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Review by riparian 
member for 1.9 years, 27 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated a few hours ago
 Los Angeles,Los Angeles,CA
 Contract price not specified.  "Reliable, Sounds Good" "Additions and Plans Bode Well"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update May 18, 2013
CC has been reliable for me and generally sounds fine.
The addition of sub-accounts and the plans for other improvements
may mean they finally have their heads screwed on properly.
Update January 22, 2012
No changes. Still reliable, still poky. Good as a backup.
Maybe somebody more knowledgeable would like to comment, but I was
wondering what it is that we should consider as a full-featured
voip provider.
On the one hand, you have Callwithus and Future9, which will sell
you a DID and a connection incoming and outgoing, and that is about
it.
And that is plenty if you do not need more.
On the other hand, there are a bunch of full-featured providers
such as Anveo, Voipo, Voip.ms, Callcentric, Vonage, etc.
I have checked out the websites of Anveo and Voipo and have some
idea of what you can do with their service, but have never used
them.
I have used Voip.ms and Callcentric, and in comparing Callcentric
with Voip.ms and with my idea of what Anveo and Voipo offer, I do
not see Callcentric as 'full-featured', at least by today's
standards.
And by "today's standards" I include having an IVR, and having a
flexible way to route incoming calls. Callcentric does not have an
IVR and its callerid filtering is clunky.
And an IVR should include any number of greeting messages,
depending on the caller, the time of day, DID being called, etc.
That is true of voip.ms and I think of Anveo and Voipo.
Routing calls should have an almost unlimited scope, and be simple
to do. That is also true of the three mentioned above.
Callcentric does have DISA and callback. Same for the other three.
Why should I pay Callcentric's prices - let us say they are about
the same as the other companies - while getting a poky service?
Compared to what else is out there, Callcentric does not have the
value.
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
I use callcentric as a second, outgoing line, and was considering switching to it as a main vosp, getting a DID with them etc.
My use of the voip phone is to whitelist: block everything except what I let through. Then I took a closer look at the call treatments to see how I would go about it.
What a disappointment it was: If I wanted to allow someone to ring through monday - friday from 8am to 5pm, and send him to voicemail at other times - and this is a real-life scenario - in order to do that, I would have to create 5 call treatments for that single callerid, one for each day of the week. Completely unworkable.
And it does not even have an IVR. You can live without one, but it is like going from a starter motor to hand-cranking your car to get it started.
CC provides a nice service, but its call-handling is relatively primitive; and at the prices they charge, they should be able to buy smaller yachts and put the savings into programming.
Comments:
 PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
 ·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
| Depends. I would have to create 5 call treatments for that single callerid, one for each day of the week. Completely unworkable.
They allow 30 call treatments. If you do need to whitelist lots of numbers, and/or use an IVR, then Voip.MS may currently be a better fit.
....and at the prices they charge, they should be able to buy smaller yachts and put the savings into programming.
But as to prices---I can argue that both ways.
For example:
Flat-rate inbound: CallCentric offers flat-rate inbound plans for both residential and business users. The residential plans are pretty comparable (CC vs. VMS). The business plan ("Office Unlimited") is not available on VMS.
Discounted inbound calling: CallCentric has "DirtCheap" numbers in many states (especially yours) at 2.95 a month for unlimited incoming residential calls, 2 channels.
Outbound calling (Light or Moderate users): Yes, I've said myself I'd like CC to be a little less on this. But lets look at numbers. The per-minute difference (CallCentric vs. VMS Premium) is $ 0.0073 so for 400 minutes a month the difference is $ 2.92. This is not yachtworthy.
Outbound calling (Heavy users): CallCentric has an unlimited outbound plan to US/Canada. Yes, at 19.95 it's only appropriate for heavy users, BUT unlike plans at other companies it has no numerical cap on minutes. VMS does not offer any flat-rate outbound plan at all.
So it all depends.
----------------------------------
There's no doubt that all of the major quality VoIP providers have strengths and weaknesses. I think that we will see all of them innovate as needed for the marketplace. | |
| | Reviews:
·voip.ms
| Re: Depends. The beauty of VOIP.MS is that it's very highly customizable and completely pay as you go, no fine print. It's unique. There is no other company like that. When CC is something like a generic voip provider out there, with it's "unlimited" monthly plans, housewife-friendly interface, 911 recovery bull**** and other "fees".
