I have At&T local and long distance (costing me 65/mo), and have DSL for another 35/mo. I bought my ooma last night from costco. Now I want to lose the phone, and keep the DSL. I have read a lot of older posts, so now it isn't sounding so easy. What is the best method to approach this? If I end up porting the number over and lose the internet for a few days, I figure I can set my ooma account up to forward the call to my cell phone (until I get things up and running again).
Again, what is the best method?
PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
So Far, not what I expected from reading all the posts
Well I reviewed the link provided by ibmofo (thanks ibmofo), essentially planned to follow it to the letter. So here is what has happened so far:
Currently have ATT DSL with phone service.
6/26/11, bought my ooma from costco, hooked it up and it works, just have a new number nobody knows.
6/27/11, put my order in for porting over my old number to my new ooma box.
6/28/11, received email from ooma stating:
"Your porting order has been updated with an estimated completion date of 07-21-2011. Note that this date is an estimate. A second notification will be sent when your phone company has confirmed the date of transfer."
I am thinking great, now I can order the new dry loop up using my wifes name, just need to wait for the date they tell me the switch is going to be made. Turns out this estimate is off by 20 days.
6/29/11, no new communications from ooma
6/30/11, get the two emails from ooma (at the same time), the first stating:
"Great news! Your carrier has confirmed the date that your number will be transferred to Ooma. Your date of transfer is 07-01-2011......Ooma will send you a reminder the day before your number transfer."
A second email stating "The day you've been waiting for is almost here! Your carrier has scheduled your number transfer for tomorrow, 07-01-2011. Below are the details for the order....."
7/1/11 IS TOMORROW, OH SH##! Now I am thinking "Great" (the derogatory "great").
So I log into ATT give them my wife's information (we are currently signed up under my name).... then sign up for dry loop (dsl only), at the honeymoon rate (discounted price for a year). The earliest date I can set up is 7/5/11. So now I am expecting 4 days without the internet and phone. Great (the derogatory "great")..
I set up the call forwarding to cell phone, HOPE IT WORKS.
As luck would have it, we don't plan on being home on those days, so it doesn't really matter. I will update this later, ..... assuming I can ever get back onto the internet.
Currently have ATT DSL with phone service.
6/26/11, bought my ooma from costco, hooked it up and it works, just have a new number nobody knows.
6/27/11, put my order in for porting over my old number to my new ooma box.
6/28/11, received email from ooma stating:
"Your porting order has been updated with an estimated completion date of 07-21-2011. Note that this date is an estimate. A second notification will be sent when your phone company has confirmed the date of transfer."
I am thinking great, now I can order the new dry loop up using my wifes name, just need to wait for the date they tell me the switch is going to be made. Turns out this estimate is off by 20 days.
6/29/11, no new communications from ooma
6/30/11, get the two emails from ooma (at the same time), the first stating:
"Great news! Your carrier has confirmed the date that your number will be transferred to Ooma. Your date of transfer is 07-01-2011......Ooma will send you a reminder the day before your number transfer."
A second email stating "The day you've been waiting for is almost here! Your carrier has scheduled your number transfer for tomorrow, 07-01-2011. Below are the details for the order....."
7/1/11 IS TOMORROW, OH SH##! Now I am thinking "Great" (the derogatory "great").
So I log into ATT give them my wife's information (we are currently signed up under my name).... then sign up for dry loop (dsl only), at the honeymoon rate (discounted price for a year). The earliest date I can set up is 7/5/11. So now I am expecting 4 days without the internet and phone. Great (the derogatory "great")..
I set up the call forwarding to cell phone, HOPE IT WORKS.
As luck would have it, we don't plan on being home on those days, so it doesn't really matter. I will update this later, ..... assuming I can ever get back onto the internet.
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2194725277
- Posts:2
- Joined:Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:10 pm
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
I am jealous you are getting your port already. I purchased mine in MAY and still have not had my number ported. No reply from tech support, either. I am really frustrated.
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
Sorry to here that it is taking so long. Hopefully they hook you up, but still give you some time to make the dry-loop setup arrangements concurrent with the port date. Getting one day notice like I did leaves you know choice but to be down for an extended period of time, probably the reason ooma makes you sign off that you have already taken care of it.
It seams if you plan for it ahead of time, you will be without internet for days, if you get short notice like I did, you will be out for days, ....best choice seems to try and make the switch concurrent, just like it seems most of the others have been able to do.
EDITED 7/31/11, previously I wrote that the "forward on network outage" did not appear to work. Ibmofo in response below let me know it takes about 18 minutes for that change to take place in the system. I have since found this to be working perfectly so I removed the statement.
It seams if you plan for it ahead of time, you will be without internet for days, if you get short notice like I did, you will be out for days, ....best choice seems to try and make the switch concurrent, just like it seems most of the others have been able to do.
