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Review by fred410 
UPDATED: 157 days ago
member for 4 years, 2 visits, last login: 157 days ago
 Crofton,Anne Arundel,MD
 $33 per month (month by month)
 about 10 days
 "cheap"
 "poor billing support, poor transfer support, no refunds ever after 30 days"
 "omg, stay away from these people"
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Issue 1: Slow phone service -- after you dial any number, you wait a good 8-12 seconds before getting anything, ie "ringing or busy"
Issue 2: Their "terms of service" say you have "unlimited usage" but they deemed that I was "abusing" the system -- and forced me to switch to a $34 a month business plan, or they would charge me a violation fee of $200. So I had to switch, nice.
Issue 3: If you prepay or pay ahead, you WONT get any refunds past the first 30 days of service.
Issue 4: Email ONLY contact to billing department, who is also slow in responding, about 2-4 days turn around. Plus you always get these "we already responded to email" messages also.
Issue 5: Email ONLY contact to phone number transfer group, even worse slow or no response issue.
Ended up dumping them for fios and phone service with verizonm for $53 a month.
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Review by mpatrick14
UPDATED: 219 days ago
member for 1.9 years, 18 visits, last login: 219 days ago
Las Vegas,Clark,NV
$1200 per month
about 999 days
"Nothing"
"False Advertising/No Customer Service/Fraudulent use of CC Info"
"DO NOT FALL FOR THIS COMPANY'S LIES"
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Hawk Communications LLC dba JoiPhone is a corrupt VOIP company who has committed the following illegal acts against me:
Breach of Contract: I never received the equipment or my money back as provided under the TOS, even after receiving confirmation that my account was canceled.
Unjust Enrichment: In addition to taking the money I paid for their service, which I never received, they have repetitively charged my credit card 4 times so far in the amount of 200.00 each time with no explanation. All requests for explanation of these charges have been ignored. I have received nothing of value from this company, yet they have stolen over $1,200 of my money.
Fraud: They have engaged in false advertisement and misleading sales pitches, including the use of the word "Unlimited" when referring to their VOIP phone service, which, in reality, is severely limited. There is very vague verbiage in their Terms of Service that says using the phone more than 5 times the "average" residential line is considered "abuse of the system." Basically, if you use the phone more than they want you to, despite the lines being advertised as UNLIMITED, they can charge you fees, and/or discontinue your service, while keeping all of the money you prepaid. There are reports of very limited amounts of usage resulting in this type of activity. For example, one customer received a threat of cancellation after using the phone for 500 minutes over the course of 15 days - does that sound like UNLIMITED to you? There are also reports that any call longer than 60 minutes is viewed as "abuse" and can result in your line being blocked.
They also advertise a 30 day no risk guarantee, yet they do not even deliver the equipment required to initiate the service within 30 days, thereby ensuring that if you wait for the equipment, you have no recourse under the 30 day guarantee. Also, if you do cancel, as I did, within the 30 day period without ever having received equipment or using the service, they do not return your money.
Embezzlement: I entrusted them with access to my credit card account and after they confirmed my account cancellation, they charged my credit card four additional times so far with absolutely no justification. I do not have a service with them, so any justification based on a "Terms of Service" policy is unjust.
This company fails to meet their obligations, outright lies to its prospective customers, and engages in fraudulent activity.
It is also worth noting that Hawk Communications dba JoiInternet was found guilty of many of these practices in Atlanta, GA, including false advertising, breach of contract, and limited access. There was a settlement involved, and the company suddenly folded, leaving many customers without service that they prepaid for.
Several companies that were subsidiaries of Hawk Communications have folded unexpectedly. The reason this matters is because almost all of the deals JoiPhone offers involve prepayment for 12-24 months of service. Personally, I find it highly unlikely that JoiPhone will be around long enough to fulfill these contracts, and based on their current behavior and the actions of former Hawk Communications companies, I have a feeling many JoiPhone customers will soon be out a great deal of money and have no service.
