A few questions regarding number changes and etc..

[murtadi007]

So due to a security issue, I would like to change my fido number. I realize it's a $25 fee.

Basically I want to remove my old number from existance.

I am wondering if I have to get a new sim card to change numbers?

Also, how long would it take for the old number to become completely inactive and the new number to be active?

Will calls be forwarded from the old number to the new one? (Don't want that happening)

Is it also possible to block a number from contacting you? (I know you can do this on Apple's iOS7; asking mainly to restrict dialing out)

Is it also possible to remove a specific feature that's included with your plan like call forwarding or unlimited evenings/weekends? 

I know it's a lot of questions, but I just need some answers. Thank you in advance. 

[FidoFaiza · Accepted solution]

I came across this thread and though it would be a good idea to update it

There's a $35 fee to change the phone number but it's free if you do it online.

To answer OP's question, there's no need to change the sim card.

Once the change is made, the old number will become inactive right away and the new one will come into effect. 

Calls will not be forwarded to the new number.

Most of the phones today allow you to block a certain number from calling/texting you.

And yes, it may be possible to remove certain features from your account.

Thanks

[Tru]

Hey everyone!

Although this thread is a bit old, I'd like to update it since I came across it. As murtadi007 mentioned, there is a fee to change the number within the same local calling area. This fee is now at 35$, but I have good news for you: you can avoid paying this amount by doing the change yourself from your fido.ca account. From your account main page, look at the left side of the screen under My Fido Service and click on change phone number. This way nothing will get charged to you

Hope it helps!!!

[DM2010]

The Fido Website has changed and i am finding it very difficult to change my number. Please can someone help me find the place where i can change my number becasue i want to avoid paying  the $35 fee. 

Thanks, Daina.

[FidoMaria]

Hi DM2010!

To change your phone number, you'll need to click on Services, then Mobile. You'll then see your phone number, and right next to it Change My Number.

Hope this helps.

[oggieisadoggie]

So about 1 month later after the reply to the person questioning their change of phone number, now Dcember 25th and STILL NOT able to manually change my number MYSELF and online via the account. Let me tell you about customers who are often fed up with excuses from Customer Service personnel and the ever-common excuse "we can change that FOR YOU and we're sorry it's taking so long for our new website, it's a big change and it's never taken this long before."

Now my explanation: I have tried to login a few times during the wee morning hours, often hit with a roadblock and since I know that the common statement by CSR's was that "during the middle of the night hours we are involved in backing up the website etc." well, that was probably the reason why I couldn't login. Of course there's never a message advising that the system is down, only that the login box keepas returning to pretty much tell me I've probbaly entered the wrong info. Ummm no, it's the correct info and even the CSR's can't explain why in this day and age, the system doesn't advise such a thing.

Now back to my desire to change my number and the repetitive comment or advice from a CSR that can do it for me. Ummm NO, I wish to do it myself, I wish to scroll through the hundreds if not thousands of choices, pick my own and be done with it, WITHOUT human intervention! That WAS apparently hard for the people answering the phones, to understand. This nonsense has been going on for well over a month and since I'm not even sure how long Fido has been apparently "working on or re-vamping their site" wouldn't surprise me if in this day of technology, they qualify for the award for slowest on the planet. Harsh? Hardly.

Most companies today often try to coerce/convince customers to deal with issues online, get billing online etc. This stuff about a wesbite that get with it in a reasonable amount of time is laughable. The Fido reps know that my account is a prepaid with a very high and available balance since it's my "junk phone" and since I've been with Rogers for over 10 years (your owner or parent company), I have also advised the Fido phone jockeys that I would NEVER seriously indulge myself in a monthly account since the company seems to be so slow in doing things such as fixing the website for one. An issue I had awhile ago although quite irrelevant now, I top up the account last month, expiry date on the phone shows one date, website another. Now admittedly I am aware that a day may not matter and Fido users have some leeway in terms of up to 7 days if maybe they forget to reload BUT when directing this discrepancy to the CSR, they couldn't fix it and definitely couldn't explain it. Yet another glitch, yet another fail and rectifying even the simplest of problems. For the next and most recent reload, the dates match but really, I see it like this "if I have experienced a few problems with barely only a few dealings with the website and the service reps, what about others who have to deal with them even more?

