3. What does it all mean?
What does “In Use” mean?
It may seem self evident (I kind of hoped it was) but some people don’t understand so I figured I better explain it. “In Use” means it’s in Active status with another carrier presumably for a customer. It basically means it’s already taken or “in use”. It’s OK to call the number too, but even if it doesn’t go through that does NOT mean the number is available or able for you to get. That’s kind of like assuming that a house is for sale just because nobody is home. I repeat, no matter what you hear when you call a toll free number, that does NOT mean it’s available. Calling the number is kind of like typing a domain name into your browser. Just because it doesn’t pull up a webpage, does NOT mean it’s available to register.
The dates in the Search Results
After “In Use” the search results usually indicates a year. That isn’t the date it was set up, it’s the date of the last change at the Resporg. I show this because it’s more helpful than the set up date, because if a number’s not going through and it shows an old date that’s a good indication that it could be lost or stranded in the phone company. The new dates mean more recent activity and less likelihood of being able to get it. If the date says In Use since 1970, that means there is no date, which usually means that that number was in reserved status and hadn’t been activated as of the first of the month.
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1-800 MATCHMAKING at TollFreeNumbers.com says:
February 15, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] I get a lot of people using the lookup tool and asking if they might be able to get one of the numbers that basically says it’s not available. In short, if it says it’s “In Use” that means someone is using it, even if it doesn’t go through when you dial it from your area. See In Use. [...]