I don't want any plans, fees or other crap. That's why I am with VOIP.MS, they changed my life for better. | |
| | | PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
| Re: Depends. said by StaticJitter:The beauty of VOIP.MS is that it's very highly customizable and completely pay as you go, no fine print. It's unique. There is no other company like that. When CC is something like a generic voip provider out there, with it's "unlimited" monthly plans, housewife-friendly interface, 911 recovery bull**** and other "fees".
I don't want any plans, fees or other crap. That's why I am with VOIP.MS, they changed my life for better.
Quite confused by your comments.
CC and VMS charge the same 911 fee. If VMS currently lets you skip 911, those days are numbered.
CC has no extra ongoing fees otherwise (nor does VMS) so I don't know what you are referring to.
----------------------------------------
Inbound:
CC offers PAYG or flat-rate.
VMS offers PAYG or flat-rate.
Outbound:
CC offers PAYG or flat-rate, most choose PAYG.
VMS offers PAYG only.
So I really don't see your point. I'm sorry if those options are confusing for you.
[I will say that for Canadian calls, VMS outbound PAYG rates are certainly a good value].
An interesting description.
Well, I view CC interface as crisp, elegant, and very user-friendly, and that's a GOOD thing for a company.
VMS is more difficult to muddle through.
I certainly respect VMS as a provider (and I use them).
By contrast, I don't know why VMS users feel the need to use words like "crap" and "bull****" to describe CC. | |
| | | | Reviews:
·voip.ms
| Re: Depends. said by PX Eliezer:I don't know why VMS users feel the need to use words like "crap" and "bull****" to describe CC. Because it's bull, AT&T style bull, just like paying for incoming SMS messages and per-minute billing. Rogers charges me 75 cents for 911, 50% less than CC. And that's Rogers, also known as Robbers. I think that if they absolutely HAVE to charge it, then include it in the price, not hidden in the fine print somewhere.
So I really don't see your point.
If you like plans, then CC may be good for you, but for pay-go their product has little value for money. | |
| | | | | PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
| Re: Depends. said by StaticJitter:My point is that CC is overpriced, plan-centric company that wants to collect money from you every month no matter what. 1.95 for DID, 911 fee, taxes - that's like already almost 5 dollars right there. Plus their per-minute billing and more expensive rates.
If you like plans, then CC may be good for you, but for pay-go their product has little value for money.
I remain quite puzzled.
1) Voip.MS has just introduced many new DID's in Ontario, and they are charging the exact same $ 1.95 that CC charges.
2) Also, those new Voip.MS DID's in Ontario have the exact same 1.5 cents PAYG per minute rate as CC.
3) Both companies charge the exact same 911 fee. (What you may pay Rogers Wireless for 911 is irrelevant.)
4) The current Voip.MS opting-out of 911 is not going to survive for much longer.
5) There are no other ongoing taxes or fees on CC other than NY State sales tax for NY State residents. For that matter, I understand that Voip.MS collects HST in some provinces.
said by StaticJitter:My point is that CC is overpriced, plan-centric company that wants to collect money from you every month no matter what. 1.95 for DID, 911 fee, taxes - that's like already almost 5 dollars right there.
In my book, 1.95 plus 1.50 equals 3.45, not close to 5 dollars. In any event, if I get one of those new Ontario DID's from Voip.MS, it comes to the same.
------------------------------
Now, I certainly agree (as I have consistently said) that Voip.MS outbound rates are a bargain when calling Canadian numbers. | |
|
PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
1 edit | Still puzzled--- You have named several good companies that have many good features, not identical among the companies.
Voip.MS does have very good IVR, that is a great feature.
But I am still puzzled what you mean when you say that CallCentric is "poky". What does that mean? I use it at home and also for my main business line, and it works great.
That includes CallCentric's Call Treatments (caller ID filtering, forwards, and more) which in my view are very easy to use. In fact, on the main page of the dashboard, just by clicking on Calls Received, you can click on any recent call and instantly be taken to the appropriate Call Treatment page pre-populated with that number. That's very useful for CID filtering.
I am also a current customer of Voip.MS, VOIPo, and some other providers.
I often recommend VOIPo to people who do not want a BYOD option. VOIPo is fine. But I am puzzled again as to why you would say that VOIPo has better services than CallCentric when the opposite is true. And CallCentric's website is far easier to use than VOIPo's.
Likewise, Voip.MS is great with their IVR. But for basic tasks such as CID filtering, forwarding, etc., I find CallCentric's site to be much easier to use.
