Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs: 
| Huh?
"The company is saying that this is a billing error and that those who oppose the charge will have it remedied."
Does that mean that those who don't oppose it, won't have it remedied?
Hopefully they'll be going back on their own and fixing this.
As for their customer service issues after the sunrocket exploded in mid air...I'd probably cut them some slack on that. Something that big and unexpected would be difficult for any company to absorb the remnants of, much less a smaller one like theirs.
My biggest complaint with them is their overall business model which is too much like Sunrockets and which raises questions as to whether they can survive when the upfront fees paid in advance dry up.
I think that folks need to ask themselves..how can a Vonage have to charge what they do..and still not make money and even break even..but along comes these others who supposedly can?
The "magic" might just be in those yearly fees paid in advance.
--
The Coyote captured the RR! Roadrunner Rick is now Comcastic! |
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supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL
 ·Cox VOIP
·Skype
 ·Cox HSI
 ·AT&T Southeast
·magicjack.com
| I read a few revised and new reviews
I think they need to get their act together. I guess there billing system was designed by the Three Stooges. Wait, that's an insult to the Three Stooges. You know, maybe Citron designed based on his former business?
I guess they need to upgrade their one billing computer. Adding another HD isn't going to cut it. Am I saying it is half-witted run? If you had any doubts, reread it.
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Saving the world keeps me busy. However, I find Earth very primitive from my home planet of Krypton.
-Supergirl |
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dcurrey
Premium
join:2004-06-29
·ViaTalk
| reply to Rick
Re: Huh?
This was no billing error. Brendan clearly says he intended to charge the Free year the fees all along. Despite the fact the accounts were purchased long before the fees went into effect and despite he promised all prepaid accounts will be honored. 1 year later that changes to All account will be billed after the 1 year grace period.
Now he is doing damage control. Offering anyone that feels the contract was broken can get the fees refunded. If you try this you still get the runaround from Viatalk staff. My PM to CEO and trouble tickets so far have gone unanswered.
He should honer what he said and just refund everyone effected. Not just the want that complain about it.
This is prepaid service that is not truly prepaid nor price locked in. |
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S_engineer
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL
·Comcast
| reply to supergirl
Re: I read a few revised and new reviews
"I guess there billing system was designed by the Three Stooges. Wait, that's an insult to the Three Stooges"
It wouldn't really be an insult if you had said it was built by Joe Besser, nobody considers him a stooge anyway!
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Burn a tire, but make sure you buy that carbon offset! |
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chakey
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Gladstone, NJ
clubs:
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Rick
Re: Huh?
They will survive as long as their parent company, HostRocket, can afford to keep them around. I would not count on them being as easily sunk as Sunrocket. If they stop doing business, it will likely be because HostRocket no longer thinks they are a viable venture. |
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poolek
join:2003-11-04
Austin, TX
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T U-Verse
·ViaTalk
·AT&T Yahoo
| Things are a changing...
I've been a customer for a couple of years and have always been very pleased with the service. It's been stable, feature rich and the price is great.
The last couple of months haven't been so hot, though. Stability hasn't been up to par, the discount you get for referring people to the service turns out to not be so much of a discount after all, and now these silly billing snafus.
My biggest concern is that if their billing system and controls are so lax that it can't determine who owes and who doesn't - who has paid and who hasn't - etc - then how secure is it? A charge of $2.50 a month is a annoying - having someone steal my credit card info because Viatalk is running a second-rate billing operation is a real pain.
I hope these are just growing pains and they get back to being the same boring, dependable provider they were the first couple of years I was with them. If not, I think I'll find a different solution when my renewal is up next June. |
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SteveLV702
Premium
join:2004-04-22
Henderson, NV | hmmm
strange as I am on a two year pre-paid mine ends like July 08 and I wasn't charged the fee.... |
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GreggE
Thinking - Thinking
Premium
join:2003-06-01
Mid Tenn
| reply to Rick
Re: Huh?
said by Rick  :"The company is saying that this is a billing error and that those who oppose the charge will have it remedied." Does that mean that those who don't oppose it, won't have it remedied? Yes, that's exactly what it means. If you don't call in you get nothing but a monthly bill for a prepaid contract. From what others have posted, you have to call into CS, argue with them for a few minutes and then send them a link to his post on this forum. After you have jumped through this ring of fire to get the fee reversed, you can start your plan of attack for next month to do the same. (I'm sure it will accidentally happen again)
VT added these fees to people that should have been exempt as well as some that had prepaid the fees. I sent in a ticket about a charge in July and it took until October to answer back. I sent one in for this "mistake" as well but by the time they read it, I'll have waited on hold and canceled my remaining contract. I tried calling the other day and I was #94 in line and after 30 minutes on hold, their glorious system hung up on me.
