Prepaid MVNOs come and go almost as often as the seasons. Some companies handle the switch really well and give customers notice, refunds and plenty of time to jump ship. Others simply fold in on themselves, close lines of communication and leave their formerly loyal customers wondering what on earth is going on. And, unfortunately, BYO seems to be falling in the latter category. As the deadline for moving all customers over is tomorrow, the information trickling out of BYO is more confusing than helpful.
When the announcement that BYO was closing first started being broadcast a week or so ago, it looked like BYO was going to be
merging with Lifeline provider Budget Mobile. However, Budget Mobile hasn’t been very forthright on exactly what is going on and I have had less than no luck getting a hold of anyone to figure out what’s going on. Some customers were given rates, but there seemed to be different plans for different states. Additionally, customers were told that they had to choose a new Budget Mobile plans and former BYO plans would not be grandfathered.
Now the story gets even more confusing.
According to Prepaid Phone News, some customers are reporting that after being told they would be switched to Budget Mobile, their accounts instead ended up with Selectel Wireless, another Verizon MVNO. Presumably, the switch is happening because Budget Mobile doesn’t actually offer service in all 50 states, but it would have been nice for the company to confirm this. From what I can figure, Budget Mobile offers service in the following states:
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
Customers in these states are likely to be stuck with Budget Mobile, and should have received an email with rates which will vary by state. Customers with BYO accounts who are in other should be switching to Selectel Wireless. Some customers are reporting that they are being offered similar plans to other Budget Mobile offerings. BYO balances should be transferred.
However, BYO customers who are on T-Mobile’s network will need to either purchase a new CDMA phone or else port into a different GSM carrier. The actual shutdown date is tomorrow, September 1, 2015, so if you want to port, you need to do it ASAP. To port, you’ll need your account number which you can find on your account page or by calling BYO at 855-801-2969.]]>
It’s horrible. I spoke with a rep from Selectel Wireless and she told me that I needed to get a new CDMA phone from them because they don’t support GSM. Also, she implied that porting was impossible as BYO wireless was already in shut down mode and by the way she was unsure about the balance (minutes) transfer situation. All she was there for was to sign me up on a new plan ($15/month) and force me to buy a new phone or to get a ‘free’ one from them which happens to be ‘out of stock and could take a few weeks to get’.This is unacceptable! Not only BYOW left me hanging but I use this phone for business and ALL MY CUSTOMERS have my phone, which I can’t port anymore. They should be faced with a class action