LNP to existing account

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 30

Searched a bit and didn't find anything like this...

We've had Vonage for almost a year and love it. We have two numbers (voice and fax) from Vonage.

However, we obtained V for LD use only, and retained two landlines from Verizon (also, at the time, we couldn't port our numbers; now the website says we can). (These are my and my wife's numbers.. we have two for a reason.. Smile

)

Now, we'd like to reduce our Verizon charges and port one of the landlines to our existing V account replacing the V voice number. (Want to retain one landline for DVR, alarms, backup, etc.)

So, how would we do this? I suppose I could cancel the current account after starting a new account requesting the port, but that seems like a hassle, etc.

Any ideas on the procedure to do this? Thought I'd ask here before calling V and spending a lot of time... Smile

Thanks much!

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:08 am Post subject:

You can 'add a line' and port your number in. Then you would have to cancel your old line.

Since you already have two lines you would need a second adapter if you don't have one. Since you would be cancelling a line later you would have to be concerned about cancellation fees unless a year has past. However, you would then have a spare adapter which is a very good thing.

It would of course be cheaper if you could port the lines over as virtual numbers and then change it out once the port is complete, but that doesn't appear to be possible.

If you plan on using an unlimited plan you need to do the math and determine whether it will be cheaper to add it that way or add it and upgrade it later (with $10 service fee).

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 30

Thanks for the info... about what I thought... Smile

I wouldn't mind porting the landline to a virtual if that would work, but as you say, you have to take *their* choice of virtuals, no? And, my wife wants (of course...) to have her number show on the CLID. Outbounds still show the primary, of course.

Hm. You'd think this would be a popular issue with people whose lines have recently become LNP'able, or have become comfortable with V, and 'finally' want to port.

Guess I'll have to call, but I bet I'm SOL. Thanks for the confirmation!

(A new account after 1/31, the anniversary, may be the only answer, if no one has a magic answer!)

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 30

It appears that there's an easier answer. The way it should be!

I'm astonished and impressed, if what happened to me actually all works!

I called customer care (866-243-4357, since the sales number now refuses to transfer you!). I was on hold only for about a minute (a lot better than several months ago, when, as we know, the hold times were infinity!).

After explaining three times what I wanted (replace the primary with a new ported landline number):

1. They can do it, but customer care has to do so, you can't via the web. (It would be nice if it was at least listed on the website so people knew it was an option.)

2. It costs a one-time fee of $10.29. ($9.99 plus tax or whatever)

3. After the 'new' (to-be-ported) number shows up on my V dashboard as the primary [24 hours], then I do the LOA process, which starts the usual 20 day clock.

Wow. New information, it appears, and a perfect answer.

I think I'm still stunned it's this easy and quick and no swapping ATAs or anything.... Smile

If there's an FAQ for LNP, this needs to be added, I think!

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 30

More on this, more quickly than I expected...

Looks like things are going well. Under three hours after the order was placed, the primary number has been already been changed to the 'to be ported' number in my dashboard, the old primary is now a virtual, and I just completed the LOA for LNP.

BTW, a note on E911 address completion. I spent ten minutes figuring why it barfed on my same old address for the new number. Turns out that it insists on 'Court' and not CT. (And doesn't respond with anything other than 'If you want to cancel changing 911 address data...)

(Sheesh, what bad programming! Smile

Guess they never used focus groups to test it!) (I found the answer out when filling out the LOA, which uses 'Street', 'Court', etc., in a dropdown. Did the same as text for 911, bingo! Too bad the 911 address doesn't do the same and use dropdowns!)

All's fine now, got the 911 confo email, and I'm still astonished this is so easy. I'll probably be one of the ones that takes forever for the port, but we don't really care, since the new number is still a Verizon landline, and moving it is just gravy: a cheaper bill! I figure to drop the Verizon bill from $126 (two lines, unlimited local, CLID, CW, with DSL) to under $35, when I change it to some package for local that's not unlimited.). Almost $100 a month adds up! [Kept DSL from way back when for backup, but it's useless for Vonage fax, and I get 6Mb from Adelphia cable!]

Final comment is either I'm *very* lucky or all those CSR hires over the summer really made a difference!

Posts: 177 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jul 22, 2005 Posts: 177

Couldn't this be accomplished by using the Change Your Phone Number link under the Billing tab at the Vonage web site?

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 30

Interesting idea, but:

Found the link, but, anyway, when I cllck on the link on that page, I get :

"Sorry, you have no phone numbers that can be changed."

So, hm.... Smile

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 31, 2005 Posts: 5

Was following your thread and am wondering in this would also work for trying Vonage before committing to have your number ported. I read threads of people cancelling and not being able to get their number back. So could I use a number Vonage assigns, and if the service works, ask to have my land line number ported?

Hmmm. I have my phone adapter but have not activated service yet. Your thoughts on this one?

Thanks in advance.

Posts: 73 · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 11:35 am Post subject:

polarisdb wrote:

Couldn't this be accomplished by using the Change Your Phone Number link under the Billing tab at the Vonage web site?

Yes it can. This is how I did it with an existing Vonage account.

Couldn't be simplier.

Posts: 19 · Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 1:55 am Post subject:

polarisdb wrote:

Couldn't this be accomplished by using the Change Your Phone Number link under the Billing tab at the Vonage web site?

This is how I changed mine. I singed up with Vonage, but kept my land line becasue I hadn't sold my wife on Vonage. After a week on Vonage we loved it and wanted to port our number. I just used the "CHANGE YOUR PHONE NUMBER" link and it asked me if I wanted a new number or if I wanted to use an existing number. I said "EXISTING" and started the porting process. In the meantime, it keeps my old Vonage number as a virtual nubmer so if you call it it forwards everything over to the Vonage number. Then, I setup forwarding on my LANDLINE and forward the number to my Vonage line and setup Vonage to all the inside phones.

When the port is complete I hope i won't have to do anything new!

LNP to *existing* account

LNP to existing account