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TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

TBSupport1 to Bill44130

Member

to Bill44130

Re: Teleblend now offering $99.00 Annual Plan

Unfortunately, this new plan is not available to existing customers. Though in response to the new customer only plan, we have introduced a couple of other plans.

Global Limited Plan for $17.95 - 300 Minutes Free to 42 Countries including India, China, Mexico, United Kingdom, and so much more. 1.9 cents per minute after 300 minutes to World Discount countries

Global Unlimited Plan for $24.95 - Unlimited calling to 47 countries including India, China, Mexico, Russia, and so much more. (1 year contract applies)

You can check out these plans at: »www.teleblend.com/products.html

jeremy555
@mchsi.com

jeremy555

Anon

So I'm going to be paying $191.40 a year while new customers are going to pay $99.99. Not cool.

An otherwise satisfied Teleblend customer is now looking for an alternative.

TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

TBSupport1

Member

Not true. It is not just $99. There are other fees new customers will pay to get setup.
rizzo2dial
Premium Member
join:2004-08-05

2 edits

rizzo2dial

Premium Member

said by TBSupport1:

Not true. It is not just $99. There are other fees new customers will pay to get setup.
That is an understatement to say the least...

Near the beginning of the sign-up process, it presents two choices for devices:

[ ] VoIP Phone Adapter with Built-In Router - FREE - with $39.99 One-Time Activation Fee, $9.95 Shipping
[ ] No thanks, I will use my own - with $39.99 One-Time Activation Fee. Ex-Sunrocket devices only

So that $100 pre-paid plan is actual ~$140 (if supplying your own ex-Sunrocket device) or ~$150 if having TB ship you a device (where you'll probably have to return that device upon terminating service w/ them).

That's a whopping 40% - 50% surcharge on the pre-paid plan, where who knows what other fees they'll tack on (E911, regulatory recovery fee, etc. ???) What a total scam!!!

EDIT: The subject of this thread lists the plan's price as "$99.00" (and the OP "press release" lists it at "$99"). The TB web-site lists the plan @ "$99.99" (thus $0.99 higher than stated in the OP "press release"). Yet another TB cash grab (albeit a small one).

TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

1 edit

TBSupport1

Member

said by rizzo2dial:

said by TBSupport1:

Not true. It is not just $99. There are other fees new customers will pay to get setup.
That is an understatement to say the least...

Near the beginning of the sign-up process, it presents two choices for devices:

[ ] VoIP Phone Adapter with Built-In Router - FREE - with $39.99 One-Time Activation Fee, $9.95 Shipping
[ ] No thanks, I will use my own - with $39.99 One-Time Activation Fee. Ex-Sunrocket devices only

So that $100 pre-paid plan is actual ~$140 (if supplying your own ex-Sunrocket device) or ~$150 if having TB ship you a device (where you'll probably have to return that device upon terminating service w/ them).

That's a whopping 40% - 50% surcharge on the pre-paid plan, where who knows what other fees they'll tack on (E911, regulatory recovery fee, etc. ???) What a total scam!!!

EDIT: The subject of this thread lists the plan's price as "$99.00" (and the OP "press release" lists it at "$99"). The TB web-site lists the plan @ "$99.99" (thus $0.99 higher than stated in the OP "press release"). Yet another TB cash grab (albeit a small one).
It is not a cash grab. Take a look at all the other providers. They have very similar setups. They also include a very long contract term and very high termination fee. Also, once you pay your activation fee and you are a customer, your next year is 99.99. (your right about the mistake.I'll get this changed on the post).

Everyone is now going to come out of the woodwork and find everything and anything that is wrong with our plans because they don't like Teleblend. A lot of people are going to be upset because they got burnt by SunRocket and they will nit pick every little thing that we do. It's been over 2 years and we are in business and doing very well.
PX Eliezer704
Premium Member
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River

1 edit

PX Eliezer704

Premium Member

said by TBSupport1:

Everyone is now going to come out of the woodwork and find everything and anything that is wrong with our plans because they don't like Teleblend. A lot of people are going to be upset because they got burnt by SunRocket and they will nit pick every little thing that we do. It's been over 2 years and we are in business and doing very well.
Respectfully, sir, you said that your OWN phone has been unable to receive incoming calls for several days. I admire your honesty.

