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Review by nefarious4 
Posted: 3.9 years ago
member for 3.9 years, 5 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
 Plano,Collin,TX
 $19 per month (12 month contract)
 about 12 days
 "Fast equipment arrival, low cost, lots of features"
 "Web site is rather kludgey, no BYOD"
 "Superb value."
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I'm running my VoIP over ComCast Cable. My upload speed is only ~200K which means that during heavy internet usage I can notice some quality issues. The Broadvox supplied ATA arrived in two days and was simple to install using the supplied directions. I signed up before they had a rate increase (over a year ago) and they have not raised my rates at all. I have a virtual number for out of town relatives and use the international rates fairly regularly. All in all I am very happy with the service. I had tried Vonage about three years ago while there were still some problems and did not experience the same issues here.
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Review by selturtle
UPDATED: 4 years ago
member for 4.9 years, 16 visits, last login: 3.1 years ago
Palm Springs,Riverside,CA
$19 per month
about 5 days
"ease of installation voice quality reliability voice mail virtual number"
"web page"
"great service a true value for the money - paid for itself in one month of use"
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I must be too inexperienced to know better but this is the best thing since the telephone was invented. I signed up on 12/22 and just completed one month. No problem with billing or shipping - arrived earlier than promised. No problem with installation over Roadrunner. Voice quality excellent from the on-set. Virtual number requested 12/31 for my son's location in Dover DE and no problems there. I have written 2 tickets late at night CA time for minor concerns and received responses to answer my question within 12 hours. I waited 4 months for Time Warner to get off their backside and deliver the service they advertised at $39.95 and then signed up with BVD for $19.95. Couldn't be happier...the web page will grow as the business expands.
Feb 11 2005 I remain extremely satisfied with Broadvox service...no outages...great voice quality and great price. Even with reading good reviews for Time Warner I am pleased that I did not wait to pay them almost double what I pay now. Broadvox just needs a good webmaster and they will be on top as far as I am concerned.
Sep 17 2005 Broadvox Direct service has not waivered in the 9 months I have used it. Reliability has been uninterrupted, voice quality has allways been excellent, voice mail has been good, tech support has always given me an answer within 24-48 hrs, the price has remained at $19.95. What more could I ask for in VoIP service? Although I seldom see Broadvox Direct in ratings and surveys I would recommend this service to anyone.
Nov 17 2005 Experienced my first problem in almost a year...could not always connect with number called on first try and sometimes caller could not get through. Wrote trouble ticket on 11/16 at 10:08AM. Response in my e-mail at 10:54AM with instructions to shut down and reset as they had already changed routing. Followed instructions..absolutly no problem thereafter. Broadvox Direct tech support telephoned me on 11/17 at 11:09AM to inquire if all went well with the correction. What other tech support #1 fixes the problem and notifies you in less than 1 hour and then calls the next day to be sure all went well? I wish I could find a family doctor who cared as much!
As far as I am concerned Broadvox Direct is the most under rated service in the universe and they can keep their plain Jane web site forever as long as they can provide service like this. I only hope that they do not sell out to some second rate like Vonage.
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Review by mir
Posted: 4.2 years ago
member for 9.2 years, 711 visits, last login: 2 days ago
undisclosed location
$19 per month
about 10 days
"You can chose pretty much any area code"
"Call Quality, Call drops, No Telephone support, Can't fix the problem"
"Dont go with them"
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I been using them almost a year. At first they were good.
Then slowly they droped their serices to bottom of hole.
Its been 4 months since I have reported I can't make 3 way call. Till todays date I can't!
It took them 2 months to fix Call waiting issues
I can't keep the call more then 10 minutes either it will hang up or become dead air.
THey no longer have a phone support (They are in phone business aren't they?)
I am thinking of dropping them!
********
Sep 26 2005
I agree with broadvox, I need to take my business else where. They say the will refund the money, instruct me how to send me the adapter back to me
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Review by nanobug
Posted: 4.2 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 1472 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Herndon,Fairfax,VA
 Business customer
$34 per month
about 2 days
"Supposedly support T.38 faxing"
"Advertise free fax line w/ SOHO plan but that's a lie."
"Stay away!"
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I ordered the SOHO Regional service for $34.95 which, according to their webpage, gives a free fax line. After installing the device and not seeing any way to activate my fax line, I used the ticketing system to inquiry about the way to do it. The next day, I received an answer that it would cost me an additional $9.95/month plus $19.95 setup. I'm cancelling service just one day after activating it. These gives don't deserve anyone's business. And the lack of phone support totally sucks!
