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JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

AT&T Callvantage will disconnect in Feb

Is this well known? I haven't received the official letter yet but an AT&T rep on the phone confirmed that callvantage is being discontinued in a few weeks and that we need to make new arrangements! %$%#$@!!@#$@#$$$#

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots

Premium Member

AT&T stopped taking new orders for CallVantage several months ago, but has made no announcement that the service is being completely discontinued that I'm aware of. If it's being discontinued this month, they're not giving very much time to allow people to port out their numbers and whatnot.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

Yea i knew that they weren't taking new orders and therefore the bell was starting to toll (subtle pun intended) but I didn't know it was official until today. I wonder how many people know and if anyone has actually received the termination letter yet?

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots

Premium Member

Well, your post here is the first I've heard about it. I haven't received a letter, e-mail, or anything else from AT&T saying that they're discontinuing CallVantage.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

Well I called AT&T this morning at 866-596-8464 and talked to billing because i have 2 lines and wanted to cancel the 2nd line (fax machine) because i just bought magic jack for the fax line (and happily magic jack works with my fax) and was told by the biing rep that I would be getting a letter soon announcing the end of service. She actually couldn't cancel my 2nd line b/c of this pending end of service. I am in NYC but she said this was going to be nationwide.

Would you like to call them and see if you can confirm as well?

MountainDog
@verizon.net

MountainDog to JAXx

Anon

to JAXx
yes it is true. I called this morning to discuss service changes and they apparently stopped adding new customers. The notices are supposed to go out in the near future about termination of service but sounds more like mid year before or so before service is terminated.

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots to JAXx

Premium Member

to JAXx
I have 2 lines with CV. I'm currently in the middle of waiting for one of the lines to port out to another provider. It's been about 2 weeks since I started the port process. Hadn't made a decision as to what I was going to do with the other line, but I guess it'll be going away. Wonder if they're going to have some type of replacement for CV? It's too bad they're killing it off, as it really is an excellent service. I never had any problems with it, and the voice quality was very good.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

I don't really like my choices but I'm going with a bundled package with time warner (already provide net and TV). The only good thing is that phone service wont be disrupted when their crappy internet dies, lol, as it is unaffected oddly by internet service (even though its going through the net, makes no sense)

Annmarie

join:2000-11-11

Annmarie to JAXx

to JAXx
Oh crud ! I knew it was too good to be true. CV was absolutely perfect for our home since we rarely use the phone. I loved having such a low phone bill with no contract.

Now I am going to have to look into either Optimum Voice or Vonage.

I already have Cablevision for my internet and television services so I may be able to work out the discounted "Triple Play" package with them though I was not all that thrilled with the voice quality having used their VoIP at a couple of friend's homes who use their service.

I did recently get them to reduce my cable bill when I was planning on changing to FIOS and retained them instead so maybe I can do something with the price.

Still cruddy ! I hot wired my whole house with CV for 19.99 since I was already a cell customer.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

I feel your pain Annmarie! I won't go with vonage because a) they've been having problems and b) i'm not willing to go with a company that offers VOIP as its only product - if that product gets in trouble they have nothing else. i want a company that will be around a LONG time but i fear we have not seen the end of the voip shakedown.
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo to JAXx

Premium Member

to JAXx
I guess we can't be too surprised that the service is being tanked. I'm very disappointed, because it has worked extremely well for my family, and I hate to see it go.

Sounds like it may be worth a call to see what the timing of the disconnect is...
Fisamo

Fisamo

Premium Member

Oddly enough, I was able to add a Simple Reach number to my account, and it looked like I would be able to add a 2nd line. (I didn't go through with the additional line order--seemed like it would be more of a hassle to get rid of, especially given the earlier post in the thread.) One would think that if they were discontinuing service within a few weeks (or even a few months) that they'd disable ordering of new numbers. That's not to say that I think the OP is lying, just that one would think ATT would disable the ordering of any new numbers for the service.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx

Premium Member

It seems very discombobulated. I talked to tech support today and they had no idea that it was being discontinued and I called billing back a second time and they confirmed that it was being canceled.

You don't have to take my word for it, call AT&T at 866-596-8464 and go to billing and ask them yourselves.
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo

Premium Member

It's not an issue of questioning your word. The main concern I had was that one post (yours) indicated that it would be canceled within weeks, and another (the anon poster above) indicated it was more like 6 months. While I'm not happy with either of them, I need to know whether (or when) I should be getting a port started...
Mediocrates
join:2008-05-27
Raleigh, NC

Mediocrates to JAXx

Member

to JAXx
What do you supposed this means for corporate customers?
TxPres
join:1999-07-22
Austin, TX

TxPres to Fisamo

Member

to Fisamo
said by Fisamo:

The main concern I had *** indicated that it would be canceled within weeks, and another *** indicated it was more like 6 months. While I'm not happy with either of them, I need to know whether (or when) I should be getting a port started...
I agree! If it is going away soon, I need to start my port ASAP. If we have several months, then I have more time to consider the alternatives.
If anyone finds out "when" please let us know. The CSR I talked to did not know anything other than it was going away.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx to Fisamo

Premium Member

to Fisamo
Until we actually get the official letter I think we're just speculating on the cut off time. When i quoted the billing rep as saying "a few weeks" I think its fair to also say that she may not really know.

