Dear Integra Telecom: Why do you hate small businesses?

Dear Integra Telecom,

Why do you hate small businesses?

You don’t know me – well, you sort of do. We actually corresponded a bit on Twitter last month about an issue my sister was having moving her phone number from her old business location (which you managed) to her new business location (which Comcast manages).

I think we’d all agree that we live in a pretty amazing technology age. We can do things today that we never dreamed of not long ago – GPS in our vehicles, smartphones, cloud-computing…you name it. Heck, technology is so advanced today that you would think that switching a measly phone number from one carrier to another could be done with a click of a mouse. As a matter of fact, I’m virtually certain this is the case.

Yet when my sister moved her store from Portland to Beaverton on June 3rd, you somehow couldn’t figure out a way to do this. All of her collateral, website information and online information has this phone number. Its how customers you know, communicate with her.

She called and called and tried to get resolution with your “customer care” representatives but to no avail. I only became aware of this ordeal because out of frustration I saw her post on Facebook on June 24 – a full 3 weeks after the switch was supposed to have happened.

I am so mad at Integra I could spit. My shop has been without it’s phone number working for the three weeks we have been open because Integra refuses to play nice and release the number to Comcast (my provider in the new place). I have had the same number for 10 years and it’s EVERYWHERE….biz cards, postcards, on our bags on our websites, everywhere on the web. I was told today that now Integra won’t release the number unless I open up a new account (and pay for it). Horrible customer service.. horrible communication…..and I am losing sales because nobody can call the shop! ARGH!!!!

Being the good brother I am, I tried to do what I could. I took to my twitter account and tweeted to my 50,000 followers what lousy customer service you provide. To your credit, you quickly (within a few hours) sent me a direct message and asked for her account information so you could resolve the situation. I provided this to you (via DM) and assumed the matter to be closed. My sister would no longer have to worry about having her phone number switched.
Except I was wrong. On June 30th I checked with my sister and asked how things were going. She said that there were STILL issues between you and Comcast. She didn’t know what to do. I sent another DM to your customer service team on Twitter and mentioned that the issue still hadn’t been fixed and she still doesn’t have her phone number. For some reason though, you didn’t respond to this message. I’ve included a screen shot of the interaction below for your recollection.

Not having customers being able to call your business COSTS REAL DOLLARS.
And guess what? As of today, July 11th, the issue is still unresolved! My sister reported that you rejected the port again from Comcast.

According to your website, “At Integra, we understand our customers need reliable, secure and flexible solutions delivered with unmatched expertise and quality of service. With an unwavering focus on superior customer service, Integra has earned some of the highest customer loyalty and customer satisfaction ratings in the telecommunications industry.”

I find this to be highly questionable. As a matter of fact, its laughable in light of my sister’s experience.

She is a small business owner who is trying to make a living in a new location – without her business phone number. All because of your incompetence and ignorance.

The only conclusion I can draw is that you really must really hate small businesses.
I’m grateful that I will never have to rely on you or your company for any services. In the meantime, I hope you quickly figure out how fix this horrible situation that you have created.

Best regards,

David