threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
pcwhitesides
Enthusiast - Level 2

Letter received from verizon:

 

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Re: Multiple Mobile Telephone Number(s) Using Same Phone

 

......

Beginning April 18, 2010, each Verizon Wireless Mobile Telephone Number may be used with only one specific and unique wireless phone at a time.

......

 

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Now the only thing I use that may have flagged this is Google Voice.  I'm not trying to cheat the system, I don't even have a data plan, I just use the google voice number as a business number so I don't have to give my personal cell phone number out.  I'm actually paying more in this scenario because i don't get free mobile to mobile minutes since mobile calls through the google voice number get billed as non-mobile calls.

 

The only function I use it for is taking incoming calls.  I don't have a friends and family, haven't hacked any system, I don't even have a smart phone or use the data network.

 

So why in the wide world of sports does Verizon care if I have another number forward to my Verizon number?  I talked to some tech service person who said it was because they haven't optimized their network to handle this yet, which doesn't make sense... because it is just forwarding a call.  They also couldn't say whether or not using Google Voice in the limited way I have been would cause some sort of problem down the road.  I don't remember anything in my contract saying I couldn't forward a number to my verizon number...

 

Not being able to at least have calls forwarded is pretty much a make or break deal for me, I only have a couple months left on my contract... 

 

Anyone know anything about this?  Anyone else receive this letter?

 

I just find it odd that the week verizon comes out with skype for smart phones is the same week that they send threatening letters to account holders using google voice that don't have smart phones.  I don't want skype, I don't want a smart phone, i just want my google voice number to work.

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
pcwhitesides
Enthusiast - Level 2

Ok so just got off the phone with verizon again, and apparantly they upgraded their system and for some reason when it did that it generated an additional gibberish ESN in my account.

 

The guy on the phone said that they had dealt with several people calling in and it was all the same issue.  Guy said that the letters were generated automatically because of this and that they would be working to figure out the problem and clean up peoples accounts.

 

He also said that using google voice the way I do shouldn't cause any problems with Verizon.

 

So I guess I'll mark this as solved, though you gotta love erroneous letters getting sent out when the tech people don't even know they've gone out.

 

Thanks for the response, otherwise I would have been stressing out more about future plans.

 

Laters

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
SuzyQ
Community Leader
Community Leader

pcwhitesides,

I don't see that this has anything to do with using Google Voice....it has to do with using the same phone number for two different mobile phones.  (Unless the parts you represented by "..." specifically mention your Google Voice account.)

 

"each Verizon Wireless Mobile Telephone Number may be used with only one specific and unique wireless phone at a time."  is not the same as your subject title, "multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone."

 

And with Google voice, you are NOT using multiple numbers on the same phone, you are simply forwarding calls to your cell.  You can do the same thing from your home phone, or another cell phone.  It's call forwarding, plain and simple.

 

Is it possible this is just a generic letter sent to ALL wireless customers?  I don't see, from what you posted, that it has anything at all to do with using Google Voice.  And I know several folks that use Google Voice extensively with their cell phones with no issues at all, and for the very reason you stated - it keeps a "business" number without having to give out your cell phone number.

 

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
pcwhitesides
Enthusiast - Level 2

Yeah, I don't know what's going on that I would get that letter?  There wasn't anything in the letter that mentioned google voice, and I barely use 1/2 my minutes on a 450 minute plan on an old motorola flip phone.  (use google voice for a 501c3 number, and want to use it on a business i'm getting ready to start, so yes verizon you will get a bigger plan out of me as long as this keeps working)  It really doesn't make sense to me and I already wasted 20 minutes talking to a customer service person.  I can imagine they haven't liked what some people have done with google voice to try and take advantage of their calling plans, but even last night I saw a droid ad on Hulu that had both Verizon and Google partnered up, so I really can't make anything of this letter.

 

It would be nice if when Verizon sent you a letter they had some code on it so that you could ask the customer service people what they letter is about, cause I don't do anything that the letter was talking about...

 

Weird,

 

I imagine some other people might have gotten this letter or know more, so I'll keep checking in...

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
pcwhitesides
Enthusiast - Level 2

Ok so just got off the phone with verizon again, and apparantly they upgraded their system and for some reason when it did that it generated an additional gibberish ESN in my account.

 

The guy on the phone said that they had dealt with several people calling in and it was all the same issue.  Guy said that the letters were generated automatically because of this and that they would be working to figure out the problem and clean up peoples accounts.

 

He also said that using google voice the way I do shouldn't cause any problems with Verizon.

 

So I guess I'll mark this as solved, though you gotta love erroneous letters getting sent out when the tech people don't even know they've gone out.

 

Thanks for the response, otherwise I would have been stressing out more about future plans.

 

Laters

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
SuzyQ
Community Leader
Community Leader

 


pcwhitesides wrote:

He also said that using google voice the way I do shouldn't cause any problems with Verizon.


OK--as I thought, the letter had nothing to do with your Google Voice account/usage.  Thanks for the update....and if others get this letter, now we know how to respond.... :smileyhappy:

 

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
sadie85
Contributor - Level 3

This is actually about dual NAM. Several phones have two NAM's, generally most phones are on NAM 1. If you have dual NAM you have two phone numbers on one phone and pay for two plans. You have to change back and forth between NAM 1 and NAM 2 depending on what number you want to be using. Verizon had this service but didn't really want to do it because it can cause problems. I guess they decided to finally stop it all together.

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Re: threatening letter about multiple mobile telephone numbers using the same phone
TR3665
Newbie

OK you got it verizon has nam1 /nam2 on there phones, so the 2 numbers can be used on the same phone u have to than swicth from nam1/nam2. on the phone and push in a code to get to the other line. how sneaky!!!! I started figuring it out when we started getting 99999999999 numbers on the bill!  I found the phone had 2 numbers listed when you go into my phone number in menu. I couldnt understand why his had to2 I only pull 1 up on my phone. thankyou for your help i hope we have all had a eye opener!

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