SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – If you're in business, you need a phone.
Raynona Patrick and her business partner opened a Meemic insurance agency in Southfield in March. When they received the new number for the business, they were surprised.
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"And when I received the text that this is your new phone number, I'm like this can't be right. Whose number is this? This isn't a Michigan number," said Patrick.
Patrick says Comcast told them they were out of "248" numbers, so they were given a "947" area code. As the company was close to opening day, they decided to move forward with the number they were given. They assumed it was a number that would be catching on, but instead it's causing confusion
for customers.
"Because they don't recognize it, unlike a 248, 586, 313, they don't pick up. We leave a voice mail message, and some of them will call back and they tell us 'I didn't recognize that number.'" said Patrick.
Area code control, carriers respond
The Help Me Hank consumer unit did some digging and we found the "947" number has apparently been around since 2002 and it overlays the same geographic area as "248". The North American Numbering Plan Administration is responsible for creating and administering new area codes.
"I was very surprised that there was no coverage regarding the new area code unlike when 248 came out and 586 came out," said Patrick.
Help Me Hank reached out to The North American Numbering Plan Administration to get more information about the "947" area code, but has not heard back.
The consumer unit also reached out to Comcast on behalf of the Meemic agency. The company is reviewing the the business' account and reviewing its records to see how widespread the use of 947 is among Comcast customers.
Verizon released a statement saying in part, "Verizon Wireless has numbers from the new 947 area code and has assigned numbers to customers. There are several other carriers that have been allocated from the 947 area code as well. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) website at www.nanpa.com has a wealth of information about area codes, which prefixes (central office codes) are assigned to carriers or still available for assignment, etc. NANPA is the third party neutral administrator of numbering resources in the U.S."
And AT&T released a statement as well, saying in part, "Per your query, an overlay of the 248 area code occurred in 2002. When an overlay occurs, the prior area code (248) has a new area code (947) commingled with it so that either area code is valid in the same geography. AT&T does not release information regarding the specific quantity of numbers that are actually assigned to customers."
Raynona Patrick called Help Me Hank to get the word out so people know "947" is the real deal, and a local Michigan number.
"If you just give us an opportunity to get the word out there, then hopefully the response will be a lot more positive," said Patrick.