Kudos to Vonage service

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Sep 15, 2006 Posts: 94

Since many messages here lament Vonage's service, I figured I'd post saying the good service I received. We had a 425 primary phone number and a 480 virtual phone number that I wanted to "swap" so that the 425 # was virtual and the 480 # was primary. I sent Vonage an email, and got a reply within 24 hours indicating that they were sending the request to advanced technical support. Within 24 hours after that, the swap had been done. I noticed that we didn't have a dial tone, so I emailed them again, and within 24 hours the dial tone was back up.

No fuss, no muss; I'm a happy camper.

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

Glad to read something good about Vonage.

Posts: 61 · Full Forum Member Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 61

I think a lot of us, well I know I do, have good things to say about Vonage. I am surprised to hear good things about the customer service. I have never had good luck with them. Love Vonage, hate the customer service. Maybe and I hope things have changed. It would be a perfect company if the customer service has improved. I would be happy even if they would email me back with an answer, and when they do, I hope that it has something to do with the question that I have asked.
This is from a person that also thinks Kudos to Vonage, and who knows to the customer service people.

Posts: 28 · Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: Kudos?

This is the mail i received from ADVANCED tech support that you just gave them a KUDOS, i am happy for you.

When i Trouble Shoot with them 3 days and everyday 3 to 4 hours and they come up with this e-mail, do you think they deserve a KUDOS?
I am not telling you that VONAGE is a BAD company but when a good company does not have a very good service after sale, even if it's the BEST company, the Customer service reflects their image to the people ( US ) customers. How do you want me to give them a KUDOS where they are resposible to hire people they know what they're doing.

They (VONAGE) called me and even then i didn't recieve any Caller ID only number appearing. Then they sent me this mail. They could have told me i am stupid but not sending this mail, i would have taken it, but they insulted me and my knowledge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear S. M.,

Thank you for contacting Technical Support.

In response to your recent contact, we understand you are not receiving inbound caller
ID name information.

The caller ID system in Canada operates differently than in other parts of North
America. The caller ID system is updated and maintained on a best-effort basis. In
addition, the carrier in possession of the telephone number calling you is responsible
for updating this caller ID information. Vonage is not able to modify any caller ID
information for non-Vonage customers.

Thank you for choosing Vonage, the #1 rated digital phone service.

Sincerely,

Matthew C.
Advanced Technical Support
Global Service Delivery Operations
VONAGE | 23 Main Street | Holmdel, NJ 07733
t: 866.243.4357
w: www.vonage.com

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

When you email or call C.S make sure you call the Canadian number, I find CS much better and usually get an English speaking person.

Posts: 187 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Feb 14, 2007 Posts: 187

Let me get this straight - they swapped your numbers but in the process disabled one of the lines for 24 hours? And you're happy?

Mark

Posts: 233 · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 9:04 am Post subject:

Beats Verizon when I had them. They came out and looked at my line. Then they left and came back 9 days later. I was out of service for 9 days. I should thank them though. They helped me make the decision to move to VoIP and rid them from my life.

Posts: 61 · Full Forum Member Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 61

I believe a lot of good points have been made. I am really glad I am not the only person that is unhappy with then customer service. I have been in customer service for about 15 years and if I ever would have treated a customer the way that they do I would have been fired. Its not that they are not pleasant, just that they do not know answers and try to talk as if they do. I believe that they are given lessons on 4 or 5 answers and they pick one and stick to it. Most of the time I have to say "I'm sorry I didn't understand" after a while I have to give up or I would loose my temper. I don't want to be a hateful customer; I know what that is like. I am unsure of how they seem to understand me, but I can’t them. This is why I believe there are only 4 or 5 answers. They just pick on and go with it. Most of the time I am on hold when I call. I once thought they went to ask one person on what to say. I really do not want to sound hateful, just being truthful. I do like Vonage, but as to the customer service, it is the worst. I read the reply letter that bmerdinian received and I do believe that is a generic letter of theirs or maybe it is computer generated reply. I have won many of rewards for the customer service I have given and when I feel as I have gotten good service, I to will give Kudos. I have never had to with Vonage and I should not have to call Canada to get better service. Really I don't know where my calls are going, I would hope being a proud American, I would treat people the same as I would want to be treated. I would make sure my customer is happy and taken care of before letting them off the phone. I never say anything I don't know, I will find out. So maybe he did get good customer service, but they never work the shift that I call.

Posts: 208 · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

What's wrong with the e-mail response? Looks like they can't update the caller ID information in your area. If it's coming up as unknown or coming up incorrectly, it's not Vonage's problem, it's the carrier sending the caller ID.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_id

Posts: 208 · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:44 pm Post subject:

Here's more info:

7. I'm in Canada, why doesn't my Caller ID work?

Yes, there is a country where things are more complicated than the UK. Most people think that Canada uses Bellcore, just like the USA. It does - almost. For some reason, the former Stentor member companies use a non-standard implementation of MDMF. Bellcore uses DN (Directory Number), usually the 10 digit number that includes the area code found in the phone book. Stentor uses DDN (Dialable Directory Number), a variable length number that is the number that must be dialed to call the other person
back (ie local calls don't include area code, long distance includes the preceding "1"). Normal Bellcore MDMF identifies each part of a message with a Message Type Word parameter, and the DN is assigned Parameter Type 02. The Canadian Stentor switches assign DDN to 03.
This is incredibly confusing for anything that only looks for the DN in 02, and this includes Unimodem (see below). Some modem drivers (and Canadian phones and caller ID boxes) check for both DN and DDN and will display either - 3Com ones for instance (and is there a general patch, perhaps for Unimodem?). Otherwise, you just have to avoid TAPI and use software that specifically knows about this quirk - Identafone is one, but most Canadian authors seem to have found out about this the hard way Wink

. The relevant document was called Stentor document ID-0001 "CALL MANAGEMENT SERVICE (CMS) CALLING NUMBER DELIVERY (CND) (Single and Multiple Message Format) Terminal-to-Network Interface". Following the upheavals in the Canadian telecom market it is now Bell Interface Document BID-0001 and will cost you CAN$50 to download. Incidentally, Stentor's standard also allows for a Parameter Type 06, which includes a flag that indicates that the call is long distance and CallerID is not available, but it may no longer be in use.

Source: http://www.ainslie.org.uk/callerid/cli_faq.htm