I'd estimate that I have extensively tried about 10 providers, and at least for me, CallCentric works the best, is reliable, and is the easiest to use. The only thing they lack is an IVR and if folks need that, then they should look elsewhere....
CallCentric by the way has some things that other companies sometimes don't, such as email or text notification of voicemail messages. And their inbound fax server works great at my business. | |
| nitzanPremium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
kudos:2 | ? On the one hand, you have Callwithus and Future9, which will sell you a DID and a connection incoming and outgoing, and that is about it.
We also offer global call forwarding, SIP forwarding, ringing multiple SIP devices, sequential "follow-me" up to 5 SIP or PSTN destinations, local and toll-free calling card gateways, SIPBroker integration, DID/CID/Web callback, etc. etc. etc.
Maybe we don't offer the features you want, but we do offer more features than most providers including some you've mentioned as full-featured. | |
| | PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 | Re: ? I agree with Nitzan.
Future Nine offers great services at very attractive prices. | |
| | Reviews:
·Callcentric
·voip.ms
| Yes, sorry for still thinking of Future 9 as it was at the start, and overlooking all the things you have added over the past few years.
My own definition of full-featured would include an IVR, and inbound call handling as slick as Voip.Ms's (and, I am guessing, Voipo's and Anveo's). My rationale, such as it is, is that after 5 years? more? of voip being a real alternative to pots, standards have changed, and what was full-featured a few years ago isn't full-featured today. | |
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 Review by MyTechLife
member for 12.3 years, 1554 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 2 days ago
- Reno,Washoe,NV
- $20 per month
 about 1 days- "Web/Email support is fantastic. Web interface is feature-filled. Calls connect every time."
 "Only feature missing is a call screening /"- "Perfect."
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
AUGUST 2007:
I've had CallCentric for about 2 months now. I had been with SunRocket for 1-1/2 years previous, then about a month with Packet8.
The main "must have" features that I need and CallCentric has include:
• Local Numbers (though I still have to dial 11-digits to place calls - not sure if I had an ATA other than a AC-211-SR would let me use 7-digit dialing for local numbers).
• Flexible call forwarding and logging features (though Simulring is not an option)
• Number porting - I was able 2 port my 3 SunRocket numbers to CallCentric within about 10-days. $25 per line was a bit expensive, but at least they accomplished it - where Packet8 did not.
Call quality is good. After some testing and research I'm using G711U codec, which is supposed to be better than the recommended G729 codec. The codec requires more bandwidth, but that's not an issue on my 3000/512 DSL line. Calls will cut-out if I'm using the internet to download at the same time, but that's not a fault of CallCentric. After previous call connection and quality issues with Packet8 and SunRocket, CallCentric is a refreshing change.
Looking forward to more features in the future.
UPDATE MAY 2013:
A few months ago I transferred my main home and business lines from AT&T to Callcentric. Porting was advertised as taking up to 30 days, but it took only 10.
I use a Obihai OBi202 so I can use the Callcentric service with my home phones. My business line just forwards to my answering service. I'm saving a bundle over what AT&T charged me for the numbers. Call quality is great, and the service is reliable.
I've got several numbers for my business which I use in different advertisements. The detailed reports allow me to analyze which advertisements are working, and which aren't.
I added a free DID number which simultaneously rings my home number and wife's cell phone. This allows me to call one number to reach my wife and she can pick up the call on either phone since cell phone service at my house is spotty.
The only feature that I miss that I had with AT&T was "Privacy Manager", a call screening service that sends anonymous/blocked Caller ID calls to a prompt that allows them to unblock the call, announce their name, etc. »www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10211 Callcentric allows me to reject such calls or send them to voicemail, but no way to screen them.
Comments:
IscreamPremium
join:2009-02-17
New York, NY
kudos:5 Reviews:
 ·Verizon FiOS
| AAA - automated account attendant This feature (related to automated account [and/or answering] attendant - AAA), is part of many other new features resulting from recent Callcentric unified (voice, video and data) switching platform upgrade; those features will be announced as released after stabilization period on our DEV network - to make sure they are fully backward compatible to our existing user and administrative interfaces.
Thank you very much for this exciting service review and for being our committed valued customer during almost 6 years! | |
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Review by Gershom 1624
member for 69 days, 114 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 3 days ago
- BriscoCounty
- $10 per month
- about 1 days
- "Great reliability, usability, flexibility, quality."
- "Nothing else in my life is as satisfying."
