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What Has Number Portability Done For You?
Coldeagle writes "Number portability has been around for a few days now, I was wondering; have any of you fellow Slashdot readers switched carriers? How was your experience, and have you seen any price warring since it went into place?" Or is number portability so far more hype than happenin'?
...and it seems like the process is relatively painless.
One tip for those who are thinking of trying to port their number. Do *not* do the process online. I ordered my new phone that way and the number ported two days before my new phone arrived. As soon as your number ports, your old phone stops working for anything besides 911 calls. Needless to say, I was without a cell phone for two days while I waited for my new phone to arrive.
Other than that, everything went pretty smoothly.
"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!"
With my current carrier, I called them and told them I was thinking about switching and they chopped $15 off my bill if I would stay.
It can't hurt to ask!
..is that Sprint is charging me $2.20/month for it.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
It has cost me 50 cents a month for several years. All the time that the phone companies have been collecting this fee to cover the costs of providing number portability they fought tooth-and-nail against it. Yeah, they're real happy to collect a fee for a service, but they're not exactly thrilled about providing said service.
-- Will program for bandwidth
The fcc has plenty of info:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/numbport.ht ml
Background: What is Telephone Number Portability
Telephone number portability is a service that provides residential and business telephone customers with the ability to retain, at the same location, their existing local telephone numbers when switching from one local telephone service provider to another.
In 1996 Congress reexamined and changed the Telecommunications Act to promote competition and reduce regulation in all telecommunications markets. Before that time, a major barrier to competition was the inability of customers to switch from one telephone company to another while retaining the same telephone number. Congress directed local telephone companies to offer "telephone number portability."
In order to provide the kind of telephone number portability envisioned by Congress, telephone companies had to invest in upgrades to their networks. In 1998 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) evaluated the cost involved in local number portability and determined that existing local telephone companies were allowed, but not required, to recover the costs of implementing and providing telephone number portability through two kinds of charges: (1) charges paid by other telephone companies that use a telephone company's number portability facilities to process their own calls; and (2) a small, fixed monthly charge assessed on telephone customers or "end users."
What is the Long-Term Telephone Number Portability End-Use Charge?
The long-term number portability end-user charge is a fixed, monthly charge through which local telephone companies may recover certain costs of providing long-term number portability service. Recoverable costs include those for creating new facilities, physically upgrading or improving the existing public switched telephone network, and performing the ongoing functions associated with providing long-term number portability. FCC rules state that incumbent local telephone companies may, but are not required to, recover certain costs of providing number portability by charging their customer a monthly fee.
Am I Required to Pay the Long-Term Portability Charge if I Am a Lifeline Assistance Program Customer?
Carriers can not impose the monthly long-term number portability charge on customers of the Lifeline Assistance Program.
Does Long-Term Telephone Number Portability Mean That I Can Keep the Same Telephone Number if I Move Across Town or to Another State?
The type of telephone number portability that local telephone companies must provide is called "service provider portability." Service provider portability allows a customer to keep his telephone number when changing local telephone companies. It does not allow customers to take their telephone numbers with them when they move.
Can I Keep the Same Wireline Telephone Number if I Switch My Local Telephone Service to a Cellular or Personal Communications Service (PCS) Telephone Service Provider or Vice-Versa?
Cellular and other wireless carriers are not required to provide telephone number portability at this time. For this reason, customers cannot retain the same local telephone number if they change their local service from a wireline local telephone company to a wireless carrier, like a cellular or PCS service provider. Likewise, customers cannot switch from a cellular or PCS service provider to a local wireline service provider and keep the same cellular or PCS telephone number.
Will All Telephone Customers Be Charged for Telephone Number Portability?
Local telephone companies can only charge customers in areas where local telephone number portability is available to all consumers. Telephone number portability may not be available in all service areas.
Does the FCC Require Local Telephone Companies to Bill Consumers for Long-term Telephone Number Portability?
The FCC allows, but does not require, local telephone c
I mean, isn't getting a new number always a great opportunity of getting rid of those callers you never want to speak with?
At least that's how I see it.
Yes. It really is that simple. I brought in my bill when I switched from US Cellular to Verizon, paid some fee for "processing," and was out the door within 40 minutes with my new Verizon carrier handling calls with my originally US Cellular number.
As far as avoiding RadioShack, around here (Iowa) we have a lot of Verizon shops/Technolgy Huts in the malls. They handle hookups/etc. Worth a shot I guess.
Other than that, Radio Shack is a lot better now than they were. Then again, I've never had a problem with then.
