wkendrvr
join:2001-07-09
Greensboro, NC
| Vonage Cisco Plan
Well if there was any benefit from buying the ATA then signing up, Vonage has pretty much eliminated that.
Called and talked to a rep and was told that my rate was going up $1.50 for regular line + $1.50 for fax line, and when I asked about cancelling they are still planning on charging me the disconnect fee unless I return them MY ATA!!! On top of that, they are saying that it is impossible to unlock MY ATA!
So Voiceglo is looking more attractive as now my bill is $48 vs $42 with VoiceGlo...
(the only downside to Voiceglo seems to be the fact that their fax line charges $.03/min for outgoing.)
I am supposed to get a call from a "manager" because the rep on the phone wasn't quite sure of everything after I pressed him on the fact that they hijaacked my ATA. |
|
gatzdon
join:2002-10-25
Lake Zurich, IL
| Send your e-mail to dslreports@vonage.com attention Ingrid Pettigrew.
If they don't respond within 24 hours, send a second e-mail to the same address informing them that you are filing a complaint with your state's attorney general's office as this is obviously in violation of your state's fair business practices act (not all states call it that, but they have an equivalent) and affects all vonage customers in your state.
Vonage's customer service has usually been pretty good and I doubt they will let it get to a formal complaint, but since they've implemented the tiered customer service, the only people you will get on the phone are the ones that are taught to read a script.
Good luck and let us know how fast they resolve this for you. |
|
LuckyBastard
@rr.com
| reply to wkendrvr
As a side note, with the tiered customer service....
If you had a problem with "x" (say, voicemail?  some amount of time ago, now resolved, that reappears, call in and use the old ticket number and request an immediate escilation.
As the problems I tend to have with Vonage on my three lines tend to reoccour from time to time this has been an effective method for me to get some resolution to the problems. |
|
ggmorton
join:2002-07-24
Houston, TX
| reply to wkendrvr
It seems to me like this is a misunderstanding. I read on this forum, that they wouldn't be charging the disconnect fee for customers who brought their own ATA. It seems like this peon customer service rep is not aware of your situation. Hopefully, the manager will know more and inform you correctly. I hope you get this worked out to your satisfaction. |
|
Gandalf1315
Freelance Philosopher
join:2001-05-23
Indianapolis, IN
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Vonage
| reply to wkendrvr
You obviously talked to a robot, a human robot, but a robot none the less. They have no legal right to lock you out of your own equipment when you stop using their service. Keep us informed on this, wkendrvr.
--
No man's life, liberty or fortune is safe while our legislature is in session.--- Benjamin Franklin |
|
ejrobinson
Premium
join:2003-05-16
Miami Beach, FL
·magicjack.com
| I think you miss one aspect of all this: The ata you receive is for use with vonage, which has paid both the cost of the box itself but the license fee for the use of the codecs. So, you cancel with vonage. Why should vonage transfer the license for which it has paid? As for the ata itself, it is provided free of charge and vonage must either recover it or you must pay for it, one way or another. The subsidy has to be amortized, don't you think.
Compare this to the cellular phone situation. Carriers subsidize the acquisition of the phone and must also be able to amortize this cost. They do so by locking the phone to one particular sim.
-er |
|
gatzdon
join:2002-10-25
Lake Zurich, IL
| said by ejrobinson  :
I think you miss one aspect of all this:
No offense, but I think you missed the point. I believe this person signed up under the Cisco Plan in which you already had your own ATA, clear and free. It was not supplied by Vonage, but rather Vonage offered a discount because you already owned an ATA.
FYI, the Cisco Plan is no longer available, but Vonage keeps verbally promising that they will introduce something similar in the future.
Re: ggmorton
As for the posts you read, Vonage made informal verbal, statements that they would waive the fee for the Cisco Plan customers. They never formally updated their TOS to reflect this. If you e-mail Vonage about it, they will ask you to call them if you plan on cancelling to work it out. They won't put any specifics in print. At least that was the response I got when I inquired. Personally, I felt like I was brushed off, that is why I am curious as to how fast they resolve this. |
|
ejrobinson
Premium
join:2003-05-16
Miami Beach, FL | If that is the case, thank you for the rectification.
-er |
|
Scyber
join:2001-12-28
Trenton, NJ | reply to wkendrvr
Didn't they drop the price of the unlimited plan when they added the new regulatory fees? |
|
usa2k
Please PRAY for Rebekah
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
clubs:
·VOIPo
·WOW Internet and C..
·Broadvox Direct
| said by Scyber :
Didn't they drop the price of the unlimited plan when they added the new [$1.50] regulatory fees?
Residential Unlimited -$5, Residential Regional -$1
--
jim
Voip on Vonage|iCH|FWD FWD# 24942
USA2K -- no Affiliate Links or Cookies |
|
usa2k
Please PRAY for Rebekah
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
clubs:
·VOIPo
·WOW Internet and C..
·Broadvox Direct
| reply to gatzdon
said by gatzdon :
Send your e-mail to dslreports@vonage.com attention Ingrid Pettigrew.
