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Saturday, July 14th, 2012 8:49 PM

Re: Cannot convert to a family plan because of different markets. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED

I am hoping you can help me as well. I have spent several hours calling AT&T and researching options online. I have been with AT&T over 5 years and my husband for the same time. We are loyal customers and would like to stay with AT&T. I am on a Midwest market individual plan and my husband is on a Northwest market plan. We just got married last year and would like to have him come on my plan however we were told after several calls he has to get a new number and we have to create a new account first to them have him added to mine through relocation. Not only do we have to go through this hassle but we were told we lose the 200MB grandfathered plan and have to pay more per month. Is there anything you can do to help? We would love to just to keep this easy as I hear Verizon can allow family plans with different markets.

 

Tutor

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4 Messages

12 years ago

Hi Jamileh,

 

Just wanted to air disappointment of another frustrated soon-to-be former customer. The hassle of having 10+ years of contacts switch their stored number for me or my wife is SO much greater than switching carriers to combine them to one family plan (yes, I've researched and verified every other carrier can port our numbers into one family plan together) that we just can't justify staying with AT&T. And when I tried to understand why AT&T had set up this policy - noting that if merely having 9 numbers of a tax ID number made it possible, that it was merely a construction of corporate bureaucracy, not a physical impossibility - the supervising manager I was speaking to basically said if I wanted to leave it was my decision but there was nothing he could do.

 

That's fine, I was 80% out the door to Verizon anyway. Better LTE coverage in all major markets and iPhone 5s with better international flexibiity.

 

Point is, I do hope that there's significant business value for AT&T corporate to continue with an unflexible set of sectored regional databases and only allow business to join the existing national database. (e.g., it prevents them from anti-trust litigation somehow?) Because otherwise it seems an asinine decision when facing a generation of cell phone only customers (those of us in late-20s and early 30s) who would expect our service provider to be able to adjust as we get married and move around the country.

 

-- John

ACE - Expert

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14.1K Messages

12 years ago

I'd imagine the rationale behind the decision is making sure that members of a family plan are actually family that lives together, and most families that live together have phone numbers from the same market. Sure, that may change over time and I can see how it seems inappropriate in your case. In fairness, you are just as inflexible with not changing your number.

If you feel another carrier better fits your needs, then it makes sense for you to change. I hope your information is accurate.

Tutor

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4 Messages

12 years ago

That's a good point, MicCheck, it seems more likely that rationale it to keep folks from creating "families" as a way to cut spending.

 

My reasons for keeping my number is less about steadfast inflexibility than it is a simple cost benefit analysis. Right now, since we're both out of contract, the costs of switching are only the hassle of going through the process and not being able to have simultaneous voice and data. The benefits are that my wife and I will keep our current numbers, will be on a shared plan, and will have more LTE coverage.

 

The other side is that staying with AT&T would have the benefit of us on a shared plan with simultaneous voice and data. But the cost is that one of us would need to change our number, which inconveniences not just me but propagates a small inconvenience through to all the people who have my number.

 

Given those scenarios, I feel I'm better off switching and I don't have enough brand loyalty to act against that self-interest. (Note, the reason for my original post was that if I did not have to switch numbers and could easily transition to a shared plan, the only cost to staying would be not getting expanded LTE coverage. That'd be an acceptable trade off because AT&T already covers my area and I believe they will expand rapidly nationwide.)

 

On AT&Ts side, one must hope that allowing different markets to combine on one family plan would cost them more than they'd gain by changing policy to keep customers like me. If not, the company is acting against it's self-interest.

 

However, judging that there are nearing 100 views of this topic just today, I'd suggest it might be worth confirming those calculations.

Professor

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2.7K Messages

12 years ago

Was the Google Voice option not a viable solution for you?

Tutor

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4 Messages

12 years ago

Not really, although I did think through it to make the decision.

 

The Google Voice option seemed like it adds unnecessary complexity to the system (paying to register my old number at a new account with a third party who would then forward it to a new number) when there were simpler solutions available that achieved the same end. I would either need to assign a higher value to simultaneous voice and data or have much stronger brand loyalty.

 

AT&T offers a similar call forwarding option but it requires you to keep your other account open and have it forwarded to a new one. So you end up paying fully for two accounts every month. Obviously, that's much worse than the Google option which only costs $20 once.

 

I guess the crux of it, though, is not if alternative solutions exist, but why if other service providers will combine markets AND AT&T itself will combine markets you hold an easily acquired government issued EIN, does AT&T have a policy that prevent's individuals from combining accounts? (And, as I said earlier, if all it takes is 9 digits issues by the government to suddenly make it possible, but other carriers don't require that, then it must be a choice that has been made by AT&T - not an absolute requirement). That's the biggest disappointment - and the frustration is that no one seems to be able to say why that choice was made - only that it exists. The best explanation is MicCheck's offer that it prevents fraud of false family accounts, and that is a greater risk to revenue than customer loss.

Tutor

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4 Messages

11 years ago

I have been a loyal customer of ATT for 14 years.  And right now I'm facing the same problem.  Why should I give up my number I've had for 14 years?   ATT is extremely disappointing.

 

But since they refuse to give us solutions... only scripted apologies..... we the customers are forced to find our own.

 

I was wondering if this solution could work. 

 

1. Port my number to Metro PCS. 

 

2.  I'm not on contract with ATT, so cancel my account with ATT.

 

3. Stay with Metro PCS for 1 month under their no contract system.

 

4. Port my number back to ATT, and be able to join my girlfriends mobile share plan and keep my number.

 


Thoughts?

 

 

Expert

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12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@eaglerider wrote:

I have been a loyal customer of ATT for 14 years.  And right now I'm facing the same problem.  Why should I give up my number I've had for 14 years?   ATT is extremely disappointing.

 

But since they refuse to give us solutions... only scripted apologies..... we the customers are forced to find our own.

 

I was wondering if this solution could work. 

 

1. Port my number to Metro PCS. 

 

2.  I'm not on contract with ATT, so cancel my account with ATT.

 

3. Stay with Metro PCS for 1 month under their no contract system.

 

4. Port my number back to ATT, and be able to join my girlfriends mobile share plan and keep my number.

 


Thoughts?

 

 


need more details on why your number cannot be joined to your girl friends mobile share - if it is becasue of different area codes, that would not work

Tutor

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4 Messages

11 years ago

 

Yes. Our phone numbers have different area codes from different markets.

 

My phone number is Northern California, and her is from Southern California.

 

I was HOPING by porting my number into and out of Metro PCS it could be entered back into ATT in the same market as my girlfriends.

 

 

 

Professor

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2.7K Messages

11 years ago

Your better option would be to port your number to Google Voice (for a one-time $20 fee) and take a new phone number from AT&T on your girlfriend's account.

 

Two things to consider: 1) your number on Google Voice wouldn't be able to receive MMS messages, so you would have to give out your new AT&T number to people that send you MMS messages 2) porting your number out would trigger an ETF on your account, if applicable.

ACE - Expert

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14.1K Messages

11 years ago


@eaglerider wrote:

 

Yes. Our phone numbers have different area codes from different markets.

 

My phone number is Northern California, and her is from Southern California.

 

I was HOPING by porting my number into and out of Metro PCS it could be entered back into ATT in the same market as my girlfriends.

 

 

 


Nothing will make a northern California number into a southern California number. The area code decides which market it's in, so unless you or your girlfriend changes your phone number, AT&T won't let the two of you join a family plan.

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