The ability to port phone numbers from one wireless carrier (or even a landline) to another was a great victory in consumer history, making the decision to switch carriers a little easier, without contacting everyone you call or text to tell them about the number change. At least, when it works. Maybe reader A.S. should have just done that instead of living through the aggravation of having no phone service for more than a week. None. He can’t even make emergency calls on his dead, dead phone.

StraightTalk sells SIM cards that are compatible with different carriers, meaning that you can do cool things like have $45 unlimited service on a locked AT&T iPhone. The problem, however, is that these carriers are involved in the activation process as well. At least that’s what StraightTalk keeps telling A.S.

I submitted the activation request for my Straight Talk prepaid cellphone service on 5/24. I was also having my phone number ported from my old service provider, Simple Mobile. The number was released by Simple Mobile, on 5/26. Today is 6/1, the 9th day since I initiated the activation, and I still do not have a working Straight Talk cell phone service. I do not have a phone for even making emergency calls.

I have been calling Straight Talk at least twice a day, every day for the past week. Every single time, they tell me that my service will be active in 24 hours. They tell me this EXACT thing every single time.

For the past 4 days, the Straight Talk number porting department has been telling me that they are trying to have my number activated with T-Mobile. I purchased the T-Mobile compatible simcard from Straight Talk. So, I presume, they need to have some activation done on the T-Mobile side. They tell me that for some reason, T-Mobile is not doing what they are supposed to do. So, they have to send an email to T-Mobile and they have to escalate the issue with T-Mobile. It will take T-Mobile 24 to 48 hours to do whatever it is they should to do. They have told me this very same story, twice a day, every day for 4 days now.

The number porting department people tell me that there is nothing they can do except send T-Mobile an email and escalate the problem. They say the same thing over and over again, every day. They are not able to or willing to do anything other than send an email to T-Mobile. I am convinced that my problem will not be resolved unless someone does something other than just send an email to T-Mobile. They could send an email to T-Mobile every day for another 10 days and I think my problem still won’t be resolved.

It has been a nightmare to deal with Straight Talk’s customer service and number porting departments. They have absolutely no clue on how to resolve my problem or do something other than what they have done over and over with no success. Or, they are unwilling to explore other options.

Whatever the case may be, I am left with no cell phone service for one full week now. And it sucks big time.

Another reader provided us with the Tracfone corporate office phone number during his own battle, and that number might be helpful. That number is (800) 876-5753.

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