Starting to be an unhappy customer

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 15, 2006 Posts: 5

I have been a customer of Vonage for 3 years now and I have truly loved the service...until lately.

1 - My referrals are calling to sign up and getting a better deal with Vonage by cutting me out as referring them. The account managers at Vonage are suggesting to them that they can get the free month instead by being a new customer and not using my name. I lose the free month for the referral.

2 - I want to sign up with Alarm.com and Vonage. I can get the GE security system direct from GE for $219.00, but it won't work with Vonage unless I buy it direct from Alarm.com as a Vonage customer. I get $100 off the system, but by the time I add the needed door and window units, I am up to almost $800.00.

3 - I want to purchase a Vtech Broadband phone system for my Vonage connection. At retail, I am going to have to pay $149.99 plus tax to get the unit. It is advertised with a $50.00 rebate...etc, but you have to be a NEW Vonage customer to get the savings. Of course, silly me went online to Ebay and purchased a slightly used Vtech phone for a savings and now can't use it because Vonage won't allow the MAC address to be transferred. (My cable company picked up the MAC address and would allow me to use the phone if I purchase their Voip service). I think Ebay needs to ban the sell of these phones before they get a bunch of irate customers.

At any rate, I've been very happy with only paying $27 a month for my phone...I really have, but that is where it ends. It seems that once they have you hooked, they don't care about you being a happy customer anymore. Even the service is getting bad. I thought at one time they had live online chat help. Now they don't even have that, which would come in really handy if your phone conks out but you have an internet connection to get online. It doesn't help calling tech support from a pay phone down the road, which I had to do a couple of years ago.

It is wonderful that Vonage is expanding into other markets and partnering with these other companies but they need to be careful before they wind up the target of a class action similar to Bill Gates and Microsoft.

Getting it off my chest....

MHart

Posts: 433 · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 5:13 pm Post subject:

Welcome to business. Where the middle-man is easily removed.

Posts: 46 · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:34 pm Post subject:

Yep, when it comes to Vonage not giving a rats rear end about their existing customers, they rank right up there with the worst of the worst. Just like the old AT&T Wireless I dumped years ago. At least my service is working well. Now, if they would just send me that $100 rebate they promised and that I so diligently submitted.

Posts: 241 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Mar 17, 2006 Posts: 241

MiaHart wrote:

1 - My referrals are calling to sign up and getting a better deal with Vonage by cutting me out as referring them. The account managers at Vonage are suggesting to them that they can get the free month instead by being a new customer and not using my name. I lose the free month for the referral.

Your referrals get a free month by signing up with your name as it is. Is Vonage giving them a better deal than that?

Posts: 46 · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 11:08 pm Post subject:

I have seen several others complain here in the forum of the same treatment of their referrals over the past several months. So, I don't bother. Also, beware of the rebate scam. Get your best deal without having to count on a rebate. Best Buy paid up as promised. Vonage scammed me.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 15, 2006 Posts: 5

I'm not sure pdhenry, when a friend of mine at work said he wanted to try Vonage, I sent him the email from the Vonage website. He clicked thru that, got someone from Vonage on the phone and from what he said, the Account rep told him if he just signed up that day, he could get a free month. When my friend asked about the referral and what I would get, the acct rep told him if he signed up as a referral, he would not get the free month, I would. I think he only got the one free month though...I didn't get diddly....don't tell me Earthlink has bought Vonage....sigh. Confused

Posts: 193 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 193

MiaHart wrote:

the Account rep told him if he just signed up that day, he could get a free month. When my friend asked about the referral and what I would get, the acct rep told him if he signed up as a referral, he would not get the free month, I would. I think he only got the one free month though...I didn't get diddly....don't tell me Earthlink has bought Vonage....sigh. Confused

That's right, your coworker and the V rep got the referrals. "he" and "I" are the keywords. The, who is he, and who is I, shell game? When I first read it I thought the same thing you did. But, "he" meaning MiaHart would not get he free month, "I" meaning V rep would. Jeff Citron may not be endorsing such a practice. Especially if it means no more customer referrals, HINT. See if Citron feels the same way. jeffrey.citron@vonage.com

Posts: 11 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 28, 2005 Posts: 11

You're trying to resolve a lot of issues at the same time. Most Customer Care Agents do not know how to resolves those type of issues. Sending an e-mail to jeffrey.citron@vonage.com they will get on it right away.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 15, 2006 Posts: 5

I agree, the more years I am with them, the more I see the customer service going downhill. I began with them when they were around $35.00 a month. The best thing about them was telling Spint to go to Hades (I absolutely hated Sprint). It was even better to see Vonage send me an email or two telling me that my rate had been reduced..that was wonderful, but I ain't seen **** in over a year now and all the newbies are reaping the benefits.

I want the latest technical gadgets....dammit. I want the 5.8 ghz phone for Voip and I want the same treatment as the newbies. As a lifetime Vonage customer, I think that I am more important than the marketing ploy to get peeps enrolled. I work in marketing, and I still see it as unfair when you treat your franchise like crap while you try to up your market.