Transferring Prepaid to Billing

[PrettyViolet]

Verizon has recently begun to allow prepaid users to transfer their numbers to monthly billing accounts.

That said, I kept my prepaid account for five years and resisted my husband's efforts to convince me to jump onto his monthly billing contract, simply because I wanted to keep my phone number. It was extremely important to me to keep my number. Number one, it is an easy number to remember (last four digits are 4243), number two, I have children and aging parents in another state who have this number, and I didn't want to go through the process of changing my phone number with EVERYONE I know.

So, to get to the point.

I now have no service at all.

The technician at the Retail Store I visited with my husband Friday afternoon assured me it was not a problem to transfer my prepaid number to my husband's account, and went through the process of doing so.

Saturday morning, I had no service. When I tried to call my husband's cell phone, I got a Verizon Wireless recorded messaging informing me that my phone could not be authenticated. SO I called him from work and he promised to call the retail store back and get the same technician on the phone.

She told him that all I needed to do was to reprogram my phone using *228. I tried that, and it would not work. Tells me it wasn't possible to program my phone, and gave me a number to call from a landline, which I did, and was given a recording that my phone number was no longer an active prepaid number. Well, duh! Called my husband again. He called technician back. She told him it would be 24 hours before my number would be put onto his account. Okay, I'm not really happy, but okay, whatever.

This morning, still no service. Tried *228 again, no go. Tried turning my phone off and back on, and now when I try to call my husband's cell, it says it will connect me to an external operator, who will be able to complete my call using a credit card??!! HUH? Called husband once again. He promised to call when the retail store opened at 10 o'clock. Keep in mind, I am at work this whole time, and worrying whether I will make it home on a half-flat tire.

Finally, at 2 pm, the technician calls me at work. Attempts to walk me through *228, like I'm an idiot and don't know how to do it. Still won't work. So she says that my number has been "locked" by the system and "lost" and the only way I can now get on my husband's account is to get a new number!! Okay, refer to my second paragraph, it was extremely important to me to KEEP MY NUMBER....that was the whole point. Now she says the number has been locked and I cannot even get the prepaid account back with that number.

By this time, I'm so upset I'm nearly crying (still at work, mind you!) and I ask to speak to someone who is over her. The next person on the line said she would try "one more thing" and asked me what number she could reach me at on Tuesday. TUESDAY???!!! That's FOUR DAYS without service. I'm getting more upset by the minute.

I guess what I'm trying to get to is this....has anyone else ever experienced this kind of thing....and exactly HOW is it possible to "lose" a number in the system??

I have a printed receipt from Friday which has my number on it, stating that it would be transferred to my husband's account. I also have an email from customer support online services stating how "easy" it is to transfer a prepaid number to a billing account.

I'm emotionally distraught, but I'm thinking....breech of contract? Someone, anyone, please help?

Thanks for all replies, and sorry for the long-winded post.

[AnthroMatt]

Call and speak to Verizon Customer service (dial 611). Usually a number, when "disconnected", is left available for at least 72 hours. They should be able to get it back. At the very least you can get out of your "new" contract because you have 30 days to cancel per Verizon's policy. Good luck!