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Review by buffman697
Posted: 4.2 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.2 years ago
Boston,Suffolk,MA
$19 per month (month by month)
"None"
"Everything"
"Stay away from this service"
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I ordered this service because it was the same price as compeditors but I didnt have to pay for a virtual number. After paying the extra money for setup and shipping, I received my device and plugged it in. I signed on to the website like they said to enter my MAC address and nothing happened. By the this time it was past 9pm and they were closed so I had to wait till the next day to call "tech support". I called the next day and they walked me through setting it up blaming it on my network. I am a network administrator by profession and I know my network is set up properly. They opened a trouble ticket for me and sent it to their techsupport department. Two days later I received a phone call from them, surprisingly he was very smart and knew what he was doing (I have no idea why he was working for this company). He moved me out of the provisioned table to the active table and my device started working. It worked fine for a few days and then started to disconnect and I would have to restart the adapter. I also put in my request for my virtual number when the service started working. I cancelled my service 22 days after I first signed up and my virtual number still hadnt been assigned, despite multiple calls to the support department. The tech support line couldnt figure out why my device wasnt working and kept opening tickets for them to troubleshoot, but no one got back to me. The customer service department was a joke and the hold music was just a local radio station out of Miami. I got to listen to the weather and traffic reports every time i was put on hold. I cancelled my service and they refused to give me a refund and told me I had to return the adapter or I would be charged.
Final analysis: Stay away from this service, you can listen to a fast busy signal for free.
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Review by wb6dao
UPDATED: 4.2 years ago
member for 5.7 years, 452 visits, last login: 30 days ago
Hacienda Heights,Los Angeles,CA
$19 per month
about 7 days
"Only VOIP provider that I have found that works with my home PBX"
"customer service availability, documentation"
"Great as a second line, but VOIP will never be my only line"
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Update 08/22/05
Been almost a year since I updated my review. I hardly even think about which line I am using anymore, Broadvox has become almost as reliable as my POTS Verizon line (I have UPS backup on my cable modem, router, and DTA).
I understand that their customer service has discontinued phone support, I wouldn't know. I have not had an occasion to contact them (other than a credit-card number change six months ago that was handled just fine with emails).
With their click-to-call feature that connects any two numbers, I can make free personal long distance calls from my work phone or direct dial hotel/vacation condo.
I must say that I do not use the FAX or voice mail features (those are handled by my home PBX - see below), so I am not familiar with any problems there.
I don't think their service can be topped for $19.95 (no taxes, etc.), unlimited US and Canada, no contract, including one virtual number.
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Update 10/27/04: Just received an invoice, price dropped to $19.95 for unlimited US and Canada.
I have been a customer since late February, 2004....
I have a home PBX system that screens all of my calls before ringing any phones in the house (Voice Pro unit). This totally eliminates the solictation, survey, and wrong number calls. You know, those annoying ones that, during dinner, ring the phone twice and hang up. It also allows me to give the kids individual extension numbers and mailboxes that ring only their phones - No midnight kid-friend calls waking us up!
It was very important to me to be able to replace one of my Verizon lines with whatever VOIP service I selected. I tried Packet8, also Broadvox with the first DTA (Sipura?). Neither was recognized by my PBX unit as a valid line. Something about the voltages and/or the tones they provided.
Three months ago Broadvox replaced the DTA with their own unit and it works through my PBX. I don't know how many of the other providers have this compatibility (they don't understand and/or don't respond when asked about it), but I am happy, and my second Verizon line is now history.
I would never use VOIP as my only phone service, it can never be as reliable as the POTS line. With cable outages and provider outages, repairs can be a real hassle. I have the power outage problem (and it has been tested a couple of times!) covered with an UPS to the DTA, cable modem and router, PBX is on a battery backup.
My replay TV unit doesn't like VOIP, so it still uses our "main line" (remaining Verizon line).
All in all, I am very happy with Broadvox price (which I understand is dropping to $19.95 ), service, and features.
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 Review by Da Geek Kid
UPDATED: 4.3 years ago
member for 6.1 years, 2259 visits, last login: 280 days ago
Mclean,Fairfax,VA
$29 per month
"none that I can say"
"International Long Distance Pricing"
"Free Calls to Canada and good local calls..."
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After Upgrading my service and the DSL Modem all the problems have gone away and I now can guestimate that the problem was mostly based on the SpeedStream Modem, since it was having a hard time keeping the connection...
Well,
I do have a 1.5mbps and even with the new BVD device and 90kbps high quality sound the voice sounds a bit choppy and not so clear and for the first time I got disconnected last nite for no apperent reason...  That was the first. I'll keep you updated...
