Call Kurtis: Why Can't I Keep My Phone Number?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- If you tried calling Shirley Colon, a prerecorded voice picked up.

"The number you've dialed has been changed, disconnected or is no longer in service," the message told callers.

"I'm missing important calls," Shirley said.

She even missed the call telling her about the death of her cousin.

The phone number is also one of the last connections she has to her dead husband.

"It's the number that my husband and I shared together." She said. "I don't have much left of him."

Shirley said she has had the same phone number for 15 years.

When she tried to switch from A&T to Comcast, her phone number didn't end up transferring.

AT&T and Comcast both said it is because she canceled her AT&T service first.

AT&T was asking for $99 to reactivate her phone number, so she could move it over to Comcast.

Regina Costa of the Utility Reform Network said you should not disconnect a phone number before transferring it to another carrier.

"She was very lucky that AT&T didn't assign it to someone else," Costa said.

But, Shirley insists she didn't disconnect her AT&T service before moving over to Comcast.

We worked with both AT&T and Comcast. AT&T agreed to reactivate her number for free.

"The nightmare is over," Shirley said.

We learned Comcast and Frontier typically reassign phone numbers after three months. Consolidated Communications told us they wait four months for residential and unlisted business lines - and 485 days for published business listings.

AT&T did not get back to us.

So, how long does it take to port a phone number? The FCC reports it typically takes one day, and your phone company may charge you for the service.