the number of your competitor who just went out of business. I'm thinking that if their business had a lot of customers (and a lot of phone calls), they wouldn't of gone out of business.
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nunya @ 5th Nov 08:01PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Well, obviously a "competitor" is going to be in the same line of business. Some of these guys blew "a lot" of money on ads. We're talking full page YP ads. One even had the back cover of the phone book.
These were reputable companies that either got too big too fast (too much overhead) or simply couldn't weather this economic depression.
I'm not looking to get a "lot of customers", just more customers.
--
Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America.
Nancy Pelosi - House Minority Leader 2010
Harry Reid - Senate Minority Leader 2010
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N9MD @ 5th Nov 09:32PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

said by nunya :

...One even had the back cover of the phone book....

Hey, in my necks of the woods, NJ & FL, just about every YP's back page is dedicated to a liability/accident/malpractice law firm. Is that the "competition" in your scenario, nunya?
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jeremyv @ 6th Nov 02:43AM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Yeah but what will you say? Let's say they are looking for Pops lumber, will you tell them that they changed name? You bought their company? Or you acquired their phone number and luckily you are in the lumber business too.
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PX Eliezer @ 6th Nov 08:53AM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

said by jeremyv :

....Or you acquired their phone number and luckily you are in the lumber business too.

"Pops lumber unfortunately went out of business. Too bad, they were great lumber guys. So that customers wouldn't be left stranded, their calls are being routed to us. We hope that we can help you with all your lumber needs. So, are you looking for studs today, or some nice joints?"

------------------------------------

How come lumber and plumber don't rhyme?!

And what about Christopher Plummer??
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burgerwars @ 6th Nov 09:04AM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

It was last year when I actually got a wrong number for a plumber. I pick up the phone and the person on the other end asks me "how much do I charge to unclog a washing machine drain." I've got tired of wrong numbers myself so I tell the guy "one million dollars." He says "you're kidding." I then tell him that's the price because after taxes, insurance, payroll, health and retirement benefits, etc., I'm lucky to break even on this job. He then calls me a wiseguy and hangs up.

I guess I'm never going to be a plumber.
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RockyBB @ 6th Nov 09:43AM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

said by burgerwars :

I then tell him that's the price because after taxes, insurance, payroll, health and retirement benefits, etc., I'm lucky to break even on this job.

Very discrete of you not to mention the apartment for his GF.
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jeremyv @ 6th Nov 08:07PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

said by PX Eliezer :

said by jeremyv :

....Or you acquired their phone number and luckily you are in the lumber business too.

You can be a great salesman PX.
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bbtech6650 @ 6th Nov 11:37PM:
Re: Buying a competitors phone number

Never actually had it work out for me... But, as I was talking to someone at Vz years ago they looked into getting a number for me by looking at a CSR (i think that is what it is called, but I have far too many acronyms floating about in my head to be sure) for the number. It turns out that it wasn't available. The company I was with had an 01 number for as long as it was in business.
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