Porting with AT&T

Got something else to discuss that is not covered by the previous forums? Post it here!
dickrv
Posts:3
Joined:Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:50 pm
Porting with AT&T

Post by dickrv » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:25 pm

At the present time I have DSL with AT&T. I'm looking at the possibility
of changing over to Roadrunner cable. They have a wireless modem
that I'm not sure if it will work with our OOMA system. Perhaps somebody out there can give me some answeres about this. I have there
DSL and phone on the same line and AT&T tells me that I must pay them $200 for an extra jack or my DSL will be cut off during porting. Any advice would be appreciated as I have no desire to give them one
cent more.

User avatar
hwgang
Posts:117
Joined:Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:02 pm
Location:MA

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by hwgang » Fri Feb 13, 2009 4:24 pm

No way would I shell out $200 to AT & T.

I had Verizon DSL for years with Vonage and NO land-line. Unless my info is wildly outdated......

......you need to get "dry loop" DSL which means they assign you a phone number for DSL service but you don't actually need phone service. I know the ooma info refers to this, too.

I'd:

a) call AT & T and tell them that unless you get free dry loop you're leaving them. Don't fool around, but talk to the retention dept. immediately instead of an outsourced underling with no ability to make any deal or address complex situations short of their script. In any outfit the retention dept. is the one with the power and the ability to change things AND they are infinitely more technically knowledgeable in my experiences, so if someone's feeding you baloney about the $200 deal, they'll know it.

b) if you don't get satisfaction for whatever reason, ask to speak to someone else, and then, as a back-up, set a cut-off date then and there for service to be discontinued. Even if you end up acquiescing THEY don't need to know that.

c) seriously consider switching anyway. There is no free lunch, (short of ooma, maybe. ;) ) but there is something to be said for switiching providers from time to time. I know as much as I hate Comcast, they ARE better than DSL was for me.

d) I don't know about other broadband providers, but comcast puts you on "soft disconnect" if you give them a cut-off date, so watch out for severely slower speeds and holler if you find that happening.

Good luck. I feel for you!

dickrv
Posts:3
Joined:Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:50 pm

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by dickrv » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:16 pm

Thanks...hwgang...I'll give your idea a try but if they continue to
give me a bad time I'll have to look elsewhere...I wish I knew more about
cable internet; especially that wireless modem...not sure if it will work with OOMA system. Again, many thanks for your comments...will at least try and see what happens...take care.

User avatar
hwgang
Posts:117
Joined:Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:02 pm
Location:MA

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by hwgang » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:31 pm

Hi dickrv,

I'm a little lost. I don't know of any wireless modem unless I missed a memo. ;-) Do you mean a wireless ROUTER?

I currently have cable, a cable modem, a wireless router, ooma....and....Vonage. I have 3 numbers with them and will drop 2 of them with Vonage as soon as my numbers are ported and will retain the 3rd with Vonage until ooma comes up with an elegant fax solution....which I have no doubt they will.

Anyway, is there something I'm missing here about the virtues of a wireless modem? Because I can't think of any. But cable, wireless routers and ooma all work great together.

Getting all the ducks in a row with any new technology--wired or wireless-- is the short, painful part. Getting to the reaping the rewards part with ooma is worth the trouble, though.

What's holding you back from switching to cable if it is available? The cable company will be glad to give you good reasons to switch to their internet service, BUT they're going to try and sell you all kinds of other services, too, sp be wary.

We have cable internet, satellite TV and ooma. Cell service from yet another company. I've learned to have NO loyalty and to mix and match services to my heart's content. We pay less and we're really happy with our services compared to most folks we know. Build me a better mousetrap at a great price and I'm there. ooma is one heck of a better mousetrap at a great price.

Just don't let ANYONE bully or intimidate you into being a customer. That's the surest way to have any company get me running to the door. Keep us posted and again, good luck!

dickrv
Posts:3
Joined:Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:50 pm

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by dickrv » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:59 pm

hwgang...I checked roadrunner on line and they are advertising free
"wireless MODEM" at $34.95 per month for 12 months. I'll give them a
call tomorrow and if they are closed I'll call Monday and find out what the devil is going on...perhaps they really mean a router???

