Thats what I want.

[Chanlin]

This story stems from two calls I took today.

Just do it

And I don't mean the Nike slogan.

Small background. I work for a prepaid cellular provider. One of my jobs is handling calls that pertain to Local number portability, or the process by which you are able to keep your phone number if you change service providers. One of the requirements for LNP is that the number has to be active with service from some provider (referred to as the OSP, or original service provider).

This customer had called to check up on her LNP request that she made on Thursday. The phone number was not active. To clarify this is not an instant response. We have to submit the request and then the OSP responded back about 30 minutes later that the number was no longer active.

Me: Ok Ma'am, it looks like the response we received from your original provider is that the number is not active.

SC: But it was active when I called the request in.

Me: The response came 30 minutes after the request was submitted. At this stage what you would need to do would be to call your original provider and see if they would be willing to reactivate the number long enough to let it port.

SC: But I was told it needed to be deactivated to port the number.

Me: I do apologize Ma'am, but whomever told you that was wrong. It does need to be active to be ported.

SC: So what do I need to do.

Me: As I said before, you would need to call the original provider to see if they would be willing to turn it on long enough to be ported.

SC: Why didn't anyone call me.

Me: According to the request you declined to provide and alternate means of contact. As your cell phone number was not active we had no way to call you ma'am.

SC: Well what are you going to do about this then?

Me: Ma'am I fail to see that we need to do anything. At this stage if you want I can activate a new phone number for you with our company, or you can call the original provider to see if they would be willing to turn the account back on long enough to port the number over. Or you can choose to activate service with another provider if you want.

SC: Just port it.

Me: Ma'am I already explained why I am not able to do that.

SC: But I was misinformed this isn't fair.

Me: Ma'am misinformation aside, it is physically impossible for me to port an inactive telephone number. Again I do apologize that you were misinformed, but that does not change the fact that this number is in a state that prevents it from being ported.

SC: Well I'm just gonna write a letter to the FCC, they will make you do it.

Me: Ok, you have a nice day then ma'am.

That's what I want

This falls under a completely unreasonable request.

SD (sucky dealer): I want to activate a phone please.

Me: Ok, what area code do you need.

SD: 310, but it needs to be local to Los Angeles.

Me: I'm sorry, but 310 doesn't service Los Angeles California. If you want it to be local to LA it would need to be 323 or 213.

SD: But the customer wants a 310 number.

Me: I can do that, but it won't be local to LA.

SD: But the customer needs a local LA number.

Me: Ok, they will need to settle for 323 or 213 then.

SD: But I told you they want 310.

Me: And I've told you that 310 doesn't service LA. This is a physical impossibility.

SD: Why can't you make 310 local to LA.

Me: Because the phone system in California is set up so that 310 does not service Los Angeles. Only 323 or 213 do.

SD: Well, you should get someone to change your system.

Me: This isn't <my company's> system making this restriction. This is how the NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Association) decided to set up the area codes in California. I could not change this if I wanted to.

SD: Well I think we'll just have the customer activate with a different service then.

Me: Ok, that's their choice.

SD: You don't care if you're losing a customer.

ME: Not over something that is completely out of my control.

SD: You know you're a rude son of a bit** *click*

Me:

[Hobbs]

Yeah, 'cause some random CSR has the authority to override a federal agency.

Idiot

[South Texan]

SD: You know you're a rude son of a bit** *click*

Yup. Welcome to the concept of 'No' Equals Rude .



.

[SarcasticJerk]

Not to disagree with you, or what you're actually able to do, but I live in Los Angeles - and my home phone is in area code 310. I'll admit that I don't know what 'local to LA' means, since I only make calls on my cell phone.

[Chanlin]

I've done some research on it on my own. There is 310-520 local to Los Angeles which includes North Hollywood and a few other suburbs, but its only available through Pac Bell.

There are some 310 - xxx (xxx being several possibilities) for West LA which are owned by a holding of Verizon.

So I stand corrected on it not being available at all

It still however is not available through the provider I work for. We only have 323 and 213.

So in retrospect the customer could have activated trough another provider and ported in, which I would have suggested had I known.

I do know now, and I do feel like a bit of a tool for at least not checking it out.

"Local for LA" would mean not long distance for someone with an LA land line to call them.

The whole North American Numbering Plan is a huge mess since there are so many companies that own or can possibly own numbers. We lease all of our numbers from Verizon Wireless so if they can't offer it we can't. AFAIK the range of numbers we can actually lease is fairly small too. IE VZW only offers about like 35% if their actual inventory of numbers to be leased or something. I'm not directly involved in that particular process so I don't know exactly what all goes on behind the scenes with that regard.

[RootedPhoenix]

But there's still if you can't do it, you can't do it.

The guy just didn't want to hear the word "no".

[Nurian]

Usually, it was the OSP that told my customers their lines had to be deactivated to port. That just meant they had to call them back. I don't think we could force the transfer either.

Hated most dealers, especially third party dealers. For many, if they weren't incompetent, they were pushy. If they weren't pushy, they stopped listening to you.

I completely sympathize with you.

*offers rum and Coke*

[Anthony K. S.]

So in retrospect the customer could have activated trough another provider and ported in, which I would have suggested had I known.

I do know now, and I do feel like a bit of a tool for at least not checking it out.

None of which mitigates the customer's behavior in any way.

He obviously didn't know that other providers had that number available, or else he, like a typical know-it-all SC, would have mentioned it to you.

All he had to go on was what you were telling him.

Therefore, he had no justification for either (1) not believing you when you told him you couldn't do it, or (2) insisting that you should do it after you already told him that you couldn't.

No excuses. He was definitely an SC.


On the other hand . . .

If he finds out later that that number is available through another provider, he is going to immediately conclude that you either didn't know what you were talking about, or just didn't want to help him.

Even if the other provider specifically tells him that the number is only available through them, he will still draw that conclusion. Selective listening is something that SCs are very good at.

And, unfortunately, that's probably going to make him even more unwilling to accept it the next time a CSR tells him "No."

In fact, it's possible that he had such an experience with a different CSR in the past, which might have contributed to his stubborn refusal to accept "No" for an answer this time.

Still, the fact remains that refusing to accept "No" for an answer or calling a CSR rude for saying "No" is definitely SC behavior.

As you yourself acknowledged, Chanlin, you did commit an error here, and maybe a previous CSR had made one, too. And perhaps that contributed to his behavior, here and in the future as well . . . But, ultimately, he is responsible for his own conduct. He is the one who chooses to be an SC.

[telecom_goddess]

Hey I work at the lnp desk for a phone company...I deal with number ports all day long! and yes a number has to be active before it can port....that's true with everyone.

LNP has it's own special brand of fun I tell ya.

[Chanlin]

Hey I work at the lnp desk for a phone company...I deal with number ports all day long!

Glad to have someone else around who understands my pain

I completely sympathize with you.

*offers rum and Coke*

Toss in a slice of cake and I may just take you up on the offer