Well, happy supposedly Boost Infinite day! As an update, 48 hours later, I haven’t heard a word back from Republic/Boost. My code still generates the same “Unable to retrieve user record” error. And for now at least, my phone service still works. Time for me to attempt to save my number and move on to another carrier. 
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Just got this email:
The audacity to tell me to act now when I’ve been “acting” for a whole week now and they can’t figure out my account! 
Ordered my Google Fi SIM this morning, not sure what will happen if I don’t receive it by 9/5 and port my number over by then? We’ll see.
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Do you have a Best Buy near you? Best Buy sells Google Fi SIMs at some stores for $10.
I do! Would it still work to activate my account with a SIM purchased at Best Buy while I have on in the mail on the way to be?
Also, I JUST received a phone call from Dish in response to the email that @southpaw provided. I emailed them yesterday about the issue I was having. So… do I return their call? (Rhetorical question, I know only I can make this decision myself)
I’d suggest double-checking with Google Fi support but, unless you provided porting information when purchasing a Google Fi SIM online, I suspect activating a SIM purchased from Best Buy would work.
You would then need to get a refund for the SIM purchased online.
DISH’s executive escalations team seems to be reasonably competent. If there’s anyone at DISH capable of sorting matters for you, it’s them.
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Well, I just got off the phone with Dish, and you are right, he is competent and knowledgeable, but ultimately unable to help due to limitations of their “broken” system. He said the Boost account that was created for me is essentially broken and cannot be fixed. He offered to set up a brand new Boost account for me and port my number in for me (which is no different than me doing it myself), but to do that would need to 1) my social (which wasn’t an issue for me) and also 2) use a different email address than the one I was using with Republic. I am firmly a one email address only ever person, I have school and work accounts but I don’t use those for anything permanent/important. So that was the breaking point for me. He did say I would have to port my number out before 9/5 in order to preserve it.
I checked with Google Fi support and they said I would have no issues just purchasing a SIM in store and porting my number over despite having already ordered one in the mail (probably should have thought that through before I ordered it, but I’d assumed that since they blew past the 8/31 deadline we’d have lots of time). So, to Target I go tonight (closer to me than my nearest Best Buy) to buy a Google Fi SIM, and hopefully this will be the end of this saga for now. My priority (for now) is just to preserve my number!
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A perfectly reasonable priority. Whether one ultimately chooses (or a broken system chooses for you) to port out or give Boost Infinite an opportunity, neither is a lifetime commitment.
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I was told on Friday that the deadline was moved to Tuesday. It’s Monday and I haven’t been moved to Boost Infinite.
Someone I saw on another discussion board said they were told the new deadline is September 30. I’m hoping I’ll still transfer over tomorrow.
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I feel like I’m in some sort of nether region between worlds. (Or between carriers.) I tried to make a hotspot the other day, as a test, and was told my plan didn’t allow it. Which makes me think I am partially transitioned to Boost infinite (if there is such a state). But my carrier is still listed as Republic, and I can’t log into the Boost app. It doesn’t recognize my email or number. (I’ve seen others mention this, and it sounds like customer service can’t do anything about it.) Customer service did verify my card was on file, but I haven’t seen a charge on it from Boost. I did get my usual charge from Republic near the end of August. I’m hoping that someone here has had a similar experience, but eventually got transitioned and was able to log in. Mostly, I really don’t want to end up somehow losing my number, since that would make two-step verification a problem. I miss my flip phone…
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This may or may not mean something. Just as data top ups have been disabled on Republic plans in advance of migration, so too might have been hotspot ability.
If one has yet to receive email or text notice their service has been migrated and one cannot use the Boost Infinite app, then I would conclude service has not yet migrated.
Unlike Republic, which is prepaid service (one pays for the month in advance), Boost Infinite is postpaid service (sort of). Boost Infinite bills 15 days into the billing preiod. For Republic members, this means 15 days after migration.
I do appreciate the apprehension, however, as long as you have functional service, your number is safe. If, at some point, service stops working for you and you haven’t been notified migration to Boost Infinite is complete, that’s when one would need to be concerned. If necessary, there are steps one can take to attempt recovery of a lost number.
Meanwhile, you might consider alternate methods for multi factor authentication preferably a token app such as Authy or Google Authenticator. Text messaging is not (and was never intended to be) a secure communications method.
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Deadline for what? The beginning of the end? The end of the beginning?
It seems unlikely migration for all 5.0 members would occur in one day, so I have my doubts about tomorrow being the end of all migrations. As for the 9/30 date, which I too have seen elsewhere, we lack the context. Is that for 5.0 migrations with no new SIM required? Or, does it apply to My Choice migrations, which from what I’ve seen elsewhere has been problematic for some and certainly not seamless for all.
I don’t doubt what you were told or saw elsewhere, however, I suggest one needs to take anything one is told by DISH/Republic/Boost Infinite with a large grain of salt.
At this point, I have three emails. The first two received 8/7 and 8/25 respectively said starting 8/20. The third email received on 8/29 said starting on 8/25.
I also have two text messages, the latter of which received on 8/28 stated transitions had begun. To date, I’ve seen precisely one report anywhere (here) of a member with a 5.0 plan migrated to Boost Infinite.
The point I’m trying to make is just as dates already provided have come and gone, any date provided going forward may or may not change. There really are only two options open to us as customers (presuming one’s Republic plan is 5.0):
- Continued patience
- Move on
Members with My Choice plans do have some control. If things work as they’re supposed to, they migrate upon activating their new Boost Infinite SIMs.
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Thank you, as always, for the replies, information, hand holding, and reassurances, Roland. I appreciate it. It’s especially good to know about the billing timeline. You’ve been very generous with your time here.
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Sep 30 is an important date. Dish can use Republic Wireless transitions completed by that date to inflate their postpaid subscriber numbers on their Q3 earnings report.
Interestingly enough, I decided to check out hotspot ability after reading this message, and it is still working for me (running Android).
Another interesting change…
After updating to Android 13 a few days ago, I tried enabling wi-fi calling (since it is an option in the pull-down menus), but it kept failing and saying to try again later (as I expected it to since RW wasn’t supporting it). I tried it again this morning, and it is now enabled and working and lists Republic as the wi-fi calling carrier. My main carrier notification still shows Republic as well, but perhaps this is a sign that things are moving forward. I am also still able to use my hotspot as well.
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Not sure about anyone else, but got up this morning and BOTH my phones do not have service anymore! Never got the message that the transition was complete either! The code they sent doesn’t work. Spent an hour on hold to talk to them and then got disconnected. Spent another hour and 25 minutes and finally someone picked up. They looked into why both of our phones were disconnected, even though we are paid through 9-17-23, and they said they are looking into it. Try again later today! You do not disconnect all phones to a family and then say that!
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Hi @Astroidor and welcome!
I’m genuinely sorry to hear of the circumstances. You do not seem to be alone.
I don’t say this lightly but it would seem they did precisely that though I’m confident the lack of service for you and others isn’t intentional.
Real World Users is not affiliated with DISH/Republic/Boost Infinite or any other service provider. We are service provider agnostic.
Perhaps, it’s time to consider alternatives? More information in Reviews.
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I’d jump now, but how would I do that if, apparently, neither camp recognizes me???
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Hi @Imback,
You raise a legitimate point.
- Are you able to sign in using Boost Infinite’s app?
- If not, are you still able to sign in at Republic’s website?
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Can NOT sign in via Infinite app.
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I CAN still sign into RW site.
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