- "THIS is The Voice!"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I've been using CallCentric for both my home and business for several years.
The darn thing just works, I never have to think about it.
It is very easy to set up, has great customer support, highly usable website with extensive documentation, excellent billing software, and good customer security.
I use one line with their inbound fax server, and that works very well too.
Security measures include (among others) the ability to enable/disable outbound calls by country (they were first with that), and the option of IP address whitelist verification for your equipment.
There is a wide variety of inbound and outbound calling options (chosen individually) including both flat-rate and PAYG plans each way. Free unlimited DID's are even available for metro NY areas.
There are no extra fees other than NY sales tax for NY residents, and 911 fee (but with a flat-rate outbound calling plan 911 is bundled in)
Extensive support is provided for SIP URI calling, iNum, and SipBroker.
Call Treatments are easy to use and very flexible.
One limiting factor had been the lack of subaccounts, but CallCentric introduced this functionality (which they call Extensions) in May 2013. This will be useful for many subscribers.
Multiple mailboxes per account, and automated attendant functions ("IVR") are under active development now.
CallCentric has extensive switches and interconnect facilities which they own and manage, based in New York. That's why they are so good and so reliable over the long term. However, this did lead to a series of events which caused 2 days of failure in the 2012 Hurricane Sandy disaster as multiple backup measures did not work. There are some customers who prefer good providers with multi-city remote servers instead, and certainly those customers will likely choose such providers.
My experience with CallCentric has been excellent and I highly recommend them.
Comments:
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Review by bogtrotter
member for 364 days, 9 visits, last login: 5 days ago
lodged 7 days ago
- Flint,Genesee,MI
- Contract price not specified.
- "Works well, sounds good"
- "Call-handling is too basic"
- "Call-handling is too basic"
| Web-site:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
A reliable service that has been unwilling or unable to provide much more than the basics, which is ok if basics is all you want.
Lately, however, they have been talking about making useful additions: IVR, sub-accounts, a generator, Geo-redundancy - no more 'we don't need a generator; we are on the same circuit as the New York Stock Exchange'; no more 'we have redundancy - it's in the next room'; no more 'storms like that only occur every 100 years'.
And they are doing more than talking: the sub-accounts are in place; I haven't checked them out, but am sure they are well-crafted.
I look forward to the other additions that will bring the company up to spec for a serious residential voip provider.
Comments:
nitzanPremium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
kudos:2 | Apples to oranges. You're rating them based on features they never claimed to have. 99% of CallCentric users don't care about features like IVR and wouldn't use them even if they were in place - so why rate them low based on features OTHER providers provide? that's like going to an ice cream store and complaining because they don't sell pizza. Rate them based on what they offer and what they claim to offer - not based on what another provider offers. | |
| | Reviews:
·Callcentric
·voip.ms
| Re: Apples to oranges. said by nitzan:...that's like going to an ice cream store and complaining because they don't sell pizza. No, it is like complaining because the ice cream store has a high reputation but it turns out it only sells one flavor.
Rate them based on what they offer and what they claim to offer - not based on what another provider offers.
perceived niche.
Callcentric is supposedly a 'gold standard' for residential
voip, or at least a top of the line kind of residential voip
provider, and for me that is a reputation they do not deserve
because they do not offer what, in my opinion, it takes to
have such a reputation. | |
|
Reviews:
·Callcentric
| Closed universe Mr. Bogtrotter, I am curious.
As you mainly seem interested in the epic saga of CallCentric and Voip.MS, then what do you think of Vitelity, FlowRoute, and other leading BYOD providers?
If you knock CallCentric for not having certain things, how is it that you do not even mention those others who have even less in terms of IVR, call routing, etc?
And yet those others [are] good-quality and well-respected providers.
My point is not to be down on any provider, but rather to observe that this is a continuation of a double standard by [some] VMS supporters....
Fortunately not all.
| |
| | | | | | I wasn't gonna say anything but changed my mind.
I've read the comments from Bogtrotter and really can't see anything that would warrant his banishment from this forum.
Maybe I missed something?
I have also read comments from Iscream and other reps from Voip companies at various times, and I gotta say, they are not to my liking either. Very childish at times. My opinion.
I really hate to hear someone call for the removal of a forum member unless there is a very strong case for it.
I just don't see it...... | |
| | | Reviews:
·Callcentric
| Re: Closed universe said by wideglide36:I've read the comments from Bogtrotter and really can't see anything that would warrant his banishment from this forum.
I would agree.
