Somewhat tedious question for other AT&T post-paid cell customers..
February 3, 2025 11:55 AM Subscribe
has anyone w/ ATT postpaid switched phone numbers but been able to continue to have access to your call logs/history from your old number?
Forgive the sort of highly specific nature of this question but...
...I'd really love to know if there's a mefite out there who has been an att postpaid customer and has managed to port out (away from att) their current number (to another carrier) and port in or just "get" a new number (with att, so as to retain active customer/account holder status), yet also managed to have kept/retained access to the call logs from the old number (via logging into your account on their site)?
I know it seems straight forward enough, and yes, if it were me designing their database I would key the call logs to something OTHER than the phone number itself, however.. I have zero faith that logic will prevail based on all experience with them.
Many things about AT&T are driving me nuts, but for reasons that will not budge nor change I must retain access to my call history from the last 3 plus years, and yet I would like to free my main number from this carrier.
You might say, well, why not just export your logs before leaving for another carrier? to which I would say, yes, I have tried, and I tell you if that is step 1 of project switch carriers before actually switching, it has proved so impossible to do in a timely fashion that I'm on to plan B which is: I am more than willing to get a new number with att JUST FOR THE PURPOSE of separating out the tasks so I can get a new carrier sooner, and deal with the call log question separately.
Kind of a long shot and perhaps better for r/att, but figured I'd try here too.. Such a boring question, alas..
This is really a post script, as it risks over complicating the first question which might (emphasis on might) have been more straight forward seeming if it stands alone... but it is also a bit of further tedious, oh so tedious, historical explanation of the situation -
So Post Script:
a secondary question really, is, has anyone else with AT&T post paid had a terrible time even *accessing* their call logs? for the last 2 years when I go to view it in the browser or download the csv files I just get an endlessly spinning wheel - doesn't matter browser or device I'm using to do so. I know that I can raise enough of a stink to eventually get someone there to help me access them (provided I take enough sedatives to get me through that many tiers of tech support and phone banks), but I'd love to know if any other long time at&t customers (i've been a customer for a decade plus) are having this problem?
It truly feels as if a small evil demon has snuck into their salesforce instance, or whatever it is, and flagged my account as "she shall not access any of her data nor shall she be able to easily provision any new phone without the help of a tech support supervisor who may only be reached by metaphorically climbing mt everest and finding him or her in a secret cave, which requires the patience and fortitude of a saint!" and then, their evil task accomplished, disappeared Endora-style in a giant puff of green smoke while maniacally cackling. I really need these call logs (see above reference to reasons that will not budge nor change), so it will take a lot for me to give up this quest. It's to a point where I feel about ready to try to work for them just to figure out what on earth is the issue. If any of you actually do have some inside baseball insight to this situation and wan to memail me rather than posting publicly I welcome that also!
Sigh.. so much of life is tedious.. I guess it's good they don't warn the young too much about this part.
...I'd really love to know if there's a mefite out there who has been an att postpaid customer and has managed to port out (away from att) their current number (to another carrier) and port in or just "get" a new number (with att, so as to retain active customer/account holder status), yet also managed to have kept/retained access to the call logs from the old number (via logging into your account on their site)?
I know it seems straight forward enough, and yes, if it were me designing their database I would key the call logs to something OTHER than the phone number itself, however.. I have zero faith that logic will prevail based on all experience with them.
Many things about AT&T are driving me nuts, but for reasons that will not budge nor change I must retain access to my call history from the last 3 plus years, and yet I would like to free my main number from this carrier.
You might say, well, why not just export your logs before leaving for another carrier? to which I would say, yes, I have tried, and I tell you if that is step 1 of project switch carriers before actually switching, it has proved so impossible to do in a timely fashion that I'm on to plan B which is: I am more than willing to get a new number with att JUST FOR THE PURPOSE of separating out the tasks so I can get a new carrier sooner, and deal with the call log question separately.
Kind of a long shot and perhaps better for r/att, but figured I'd try here too.. Such a boring question, alas..
This is really a post script, as it risks over complicating the first question which might (emphasis on might) have been more straight forward seeming if it stands alone... but it is also a bit of further tedious, oh so tedious, historical explanation of the situation -
So Post Script:
a secondary question really, is, has anyone else with AT&T post paid had a terrible time even *accessing* their call logs? for the last 2 years when I go to view it in the browser or download the csv files I just get an endlessly spinning wheel - doesn't matter browser or device I'm using to do so. I know that I can raise enough of a stink to eventually get someone there to help me access them (provided I take enough sedatives to get me through that many tiers of tech support and phone banks), but I'd love to know if any other long time at&t customers (i've been a customer for a decade plus) are having this problem?
It truly feels as if a small evil demon has snuck into their salesforce instance, or whatever it is, and flagged my account as "she shall not access any of her data nor shall she be able to easily provision any new phone without the help of a tech support supervisor who may only be reached by metaphorically climbing mt everest and finding him or her in a secret cave, which requires the patience and fortitude of a saint!" and then, their evil task accomplished, disappeared Endora-style in a giant puff of green smoke while maniacally cackling. I really need these call logs (see above reference to reasons that will not budge nor change), so it will take a lot for me to give up this quest. It's to a point where I feel about ready to try to work for them just to figure out what on earth is the issue. If any of you actually do have some inside baseball insight to this situation and wan to memail me rather than posting publicly I welcome that also!
Sigh.. so much of life is tedious.. I guess it's good they don't warn the young too much about this part.
Response by poster: thanks a bunch theory, that helps and is interesting to know.. i'll try again, as of about a month ago on chrome on mac os I couldn't download what you were able to, but maybe the stars will align this time..
posted by elgee at 5:40 PM on February 3
posted by elgee at 5:40 PM on February 3
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However, it's not a csv file. It's actually an html file but with an xls extension. It wouldn't open at all in Google Sheets and in Apple Numbers it opened but is mostly unreadable. It did open just fine in Excel though, and after I re-saved it as an xlsx file it was readable by those other apps and had proper formatting.
posted by theory at 4:56 PM on February 3 [1 favorite]