I suggest we lobby BBR to contact AT&T at the highest possible level for more info. I am going to email Kurt Bode who runs the news section of BBR.

Annmarie

join:2000-11-11

Annmarie

I am afraid to even call AT&T - I don't want to know. I was contemplating putting in a second line next month and now this bit of news.

Again, I knew it was too good to be true especially once they stopped accepting residential customer installs.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

1 edit

JAXx

Premium Member

Annmarie
Yes it would seem a poor time to be adding a line with them even if they allow it.

And i'm not much into pushing alternatives given that BBR users tend to realize that each person's experience tends to vary by region, personal taste etc, but having said that and *if* your 2nd line was of secondary importance you may want to look at magic jack (www.magicjack.com).

I just got one as a second line replacement (this is how I found out about AT&T because i called them to cancel my second line) and i'm using it for my fax machine and as a backup to my main line.

The good:
- It's super easy, you can buy one at radio shack and have a dialtone 60 seconds after plugging it into a usb port on your computer.

- It's cheap. $39.95 buys the device and 1 year of service. Additional years cost $19.95/year or as low as about $11/year if you buy 5 years of service.

- Unlimited local and LD service.

The Bad:
- It only works when your computer is awake. Incoming calls will go to voicemail however when your comp is asleep and voice messages are emailed to you as well as being available from any phone.

- Call quality seems good but not perfect. As an example if your comp is using a lot of bandwidth i've found calls get a bit choppy.

- When my comp woke up this morning I had to unplug and replug MJ to restore service.

- You can't port an existing phone number - yet, but you can pick from a lot of area codes and exchanges.

The neutral:
- It is not a phone itself, but a bridge to a dialtone. You either plug a corded or cordless phone(s) into it or if traveling use a laptops built in mic/speakers or a external headset.

Personally I would not use it as a primary line but as a spare line its hard to beat the price and ease of use.

**How's that for not pushing a product!!??** =
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo to JAXx

Premium Member

to JAXx
I did call AT&T this morning to see if I could get some more information. The CSR I spoke with was very friendly and apologetic that the service was going away (kind of sad, herself, it appeared). The important thing, though, was that she seemed to have the best explanation regarding what to expect as the service is decomissioned.

According to the CSR who took my call, no 'impending disconnect' letters have yet been sent out by AT&T. They plan to send the letters out in waves over the next several months (may take more than a year). The letters will contain details regarding the timing of the subject account's latest termination date. [I'd expect them to also include (when applicable) some kind of carrot to convert to U-Verse Voice or AT&T POTS.] She also indicated that it was her understanding that users would have 60 days from the mailing date of their letter to move their service to another provider.

With this information, since I do prefer the CallVantage service, I intend to hold on until the bitter end. When I have to, I'll port to another VoIP provider. Two providers that have my attention are Voicepulse and Voipo. Voicepulse, because they've been around 'forever' and they have a solid feature set and solid reputation, Voipo because as a Voipo beta tester, I've had good experiences with them. With Voipo, I recognize that they're early into their post-launch phase of existence. That, to me, means that there will be occasional service hiccups (as detailed in the »VOIP Tech Chat forum). However, their response to the issues that have come up has been impressive, to say the least. I just hope they can develop their Voipo Connect (similar to CV's Control-by-Phone) feature before AT&T sends me the disconnect letter. That's one feature voicepulse does not have, and it's a clear differentiator for me.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

2 edits

JAXx

Premium Member

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that AT&T is going to take time with this. I have elected to cut my losses and go and i'm going with a certain reluctance to time warner which currently gives me internet and tv. The only thing I like about TWC's VOIP is that the phone doesn't die when the modem dies or internet is lost and since they do have outages it will be helpful to still have a working phone.

My entire building had a 4 day outage recently that took 4 days to fix b/c TWC didn't admit it was a building problem. Ultimately after it was fixed we all sent letters to a VP for consumer relations and got a week credit and a month free of HBO and Showtime. Better than nothing and proof that an actual written letter on paper sent to the right place can have results.
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo

Premium Member

said by JAXx:

The only thing I like about TWC's VOIP is that the phone doesn't die when the modem dies or internet is lost and since they do have outages it will be helpful to still have a working phone.

