Hosted.co.uk Switchover Outages: 5-Day Downtime Reports & How to Avoid Them

When a Switchover Goes Wrong, Your Business Stops

For a business that relies on inbound calls — bookings, customer service, new enquiries — losing phone service for a day is costly. Losing it for 5 days is catastrophic. Yet 1-star reviews on uk.trustpilot.com/review/hosted.co.uk describe exactly that: prolonged outages of 5 to 9 days during the switchover from a previous provider.

We are Compare The Networks, an independent, OFCOM-regulated business telecoms comparison service. We have been helping UK businesses compare VoIP, mobile and broadband since 2008. We are not affiliated with Hosted.co.uk. This article explains what Trustpilot reviewers describe, how a proper VoIP switchover should work, and what you can do to protect your business — whether you are switching to Hosted.co.uk, away from them, or to any other provider.

What Trustpilot Reviewers Describe

According to 1-star reviews on uk.trustpilot.com/review/hosted.co.uk, common switchover-related complaints include:

Phone service down for 5-9 days during the transition
Incoming calls not routing to the new system
Numbers going dead during the porting window
Old provider cut off before new service was live
Minimal compensation — one reviewer described a token credit set against far larger business losses
Support unable to locate the account or provide a status update
Contradictory explanations from different support agents about what was happening

We are not making direct accusations. We are reporting what reviewers publicly say. Read for yourself at uk.trustpilot.com/review/hosted.co.uk.

How a VoIP Switchover Should Work

A business VoIP switchover from one provider to another typically involves three things:

1. Number Porting

Your phone numbers are transferred from your old provider to your new one. The port is requested by the new provider, confirmed by the old provider, scheduled, and executed. The OFCOM-mandated porting process is usually 5-10 working days from request to completion.

2. Hardware Provisioning

Your new handsets (or reconfigured existing ones) are set up with the new provider's platform. SIP credentials are loaded, extensions are mapped, call routing is configured.

3. Go-Live Cutover

On the scheduled day, the old service is deactivated and the new service goes live. If the port completes on time and the new platform is configured correctly, downtime should be minimal — minutes to a couple of hours at most.

What Good Looks Like

Port date confirmed in writing at least 5 working days in advance
Cutover happens out-of-hours where possible
Customer notified immediately if there is any delay
Fallback call-forwarding in place during the window
Service credits defined in the contract for cutover overruns

What Bad Looks Like

Port confirmed but not actually scheduled
Old service disconnected before new service is live
Number porting delayed without notice
New platform not correctly configured on cutover day
Customer finds out about the problem from their own missed calls

The bad scenarios are what the 1-star Trustpilot reviews of Hosted.co.uk describe.

Why Switchovers Fail

When a switchover goes wrong, the usual causes are:

Port Request Issues

The old provider disputes the port, rejects it on a technicality, or delays. A competent new provider chases this proactively and communicates. An incompetent one does not.

Configuration Errors

Extensions, call groups, IVRs, voicemail — all need correct configuration. Missed settings mean calls route to dead ends.

Timing Mismatch

If the port date is not aligned with the cutover of services and hardware, you get a gap.

Communication Failures

Reviewers on Trustpilot cite a common theme: "nobody could tell me what was happening". That is a support / project-management failure, not a technical one.

Billing Gaps

1-star Trustpilot reviewers describe being charged by both providers, or being charged during a gap when neither was delivering. See our billing disputes article.

How to Protect Your Business Before Switching

Whether you are switching to Hosted.co.uk or any other provider, here is how to protect yourself.

1. Do Not Cancel Your Old Service Before the New One Is Live

This is the single most important rule. Keep your existing contract running — even paying for the overlap — until the new service is proven working. A couple of weeks of double billing is cheaper than days of downtime.

2. Get the Port Date in Writing

Email your new provider and get the confirmed port date, the cutover plan and any SLAs. Do not accept "soon" or "we will let you know". Get a date.

3. Set Up Call Forwarding as a Fallback

Forward your main number to a mobile for the duration of the switch. It is not ideal, but it keeps you reachable if the port slips.

4. Test the New Service Before Cutover

If possible, your new provider should let you test on the new platform before the port completes, using a temporary number. Verify that handsets register, calls connect, and voicemail works.

