IMPORTANT Info for New Customers who have Custom Ring

Posts: 64

This has been posted here a few times already, mixed into other threads.

If you are a new customer switching to Vonage and plan to port your number, the first thing you need to do is call your phone company and have custom ring or distinctive ring removed. This is a feature where you can get one or several phone numbers assigned to your main line and each rings differently.

I just found out that this is why my transfer hasn't happened. I called Comcast and they said they'd remove the custom ring line for a fee and then Vonage would have to resubmit the request to port my number. They said if Vonage had included the custom ring number with the original request, it would've been transferred within 10 days and there would be no fee.

I've written to Vonage asking them to place an additional line on the form to transfer service, such as, if you have custom or distinctive ring on your service now, please list those additional telephone numbers here: ________________

I don't know who's really at fault in this blame game, but certainly Comcast had my account number and knew what services I had when they received the transfer request. In any case, I'm hoping Vonage becomes proactive and adds this to their form.

Also, it'd be smart to call your current company and reduce all your services to the bare minimum when you're going to switch to Vonage. The only thing you need to keep besides the service itself is the ability to transfer your number (to your new Vonage temp number). No sense paying for voicemail and other features you don't need during the wait.

Posts: 220 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Aug 19, 2003 Posts: 220

Paula:

I didn't have any problems with the port, but I had BellSouth's Complete Choices Plan. That meant I had two distinctive ring numbers as well as the main one and unlimited long distance. I didn't want to port the DR numbers, so they just reverted back to Bell. However, because of the unlimited long distance, I didn't even realize I couldn't forward the phone to the Vonage number. As a result, we could make outgoing calls on Vonage, but all our incoming calls stayed with Bell. It made the trial period a lot less effective, and we had to constantly stop and think which phone to use or answer.

Good advice on reducing all the services. I could have saved another $50 or $100 if I had thought to do that early enough in our process. My recollection, however, is you have to not make changes on your service after a certain point in time or it will affect your transfer as well.

Once we got it all ported, etc., it was wonderful to just take over the house wiring and go back to all the phones working on one system!

Laurel
Vonage Customer Since 9/03

Posts: 64 · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 1:01 pm Post subject:

Hi Laurel, thanks for the reply

Sounds like you had a smooth port with Bellsouth, I'm jealous Smile

. Comcast claims that the people who transfer numbers don't know about custom ring numbers assigned to the line and when they attempt the transfer and it fails. Mixed in several posts here are a lot of people who's transfer was hung because of the custom ring.

You're right about not changing services after the agreement is faxed, changing anything should be done prior to faxing the request in. I was just hoping to catch some new customers who came here to investigate Vonage before they signed up.

Posts: 220 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Aug 19, 2003 Posts: 220

Paula:

The transfer was not without a few hiccups. Somehow part of my paperwork never made it in to Vonage and I didn't even realize it. Then when the transfer went through, Bell was still billing me and the first CSR was adamant they were still my carrier. I think I was their first Voip jumper Surprised

And absolutely, you are giving great advice to those who are just getting started. I wish I had seen that myself back then. Just wanted to caution anybody who may be in the middle of a transfer not to do anything.

laurel

Posts: 64 · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 5:12 pm Post subject:

Oy, I'm ready to blow... Comcast took the distinctive ring off today, along with every other feature even though I specifically said I had to keep call forwarding. Now we're running a phone line from the box outside through the window with a separate phone because that's the only way we can get incoming calls on our number.

I hope the port finally goes through now, this is going to be a PITA until it does. I'd tell Comcast to add forwarding back on the account, but who knows what that might screw up and they said it'd be a minimum of 3 days to do that. Comcast is proving to be the company from hell, they're getting $200 a month from us for cable and internet - as soon as they get some competition for that, they're losing us.

Posts: 220 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Aug 19, 2003 Posts: 220

Oh, man. Hopefully it will be done soon. Comcast is our cable/internet provider and we've been okay with them for that. Never were a phone company here in Nashville.

Good luck and hang in there. Hopefully it will be over soon.

Laurel

Posts: 64 · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 5:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks, I've got my fingers crossed.

Comcast has been ok here for internet and cable, but not nearly as good as the former AT&T was for customer service and repair. I think that Minneapolis (20 miles from here) also has the option of Time Warner and I wish we did too, just so I could give Comcast a piece of my mind and say bye-bye. Their Digital Phone service is really some kind of Voip too, it's through the coax that feeds both internet and cable, so they've been making a mint on customers - $42.14/month for phone service, some features and voicemail (no long distance). They offer un/limited long distance packages, but you have to give up a bunch of phone features to switch to that (plus pay more).