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Review by tlsmith2 
Posted: 2.2 years ago
member for 2.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.2 years ago
 Arlington,Middlesex,MA
 $25 per month
 "call quality"
 "misrepresent their ability to port numbers"
 "wasted our time and lost our legacy number in the process"
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VoicePulse was unwilling to attempt any accommodation for securing our business under misleading pretenses. I guess they assumed we could not tolerate the switching cost since we had been up and running for 2 weeks when they told us that they could not port our number.
Followup comments:  llast08
join:2004-08-05
Boise, ID | Doesn't make sense How did VoicePulse cause you to lose your number if they said it can't be ported? If they can't port it, that means they didn't touch anything or start any process that would cause it to get lost. | |
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Review by fourbear6
Posted: 2.7 years ago
member for 4.1 years, 15 visits, last login: 2.6 years ago
Okeechobee,Okeechobee,FL
Contract price not specified.
"Price, Features"
"Tech Support, Reliability"
"Value is not good with poor Reliability and support"
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VoicePulse
How can this company stay in business?
After one year of service I started having problems and my phone would not work. Voicepulse said there was a problem with my router and wanted me to contact Linksys. So I called Linksys and they said my router was working fine. Then voicepulse wanted me to contact Sipura about the adapter, so I did and Sipura said they thought the adapter was bad and for me to contact voicepulse. Now voicepulse still says it my router so I buy a new router and still the phone does not work. Now voicepulse says maybe it is the adapter and wants me to pay for a new one. This is two weeks later with no service and I was not willing to spend any more time and money on voicepulse so I requested them to cancel my service. They still charged me for the month of October while I had no service.
Today I get a call from voicepulse saying I owe them over 100 dollars because my service is still active and also I have to pay for the broken adapter. Well you can guess what I told them!
Oh and I have signed up with a new VOIP and you know what both old and new routers work fine.
Don’t Use VoicePulse!
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Review by gpslouis
UPDATED: 2.9 years ago
member for 5 years, 169 visits, last login: 2 years ago
Olney,Montgomery,MD
$15 per month (12 month contract)
 about 4 days
"Simple to set up if you read the simple instructions. Worked first time. Amazing list of features."
"Help desk closes at 7 PM EST/EDT. Problems can take days to resolve, if they are ever resolved."
"Great until recently, then went rapidly downhill. Stay away."
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SEE UPDATES AT BOTTOM OF REVIEW. STAY AWAY FROM VOICEPULSE.
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I got VoicePulse about two weeks ago, and so far it's been a very easy ride.
I ordered the service on a Thursday afternoon via their web site, and the equipment (VOIP unit) arrived the following Monday.
I plugged the VIOP adapter into my router (WRT54G), waited about two minutes per the instructions, and I was making and receiving calls.
Right now my VOIP is flowing over my Cavtel / Phonom DSL link (512 KB down, about 256 KB up), but I'll be switching to FIOS in a few days. Sound quality is MUCH better than the Phonom VIOP, even though it's over the Phonom DSL connection.
For incoming calls, caller ID with name works correctly, but if you don't like the name that is displayed, you can set your own value for the name through the VoicePulse web site.
For outgoing calls, caller ID with name shows "out of area" on the recipients caller ID unit because Voicepulse does not register the name of the line owner with Telcos. Depending upon your point of view, this is either a good or bad thing.
The supplied Sipura VOIP box rings my 9 phones with no problem. (The total ringer equivalence is about 5 in my house.) However, it has trouble driving voice on more than one phone at a time. In other words, If two phones in my house are off-hook, the volume for all call participants drops to a very low level.
The customer support web site is very easy to use. There are endless features that can be quickly activated and configured via their web site. It's also very cool to be able to see the log of all outgoing and incoming calls. Just be careful about using any feature that does call forwarding if you bought the $15 / month plan, as there is apparently a per-minute charge for using call forwarding under that plan except when forwarding to a voicepulse number.
VoicePulse does not support 911 service yet, which happens to be contrary to FCC regulations. Based on the letter (see link below) from the CEO of Voicepulse to the FCC, it looks like they are pursuing activation of 911 service, but are significantly behind the January 2006 commitment that they made in the letter to the FCC.
»gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retr···18183606
I'll update again after a few weeks.
___________________________________________________________________
Update of March 19, 2006
My FIOS (5 MB / 2MB) circuit was installed last Friday so I moved my VoicePulse Sipura box over to the FIOS router (DI-624 supplied by Verizon). I didn't have to make any changes to the Sipura configuration, and the Voice Pulse service continued to work perfectly. The slight jitter that I experienced when using the Sipura on the Cavtel/Phonom circuit is gone on the FIOS circuit. Voice quality is absolutely perfect, as good as or better that POTS.
I'm not going to bother with a detailed FIOS review, as there are so many reviews already that I don't think that I have anything to add. I will mention, though, that the FIOS iInstallation was performed on the requested date by a very courteous installer who did a top notch, very neat installation job. I should add, though, that he had a relatively easy installation job, though, since all he had to do was mount the FIOS equipment on my networking equipment board and run the FIOS cables from the board to the outside interface.