I will eat the 50% penalty at this point because of this "billing error". I just don't use that phone enough to justify this new charge on a prepaid contract. It's not that I'm bitter - but when I prepay for something during a specified timeframe, it should cover everything during the time I have purchased through. The whole point of paying an upfront cost (other than a discount) is to avoid any monthly fees. Well I thought anyway  |
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xrobertcmx
Premium
join:2001-06-18
Sterling, VA
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| reply to poolek
Re: Things are a changing...
said by poolek :...the discount you get for referring people to the service turns out to not be so much of a discount after all... That is if you even get credit. I referred two people who clearly noted I was the one who referred them. One even went so far as to call them about it. No credit.
Both prepaid one year. |
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SteveLV702
Premium
join:2004-04-22
Henderson, NV | billing system
oh and they use ModernBill v4 as their Billing System.... |
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Bluethunder
Thunder PC
join:1999-12-05
Duncan, SC | Other errors
Not to mention all the people that got threatening emails falsely stating they had invoices 5 days overdue. |
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RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| reply to GreggE
Re: Huh?
said by GreggE :It's not that I'm bitter - but when I prepay for something during a specified timeframe, it should cover everything during the time I have purchased through. The whole point of paying an upfront cost (other than a discount) is to avoid any monthly fees. Well I thought anyway More importantly, it is to pay for service prior to delivery (and thus before the company has earned its charges) with the promise from the company that any changes they make in month-to-month fees will be considered to be waved and paid-in-full in exchange for access to the unearned money that the prepaid fees represent (ie: That you have loaned the company in exchange for their not yet delivered service). |
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Medic63
join:2004-02-15
Butler, PA
| reply to Bluethunder
Re: Other errors
said by Bluethunder :Not to mention all the people that got threatening emails falsely stating they had invoices 5 days overdue. Not to mention the apologetic emails sent out the same day regarding those erroneously sent past-due notices.
Dear Customer,
Earlier today, an errant email regarding the overdue status of invoice related to your ViaTalk account may have been sent to you. This email is incorrect, and can be disregarded. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused you.
-The ViaTalk Team Oops, I forgot. You weren't going to mention that. |
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Bluethunder
Thunder PC
join:1999-12-05
Duncan, SC
·Charter Pipeline
·ViaTalk
·PHONE POWER
| said by Medic63 :said by Bluethunder :Not to mention all the people that got threatening emails falsely stating they had invoices 5 days overdue. Not to mention the apologetic emails sent out the same day regarding those erroneously sent past-due notices. Dear Customer,
Earlier today, an errant email regarding the overdue status of invoice related to your ViaTalk account may have been sent to you. This email is incorrect, and can be disregarded. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused you.
-The ViaTalk Team Oops, I forgot. You weren't going to mention that. Oh ok, that apology makes it OK to mail bomb me with threatening emails. No, it doesn't. Not to mention, I got another threatening mail after that. Yes, they sent out a form apology. But "I'm sorry" isn't always a cure all in the real world, especially when the actions continue. You're OK with it, and that doesn't bother me. I have a difference of opinion. If you don't like it, that's OK with me too. That's life. |
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The Beer
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Premium
join:2001-07-24
Omaha, NE
clubs:
·ViaTalk
| I gave up
I am a 2 year deal customer from over a year ago, I have not used the service in at least a year.
I got the $2.50 charge and told them to close my account.
They sent back a email explaining the charge and that it's fees they are required to collect.
I asked AGAIN, please close my account, don't charge me or I will charge it back.
3 days later, they charged my card.
I am now charging it back.
What a PITA.
I don't even use their service, I got it to play with and now they are just charging customers at will. |
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ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
clubs:
·VOIPo
·Metrocast Communic..
·AT&T DSL Service
·ViaTalk
| reply to SteveLV702
Re: hmmm
said by SteveLV702 :strange as I am on a two year pre-paid mine ends like July 08 and I wasn't charged the fee.... I was not charged, and it was because in April of 2006 I paid $198 for two years instead of the BOGO free. I prepaid two years and was not charged. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
·ProLog
·ViaTalk
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to Medic63
Re: Other errors
How about the e-mail I received about the same time as the invoice for the $2.50 they erroneously claimed I owed. This e-mail stated that my CC had expired and they could not charge me the $2.50.
They were most helpful assisting me in updating the CC information as they included my username and password in the body of the e-mail. What kind of clowns are in charge of security at this place?
Tim |
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cjoseph82
join:2006-07-30
Wilmington, DE | reply to The Beer
Still Waiting for Refund After 5 Months!
Cancelled this summer due to service issues, and still have not received refund check after multiple tickets and phone calls to billing support.
What a company! |
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bmize13
join:2006-04-17
Dallas, GA | reply to ptrowski
Re: hmmm
I was charged, and have not reached my bogo year yet (June will end "paid" time). Initially signed up in April of 06, too... Extended with bogo offer in June 2006 |
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boober321
join:2003-07-15
Milwaukee, WI
·ViaTalk
| reply to The Beer
Re: I gave up
"fees they are REQUIRED to collect..." a blatant lie used to justify this bill. Brendan and his entire staff are two bit thieves. That E911 and USF are not mandated to be paid by the customer, it is a cost of doing business for them. Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining... |
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