What to Do When a Carrier Refuses to Port Your Number

Phone companies are required by law to port your number out when you start service with a new carrier. According to the FCC, a company can’t refuse to port your number even if you have an outstanding balance or unpaid termination fees. Still, in some cases, service providers reject porting requests, taking hostage of your phone number.

What can you do if a carrier refuses to port your number?

1. Reach out to an agent at your new carrier

Whether it might be a mobile number or any account numbers you own, it's generally hassle-free to migrate an existing phone number. However, there are uncommon instances where you might run into some hiccups. The best first-step approach is to contact an agent at your new carrier. 

When porting your business phone numbers to Telzio, the process is simple and can be done by completing a porting request online. There is no downtime to port phone numbers when you port your number to Telzio. We will inform you how many business days it takes with the port date and time, so you know exactly when your service will be switched over. Until that time, you should not cancel the service with the old provider.

Related: Number Porting from Telzio

2. Make sure your porting request is accurate

This may sound simple, but the most common reason porting requests get rejected is because the owner's account information submitted doesn’t match what the carrier has on file. Usually, it’s a matter of updating a name or address. To make sure your porting request gets accepted the first time, make sure the information on the porting request exactly matches the information on the phone bill.

3. Call your old carrier

Sometimes it takes raising a little fuss to get something done. Most big phone companies have an automated process for processing porting requests, and by speaking to a live person you may get a faster response and clarification on why the porting is not being accepted. Remind them that they are bound by the law to relinquish your number on request.

4. File a complaint with the FCC

When all else fails, file a complaint with the FCC. You can file a complaint online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov, and/or call them at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322).

Local Number Portability

Before you sign up for a phone number, make sure it states in the terms of service that they allow portability. While you may be locked into a contract and have a separate legal obligation to pay early termination fees, that cannot prevent the company from porting your phone number. 

Telzio never locks in your business phone numbers or internet fax numbers and facilitates easy porting of numbers to and away from our service. With Telzio there are no contracts and no termination fees at all. To find out if you can port your number to Telzio, call our customer support at 888-998-9080, email, or SMS if text messaging is your thing.

Useful Links:
Learn more about FCC portability rules.
File a complaint with the FCC.