Top Story: Mobile provider is locking U.S. soldiers out of their phone service
Mark Jones
Life in the United States military can be tough. Your life can be put in danger at any moment, whether you are in a war zone, or simply patrolling a U.S. base. It's stressful for you, your family and everyone who cares about you.
Having access to reliable phone service is an essential necessity in a soldier's life. It could be the only way to stay connected to loved ones. That's why it's so disturbing to hear that some of our military personnel are being left without service.
An undisclosed number of our active troops and veterans are having to deal with no phone service. Defense Mobile, a service provider set up for the military, has disabled some of the troops' phone numbers. Their service being cut off is the result of the company's financial troubles.
Defense Mobile's CEO Anthony Montoya says the company is restructuring and he is trying to get it back on the right track. He said Defense Mobile lost coverage from some of its carriers due to financial problems. He would not say how many active members and veterans are affected by the issue.
Montoya says the company is processing refunds for phones that could not be activated through PayPal and it takes up to five days to collect. He said they are working with customers every day to find them new carriers in which to switch. The best way for affected customers to get a response is by submitting a request through the support page on the Defense Mobile website.
However, an Army reservist told the Military Times that the company is now ignoring complaints on its support website page. He said Defense Mobile had been a great provider, until the day they dropped service to all customers with little warning.
For now, Defense Mobile has stopped selling phone service until it makes it through its transition period. There is no timeline for when the company will be back in business.
http://www.komando.com/happening-now/368529/top-story-mobile-provider-is-locking-u-s-soldiers-out-of-their-phone-service