I Hate Verizon, Vonage and Comcast, or Erego Ergo Sum
So I called Verizon last week because we're moving and I needed to transfer the DSL to the new apartment. Sorry, they said, we don't have DSL at that location. It's Croyden for heavens sake, 10 minutes from Philly town limits and I can't get DSL? Sigh. Don't worry, we won't hold you to your contract. How very nice of you, thanks. Oh and one more thing, you can't keep your current phone number. That's ok, I laugh, I just got 250 business cards printed with my phone number on them. Oh well, I'm moving out the 17th, so I'd like my phone number changed and my DSL shut off then. Guess that's how the packet crumbles.
Picked up the phone and called Comcast. I'd like to check on the price of cable at my new address. Nope, we don't watch television. Just internet access. $57! A month? And that's just for internet alone? Turns out it's cheaper to get basic cable and internet together, but it's still going to run around $60. I was getting 3Mb/down on a dedicated line for $20 a month through Verizon. Now I get to share my internet connection with all 1500 residents in my complex for $60 a month. Erogo ergo sum.
A friend gives me a good idea to try Vonage. I can keep my current number (and business cards) and the number moves with me. It's also $25 less than Verizon.
I call up Verizon first and tell them I've had it. I want my number canceled in a week, because I'm going with Vonage. The lady kindly informs me that my DSL will be going down any day now. WHAT?! I did a conversational backflip. No, no, I laugh, we can keep the DSL up until next Monday, when the phone service goes down. No, sir, you don't understand, when you called and cancelled last week, they put in an IRREVERSIBLE SHUTDOWN ORDER. She didn't call it this, but it was something just as permanent, frightening and ridiculous.
(**DAYDREAM INTERLUDE: Situation room of the White House, the President issues THE command. We're gonna blow those Russian b... Mr. President! The Russian president on line 1! Say what? It wasn't you? Admiral, cancel the nukes! Now! I'm sorry, sir, we can't... we've issued an IRREVERSIBLE SHUTDOWN ORDER! Fade to mushroom cloud over Red Square..**)
Sir? Why can't you just not turn my DSL off? It's not off now? Sorry sir, the orders been given, we can't. Well, I need a solution--this is how I pay your bills. Well, I suggest dialup until you get to your new place. (Little demons in my head pound spears on the ground and dance half-naked around a fire chanting, dialup, dialup, dialup) **SIGH OF DESPAIR** Alright, can you set it up for me? Yup. That's $9.99. (The demons stop chanting) You're charging me $9.99 for your mistake? (The demons are also perplexed) She appeases them by crediting my account $10, but reminds me the whole time that she doesn't have to do this.
**RING** Hello? Yes, I'd like to set up a Vonage account. Well, let me preface by saying my brother had sent me a Vonage reference email that if I clicked on would give him two free months, and let's just say he could really use the free months. Can I do that on the phone, I ask? My operator assures me I can both keep my number, save money and get my brother 2 months credit. **SIGH OF RELIEF**
After a painless signup, we're good to go, I'm happy, I get transferred to customer service to take care of the two months credit for my brother. Twenty minutes of listening to poorly chosen hold music kinda takes the edge off of the glee. An irritable woman irritable answers and informs me irritably that the person who signed me up was wrong and she can't give him the credit. I'm irritable. I explain to her that it was the company's fault for misleading me and that my brother really needs those two free months. She irritably (she called it courtesy) conceded one free month and put me on hold. Next thing I'm listening to is the dial tone. Now I'm really irritable.
I call back the signup number and asked for the guy who signed me up. The lady either doesn't recognize the name or has been ordered not to pass the phone around. Blah, blah, blah, recap of my situation, end with a fairly strong: "I've been hung up on by one of your employees." Apologies galore. Feeling so bad that she assures me this will be escalated (is that a word) to a superior. I really should call back customer service, she says. What, am I supposed to shake hands, hug and talk about old times?
Then another sinking feeling hits me. The guy who signed me up told me that in order to transfer my number, it would have to be active for 20 days. I move in 5 with a disconnect set for next Monday. Well, I'll just have to call Verizon and ask them move the number over to the new place until Vonage makes the transfer. Oh nuts. Verizon can't transfer this number over to the new place; that's why I called Vonage in the first place!
