Did anyone watch CNN a few minutes ago? They had a lady with her attorney talking about her issue when she tried to call 911 on Vonage. When she called 911 her call was routed to a non-emergency phone. The time she called no one was staffing the phone line and a voice recording answered telling her to hang up and dial 911. She was unable to dial 911 from her home and as a result her new born baby died...
After watching this I decided to call my local police to ask permission to test my 911. I have my Vonage 911 feature activated and have received the email confirming the setup.
When I called 911 from my phone I was routed to the wrong emergency number. What I got was a non-emergency phone. The lady transferred me and they verified my address. They told me I need to have my PSAP associated with Valley Com. With this information I called Vonage to talk with them; but have been on hold with them for over 45 minutes.
I would strongly suggest testing your 911 or find out the number of the local police and paste it on your phones.
Does anyone know when 911 service will be working correctly with Vonage?
Posted:
Mon May 16, 2005 8:31 pm Post subject: Ok... after being on the phone with Vonage I was given a...
Ok, after being on the phone with Vonage a long time (1+ hour), the Vonage employee offered no help and opened a ticket. That ticket number is 1931256.
It was clear to me that Vonage hasn't trained their staff in how to deal with 911 problems.... anyway, could someone on this forum who works with Vonage please help? If you can pull up my ticket and look at it I think it would get solved faster here.
I need to make sure the PSAP is set to point to Valley Com as instructed by the 911 center. I think it not setup to route correctly. Once they get this fixed I want to test it again.
After being on hold and on the phone for over an hour I get a canned response to my 911 issue! And I have to reply to even open the ticket so they will further assist me! This is B.S.!
Vonage needs to look at how they are handling 911 issues and not address the problem by sending a canned response "asking us to reply to their email to open a ticket." They need to take these issues seriously and work to resolve them. I understand that 911 calls made on Vonage are not the same as a land line; however, my problem is that my 911 calls are being routed wrong PSAP, i.e. as stated on their website:
Vonage offers 911 Dialing to all our customers . When you dial 911, your call is routed from the Vonage network to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for your area.
This needs to be fixed and I am upset that it takes a lot of effort to resolve this with Vonage's customer service. ----
Scroll down and you will see this:
"Once we receive your reply a ticket will be opened so that we may further assist you."
-----Original Message----- From: Vonage Customer Care [mailed:service@vonage.com] Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 6:22 PM To: Subject: [vonage.com #1931256] Automated Response: 911 issue
Thank you for contacting Customer Care,
Here is a list of suggestions that may be helpful in resolving your issue. For additional information please feel free to review our help section located at http://www.vonage.com/help.php.
If you require further assistance you may contact us by replying to this email or by calling us at 1-vonage-help (1-866-243-4357).
1. Always check to make sure that you are connected to the Internet by opening your web browser or checking for email.
2. Check to make sure that all of your devices have power and are working properly. Make sure all of your Ethernet cables are properly connected and that the devices have connectivity.
3. After confirming that you have an Internet connection check the Dashboard in your web account for Service Announcements. Service Announcements are located on the right-hand side of your Dashboard screen. The Dashboard also gives you the ability to manage your Vonage account online, everything from updating your address and credit card information, adding additional lines and activating features. To learn more about the Dashboard click on the link below.
4. Reboot your phone adapter and your network. Rebooting the phone adapter and your network has been known to resolve service issues such as No dial tone and Caller ID. For more information how to properly reboot your phone adapter and network click on the link below.
5. I am experiencing poor audio quality (packet loss, dropouts, one way audio, echo, latency) when placing or receiving calls. What can I do about this? If you are experiencing choppy audio during phones calls this issues is most likely due to a bandwidth or data packet loss issue with your Internet Service Provider. For more information on choppy audio or sound quality issues click on the link below.
6. I have no dial tone when I pick up the telephone connected to the phone adapter (no dial tone from the phone adapter). See #4 above Also check our Learning Center for troubleshooting tips for additional information at http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledgeBase_index.html?category=47
5. I have poor audio quality Poor or scratchy sound is a symptom of a problem with your network connection, network performance, or network card and access point drivers. For more information about audio quality issues click the link below.