Low quality is worst than then cell, and the High quality is cell quality @ best...
another anoyance is that the BVD device seems to run hot all the time..
Well, after having this for a while I have discontinued the service because the Customer Service really sucked... I had ordered to replace the HOT box with a newer one and they canceled the service when I sent the old one back.. I tried to get the fone back on with no luck for 4 weeks... This people were very amateur in what they did... BIG disappointment...
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Review by tru215
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 4.4 years, 51 visits, last login: 3.7 years ago
Quantico,Prince William,VA
$21 per month (month by month)
about 10 days
"fairly inexpensive, but more than other services that offer more"
"terrible web site, calls dropped, tech support non-existent, no refund of money"
"STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY. THEY WON'T LAST"
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I have had Broadvox for 7 months. During that time I have had many problems. I was willing to live with the problems because I was saving money over POTS. However, over time I found that this service is not up to par. The web site and login portal has not been improved in all this time, and it is, to put it mildly, a joke. Tickets I would open would not be handled at all, but just sit there and be miraculously "closed" without resolution. They are virtually impossible to get ahold of by phone, so whatever problem arises is basically just "there" because tickets aren't being taken care of and phone support does not exist.
At the end of May I had it with them, decided to go to another provider that offered more features for less cost and is reviewed highly on Broadbandreports. It is a huge difference all around, I am happy with the new service. To put the icing on the "down in the dumps" cake, Broadvox Direct pretended to not having received the adapter back from me for a few weeks. They finally acknowledged that they received it back, just that there was a mixup in their receiving department, and that a credit would be put back on y credit card shortly. Now, over a month later, there has been no equipment credit given back to me. They are probably going to keep my money, will never issue my credit.
Bottom line: Stay as far away from this company as possible. They are reviewed near the very bottom of the pack on Broadbandreports for a good reason. BAD COMPANY ALL THE WAY AROUND.
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Review by Rzak
Posted: 4.4 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 170 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago
Canada
$9 per month
"Cheap... well, for the $9.95 plan"
"Customer Service, Tech Support, Call Quality, LNP Department, should I go on..."
"Stay away - there are many other options out there that do a WAY better job..."
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Well, I enthusiastically subscribed to BVX at the end of October 2004 as it was one of only a few US based companies available to Canadians and because, at the time, they were reasonably inexpensive. I signed up with the assumption that I could port my phone number over to BVX (I was told I could prior to signing up) and make them my exclusive phone provider. Well, that was wishful thinking on my part. I received the adapter in good time, tried it out using the temporary number that I was provided (this while I waited for my primary number to port over) and wasn't too impressed. Call quality was well below my Primus TBB service I was/am still with. However, I remained hopeful and decided to remain patient. Anyways, I waited, and waited, and waited... and after eight months of trying to port my number over I cancelled my service. While I was enduring this very unfortunate experience, I became more and more disappointed by the lack of customer service and tech support. I tried everything I could on my end to make things work but this sort of effort was not reciprocated by BVX. Tickets were answered in a very untimely manner, I could never get a straight answer re: my lnp application, and the portal never improved. In fact, things got much worse - prices went up and phone support was completely removed (you can only contact BVX via the ticketing system or email at this point). I am still embroilled (actually, not really since I've given up) with them over a billing/credit issue but do not believe this will be resolved. Whatever I guess... glad I got out while I still could...
To sum it up, stay away from BVX. There are a whole lot of providers out there that are more customer oriented and actually give a sh!t...
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Review by NoVaVoiper
UPDATED: 4.4 years ago
member for 6.1 years, 1762 visits, last login: 188 days ago
Arlington,Arlington,VA
$28 per month
about 9 days
"Call Quality, Free Virtual Number"
"Still feels like a stripped down business offering, LNP delays"
"Reliable service as long as you don't need customer service"
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UPDATE: 6/17/2005:
Just wanted to post a quick update that service has been really strong the past several months. I had one incoming call outage where my main number wouldn't ring (but forwarding and voicemail still worked). I e-mailed tech support and it was fixed in the morning along with a call and e-mail from a technician. I had some bad experiences with customer support at the beginning, but tech support has been solid.Business class reliability and I still love the free virtual number!
