A Poll: Success rate of porting OOC number to new SERO line

[pizzachef]

I looked for a way to post a poll, but didn't see anything...I thought this might be useful info for existing sprint customers trying to get their number transferred to a SERO plan.

How many people have had success opening a new SERO line, trying out the new phone and service for the 30 day trial, and then porting an out of contract number to the new sero line (then closing the old OOC line)?

Maybe just a quick thumbs up or down? Something so that everyone can get a good idea of how successful this method has been?

Thanks

[mikejeep]

I am also curious about this. I have an OOC Nextel line and a new SERO Hybrid line; I have been using the past couple of weeks for the 30-day "test drive" to see how the new Hybrid service works in my area. I'm happy, but want to keep my number... I will be giving CCare a call soon, but I know people have had mixed results in the past.

[caster]

I'll be trying it within the next week, so I'll post back with my results.

[Chuck_IV]

I was able to do it, but it was a hellacious experience. Took me over 4 hrs on the phone and even then I had given up, till, out of the blue, a supervisor called me and fixed it for me. You can see a more detailed story in the big SERO thread.

[tmidle8575]

I did it almost 2 years ago. I have two lines, both are identical to the 1 listed in my sig. I had most perks pre-SERO. I guess I didn't technically port, I just had my plans changed.

[Striker911]

in sept of last year i had 2 nextel phones, april of this year i ported 1 of my nextel numbers to sprint SERO 2 days later and worked fine. Would that count lol?

[caster]

Sort of, I think porting from the Nextel side to Sprint side is a little easier, its more of regular Sprint to Sero

[Chewieez]

I've tried about 4-5 times via phone and have not had good results. Everytime I've been told that I can't port b/c both of my lines are on the same account. Both of my lines are in the new Ensemble billing system but so far, no one will let me move my number.

I haven't given up yet and plan on trying again tomorrow.

[blackangst]

If you are OOC why not do the sure fire no hassle way....port out to a go phone, then port back in to SERO? Sure it may be a few extra days, but by the time you throw in how many calls you have to make and time on hold, it may be a wash.

Just MHO.

[pizzachef]

Well, I gave it my first try this morning. The first guy shot me down right away, said I couldn't move my existing number to a SERO plan. He said it like it was against the rules, not like it was impossible.

Second girl was confused about what I wanted, then sorta figured out what I was asking for and asked her manager twice about things but to no avail. But I did find out that my two numbers are on two different accounts...that seemed to make things more difficult. And now she's writing a note about what we talked about on my account so now whenever I call back they'll probably see everything. Great.

Hope others are having more success.

[Chewieez]

Just talked to two more Sprint Reps in the Employee Acct department and no luck. They are still telling me that since my OOC number is already in the Sprint system and on the same account as my SERO number, that it can not be ported over.

The first gentleman I talked to was very nice and seemed to really be trying all the options. I even heard him asking another person (when I should of been on mute) about my options. He mentioned that I could get my OOC line converted to SERO and move my equipment over. This won't work b/c then I will need to keep 2 SERO lines and I don't want that. If I cancel my current SERO line after they convert my OOC line to SERO, I will have to return my Centro, which I also don't want.

I just thanked them both for their time and energy and will try again.

I'm still considering the "porting to temp phone and back" method, but I would rather not do that if I can help it.

I'd love to hear some stories about people who have been successful.

[nycgay23]

Nothing short of a nightmare but when I finally got my SERO plan a few months ago, I didn't need to change numbers; I used the same number I've had with sprint since I first signed up in whenver it was...

[pizzachef]

...He mentioned that I could get my OOC line converted to SERO and move my equipment over...

Dude, if they could do that, that would be the easiest route...I'm sure they'd give you something toward the centro for signing up for another 2 yrs.

Nothing short of a nightmare but when I finally got my SERO plan a few months ago, I didn't need to change numbers; I used the same number I've had with sprint since I first signed up in whenver it was...

Can you give a quick rundown of how you kept your number?

[Chewieez]

SUCCESS!!

You can add me to the list of people who have been successful, though I didn't technically port my number over.

I worked with a Sprint rep who was able to convert my OOC line into a SERO account, move my new Centro over to this line and then cancel my SERO plan that I had ordered over the internet a couple weeks ago.