Though you can switch carriers and keep your phone number, you still have to change phones. The service providers lock the phones to their service when it comes from the factory, so it makes it harder to switch. I also bet, if you buy (or given)) a phone from someone who is stiff'd the provider, they won't let you have service on that phone.
Fight Spammers!
Make sure that the new carrier gets your name right with the old carrier, otherwise you won't exist. On top of that, cingular put the request into AT&T as a wireLINE to wireLESS port, rather than a wireLESS to wireLESS. I waited a week to get the new phone working, and I am not all that jazzed about the quality of service.
Remember: The old adage "fight fire with fire" does not apply to non-metaphorical fires.
;-)
Actually it does -- a wildfire sucks air from earth surface like crazy, so if you ignite another fire just at the right place at the right time it will be propagating towards the original fire and when they collide both will have no more fuel to burn.
Learned from some cowboys/indians book when I was a kid
Paul B.
.. with AT&T Wireless, at least.
The day after the portability law went into effect, I headed to Verizon to get the new LG VX6000 and to switch over from ATT Wireless to Verizon Wireless.
Verizon seemed to do their part pretty quickly. Activation was quick, I was able to call out in 15 minutes. While I am able to call out on my new phone, I still (and remember, it's been a WEEK) cannot receive phone calls because ATT Wireless is taking their sweet ass time to finish their portion of the porting.
I read the law for the portability, and I expected a major loophole. No timeline or period was stated in the law claiming the maximum amount of time a company is allowed to take with the process. I've called AT&T Wireless a numerous amount of times and they keep telling me the same thing.. "Systems are down". When asked for an explanation, the representative can't even elaborate on the reason because, well honestly, i don't think they have any clue what the hell is going.
I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this (I live in metro New York), but this sure as hell is frustrating. After this post I am planning to call AT&T Wireless, again, and if they dare say "systems are down" I think I'll flip out.. something I rarely do.
So yeah, don't expect everything to work right away, especially with AT&T Wireless.
"The ones who dont do anything are always the ones who try to pull you down" -- Henry Rollins
I have had verizon wireless for years and I've been waiting for the "Can you hear me now? Good." guy to come around my area so they could improve the coverage. Well with number porting allowed I switched to T-Mobile and now have much better coverage where I need it! I did borrow my sisters T-Mobile phone before so I knew I would get signal. The process was painless. I called verizon and made sure I wasn't under a contract anymore and then walked into a T-Mobile store. Took a bit of time for them to do the paperwork since it was the first number port that the manager who was helping me had done. A little less then 24 hours later my new Sony Ericsson T-610 phone was working.
-- Slashdot, making the Left look conservative since 1997.
....Expect a LONG wait. Moving to Sprint from Verion for business reasons they said 2.5 to 6 hours. A week later, I was still waiting - and you are going to love the reason - the programmers had set the SS number fields as numeric - so anything with a leading zero - would not port.
It's 10 days later and here I sit - without it ported.........what a joke
As far as I can tell, the scenario you talk of is purely urban legend.
AT&T has some delays due to their Siebel software fiasco. But not for months, not at all for most people and not with other carriers.
A scenario you talk of is not complying. The FCC wouldn't stand for it.
It's not a law, but an FCC rule. I couldn't find it on the FCC site (I mean, it might be there, but I didn't find it) but there is a Chicago Tribune article on it.
You can use this to your advantage - since you never agreed to that $2.20 a month charge when you first signed up, your original contract is null and void.
Call them and demand to be put on month-to-month payments because you never agreed to that charge in your original contract. Then you're free to come or go as you please!
If it was me, I'd see if I could get them to throw in the latest phone model for free if I signed the NEW contract.
Easy way to get yourself a nifty new color camera phone!
THe problem is that cell phone carriers don't make money on you until you have kept the service for at least 6 month if not longer.
So they offer cheaper service upfront and try to make sure you stck around long enough to make a profit from you.
It's illegal for telemarketers to call your cell phone
No, it's merely against a DMA (Direct Marketing Association) rule, violate the rule and I presume the DMA can take action against you if you're a member. There's no requirement to be a member, of course, but as with most industry associations there are advantages, mainly in the lobbying and legal arenas I suspect.
The DMA also knows what will happen if they start calling cell phones -- there will be a Federal law akin to the Junk Fax law, and there will be no allowances for mistakes. Right now they at least get the "oops" factor and make damn sure that it gets entered on a do not call list (another advantage of the DMA I suspect -- you may not want to share numbers that just ask you not to call, but you do want to share numbers you should never call like cell phones and emergency service (hospitals/fire/police stations)).
