insomnomaniac

VONAGE SUCKS!!!! DO NOT USE THEM!

If you value your sanity, do NOT go with Vonage. Stupid me, I fell for their ads ("People do stupid things...like pay too much for phone service") and yes, I spent less, but here's what I got for my "savings:"

• Intermittent unexplained outages that lasted as long as a couple of hours at times (even when Internet was working just fine)
• Numerous cut-offs in the middle of calls for no reason
• Calls just not ringing/missed calls even when I was here
• Caller ID/Call waiting that just doesn't work more than 50% of the time--if you're lucky
• Inability to talk on the phone and run the microwave nearby at the same time without sounding like an alien or hearing callers who sound like them on the other end
• 9-1-1 that "might not work" when I need it to
• An alarm system rendered useless until I spent an additional $75 to install a special "connector" to the system so it would work again (Vonage said no such change would be necessary)
• Customer service SO AWFUL, it makes the service you get at Home Depot or Best Buy look like dinner out at a five-star restaurant!

And here's the clincher: In the three short months we've had the service, it's cost us MORE than Verizon would have for the same time period.

• $69 set up fee


• $29.99/month


• $75 for alarm connector

And today, a total of about 6 hours of daytime minutes (at approximately 40 cents/min) used because we were suddenly and irrevocably WITHOUT A PHONE at our house and had to use cell phones to make vital calls pertaining to our move!

Verizon would have been $49.99/month, period.

What the hell happened? Well, in preparation for our move outta here, I have been calling to set up shut-off for various utilities. With all others, you can "schedule" your shut-off for a future date. This is just how it's done so you can
a) Avoid making ten phone calls the day of a move
b) Avoid FORGETTING to shut something off and incurring charges beyond the point where you're using service
c) Avoid keeping new tenants/owners from turning on their service

Comcast had no problem with this
Keyspan and Mass Electric had no issue either
Even the alarm company had no problem with it!

But not Vonage, aparently, not like they TOLD me this would be an issuse though. What they did spend inordinate amounts of time telling me though was how I should transfer my number to my new location despite the fact that:

• It's not a local number to the state where I'm going


• They don't even have local area codes where I'm going--my next door neighbor would be calling me long distance


• I have no choice in either of these matters


• I have no choice but to move to a location they do not service

And the clincher:

• They charge a $39.99 termination fee if you cancel within a year!

I managed to argue my way out of the termination fee, but this was before we even got to the point of what I thought would be the scheduling of the shut-off. The guy told me he could NOT help me beyond explaining policies to me because only the account holder could administer it. He made it sound all official, like when they record your voice as you agree to cell phone contracts, long distance service selection, etc... So I dutifully handed the phone to my husband who was outside working in the yard, and rather than explain why he was on the phone, the customer service guy merely asked his name (to which he responded) and then put him on hold. A few minutes later the guy came back on the phone and said "OK, I've shut off your phone."

My husband was like "WHAT THE FUCK???? You mean NOW?" And the guy was like "Well, uh, yeah, isn't that what you wanted?"

NO DUMBASS! Not like you asked! Not like you LISTENED when I said I wanted to SCHEDULE shut-off for next week!

So my husband told him to undo what he did, but the guy could not. He'd rendered us cut-off from the outside world and couldn't do a thing to change it! We ripped him a new one and he simply hung up, leaving us without dial tone.

My husband called back on his cell phone and they told him they could only sign us up for a NEW contract, but we could cancel in 30 days if we wanted, but we probably wouldn't get the same number, and it would take at least 3 hours to turn it on again! My husband went through three different people, asking for supervisors each time, and coming up empty each time, and in the end, after 3 hours, NO PHONE!

So we called back AGAIN and they said "Oops, looks like someone didn't initiate the process, it will be on in three hours this time, promise" and said he'd call back to confirm.

Three hours later, no call back, no phone.

MEANWHILE, my fancy new connector in my alarm system is now a liability to me getting Verizon back. I have to have it removed for Verizon to work properly, but calling Verizon to sign up for service anew was the only way to get phone service again any time in this lifetime (and even that is taking overnight)!

So here I sit without phone service because one guy had his head so far up his ass this morning his ears were filled with his own fermenting festering SHIT.

This company is so awful, they couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. Use them at your own risk and remember, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

I've learned my lesson, never again.

Posted by insomnomaniac at October 4, 2005 5:38 AM