So the end result is the same. I have a SERO plan with my new Centro using my old number that I've had for 6 years.... but I didn't port my number.

Good luck everyone and stick with it. You just need to find someone who you can work with and know how the system works.

[pizzachef]

That's good news, congrats...wish I was so lucky :)

I tried again this morning, no luck...more details in the long thread.

[dlo1333]

If you are OOC why not do the sure fire no hassle way....port out to a go phone, then port back in to SERO? Sure it may be a few extra days, but by the time you throw in how many calls you have to make and time on hold, it may be a wash.

Just MHO.

No luck yet porting my OOC # to new SERO. I plan to attempt again today. Question though about porting to a go phone. How long is the process and what is the cheapest go phone out there?

[ffhamm]

no bueno. I gave up on it. More time then I was willing to spend.

Jeff

[pizzachef]

No luck with going to a sprint store, my OOC line is now in ensemble and the manager tried to port it to my SERO line but it gave him an error. Don't think its going to work.

[pizzachef]

I finally for my OOC number ported, but not like I had initially hoped. I ported out to verizon and then back to sprint after a couple days. It was painless and I got my money back from verizon when I returned the phone. I couldn't get anyone at sprint to port it directly to the sero line, and I didn't have the time to work their system, so I went this route. But I have read that others have had success lately. Good luck.
-Geoff

[indypatsfan]

This is what I'm going to do.

Could you give us some details. Did you switch over to verizon once you were OCC and did you purchase a Sero plan in the mean time?

Did your SERO come with a number and then you asked to port your number with verizon?

Ive seen ads where Verizon will even credit you account for calls you made on the plan with in a month. So there is nothing to loose!

I finally for my OOC number ported, but not like I had initially hoped. I ported out to verizon and then back to sprint after a couple days. It was painless and I got my money back from verizon when I returned the phone. I couldn't get anyone at sprint to port it directly to the sero line, and I didn't have the time to work their system, so I went this route. But I have read that others have had success lately. Good luck.
-Geoff

[pizzachef]

This is what I'm going to do.

Could you give us some details. Did you switch over to verizon once you were OCC and did you purchase a Sero plan in the mean time?

Did your SERO come with a number and then you asked to port your number with verizon?

Ive seen ads where Verizon will even credit you account for calls you made on the plan with in a month. So there is nothing to loose!

Sorry, everything I did is all spread out in the long thread, but I can summarize quickly.

First, I read a lot.
Then I got the master plan from Ligly and started to follow it. My original line had been OOC for about a year...and was still in the P2K billing system. I ordered SERO on the web and got my blackberry 2 days later. It came already activated with a number assigned to it...I started using it immediately. A week later I decide its silly to pay the BB fee ($30) on top of my regular plan when I get the net for free with sero, so I returned the phone and exchanged it for a Treo 755p (although I have to say, the little BB pearl is a really nice phone). That took another 2 days. The Treo also came activated with another number already assigned to it...this was actually a detriment because all it did was confuse CS when I was trying to switch my number.

Anyway, once I had the treo, I started calling about porting my number and closing the old account. At first, they wanted to switch the blackberry number with the treo number...hence the confusion mentioned earlier. I can't remember all the excuses they said, but they all thought they could port the OOC number but in the end noone could actually do it. (I forgot, somewhere between me ordering SERO and starting to call about porting my number, my old account got migrated from P2K to Ensemble). I think if my old line was still in P2k, it would have ported over without too much trouble, but since it was in the new billing system, it was not available to port. Their computers wouldn't let them...I watched a guy at a store try to do it and it denied him. Also, I asked account services if I could cancel the line and reserve the number, they said it was impossible. That came from 2 or 3 different people during separate calls. Now I've seen other people cancel their lines and reserve their numbers, so I don't know what's up with that.

After a couple days of calling...spending about 45 mins on the phone each day, I called it quits and went the verizon route. I read on their website that the first month is on them if you cancel, so you don't pay a dime if you cancel the service in that first month...however, the guy at the kiosk said that if I cancel within the first month, I have to pay for the portion of the month that I used...honestly, I didn't even pay attention when I returned the phone, I'll have to check the receipt to see if I paid anything to them in the end. If I did, its no big deal, they did do me a service after all.