Living in Flint, he is already suffering. | |
| | | | | | Re: Closed universe Hey there 1624,
I sort of thought you might agree with my comment about someone being banished or even censored.
I was sort of taken aback to hear a rep/officer of a Voip company call for someone to be removed from a forum simply because he thought the guy was writing nasty stuff about his company. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but from what I read, there was no reason at all to say bogtrotter should be banned from the forum.
I actually agree with a lot of what bogtrotter wrote about CC and I'm a fan boy of CC.
There are plenty of fan boys of CC on this forum that would have defended CC and not called for the guy to be booted out.
Flint ???
I can't say anything about that. I'm in Central PA, so I'm suffering a little too... | |
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Review by steve1111
member for 3.6 years, 467 visits, last login: 9 days ago
updated 8 days ago
- New York,New York,NY
- $4 per month
- "Excellent handling of incoming calls"
- "Gold standard of Voip"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
NYC Aug 2012. This is a review of Callcentric (CC). CC's handling of incoming calls is terrific.
I have a PSTN phone but I have turned off the ringer and told everybody to call me on the CC phone. I have one of CC's free 646 NY area code DID's for all incoming calls. I have a second Voip phone with a Callwithus (CWU) account but it does not receive incoming calls.
I am happy with CC's reliability, technical support etc but what I like best is their "Call Treatments", a sophisticated facility which gives me full control to determine how an incoming call is treated. My PSTN provider could also provide these features but some features would each cost about $4 per month. With Call Treatments I have allowed friends listed in my CC phone book to call me. In the phone book I can associate a name with the number so when they do call, the system identifies the person's name. But everybody else gets a busy signal and the house is so peaceful without annoying calls from telemarketers. If the CC phone is not working, say an internet or power outage, then the call goes to voicemail. A call treatment ensures that no phones ring on the weekend.
My favorite call treatment is call forward busy line. When I am on a call with one person, then if somebody else calls at the same time the new call is Sip forwarded from the CC phone to the CWU phone. But this feature can only work so long as the phone with the call treatment is registered with CC.
I have three phones enabled to make outgoing calls; a PSTN phone and two Voip phones. One Voip phone is registered with CC and the other Voip phone is registered with CWU. Generally I use my PSTN phone for my outgoing calls and I do not make many outgoing Voip calls. CC charge 2 cents per minute for outgoing calls PAYG. CWU, however, charge only 1 cent per minute. The quality of outgoing CC calls and CWU calls are both good. With permission of my wife I may discontinue the PSTN phone and then I will think about switching to CC's North America 500. This plan costs $7 per month for 500 minutes and it includes 911 coverage. But I will still keep CWU service as backup.
So long as I have my PSTN phone I don't want or need 911 service from a Voip phone. Obviously CC have to abide by FCC regulations. But they are fastidious about 911 coverage even though they make no profit out of this. CWU, however, flatly do not provide 911 coverage.
I urge anybody new to Voip to check out CC. You can try out their Freedom plan which allows free calls to people within the CC network. If you have a relative overseas then you can both sign up to a free CC account and make free calls to each other. With two years' experience I can only repeat, which other DSLR reviewers say, that CC is the gold standard of Voip.
Dec 7 2012. Back to normal after DDOS attacks and Hurricane Sandy.
May 10 2013. Since Sandy, Callcentric service has been solid. They recently added sub accounts or extensions. Many DSLR readers have greeted this with enthusiasm. As for me, Simultaneous Ringing is all I need. What I am enthusiastic about is that Callcentric is in the process of installing its own natural gas based power generator. Which means that service will be even more reliable.
Comments:
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Review by fizzboz
member for 1.2 years, 11 visits, last login: 6 days ago
lodged 22 days ago
- Park,Gove,KS
- Contract price not specified.
- "100-year storm, clumsy, reliable so far"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Pretty good. The service seems solid. It is a clumsy, limited kind of
service as far as features go. Maybe the addition of sub-accounts
will make it more attractive.
I do not like the lack of redundant servers, geographically
separated, and really do not like the attitude that Callcentric
knows best that showed up after the hurricane in October.
It is not just that their setup is difficult, as I understand it, to replicate
at several locations, but that their attitude, as expressed on this forum,
is that such redundancy is not even needed.
The bit about 'such a storm will only happen once in 100 years'
does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the resilience of
a voip provider with its servers in one place.
Comments:
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Review by Rendering
member for 126 days, 15 visits, last login: 27 days ago
updated 27 days ago
- Los Angeles,Los Angeles,CA
- Contract price not specified.
