Fisamo
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC
 ·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to llast08
Re: [VoicePulse] Warns Stranded VoIP Consumers of Predatory Poli
Though it did seem that this press release seemed targeted at ViaTalk (14-day cancellation trial period before you lose 50% of a prepaid term), the advice here was sound. Look before you leap.
The difficulty in this situation was that people could well have felt that their POTS number of 30 years was in jeopardy, so they didn't look before leaping on what appeared to be a good deal. Anyone willing to take the time to read through the forums would have seen that ViaTalk has these policies that, should you decide to cancel, dramatically affect the 'value' of their deal.
For those who are die-hard set to have their POTS numbers, I think CajunWon  had the best advice--move back to POTS (to keep your number "safe") until you can evaluate your options and make the best choice without undue pressure of your number going away. (One advantage of going back to POTS is that you would then have an easier time of porting to CallVantage.  )
That this piece was a little bit of self-promotion is also to be expected. I don't think there's anything wrong with a friendly reminder to check the fine print. I am a bit curious about the method, though. Who's going to see a press release from a relatively small voip-only company, besides those who frequent the forums? Also, would it not have been much more effective to release it 3 weeks ago? |
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voiplover
Premium
join:2004-05-28
Portsmouth, NH
·Axvoice
| I've been watching VP for a long time. They don't want SR refugees. They charge a little more so that their CS doesn't get bogged down by us penny pincher's. 
Look at SR's CS hours or at what Fogged claimed to be 7K to 15k of calls a day. Where could the profit in that be???
The call volume has totally crashed VT's reputation. 
VP is putting out the warning because they are in the voip business and they see the black eye that is being caused by companies like Voip.com.
They know that many will pay an extra dollar/month not to go through the voip woes. 
Just my guess. |
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Fisamo
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC
·AT&T CallVantage
| My question regarding "why didn't they release this note 3 weeks ago" was not coming from the business point of view (gain SR refugees), but from the 'spare SR refugees some pain' point of view (in that most would have made at least an initial decision by now and could be experiencing headaches with the likes of Vonics, voip.com, or ViaTalk). I'm not entirely thrilled to be putting ViaTalk in with the other two, but as long as they're not extending their trial period during this period of long tech support queues, IMO they deserve the hit on their reputation.
I agree that VP isn't about to 'sell themselves' to gain the lion's share of SR refugees (they would have already, were that their plan). It's clear that they desire to offer a solid product to their customers at a fair price (e.g., using a sustainable business model, unlike SR). |
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SuperCPA
Premium
join:2002-11-28
Dayton, OH | reply to voiplover
Agree. |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
·VoicePulse
| reply to voiplover
said by voiplover :VP is putting out the warning because they are in the voip business and they see the black eye that is being caused by companies like Voip.com. I agree with this 100%, and I think VP is right to be worried about it. Sure you have the tech crowd who all know the difference between VoIP company A and company B, but a large percentage of the public doesn't. VoIP, or "Internet Phone" is all the same thing. A bad experience with one company could be enough to send them running back to Ma Bell, and warning all of their friends to do the same.
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