User avatar
skellener
Posts:97
Joined:Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:00 pm
Location:So. Cal.
Contact:

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by skellener » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:20 pm

dickrv wrote:hwgang...I checked roadrunner on line and they are advertising free
"wireless MODEM" at $34.95 per month for 12 months. I'll give them a
call tomorrow and if they are closed I'll call Monday and find out what the devil is going on...perhaps they really mean a router???
There are some routers that are both routers and modems all in one. Now it seems they also include the wifi part as well. That's all.

blackpippi
Posts:12
Joined:Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:30 am

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by blackpippi » Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:12 pm

I just ported from AT&T and have now lost my internet connection AND my phone line.

Here's what happened:

Per Oomas instructions, I called AT&T on January 20th and requested a dry loop. AT&T said it would be one week and at that time I would lose my phone and only have DSL.

Ooma says it takes 3-4 weeks to port so that means from about Feb 1st - 15th I would not have a phone. AT&T concurred and also said if they dry looped before the port then the phone number would not be available a few weeks down the line. The number would be lost.

AT&T said Ooma should contact them and they would work out a time for the switch.

I assumed for the $40 I paid that Ooma would take care of this. Boy was I wrong! Ooma ported and AT&T cancelled all of my services because I had not ordered a dry loop.

There are two problems:
1)Ooma told me AT&T was using “scare tactics” and that dry looping means splitting off the phone and DSL on separate lines. AT&T’s response makes more sense: dry loop means DSL only-end of story.

2)Ooma should handle the switch to dry loop. Barring that, as the 3-4 weeks approaches they should send an email stating when the switch is going to happen so the consumer can then order dry loop-not a month in advance.

It is painfully obviously clear that Ooma & AT&T need to talk and coordinate the switch. To tell the consumer to just order dry loop and to not trust anything AT&T says is bizarre.

User avatar
hwgang
Posts:117
Joined:Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:02 pm
Location:MA

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by hwgang » Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:46 pm

In 2004 we had a Verizon land line and Verizon DSL. We ported our number to Vonage. Verizon assigned us a dry loop number. We never requested anything from Verizon---no change in service and no special accomodations-- and we never lost either phone or internet service. The "replacement" dry-loop number was provided automatically. We now have cable internet since Verizon was never able to supply us with the service we contracted for and was never able to say WHY they were unable.

I don't know how much of a battle things currently are, but I've lived through multiple-number portings through from Verizon and Lingo (AWFUL) to Vonage to ooma. Lingo was the pits and things dragged on for months. Then the service was horrendous. Everything else went smoothly. I'm still waiting for my ooma port which is taking longer than it was said to, but at least I have a date now.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. I hope you can recover your number and that somewhere, someone with some clout will go to bat for you. Don't take "it can't be done" for an answer before you've climbed the ladder and made it clear you will not go quietly into the night. Good luck.

WayneDsr
Posts:3790
Joined:Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:28 pm
Location:Northern Indiana

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by WayneDsr » Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:00 pm

According to AT&T here I would need to dry loop the dsl. That means disassociating it with the phone number, which is the account number of the combined service.The phone number will stay on line one and the new dsl dry loop will be on line 2.
You DON'T tell them you are cancelling the phone, because the number will go away before ooma can port.

When that switch is DONE, I would have to contact ooma and NOT before, if ooma makes the port before the number is disassociated from the dsl, the phone and DSL go away.

I fully understood that the dry loop, or disassociation of phone number from the dsl account was my responsibliity, not ooma's, if I wanted to keep the phone number AND DSL line.

Hope you can get your number back.
Wayne

tjnamtiw
Posts:83
Joined:Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:19 pm

Re: Porting with AT&T

Post by tjnamtiw » Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:35 pm

WayneDsr wrote:According to AT&T here I would need to dry loop the dsl. That means disassociating it with the phone number, which is the account number of the combined service.The phone number will stay on line one and the new dsl dry loop will be on line 2.
You DON'T tell them you are cancelling the phone, because the number will go away before ooma can port.

When that switch is DONE, I would have to contact ooma and NOT before, if ooma makes the port before the number is disassociated from the dsl, the phone and DSL go away.

I fully understood that the dry loop, or disassociation of phone number from the dsl account was my responsibliity, not ooma's, if I wanted to keep the phone number AND DSL line.

Hope you can get your number back.
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
Does that mean they physically run a second line to your house? I'm also ATT and just got my ooma up and running. I saw their instructions on calling ATT to disassociate the phone from the DSL. I'm just wondering with two lines, will I have to change my in-house setup. What a nightmare! I'm going to call them tomorrow and I just LOVE talking to the morons in Manila!!!!

Post Reply