- "Reliable"
- "Behind the times"
- "Waking up! Adding sub-accounts"
| Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update 2013 04 20
Callcentric seems to be waking up with the addition of sub-accounts. It is good to see that they are no longer resting on their laurels. If they ever get around to adding SMS, an IVR, and setting up geographically dispersed servers, they could become an excellent outfit.
Original Review
I love callcentric. It is reliable and sounds good.
But I have to give it tough love - no IVR means it is not a top-tier residential voip provider.
But - the cc rep has said they plan to add some kind of IVR - not an IVR exactly but something along those lines. Even that sounds like a big improvement, and I have upgraded their rating (the old review was deleted for some reason, so the original rating is gone, but is is upgraded from what it was).
I look forward to this IVR-like feature and hope it will become a real IVR.
Comments:
 VexorgTR
join:2012-08-27
Sheffield Lake, OH | IVR isn't all that common........ There's only a handful of Voip providers that DO have IVR... IVR was never really considered something for a residence.....
I can see that they may benefit from having it, but I'm glad that what their system DOES do, it does quite well. | |
| | Reviews:
·Callcentric
·voip.ms
| Re: IVR isn't all that common........ said by VexorgTR:There's only a handful of Voip providers that DO have IVR... IVR was never really considered something for a residence.....
I can see that they may benefit from having it, but I'm glad that what their system DOES do, it does quite well.
CC does a good job. If they added nothing to their existing setup,
they would deserve a high rating.
As you point out, like every other residential voip provider
except voip.ms and anveo (as far as I know) they did not consider,
it seems, that an IVR for residential service made any sense.
To me, that is a sad lack of vision.
That is from my perspective, and maybe most people don't care, but
I remember how, in my pre-voip days, I was irritated to no end by
the cranks and weirdos, and, in the last 10 years or so, by the
telemarketers.
I was lucky to stumble onto voip.ms, which has the most flexible
and easy to learn setup for ridding myself of the pests.
It is hard for me to understand how other voip outfits could not
have seen how useful an IVR would be, not only in pest-control but
in gracefully moving calls to the desired destination.
Maybe it is also difficult to implement, which, if that is the case,
is another feather in the cap of voip.ms. | |
| | | | | | | | | | Reviews:
·Callcentric
·voip.ms
1 edit | Re: IVR said by Gershom :But taking your points to their logical conclusion, once CallCentric has their IVR up and running, then what reason will VoIP.MS have to stay in business?
I don't see how one follows from the other. Voip.ms is a top-notch outfit, and would have every reason to stay in business whether or not its competitors add IVRs.
Because you seem to be saying that the prime directive of VoIP is having an IVR, and that little else matters.
For example, if I want relatives to be able to dial my number and get free calls to other relatives, I want them to hear a menu of choices: 1 for joe, 2 for mary, etc.
Or, as someone else mentioned, if you want a message to callers that says: enter 1 to ring through, enter 2 to go to voicemail, then you need an IVR.
How do you do those things without an IVR? You can not, as far as I can tell, or can only do it in a very kludgy sort of way. That is how powerful it is.
Yes, if you don't need it and can do with a simple callerid system, fine; but if I review a voip outfit, I will surely bear down heavily on their lack of an IVR.
If that makes me eccentric, other people can disregard my opinion. | |
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Review by mrbadlans
member for 223 days, 6 visits, last login: 51 days ago
lodged 51 days ago
- Silver Spring,Montgomery,MD
- $7 per month
- about 1 days
- "Great online support!"
- "None"
- "Love These Guys!"
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(ratings match consensus)
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I ported my home # from Verizon FiOS, and I'm very happy with the results. Great online support. Love the fax features. Works well for me. Highly recommended!
Comments:
VexorgTR
join:2012-08-27
Sheffield Lake, OH | Agreed....... Post Hurricane/Superstorm, CallCentric has really been solid. No complaints here. | |
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Review by cb14
member for 103 days, 105 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 55 days ago
- Miami Beach,Miami-Dade,FL
- Contract price not specified.
- "great web site, good features, variety of plans"
- "pricey, some reliability questions."
- "recommended"
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Callcentric has probably the best web site so far and setting up the service was really easy ( even with some changes which had to be done later). the call quality is generally pretty good, however I experienced some issues lately . I will monitor it and may adjust my rating downward. . With the hassle around the DDOS attack and Sandy and the way the company handled it, some time will have to pass before I start fully trusting Callcentric again. There have also been some minor other issues.