Are you sure about that? I suppose it depends on the nature of the outage--obviously, if a cable is cut, all three services will die on you. I also have broadband over TWC's network (though I'm officially an Earthlink customer), and I almost never have an outage. OTOH, my neighbor has TWCDP, and they've had a few troubles. One of the more irritating things about TWCDP (as I understand it) is that there is no 'safe forward number' feature. I'd go with a provider that offers that--off the top of my head, I can think of 4, all of which begin with V: Vonage, VoicePulse, ViaTalk, VOIPo. Actually, if you were to get Verizon's HUB service (not femtocell), that also has 'backup number' capability. The obvious downsides of that service are price ($35/mo) and the fact that you can only use their device--no analog telephones.

NY Tel
Premium Member
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY

NY Tel

Premium Member

said by Fisamo:

said by JAXx:

The only thing I like about TWC's VOIP is that the phone doesn't die when the modem dies or internet is lost and since they do have outages it will be helpful to still have a working phone.

Are you sure about that? I suppose it depends on the nature of the outage--obviously, if a cable is cut, all three services will die on you. I also have broadband over TWC's network (though I'm officially an Earthlink customer), and I almost never have an outage. OTOH, my neighbor has TWCDP, and they've had a few troubles. One of the more irritating things about TWCDP (as I understand it) is that there is no 'safe forward number' feature. I'd go with a provider that offers that--off the top of my head, I can think of 4, all of which begin with V: Vonage, VoicePulse, ViaTalk, VOIPo. Actually, if you were to get Verizon's HUB service (not femtocell), that also has 'backup number' capability. The obvious downsides of that service are price ($35/mo) and the fact that you can only use their device--no analog telephones.
Yeah the HUB is a good deal if you specifically have a VZW account and are not looking to get reliable service for a low price point.
Additional handsets are 79.99.
nrf
join:2003-02-20
Morrow, OH
·Future Nine Corp..

nrf

Member

yes, if twc's cable and internet are out their phones don't work either. I get this when my neighbor (who has a different part of the power grid) has a power outage. they don't have battery power for any of these services.

from my point of view, the minimum I would need in a replacement for CV would be that calls could be automatically re-routed to my cell if there is such an outage.
clipman
join:2009-02-05
Miami, FL

clipman to JAXx

Member

to JAXx
Since we still have four lines with dial-tone, we switched a few months ago to a company called COMPOINT »www.compoint.com and I have to say I am impressed. There is no monthly fee, super low rates and one second billing increments (apparently no one else does 1 sec. billing), no contracts, no equipment, no pin numbers to dial - it's just direct-dial long distance, by the second, plain and simple. We kept all our old phone numbers and they bill us electronically. The quality has been excellent and we get exactly the same low rates calling internationally from our cell phones too. Our AT&T bill was way higher and even Vonage with 4 lines was more expensive. We call anytime to France, Germany, China and more for $0.048 per minute. If we only talk for 20 seconds, we only pay for 20 seconds = less than 2 cents.

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots

Premium Member

Compoint is just a long distance carrier service. You choose them to handle your long distance calls in place of AT&T or whoever. You still need some type of phone line to use with Compoint. Not exactly sure what this has to do with CallVantage going away or with VoIP.

JAXx
aka Stephen
Premium Member
join:2000-03-31
New York, NY

JAXx to Fisamo

Premium Member

to Fisamo
Well i'm not sure about anything except death and taxes but the TWC rep told me that so long as their is not a power outage the phones will continue to work even if the modem is offline. She said that the phone was a different system than the internet. I can't explain it and will see if this is true, and i am having to get a new modem.

I will miss not having a safe forward feature especially if its not true that the phone will work even when the net is down. I do have 60 days to decide if I like the service.
clipman
join:2009-02-05
Miami, FL

clipman to scots

Member

to scots
It was just that the price with COMPOINT is completely comparable to Vonage and with four phones lines and the associated billing and service hassles we had with AT&T's CallVantage it costs only slightly more than free international long distance. We get six lines with dial-tone along with our T-1 line for $360 month.
nrf
join:2003-02-20
Morrow, OH
·Future Nine Corp..

nrf to JAXx

Member

to JAXx
said by JAXx:

so long as their is not a power outage the phones will continue to work even if the modem is offline.
in my years of experience with Adelphia and then TWC, the power outage or total failure is the most likely thing to go wrong, whether it is power outage at their end or anywhere in between. Having internet lost but cable tv still working is very rare (since they fixed my drop.) You may have enough experience to know how often that is for your area, and a failover number feature can be helpful to eliminated impact totally.
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo to JAXx

Premium Member

to JAXx
Well, I won't accuse the TWC rep of blowing smoke, either, but whether or not phone works when the cable or internet is out does depend on the reason for the failure in the other system(s). If you have a building wiring problem, for example, (ie. you have NO TV service) chances are, you won't have phone either. If your wiring problem is such that you have degraded service, you might have one, two, or all three services at less-than-optimal performance.

It is true that any 3rd party VoIP solution runs off your internet connection. So, use of a 3rd party VoIP system reduces your available bandwidth, would apply against caps (if applicable to your account), etc. Without knowing TWC's system inside-out, I can't comment on why a connection to the internet would be failing without taking down the phone or how often such a scenario would occur.