EDITED 7/31/11, previously I wrote that the "forward on network outage" did not appear to work. Ibmofo in response below let me know it takes about 18 minutes for that change to take place in the system. I have since found this to be working perfectly so I removed the statement.
Last edited by moogbro on Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
The network outage forwarding kicks in after about 18 minutes or so if you disconnect the internet or power from your Ooma.
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
The Call Forwarding on Network Outage is working, I didn't read anywhere in their documentation that it took 18 minutes. Thanks for your response. I will update on how well it works later
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
7/7/11 Got back from vacation, new dryloop dsl installed one day earlier, spent half hour on phone with ATT CS establishing my new account. Ooma now working perfectly (so far).
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shastastan
- Posts:8
- Joined:Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:11 pm
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
Luckily I read some of the older posts on porting from at&t that I got from a Google search. We just got Ooma 2 days ago and I just joined the forum today. Having read these posts, I thought long and hard about a course of action. I'm a little bummed out that porting our old number is filled with potential nightmares. Soooo, we are not going to port our old number and just use our new Ooma assigned number instead. It sure will be fun trying to get everyone notified of our new number.....not.
The next step is to try and get At&t to stop our basic phone service and let us keep our DSL. Trying to get through to someone at Att customer service is harder than getting Congress to balance the budget. I was finally able to send an email to att but had to jump through a bunch of hoops first. They want all the info from your last bill, but that means only if the last bill was paid. If not it's the bill previous to that one. They don't tell you any of this stuff though. I think that they watch too much Jeopardy. We have not heard back from att yet.
If we cannot get results from att, we plan to get dsl from Verizon and totally cancel all service with att. If that can't be done, our last resort is to get our internet via our local cable company. I hate this last choice, because the cable company changes the amount of the bill every month even though the amount should remain fixed. It's a royal p.i.t.a.. We did sent a couple of support emails to Ooma asking them if changing to Verizon internet service will cause any problems with Ooma, but they have not responded yet either. Maybe tomorrow since it's a normal workday? Most companies of today couldn't care less about their customers. They treat us like a bunch of little lemmings happily jumping off cliffs. Customer loyalty doesn't count for much anymore does it?
Clearly, porting your old number is not for the faint of heart or senior citizen like me.
The next step is to try and get At&t to stop our basic phone service and let us keep our DSL. Trying to get through to someone at Att customer service is harder than getting Congress to balance the budget. I was finally able to send an email to att but had to jump through a bunch of hoops first. They want all the info from your last bill, but that means only if the last bill was paid. If not it's the bill previous to that one. They don't tell you any of this stuff though. I think that they watch too much Jeopardy. We have not heard back from att yet.
If we cannot get results from att, we plan to get dsl from Verizon and totally cancel all service with att. If that can't be done, our last resort is to get our internet via our local cable company. I hate this last choice, because the cable company changes the amount of the bill every month even though the amount should remain fixed. It's a royal p.i.t.a.. We did sent a couple of support emails to Ooma asking them if changing to Verizon internet service will cause any problems with Ooma, but they have not responded yet either. Maybe tomorrow since it's a normal workday? Most companies of today couldn't care less about their customers. They treat us like a bunch of little lemmings happily jumping off cliffs. Customer loyalty doesn't count for much anymore does it?
Clearly, porting your old number is not for the faint of heart or senior citizen like me.
Re: PortingAT&T, what is recommended method
HI Shastafan.
Have you read somewhere that stated you can get rid of the AT&T phone and keep the dsl? I have had my number for 20 years so I didn't even consider giving it up an option. It just dawned on me that you probably can because the phone number is the account number. If you are going to keep the DSL and not force the number to be ported out, AT&T can keep the account number, and they don't need to set up a new account. When you port your phone number away from them, they are forced to give up your old number ,....which is their account number, and thus essentially are forced to cancel your account??. Can anyone confirm that you can cancel the phone and just keep DSL if you are not requesting your number to be ported?
Shastafan" If you reconsider your decision to give up your old phone number, it isn't that hard. Here is a summary of the steps you can follow (assuming you have access to a cell phone): You can even save quite a bit in internet costs over the first year by being considered a new AT&T customer. If you don't have a cell phone, you should consider getting a cheap prepaid tracfone.
1) Set up your Ooma to have calls forwarded to your cell phone. Go to MyOoma >Preferences >Call Forwarding >check the box next to "Enable call forwarding", in the forwarding mode, select call forwarding on net work outage, and enter your phone number, then hit SAVE.
2) Log in to Ooma and request the port. Even though you have not established a separate dry loop, just answer yes to Ooma's question that you have. I believe Ooma's lawyers are requiring this so that you can't hold them responsible for any losses you may suffer between the time AT&T cuts your service, and the time your new dry loop service gets installed.
3) Sit back and wait for the email that confirms the port date. In my case, it was the second emai which stated:
""Great news! Your carrier has confirmed the date that your number will be transferred to Ooma. Your date of transfer is xx-xx-201x......Ooma will send you a reminder the day before your number transfer."
