In the past four days I’ve had three separate people tell me essentially that CustomTollFree.com Locked Up their 800 number, just because they searched for or checked a number on their website. They don’t show you their exhorbenent rates or explain that THEY own the number until after you search for the number and they automatically reserve it so you can only get the number from them.

This is especially despicable since Customer Toll Free is actually a shared use company, not a regular phone company, although they certainly act and look like a regular phone company to the unsuspecting visitor on their website. They use their power as a phone company to reserve the number after a visitor does a search for it but then they pretend to be the owner of the number and offer to rent it to you as if it was now THEIR number. I’ve written about how they want to have both the rights of a phone company and the rights of the end user at the same time in an article on the Dark Side of Shared Use.

They don’t make the form to check numbers the biggest thing on their website for no reason. They know that if they can get you to enter something there, they have you trapped. It’s wrong but they love trapping people like that, and if you think you’re trapped now because they’ve reserved your number, wait until you’ve got it in all of your advertising. Because the more you advertise THEIR number, the more at their mercy you become.

What can you do if this happens to you?

First of all, do NOT contact them. If you use their search process, the number you find WILL be reserved or ‘Locked Up’ but if you contact them they will only activate it so it doesn’t expire and they’ll hold onto it.

Email us about it and we will confirm that they reserved it on you, and tell you the date it comes out. We’ll also schedule it so we can try to get it right away for you when the reservation expires which is 45 days from the date it was reserved. If we’re able to get it it’s only a one time fee of $49 just as if you got it yourself right from the available, spare pool.

We like to help customers get numbers back from them because what they do is so wrong and we enjoy sticking it to them and helping the customer. You will own the number this way and can bring it to any phone company you want and be guaranteed to be able to transfer it away if they don’t do a good job or anything better comes along too. That’s WAY better than renting it from someone like Custom TollFree.

If you think this is wrong say so

If you write anything here change your name (if you gave it to them) and certainly don’t mention the number. I will also change the dates of any post or reference to numbers as well to protect you as well. We do want to tell people about them and anyone else that does that but we don’t want to do anything to undermine your chances of getting the number you want.

When a number is reserved it is held for 45 days. Unfortunately we can’t cut it shorter or get it directly from them. I think you can understand why they and any shared use company for that matter really don’t like us. But that’s OK because we don’t do this to be popular. We always keep the customer focus and find that everything else usually takes care of itself.

But do write up your thoughts or reaction to this if it’s happened to you. I’m going to start by adding the exact emails of the people who complained to me recently. We’re really not out to change the system or hurt anyone but hopefully if enough people give their two cents worth it will add up to something. So if you think this is wrong post your comment and let everyone know.