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Setting up Echo Calling - DO NOT USE A DIFFERENT NAME

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gcol

Setting up Echo Calling - DO NOT USE A DIFFERENT NAME
« on: October 06, 2017, 06:14:29 am »
Okay, I'm just sharing this because I just wasted half an hour on the phone to Amazon.
When setting up calling on the Alexa app, you are asked if you want to use the username linked to the echo as the name that your contacts will see when you contact them by text or call.  As this name is usually the name on your amazon account it is likely it will not be your name.  People that add reviews on amazon are not always going to want their real name on the review, so they may use different name.  For example, mine is Gee-Whiz.  So.... when setting up the details in the alexa app for calling, I change Gee-Whiz to my real name and continued through the setup.  In the setup you need to enter the mobile number you wish to use and that's where the problem starts.  Trying to use your mobile number with a profile (i.e. your name) causes a conflict as it is likely already linked to the main profile (in my case Gee-Whiz).  It throws up an error and says that the number is already linked to another account and I need to call customer services.
After much umming and ahhing the representative thought it was because I had an old amazon account that also had that number, so we tried to delete that account but the problem remained.  Once I tried setting up the Alexa App using the profile name Gee-Whiz, it worked.  You can then edit the name in the profile to your real name in the settings.
The customer services representative wasn't aware that this would cause an error and seemed a bit concerned.  I suggested he was going to receive a lot more of these calls.
The short version is, don't change the name in the setup.  Change it in the settings once its activated.
Hope this helps someone.  ;)

zaphod

Re: Setting up Echo Calling - DO NOT USE A DIFFERENT NAME
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2017, 04:52:54 pm »
thanks for the information!