egcarter
join:2004-10-10
Keaau, HI | reply to Mediocrates
Re: It's Official: AT&T CallVantage Ending in 2009
I've had CallVantage since 2004...it's been just great (with my ancient D-LINK TA!), even out here in Hawaii. That includes LOTS of calls to Italy in the mix. I'll miss it. |
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PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
 ·Callcentric
·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
| reply to babylon5
said by babylon5  :PX Eliezer: Does CallCentric have a phone number to call if there are troubleshoot issues (other than using the electronic form from their website)? No.
That's the whole point.
Rather than connect you by phone to some kid in Nepal reading from a script, they connect you (by trouble tickets) to their staff in New York who really know their stuff.
It's far superior. And in my dealings with them, even on evenings and sometimes on Saturdays, they respond quickly.
Look, you can set up a free account with them ("IP Freedom"), get an adapter (even a cheap one like the Grandstream Handytone 286), and try it out for free (to make SIP calls).
But I'll be frank. If you truly want a service like ATT CV where everything was done for you, you'll be happier with VoicePulse, VOIPo, PhonePower, etc. |
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babylon5
join:2008-01-15 | reply to babylon5
PX Eliezer: Thanks again. |
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ricep5
Premium
join:2000-08-07
Jacksonville, FL
 ·AT&T Southeast
·AT&T CallVantage
·VoicePulse
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to babylon5
What a laugh!
I walked into an AT&T Retail Store to get my "options" out of CV. U-Verse is offered in the city, but not in my area. U-Verse Voice was also not an option. I asked if they could port my number to a copper service with the same pricing. The rep was pretty quick in saying "no way!". Do you have AT&T Wireless? I was asked, we will provide a no fee port of your number to a cell! No, I am Sprint, thank you, besides you still can't offer me the same plan as CV on a cell!
Basically they said I was out of luck and told me to go to the website to seek help.
Now, If I was a copper customer and I was told that my service was ending and no option was provided, can you imagine the backlash? I am baffled, if AT&T was losing money on CV, why didn't they just sell the accounts to someone else? Or provide a discounted migration path to U-Verse Voice?
Talk about an unwanted stepchild! It wasn't the cheapest VoIP on the planet, but it certainly was the best. I find the whole shutdown extremely odd. Here is something they could have used to underprice (undermine) Comcast at their own game and get entry to markets they didn't serve with U-Verse. |
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PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
·Callcentric
·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
| SBC (the child) took over AT&T (the parent) and then renamed the whole combo (SBC--PacTel--Ameritech--BellSouth--SNET--ATT) as AT&T.
What we call AT&T today is really being run by the SBC crowd.
The guys who started CallVantage are long departed.
The SBC crowd has no interest in it.
And even though the SBC folks built up a big empire, they are not smart managers.
Here's an example. With the possible upcoming AT&T strike, AT&T trained lots of engineers from here in NJ to be ready to go to California to climb poles and to be customer service reps.
Regarding the training for the engineers to do CSR work, instead of flying ONE instructor from California to New Jersey, they paid to fly DOZENS of engineers from New Jersey to California, to be taught by the one instructor.
Dumb. |
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nitzan
Premium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
·ViaTalk
·Comcast
| I don't know how accurate that is. When I worked for SBC one of my managers went on to a position with CallVantage and it seemed like at the time there was a lot of effort in that direction. That was a few years ago, granted.
I think they just realized VoIP is not the money-maker they were hoping, and decided to drop it. It makes sense since aside from the SBC/AT&T name and bundling they have no advantage over the competition. Not to mention they were probably losing landline customers to CV which makes no sense to them. (of course it's better to lose them to CV than to another provider - but that's another story) |
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nitzan
Premium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
·ViaTalk
·Comcast
| reply to PX Eliezer
said by PX Eliezer :And even though the SBC folks built up a big empire, they are not smart managers. The previous CEO (Ed Whitacre) was OK. The current abomination (Randall Stephenson) however is a very different story. Under his rule we got an AT&T that couldn't give a crap about their own workers. Working at SBC was fun. Working at "the new AT&T" was not. I believe this will come back and bite them in the ass many times over later on. They seem to have a talent to retain mediocre, useless mid-level managers that do absolutely nothing - yet treat the working folk like crap. There's just so much you can treat an engineer like crap before they just stop caring about the results of their work - if no one appreciates it anyway then why bother? speaking from experience here, sadly.
