Is there a way to have an 800 number ring differently?

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 19

I already have a single line with Vonage but I'm considering to add an 800 number since I may start a home business. However, I was told that if I get an 800 number it will simply ring my phone as if it's any other caller. I need to distinguish between personal & business calls, it'll affect the way I answer the call.

I'm wondering if I could get the 800 number to ring differently. If not, is there any other way to tell if an incoming call was dialed using the 800 number? I was hoping there might be some notation on the V-Portal display. Does anyone know or have experience with this?

The last resort is just setting up a 2nd line and setting up an 800 number with that line and use a different phone with different ring tone but does anyone have a recommendation on how I could set it up without setting up a 2nd line?

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 19

I actually just thought of a simple solution. I could get the 800 number and simply have that 800 number forwarded to my cell phone (I also have a Skype-In number so I could have it forwarded there as well). This way I could distinguish between personal & business callers.

The only problem is that I'm not 100% sure if it's possible to have the 800 number forwarded, without having the primary number forwarded as well (all Vonage 800 numbers must be associated with a primary number). In my Vonage online account access under Call Fowarding, there is a drop-down menu to configure call forwarding for all of your numbers. Right now I only have one, my primary number. I don't know for certain that if I get an 800 number that it will appear in the drop-down menu to be configurable. My guess is that it will appear and that I would be able to assign call forwarding to that number without affecting my primary number. But again, I'm not 100% certain because I've never tried it.

Anyone with a Vonage 800 number, can you tell me if you can configure call forwarding to it without affecting your primary number?

Posts: 1227 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1227

You will probably by using twice the minutes because you are forwarding that toll free number.

Does your phone have selective ring?

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 19

I plan to forward the toll-free number to my Skype-In number for which I have an unlimited plan so I don't have to worry about double minutes there.

Anyway, do you know from experience if the Vonage toll-free number can in fact be forwarded without the primary number being forwarded?

Posts: 1227 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1227

Sorry I don't know if it can be forwarded. What I meant by using double the minutes is when you forward a call with Vonage, it uses double the minutes, nothing to do with Skype.

Post your question on this forum:

https://forums.vonage.com/index.php

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 293

I'm fairly sure that you can't forward an 800 number without forwarding the main number as well.

The 800 numbers work like the other virtual numbers do and they are tied to a full Vonage number. Whatever you do to the main number is what will happen to the 800/Virtual number.

They created both of these only as a way to give people another number to call you from, not to act as a stand-alone line.

If you want to forward the 800 number but keep your existing line not-forwarded I think you would have to tie it to a second Vonage number in order to do so. This comes at a greater expense, but I'm pretty sure this is your only option.

The other thing you might look for is a non-Vonage 800 number service. They might have options to forward the calls to your Vonage or cell that allow it to be distinguished from direct calls. I doubt they could do it via a ring (since Vonage should control that) but maybe they could be displaying something specific in the caller id. I have no idea if this is possible or not, but its probably something worth looking in to as well.

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 19

Butterman, if you go to your Vonage online account, under "Features" and then "Call Forwarding" you'll see that it says, "Configure your Vonage number(s) to automatically forward your calls to any telephone number of your choice" and then gives a drop-down menu with all the numbers you own. Using the drop-down menu you select a number you own and then press "Configure" next to it to configure that number individually. This set-up alone is an indication that each number can be configured individually to forward to another number. Why would they set it up this way if you couldn't forward an individual number? If it was like you said and call forwarding applies to every single number then they wouldn't have a drop-down menu with all your numbers - they'd probably just have a single line to enter a number where all calls would be forwarded to.

Anyway I'm pretty sure that if you got a virtual number then it would appear in the drop-down list but I'm just not sure if an 800 number would.

By the way, the people at Vonage customer service do agree with me and tell me it's possible to forward an 800 number using that exact section of the online account and I also believe it's possible. I just wanted some confirmation by someone who's actually experienced it.

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 19

roscopco wrote:

What I meant by using double the minutes is when you forward a call with Vonage, it uses double the minutes, nothing to do with Skype.

Roscopco, that never occurred to me. You got a point. When someone calls the 800 number you get charged for minutes there and when the call gets forwarded you're charged for minutes as well. I guess it wouldn't matter if you had the $24.99/month unlimited plan with Vonage, would it? I originally planned to use the residential 500 plan with only 500 minutes per month but after hearing this I may upgrade to the unlimited plan.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 293

Outlier04 wrote:

Butterman, if you go to your Vonage online account, under "Features" and then "Call Forwarding" you'll see that it says, "Configure your Vonage number(s) to automatically forward your calls to any telephone number of your choice" and then gives a drop-down menu with all the numbers you own. Using the drop-down menu you select a number you own and then press "Configure" next to it to configure that number individually. This set-up alone is an indication that each number can be configured individually to forward to another number. Why would they set it up this way if you couldn't forward an individual number? If it was like you said and call forwarding applies to every single number then they wouldn't have a drop-down menu with all your numbers - they'd probably just have a single line to enter a number where all calls would be forwarded to.

Anyway I'm pretty sure that if you got a virtual number then it would appear in the drop-down list but I'm just not sure if an 800 number would.

By the way, the people at Vonage customer service do agree with me and tell me it's possible to forward an 800 number using that exact section of the online account and I also believe it's possible. I just wanted some confirmation by someone who's actually experienced it.

Interesting. I've had virtual numbers in the past and don't remember being able to do this. Its been a few years so maybe this has changed... or maybe I just missed this back in the day when I had a virtual number.

Posts: 176 · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject:

Virtual and toll free numbers are not considered physical lines and therefore will not show up under your forwarding configurations. They are limited to act as pointers to physical lines you have on the same account with the toll free or virtual numbers. It is not possible to forward a virtual or toll free number to anything other then a physical line on your account.

Regardless of the Vonage rate plan(unlimited or not), toll free numbers are billed by the minute because it is an addon feature. It's not part of the account which has unlimited incoming calls. The first 100 incoming are free and then 10 cents a minute thereafter.