So I called sprint to port, and you know the rest of the story. All in all, the sprint folks were pretty nice, but they all seemed to have different (conflicting) information. So, I don't know how well they're training their CS people. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't have wasted time getting the blackberry, because all that did was make me wish I could have one :) and I would port through verizon right away. Basically, I'd eliminate all the time I spent talking and explaining to sprint's CS. I thank Ligly for the initial advice, but I don't know if her plan is going to work for much longer, as people get their old lines migrated to Ensemble.

[Indiguns]

It seems there is a mnimum stipulated period for a number to be out of Sprint (OOC) before it can come back to SERO as a new plan... Could you educate us on how long were you with Verizon, and whether you faced any problem with getting SERO on your account for not having completed the stipulated minimum period. Thanks in advance...




Sorry, everything I did is all spread out in the long thread, but I can summarize quickly.

First, I read a lot.
Then I got the master plan from Ligly and started to follow it. My original line had been OOC for about a year...and was still in the P2K billing system. I ordered SERO on the web and got my blackberry 2 days later. It came already activated with a number assigned to it...I started using it immediately. A week later I decide its silly to pay the BB fee ($30) on top of my regular plan when I get the net for free with sero, so I returned the phone and exchanged it for a Treo 755p (although I have to say, the little BB pearl is a really nice phone). That took another 2 days. The Treo also came activated with another number already assigned to it...this was actually a detriment because all it did was confuse CS when I was trying to switch my number.

Anyway, once I had the treo, I started calling about porting my number and closing the old account. At first, they wanted to switch the blackberry number with the treo number...hence the confusion mentioned earlier. I can't remember all the excuses they said, but they all thought they could port the OOC number but in the end noone could actually do it. (I forgot, somewhere between me ordering SERO and starting to call about porting my number, my old account got migrated from P2K to Ensemble). I think if my old line was still in P2k, it would have ported over without too much trouble, but since it was in the new billing system, it was not available to port. Their computers wouldn't let them...I watched a guy at a store try to do it and it denied him. Also, I asked account services if I could cancel the line and reserve the number, they said it was impossible. That came from 2 or 3 different people during separate calls. Now I've seen other people cancel their lines and reserve their numbers, so I don't know what's up with that.

After a couple days of calling...spending about 45 mins on the phone each day, I called it quits and went the verizon route. I read on their website that the first month is on them if you cancel, so you don't pay a dime if you cancel the service in that first month...however, the guy at the kiosk said that if I cancel within the first month, I have to pay for the portion of the month that I used...honestly, I didn't even pay attention when I returned the phone, I'll have to check the receipt to see if I paid anything to them in the end. If I did, its no big deal, they did do me a service after all.

So I called sprint to port, and you know the rest of the story. All in all, the sprint folks were pretty nice, but they all seemed to have different (conflicting) information. So, I don't know how well they're training their CS people. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't have wasted time getting the blackberry, because all that did was make me wish I could have one :) and I would port through verizon right away. Basically, I'd eliminate all the time I spent talking and explaining to sprint's CS. I thank Ligly for the initial advice, but I don't know if her plan is going to work for much longer, as people get their old lines migrated to Ensemble.

[cruiserandmax]

I've had SERO for just over month. My original (non-SERO) line went OCC on Jan 1. I called on Jan 2, and talked to someone in "Employee Accounts" who said I could do what I wanted (cancel the OCC line, and port it onto the SERO line replacing the existing SERO number). I was given instructions to talk to retentions to have the OCC line canceled and the number "reserved". Retentions then told me they couldn't "reserve" the number for me, but they could just cancel it. So I called back Employee Accounts and explained that retentions wouldn't do what they suggested, and they went ahead and did it all for me on that call while I waited- canceled ooc, ported number to my SERO line, and walked me through reprogramming my SERO handset for the new number... So after talking to a bunch of reps and a while on the phone, a person in Employee Accounts was able to do it all in one call.