Frustrated, I call Vonage again. A sweet southern belle named Michelle answered and I explained (rather listlessly) my situation. I didn't tell her the part about the President and the naked demons though. She gives me a temporary number where people can reach me after we move (215.310.1374) until the new number is up and running. I thank her profusely and hang up.
The only hurdle left is to call the landlord and make sure I can keep the current number active at this apartment for 20 days. The new family isn't moving in until early January. Sweet.
So after all of that, I'm going to be able to keep my number and my brothers going to get his credit.
I'm just glad my DSL didn't drop out while posting this entry.
UPDATE: I just recieved an email from Vonage telling me that I can't transfer my old number because I have DSL on my current line... ARGH!
UPDATED UPDATE: Vonage basically wanted me to prove that I cancelled my DSL, so I had to call Verizon and get my IRREVERSIBLE SHUTDOWN ORDER number. Oddly enough, the operator who gave it to me had a Russian accent. Vonage said I'm good to go. In the meantime I'll have a "virtual phone number", so if anyone would like to give me a "virtual phone call" we could have a thoroughly invigorating "virtual conversation"... I'll post the number at the end of the week...
InterAction:
13 December 20052. Mark:
That sounds so familiar! We did the same thing: cable because basic + internet was cheaper than internet only, switch to Vonage, keep the old number, etc.
Depending on the relationship you have with your landlord, you might not even tell him that the phone will be active, since he really doesn't need to know. Unless there is a chance the place could be occupied before the 20 days are up. And it may be that you don't need the full 20 days. Can Verizon keep the number active even if there is no address?
And you can't transfer your number because you have DSL? How do they plan on getting DSL-using customers? Sheesh, sounds like they are pretty messed up.
If it helps, I've been using Vonage for almost two years. It's not without problems, but it is cheaper than phone service, and I can keep my OR number while living in WA.
13 December 20053. John:
Naked Demons? You thought you were going to have it easy just because you got a choice leaving Taconic Telephone?
Sorry Jesse, I just have to laugh at someone else with steam coming out of their ears because of the bad service they get from big companies. Especially telephone companies. It reminds me of myself here too much...
13 December 20054. Jesse Gardner:
Dave - sorry, nothing against Russia... I've just been watching too many West Wing reruns from the library.
Mark - actually, keeping the line alive is what I'm going to do, only I informed my landlord (PBU) and found out no one's moving in until later January, so I think it may work and I don't have to trash the business cards!
John - yes, I'm ashamed of the naked demons. And honestly, I think they were only half-naked, with loin clothes, et. all. I actually was just talking about your experience (oops, that's long distance?) with Taconic with a friend of ours down here. Too much fun!
13 December 20055. LaRosa Johnson:
goodness! your troubles make me want to consider switching to basic cable + internet, and going with Vonage...
because all i have is basic phone service + dsl and it's running me over $100+ a month... it's crazy, and i have no other choice than to use Sprint. bah humbug! only positive thing, my DSL contract ends in January, so i just might consider this change!
lj.
9 March 20068. Erick K Loss:
I am a systems integrator. I work with data, phone, TV and security systems everyday. I set up systems for colleges and hotels. I tried Vonage for our new office phone system. I could not get it to ring through consistently. Calls were not completed, some were dropped. For one week I had no phones at all. Customers would write e-mail or call my cell phone to ask if we were still in business. They would get messages saying that my number was disconnected or that it was not valid.
I spent over 11 hours on-line or on hold trying to get help, most of it on hold. When I called to cancel service I told them that I needed to keep the number and it would take a few days for the phone company to connect me again. They cut me off right then. I had no phone service. Qwest could not reconnect me with that number unless it was active. I had to spend 3 hours trying to get Vonage to activate the number again. Then they gave me a temporary number for 3 days, which no one knew to call, before I got my old number and same crappy service back. When I was finally connected to a land line again they gave me a $12.50 credit for my troubles.
Vonage should be put out of business. They ruined mine for almost a month. They have a cruddy product, lousy service and tech support and terrible business practices.
If you have to choose between two cans and a string and Vonage, take the cans and string. You'll be happier with the service.
9 March 20069. Jesse Gardner:
Now that's a comment that made me laugh out loud.
It's been bittersweet for us. Some days it's great, some days my calls sound like a bad robot voice from Buck Rodgers. I wish other phone services weren't so expensive... to get a comparable Verizon service would run us nearly $60, almost three times the price of Vonage.
