Foreign Residential Listing

Posts: 9 · Posted: Sun May 16, 2004 12:24 pm Post subject: Foreign Residential Listing

Hello,

I thought I'd share with you my experience with getting my Vonage residential number listed in the local directory assistance service. Now when someone calls directory assistance, they get my Voange residential number.

I had contacted Bellsouth via email to find out how to do it. The answer is call and request a 'foreign listing' of your Vonage number. A number of people at Bellsouth do not know that this can be done, however. If they tell you it can't be done, ask to speak to supervisor.

They have to create a 'miscellaneous account' to bill you for the listing. According to what I've been told, the cost is two dollars per month plus tax and they bill it annually (I haven't received the bill as yet).

I got so much runaround that I escalated it to the state Public Service Commission. They called Bellsouth and I was contacted by someone in the special services group who got it immediately resolved. I just requested my listing from the directory assistance folks and they gave me my Vonage number. So, I know it's been done.

If the area telephone company is not Bellsouth, you should try it anyway. Call your state PSC (or whatever they call themselves in your state) and ask for help if they give you the runaround. But, at least get to the supervisor and exhaust that option before you call the PSC. You many not have to.

Good luck.

Fred

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 08, 2004 Posts: 2

Based on the below post, I've just spent the past 1/2 hour on the phone with Verizon. I used the 'foreign listing' and 'miscellaneous account' keywords, and kept on pressing until I got someone who spent a good 20 minutes tracking down Verizon's policy on this issue.

I got directed to call 609-896-9922, the number for non-Verizon customers to get their number(s) listed with Verizon. So far, there has been no answer.

Be back with the results...

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 08, 2004 Posts: 2

Well, that number was a bust. I called Verizon back, and got someone who has given me a new Verizon phone number, for "foreign listings" (similar to the original poster's keywords) - 800-500-5419. Just spoke with a person at that number, who is currently checking to see if they can list a VOIP number. Incidentally, the operator indicated that this is the phone number to call if you want your cellphone listed.

More to come...

Posts: 73 · Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 2:43 pm Post subject:

That's interesting. I didn't know you could call the phone company and ask for a number to be listed. I'll have to let my friends that use Vonage know about that, but I won't be doing it myself. I used to pay BellSouth to NOT list my number...I'm certainly not going to pay them to list it. LOL Smile

Posts: 9 · Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 3:51 pm Post subject:

Typical for the phone company. But, no matter what they tell you, it can indeed be done. It's just that the customer service folks aren't aware of how to do it.
I contacted a friend of mine who sells services for almost every phone, cell phone, long distance, paging services, domain registrar, and other telecom and I.T. services. He is looking in to whether he can arrange for these listings. If he responds with a yes, I'll post his 800 number here.
Regards,

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 12, 2005 Posts: 4

I am really glad to hear this because a lot of Creditors have not made me jump through hoops because they couldn't verify my home phone number w/ 411.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 1

I have to admit it, I was very skeptical about getting my Vonage Business number listed through my local directory assistance (Sprint). It was Very easy, which is VERY UNUSUAL for Sprint.

I called my local number, told them I had a foreign business number to be listed. They referred me to the Directory Department at 877-235-2611. There the lady asked for my information, Business name, address, number etc.

There is a one time $18.85 Setup charge, and 2.00/Month charge for this.

In order to build business credit, it helps to have your number listed in the directory (even just white pages) and on directory assistance.

Hope this helps.

Joe

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 10, 2005 Posts: 1

Hello,
Anybody in Chicago been through this process. I'm considering going all vonage with a new business. Had the yellow pages guy here today and he said he'd have to look into it. Around here SBC is main carrier. Has anyone dealt with them to get a Vonage business line into the white pages / yellow pages?

Thanks in advance.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 15, 2005 Posts: 1

I just got the run-around with SBC (Southwestern Bell). I FINALLY accomplished my goal of getting listed in directory assistance. Here's how I did it:

Call 800-303-6388
Tell them you want a listing in the White Pages for a Voice over IP phone number. If they say "A what?" Then tell them a "Foreign Listing". The person I spoke to actually knew what VOIP was and she said it's very new and not everyone in her department is familiar with that terminology. She said that a foreign listing would be the way to say it if they didn't know VOIP.

I changed my tune from asking for a directory assistance listing to asking for a White Pages listing - I seemed to get better results.

With a White Pages listing, you are automatically in Directory Assistance. It takes about 3 days to be in the 1-411 directory, and the next phone book cycle to be in the white pages (be sure to specify what city phone book you want to be listed in, and if you want the address listed).

For my business to get listed is going to cost something like a one-time $18.00 fee, then $6/month.

Hope this helps!!

Posts: 9 · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:35 am Post subject:

asheffey wrote:

Well, that number was a bust. I called Verizon back, and got someone who has given me a new Verizon phone number, for "foreign listings" (similar to the original poster's keywords) - 800-500-5419. Just spoke with a person at that number, who is currently checking to see if they can list a VOIP number. Incidentally, the operator indicated that this is the phone number to call if you want your cellphone listed.

More to come...

Well, you didn't let us know how it turned out. But I just got one listed with Verizon. If they keep giving you a hard time, tell them to check my listing (Fred Atkinson in Sylva, NC) and they'll see that Verizon indeed does it.

I made a new post about my experience with Verizon. I posted it on June 29, 2005. Take a look at it.

Regards,

Fred