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Member review of BroadVoice


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Ad-hoc BroadVoice Forum
VOIP Forum

Reviews:
read 268 reviews (171 positive) (61 negative)
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$36 per month avg ($36 to $36)

3 year trend

Review by tmancill See Profile
UPDATED: 208 days ago
member for 7.1 years, 7 visits, last login: 83 days ago


Vancouver,Clark,WA
$35 per month
"easy setup, reasonable quaility, good price"
"potentially usurious credit card authorization form"
"be warned: you may be asked to fax them a copy of your driver's license and credit card"
Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
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Value for money:

    For about the past 18 months I've had (2) accounts with Broadvoice, now I have (1), and I'm afraid I'm about to have (0). The sign up process was pretty easy, and the call quality has been fairly good. There have only been a few outages (that I've noticed). My main technical complaints are that call setup can be pretty slow, and that people I call regularly complain about spurious DTMF in the audio. A co-worker of mine has Broadvoice and when he calls me, I hear it too.

    But now for the bad. My credit card was stolen shortly before a billing cycle, so while I was waiting for my new credit card to arrive so I could update my account, the automated billing cycle failed. Despite correcting the issue *the next day* and receiving email that my account had been restored, I received notification that to continue service, I would have to fax or email (!) copies of my credit card and driver's license and/or passport, front and back, or risk having my account suspended. I responded that my credit card had already successfully been charged, and sent a response including the confirmation number from my credit card issuer. I also logged in to my Broadvoice account and verified that my service was current and successfully billed until 4/28. In the same email, I indicated that I was not going to be sending scanned copies of my credit card and passport when Broadvoice was already successfully able to charge the card (for 2 separate accounts!). No response from Broadvoice until 4/6, when I received notification that my account was suspended and could no longer make outgoing calls or configure forwarding. Inbound calls still work. On 4/22 I receive an email that my account has been canceled and the phone is dead. Note that I'm paid through 4/28. I call the support number and am told that my account was canceled due to non-payment, and the Billing is the only department that can help (only open 9-4, Eastern).

    The irony is, the other account uses the exact same credit card (but has a billing cycle that runs one day later, so I was able to update it before it failed). So my money is good in case, but not in the other. In any event, requiring scans/faxes of credit cards and passports seems completely out of the question.

    I will amend my review if Broadvoice is able to make it right (at least restore my account until I can port my number), otherwise I intend to file a complaint with the FCC Common Carrier Bureau, file a chargeback through my credit card issuer (since I paid for 4 weeks of service, but only received 1 full week of normal outbound and 3 weeks of outbound before they terminated my account).

    *** UPDATE ***

    After 3 (more) calls and a couple emails, Broadvoice and I were able to come to terms on the credit card authorization form. So my advice to not bother with emailing support, but instead use their support line. They seem to be much more responsive to phone calls than to emails.

    *** UPDATE 2 ***

    Well, they went back on their word after I provided some of the information they requested, and so I had to make 4 more calls. Finally I was told that I was "lucky" and that they would let me be their customer. They re-enabled my account (but all of the passwords had changed), and within a couple of hours my service was restored.

    *** UPDATE 3 ***

    When the billing cycle rolled around again, I discovered I was slapped with a $9.95 fee for "account reactivation." This is pretty frustrating, given that my account was always in good standing (meaning it was paid through to 4/29), and that I never canceled it. So I suppose Broadvoice has the right to disable your account after the first week of the month and then charge you for re-enabling it. I'm looking for another provider now, and am happy to pay a fee for a LNP port to get away from them.

    Followup comments:
    cloud10

    join:2006-05-17
    Healdsburg, CA

    Broadvoice Service Authorization Agreement

    I subscribed to Broadvoice for 3 years at the $10.00 in-state rate with monthly charges going to my credit card with no credit charge problems.

    Last month they began sending frequent requests for a signed service authorization form accompanied by copies of front and back of my credit card and driver's license. When I complained that was unreasonable, first I received an email saying I didn't have to include the copies then that it was a mistake and "reinstating" my suspended service. The next month the emails and threats to suspend service began again. When I ignored them, my service was cut off completely. I'll be looking for a new VOIP that doesn't exhibit signs of insanity like Broadvoice. They really appear to be trying to drive their customers away. What will they do then with all those copies of credit cards and drivers licenses?????
    Forums » comments on review of BroadVoice


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