Poor customer service and lacking voip service..

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 17, 2006 Posts: 2

I've had a $50/mo business account with Vonage for 18 months that I can't seem to terminate. I need to access the website twice daily to enable/disable call forwarding. Countless times during the 18 months the website was in-op. Unable to log in. Other biggest complaint is couldn't send faxes with the Vonage modem. Finally gave up without ever sending a single fax successfully....

So, on 12/29/05 my number was ported to packet8. Half the cost and I successfully sent a fax on the first try!! And so far, the website is always working. I like packet8 so much, I ported my home phone over from ma bell two weeks later. Now 7-digit dialing with packet8!

As the Vonage website states, to cancel service you must call the toll-free number. I tried to cancel my Vonage account before my 27 Jan 06 monthly service charge, but got hung out to dry on the phone. Wasted about 20 mins that day.

So I figured I'd just change my credit card info so they couldn't whack my card in case they didn't notice the account was transferred. Well, all I could do on the web site was change the expiration date and I did that.. Then on the 27th the emails started from Vonage about a problem running my card. I replied to each of the messages that the account is to be cancelled.

Imagine my surprise today when I see a charge from Vonage on my bank statement on 2/10! Today, I got hung out to dry with Vonage CS twice. The last guy promised that he would follow up with an email and call me back on the phone if any problem with the
"transfer" to the cancellation. Total of 45 mins on the phone with Vonage today wasted. My last call today was to my bank to initiate a chargeback on the credit card transaction.

Vonage should be directing some of their advertising budget to eliminating DOS on the website and improving customer service..
I welcome contact from the Vonage "team" to get this matter resolved.

Posts: 1125 · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:35 am Post subject:

See second post of this thread:

http://www.vonage-forum.com/ftopic10809-0.html

Posts: 1389 · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:43 am Post subject:

Just curious, when you say you tried to cancel but was hung out to dry, what does that mean? Does it mean they would not let you cancel, they hung up on you, took your laundry out of the washer for you?
Also, I looked at P8's website at their Business plans and I don't see how it could be half the cost.

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 1:32 pm Post subject:

It would be if you only bought a residential plan. Smile

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 17, 2006 Posts: 2

"Hung out to dry" to me means a promise that you're being transferred to someone that can assist and then giving up after 10-15 minutes of dead air.

I transferred a business account from Vonage to Packet8 and was apparently given the residential rate. Vonage = $49.95/mo. -- Packet8 = $19.95 + $4.95 to add the toll-free number.

Final resolution.. Today I got another "Successful Charge" email receipt from Vonage. Again I dialed the customer care number on the receipt. Only took a couple minutes to get a human on the line (in India I believe), and only a few more minutes describing my problem until he gave me the accounts management number 800-860-5491.

When the office opened at 8:30 EST, took about 10 minutes for a human to pickup and another 10 minutes of talking and holding and I think it's resolved. I was told the cancellation has been processed and promised credits for the last 2 transactions.

It's clear that Vonage does not have any checks in place that would halt billing for numbers that have been ported away and they appear more focused on acquiring new customers than providing adequate levels of service. The quality of Voip service (gave up trying to send faxes), their website-only service management (often unable to log in and cannot manage call-forwarding from the handset), and customer service could all stand for some improvement. I'm done...

Posts: 185 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Dec 18, 2005 Posts: 185

The reason accounts are not closed when numbers are not automatically ported out is that the number has to be taken out of the Vonage database manually via a ticket. Otherwise your number will be assigned to someone else, and Vonage to Vonage they will get their calls, but PSTN to Vonage you will get them.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 08, 2006 Posts: 2

Well despite the fact that I've signed up in January, and that I've already been billed for my second month, I don't even consider myself a Vonage customer yet.

Can you all believe that I haven't received my device yet!!!!

Yep! That's is not a typo! Nothing, nada, so far.

I have had the same hour plus experience on hold at the customer service telephone phone. And unfortunately, I've had that sad experience 3 times already.

So, let's just hope that the Vonage service proves to be better than its customer service.

Meanwhile I'm still waiting for my UTStarcom F1000B to arrive.

Posts: 185 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Dec 18, 2005 Posts: 185

Have you called in to find out why? There are no shipping delays on the UTStarcom, so either its a lost shipment, or it was stolen from your front porch.