Two Days, $95, and Endless Errors: My Painful Journey to Switch Carriers
date
Oct 14, 2024
slug
porting-errors
status
Published
tags
Tech
summary
Porting my phone number from Verizon was a frustrating mess of errors and poor service, but switching to US Mobile was a smooth and refreshing experience.
type
Post
So, here’s the story of my phone number porting adventure.
Last week, my phone number is still owned by Apple. To transfer it to my personal line, I had to go through a two-step process. First, I needed to port it from Apple’s business line to a personal line, and then from there, I could port it to whichever carrier I wanted. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, it wasn’t.
The Transfer to Personal Line
I opened a ticket with Apple Wireless support last week, and the wireless team got back to me within 2-3 days—not bad. Then, I got an email from Verizon saying my business line was in the process of being transferred to a personal line. It asked me to click a link to complete the process, so I did. The link took me to a form where I had to enter all sorts of personal information—address, marital status, etc. I filled everything in, hit confirm, and… error. It just kept failing with a vague error message.
Phone Call Fiasco
Frustrated, I called Verizon. The rep asked me the same questions I’d already answered online (don’t you love that?) and then told me the port was stuck. I couldn’t complete it over the phone either because there was a “pending port.” He opened a ticket internally and promised to call me back once it was sorted out. Oh, and I asked if I needed to wait a certain amount of time after the transfer to a personal line before porting to another carrier. Apparently, I’d need to wait 30 days.
Of course, I never heard back from him. So, the next day, I called again. This time, I got a different person, and we finally managed to do the transfer over the phone.
The Verizon App Disaster
Once my line was on a personal plan, I downloaded the Verizon app to check my plan. They didn’t ask me what plan I wanted, so I figured I’d better check it myself. I opened the app, and here’s where things got ridiculous. The app was clearly broken—screens were full of placeholder text. It looked like the developers never tested it. Just… wow. Amazing quality control, Verizon.
A couple of days later, I got a message saying I was almost out of data, even though I’d barely used the phone. So, I decided to say “screw it” and initiated the transfer to US Mobile, which is the carrier I wanted from the start.
The Billing Nightmare
Of course, I still owed Verizon $95 for two days of service. I had no problem paying it if it meant I’d never have to deal with them again. But—surprise, surprise—it wasn’t that easy. When I went to add a new payment method in the Verizon app, the button didn’t work. I clicked on the dropdown to select a credit or debit card, and nothing happened. It was just dead.
I had to go into account settings, manually add a payment method, then go back to the pay bill screen to finally settle up. Every single step with Verizon was a mess, whether it was the process itself or their terrible software.
Enter US Mobile: A Breath of Fresh Air
In contrast, porting my number to US Mobile was a breeze. Minimal clicks, all the information I needed was right there, and everything just worked. It was such a refreshing experience after dealing with Verizon’s chaos.
The Moral of the Story
This whole saga feels like a David vs. Goliath tale. Verizon, the Goliath, is this massive, bloated, and inefficient giant. Meanwhile, US Mobile, the David in this scenario, is nimble, smart, and focused. I think David’s going to win—at least, I know I’m rooting for him.
So yeah, if you’re thinking of switching carriers, take it from me: go with the little guy. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.