Is Toll Free numbers coming to Canada?

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 01, 2005 Posts: 5

I want a toll free number for people to call me like they offer in the US. Any word if Vonage is going to offer this to us soon?

Posts: 188 · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:50 pm Post subject:

That would be cool. The best place to find out is the source. If you write to pr@vonage.com you will get an answer.

Posts: 60 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 60

I also wondered about Toll Free and other services that are presently being offered in the US but not in Canada and the following is a reply from Customer Care.

I should mention that the gap between what is offered in the US and Canada is even larger between Primus Canada/Lingo that between Vongage COM/CA

Thank you for contacting Customer Care.

In response to your email regarding services available in Canada, we
would like to reassure you that we are not intentionally offering
services in the US and not in Canada. Since adding Canada to
our "base", we have worked to be able to offer all of the services
currently available in the US. Because of the intricacies of some of
the features, we are just not able to offer them yet. This does not
mean that they will not be available at a later time. Keep an eye on
your Web Account or the Vonage.Ca website for updates.

I hope that I've answered your questions. If you need further
assistance, feel free to check out our web site at http://vonage.com
that can answer most of your frequently asked questions or call
anytime at 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357).

Deena
Customer Care
Web Site: www.vonage.com
Phone: 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357) or 1-732-650-6699

Posts: 336 · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:33 am Post subject:

I think that first and foremost they need to get 1-800 numbers working so that when we place a call from Canada, it is routed through a Canadian server. Many 1-800 numbers in Canada cannot be contacted through the Vonage network because they appear to be incoming calls from the U.S. If the company you are calling does not pay an extra fee to allow inbound U.S. 1-800 calls, your call will not go through.

Posts: 60 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 60

Dar Kev, sorry but you did not understand the question. The service referred to is a "vitual" 1-800 number assigned so that WE receive the calls through that number, I was not referring to 1-800 numbers of companies that they may have through the phone company.

Posts: 336 · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:53 am Post subject:

I understood what you were saying perfectly! That's why my first sentence was "I think that first and foremost they need to get 1-800 numbers working".

How can they offer us 1-800 numbers when they don't even have a 1-800 server in Canada?

Posts: 60 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 60

The 800 numbers offered to American subscribers include calls from US and Canada. Who cares where the server resides. That's the idea of VIRTUAL numbers.

If a person or company with an address in the US or Canada wishes to call you, they dial an 800 number which has been assigned to you by Vonage (virtual number) and it rings wherever you have your ATA plugged in. It's that simple.

The following is a copy of the relevant parts of the "Toll Free Plus" users guide:

Non-US callers can call Vonage Toll-Free numbers as long as they are calling from a NANP area.

* The NANP is the numbering plan for the Public Switched Telephone Network in the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and many Caribbean nations, including Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks & Caicos.

Now, do you understand?

Posts: 336 · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:57 pm Post subject:

Do you understand how 1-800 works?

Companies in Canada do not necessarily subscribe to USA 1-800. This means people in the USA cannot call Canadian 1-800 numbers, and vice versa. If a company in the USA only subscribes to 1-800 service for the USA, people in Canada cannot call the 1-800 number.

Currently this feature is not working because the only 1-800 server that Vonage has is in the USA. This means even though we are Canadian customers - all of our calls are routed through the USA network. In other words, if you try to call Bell Canada's 1-800 number, good luck - you won't get through. I have come across oodles of 1-800 numbers in Canada that I cannot call. I called to ask my Cable TV (Videotron) company something just the other day and their 1-800 number did not work. I called my insurance broker and their 1-800 number did not work. I had to call the Montreal number directly.

You are talking about offering 1-800 service in Canada, and with Vonage you cannot even dial into a Canadian 1-800 number!

Which is more important?

Let's not put the buggy before the horse.

Posts: 60 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 60

I am really sorry that I am not able to write in French so that you would be able to understand the concept of virtual numbers.

As it clearly stated in my previous post and from the Vonage US web site: "Non-US callers can call Vonage Toll-Free numbers as long as they are calling from a NANP area.

* The NANP is the numbering plan for the Public Switched Telephone Network in the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and many Caribbean nations, including Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks & Caicos."

In other words, a NON-US caller ie a Canadian, can call Vonage Toll-Free numbers as long as they are calling from a NANP area. Canada is a NANP area.

So from the above, a Canadian can call from Canada (a NANP area) to a Vonage Toll-Free number and it will ring the Vonage subscriber's phone. Presently only US subscribers can have a Vonage Toll-Free number at $4.99US/mo but my request that the service be also available to Canadians. If the US subscriber can have people call him from the US and Canada and ALL other NANP areas then why couldn't a Canadian subscriber to the same service have the same?

Duh!!!

Posts: 110 · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:03 pm Post subject:

The problem is that one person is taking about outbound and the other person is speaking of inbound. If you subscribe to Vonage and you are calling out to 800 #s.. You can not reach companies that have 1-800 numbers for canada only.

The other person is speaking about people on the outside (of Vonage) calling 800 numbers that are virtual to Vonage.

There. Hope Everyone understands now Smile