[pizzachef]

I've had SERO for just over month. My original (non-SERO) line went OCC on Jan 1. I called on Jan 2, and talked to someone in "Employee Accounts" who said I could do what I wanted (cancel the OCC line, and port it onto the SERO line replacing the existing SERO number). I was given instructions to talk to retentions to have the OCC line canceled and the number "reserved". Retentions then told me they couldn't "reserve" the number for me, but they could just cancel it. So I called back Employee Accounts and explained that retentions wouldn't do what they suggested, and they went ahead and did it all for me on that call while I waited- canceled ooc, ported number to my SERO line, and walked me through reprogramming my SERO handset for the new number... So after talking to a bunch of reps and a while on the phone, a person in Employee Accounts was able to do it all in one call.

I was NEVER able to get a hold of Employee Services...I have an 800 number for them and have been transferred to them several times...when I get there, they ask for a phone number, then Claire comes on asking what I want help with, then I get regular customer service. REALLY friggin frustrating...especially since they seem to be the only people that can do what you want.:mad: Anyway, I went through exactly what you did...retentions said it was impossible to "reserve" a number. Once its canceled, its gone forever. So that's about the point I gave up on them and went the Verizon route.

To answer the previous question, I ported out to verizon after I already had my sero line...but my sero line had the new number. So I ported my number to verizon. The next day I called to port it back to sprint, and apparently that was too early, because it never went through. I called a few times and talked to a few people who didn't have a clue...then got to the porting department (ask for porting) and they said at first the number wasn't available for porting. But now it was...they did it, walked me through reprogramming my phone, and a few hours later, all was good. So I guess it was 3-4 days between ports.

[t4t3r]

I was able to get my number (1 of 3 lines on a Family Share plan) ported over to my new SERO account I just signed up for last week. It took awhile (15 hours or so) for the port to complete, and I had to explain to 3 different reps and a supervisor what I wanted to do, and they still tried to migrate the entire account over, but I got it done.

[civicmon]

I had my ATT number ported over, despite the fact that the # is a California tel# and I'm in Delaware now.

[TonyC]

been trying to call for 3 days to port 2 soon-to-be cancelled (1/11/08) to my fiance's 2 new SERO lines. total of almost 100 minutes wasted, spoke to executive service 2x, went to the store, spoke to porting dept 3x, spoke to retention, everyone's giving me d'frent answers.

exec service first told me she can do it, then my call got dropped. then exec service told me to go into the store for a txfr of liability. store couldn't do it. finally called retention, retention said i'm SOL. :mad:

i just want my 2 old numbers. this isn't rocket science :huh:

[cruiserandmax]

It seems there is a mnimum stipulated period for a number to be out of Sprint (OOC) before it can come back to SERO as a new plan... Could you educate us on how long were you with Verizon, and whether you faced any problem with getting SERO on your account for not having completed the stipulated minimum period. Thanks in advance...

I'm not the target of this question, but FYI I got SERO (new line) Nov '07, and my original Sprint contract line went OCC on Jan 1 '08. I called the next day, Jan 2, and they canceled the OCC line and ported the number to SERO.

So based on that I would say, whatever they publish, there is effectively no minimum!!!

[gooberpyle]

I ported my OOC P2K number over to my new one week old SERO line in Ensemble in a matter of minutes the other day. I told the rep what I wanted to do and they said no problem and did it. I was OOC on the old line for only about a week or so. They automatically cancelled the old line when the port occured. Totally legit from what I gather.

[dlo1333]

No luck yet porting my OOC # to new SERO. I plan to attempt again today.


I finally got my OOC # ported over to my sero line over the holidays. I probably talked to 15-20 reps, 5-6 different departments, and spent 200+ minutes on the phone. What a hassle it was. But they gave me $50 service credit and free n/w starting at 6pm.

I think the trick is to get account services involved right away. Once I got a rep in that dept, they were able to get me hooked up along with the migration dept fairly quick. Don't bother with the normal CS.

[gooberpyle]

What happens to our previous account history when porting an OOC number to SERO within Sprint. In my case, it was from P2K to Ensemble? Is it all lost? I've been with Sprint since 1997 and have had an excellent history. I'd hate to lose it.

[fuzzyuu]

Here is my OOC # to existing SERO account story...