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Update of December 1, 2006:
Until the last few days, my VoicePulse service had been perfect. Then, two days ago, I could no longer receive calls. (Outbound calling still work fine.) I've called support 5 times over the past 24 hours, and although it's easy to reach a live person, all they'll tell me is that the problem is being caused by a provider downstream from them. They have no fix ETA and they won't give me any additional information. They won't even promise a fix within a week. I'm no longer very happy with VoicePulse.
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Update of December 4, 2006:
Still no incoming calls and no indication of when the problem will be fixed. I spoke to Customer Service Manager Ryan Gibbs today (who reports directly to the owner of VoicePulse). His "I don't care" attitude and lack of ability to provide any information about the cause of the problem or an estimated fix date are causing me to recommend that this failing provider not be used. I have also submitted a written, online complaint about VoicePulse to the FCC.
__________________________________________________________________
Update of December 5, 2006
Still no incoming calls. No word from VP on when the problem will be fixed.
Attachments: retrieve.zip 82,438 bytes
(retrieve.pdf)
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Review by jchin
Posted: 3.3 years ago
member for 4.1 years, 62 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago
Staten Island,Richmond,NY
$35 per month
about 2 days
"Fast working service"
"Charge for forwarded calls to local and VoicePulse-to-VoicePulse numbers!"
"Deceptive Billing - charges for forwarded calls"
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We have 2 VoicePulse lines on 1 TA; both using the "Unlimited Local + 200 Long Distance plan". And have been on the plan for 18 months.
We were just hit with a $55 overage charge last month. When asked why, we were told that our "call hunt" (a free feature from VoicePulse) charges 4-cents per minute on calls forwarded (even to our other VoicePulse number).
Later we found out that our "absolute call forwards" to our local cell phone number was also charged 4-cents per minute.
NOTE: they advertise the plan that we are on as "unlimited local + 200 long distance" ... in reality it is NOT! It only applies if you make the calls, not if the calls are automated from their features (such as forwarding or call hunt).
BEWARE !!!
We've repeated called VoicePulse support and they all tell us this is the case and that they have been "charging this since the beginning". I don't think so, cause my bills for the past 17-months have not been charged an extra $55.10.
They automatically charge your credit card and send no invoices. So be sure to read your bills in your account portal online!
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Review by shandiz
Posted: 3.7 years ago
member for 3.7 years, 1 visits, last login: 3.7 years ago
20344
$25 per month (month by month)
about 6 days
"fairly easy to install"
"bad call quality, no 911, web site is terrible"
"stay away from this provider"
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My experience with Voicepulse has not been good.
Calls are chopped up, even though I have plenty of bandwidth up and download. I have had frequent outages, some are shown here. Other outages seem to only hit me. Tech support has been trying to be helpful, but they seem clueless. My issue was escalated to the engineering department, but they have not followed up and I have been having issues for almost 5 months now.
I was told by the sales people that E911 would have to be available by the end of November. I bought service because of that promise, but it did not pan out. Then I was told that Intrado would have it ready by January 31st, they even sent me an email about it. I feel lied to about this. I was sold service with false promises.
I am done with Voicepulse and have to say that I have to warn others about them, that I can't recommend them AT ALL. Maybe my own personal experience, but it has been a nightmare dealing with them.
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Review by dakota76usa
Posted: 3.8 years ago
member for 3.8 years, 2 visits, last login: 3.7 years ago
Winchester,Frederick,VA
$20 per month
"None"
"Placed order and never received service,"
"Too long to receive service, bypass Voicepulse"
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I placed an order for the service because of it's high marks on DSL reports. A week went bye with no further notification that my order was being processed aside from the original email. I called and spoke with customer service; after being on hold for over 10 minutes they explained that they were having issues verifying addresses for their new E911 enhancement and it was delaying service. I waited a couple of more days and still got nothing, I called customer service again and waited again for at least 10 minutes for someone to pick-up. Cancelled service and asked for full refund. If you're not in any kind of hurry, they might be alright but if used to service in a timely manner, look elsewhere.
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Review by olsakov
Posted: 3.8 years ago
member for 3.8 years, 3 visits, last login: 3.6 years ago
Redmond,King,WA
$15 per month (month by month)
"Easy setup, good inbound sound quality"
"Choppy outbound voice, no 24/7 support"
"Stay away"
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It looks like I belong to a small number of users who have poor call quality with VP. I can hear the other party really well, but people have hard time understanding me because of choppy outbound voice.
I’ve been following up on this issue with VoicePulse techs for quite some time. After multiple tests and tweaks that I’ve done for them, they escalated this issue to the engineering department. I have not heard back from the engineering department since.
I have Comcast cable connection with the speed 3000K down / 256 up (real numbers from dsl reports are around 2100K down / 180K up). This should be enough for VOIP to work. In fact, I am using another VOIP provider (with soft phone) for calls to Europe, and the quality is much better.
I also used Lingo at some point, and their quality was also _much_ better. Then I wanted to have caller ID with name, which was not provided by Lingo, so I switched to VoicePulse. I guess I was one of their last customers before they stopped accepting new clients due to FCC regulation.