Here's an example. With the possible upcoming AT&T strike, AT&T trained lots of engineers from here in NJ to be ready to go to California to climb poles and to be customer service reps. That whole thing is retarded. AT&T basically takes engineers and managers who get paid something like $80-120k a year - and wastes days or even weeks of their time climbing poles. The collateral damage to the company from this is infinitely higher than what simply settling with the unions would cost. It's like they're trying to prove they have the bigger pair or something. Of course- it's the workers who pay the price - as usual. I don't see any poles in Mr. Stephenson's resume. |
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Fisamo
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC
·VOIPo
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to nitzan
Interesting to hear some reports from the 'inside'. I was a distant acquaintance of someone who went from CallVantage to (what was then) 'Lightspeed' as a job preserving measure. I think that was also a few years ago.
The only real odd thing about AT&T discontinuing CV is the lack of an obvious replacement product, especially for customers in non-ATT ILEC areas. Perhaps they calculated that even if they lost all of their CallVantage customers to competing products, they'd offset the losses by discontinuing operations. Perhaps they assumed a certain fraction of customers would go back to POTS lines.
The thought of going into an AT&T store to ask them when/if uverse would be deployed to my neighborhood crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it, as they wouldn't know (and if they did, probably wouldn't be allowed to say). I'd think that uverse voice would be the most similar product we could transition to, but the price increase isn't justified (IMO), and that's even if I could get it. |
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PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
·Callcentric
·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
| The situation is paralleled by Verizon's shutdown of VoiceWing in favor of FiOS. (Of course, VoiceWing was always crap).
But many Verizon areas do NOT yet have access to FiOS.
So:
When ATT had CallVantage and when Verizon had VoiceWing, these companies competed with each other, on a national field.
Now with the shifts to ATT U-Verse and Verizon FiOS, you have to reside in their home territory, and at most could only have one. |
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Fisamo
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC | True, but there is a difference in that Voicewing was an outsourced service, but CallVantage was homegrown inside the 'old' AT&T. |
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frazierwa
join:2001-12-14
Redmond, WA
| reply to babylon5
I am surprised and disappointed with the way that AT&T chose to discontinue service. Their letter had the distinct flavor; "We are done with this service -- go find another provider, maybe AT&T has a phone service you could use." If they wanted to make the best of this, they could have easily looked at our 'address of record' and determined if one of their services was available in the area. At least they could have set up a dedicated phone number or email address where their customers could call for help with the transfer.
Also, why didn't they provide a more informative statement about their strategy behind the decision and attempt to entice us with their newer products (current or future)? Not only did they do us a disservice, they also lost an opportunity to make a statement about their leadership position in the communications field and talk about options.
Someone's head should be rolling by now. |
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PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
·Callcentric
·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
| You make fine points.
However, I would be disappointed, but not surprised.
ATT probably feels customers should just be grateful they got some warning.
-----------------------------------------
A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, when suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he could not swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat, and ran up and down groaning and groaning and seeking for something to relieve the pain. He tried to induce every one he met to remove the bone. "I would give anything," said he, "if you would take it out." At last the Crane agreed to try, and told the Wolf to lie on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could. Then the Crane put its long neck down the Wolf's throat, and with its beak loosened the bone, till at last it got it out.
"Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?" said the Crane.