UPDATE 2/15/05:
Customer care leaves something to be desired. They have denied my request for a credit as a result of their poor handling of my LNP request. I can now calculate the total start up costs for Broadvox:
Setup fee - $29.95
Shipping - $11.95 (which they refused to refund even though FedEx delivered the package 2 days late and would have given a refund had Broadvox requested one)
3 additional months Packet8 service because of delayed LNP - $64.65
Total start up cost: $107.55
Monthly cost for first year: $28.91
UPDATE 2/13/05:
My number finally ported on Friday, 75 days after the request was submitted. I finally found someone at the company who took an interest in my request and followed it through to the finish. Other features appear to be working well and voice quality remains excellent for me.
UPDATE 2/2/05:
I have lowered my "Ease of Installation: rating, as I consider number portability part of the installation process. Call quality and uptime remain excellent. Their was an outage with one of their providers over the weekend, but they quickly rerouted calls and the downtime was measured in minutes.
Last week I received a notice that my LNP request had been rejected because incorrect billing name. I double checked the information and then called Level3 (who controls my current number) and they claim to never have received a request. I opened a ticket with Broadvox and saw no action until yesterday, with a note that the carrier requested a callback in 30 minutes. No follow up.
This morning I spoke with a supervisor who just said they are thinking about giving up on LNP because of the high failure rate. They seem to be the only carrier with this problem. There is an automated system now which is nice and allows you to view the progress of your request. Other users have reported successes since this system was implemented, but those reports seem to be sporadic. The supervisor said he would follow up with the person I spoke to at the carrier, but I never heard back on that conversation.
Bottom line...great dialtone service and advertised features work...but don't count on customer service or porting over your number
UPDATE 12/21:
Still no update on my LNP after 22 days (16 working days). Heck, even Packet8 now has an LNP tracking system and they are always the last to develop a feature.
I had asked customer service to refund my shipping fee after the UPS second day delivery came three days late. They are refusing to contact UPS (who guarantees the delivery) and refusing to credit me the fee. It's only $11.95, but after UPS unexplicably mishandled my delivery, they do not deserve to get paid and I deserve a refund.
The ticket system is a joke (they are often slow to reply or don't reply at all) and if you call, all they say is "I can open a ticket for you."
That said, call quality and reliability have been excellent, so I'm sticking with it for now, but I'm far from a satified customer.
UPDATE 12/14:
It's now been 15 days (11 working days) since my LNP request and still no update from the company, despite my opening three tickets on the matter. Call quality remains stellar and I have had no downtime to date. Unfortunately, Broadvox is not reading the CID information from Packet 8 properly, so all calls come through at anonymous/out of area. Just one more reason I'm eager for my port to succeed.
So far I'm not unhappy that I made the switch, but really hoping things come together soon.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have been using various VoIP providers since October 2002 and really seen this industry change. While I was content with my original provider (Packet8), there were some other features I was looking for that they didn't offer, so I decided to put some other companies to the test.
My first stop was SunRocket, which was offering a $24.99 package with a robust feature set. Without going into too much detail, the service was very user-friendly, but did not offer out of state virtual numbers and offered acceptable, but inferior call-quality (using Packet8 as my reference point).
Next, I decided to take advantage of the price wars and try Broadvox Direct, who had recently lowered their price to $19.95. Their home page is the ugliest, most amateurish in the business, but the ordering process was easy. The package was shipped the next business day via second-day air and only arrived late bacuase of UPS delays around the Thanksgiving holiday.
The box included my adapter, power cord, one ethernet cable, and a manual for the DTA. It would have been nice to have a welcome letter and something explaining more about Broadvox Direct, but setup was easy and it took about 10 minutes to have my line up and running.
The first thing I noticed was the line quality, which is excellent at the g.711 codec. That had me quite optimistic about what lies ahead.
The portal feels exactly like what it is -- a stripped down version of that used by Broadvox's enterprise service. It is a major step down from SunRocket's offering -- functional, but far from user friendly. Some examples:
-- under call treatment, it reads "at my desk phone, if no answer:"
-- when you select your user profile, it comes up with a business card for businesses and just blocks all the fields related to work information
-- the unchangeable default profiles for find-me include "gonehome" and "atlunch"
On a similar note, when you dial in for remote voice mail, you are prompted for an extention number. I can deal with this, but it really takes away from the overall feel of the service and would distract a more casual residential user.
Caller-ID number is working both ways. Outgoing name is not working, but they say it takes up to three weeks, so I'm not concerned.
I'm convinced enough to port my number over and switch the service, but I truly hope BroadVox Direct will continue to develop the service and not rest prematurely.
My wish list includes:
-- E-911
-- Incoming CID Name
-- Online voicemail box
-- E-mail notification of voicemail (without attachment)
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Broadvox Direct