6. I am having a problem with connecting International calls. The first thing you should check is the status on your account. The status of your account will be listed on the top of the page in your web account. For more information about International calling, click on the link below.
7. I have problems with my Virtual number Virtual Phone Numbers are very inexpensive secondary numbers. They ring to your primary Vonage line or SoftPhone. For more information about virtual numbers, click on the link below for virtual Number User Guide.
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10. For additional troubleshooting tips see the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide inside of your Vonage Welcome Kit. The Vonage Welcome Kit includes step-by-step instructions for installation and troubleshooting. Troubleshooting tips and guides can also be found online at http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledgeBase_index.html?
If you need additional information check out our Learning Center at: http://www.vonage.com/help.php If you require further assistance, reply to this email by clicking on the reply button on your email program. Once we receive your reply a ticket will be opened so that we may further assist you.
Ill put it in the guys name that handles 911. We have to update the PSAP your particular number routes to. It will probably never go directly to your local police, it goes to a public access point and then they would route you to your local police dept.
BlahFrickinBlah Vonage Forum Associate
Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 12
Location: TiVo Hell
Deadly delay on Vonage 911? Published: May 9, 2005, 10:55 AM PDT By Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com TrackBack Print E-mail TalkBack
A Florida family says inadequacies in Vonage's 911 Net phone service played a role in the death of their 3-month-old daughter, one of several such claims that have drawn increasing attention to a sensitive regulatory issue.
The family's complaint, reported last week on a Florida TV news station, comes just days before U.S. telephone regulators are likely to force Vonage and all other Net phone operators to dramatically improve their emergency calling services.
Cheryl Waller of Deltona, Fla., a recent convert to Vonage, told WESH-Channel 2 that in March she dialed 911 to get help when her daughter, Julia, stopped breathing, but instead heard a recorded voice informing her that the sheriff's department's administrative offices were closed. The few seconds it took for Waller to run to a neighbor's to get help may have cost Julia her life, she told the TV station.
Waller's complaint is similar to one Vonage faces in Texas, where a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Greg Abbott claims that the operator misleads subscribers about the reliability of its 911 service, a claim Vonage denies. The suit was filed after an incident in March in which a Houston teenager using Vonage service allegedly encountered problems connecting to a 911 dispatcher after her parents were shot during a robbery. Soon thereafter, the Federal Communications Commission laid the framework for stricter Net phone 911 rules that are scheduled to be unveiled on May 19, according to several sources.
Concern generated by the events in Houston and Florida highlights potential problems with the circuitous route Net phone 911 calls actually take. Rather than putting callers through directly to a dispatcher, the service sometimes redirects them to the dispatch center's administrative offices, which typically are closed. Another drawback is that Net phone 911 calls are not accompanied by the caller's address and phone number.
"We are starting to get a lot of these calls on nonemergency lines," an emergency services dispatcher wrote after signing a petition the Wallers created to urge lawmakers to force Vonage and other Net phone operators to fix their 911 problems. Repairs under way for server speed tests
The problem for Net phone operators, which lets Internet connections double as home phone lines, is mainly one of access to the nation's 911 infrastructure, which is owned by the four giant local phone companies known as the Bells. The situation appears to be quickly resolving itself, however, because the Bells have begun striking access deals with Vonage in the last few weeks.
In an interview last week before news of the Florida girl's death surfaced, Vonage Chief Financial Officer John Rego said that as a result of the new FCC rules, Net phone operators will likely have until the end of the year to have a fully functioning 911 service.
"That's a little aggressive," Rego said. "It took cellular operators 10 years to get there."
It's nice to see that John Rego shoots high for his customers. Unreal.
dconnor Site Admin
Joined: Mar 05, 2003 Posts: 2257
Location: The Beach
... Chief Financial Officer John Rego said that as a result of the new FCC rules, Net phone operators will likely have until the end of the year to have a fully functioning 911 service.
"That's a little aggressive," Rego said. "It took cellular operators 10 years to get there."
It's nice to see that John Rego shoots high for his customers. Unreal.
I respect Mr Rego's comment - it is very factual. Plus, Vonage is being forced to deal with entities that hate them - the RBOC's.
