My daughter has a phone we just bought new and it was locked to Total by Verizon. After a few months they unlock it so you can switch to another carrier. We have Verizon so I wanted to put it on our plan. We want to port the phone number over and we need Total's permission. Her Sim card port is broken so it will not connect to their service anyway. We can get an esim so we can still use it on Verizon. Since her phone won't work right now she can't get a text. Total needs to verify its her. They can't send a text so they want to send us an email. We never get it. They want her pin. The one she wrote down doesn't work. I think Total screws with the email and pin so you can't cancel the service if the phone is dead and they can keep charging their monthly fee. Anyway, any ideas how to do this? We went to the Verizon techs and they could not help. We can put the phone on Verizon but she will lose the phone number she's had for 20 years. And I still need to cancel the Total service fee which I can't do until she is verified.
Does she have insurance on the phone? Maybe because the sim card port is broken she could get a new phone? Troy
What you are having issues with is porting and it does sound like Total is being a jerk about it. Is there a Total store or physical location? You should be able to take it in and prove she is the owner, etc. It may be a pain but, as you know, the other option is to start over with a new number.
Total is legally required to port your number. If you keep getting jerked around, call the attorney generals office in your state. The AG will ask Total and 10 minutes later it will be resolved…
Sounds like Total is being a jerk. I assisted my Mother with getting her phone switched to a different carrier last month and it literally took just a few minutes while talking to the new service provider on the phone. I just needed the account and pin numbers. Why is it so hard these days to get good service? Personally I'm getting tired of it!
Sometimes the PIN is on the bill so look it over. My AT&T PIN was nothing I selected and it was on my statement if you knew where to look.
I had to call her old service provider, Track Phone, to get an account number and pin. The pin number was only valid for 7 days.
Total has no physical stores - no luck there. When you search you find stores that sell their "kit" - basically a SIM card and number to call. There is no physical bill. I'll call and see if they can send me one. Since its month to month there is no contract. She has no insurance. AG is an interesting idea! Thanks for the ideas!
Update - The Virginia AG has a Consumer Protection office. They told me they do not cover phone problems and to call the State Corporation Commission. I called the SCC and was told they do not cover phones and to call the Federal Communications Commission. I called the FCC and was told the easiest way to file a complaint was to use their website. I filled out their form online, which was easy, and figured that was the end of that. But, in a couple days, I get a phone call from a nice lady at Total's corporate office. She tried to help me, in a corporate kind of way. After a long conversation she reset my "authentication" process and transferred me to one of their minions in customer support. We dance around and still can't get "authentication". The corporate lady calls back in a few days and we do the dance again. She transfers me to one of their minions in customer support. We dance around and still can't get "authentication" because the minion changes the process and adds steps. The corporate lady calls back in a few days and we do the dance again. She calls back and she transfers me to one of their minions in customer support. We dance around and still can't get "authentication". Same song, many verses. After many more tries she "escalates" the issue to people above her. The corporate lady calls back in a few days and we do the dance again. She calls back and she transfers me to one of their minions in customer support. We dance around and still can't get "authentication". Same song, many verses. You get the idea. This goes on for weeks. I can't get authorized so I can't get the PIN to transfer my number. What a racket! Finally I block Total for payment from my checking account. The corporate lady calls back and will escalate the PIN issue. The corporate lady calls back and gives me the PIN. BUT the PIN expires in 24 hours. We hoof it over to Verizon yesterday and get a new phone( for free) and get her old phone number transfer. Whew. So it took this long to get this done. I thank the FCC for getting their attention and will NEVER do business with Total.
Or Tracfone, these outfits take advantage of people who don't have the wherewithal to fight them and they screw those people over.
I had a US Tracfone for several years during my trucking days. Only used it to call customers or my employer's 800 number. Calling a regular Canadian area code was a bit of a PITA though. Basic plan cost me $100.00 US for ONE YEAR. Using my Canadian cell phone would have meant a daily system access fee, roaming charges, plus exorbitant long distance fees. Could have easily exceeded that C-note in less than a month.
I’m glad you were persistent! I have personally managed a few customers that contacted the FCCfor various complaints, our legal department had to reply to the FCC that the issue was resolved. It was no joke to our company.
