Has anybody ported directly to Red Pocket to get their original number back?
Who did you contact?
I tried calling support (888-993-3888) but have been on hold for 45 minutes. I am trying to find out if you have tried to recover your original number through Red Pocket. If so, what was the process?
I am looking to activate a phone we bought this spring it is a separate device from the one that was activated at cellNUVO.
The number used to be associated with the phone we are keeping at CN. CN is getting a new number set up with the original device after they wrote us to say that the original number is not retrievable.
Your best bet of recovering a number this way will be by signing up with Sprint, Ting, or another company that has established record of number recovery. Doing it while setting up a new account gives them the best motivation for assisting, and gives you an 'out' if they can't recover the number.
Frankly, I'm not sure that Red Pocket has either the inclination or the capability of making it happen. After the number is recovered, port to Red Pocket if that's where you want to be.
After an hour and a half of talking to a Sprint rep and giving him the OK to pull my credit for a BYOD basic plan, I was told they needed me to go into a Sprint store and bring two ID's. If I have to go to a store I can but, it seemed like a huge waste of time and I still don't get the credit pull requirement if I am not buying or leasing a device, and only want one line of limited service.
Red Pocket seemed to acknowledge that the number was in their system on the "refill" page that was replaced a few days ago. Red Pocket has plans starting at $10 so getting them to port it in then transferring it to Google would at the worst cost $30.
I'm a little confused....
Is this right?
The number wasn't 'active' on Red Pocket. The #, previously active on CellNuvo, did show in the Red Pocket "refill my number" system very recently, even though never active with service on RP.
If that's right, you should definitely talk with Red Pocket first-- if you can't get through on the phone, try Chat. It seems like during the time the number seemed to be findable through "refill my phone", the line had to be associated with an account #. If it still is, and you can get the account # and PIN, it seems like you could port to anywhere, or choose to get the line active by registering it with Red Pocket and refilling.
Maybe it's most productive in this instance to avoid confusion & just ask if they still have your old number registered on their system.
(EDIT TO ADD: Please see the later posts from ajzwilli in this thread, indicating that it's not likely that RP ever had true possession of a phone number in this state, so RP isn't likely to have an account # associated with the phone number.)
I think Sprint will always require a credit pull, since it's postpaid service. Asking for ID seems reasonable if they're going to try to fish a number out of the pool, since you can't provide ownership information via account # & PIN.
Hadn't thought about Ting. Will try there, The number did reside there for a couple of months after Ring +. Do they have a record of recovering numbers?
Have been on hold at Red Pocket for another 30 minutes as the first rep went off to ask a manager then dropped me off while coming back from 'on hold'.
Correct the number never was "active" on RP but was on CN prior to the August event.
Up until the refill, page changed a few days ago, if the Original (lost) number was plugged into the easy refill slot it directed me to go and fill it and indicated that I could top up that line (I never did).
I will ask if it is associated there at RP. I got a hold of a rep a while ago. I first asked if he was aware of the association with CellNUVO. He said yes. I explained what I wanted to do, he put me on hold to check with someone then after several minutes tried to come back on and dropped me.
I didn't realize Sprint was post-paid. Now it makes sense. If their rep had told me that it would have been understandable.
OK I got in touch with another rep. at Red Pocket and told them the background. He said the account is "partially activated" by the rep who didn't come back from 'hold' in my previous call. He said I would need to buy a Red Pocket SIM card and that he could get it activated, then he dropped the call.
I guess that is some progress.
It seems to take 30 to 45 minutes to contact someone there. I guess I had better give them my contact number so when they drop me, I can complete the transaction.
It may be better to see if they can give me a PIN number to port it to Ting or someone a little more reliable or competent.
Just to avoid confusion, I suggested Sprint OR Ting. (Sprint having the best chance, but probably more expense & hassle.)
Ting seems to be one of the largest MVNOs that has a relatively 'direct' relationship with Sprint-- so they can pull off things that most MVNOs seem to have problems with. I think that's why Ting was chosen as the landing spot after RingPlus.