_________________ Have Questions? Need to speak to Vonage before signing up? Call: 1-888-692-8074 Both Business and Residential customers can call and speak to a Vonage Sales Rep 24 hours a day.
BlahFrickinBlah Vonage Forum Associate
Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 12
Location: TiVo Hell
well, he's got 120 days to clean it up now according to the CNet news.
People should be informed before they sign up for the service that 911 is not guaranteed to go to an emergency line when they dial it. I was never informed that I had to ACTIVATE 911, I stumbled across that when I was looking over the site. That's unexcusable. I don't care who blames who in the end, Vonage should inform customers up front about this matter. Especially after having two high profile incidents (Texas and Florida), you would think they would inform their customers about the problems just to cover their a##. .
jnuzzi Vonage Forum Master
Joined: Feb 02, 2005 Posts: 216
Location: Orlando, FL
Here is a quote from the Terms and Conditions that everyone who has signed up for Vonage has agreed to:
Quote:
2. EMERGENCY SERVICES- 911 DIALING 2.1 Non-Availability of Traditional 911 or E911 Dialing Service You acknowledge and understand that the Service does NOT support traditional 911 or E911 access to emergency services. Vonage does offer a limited 911-type service available only on Vonage Devices as described herein, but you acknowledge and understand that 911-type dialing is NOT automatic, that you must separately take affirmative steps, as described in this Agreement and on Vonage¿s website, to activate such 911-type dialing capabilities and that such 911-type dialing is different in a number of important ways (some, but not necessarily all, of which are described in this Agreement) from traditional 911 service. Vonage 911 dialing cannot be used in conjunction with a Vonage Soft Phone application and is only available on Vonage-certified Devices or Equipment. You agree to inform any household residents, guests and other third persons who may be present at the physical location where you utilize the Service of the non-availability of traditional 911 or E911 dialing from your Vonage Service and Device(s). If you activate Vonage 911-type dialing service, you agree to inform any household residents, guests and other third persons who may be present at the physical location where you utilize the Service as to the important differences and limitations of Vonage 911 dialing service as compared with traditional 911 or E911 dialing that are set forth in this Agreement. 2.2 Description of 911-Type Dialing Capabilities - Activation Required Vonage does offer a 911-type dialing service in the U.S. (but may not offer such service in Canada) that is different in a number of important ways from traditional 911 service. You acknowledge and understand that 911-type dialing is NOT automatic. You must successfully activate the 911 dialing feature by following the instructions from the "Dial 911" link on your dashboard. You acknowledge and understand that you cannot dial 911 from this line unless and until you have received a confirming email. Once you have received a confirming email that 911 dialing has been successfully activated, you may dial 911 as needed. When you dial 911, your call is routed from the Vonage network to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or local emergency service personnel designated for the address that you listed at the time of activation. You acknowledge and understand that when you dial 911 from your Vonage equipment it is intended that you will be routed to the general telephone number for the PSAP or local emergency service provider (which may not be answered outside business hours), and may not be routed to the 911 dispatcher(s) who are specifically designated to receive incoming 911 calls using traditional 911 dialing. Vonage relies on third parties for the forwarding of information underlying such routing, and accordingly Vonage and its third party provider(s) disclaim any and all liability or responsibility in the event such information or routing is incorrect. As described herein, this 911-type dialing currently is NOT the same as traditional 911 or E911 dialing, and at this time, does not necessarily include all of the capabilities of traditional 911 dialing. Neither Vonage nor its officers or employees may be held liable for any claim, damage, or loss, and you hereby waive any and all such claims or causes of action, arising from or relating to 911 dialing unless it is proven that the act or omission proximately causing the claim, damage, or loss constitutes gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct on the part of Vonage. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Vonage and its third party provider from any claim or action arising out of misroutes of 911 calls, including but not limited to your failure to follow correct activation procedures for 911 calling or your provision to Vonage of incorrect information in connection therewith. 2.3 Service Outage 2.3.1 Power Failure or Disruption You acknowledge and understand that 911 dialing does not function in the event of a power failure or disruption. Should there be an interruption in the power supply, the Service and 911 dialing will not function until power is restored. A power failure or disruption may require the Customer to reset or reconfigure equipment prior to utilizing the Service or 911 dialing. 