Nightmare attempting to port from Lingo, Can U Help?

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: May 22, 2006 Posts: 1

February 17th, that is the day I started this journey through the wasteland that is Vonage. I happily signed up. paid my 57.00 for equipment, eager to get better quality VoIp than I had gotten for the previous year through Lingo (Primus telecommunications). Submitted my LNP and was told that it could happen in 20 days (something I already knew was a lie, more about that later) but could take a month.
I pretty much ignored my Vonage account for the first month because it had only their virtual number and was useless to me until it had my number associated with it. EXACTLY a month later I got a terse e-mail saying that my port had been cancelled due to them not receiving my LNP (which I had filled out online), and oh yeah, by the way, we just billed you for another month of service that you won't be able to use.
So, March 20th, I submit my LNP again and of course am given the same time period for the number port. AGAIN a month later, and it hasn't happened, I call, get a rep that tells me the paperwork had been submitted and should come through "any day". April 30th, call back (you guessed it, still no port) and was told they were putting my account into a "48 hour escalation" and they would be back to me within that time. LIARS! I had to call them back on May 20th, (after being billed yet again by both Vonage and Lingo) and was given the EXACT SAME 48 HOUR line of BS. This time I was not as polite and pushed the CS agent a little harder asking her what exactly they were doing to get my number? She replies with "Lingo is resisting letting it go" so I asked her what they were doing to get it, did they need me to call Lingo? Her reply "no, we have found that it confuses things when the customer gets involved, let Vonage handle it" So again I asked her what they were doing to "Handle it" had they filed a complaint? (something they can do through the FCC after the 30 day period has elapsed with no response from the losing carrier) and she said no they were "just waiting on Lingo to release it" ARE YOU INSANE? I am supposed to be your customer, you are supposed to WANT me and fight for my service and rights! And your just sitting there waiting?
OK, a little background, I worked in the telecommunications industry as a customer service rep and provisioner (pushes the paperwork through to get services hooked up properly) for 5 years until this past November. It is the single most sleazy, underhanded, dirty, incestuous (bad employees float from one company to another constantly hiring their buddies) business I have ever had the displeasure to be a part of. Remeber I said I would tell you how I knew the 20 day thing was a lie? The FCC mandates the a carrier has 30 days to release a qualifying number to another telecom with a proper request. ALMOST never does a company release it in less than 30 days as that is billing time they give up. The scary thing is, at least with traditional telephone companies, you could typically get action on an issue by reporting them to the states Utilities Commission. With VoIP, that doesn't exsist.
What I have experienced so far with Vonage is at best incompetence, at it's worst, it's fraud. The fraud comes in where your being billed all the time they are "supposedly" pushing through your order. I have been on hold FIVE TIMES for billing so far (have you ever noticed that no matter what time you call, it is always an "estimated 25 min wait"?) and have yet to have anyone pick up within 40 minutes! I want to be credited for the three months I have paid and not made a single call other than to my cellphone to test the system.
So, this last "25 min" wait, I used my time productively at the FCC.gov website filing a complaint against Vonage and Lingo both, let them figure out who is to blame. If you work for Vonage, have a clue and a conscience, can you actually help?