Consumer Cellular review: Payment and transfer options after signing up with consumer cellular

I left AT&T, after 20+ years to sign-up with Consumer Cellular (CC) using the auto payment method, with my credit card. My credit card access was stopped, due to fraud, and a new card issued. The new card was lost in the mail, reissued twice, and 2 new cards issued, during a 2+ week period. I contacted CC to change to an auto pay method from my credit card to my checking account and was told that was not possible, until I had been with them over a year and due to the credit card delay would need to start the wait period over again. I reported this to the BBB. Once I received the new credit card, I paid the account to date using a one time only payment and decided to go back to AT&T. During the transfer process a pin was issued from CC and the process started, at the AT&T Greenbrier, AR Store, however the transfer was not successful as we were told when calling to determine the circumstances that my account would require a $600 purchase of my phone, which I then paid for. The transfer process was tried once again, but we later were told that my CC Account was considered a "business" account and I would only be able to "attempt" the transfer at a corporate store. After the AT&T Representative and I spoke with CC about the inability to transfer, I was asked why I was leaving CC and told them the circumstances. Within 15 minutes, I received an email from CC with my checking account information noting my auto payment method had been changed to my checking account and my personal checking information was noted on the email. the final resolve was that our transfer attempt using the pin CC provided was NOT successful. One of the AT&T Representative mentioned that CC purchases thousands of available lines from AT&T and that might be why my account was considered a business account and most likely I would not be able to transfer and keep my phone number. I wasted 2 hours trying to get my CC Account transferred with no success. It was really a strange feeling to realize they could have set me up with an auto checking account arrangement and had access to my personal checking information, from the get go, but more importantly, that I was not able to keep my phone number, of 20+ years and leave CC.