2.3.2 Broadband Service / ISP Outage or Termination / Suspension or Termination by Vonage You acknowledge and understand that service outages or suspension or termination of service by your broadband provider and/or ISP or by Vonage will prevent ALL Service including 911 dialing. 2.3.3 Service Outage Due to Suspension of Your Account You acknowledge and understand that service outages due to suspension of your account as a result of billing issues will prevent ALL Service, including 911dialing. 2.3.4 Other Service Outages You acknowledge and understand that if there is a service outage for ANY reason, such outage will prevent ALL Service, including 911 dialing. Such outages may occur for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to those reasons described elsewhere in this Agreement. 2.3.5 Limitation of Liability and Indemnification You acknowledge and understand that Vonage's liability is limited for any Service outage and/or inability to dial 911 from your line or to access emergency service personnel, as set forth in this document. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Vonage, its officers, directors, employees, affiliates and agents and any other service provider who furnishes services to Customer in connection with this Agreement or the Service, from any and all claims, losses, damages, fines, penalties, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys fees) by, or on behalf of, Customer or any third party or user of Customer's Service relating to the absence, failure or outage of the Service, including 911 dialing and/or inability of Customer or any third person or party or user of Customer's Service to be able to dial 911 or to access emergency service personnel. 2.4 911 Dialing Requires Activation You acknowledge and understand that 911 dialing does not function unless you have successfully activated the 911dialing feature by following the instructions from the "Dial 911" link on your dashboard, and until such later date that such activation has been confirmed to you through a confirming email. You acknowledge and understand that you cannot dial 911 from this line unless and until you have received a confirming email. 2.5 Failure to Designate the Correct Physical Address When Activating 911 Dialing Failure to provide the current and correct physical address and location of your Vonage equipment by following the instructions from the "Dial 911" link on your dashboard will result in any 911 communication you may make being routed to the incorrect local emergency service provider. This must be the actual physical street address where you are located, not a post office box, mail drop or similar address. 2.6 Requires Re-Activation if You Change Your Number or Add or Port New Numbers You acknowledge and understand that 911 dialing does not function if you change your phone number or (for such newly added or ported numbers) if you add or port new numbers to your account, unless and until you have successfully activated the 911 dialing feature for your changed, newly added or newly ported number by following the instructions from the "Dial 911" link on your dashboard, and until such later date that such activation has been confirmed to you through a confirming email. Although you may have activated 911 dialing with your former Vonage phone number, you must separately activate 911 dialing for any changed or newly added or ported number. 2.7 Requires Re-Activation if You Move or Change Location You acknowledge and understand that 911 dialing does not function properly or at all if you move or otherwise change the physical location of your Vonage Device to a different street address, unless and until you have successfully activated the 911 dialing feature following the instructions from the "Dial 911" link on your dashboard, and until such later date that such activation has been confirmed to you through a confirming email. 911 dialing must be re-activated although you may have activated 911 dialing using your former address, and you must separately activate 911 dialing for any new physical address. Failure to provide the current and correct physical address and location of your Vonage equipment will result in any 911 dialing you may make being routed to the incorrect local emergency service provider 2.8 Possibility of Network Congestion and/or Reduced Speed for Routing or Answering 911 Due to the technical constraints on the manner in which it is possible to provide the 911 dialing feature for Vonage Service at this time, you acknowledge and understand that there is a greater possibility of network congestion and/or reduced speed in the routing of a 911 communication made utilizing your Vonage equipment as compared to traditional 911 dialing over traditional public telephone networks. You acknowledge and understand that 911 dialing from your Vonage equipment will be routed to the general telephone number for the local emergency service provider (which may not be answered outside business hours), and will not be routed to the 911 dispatcher(s) who are specifically designated to receive incoming 911 calls at such local provider's facilities when such calls are routed using traditional 911 dialing. You acknowledge and understand that there may be a greater possibility that the general telephone number for the local emergency service provider will produce a busy signal or will take longer to answer, as compared to those 911 calls routed to the 911 dispatcher(s) who are specifically designated to receive incoming 911 calls using traditional 911 dialing. You acknowledge and accept that Vonage relies on third parties for the forwarding of information underlying such routing, and accordingly Vonage and its third party provider(s) disclaim any and all liability or responsibility in the event such information or routing is incorrect. Vonage or its officers or employees, may not be held liable for any claim, damage, or loss, and you hereby waive any and all such claims or causes of action, arising from or relating to 911 dialing unless it is proven that the act or omission proximately causing the claim, damage, or loss constitutes gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct on the part of Vonage. 