Features are excellent and plentiful.
Tech support is good, but I have the feeling that the low cost plan customers do not quite get the equal treatment.
The calling costs are relatively high and many of the international rates are not competitive,
Callcentric provides 911 service for $ 1.50/month with a free New York DID.
Comments:
Reviews:
 ·Comcast
·Callcentric
 ·AT&T Wireless Br..
·Suddenlink
| Tech Support While I agree with tech support being great, I would have to disagree with you about the lower cost customers getting lower-quality service.
Last year, I would open tickets maybe once a month, because of my being new to VoIP and its particular feature set (I'd make a ticket about asking for explanation for a feature choice, mainly).
Frequently, I would get my desired explanation within 1 hour, and almost always near or less than 30 minutes. It would be easily understandable as well, and not filled with jargon.
Of course there were a few times where due to user error I'd have some issue, but again that was always resolved quickly.
My costs are probably the lowest of the low, given my low usage pattern.
I pay the $1.95/month for the phone number, I make lots of 1-minute calls, but I might go nearly a week without making or receiving a phone call.
For my phone usage, I pay usually less than a dollar a month.
So, I respectfully disagree with your assessment of tech support value-for-cost.
However, this is only my experience, you may take it as you see it.
For everything else, I'm in full agreement (aside from the whole trust thing). | |
| | cb14
join:2013-02-04
Miami Beach, FL | Re: Tech Support These things are always very individual, that's why we need MANY reviews! | |
| | |  N9MDToo busy to chatPremium
join:2005-10-08
Boca Raton, FL
kudos:5
·Callcentric
·VOIPo
·voip.ms
| Re: Tech Support said by cb14:These things are always very individual, that's why we need MANY reviews!
Apparently we don't need "many reviews" when the top right of this page shows: Reviews: ... (148 good) (0 bad)
Those numbers would appear to say it all!
May I strongly disagree with your assessment of CC's technical support (50% ?!?!) based on your unsupported suspicions of lesser support for lower priced (or free) accounts ... and some "minor issues"? Have you actually interacted with CC's support folks ... and, if so, were you unhappy with their responses?
As so many others have reported, the ability to enter an online Trouble Ticket with a concise description of one's problem always gets a timely response from CC ... a response with a clearly presented solution or, at the very least, a request for additional relevant information. The absence of telephone support is a plus, in my view, because a written ticket can be read by a Level 1 CSR and, if necessary, promptly elevated to Level 2 or Level 3 for an intelligent appraisal and appropriate response from CC.
Most people are poorly prepared to discuss their problems in a succinct, organized manner when orally communicating via telephone contacts. And Level 1 telephone support may yield inane and irrelevant responses such as "Bypass your router by plugging your adapter directly into your toaster oven." -- or -- "It's not our problem; your microwave is too close to your D-block."
A written request (Trouble Ticket) allows one to provide support with a clear, concise, well thought out plea for help.
said by cb14:The call quality is generally pretty good, however I experienced some issues lately. I will monitor it and may adjust my rating downward.
So let me understand this! Call quality is "pretty good" ... and indeed you rated it at 100%. But, as I suspect, without making any changes to the setup at your end you have "experienced some issues lately." Why would you blame CC ... rather than consider the blame may lie with others, such as your connection to your ISP or line overload in your area or atmospheric conditions related to solar flares.
said by cb14:With the hassle around the DDOS attack and Sandy and the way the company handled it, some time will have to pass before I start fully trusting Callcentric again.
... "the way the company handled it"?!?!
How does one handle a DDos attack from "foreign soil" combined with the "storm of the century" (this century and the last one) with 12 feet of water flooding sub-sub-sub-sub basements of buildings in the Wall Street area of NYC ... the same flooding that brought down just about all PSTN service from Verizon to the financial hub of the United States? How long are you going to carry a grudge against a company that has a practically unblemished record for the years before and for the period since the totally devastating and unpredictable results of a simultaneous DDoS attack and major major hurricane?
Apologies, cb14, for the possibly harsh tone of my post ... not meant to demean your right to an opinion nor as an attack on you as a person ... but rather reflecting my strong feelings for seeking fairness in reviews posted in the BBR Forums. But the 50% rating for Technical Support would likely be seen as reflecting "half-a$$ed" customer support ... with little rationale provided in your review. | |
| | | | cb14
join:2013-02-04
Miami Beach, FL | Re: Tech Support oops. posting did not come through.