Definitely do that! If you always owned your ATA, they should unlock it or exchange for a new unlocked one.
--
jim
Voip on Vonage|iCH|FWD FWD# 24942
USA2K -- no Affiliate Links or Cookies |
|
wkendrvr
join:2001-07-09
Greensboro, NC | reply to wkendrvr
So far no call from anyone. I definately feel like I am getting the brush off... I will email the above address, but from the past the only time Ingrid seems to appear is when it is a self serving advertisement. |
|
wkendrvr
join:2001-07-09
Greensboro, NC
| reply to ejrobinson
said by ejrobinson :
I think you miss one aspect of all this: The ata you receive is for use with vonage, which has paid both the cost of the box itself but the license fee for the use of the codecs. So, you cancel with vonage. Why should vonage transfer the license for which it has paid? As for the ata itself, it is provided free of charge and vonage must either recover it or you must pay for it, one way or another. The subsidy has to be amortized, don't you think.
Compare this to the cellular phone situation. Carriers subsidize the acquisition of the phone and must also be able to amortize this cost. They do so by locking the phone to one particular sim.
-er
Well that would be fine and dandy if I didn't own the ATA BEFORE I signed up service.
Vonage offered this plan because they didn't want to pay for the ATA, and now they have completely taken any incentive out of it. |
|
ejrobinson
Premium
join:2003-05-16
Miami Beach, FL | Yes, a different situation. Most of the complaints loudly expressed here concern an ata provided by vonage.
-er |
|
Gork
Ou812ic
join:2001-10-06
Juneau, AK
·magicjack.com
| reply to wkendrvr
said by wkendrvr :
the only time Ingrid seems to appear is when it is a self serving advertisement.
That may be (nearly?) the only time she posts on BroadbandReports, but I have had opportunity to work directly with her regarding issues I've had in the past and she does much MUCH more than just post to BroadbandReports what I consider to be informative information about new services. |
|
usa2k
Please PRAY for Rebekah
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
clubs:
·VOIPo
·WOW Internet and C..
·Broadvox Direct
| said by Gork :
...she does much MUCH more than just post to BroadbandReports what I consider to be informative information about new services.
My experience too. Ingrid has even called me by phone before.
--
jim
Voip on Vonage|iCH|FWD FWD# 24942
USA2K -- no Affiliate Links or Cookies |
|
wkendrvr
join:2001-07-09
Greensboro, NC
| reply to wkendrvr
Never got a call, got an email...
Mike,
The new rate plan doesnt affect you and your rate plan. You can
continue using the service as usual. If you have any questions, please
contact us at 1800-860-5491.
--
Thank you,
-Sean C-
Tier 2 Technical Support
Totally avoiding the question... Ridiculous |
|
gatzdon
join:2002-10-25
Lake Zurich, IL
| My personal opinion is that you should ask them to unlock your box and send you a new one (Not sure how much of a discount the Cisco Plan was). That way you are on the same terms as the TOS was intended for. If you do it now while the TOS changes are fresh in everyone's mind, you won't have to deal with it 5 years from now when no-one remembers the changes you are talking about. |
|
exdis
@mindspring.com
| reply to wkendrvr
This e-mail from Sean C is a bit baffling. I am on the Cisco/BYO plan and the rates did, indeed, change.
First off, the $1.50 "regulatory recovery fee" (i.e., price increase) applies to lines under the Cisco plan as well. So on that basis alone, Vonage's prices for Cisco users have, indeed, changed.
Here is the current Cisco pricing per month:
Cisco 500 minute plan: $16.99 (not including RRF)
Cisco Unlimited Regional Plan: $25.48 (not including RRF)
Cisco Unlimited National Plan: $33.99 (not including RRF)
A few comments:
(1) The Cisco $16.99/month plan remains a very good deal for light phone users. Unfortunately, it is a slightly less good deal than it was before the $1.50 RRF was imposed because, unlike for all other Vonage plans, this rate was left unchanged when the RRF was imposed.
(2) The other two plans are much more dubious now. The Cisco unlimited regional plan is actually more expensive (!) than the $24.99 price offered to non-BYO users. The Cisco unlimited national plan is only $1.00 less than the non-BYO version of the same plan.
For people who paid $120-$140 out of pocket to buy an ATA (stupid us) on the calculus that we would come out ahead after two years thanks to a $5 discount off Vonage's normal rates, clearly we miscalculated. I would urge my fellow Cisco plan users to either switch to the $16.99 plan (if that makes sense based on usage) or cancel their Vonage accounts altogether and take their ATAs (after Vonage unlocks them, of course) and move to the Voicepulse wholesale plan instead. As wkendrvr correctly observed, Vonage's current pricing for two of the three Cisco plans is inexplicably poor now compared to their non-BYO plans. |
|
nodis
join:2001-12-20
San Jose, CA | reply to gatzdon
Agree with Gatzdon. Per exdis's information, the Cisco plan looks like it has ceased to be a good value. I'd switch to a regular Vonage plan (or ditch Vonage and do Voicepulse wholesale, as exdis suggests) ASAP. |
|
