I’m just freaking out here a little bit and it’s too late to call the phone company right now so I thought I’d see if this has happened to anyone else.
First weird thing: I paid our SBC bill (yes, overdue but we hadn’t gotten a disconnect notice yet) online last Saturday with a debit straight from my checking account. The money was taken from my account on Tuesday or Wednesday, but still hasn’t been posted to my account online. I wasn’t able to print out the confirmation from SBC when I made the payment, and I stupidly didn’t save it in any format, so I’ve been pretty concerned that there was some kind of error and I would have to wade through a lot of bureaucracy to get the problem resolved. But I figured, my fault, learn my lesson or don’t pay online again.
Today, however, is the second weird thing: I called my dad about an hour ago, and he was having interference issues so he said he’d call me right back. He used the number on his caller ID (this from a man that can’t work a digital answering machine–I’m proud of him), but he knew it didn’t look right so he asked me about it. I told him the number he read to me was not, in fact, my phone number but he insisted that that was the one he called. So we hung up and he called back with the same number. After the conversation, I called my sister and she confirmed that her caller ID had the same wrong number that my dad’s had. She tried to call the old number, the one I’ve been using for almost six months now, and got a disconnected recording. Then she called me back on the new number.
I don’t know what to think. I plan to call the phone company tomorrow morning, but nobody’s there now. Has this happened to anyone else? I tried to think of how this could have happened, but I’m not coming up with any. I don’t even think anybody has moved in or out of our building this month, but I could be wrong.
I looked at my account online and they still have the same old phone number for me. I looked up the white pages for SBC and they have the same old phone number for me. I called the old number and got the disconnected recording. I tried to register the new number with SBC online billing and the site didn’t recognize the number as a valid account. Weird.
You have probably been slammed. Call SBC first thing in the morning and get the information as to when the change order came through and who initiated it. Get the company name and contact number. You may have to insist they give you the information, as you may no longer be a customer. SBC will eventually give it, they want your money. Have a block put on the reinstated account so no changes can happen without confirmation. Then file a complaint with the FCC.* Be prepared to spend the better part of the day doing all the above. You will end up back with SBC but might have a new new phone number.
*Your complaint will detail who, what, when regarding the (possible) slamming. You may have inadvertantly started this whole thing yourself. Have you recently deposited a check you’ve received in the mail or entered any contests? If so, don’t do it any more. The really tiny fine print on the checks and contest entry forms may contain an authorization to switch phone providors. SBC will still switch you back and the FCC will take a complaint. And you will be more careful.
Thanks for the advice, but it was the neighbor upstairs. She had a different phone company trying to install service for her and there was some miscommunication about which apartment number, so the company happily disconnected me and gave me her number. They should have it all back to normal by next week.
I came back with something odd I heard today and saw your update. That sucks, but not as bad as being slammed. Are you going to call all your long distance friends before they switch it back?
My boss (also with SBC) came in today and said her phone number had changed. She uses an alternatative long-distance carrier that uses caller ID to recognize the account. She couldn’t get into the system Thursday night. It didn’t recognize her phone number. On a whim her daughter called her cell to see what number was displayed. Not hers. Dialing 611 put her in contact with RCN’s customer service, not SBC. She was told some lines were crossed (whatever that means) in her area.