(You said in another post: "Like I mentioned we are working as quickly as possible to resolve it. My personal telephone number is included in this subset, so I understand your frustration.")

Is there an update on that?!

I have nothing against TB.

But I am strong believer in the idea that the independent VoIP community MUST survive to give competition to the big cable company phone plans. And therefore things like multiple-day outages are very disturbing. The bad PR can affect the whole independent VoIP community.

Who owns TeleBlend, anyway? Is it those guys in Singapore, or someone else?

TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

2 edits

TBSupport1

Member

said by PX Eliezer704:

said by TBSupport1:

Everyone is now going to come out of the woodwork and find everything and anything that is wrong with our plans because they don't like Teleblend. A lot of people are going to be upset because they got burnt by SunRocket and they will nit pick every little thing that we do. It's been over 2 years and we are in business and doing very well.
Respectfully, sir, you said that your OWN phone has been unable to receive incoming calls for several days. I admire your honesty.

(You said in another post: "Like I mentioned we are working as quickly as possible to resolve it. My personal telephone number is included in this subset, so I understand your frustration.")

Is there an update on that?!

I have nothing against TB.

But I am strong believer in the idea that the independent VoIP community MUST survive to give competition to the big cable company phone plans. And therefore things like multiple-day outages are very disturbing. The bad PR can affect the whole independent VoIP community.

Who owns TeleBlend, anyway? Is it those guys in Singapore, or someone else?
The update is still the same. That we are working to resolve the issue. Since like many other VOIP providers, we do not own the actual lines, we rely on the carrier to resolve those issues. We are waiting for them to come back to us with an answer. Once we have an answer we will update those small amount of customers affected. This is not a total outage.

This post is suppose to be about our new price plan. Lets keep it that way.

To answer your ownership question, we have never been owned by a Singapore company. We are owned by Unified Communications Corporation out of Vermont, and we were a part of Unified Systems Access Telecom a CLEC out of the northeast. I hope that answers your questions.
rizzo2dial
Premium Member
join:2004-08-05

rizzo2dial to TBSupport1

Premium Member

to TBSupport1
said by TBSupport1:

It is not a cash grab. Take a look at all the other providers. They have very similar setups. They also include a very long contract term and very high termination fee. Also, once you pay your activation fee and you are a customer, your next year is 99.99. (your right about the mistake.I'll get this changed on the post).
Advertising $99.99 straight up, without so much as a superscripted asterisk next to the price (and subsequent footnote indicating that OTHER CHARGES & FEES APPLY, especially when those other charges and fees, at minimum, amount to an additional 40% on top of the advertised price), is a cash grab! The customers don't find out about these additional fees until they proceed w/ the sign-up process, so I stand by my statement in my last post that this new TB offer is a scam. Also, I've yet to find another VoIP provider who charges anywhere near $40 for activation when signing up for service under a BYOD plan. People choose BYOD to save $$$, not be surcharged 40%.
said by TBSupport1:

Everyone is now going to come out of the woodwork and find everything and anything that is wrong with our plans because they don't like Teleblend. A lot of people are going to be upset because they got burnt by SunRocket and they will nit pick every little thing that we do. It's been over 2 years and we are in business and doing very well.
Some of us got "burnt" directly by TB (well after SR had ceased to exist):
»Teleblend still slamming numbers -- they slammed mine!

meh123
join:2005-09-22
U.S.

2 edits

meh123

Member

Disclaimer: This is purely conjecture; however:

This sounds like history repeating itself.

SunRocket (before they abruptly closed without notice) tried to entice new customers in exactly the same way by offering $99/yr specials (while all the while going out of their way to assure customers that they were cash flow positive).

I'd proceed with EXTREME CAUTION on this one fellas...

Fool me once, shame on you... Fool my twice........... and you can't get fooled again!? - George W Bush.

TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

2 edits

TBSupport1

Member

From this logic, everyone should take "EXTREME CAUTION" on Vonage for their changes in service, ViaTalk for this price changes, Lingo for their service changes, and PhonePower with their offers.