5. Schedule Cutover Outside Business Hours

Even a perfect cutover involves a few minutes of downtime. Do it overnight or at a weekend where possible.

6. Have Support Contact Details Ready on Cutover Day

Know exactly who to call if something goes wrong — on both the old and new provider sides. Not a general support line. A named contact.

7. Document Everything

Before, during and after. Screenshots of service. Call test results. Emails from both providers. If something goes wrong, this is your evidence file.

If You Are Mid-Outage with Hosted.co.uk Right Now

If you are reading this during an active outage, here is what to do.

1. Open a Formal Ticket

Email support. Phone may feel faster, but an email creates a timestamped written record. Include your account number, the numbers affected, when the outage started, and the business impact.

2. Ask for a Named Case Owner

"Who is managing this ticket? Who is my point of contact?" Get a name and email.

3. Log Every Call and Email

Date, time, who you spoke to, what was said. This is evidence later.

4. Quantify the Business Impact

Track missed calls, cancelled bookings, lost work. If you later claim compensation, you will need numbers.

5. Do Not Accept a Verbal Resolution

If someone offers a service credit over the phone, reply: "Please put that in writing." A token credit offered verbally for a 5-day outage is not binding if it is not written down, and it is unlikely to be meaningful compensation. You may have grounds for a formal complaint.

6. Raise a Formal Complaint in Writing

Once service is restored, raise a formal complaint. Cite the dates of the outage, the business impact (with evidence), and the compensation you consider reasonable.

7. If the Response Is Inadequate, Escalate to CISAS

See our complaints and ombudsman article for the full process.

Service Credits vs Real Compensation

One of the frustrations reported on Trustpilot is the gap between service credits (defined in the contract, often small) and the actual business loss from an outage.

A typical business VoIP contract might specify service credits of 1 day's line rental for each day of downtime beyond the SLA. Because line rental is only a small slice of what an outage actually costs a business, even a multi-day outage typically earns a service credit worth very little.

When your real business loss dwarfs that credit, a modest service credit barely registers against the damage. Contracts are generally structured this way to cap provider liability. Challenging this via CISAS is possible if you can show the provider materially breached the contract, but the legal bar is higher than the service-credit formula.

What We Do Differently

At Compare The Networks, we are transparent about service credits in our contracts — what you get and what you do not. We also have defined escalation paths so that if something does go wrong, you know who to reach. 24-month minimum terms. Clear SLAs. See Business VoIP.

Avoiding the Outage in the First Place

The best outage is the one that does not happen. If you are still choosing a new VoIP provider, ask these questions in writing before signing:

What is your typical porting time from [current provider]?
What is the cutover plan? Get it documented.
What happens if the port fails or slips?
What service credits apply for cutover overruns?
What SLAs apply to post-cutover availability?
Who is my project contact on cutover day?
Can I test the service before the port completes?

A provider that cannot give clear written answers to these questions is a provider that has not thought through how to deliver a clean switch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a VoIP switchover take?

The OFCOM-mandated number porting process is typically 5-10 working days from request. Actual downtime on cutover day should be minutes to a couple of hours, not days. Multi-day outages are not normal.

Can I be compensated for a Hosted.co.uk outage?

Your contract should define service credits for outages beyond the SLA. These are usually modest. For larger losses, you would need to raise a formal complaint and potentially escalate to CISAS arguing breach of contract. Keep everything in writing.

What do I do if my numbers have gone dead during a switch?

Set up temporary call forwarding on any still-working numbers. Raise a formal written ticket with your new provider. Contact your old provider to confirm whether they still have the numbers. Log everything.

Should I pay both providers during a switchover?

Yes, during the overlap period, until the new service is proven working. A few weeks of double billing is cheaper than days of downtime. Do not cancel your old service until the new one is live and stable.

Can I escalate a switchover outage to CISAS?

Yes, if the provider does not resolve the complaint to your satisfaction within 8 weeks (or issues a deadlock letter). See our complaints and ombudsman guide.

Plan Your Switch Properly

Get a free quote and we will walk you through a clean switchover. Clear project plan, defined port dates, no surprises.

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About this article. Claims reported here are attributed to public reviews on Trustpilot and similar platforms. They represent the opinions of the reviewers cited, not statements of fact by Compare The Networks. Brands named may dispute these claims. If you are a brand representative who believes any content requires correction, please contact us.