So, I got a shiny new iPhone (for facilitating office 2.0’s Unconference) but I can’t get it to work yet.
I have MetroPCS – the ‘ghetto phone’ for those of you who don’t know it works like this – you buy the handset, you pay them your monthly fee on time or they turn your phone off. You have unlimited local and long distance calling. SIMPLE. No bill’s, no rolling min, just a phone that works. The catch – your phone only works in your metro area. This is why I have another number (from T-Mobile) that I pay by the min for when I travel to different cities.
So I went to sign up for the new iPhone via my computer. It won’t just let me get an account. I have to get ‘pre-approved’ credit from an AT&T store. To be honest I have not done a lot to get ‘credit’ so I am not surprised. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have a loan for a car or anything.
My husband and I went to the AT&T store so that I could piggy back on his account/credit and get a phone activated. I decided I would try and port my number. They want to know not only my phone number but my ‘account number’ (remember I have the ghetto phone plan – no bills no nothing that I see an ‘account number’ on). They also want to know my address in their records AND my name. I have this feeling that when I got this phone 4 years ago that I had a different address and I was still going by my maiden name. These things are all not ‘persistent’ I am not sure what their records say and if I don’t know I must not be me right?
All I knew and all they put in their system was my phone number. I get this phone call from them asking me to call them back and give them more information so they can port my number for me.
I am thinking it is all to much trouble and I should get a Grand Central number and a new number from them and tell everyone my grand central number.
Anyone have any thoughts on their service to date or making this kind of choice. With Google acquiring them they are not going to go out of business any time soon.
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