Migrating from Bell to FPL confusion

[MHF]

Hello
I am currently a Bell phone & internet subscriber in Ottawa, ON, and I am hoping to switch to FPL's home phone & internet package.
I am a bit confused about the procedure for making this transition, and would like to ask a couple questions.

I am required to give 30 days notice to cancel my current phone, and the same for the internet connection. After calling FPL support, they said they need 2 - 4 weeks to port my phone number, and 10 - 14 days after my request to come set up the internet connection. They said a tech will come set up the dry-loop, internet connection, and phone service in one shot.

Question:
How do I know when to cancel my existing services with Bell? If I cancel before the # is ported, I'll lose my number. But, if I wait for the possible 4 weeks for FPL to port it and then give notice to Bell, I'll be paying for an extra month of Bell after I'm switched to FPL. And this also needs to be coordinated with the 10 - 14 day waiting period after I request the tech come to set the whole thing up, which looks like it needs to be done AFTER the number is ported and all the work on setting up my account and porting my # is totally finished.

The complexities of understanding how to coordinate all this without having to pay both companies at once for at least a month has kept me from switching. I've tried asking the support centre, but they just gloss over the question and don't really answer it.

Can anyone help me with this? Maybe I'm just missing something and it's simple, but I'm not getting it.

Also, support told me the ATA and the router in this package are 2 separate items (where the ATA could be taken to other places to allow us to use our phone from elsewhere). Other posts here make it look like this is in fact a single piece of hardware. Confused...

Thanks!

[Jake]

I can't help you with moving your number over, as I didn't want to keep my old number. But I do now have FPL's internet.

My situation was a little simpler than yours, but I did end up paying for a part month with Bell.

I first cancelled my number after testing FPL for a few months. About 6 months later I signed up for the DSL package and cancelled Bell at the same time. The hardware came within a couple of days and the FPL internet was switched on the day they said it would be. I was actually able to use both connections for a while. Once I had FPL set up I just boxed the Bell up and never used it again, so I did pay for about 10 days worth with them that I didn't 'use'. There was also a little time with FPL that I had paid for the service without using it also though, as they charge your card straight away and start the internet billing, even though you don't have the line enabled or the hardware.

I think you would be very lucky if you managed to time things so one ends as the other starts so not paying for something you won't be using. Personally I liked the over lap as it gave me room to breath in case something went wrong. I am out in the sticks a bit so not having internet would mean I would have to use my cell phone, and that is an expensive way to listen to music

The ata could be separate, it depends on what you are buying from them. If it is the 784, then it is all in one. The 784 has the router ports and phone jacks on it. You would not be able to take it with you. If you have the granstream ata then you would be able to take that with you and leave the router where it is.

[bridonca]

I believe all you need to do is get FPL to deal with Bell. FPL and Bell will agree to a port date and that will be it.

[FONGO_steve]

It's always a tricky song and dance to make this go completely seamless, but here's what I suggest:

- You can't call Bell and cancel before we port your number. If you have even a pending cancellation on the number, they won't release it to us and will hold it. Your best to get the ball rolling at least several weeks before your bill comes up. This gives us a good safety margin to get the port done and leaves a bumper in case any delays may come up.

- You can usually call Bell and get a refund for unused service after you port. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but my family did this after we ported our number to a new provider and Bell sent us a cheque for the last week of remaining service we would have had after the port. Even if they won't refund it, you're no longer paying a monthly phone bill, so this tiny loss will literally be recovered in a week or two of using freephoneline!

- We can install the DSL Dry Loop on your second pair of phone wiring coming into your house. This won't disrupt your existing phone service. However, you'll need to connect that second pair inside your house yourself - we're only responsible for providing a working line up to the Bell NID box on the side of your house (usually near the electricity meter). Anything inside your residence is your own responsibility.

- We do use a combo device, the Thomson TG784. I apologize for whoever at our company had mis-informed you by saying you will get two devices. I'd love to look into this to ensure they are corrected if you can send me either your freephoneline number, or the phone number you called our office from.

Let me know if any questions!