In addition to number recoveries, I've seen reports of folks that moved to Ting specifically to address some problem with a MEID/ICCID that other MVNOs couldn't figure out how to fix. Their tech department seems very good.
Thanks for the compliment-- but mostly what I do is read what everyone shares on this forum (and Social), and remember where to look it up again. Basically just regurgitating "group knowledge".
I'm the OP of the thread Kent mention and I had an identical situation as you. I received the dreaded email from CN that my number was unrecoverable. Here is what I learned after I was able to retrieve my number after porting it in directly to Sprint:
My number also came up on the old easy refill page. I learned that only came up as there was a port in request from CellNuvo (which the port in request was really from PC Management). RedPocket will not be in the position to port out you number.
In order to get my port in to Sprint, they told me to contact RedPocket to cancel their port in request. I did that via chat
I had no luck trying to get service established with Sprint w BYOD via phone/chat, they kept telling me I had to do that in a store. If you buy a device from them, you will likely have greater success if you don't want to visit a store. You should be able to take advantage of the 14 day guarantee and return the device if you port out to another company within 14 days.
The Sprint store I worked with was able to get my case escalated to the head of the port in department. He setup my port-in but got a "port legacy error". I believe the term they were discussing was a port swap and and not a port in. Sprint corporate called me a few days later to tell me I had a pending port in to Red Pocket and that needed to be canceled first. So I did they but the store was getting the same errors. Once you get an account established, just work directly with Sprint's port-in department (asked to be transferred to that dept when calling, I would provide the number, but I can't find it). If Sprint ask you if the number is currently active, just answer yes and say with CellNuvo/NUVO LLC/PC Management. If they need an account number, use your CN account number. If you need a pin, use 0000.
I believe PC Management may be defunct and thus Sprint was able to complete the port in request without waiting for PC Management's approval. Once you get the right person at sprint in the port in department (I probably talked with 3 different ones), the port will go through instantly.
Your cost is an activation fee ($30ish) plus service until you port out. However, Sprint has a 14 day guarantee policy that allows for recovery of all fees. I successfully recovered two numbers this way.
Also, FWIW, I still have my CN accounts and can still earn gold, even on the lines I ported out to Sprint. After I received the CN email regarding the loss of my number, I emailed Tom and asked that he call me so I could understand how my number was lost and discuss options for restoring it. I had already started the port in process with sprint when he called. At the time we spoke, I didn't know what I know now so I din't really have a lot to ask him, but he did indicate that continuing to work with Sprint was probably the only option at this point. They didn't have any control over my number...PC Management did. However, he did confirm that my CN account would remain active with CN even after the port out and that I could request to have a temp/new number assigned at any time. While it appears CN is headed for the end, if they do survive, I may still be able to redeem my points for cell service. So I still swipe for points out of habit when I have down time and continue to earn them.
Thank you for this detailed explanation. Having spent several hours on this today I am now going to have to shift over to parenting mode and get kids off to evening things.
Just a quick couple of questions, which I will look at later this evening once I am back online:
Did you end up buying a device through Sprint? I am just going to go in the store if it comes to that with an unused device we currently own.
Did you get all fees (even activation) back from Sprint by switching within 14days.
I did not buy a device from Sprint, I just used existing devices.
I contacted Sprint to take advantage of the 14 day guaranteeand they said my usage and activation fees have been credited back. However, they also indicated that would all happen at the end of my billing period which has not come up yet. Worse case, I'm out $30ish per line to have a number restored, which was tolerable.
Thanks very much for the details, ajzwilli! And especially for 'putting the dots together' to help us all understand what was going on behind the veil.
Your experience also invalidates some of my earlier "best guesses"-- (i.e., my thought that the presence of the original number on RP "refill" page probably indicated a RP account # associated with that #) I've added an EDIT to my earlier post to indicate that.
Kent, I had the exact same thoughts as you until I unfortunately had to spend hours with Sprint (in store and on the phone). My situation could be unique, but I'm guessing the OPs situation is identical to mine.
Basically just regurgitating "group knowledge".