Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

I'm not too familiar with Sprint's policies and am curious as to
how they would handle porting an out of area phone number (and also
from another provider) to an add-a-line on an existing contract. I
wouldn't want to do this and find out afterward that Sprint would
demand this new line be on a separate contract, because calls were
being made from another market. I thought I had read at some point
where certain providers would surcharge you if more than a certain
amount of your calls came from a market other than the one the contract
was based out of. Part two of this would be if you had an existing
contract and you relocated to another market how long would it be
before they forced you to change numbers to the new market? I'm
thinking maybe they can't now that we have number porting.

I've been offered the opportunity to share with someone else, and was
wondering if anyone had an experience with something similar.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

momcat1 wrote:
> I'm not too familiar with Sprint's policies and am curious as to
> how they would handle porting an out of area phone number (and also
> from another provider) to an add-a-line on an existing contract.

They can't port the number if it's out of area. WLNP = wireless LOCAL number
portability.

If you're changing markets, however, you can keep your current phone number and
just change your billing address. We did that with both Verizon and Sprint in
2003; until we found a permanent home here, we kept our Ohio phone numbers and
gave the carriers our temporary Cali address.

When we were ready to switch, we had to close the old accounts and open new
ones, but that's not as hard as it sounds. Verizon has a department called E-Z
Move that will move your account from the old billing/market area to the new
one. Sprint has a dedicated department too, though they don't have a snappy
name for it.

In Sprint's case, on my wife's phone, they terminated the old contract and
opened a new one. We were billed a $150 ETF and $36 activation on the next bill
but it was credited right back on the same bill, so we didn't have to pay it.
However, our contract end date was reset (Verizon, correctly, kept the same
contract end date for both of the VZW phones I had at the time).

The solution was to have a CSR place a "high-priority note" on our account
noting that we HADN'T technically extended our contract, that 11/28/03 was
still the proper contract end date, and that if we terminated after that date
we should not be charged an ETF. I checked a few times in subsequent months,
just to make sure the CSRs all knew the note was there, and they all saw it and
honored it.

> wouldn't want to do this and find out afterward that Sprint would
> demand this new line be on a separate contract, because calls were
> being made from another market.

Well, if you're changing market areas, they do have to open a new contract, but
perhaps they can do for you what they did for me? Talk to them. You may want to
talk to a supervisor, since this is not probably something most front-line CSRs
do on a regular basis.

> where certain providers would surcharge you if more than a certain
> amount of your calls came from a market other than the one the contract
> was based out of. Part two of this would be if you had an existing
> contract and you relocated to another market how long would it be
> before they forced you to change numbers to the new market? I'm
> thinking maybe they can't now that we have number porting.

Neither Sprint nor Verizon did this to us, and we had a period of an entire
months where ALL our calls were outside are original home area. We were ok
because we were on-network - both Verizon and Sprint have native coverage here.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <1111255589.363909.97470@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
momcat_one@yahoo.com says...
>
> I'm not too familiar with Sprint's policies and am curious as to
> how they would handle porting an out of area phone number (and also
> from another provider) to an add-a-line on an existing contract. I
> wouldn't want to do this and find out afterward that Sprint would
> demand this new line be on a separate contract, because calls were
> being made from another market. I thought I had read at some point
> where certain providers would surcharge you if more than a certain
> amount of your calls came from a market other than the one the contract
> was based out of. Part two of this would be if you had an existing
> contract and you relocated to another market how long would it be
> before they forced you to change numbers to the new market? I'm
> thinking maybe they can't now that we have number porting.
>
> I've been offered the opportunity to share with someone else, and was
> wondering if anyone had an experience with something similar.
>
>

Sprint doesn't care where the phone number is, as long as it's located
in a coverage area that Sprint covers. This example isn't true, but it
illustrates what I mean:

Let's pretend the number in question is a Joliet, IL number. You're in,
oh... Dallas. Now, if Sprint has coverage in Joliet, you're fine.
They'll port the number in, and as long as the plan you're on is
available in both locations, you can port in and keep the Joliet number.
So that 2000-minute plan you have (again, an example) could cover both
your existing phones and the one you're adding in from Joliet. BUT:
that Joliet phone will still get its own contract. Same plan,
individual contract.