Sounds like all of us are trying to entice new customers and not rip people off.

meh123
join:2005-09-22
U.S.

meh123

Member

In all due fairness, none of the companies you have mentioned have acted as shady as the SunRocket to Teleblend migration. I'm also not aware of any of those other companies having "slammed" people's numbers either.

That said, the unethical advertising tactics that you've shown (i.e.: show one price and then when you try and sign up show YET ANOTHER price with the B.S. activation fees) are ridiculous. Why not just show the real price to begin with? ~$140/first year if you bring your own device (~$150/first year if you don't).

Whether or not this is an outright SCAM (as others have mentioned) is debatable; however, this is highly unethical and really outlines what a shady company Teleblend has always been.

My advice stands, proceed with EXTREME CAUTION (like the swine flu! )

TBSupport1
join:2007-09-11
Leesburg, VA

2 edits

TBSupport1

Member

Unethical advertising tactics that you are claiming are ridiculous. Look at Vonage's latest press release about their new plan. At no point in the release did they state that it includes an activation fee, contract, termination fee, any device fees, etc. So, please don't try to point blame at Teleblend when there is nothing going on.

Just like other companies, we are offering new service plans in response to the changing market conditions. There has been no shady business going on. You may want to go check the history on all the VOIP providers about your "slammed" comment. A number being slammed only occurs when it is done on purpose and obviously it was not done on purpose as it was resolved very quickly.

Please use EXTREME CAUTION when reading posts that are only negative about companies. There are usually more people that will complain instead of actually compliment.
rizzo2dial
Premium Member
join:2004-08-05

2 edits

rizzo2dial

Premium Member

said by TBSupport1:

Unethical advertising tactics that you are claiming are ridiculous. Look at Vonage's latest press release about their new plan. At no point in the release did they state that it includes an activation fee, contract, termination fee, any device fees, etc. So, please don't try to point blame at Teleblend when there is nothing going on.
Since you're so intent on comparing TB to Vonage, take a look at how Vonage actually advertises prices on their web site. Next to each plan's listed price is a superscript mark ("†"). At at the bottom of the web-page it inlcudes a footnote (identified by that superscript mark) which says:
quote:
† RATES EXCLUDE BROADBAND SERVICE. TAXES AND OTHER FEES APPLY. A DISCONNECTION FEE OF $39.99 WILL APPLY FOR CANCELLATION BEFORE 1 YEAR. IF YOU CANCEL WITHIN THE MONEY BACK GURANTEE PERIOD, YOU MUST RETURN THE DEVICE. IF YOU CANCEL AFTER THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE PERIOD AND WITHIN 1 YEAR OF YOUR ORDER DATE, YOU WILL BE CHARGED A REBATE RECOVERY FEE EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF THE REBATE INITIALLY GIVEN TO YOU FOR THE EQUIPMENT. ‡ Based on 1/09 survey of competing landline service providers. ¤ Where available. The number transfer process takes approximately 10 business days from the time you confirm your transfer request. Alarms, TTY and other systems may not be compatible. Vonage 911 service operates differently than traditional 911. See www.vonage.com/911 for details. © 2009 Vonage Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The boldfaced blob above speaks VOLUMES! It lets consumers know that there will be other costs associated with Vonage service, that they will be subjected to ETF's, etc. While consumers may not care for such additional charges and conditions, at least they're aware of the existence of those BEFORE THEY PROCEED TO SIGN UP FOR SERVICE! With TB, the ~$40 activation fee doesn't get shown until actually clicking on the link to SIGN UP. That is a form of "bait and switch" as you've advertised one price before placing an order, then increase that price 40% - 50% (via [a] previously undisclosed fee[s]) during the order process. Thus, it's a scam!
said by TBSupport1:

Just like other companies, we are offering new service plans in response to the changing market conditions. There has been no shady business going on.
Unlike other companies, you are not disclosing the other fees you tack on UP FRONT. It's deceptive, it's dishonest, and your continued denial of any wrongdoing using these blatantly shady tactics shows potential customers exactly what type of company they can expect to deal with should they sign up for TB service.
said by TBSupport1:

You may want to go check the history on all the VOIP providers about your "slammed" comment. A number being slammed only occurs when it is done on purpose and obviously it was not done on purpose as it was resolved very quickly.
Really? My number was not slammed ON PURPOSE? It was resolved VERY QUICKLY? When I called your CLEC to complain about my # being slammed, they requested I call you (TB) which I did. TB denied to me slamming my number, denied to their carrier that the slamming of my number was unauthorized, and as a result caused my port away from TB (back to my real carrier) to take the full LNP cycle of almost 30 days. Had TB advised their carrier that the port to TB was a mistake, I could have had my number back in as little as 24 hours (after reporting the incident)! Please don't, for one minute, pretend that my slammed number situation was "not done on purpose" which
"was resolved very quickly." To this day TB has taken no responsibility for that incident, has never apologized for it, and has never previously indicated it was a mistake. Telling your carrier (i.e. your CLEC) the port to TB was authorized says it all.
said by TBSupport1:

Please use EXTREME CAUTION when reading posts that are only negative about companies. There are usually more people that will complain instead of actually compliment.
When other VoIP providers are accused of bad behavior (rightly or wrongly), satisfied customers of theirs tend to stick up for them (at least that's been my experience here @ BBR).

Example: A few years ago I posted a negative experience I had w/ VoicePulse here @ BBR, where I backed up my experience with facts (just like I've done w/ my posts about TB). That thread is here:
»SUNROCKET can't be profitable at $16.58 per month

Where my post starts on page 4:
»SUNROCKET can't be profitable at $16.58 per month

With the post itself below (for reference purposes only, read starting @ page 4 above):
»Re: SUNROCKET can't be profitable at $16.58 per month

If you read the above, you'll see that numerous people responded about their favorable view of VoicePulse. Nobody jumped all over me for posting negative information (since my comments were factually accurate), but the numerous other positive posts allowed potential customers to have a balanced view of VP.

So far there hasn't been much (any?) sticking up for TB, perhaps because of the arrogance with which your company continues to operate. You try and justify bad behavior (i.e. advertising one price then charging a 40% - 50% more via undisclosed fees) based on alleged similar bad behavior elsewhere. News flash... bad behavior at one company does NOT excuse it at another. If your competition is acting irresponsibly, let the chips fall where they may for them. Perhaps you should consider doing something novel by taking the high road, acting differently, operating openly and honestly. The shady way your company continues to operate reinforces its already piss poor image here @ BBR.

EDIT: Note to mods: I was stunned when the quote I listed from former President George W. Bush (speaking about then FEMA director Michael Brown during the Katrina aftermath) was construed as "flaming." So be it (i.e. I won't re-post the quote).
Mango
Use DMZ and you get a kick in the dick.
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
www.toao.net

1 edit

Mango to TBSupport1

Premium Member

to TBSupport1
said by TBSupport1:

Please use EXTREME CAUTION when reading posts that are only negative about companies. There are usually more people that will complain instead of actually compliment.
I notice that on DSLReports.com, you have three positive reviews and 15 negative ones. I can assure you that the reason people post negative things about your company is not because there are more people that will complain instead of actually compliment. If you don't believe me, consider Callcentric, a VoIP provider with one of the best reputations for customer support. They have 77 positive reviews and 0 negatives.

I always find it amusing when VoIP providers that post here are openly indignant about bad reviews. I imagine what would have happened if when I was in school I brought a report card home to my dad and said, "Now, please use EXTREME CAUTION when reading my report card. There are usually more teachers that will complain instead of actually compliment."

Sounds kinda silly when you look at it that way, don't it?

m.
swinger123
join:2009-12-09
Omaha, NE

swinger123 to jeremy555

Member

to jeremy555
If your local Kmart came out with a sale price, would you try to get the sale price for something you bought 3 months earlier? I think not. I signed up for Teleblend because it was a good deal at the time. I would also like the $99 pricing, but they are just marketing for new customers like everybody else.
I'm sticking with Teleblend.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

said by swinger123:

If your local Kmart came out with a sale price, would you try to get the sale price for something you bought 3 months earlier? I think not. I signed up for Teleblend because it was a good deal at the time. I would also like the $99 pricing, but they are just marketing for new customers like everybody else.
I'm sticking with Teleblend.
Do you buy that item from Kmart every month under contract? Many companies have loyalty discounts, save 10% on your next visit, etc.