I called a week before my billing cycle ended on my OOC (P2K) account to have it ported. After talking to 4 different reps (Retentions and Account Services) and 2 dropped calls (I was on my office land line) I got an order in to cancel my OOC line (which they said they couldn't do until the last day of my billing cycle) and was finally told I needed to talk to someone in Migration on the last day of my billing cycle and they would be able to do it... or I could just go to a corp. Sprint Store. (:icon_smil)

So I waited till the last day of my billing cycle, and went into a Sprint Store. They got on the phone with migrations, pulled up my accounts and explained to me what was going to happen (put my OOC number of a dummy Ensemble device and then add it to my SERO/Ensemble account, kill my OOC account). So after a while on the phone, he looked at me while he was talking to the person on the other end, said ok, and hung up the phone and told me it wasn't possible because I had a SERO account, but assured me, if I called Employee Care Services, that they would be able to take care of me. (He also offered to buy my OOC phone off of me, Sammy M610.)

So I called Employee Care Services three times, three different reps and all go the same answer, you can't take an existing CDMA (Sprint) number and move it to an existing account. (BS) And finally, one of the reps said, well I can at least give you a number with the area code which you live in (which I didn't have before). So I agreed and had basically resigned myself to loosing my old number.

The next day, after my OOC line was supposed to be turned off (Dec 31st), my OOC line rings... it's a friend, I don't answer. I call Retentions (*2, Cancel) and explain that my account was supposed to be canceled and I was surprised that it was still active. They looked in the notes and said they saw that I called, but that no action had been taken. She then asked me why I was canceling, and I explained that I got a SERO account and no longer needed m old OOC account, but I was trying to retain the number. She told me that was easy, she got my info and said it might take a while, could she call me back. So she calls me back about an hour later and says that the migration system is down, but she would happily call me back in 2 days (couldn't the next day because of the holiday) to get it done. I was leaving for vacation the next day so she said she would call me back after I got back. She also said that she would credit my account and not have to pay anything additional on my bill. Well, I got back from vacation and I never got the call, so I called in and talked to someone (who I had talked to before) in Retentions, and they said they would try to get a hold of the rep who was going to help me with this. After a good 7-8min on hold, she gets back on the line and says that she sent her an email to contact me about all of this, and that I should expect a call that evening. Never got one. The next day I go to use my phone and it says my account cannot be located. I'm like ***, both my SERO and OOC line don't work. So I call up CS and they tell me that my accounts have been merged, my OOC is canceled and I need to reprogram my phone. Finally, I have my SERO account with my old phone number.

Now, We'll see if any of my discounts were applied.

[TonyC]

^

my story is similar. except i don't have your happy ending and my non-SERO account just got cancelled this morning (per my request).

so my 2 old numbers are just dangling out there. spoke to executive service 3 times in the last 2 days to no avail. went to the stores 2x to no avail. going to call business service later today. wish me luck.

[gooberpyle]

If your SERO account is on the Ensemble system, try calling 866-412-8513. That is apparently the Ensemble porting department, or something of that nature. You should get to someone directly without menus or being put on hold.

[TonyC]

^ thank you very much.

i just got dropped by a Filipino CSR lady (porting) who advised that my old Sprint phone numbers are inactive as of today (cancelled yesterday) and hence she can't port.

2 days ago, Filipino CSRs told me i can't port because my old numbers to SERO because they're still on Sprint retention plans.

*** am i s'pose to do?

***? #$%@$%&)!(:frustrate:frustrate:frustrate

[pizzachef]

^ thank you very much.

i just got dropped by a Filipino CSR lady (porting) who advised that my old Sprint phone numbers are inactive as of today (cancelled yesterday) and hence she can't port.

2 days ago, Filipino CSRs told me i can't port because my old numbers to SERO because they're still on Sprint retention plans.

*** am i s'pose to do?

***? #$%@$%&)!(:frustrate:frustrate:frustrate

I'm afraid if you cancelled the lines, your numbers are lost forever, they're in the pool for anyone now. Call back and see if you can just straight up change your number...give them the old one and see if its available.
Don't trust the CRS's, the people here know more than they do.

[pizzachef]

What happens to our previous account history when porting an OOC number to SERO within Sprint. In my case, it was from P2K to Ensemble? Is it all lost? I've been with Sprint since 1997 and have had an excellent history. I'd hate to lose it.
Its supposedly tied to your SSN, but on my new sero account (old line cancelled) I don't have any of my 9 year history showing...on the old account, it was all there :( Hopefully they can at least see it when you call in to talk to them about stuff.

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