How to Maintain Telephone Services

by W. P. Wentzell, Demand Media

Maintaining land line or cellular service can help reduce additional costs and may result in bundles or valued customer discounts.

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Maintaining telephone services when transferring residences or just extending current service at your residence can help reduce costs of service outages. Transferring service to new residence will reduce paper bills, and continue ties with your current telephone provider. Most service providers offer promotions, bundles and discount programs for long-term service clients. In addition, failure to maintain telephone service can result in additional service activation fees, equipment costs and other hidden charges.

For Land Line Customers

Step 1

Record the address of your new residence. Make note of the available wall telephone outlets and where additional outlets will need to be installed.

Step 2

Contact your land line telephone service provider and request a change of address service transfer. Submit the new address, date of occupancy, and new outlet installation requests. If looking to simply maintain services at a current address, ask the service provider about promotions or specials available for extending your current contract.

Step 3

Request a new billing address from the service provider. Request a change of address from the post office to ensure any bills already mailed will be routed to your new address.

Step 4

Test the telephone service at the new residence after after the transfer date. Contact the service provider immediately if there is any problem with the connection.

For Cellular Customers

Step 1

Contact your cell phone provider near the end of your current cellular contract. If transferring out of state or out of the country, inquire about service availability and rates. If services are not available out of state or internationally, inquire how to transfer telephone numbers between providers. If services are available, ask about promotions and phone discounts for renewing the service contract.

Step 2

Request a change of address for paper bills. Request a change of address from the post office to route all mail to the new residence.

Step 3

Redeem any valued customer rewards or accrued service commitment promotions for savings on cellular phones and service plans. Not all carriers offer service promotions, but most carriers will give significant discounts on new or refurbished cell phones with the extension of a current contract.

Step 4

Activate new phones with the service provider. Test the phones for service by placing a call, opening any Web browsers and sending a text. Contact the service provider immediately if there is any problem with the connection or features.

References

  • Comcast: Mover's Edge
  • Verizon: Moving Center

Resources

  • FCC: Keeping Your Telephone Number When Changing Service Providers

About the Author

William Paul Wentzell is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, holding bachelor's degrees in English and photojournalism. His work has been published in the New York Times, Deseret News, The Victoria Advocate and The Daily Texan.

Photo Credits

  • Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images