Basically, I’m an AT&T customer who recently relocated from California to Texas. I don’t want to change my number since I’ve had it for so long. I want to add a line to my account under the add a line terms (.99 additional/mo; FamilyTalk share existing minutes pool incl rollover) however apparently I can’t do that unless I want to have the new number be a California number. I plan to use the additional line for business purposes, so having a local number is important. Here is the email I sent to AT&T Customer Service after I spent 57 minutes speaking to various representatives trying to work this out:
"Currently, I have one line on a Nationwide plan. I would like to add
a like to this plan for business use. Recently, I relocated from
California to Texas. Apparently, my usage area is still referencing
California and this causes problems when I would like to add a line with
a local (Texas) number. Here is what I need. I need to add a line to my
account. Changing my existing phone number is not an option. I do not feel that it is reasonable to circumvent your system limitation by
having two seperate accounts thus paying 2-3 times as much as I should if I were able to simply add a line. I’ve been with Cingular (AT&T) for some time and would like to continue to patronize you guys as a customer, however, if a compromise is not available, I will be forced to search for another carrier who will be able to accomodate me. I’d be more than willing to create a second account with the local information as long as I’d only be charged the .99/mo that I would normally be charged for adding a line."
Personally, I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask for a compromise. If in order to handle my request, I have to have a sperate account, I should be able to get it discounted. Looking at the rate plans available with AT&T, I’d have to pay around a month to have service I could (and am entitled to) for only a month. Why should I be punished because of their system limitations? Here is the response I got from the Customer Service department:
"Dear Mr. xxxxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding adding a line to
your account with a Texas phone number and keep your California number.
I understand the importance of getting information on adding a line to
your account. My name is Mary Sheppard, and I am happy to help you with
your inquiry.
Unfortunately, the only way to add a line to your account would be to
relocate your California phone number to Texas. We are not able to have phone numbers for different markets on the same account. The only other option is have a separate account with the Texas phone number and the .99 additional line price would not apply to an individual line account.
If you would like to complete relocation, please be advised of the
following:
1. A new account and wireless number will be activated
2. A new SIM is required and will be sent to the customer by the
Relocation Department
3. A credit evaluation is NOT required for Relocations
4. A contract extension is not required to complete relocation
Exception: if the customer chooses to upgrade their plan and/or
equipment, a contract extension may be required
If a customer has a converted account, an equipment upgrade will be
performed by the relocation team prior to the relocation
5. Rate plan, equipment and rollover minute eligibility will be
determined at the time the relocation is processed
In order to process your relocation we will need for you to contact our
relocations department. The number to this department is (800)826-7356. The hours of operations are Monday through Friday 7:00am to 11:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.
I hope the information provided has been helpful. If you would like
assistance with a new question in the future, please log in to your
myWireless Account again and send a new email. To send your request via email, please follow these steps:
1. Log in to your "My Wireless" page on att.com/wireless
2. Click on contact us, which is located by the search link on the top
right hand corner of page
3. Scroll down to bottom and select the link to email us.
4. Follow prompts to send us an email.
AT&T Online Customer Care is unable to assist with email requests unless these requests are submitted via the MyWireless section of
ATT.com/wireless. If you follow these steps to email us, this will make
sure your email was submitted properly and that you will get a response to your question.
We are here to assist you. I encourage you to visit us at
www.att.com/wireless often to view your monthly account statements, make payments and shop for new products and services. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Please let us know if we can assist you in any other way.
Mr. xxxxxx, I have noticed that per your account you have been with us since 09/08/2002 and I want to thank
To the first responder:
I’m pretty sure you don’t know how cell sites work, but roaming (as we all know it) doesn’t exist anymore. All the carriers leapfrog off each others towers for a minimal fee and although there is a fee, it’s nominal as it goes both ways.
Now, is it really unfair for me to ask to keep my number? Furthermore, was that really the basis of my question? I’m not asking for another California number, thus having two cell phones ‘roaming 24/7/365′ I want a local ‘non-roaming’ number at the price (or close to) I’m entitled two if I had a local account.
Here is my point, currently I work for a bank (a big one) and when a customer moves from say New York to Texas, we can’t link new accounts (Texas) to their existing card. Nor can the system even acknowledge they exist for pricing. So what do we do? We open any new account (when they need it) and waive the charges that would be waived if they were linked. Inconvenient but a compromise. Good customer service. See?
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