If you do take the risk of signing up with this company, I URGE you to sign up for a monthly plan with no prepayment and give it 6 months or so to ensure the service is worth continuing.
If you want to see more info on this corrupt company, check out the BBB info on Hawk Communications LLC, Joi Internet, and JoiPhone. All of them have unsatisfactory ratings with the BBB.
UPDATE: I was successful in disputing all of the fraudulent charges with my credit card company, and getting my full money back. I encourage anyone who is also having issues getting their refunds do the same thing!
UPDATE: I see people are still posting bad reviews of this company. Looks like they have done NOTHING to improve their level of service. BUYER BEWARE - before you give these people any money or cc info, ready all of the reviews!
Followup comments:  joiphone
join:2007-08-09
Delray Beach, FL
| User violated TOS, SPAMMED our ticket systems The user spammed our systems with over 10000 emails, caused us great damages and according to the TOS spammers and hackers can be fined by us, and by their ISP. COX Abuse department was notified and blocked this customers account, and we did the same. As the customer continues to SPAM and try to flood our systems we will continue to fight him via charges, and legal means. JoiPhone have 1000's of satisfied customers, and most of our customers come from referrals.
Sincerely,
David | |
| | mpatrick14
join:2007-12-27
Las Vegas, NV
 ·Joi Phone
1 edit |  Re: User violated TOS, SPAMMED our ticket systems
First of all, I did not send over 10,000 emails to their systems. I sent about 1,000 emails over the course of 4 days. And that was only after JoiPhone ignored all of my attempts to cancel my account the right way. I sent 6 individual requests for an update on my request to cancel, and they ignored all of them. Secondly, I never sent any SPAM. All of my emails were legitimate requests for support. I thought if they found it so easy to ignore a single email, they might find it a little more challenging to ignore 100 emails. Little did I know they have no problem ignoring all emails.
My ISP did not block my email account; I am still using it just fine. JoiPhone blocked my email account from sending requests to them because they have an outdated email system that could not handle my requests for support. If they had made any attempt to stand behind their 30 day no risk guarantee, then it would not have even gotten to the point where I sent 100 emails, which was all I sent after being ignored for over a week after requesting my account be canceled. The only reason I sent more than 100 emails was because after they finally said they had cancelled my account, they started throwing charges against my credit card with no explanation. So I would send another 100 emails, they ignored them all, illegally charged my credit card some more, and then waited for me to send more emails. In fact, I think they intentionally ignored my emails so I would send more, which they would then try to use to justify charging me $800.00 worth of fraudulent charges. To this date they still have not told me why they charged those amounts.
JoiPhone committed credit card fraud by processing $800.00 worth of charges without my permission. The TOS agreement between us was rendered invalid when my account was canceled, and I did not send excessive emails prior to this point. Just because you have somebodys credit card on file does not mean you can illegally charge against it because you dont like the fact that they sent you too many emails.
I am looking forward to fighting JoiPhone via legal means, as I have already consulted a lawyer and confirmed they have committed credit card fraud.
JoiPhone is a corrupt company, with a history of deceptive advertising and fraudulent activity, as proven by the Georgia's attorney general's office.
The only reason JoiPhone has customers is because they con people into signing up for their service by advertising Unlimited phone lines and taking 24 months of service fees up front. When the customers finally realize what a crappy company they are dealing with, they get no response from customer service, and spend months trying to get their money back. If JoiPhone only offered month to month services, they would already be out of business. There is a reason they offer rates so much lower than everyone else, they want to take you for everything they can up front. I paid 441.45 up front and never received a minute of phone time. And I STILL havent been given my money back. I know there are people working in the billing department because they are busy committing credit card fraud, but don't seem to have the time to honor their 30 day NO RISK money back guarantee. The only one violating the TOS is JOIPHONE, and any court of law will find this to be true.