4) Once you get the above email, go to ATT.com and sign up for "internet only" aka dry loop. During this setup, preferably use a different name than was used on the old service. As I recall AT&T will ask for a Soc Sec number, or drivers license information to check your credit. I used my spouses name (my name was on the account I cancelled), this allowed me to get the Elite Service *6mbps" at the discount rate for 24.95/mo for 12 mos (normally 48/mo) for new customers. When you sign up, they typically let you pick a date no sooner than 5 business days out. Pick a date that coincides with the date the service is being cancelled, or the following day. In the "Options" you will be asked if you want a Technician Installation for $200 or a customer self installation for $0. As nothing changed at my house, same wiring, and modem / router, I chose self installation (nothing to install, everything was already hooked up). No one was at home when AT&T did their thing to hook us up. I just found a note on the door stating they were here and hooked us up.
5) After the install, I had to call AT&T to set up my account online (i.e, logon user id and password). This step is the Catch 22 if you don't have a cell phone. You won't be able to call ATT because your Ooma wont work until your modem / router makes a connection to the internet with your new account info.
So Far this Ooma phone is working great. Rather than paying AT&T $100/mo for 3mbps with unlimited local and long distance, I am paying 24.95 +10/mo for premier + 3.95 taxes. For me, roughly $61/month savings. Considering I bought this at Costco for $179plus tax, this Ooma gizmo will pay for itself in a little over 3 months. Also finding the mp3 voicemails in my emai box a lot more convenient than I imagined. Makes it extremely easy to check when away from home. I also set up my Ipod touch to work with Ooma which in my experience doesn't work very well when it works at all.
Have you read somewhere that stated you can get rid of the AT&T phone and keep the dsl? I have had my number for 20 years so I didn't even consider giving it up an option. It just dawned on me that you probably can because the phone number is the account number. If you are going to keep the DSL and not force the number to be ported out, AT&T can keep the account number, and they don't need to set up a new account. When you port your phone number away from them, they are forced to give up your old number ,....which is their account number, and thus essentially are forced to cancel your account??. Can anyone confirm that you can cancel the phone and just keep DSL if you are not requesting your number to be ported?
Shastafan" If you reconsider your decision to give up your old phone number, it isn't that hard. Here is a summary of the steps you can follow (assuming you have access to a cell phone): You can even save quite a bit in internet costs over the first year by being considered a new AT&T customer. If you don't have a cell phone, you should consider getting a cheap prepaid tracfone.
1) Set up your Ooma to have calls forwarded to your cell phone. Go to MyOoma >Preferences >Call Forwarding >check the box next to "Enable call forwarding", in the forwarding mode, select call forwarding on net work outage, and enter your phone number, then hit SAVE.
2) Log in to Ooma and request the port. Even though you have not established a separate dry loop, just answer yes to Ooma's question that you have. I believe Ooma's lawyers are requiring this so that you can't hold them responsible for any losses you may suffer between the time AT&T cuts your service, and the time your new dry loop service gets installed.
3) Sit back and wait for the email that confirms the port date. In my case, it was the second emai which stated:
""Great news! Your carrier has confirmed the date that your number will be transferred to Ooma. Your date of transfer is xx-xx-201x......Ooma will send you a reminder the day before your number transfer."
4) Once you get the above email, go to ATT.com and sign up for "internet only" aka dry loop. During this setup, preferably use a different name than was used on the old service. As I recall AT&T will ask for a Soc Sec number, or drivers license information to check your credit. I used my spouses name (my name was on the account I cancelled), this allowed me to get the Elite Service *6mbps" at the discount rate for 24.95/mo for 12 mos (normally 48/mo) for new customers. When you sign up, they typically let you pick a date no sooner than 5 business days out. Pick a date that coincides with the date the service is being cancelled, or the following day. In the "Options" you will be asked if you want a Technician Installation for $200 or a customer self installation for $0. As nothing changed at my house, same wiring, and modem / router, I chose self installation (nothing to install, everything was already hooked up). No one was at home when AT&T did their thing to hook us up. I just found a note on the door stating they were here and hooked us up.
5) After the install, I had to call AT&T to set up my account online (i.e, logon user id and password). This step is the Catch 22 if you don't have a cell phone. You won't be able to call ATT because your Ooma wont work until your modem / router makes a connection to the internet with your new account info.
So Far this Ooma phone is working great. Rather than paying AT&T $100/mo for 3mbps with unlimited local and long distance, I am paying 24.95 +10/mo for premier + 3.95 taxes. For me, roughly $61/month savings. Considering I bought this at Costco for $179plus tax, this Ooma gizmo will pay for itself in a little over 3 months. Also finding the mp3 voicemails in my emai box a lot more convenient than I imagined. Makes it extremely easy to check when away from home. I also set up my Ipod touch to work with Ooma which in my experience doesn't work very well when it works at all.