Suggestions For Speeding Phone Number Transfer

Posts: 40 · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:23 pm Post subject:

It should be automatic when the transfer is complete.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 5

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but after waiting 2+ months for the transfer to go through, I filed a compliant with the Michigan Public Service Commission. I took a shotgun approach and filed complaints regarding Vonage, Ameritech, and SBC. Just a few short days later, my "firm" transfer was set and I noticed that I was copied on a reply from Vonage to the MPSC about my complaint.

Draw your own conclusions . . .

Posts: 8 · Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:32 pm Post subject: Re: Complaint

Hmmm...the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, there is an idea.

This whole issue of LNP seems waaaay more trouble than it should be. And if it is the old fashioned carriers like SBC are the ones holding up progress, then state regulators need to know.

Still no progress here, and it's been a lot longer than 20 days.

lwilkinson wrote:

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but after waiting 2+ months for the transfer to go through, I filed a compliant with the Michigan Public Service Commission. I took a shotgun approach and filed complaints regarding Vonage, Ameritech, and SBC. Just a few short days later, my "firm" transfer was set and I noticed that I was copied on a reply from Vonage to the MPSC about my complaint.

Draw your own conclusions . . .

Posts: 12 · Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:32 pm Post subject:

Trying filing a complaint with the fcc.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm

After waiting for 2 months for my number transfer, I filed a complaint with the FCC. Five days after I filed my complaint I got an unsolicited e-mail from Vonage that they were working on the transfer and I wouldn't be charged for my Vonage account until the transfer went through. The transfer happened 20 days after I filed the complaint

Hal

Posts: 8 · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:55 pm Post subject: Status - Not transfered yet....

I've been impressed by the speed at which Vonage customer service has responded to my inquiries lately. Still, the number transfer delay is frustrating for me and people who call me. I keep bugging them, and while I do get a very reasonable (next morning) response to my inquiries, I still don't have anything to indicate that the transfer is going to take place in the near future.

Here are some of the responses I've received lately, do you think I should be hopeful? Or is this just their way of saying....someday it might happen?

*************

From: "Vonage DigitalVoice Customer Care" <numbertransfer@vonage.com>
Date: March 28, 2005 10:58:04 AM CST
To: XXXXX@XXXX.XXX
Subject: [vonage.com #------] Zzzzz Zzzzz .. Acct.#: ----- .. awaiting LNP
Reply-To: numbertransfer@vonage.com

At this time the carrier is working on your request. Unfortunately the carrier has been experiencing some difficulty in processing the orders submitted by us. The good news is that it is being expedited and will be scheduled to transfer shortly. I will contact you as soon as I obtain this information.

Sincerely,
LNP Department

*************

From: numbertransfer@vonage.com
Subject: [vonage.com #------] Zzzzz Zzzzz .. Acct.#: ----- .. awaiting LNP
Date: April 7, 2005 7:12:59 AM CDT
To: XXXXX@XXXX.XXX
Reply-To: numbertransfer@vonage.com

I am contacting you to inform you of your number transfer. I have requested a status from our carrier that is handling your request. As soon as we obtain a finalized transfer date we will contact you
immediately. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Sincerely,
LNP Dept

*************

From: questions@vonage.com
Subject: [vonage.com #------] Zzzzz Zzzzz .. Acct.#: ----- .. awaiting LNP
Date: April 7, 2005 7:59:22 AM CDT
To: XXXXX@XXXX.XXX
Reply-To: questions@vonage.com

Dear XXXX XXXXX,

Thank you for contacting Customer Care.

In response to your email, I have reviewed your account and verified that we initiated the transfer process on February 17,2005. The transfer process takes a minimum of 20 business days for completion and may take longer depending upon the carrier and the process that they utilize.

During this process, you are able to utilize your Vonage service with the temporary phone number of 1-(608)-###-#### that we provided you with. You can use this number to make and receive calls.

I hope that I have been able to assist you today. Should you need further assistance feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Kym
Customer Care Associate

Posts: 8

Several months went by and now it is too late. By the time they got their act together & started to do the actual work to process the transfer, I had already moved. Obviously I can't reactivate phone service at a house I no longer own, and Vonage is not willing to work with SBC to transfer the now inactive number, I guess I am stuck with making my temporary phone number permanent.

In cases where it takes more than 20 days, I believe that Vonage should go work with SBC to get the "inactive" phone number transfered. However, they don't see it that way. Their inefficiency is my problem not theirs. I was amused by the fact that the "Executive Response Team" that eventually responded gave me a very short deadline to reactivate my phone service & respond back to them or they would consider the problem resolved.

My advice to anyone out there contemplating a switch to Vonage is to give up on the idea of phone number transfer, unless you have unlimited time to make it happen. The whole process would have been much easier if I simply gave people my new number from the start, without all the confusing "this is my temporary number until I get my old number back" explanations. Now I have to tell people that call me that my temporary number is now my permanent number.

The phone service works well, the calling features are great, but LNP was a joke, for me at least.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 09, 2005 Posts: 7

I have to say that I have been rooting for Vonage from day one. I got more people to sign up for Vonage then I can recall. They event sent me a hat and a T-Shirt thanking me for sighing up so many people. I have changed my opinion about Vonage.

The FCC regulates the transfer of telephone numbers. Vonage is responsible to its customers to transfer the numbers in a timely manner. They are failing in that duty. Their customer service is absolutely the worst I have ever seen, including Sprint's customer service which I thought was the worst until they bought Nextel. Now Nextel's customer service is actually worse then their parent company Sprint.
Vonage has just received 200M in new venture capital and if those venture capitalist want to save their investment then they better get Jeffery baby off of his butt and fix this number transfer service. Jeffery has his money and in my opinion could care less about Vonage now.

TimeWarner/Brighthouse has just started offering local Voip service. A friend of mine switched to Brighthouse phone service. His number transfer took less than 1 hour. Vonage is claiming they cannot do the 407 area codes any more. Why not? If the FCC says they can; then it must be that it is too much trouble for Vonage. I really wanted Vonage to succeed but I guess once you get your money it is just a case of screw the people that helped you get there.
It is too bad.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 09, 2005 Posts: 7

I just posted the message above and mentioned Sprint in the message.
I guess the Voanage forum is cross advertising with its competition because the system automatically inserted a hyperlink to Sprint's latest advertisement on business services.
Too Funny.

Posts: 2252 · Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 10:49 am Post subject: Re: Now thats funny

brobey wrote:

I just posted the message above and mentioned Sprint in the message.
I guess the Voanage forum is cross advertising with its competition because the system automatically inserted a hyperlink to Sprint's latest advertisement on business services.
Too Funny.

I do not view a cell-phone offer as competing with Voip.

Posts: 13 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Mar 28, 2005 Posts: 13

The FCC regulates the transfer of telephone numbers. Vonage is responsible to its customers to transfer the numbers in a timely manner. They are failing in that duty. Their customer service is absolutely the worst I have ever seen, including Sprint's customer service which I thought was the worst until they bought Nextel. Now Nextel's customer service is actually worse then their parent company Sprint.

Hmmmm.

Seeing that Sprit and Nextel has only announced the merger and the actual meger has not taken place as of yet and is not scheduled to until the 3 or 4Q of this year......