I thought, like most customers who have fallen for the scam, that 441.45/ 2 UNLIMITED lines/24 months = 9.19 per line per month. Great deal right? But wait! Factor in that they dont send you the ATA for over a month, then factor in that your account phones will be blocked if you exceed a mystery number of minutes that they deem to be "abuse" (but they cannot tell you how many it is). Then factor that they could very easily be out of business with 30 day warning like their predecessor company JoiInternet. Bottom line - you could be paying WAY more per month than you think. So far they have charged me $1,241.45 and provided no service. I am wishing I would have opted for a real VOIP company instead, where I could have paid $20-30 a month per line for actual VOIP service.
Even the 'success stories' they have posted on their website are BS. One of them came from someone who was happy 2 weeks after signing up, and then within another two weeks realized the truth about them, canceled the service and is currently trying to get his money back.
If their business is based on referrals, they will be out of business WAY before the 24 month scam "unlimited" lines they are conning people into paying for right now.
BUYER BEWARE. I am not the only one posting the negative truth about these guys online. Just take the time to do your research and you will discover the truth about JoiPhone.
It is very easy for a company to put together a flashy web site and a slick advertising campaign, but it is not easy to hide the fact that it is all a scam once the consumers they defraud take their stories to the internet, and ultimately to the courts. Just ask JoiInternet. Oh wait, you cant, because they went belly up!
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Review by invknight
UPDATED: 1.8 years ago
member for 1.8 years, 3 visits, last login: 1.7 years ago
Woodstock,Cherokee,GA
Contract price not specified. (12 month contract)
"was good in the beginning, promised much - did not deliver"
"did not transfer numbers, lazy support, hard to reach and even harder to cancel"
"Avoid - utilize Vonage or others that are far better - they will overbill you"
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Right now to give you a brief idea, the company - Joi Phone and its previous owner Hawk Communications LLC lost four cases already in Federal Court that forced Hawk to sell the company to itself under a different LLC at the same address to avoid collections - that is the type of company you are going to be dealing with from the start. FAIR WARNING.
Avoid, they will raise rates and bill any information without required notification and attempt to bully consumers who have no knowledge of the regulatory laws that are in place to prevent such actions. Getting support from this company is another matter - both in their constant admittance that their own accounting systems are wrong and try to overbill repeatedly and after eight months still have not been able to fix - shows a real pattern for deception and anyone having this company has really not looked at better and fiduciary stable companies or I believe is just intellectually lazy - regardless "Caveat Empor" with this corporation.
In case you needed mroe evidence - look below at what the Better Business Bureau says about them, including repeated fines against them
Customer Experience
Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record BBB Definition:
unsatisfactory record - A company has an "unsatisfactory business performance record" with the BBB is based on the experiences reflected in BBB files. This file condition results when the company has failed to resolve or respond to complaints, repeatedly failed to respond or resolve issues in a timely manner, failed to resolve the underlying issues for a pattern BBB Definition:
pattern - More than 2 complaints involving the same allegations usually within 12 months that are significant in relation to the company's size and volume of business.
of complaints, failed to honor their commitment to mediate or arbitrate disputes or honor mediated agreements or arbitrated decisions, failed to substantiate, modify or discontinue false advertising claims that are challenged by the BBB, or failed to discontinue unauthorized use of the BBB name and logo, a Federally protected trademark.
with the BBB due to unanswered complaints. The company has resolved BBB Definition:
resolved - The company resolved the complaint issues.
some complaints presented by the BBB, however, the company did not respond to other complaints BBB Definition:
other complaints - This refers to complaints from individuals or businesses that do not fall under a specific category.
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When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
The BBB processed a total of 9 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period.Of the total of 9 complaints closed in 36 months, 2 were closed in the last year.
Billing or Collection Issues BBB Definition:
Billing or Collection Issues - Claim alleging billing errors, unauthorized charges, or questionable collection practices.
Resolved BBB Definition:
Resolved - The company resolved the complaint issues.
2 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to the BBB.