Customer support is OK, but lack of 24/7 support is irritating. Fortunately you can work with them trough website or e-mail, which is more convenient than sitting on the phone.
Well, other people are giving the rave reviews to VoicePulse, so please take my feedback with a grain of salt. This might be VP + ISP combination that creates the problem. However it is my expectation, that VP should be able at least to pinpoint the problem even if they cannot fix it.
I will follow up on the development of my support ticket.
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Review by Grenelntrn
UPDATED: 4.2 years ago
member for 4.8 years, 9 visits, last login: 4.2 years ago
Lincroft,Monmouth,NJ
$24 per month (12 month contract)
about 3 days
"Price, Features"
"Consistency, Customer service"
"Wish I still had a pots line !!"
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VoicePulse is still a mess. I don't know who the users are that are having such a good go of it, but I have had it with them. Customer Service now doesn't even respond to emails. Tones during calls, calls dropped, voice mail cuts off messages, echo's shall I go on. I hate to dump Voip, but I can't rely on them.
See Ya ...........
I did alot of reading about Voip, and came up with VoicePulse as one of the leaders in quality and service. I decided to try it and hope for the best.
I have been a VoicePule customer since January 2005. I have had many issues that still have not been resolved. Needless to say I am not happy and can't wait until my "contract" expires.
I am not a seasoned techie, but I do know a bit about how Voip should work. The setup was easy and the Sipura was up and running almost immediatly. I plugged it into my home master line and we were off and running on all phones.
The quality of calls has not changed since the first day, I have tried every suggestion made by VP to get the quality better to no avail. Echos, intermittant key tones heard by incoming callers, staggered drop outs, and constant issues with my router settings that cause outages. I have to unplug the router and reset it to get connected again.
I have a Netgear WGT624 V.2 and have upgraded to the highest firmware version available. I have no drop out issues with my 4 home PC's hooked up wired and wireless which tells me its not a Comcast issue, and the router is working fine.
Luckily, I have second line (pots) I kept just in case. When my service is out my calls are forwarded to that line. It must bounce three times a week.
I have been trying everything to get this working properly, the tech support people are friendly enough (when they are in, they close at 7pm eastern Mon-Fri) but they just don't seen to spend the time, or have the knowlege to help a somewhat novice.
I truly wish I could get this thing to work better. The price and features are great, but who cares about them when the service keeps going in and out.
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Review by stevie_g
Posted: 4.4 years ago
member for 4.4 years, 2 visits, last login: 4.4 years ago
Ontario,San Bernardino,CA
$35 per month
about 20 days
"Fast signup"
"Can't cancel account"
"Bad phone results and bad customer service results in cancelation"
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Signing up, and getting the equipment was no problem with VoicePulse. However, if you were considering replacing your phone with this VOIP provider, it's time to move on. When I first tried to connect, I had choppy reception. After some router tweaking, the service improved but still with unacceptable breaks when calling long distance. Local calls seemed to work better, but still were choppy after about 3-5 minutes.
The kicker though is tring to cancel. They won't let you cancel without 'brining your account current', which for me meant a nice double billing despite their billing errors. Billing can't be contacted via phone, and sending email to correct a bill while they continue to charge the account is not an acceptable situation. It's the only option they give you though.
Bottom line, don't go with these people unless you're willing to put up with sub-standard VOIP -- choppy connections for local and worse for long distance. Then cancel as soon as possible otherwise you may fall victim to billing mistakes.
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Review by truconsumer7
Posted: 4.5 years ago
member for 4.5 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.5 years ago
Pittsburgh,Allegheny,PA
$14 per month
about 20 days
"pricing plan"
"terrible quality of service, horrible support, the worst billing"
"BEWARE. Horrible little company. Service is down frequently!"
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Specifically-
I purchased an SPA-2000 from Voxilla and from the start, the service was difficult to setup. I chose the service because of its quality awards. I now know they don't mean a thing as far as this company.
It took a 45-minute second level support call to setup the service because it needed a firmware DOWNGRADE which the company does not enable you to do on your own. This was just the beginning of my troubles with this company.
Frequent outages and an echo sound made the voice quality pretty bad. I have one of the best phones from Panasonic and I upgraded to 3Mbps DSL service, so I know these to be a problem from Voicepulse. Frequently incoming calls would go straight to voicemail when I had not configured them to do so. So I called their tech support. Each call took 40-50 minutes and never solved the problem. After a few months of wasted time and poor quality, I decided to make the switch to Vonage.
Voicepulse has made porting my number next to impossible and now say they won't allow my number to be ported. I had to continue paying for a service I wasn't using while the porting process has been going on. Which brings me to billing...
They have no clue when it comes to billing. They don't and say they can't prorate billing, but that's a crock since they can issue credits...not rocket science but I guess these guys are just difficult. The last couple months I have simply fwd the incoming calls to my vonage phone so it is only a local fwd, but the stupid company charged me for all incoming calls. They admit this mistake and say they will correct my bill for the past couple months, but this gives you insight into how inadequate their billing policies and system are.
Save yourself the headache. STAY AWAY from this company.
Vonage offers better service, better support, and will be in business much longer than these guys. On top of that, Vonage offers the same pricing plans.
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