Billing procedures

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 7

When I signed up for Vonage service, I asked that my current phone number be transfered. I received an email stating that my account was activated, with my current number and they would get the transfer taken care of. It has now been nearly three weeks and they say that maybe tomorrow they will get my number transfered. In the mean time, my billing period began on 11/22/2004, the date I requested service (not when service was provided). Does anyone else have an experience like this where Vonage has billed for service that has not been provided? Does anyone know whether a class-action has been opened against Vonage to recover the improper billed funds and stop them from this practice in the future?

Posts: 20 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:04 pm Post subject:

When you signed for service, did you have Vonage equipment in hand or were you waiting for it to be shipped to you? i signed up for service on 11/16 and had service immediatly.
as a side not, my number port was completed on 12/6!

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 7

I had to wait for the equipment which was received on Friday, Dec. 3, 2004. I had no word from Vantage about when my service would be operational until I wrote them and then they said it should be operational with my phone number on Friday, Dec. 11, 2004. In the meantime, they began my billing cycle on Nov. 22, 2004 which means that they are billing without providing any service. Is this a standard practice or am I just caught in the middle of a big snafu? Should I turn this matter over to the states attorney general for resolution or does Vantage correct their mistakes? Please don't say that three weeks service payment isn't a big thing, I am retired and apparantly Vantage must really need the money otherwise they wouldn't stick it to new customers.

Posts: 79 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:22 pm Post subject:

The minute u finish signing up and open an account, your account is active & billed. Before our shipping dept ships the device, it is provisioned & operational. The minute you receive the device, it can be connected to your broadband internet connection and calls can be placed and recieved, REGARDLESS if u r awaiting a number transfer or not. Tru, calls to a number being transfered WILL NOT ring on your Vonage phone until the transfer is complete, but Vonage supplies customers with number ports in affect with a Temporary Virtual Number. This number can be given to family & friends to receive call directly to ur Vonage phone. If u do not wish to give out the Temp Virtual Number, you can have calls forwarded from ur ported number TO ur Temp Virtual Number, so that calls to ur ported number ring on ur Vonage phone.

Posts: 433 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:43 pm Post subject:

In short, you can still receive calls on your Vonage account,
just go to the "features" section, and call forward the calls to
your present "bell" number, or allow them to go to voicemail.

Am I correct.?

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 7

I actually requested internet phone service, not just another email service. I am still waiting to see if they provide any phone service or whether they believe they can just bill my credit card forever.

Posts: 79 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:58 pm Post subject:

You wouldn't want to forward calls from Vonage to your landline phone...the whole idea is to be able to place calls from & receive calls to your Vonage line. U would need to forward calls FROM your landline TO your Vonage line.

Posts: 433 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:01 pm Post subject:

I am confused, in his case, if he forwards his landline phone to Vonage, and does not have the Vonage ""box", how will he receive calls?

I think his question is why is being billed for usage when he cannot use the Internet system.

Posts: 79 · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:20 pm Post subject:

Obviously my depiction is one in which he has the Vonage device in his possession. As per rfoehler's second post in this forum, he stated he received the device Dec. 3, but was told it wouldn't b operational until Dec. 11, and I am just clarifying things. The minute u finish signing up and open an account, your account is active & billed. Before our shipping dept ships the device, it is provisioned & operational. The minute you receive the device, it can be connected to your broadband internet connection and calls can be placed and received. NOW, if u have an issue with the time between the order placement & the time the device is received, you can request credit for that shipping time through your web account.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 7

While Vonage seems to have a Customer Care Service, I have found that they are not responsive to customer complaints or problems. It is almost like Enron in their approach. Even this forum is monitored and controlled by their "Tech Team" who work from the "corporate script".

Now that I have made a public complaint, it appears that I will not be receiving my phone service anytime in the forseeable future. I was told by Vonage that my phone service would be operational on 12/10/2004, however, even though I have been paying for it since 11/22/2004 does not mean I will receive the service.

Have any others experienced this type of billing problem with Vonage? Is it their normal practice to charge for services that they do not deliver? It is sort of like renting a car and having to pay for it two or three weeks before the company delivers it for your use. Then to make matters worse, they deliver the car but don't hand over the keys and still charge you the full rental.

I realize now that I probably should have just stayed with the phone service I already had but it is too late for that. The guarentee time of two weeks has already expired and I don't have a clue whether the Vonage service even exists.