If Sprint does *not* cover Joliet, then you cannot port the number in.
Simple as that.

Third possibility: Either that new number or the number you're adding
are in an "affiliate" market. There are a few plan differences between
"corporate" and affiliate markets. If this case applies, you may not be
able to port in that number *and* cover it under your existing plan.
Depending on the differences, you may need to keep that new number on
its own plan.

Thumbrule: call in two separate times and ask about the Free & Clear
America offering in each respective region. Not that you need it, but
that's the plan offering that is the most often different between
corporate and affiliate markets. If the two are different, then you
could have complications porting in that new number. There still might
be a gotcha involved, but that's how it goes with thumbrules.

HTH
--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
A thing moderately good
is not so good as it ought to be.
Moderation in temper is always a virtue,
but moderation in principle is always a vice.
+Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792+

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

The person adding his phone to his friend's account would loose control
of the number and the friend would get the bill. Which might put a
strain on the friendship.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

It's my daughter and we've already worked that part through. Shouldn't
be a problem there.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

Her plan was written in South Georgia, and now she's in Virginia, with
Georgia numbers and they haven't had an issue with that. It's my New
York number that we want to add and I know we're in a Sprint covered
area. I just wouldn't want to do it if I would lose my local number (
toll charge to call from my house), and also if they would force me to
a separate plan (want to keep it all together on one plan). We don't
have a problem with contract extensions, we'd accept that.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

O/Siris wrote:
> Let's pretend the number in question is a Joliet, IL number. You're in,
> oh... Dallas. Now, if Sprint has coverage in Joliet, you're fine.
> They'll port the number in, and as long as the plan you're on is
> available in both locations, you can port in and keep the Joliet number.

No, you CAN'T "port" in. You're misusing the term. What happens is that your
contract stays in whatever market area Dallas is in, your number stays the
same, and only your billing address changes.

You can't port a number outside the local calling area it serves. You
DEFINITELY can't port a number across area codes.

</pedant>

> So that 2000-minute plan you have (again, an example) could cover both
> your existing phones and the one you're adding in from Joliet. BUT:
> that Joliet phone will still get its own contract. Same plan,
> individual contract.

This is correct.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

OK so it sounds like I could add to her plan in VA or GA, but would
have my own contract in NY, since I need to keep a NY number. That's
OK with us. We just want to all be on one shared plan, together.

When she moved she didn't need to change her plan or sign a new
contract, or change her number, BTW.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

momcat1 wrote:
> OK so it sounds like I could add to her plan in VA or GA, but would
> have my own contract in NY, since I need to keep a NY number.

Yes. Most likely, NY and VA/GA are in different market areas.

> When she moved she didn't need to change her plan or sign a new
> contract, or change her number, BTW.

That mirrors my experience. If I didn't want a local number I could have kept
my Cleveland-area number.



--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <d1khr1$ums$1@ratbert.glorb.com>, sjsobol@JustThe.net says...
> No, you CAN'T "port" in. You're misusing the term. What happens is that your
> contract stays in whatever market area Dallas is in, your number stays the
> same, and only your billing address changes.
>

Sorry to interject into an old conversation, but I stepped away for a
bit. My understanding was that the number in question was, at the time,
not a Sprint PCS number, and in a different market than the number that
*was* Sprint PCS.

Thus, porting was exactly the term intended and needed.

No need to respond, as the conversation appears cleared up. Just
explaining what I was thinking.

--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
A thing moderately good
is not so good as it ought to be.
Moderation in temper is always a virtue,
but moderation in principle is always a vice.
+Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792+

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

O/Siris wrote:
> Thus, porting was exactly the term intended and needed.

I suppose. I won't argue with you, even though you're wrong.


--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"