DCF approved through Montreal, but can't fill out the DS-260 due to rejected credentials?

[beeelythe 0]

My husband (US citizen) and I started our DCF journey via Montreal in late January.  We've been approved to file and have received the Packet 3 and I'm just waiting on my criminal record check to arrive so I can send the checklist back, but I've hit a problem.

 

I know I have to fill out the DS-260 and have attempted to login to CEAC with the application number and my birthdate, but I receive the following error message every time:

 

The selected Case Number and Date of Birth combination you entered does not match our records. Please try again or contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your case is being processed.

 

I've emailed Montreal about it since I've tried 25+ times and I copy and past the application number from the email they sent me (so no chance of mistyping) and my birthdate is correct.  But until I can log in, I can't fill out the DS-260 or send back the checklist to get the appointment scheduled.  I've googled this and it seems like it was happening quite a lot with NVC filings a few years ago, but nothing quite like mine (the last line of the error, in their case, says to reach out the to NVC and not the US Embassy or Consulate, but otherwise the wording is the same.

 

Basically, has anyone else experienced this?  I'm completely lost.  Montreal has been quite slow to respond (I know they're quite busy) and it seems that there's nowhere to call to speak with someone about it, but I'm just so down about this.  I'm so scared of them not responding at all since their auto-response mentions not responding to info available in the FAQ, which doesn't really qualify here but certainly reinforces the idea that they are dealing with a lot of emails.

 

I'd appreciate any insight!  Thank you.