I have managed over 300 number ports for businesses migrating to VoIP. Most go smoothly. Some become multi-week nightmares. Here are the worst cases I have seen and exactly how to prevent them.
Horror Story 1: The Vanishing Toll-Free Number
What happened: A 50-person insurance company ported their main toll-free number (800-xxx-xxxx) to a new VoIP provider. The port completed on Friday at 4 PM. By Monday morning, the number was dead — no calls coming through, no error message, just silence.
Root cause: The previous carrier had the toll-free number registered with a different RespOrg (Responsible Organization) than what was on the port request. The port went through at the carrier level but the RespOrg database still pointed to the old carrier's routing.
Resolution time: 11 business days. The old carrier had to release the RespOrg assignment, then the new carrier had to claim it, then update the PSTN routing.
How to prevent it: Before porting any toll-free number, ask your current carrier: "Who is the RespOrg for this number?" Then verify with your new carrier that they have a RespOrg agreement to handle the number. Get this in writing.
Horror Story 2: The Partial Port That Killed Fax Lines
What happened: A law firm ported 25 of their 40 numbers. They kept 15 numbers on the old system for fax machines. The old carrier processed it as a FULL port, closed the entire account, and the 15 fax numbers went dead.
Resolution time: 8 business days to get the fax numbers reactivated. During that time, the firm could not receive court filings sent by fax. A judge was not pleased.
How to prevent it: Always explicitly state "PARTIAL PORT" on the Letter of Authorization. List the exact numbers being ported AND the exact numbers staying. Get written confirmation from the old carrier that the account will remain active for the retained numbers.
Horror Story 3: The Name That Did Not Match
What happened: A dental practice tried to port 4 numbers. Port rejected. Reason: "Name on account does not match LOA." The practice was "Bright Smile Dental LLC" but the phone account was under "Dr. James Morton" (the owner's personal name, set up 12 years ago).
Resolution time: 3 weeks. The dentist had to contact the old carrier, update the account name to match the business name, wait for the billing cycle to reflect the change, then resubmit the port request.
How to prevent it: Request your CSR (Customer Service Record) from your current carrier BEFORE starting the port process. The name, address, and account number on the CSR must match your LOA exactly. Any discrepancy = rejection.
The Porting Checklist That Prevents All of This
Before submitting any port request:
| Step | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get CSR from current carrier | Verify exact account details |
| 2 | Verify account name matches LOA | Prevent name mismatch rejection |
| 3 | Check for toll-free RespOrg | Prevent RespOrg routing issues |
| 4 | Specify PARTIAL or FULL port | Prevent accidental account closure |
| 5 | Confirm no contract obligations | Early termination fees |
| 6 | Remove number freeze/port block | Some carriers add these |
| 7 | Set up new system completely first | Test before porting |
| 8 | Schedule port for Tuesday-Thursday | Avoid weekend/Monday issues |
Realistic Porting Timelines
| Number Type | Typical Timeline | Worst Case |
|---|---|---|
| Local numbers (1-10) | 5-7 business days | 15 business days |
| Local numbers (10+) | 7-10 business days | 20 business days |
| Toll-free numbers | 14-21 business days | 30+ business days |
| Vanity numbers | Same as number type | Same + RespOrg issues |
I typically recommend https://vestacall.com for clients who value support quality handles the entire porting process for you, including CSR verification and RespOrg coordination. They also provide temporary numbers during transition so you never have a gap in service.