Anyway, I do not feel like replying to this (  ) , just to remind you that I rated the technical support at 75% not 50 %. | |
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Review by mikev
member for 11 years, 229 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 66 days ago
- Leesburg,Loudoun,VA
- $10 per month
- about 20 days
- "Great call quality and reliability!"
- "Poor CNAM, no IVR"
- "A reliable service, but somewhat no-frills compared to others"
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Ease of Installation:
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I ported my number to CallCentric from another service primarily to save money. I was stuck in an unlimited plan and spending more than I wanted for what I was using. My number was ported in ~3 weeks (on the next billing date for my previous service), and all was working well. I also took advantage of an unlimited "dirt cheap" line in another area, as well as a free number to use as a fax line. Three incoming numbers on this service for less than the price of one on the other. And great call quality. No jitter or problems hearing the other person, or with them hearing me.
However, a couple of things about their service are less than spectacular. Their Caller ID Name lookup is horrible. Most numbers appear with just city/state of the number, no name. Also, an IVR to help block/filter spam calls would be nice... having to block them AFTER they've called and verified my number is valid is a little annoying.
Overall, a good service, if you don't need one with a lot of fancy features.
Comments:
Reviews:
·Callcentric
| Do Not Call list.... Both anonymous calls and calls with numbers (but just city/state for CNAM) significantly increased, even despite my number having been on the Do Not Call list for years.
If your number port involved switching from one CLEC to another CLEC, as is quite likely, then you may have been removed from the DNC list.
The reason for that is that the first CLEC considers it a disconnection, and the FCC specifically encourages carriers (CLEC and ILEC) to cancel DNC listings when numbers are disconnected.
This has been discussed occasionally in this forum in the past.
Note that the FCC says:
Do-Not-Call Registry
You can register your phone numbers for free, and they will remain on the list until you remove them or discontinue service; there is no need to re-register numbers.
Yup, when you ported away from your old CLEC, that's a discontinued service from THEIR point of view. Technically, they are right!
This can affect any VoIP port that involves a CLEC change, so it's not unique to CC.
The reason for the FCC policy is that they want to keep the DNC list fresh and current....
By the way, even if the new CLEC puts your number on the DNC again, telemarketers are allowed to call it for 30 days. Many of them specifically take advantage of their free gift from the FCC/FTC.
Now, I don't know if your number was removed or not, but it's a possibility so you may want to check....
*
As for CNAM, I have found their CNAM service to be good. But keep in mind that you can create CallCentric phonebook listings for all your contacts, that will supplant the CNAM and for me it's even better.
CC also is working now on new menu ("IVR") functionality, you are right to say that will be a nice enhancement.
In case you had not noticed it yet, you can click the dashboard link for [Last 40 calls received] and get one-click access to the Phonebook Add function and the Call Treatment function, prepopulated with the phone number in question. It's one of their nice features, I hope that you nay find it helpful. | |
| mikevPremium
join:2002-05-04
Northern VA Reviews:
·Callcentric
1 edit | Verified Do Not Call registration Yeah, I went back to the do not call site after the number port finished and verified my registration was still valid. Not sure if it took some time for the number port to be realized by their system. I just verified this morning and it does show that the registration has been in place since 2/15/13. I've removed the spam call comments as a result, as it may have been due to a lapse in Do Not Call registry coverage that the spam calls increased. Fortunately, the 31 days is near, so hopefully they'll go back down again. | |
| Reviews:
·Callcentric
|  Spam calls
said by mikev: an IVR to help block/filter spam calls would be nice... having to block them AFTER they've called and verified my number is valid is a little annoying.
Have you tried the white listing of phone numbers in call treatments? Whitelist people in your phone book and area codes of people in your area and areas you know people reduces almost all Spam calling. The phone book can hold many many numbers and they don't even have to have a speed dial number assigned to them. All other calls send to voicemail. Placing a single SIT tone at the front of your voicemail message makes sure all those calls don't get verified as valid. Just keep up on the call logs and check on 1800notes that none of them where important to you. | |
| | Reviews:
·Callcentric
·Charter
| Re: Spam calls said by RiverMerger:Have you tried the white listing of phone numbers in call treatments? Whitelist people in your phone book and area codes of people in your area and areas you know people reduces almost all Spam calling...
How do you whitelist an area code? I can't find that option.
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Follow me on Twitter: @MyTechLife2 | |
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