Well I called both VZW and ATT.. same bs.. except this time I demanded from ATT that they transfer me to their portability department (which seems to be the only way to get through).. the woman was nice.. told me AGAIN the "systems were down", but told me to call in 2-3 hours and gave me her direct extension..
on a further note, if any ATT (or non-ATT) customers have any portability related questions and cannot get through.. try this number.. 1-800-241-0335 It's the "hidden" portability department number. The queue seems to be pretty fast (barely waited 30 seconds), so give that a shot
"The ones who dont do anything are always the ones who try to pull you down" -- Henry Rollins
A few weeks back I went from no telemarketing calls on my cell phone to at least 4 or 5 a day. Most of the time I didn't answer ("Unavailable") but the ones I did answer were telemarketers... I finally had it and the next time they called me I stopped the gal mid offer and told her I would like to file a complaint with the FCC. I was immediately given a "higher up" to talk to who was quite pleasant and admitted that they were in the wrong with calling my cell phone. I filed a complaint with the FCC as I said I would... oddly enough... the very next day (and from then on) I have not received a single call from any telemarketer... I'm assuming my number got pulled from the list they bought and was also told to all the companies that had bought that list... worked quite well...
It's not that the company sucks, but that the market is so competitive that they have to keep you around long enough to make money. It costs them far less the keep you than to try to lure in a new customer.
No. It's illegal for a telemarketer to call your cell phone. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 prohibits automated machines from calling a number where the callee has to foot the bill. See US Code Title 47, Chapter 5, Subchapter II, Part I, Section 227...or just look here. Scroll down to B.1.a.iii.
No telemarketer worth anything hand dials numbers.
>>> be able to transfer my home number to my cell
...
Same thing for me, but
From a message a little lower:
"Cellular and other wireless carriers are not required to provide telephone number portability at this time. For this reason, customers cannot retain the same local telephone number if they change their local service from a wireline local telephone company to a wireless carrier, like a cellular or PCS service provider. Likewise, customers cannot switch from a cellular or PCS service provider to a local wireline service provider and keep the same cellular or PCS telephone number."
I tried porting a number from Sprint to Cingular, and they came back and said "not possible", which is bullshit. I decided to just forget that, and port my landline number to the new phone instead, from SBC (which is the parent of Cingular). They said "not possible". I've filed FCC complaints against both Sprint and SBC, and have been hounding SBC customer support for the last 6 days to get this resolved. The long and short of it is, there's a big fine for them to pay if they're not following the FCC mandate, and there's a very easy online way to file complaints with the FCC. Who knows how long it takes for the FCC to actually process the complaints, but I figure it can't hurt the later-adopters for us early-adopters to give the telcos a bureaucratic kick in the ass.
I instantly got some smooth bloke asking "is there a problem sir", who (now that he's been prompted) took the time to look at my 5 years of usage and had the authority to offer me
- Free phone upgrade up to 300 quid ($500)
- Change my tariff to a custom package to fit my recent history of call + SMS usage
- Discount the monthly fee for that tariff by 60%
So, I was paying to much before (aren't we all), but they didn't worry too much as they knew the number was valuable to me, now I don't have to get shirty or threaten to close my account, I just ask for a PAC code and I have some leverage...I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. - George Best
Number Portability is incredibly useful for GSM users. Since all we have to do is switch SIM cards from one carrier to another, we NEVER have to worry about getting new phones and paying extra for that. I'm euro, but has lived in Texas since 1995 and Tmobile/Voicestream has been my provider forever. They have NEVER blinked when I say I need my new phone unlocked, because they know that keeping customers happy will benefit them in the long run. Right now, with my unlocked Sony Ericsson t610, I can fly to Norway, Sweden, Germany and use my local SIM cards there and pay local rates instead of $2/minute while roaming. GSM will truly take off here too, and good times for all of us. My wet dream would be if Cingular, T-mobile and AT&T wireless worked together on ONE kick ass nationwide GSM network, and competed on prices, customer service, callings plans and phones, instead of pissing customers off with shitty networks and dropped calls. -out
Negative.
I use a Vox2 docking station. You wire it (plug it into a jack) to your house wiring and any existing phone can use your cell to dial out. (You press # for send) No land line required.
If you walk in with your own phone, no one is stopping you from getting a no-contract service.
That's not true at Verizon. I walked in w/ a brand-new VX6000. I got it from a friend as a gift. Verizon made me sign a 1-yr deal with them to get service.
The TCPA (http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/227.html) says (cut-n-pasted to cut out nonrelated stuff)....