"Bogus" phone numbers

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2006 Posts: 5

For almost a week I have been getting nowhere with customer service (CS). All I get are the same canned replies. I wish I had found this site sooner.

I started to install my equipment yesterday, but have been trying to resolve activity questions.

Three numbers keep showing for (many) calls we supposedly made. Two of the area codes (1 in New Orleans and 1 in Michigan somewhere) are areas we never call. One is our area code, but we never heard of the number; and a reverse search gave me no information.

CS keeps repeating that these are numbers we have called; these are the canned replies!

But, I just had a thought that since I'm not running through the Vonage equipment, these may be bogus numbers representing real numbers we called on our existing MCI account.

I need the actual numbers/times as we use the information to bill clients on the time. My wife is having a fit since she doesn't want to have to "log" every call she makes.

If these are because I haven't installed the equipment yet, then I should expect to see real numbers in the activity list after I do the install.

Am I thinking clearly here? Thanks for any help from "those who went before."

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:36 am Post subject:

Are they outgoing or incoming calls? Do you have any sort of call forwarding/network availability numbers programmed in? And does anyone else have your Vonage password? Do you have softphone access as well?

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2006 Posts: 5

Thanks for the reply. One is an incoming to our virtual number from the New Orleans area code. The majority are from our virtual number to the areas I indicated. I have not set up forwarding, do not have softphone access, no one has our password, and I have still not hooked up the equipment.

I have changed the password and the pin for message access, but everything else is the default.

SUrely someone has run into this "bogus number" before.

P. French

Posts: 25 · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:52 am Post subject:

Do you have a TiVo, Direct TV or any other device that may make periodic calls?

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2006 Posts: 5

None of the above.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2006 Posts: 5

On Saturday, 2 days ago, I finally got the equipment installed and it resolved the "called number" concern. I'm guessing that Vonage was using virtual numbers to represent the numbers we called; since we weren't going directly through the Vonage gear I assume they were using some basis for defining usage. Anyway, the system works. Now I can see the numbers we call.

However, I ran into another "burp in the road." Two times, when I attempted to call the virtual number (they had tied to our land line, until the conversion) from my cell, I got someone (not us). He was gracious but I was embarrassed (I recognized his voice so I'm sure it was same person). I finally got someone in CS and they called and got the same person. CS said they would follow up.

Then CS emailed me to say that someone had screwed up and assigned me an already active number. I was advised to call tech support for the NJ call center and I did get a tech (David) who spent many minutes with me, but he resolved all my concerns.

David said that changing the virtual number would cause the transfer of the land line number to be delayed so I said forget that. Then David spent a good while, and about 4 faxes back and forth to get our multi-function, using the 2nd line which will be used for faxing, properly setup. And then he added a long comment in my account information that IF the line transfer falls through that I should receive another virtual number, free.

All in all, I ended up quite happy.

Pete French

Posts: 54 · Full Forum Member Joined: May 08, 2006 Posts: 54

Watch your credit card for extra charges from Vonage. When I signed up they issued me a telephone number that was assigned to someone else too. When I called to correct it they not only corrected it but they charged me for a new telephone number. I still have not been credited for that Vonage mistake and it's been 3 months.

Bob

Posts: 150 · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:42 am Post subject:

ram1220 wrote:

I still have not been credited for that Vonage mistake and it's been 3 months. Bob

Suggestion: Sent a WRITTEN dispute letter to vonage, then challenge the charge with your credit card company.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2006 Posts: 5

Thanks for the replys.

First, I have NOT been charged extra (at least so far)--I monitor my bank accounts online several times each day.

Second, I had 6 more calls recently, but it appears that they are all from the "virtual" number they assigned us, which is the one assigned to someone else. Since we have the unlimited plan I'm not too worried. When I went through our previous concerns, George (a tech in their NJ call center who spent a lot of time on the phone and who resolved several issues, including getting the 2nd ("fax") number to work) put a comment into both our account file and the "ticket" file about the virtual problem. I suspect that I need to have them pull that number from my account, now that our original number has been ported.

PeteF