The Odyssey pt. 3-- leaving Bellsouth for Comcast

We pick up the story after I learn that Bellsouth has failed to meet the basic standards of DSL business service on my account, I spent days on the phone trying to fix this to no resolution, decided to move away from Bellsouth to Comcast and Vonage, and had to battle for several hours with Bellsouth to get them to find proof that I wasn't under a three year contract that expired in 2008 so I wouldn't have to pay an almost $500 penalty to cancel.

Now I'm awaiting a call back from Comcast, and have sent the order to Vonage to move my home phone number.

Vonage Email:
"Distinctive Ring (also called RingMaster or RingMate) is currently activated on your number. This allows different numbers to ring to the same phone with different ring tones. You will need to remove this feature in order to proceed with transferring your number.
In order to resolve this issue, we suggest that you :
Call your current phone company and request that Distinctive Ring be removed from your line.
Confirm with your phone company that your account has been updated to reflect the change by getting a confirmation number.
Call us with the confirmation number."

I have two accounts with Bellsouth. A home number, and also at home, a business DSL. At some point over the last billing cycle, they mysteriously reassigned my permanent Internet IP addresses on the Business DSL. Apparently, at the same time, they made my home number the primary line on my DSL, and put it on a Ringmaster account along with my business phone number. I didn't figure the thing about the Ringmaster out until after spending two hours on the phone after receiving the Vonage email telling me I had to change this to transfer my number.

"Hello, thank you for calling Bellsouth Residential servcies. Please enter your 10 digit home phone number to proceed..."

I tried and tried. I was continually either informed that that number didn't exist, or I was disconnected. Finally, I "0"'d out to get an agent and, two hours later, discovered that my home number wasn't my home number anymore.

Bellsouth: "Fortunately, your number hasn't been advertised yet, so we can remove it as a business line. I see that you have a cancellation request on your account. I can't make any changes while the line is being canceled."
Me: "The cancellation isn't for over a week."
Bellsouth: "Sorry, we would have to close the cancellation request to make any changes."
Me: "You made this change after I requested the cancellation, on your own. Why can't you undo it?"
Bellsouth: "No, this has been your business line, since you started service with us a week ago. Also, I see that you're on a three year contract with us, and that cancellation penalty payment is overdue. I need to send you through to our billing department to discuss any further changes to your account."
Me: "Does anything you just told me make any sense to you? It doesn't to me."

New agent... well into the conversation ...

Bellsouth: "I see that you've been a loyal customer with us since 2003. Is there anything I can do to have you stay with us?"

You'll know from Part 1 of this saga that I've been a loyal customer since 1993.

Anyhow. Finally, I managed to get the order in place to cancel my cancellation and the order in place to move the home line off of the ringmaster. I was told I'd have to meet a technician at my house to activate the new service...

Me: "Really? I'm not activating anything new- just fixing a problem you guys made for yourselves with my account in the computer."
Bellsouth: "No, to move a number from business to residential requires that we terminate a new line at your house."
Me: "I have a line at my house for this number. It's working."
Bellsouth: "That's impossible. We need to send a technician out to check."
Me: "I'll check myself when I get home in 2 hours."

I got home. The line was dead. There was a tag on my front door from Bellsouth saying: "Sorry we missed you. We were here to install your new High Speed DSL service. Please contact the 800 number to reschedule your installation."

I finally got the order to move the line straightened out, and the technician came out to my house three days later. I resubmitted the request to Vonage.

Friday, I got a new email from Vonage...

Vonage Email:

"Unfortunately, we have been advised by your current phone company that there is an issue that is preventing the transfer to Vonage. The below issue needs to be addressed in order to transfer your number.
Distinctive Ring (also called RingMaster or RingMate) is currently activated on your number. This allows different numbers to ring to the same phone with different ring tones. You will need to remove this feature in order to proceed with transferring your number.
In order to resolve this issue, we suggest that you :
Call your current phone company and request that Distinctive Ring be removed from your line.
Confirm with your phone company that your account has been updated to reflect the change by getting a confirmation number.
Call us with the confirmation number."

Of course, that was Friday too late to call Bellsouth Small Business Services (because no matter what I do, when I enter my home number, it still can only be dealt with by that group)."

This is monday. I'll let you know how that goes!

Meanwhile... Comcast has presented a whole new story of challenges... more in Part 4.