[MHF]

Thanks for the info, Steve. A little more clarification would be great...
If the dry loop comes into the house and I swap out the Bell line for the dry loop into the demarc inside my house, should all my regular phone jacks throughout my house work normally (using the new VOIP line)? Where does the router fit into the picture? Can the router be placed elsewhere in the house connected to a phone jack so that the actual phone and internet-requiring devices can be plugged into the router directly from elsewhere in the house (instead of having to have it hidden in the basement where the cable comes in)? I had asked a rep about this earlier and they said 'yes', but I don't understand how it works and felt they were just agreeing with me. I just took stock of the current phone & internet network coming into and throughout the house the house, and it is confusing to say the least! These are important questions for me because if I have to get into rewiring my whole house or having the only working phone in the basement are issues for me. Can you provide any further info on this?
Thanks!

[FONGO_steve]

If you simply put the dry loop on your demarc inside replacing the old Bell line then all your phone jacks will be lit up with the dry loop service (ie. only the modem can be connected to those jacks).

You'd have two options here (not counting the more difficult options of changing phone jack wiring inside your house)

1) Put the dry loop on your NID, connect the modem to the phone jack closest to your PC, and connect your phone(s) directly into the modem. The modem has two phone jacks. I find most people have multi-phone cordless systems where they only need to plug the main base into the modem and can spread the other handsets throughout the house.

2) Connect the dry loop coming into the house straight into your modem. Place the modem near the demarc and connect the phone output of the modem onto your demarc. Now the modem's voice ports will run all the phone jacks in your house (be careful not to overload it - 4 phones is a safe number).

[glennvan]

Okay, I am going to add some gas to the flame here...

We are going to be moving to a new house. We will be leaving out current exchange which means we will need a new number. No problem. When we get to our new house, the phone line will be powered, but not active. Is this a so-called dry loop? I am thinking of getting super high speed dsl from Velcom (not listed on their website as of this writing) on a dry loop.
Will my new house have a dry loop already because the phone service has been disconnected, or will I have to do some massaging with velcom to get a dry pair into my demarc point and there by have my plain jane phones work with the free phone line service?

[bridonca]

If you are not going to be using Freephoneline's DSL service, All you need to do is buy an an ATA, and buy a $50 config file, which will cost $100 total if you get the ATA from Freephoneline. You can then hook up the ATA to any internet connection and you will have phone service. There is nothing really stopping you from getting Freephoneline's phone service now.

As for the Dry loop, you will have to discuss that with your new DSL provider, Velcom. You do not have to deal with that crap if you have cable internet, but that might not be a good option in your area.

[Funkytown]

But you can save the 50$ (sip config) by getting the dry loop with DSL (Unlimited Download/upload) from Freephoneline and then you will receive your free 50$ (sip config) phone number for life. Not such a bad deal if you ask me.

[yeek]

Hi Steve,

I am also planing to port my BELL number to FPL, I actually called FPL this morning, I was told by a girl with those steps:

1. Register FPL account
2. Submit Authorization form to FPL for porting (this could take 1 to 4 weeks)
3. Wait FPL confirmation for the completion of porting, then call BELL to cancel the account

And I was also told that I should be able to use my BELL line until I call BELL to cancel it.

I am a bit confused with the answer regarding phone number porting now, shouldn't the BELL line automatically cancels upon completion of the number porting to FPL, how could I be able to keep using the BELL line if the number has been ported out?

Thanks

[TheHardy]

3. Wait FPL confirmation for the completion of porting, then call BELL to cancel the account

And I was also told that I should be able to use my BELL line until I call BELL to cancel it.

I am a bit confused with the answer regarding phone number porting now, shouldn't the BELL line automatically cancels upon completion of the number porting to FPL, how could I be able to keep using the BELL line if the number has been ported out?

Yes, that sounds a little wrong. When the port-OUT from Bell is complete, you should no longer have service on that line. In theory, your service with Bell is terminated at that point, but a follow up call to confirm and make arrangements for the final bill (either a credit or last payment, depending on your situation) is always a good idea.

Other than that, the information seems bang on -- just the last teeny tiny bit was off.

[FONGO_steve]

TheHardy is correct.

Yeek - do you remember the name of who you spoke with? If not, can you PM me the number you called us from? I will ensure the customer care supervisor can find and correct the agent you spoke with.