Administratively Closed BBB Definition:
Administratively Closed - The BBB determined that the complaint could not be satisfactorily settled using standard methods of voluntary dispute resolution
1 - BBB determined the company made a reasonable offer to resolve the issues, but the consumer did not accept the offer.
Repair Issues BBB Definition:
Repair Issues - Claims of alleged incorrect diagnosis of a problem, delay in completion of repair, or inferior workmanship.
No Response BBB Definition:
No Response - The company failed to respond to the complaint.
1 - Company failed to respond to the BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues.
Service Issues BBB Definition:
Service Issues - Claims of alleged delay in completing service, failure to provide promised service, inferior quality of provided service, or damaged merchandise as a result of delivery service.
No Response BBB Definition:
No Response - The company failed to respond to the complaint.
2 - Company failed to respond to the BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues.
Refund or Exchange Issues BBB Definition:
Refund or Exchange Issues - Claim of alleged failure to honor company policy or verbal commitment to provide refunds, exchanges, or credit for products or services.
Administratively Closed BBB Definition:
Administratively Closed - The BBB determined that the complaint could not be satisfactorily settled using standard methods of voluntary dispute resolution
1 - BBB determined the company made a reasonable offer to resolve the issues, but the consumer did not accept the offer.
No Response BBB Definition:
No Response - The company failed to respond to the complaint.
2 - Company failed to respond to the BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues.
Government Actions
On December 19, 2005, Hawk Communications, LLC entered into an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. This was because the company allegedly did not provide a full seven day trial period as their advertisements indicated, did not honor pro-rated refunds or cancellations as stated in advertising, misrepresented dial-up access that was up to "ten times faster" when such was not true, offered "quality" or reliable access, when most consumers after signing up were never able to either access or consistently use the services after signing, offered unlimited internet access with JOI Internet services when consumers were limited to continuous access only in five hour increments and then were automatically discharged from the system. The company signed the compliance agreement and paid fines in the amount of $20,000.00 and a civil penalty in the amount of $10,000.00
An Assurance of Voluntary Compliance is not considered an admission of guilt or violation of law, but is used for settlement purposes.
Additional File Information
Hawk Communications, Inc. is the parent company for Joi Internet Access, on which we maintain a separate file.
Additional DBAs, Addresses and Telephone Numbers
Additional Addresses
6025 Sandy Springs Cir NE # 311
Atlanta, GA 30328-3863
6025 Sandy Springs Cir NE Ste 311
Atlanta, GA 30328-3863
Additional Phone Numbers
Tel: (404) 373-4591
Tel: (888) 237-0607
Tel: (770) 671-0699
Tel: (770) 349-3428
Tel: (770) 864-0600
Tel: (800) 417-4196
Additional Fax Numbers
Fax: (770) 730-8866
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Review by dennyb
UPDATED: 1.9 years ago
member for 1.9 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.9 years ago
Phoenix,Maricopa,AZ
$100 per month
"NONE"
"They take your money and deliver NOTHING!!!"
"WARNING!!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!"
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REGRETFULLY...I signed up for VOIP service back in NOVEMBER. I have never received any equipment or service!!! The only "LIVE" help you get is from sales. They tell you that you can't speak with anyone. They only correspond by email.
They don't!!! I will be filing complaints with the Florida A G's Office ,
The Federal Trade Commission and the FTC!
If you have had a similar experience please contact me so that I can proceed with a class action suit if I get no satisfaction from government entities!!
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Review by aataxhelp
Posted: 2.1 years ago
member for 2.1 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.1 years ago
Boulder,Boulder,CO
 Business customer
$20 per month (12 month contract)
"don't waste your money with this company"
"They suck"
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Ordered service and it never functioned properly. Hold times for Tech support could easily run 40 minutes and no one would answer. Signed up with VoipYourLife and they have been great. I paid for a full year of service with Joi Phone and I am still waiting for the credit on my account. They owe me for 10 months of unused service. I tried to port my number from their service and they have not done it. When you call them you can never speak to anyone in billing and they don't respond to email. They have refused to port my number. These guys are theives. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
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