2.9 Automated Number Identification At this time in the technical development of Vonage 911 dialing, it may or may not be possible for the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and the local emergency personnel to identify your phone number when you dial 911. Vonage's system is configured in most instances to send the automated number identification information; however, one or more telephone companies, not Vonage, route the traffic to the PSAP and the PSAP itself must be able to receive the information and pass it along properly, and PSAPs are not yet always technically capable of doing so. You acknowledge and understand that PSAP and emergency personnel may or may not be able to identify your phone number in order to call you back if the call is unable to be completed, is dropped or disconnected, or if you are unable to speak to tell them your phone number and/or if the Service is not operational for any reason, including without limitation those listed elsewhere in this Agreement. 2.10 Automated Location Identification At this time in the technical development of Vonage 911 Dialing, it is not possible to transmit identification of the address that you have listed to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and local emergency personnel for your area when you dial 911. You acknowledge and understand that you will need to state the nature of your emergency promptly and clearly, including your location, as PSAP and emergency personnel will NOT have this information. You acknowledge and understand that PSAP and emergency personnel will not be able to find your location if the call is unable to be completed, is dropped or disconnected, if you are unable to speak to tell them your location and/or if the Service is not operational for any reason, including without limitation those listed elsewhere in this Agreement. 2.11 Alternative 911 Arrangements You acknowledge that Vonage does not offer primary line or lifeline services. You should always have an alternative means of accessing traditional E911 services.
I sure wish people would actually read these things before they agree to them. Maybe then they would take some personal responsibility instead of always trying to find someone else to blame.
That being said, I do believe that ALL Voip providers should provide e911 service.
I sure wish people would actually read these things before they agree to them. Maybe then they would take some personal responsibility instead of always trying to find someone else to blame.
That being said, I do believe that ALL Voip providers should provide e911 service.
DING DING. We have a winner. You are dead on jnuzzi. Not only does the ToS state that you are not dialing 911 direct, even the FAQ online states:
Quote:
Vonage routes your call to the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP), which provides emergency services in your area. The appropriate PSAP is determined by the physical address you supplied when you configured 911 on your web account. Therefore, if we do not have the correct address, your call cannot be routed to the corresponding PSAP for your area. Another difference between Vonage 911 Dialing service and traditional 911 service is that the Vonage call will be routed to the PSAP's general access line, which is different from the 911 Emergency Response Center. You will need to state the nature of your emergency promptly and clearly, including your location and telephone number, as PSAP personnel will not have this information at hand. PSAP personnel can help you effectively and will take necessary steps to provide you with the appropriate assistance, such as dispatching police, an ambulance and/or a fire truck.
Behind the scenes, the call will go to your local Public Service Answering Point immediately, if you have provided your address by configuring 911 on your web account. If you have not configured 911 on your web account, you won't be able to dial 911 at all.
Why is this information so foreign to some Vonage users? Who here hasn't fully read up on the service they subscribed to? I knew exactly what I was getting into with the 911 service that Vonage offers. It's why I keep my cell phone close by. Besides, I'd rather use my cell to call 911 since the signal can be triangulated to tell the police exactly where I am (or at least where the cell phone is).
All that said, I also agree with jnuzzi in that it's time for the big phone companies and Voip providers to start playing nice over the 911 issue. Fact is the big phone companies are crapping their pants because they don't have Voip rolled out and there is the chance that they will get taken to town because consumers are tired of paying high phone bills. Let's admit it. It's probably the promary reason most of us use Vonage. I know it's the main reason I switched. The Government and the consumer will not wait 10 years for 911 to become a reality to Voip companies. It's on its way. So in the mean time, keep a stripped down land line or a cell phone handy to call 911 in case something happens.
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