I'm sorting out my mum's phone upgrade for her, we're moving away from Orange, and going to Voda. She'd like to keep her number. Someone I spoke to at orange eariler claims they cant give out the PAC over the phone, as its illegal, and i'd have to get it in the post.

3 did this for me instantly last year..

Are they right? We're out of contract, it'd just be easy to get the PAC texted to us.

they normally text them to you within 24 hours.

Nope, Orange are lying - there's nothing illegal whatsoever about issuing a PAC over the phone. It just appears to be Orange policy to issue PACs by post instead.

For some reason Orange like to issue their PACs by post (this will have to stop from April 2011 when new rules come into force). I had real trouble trying to get a PAC out of them when I wanted to leave. Took me about a month in all, with me having to call many times to chase them up on my request.

I was told that the PAC had been requested and would arrive within a week. Waited a week - nothing - so called back and was then told they had nothing on record. I was annoyed, but willing to give them another chance. The same thing happened again, and I was lied to on several occasions. I was really quite fed up by the end of it.

Anyway, I hope you don't have the same problems!

They can provide you with a PAC code within about 30 seconds over the phone if they wanted to. But they want to make life as difficult for you as possible so you cant leave them.