The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: "Be content. You have put your head inside a Wolf's mouth and taken it out again in safety; that ought to be reward enough for you." |
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NightRanger
join:2009-05-21
1 edit | reply to egcarter
Let the NIGHTMARES begin! Ever since I got my letter last month, I took action and found a new provider. I do not live in an AT&T area "footprint", so I had to go to someone else. Vonage would not accept a 636-697-xxxx number, because they claim is it is out of their geographical area. My other CV # was a 636-634-xxxx number which Packet 8 would not accept. So, I sucked-it-up, but Packe 8 took the 697 number, and Vonage took the 634 number. I don't like that Vonage does not have a Call-Block option, but Packet 8 does not have the click-to call, and the other convenient features. BEWARE CV customers! If you try to port your number, it will reject the first time! Mine did, and so did a friend of mine. You have to call and dispute it PLUS send copies of your previous bills via fax to your new provider. It has taken me now THIRTY ONE DAYS to get my number on Packet 8, but when I call out, there is no ring-tone. My main number and distinctive ring number have been "magically" switched around, and I have FIVE open trouble tickets in with Packet 8. BUYER BEWARE! Today, CV finally dropped dial tone on my old TA, but some calls from certain phone switches will not complete. I can't even use the Packet 8 service, because I have to take a SEDATIVE before calling tech support! If you are a CV customer, STAY AWAY from Packet 8. This has been a joke! And today was my 30 day anniversary....Looks like I'll be getting the early termination fee. I'm printing every page of correspondence up, and providing it to my credit card company as dispute. I filled out an app to port the number to Phone Power, and if that one don't work, I'll keep going until I get one that will. Packet 8 reminds me of Verizon Voice-Wing. CLUELESS tech-support, and it is based in the US, unlike VoiceWing, who used terrorists, but if someone could just FIX the problem, I would not be porting out to Phone-Power! |
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schweb
Premium
join:2003-06-27
Lakewood, OH
| reply to babylon5
said by NightRanger :BEWARE CV customers! If you try to port your number, it will reject the first time! I had no problem porting to Voicepulse and it wasn't rejected.
--
bryan | website |
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nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
clubs:
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to babylon5
I'm STILL waiting for my port to Vitelity. When they said 3-6 weeks, I guess they weren't kidding. I see everybody else's ports coming and going, so I'm beginning to think something is up.
What really pisses me off, is a wireless port often takes as little as 20 minutes. I used to work for AT&T and have a pretty good understanding of LNP. There is no reason for this to drag on.
--
Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America. |
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robt
@rr.com | reply to schweb
I had no problem porting to Phone Power. |
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tpalik
join:2002-09-27
Fort Lauderdale, FL
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :I'm STILL waiting for my port to Vitelity. When they said 3-6 weeks, I guess they weren't kidding. I see everybody else's ports coming and going, so I'm beginning to think something is up. What really pisses me off, is a wireless port often takes as little as 20 minutes. I used to work for AT&T and have a pretty good understanding of LNP. There is no reason for this to drag on. I feel your pain. I ported two lines from CV to different providers : one to CallCentric took 14 days start to finish. For the second, it has been 19 days waiting with Inphonex and still no date for a port. I know it's not their fault but would really like to get going on this service. |
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mbowling
join:2006-06-21
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :I'm STILL waiting for my port to Vitelity. When they said 3-6 weeks, I guess they weren't kidding. I see everybody else's ports coming and going, so I'm beginning to think something is up. I also feel like I'm hanging in limbo. It's been 25 days since I faxed my port authorization to port from CallVantage to VoicePulse and I still don't have a port date. VoicePulse said it will take a minimum of 30 days, so I'm waiting as patiently as I can.
"We received your LOA and will be able to start the porting process. This process will take a minimum of 30 business days to complete. Once we receive a date for the port to be completed, you will be notified." |
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nitzan
Premium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
·ViaTalk
·Comcast
| reply to babylon5
Porting does indeed take insanely long to complete. Unfortunately many VoIP wholesale carriers have standard porting timeframes of 14 business days (about 3 weeks in "real" time) or similar. As such VoIP providers have no choice but live with it.
If it was up to us (providers) - you'd be able to port in a day. Unfortunately we have very little say in the matter and it's the carriers that need to fix the situation. |
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Mediocrates
join:2008-05-27
Raleigh, NC | reply to babylon5
I will have a completely useless Centillium MTA-1 on June 5th. Anyone want it? It's too lightweight for an effective door stop. A pity really, it's the only ATT CV TA I ever had that was worth a damn. |
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