FIX THE WEBSITE, the next time I login and click "change my number" I don't wish to see "we're working on it, you'll have to speak to one of us though." Like I told the few CSR's, "I really shouldn't have to ask you for such a thing and then be provided with a group of choices, decline those, given more choices and stay talking to you for even longer...." I also want the option to do this myself since the last time I changed my number (months and months ago), within an hour of it being changed, I received a spam/junk text advising that it was so-and-so's birthday and that I should visit their Facebook page and wish them a happy birthday. So of course I found that person's page and instead of wishing them all the best, told them a little something juicier. Then proceeded to change my number in the next hour because of the instant garbage message and hey, once again, ANOTHER text to wish someone else a happy birthday. I highly doubt that the numbers are dumped for 3 months since when we are allowed to change them on a whim or at random times, why would I get two totally different requests in the span of an hour and yes, the numbers were really different for prefixes etc.

FIDO: if you're NOT going to allow customers to do it themselves, remove the option COMPLETELY so we know it'll no longer be user-changeable WITHOUT your intervention!

[FidoMaria]

Hi oggieisadoggie!

I'm really sorry about this situation. 

I understand that it's frustrating and that you would like to change the number your self. At the current time, you'll need to contact us in order to do so as we're still working on the website. If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter.

Let me know if you need anything else.

[oggieisadoggie]

So you basically read from "The Script" (or is it the Fido Bible?) and advised what I actually said in my reply on this topic? Looking back at other posts and for complaints levied against Fido and discussed (or NOT even addressed on the forums at all by any mods....), the cough, "re-vamp" or "upgrade" of this website is taking months. 4 weeks ago or more, people complaining about not being able to do things, site down and so on. How about addressing the part where customer service reps who by the way ARE called and spoken to verbally, advising that "one CAN login to their account in the wee morning hours and doing whatever it is they dropped by to do?" Umm, IF one can't get into a Rogers account and having been a customer for an extreemly long time, what makes anyone think Fido will allow customers to login at 3 or 4am CST?

I get it though, moderators and CSR"s aren't often privy to whatgoes on in their own workplace, just like those running a Fido kiosk in a mall are quite naive but are willing to tell customers-oops, "potential customers" what they think they might like to hear. Just like during the Christmas week leading up to the big day and while visiting a local mall and hearing the guy tell a guy and his girl "oh yeah, you CAN do most anything from the Fido website, yourself!" Lucky him and his girl, I was in earshot and quickly (and easily) disputed ALL that he advised by simply logging in at that mall and showing him the denials of certain options to ME, "A" customer of course, and since I have bookmarked a few of the forum nonsense chats and those same customers getting zero satisfaction, I was able to steer those 2 people away from the kiosk and to a competitor's instead. Actually walked by later and saw them finalizing their deals and they saw me, thanked me in kind. The mall guy was cheesed off and I advised him this" you've been here for about 3 years now, yes?" He admitted he was. I asked if he actually knew much more than trying to hawk whatever would make him his few bucks in commissions. He did not argue his case but knows full well (now) that Fido is extreemely slow when it comes to dealing with customer complaints and situations.

You won't be able to answer this in anyway of course but how exactly does any company in this day and age, take onwards and upwards of 2 months to get anything done and finalized, in the first place? Frustrating for sure for those who have to answer the 611 calls and not having most answers that a customer wants to hear.

Did you actually read my full previous post and that I'm well-versed when it comes to what is or is not required to simply change a phone number? I get it though, easier to answer in Fido-Speak and tell a person something that they've already told the masses well before you showed up. Many others are now well aware of how this whole scenario is playing out-actually NOT playing out since Fido will probably take all of January if not longer, to fix what ails them. On my social meduia pages elsewhere, I have over 2000 followers who are actively umm, following of course, what's going on at your site. Many often submit their own past situations and/or the lack of solutions that they ended up with. I visit the same mall about 3 times a week and always pass by this Fido kiosk and fully intend on telling anyone within earshot, to steer clear of Fido so I guess bad publicity isn't necessarily always a good thing as some people say it is-for me though, it's personal satisfaction for all the double-speak I've since heard whenever I've called Fido in the past. Rogers knows they made a mistake in buying up Fido but without their intervention, this company was on its way to fully tanking-this I'm sure of.....................

[FidoCatherine]

Hey oggieisadoggie

I understand that it would be ideal for the option to be available online; we can only offer solutions that are available today!

If there's ever an issue on Fido.ca to complete a specific transaction, what we can do is work on fixing it ASAP and in the meantime, allow customers an alternative option to complete their transaction. If someone would like to change their number today, they can do so with the help of an agent. 

[Anonymous]

no you do not need a new sim card. just curious why you think you need a new sim card? did someone tell you this?

changing your number changes it, fido does not put a message telling the number was changed, the old number will be recycled after 3 months