Rob Naborn
Last April (April 6), our son's phone line was suspended from our 5-line plan because he is residing in Europe. We were told that he could get his phone line and number back as soon as he was back in the country, for a $35 re-activation fee - a rip-ff, IMHO, but okay - better than paying $15+ per month for a phone that is not in use.
Since he will be back in the US in a few days, I chatted with an AT&T representative, who explained that his account had not been suspended but cancelled, which means that after 3 months the phone number may be assigned to somebody else - contrary to what I was told in April. Of course, three months have passed and his phone number, which he had had for 15+ years, is gone.
In the chat they offered to have their technicians "find a phone number that is close…