What I've done is chosen to use Vonage for the landline and my cell phone when Vonage acts up. It's not perfect, but when I look back on how far we've come in the last ten years, I can be patient.
14 March 200610. han solo:
man. how do you expect people to read anything on this page with a diagonal striped background.. you're making us dizzy!!
14 March 200611. Jesse Gardner:
That's the point. It's mind control, really.
20 March 200612. LuLu:
DO NOT GET VONAGE. I can't even begin to tell you how AWFUL Vonage is. Vonage=BAD.
It took me almost 2 weeks to get through to them; then I was on hold over 30 minutes when I finally did get through - ONLY to be told I had to call another number, and go through the process again. Phone voice quality was poor at best from day one; they didn't prorate a refund (they charged me for another month 2 days ago) AND they charge a $39.95 plus tax cancellation fee if you cancel within the first 12 months.
DO NOT SIGN UP FOR VONAGE, NO MATTER WHAT. It's NOT worth it. And to top it all off, American jobs are going to foreigners - which frustrates me even more.
I cancelled my account and will tell everyone I see and meet how bad they are.
26 July 200613. Dwight:
Verizon rebate was not paid. Info said to keep copy of paperwork and that is just what I did. Now they say they never received it and quit paying them after June 15, 2006. This date was not mentioned in my paperwork. They just quit processing them at will. I figured my was in their garbage can, they must save a lot of money by not paying rebates. They may save $50 from me but will surely be short a customer. I plan on talking to everyone I know as well as the newspaper and question how they do business. Will call the attorney generals office in Washington state to see if they check this out.
8 March 200714. Lance:
You'll probably never see this... since it's years later. But I used to work for a DSL provider. There are some pretty hardcore govt. regulations on telecommunications companies. It's mostly stemming from memories of Ma Bell days + the emergence of CLECs (competing telecom companies that don't own the major infrastructure that the govt. subsidized).
The ILECs (verizon, cingular, GTE, qwest etc.) have been screwing over the CLECs and each other so bad ("slamming" was popular, switching peoples phone svc. to thier own via dubious practices.), that they now need proof that the customer chose to cancel and once an order goes through, "IT HAS TO GO THROUGH". Now it's very inconvenient... but it's at least better than your phone passing through different hands every couple weeks.
It seems that telecom companies still try to screw each other over whenever possible though, and connection requests get provisioned faster than disconnects cause you know.. they'd rather devote more resources to that.
Trying to run vonage over a Comcast line is rough sometimes... don't connect your computer into the Vonage router... get a seperate one and connect that to your modem and then plug the computer and vonage router into that... it'll work better. But I think VOIP sucks in general cause it's dependant on your net connection and is less reliable than old school copper wire (it interference, weather and signal variations better). If you need the free long distance... get a cell phone man.
6 June 200715. Donald Ashley Jr.:
3:45 am Dallas Time on 6-6-W-07
I Have Vonage & i Have "Time Warner" i Used To Have a t & t Now i can't get my Vonage to come on only my Cable with "Time Warner" threw Tv i Used to Have Inter Net with Time & Warner & Vonage now my Computer won't Work & my Phone won't work now i have to buy 2 cellphopne's in order to keep in Touch i wa wondering what's Cheaper ? ? ? to Have InerNet & Phone & Cable ? doe's any body know can i ask? my E-Mail is dashley_99@yahoo.com the only way i can use a Computer is Trew My Brother' s Computer or from the Library .......
24 July 200716. DPOPS:
Vonage is not evil or to blame. As a VERY HAPPY customer, it is not vonage's fault for "crappy service" it is your ISP!!!! They are held captive by your cable/DSL provider. BTW LULU , most of Vonage's technical team is located in America, they are actually bringing all technical service through them back here (America).
6 September 200717. Zoesgarden:
Well, I've considered Vonage, but you have to have working DSL, right? I can't find anything I like. I HATE Verizon with so much passion that I can say it's a good thing I don't own any weapons of mass destruction, as I know where their offices are! We are constantly getting bills for calls we never made that no one at Verizon seems to be able to identify....though, they claim it's a business and the calls originated from our house. How is that? My blind and deaf father is making calls willy nilly to Rhode Island? I don't think so!!! Then I made the brief mistake of getting a cell from Verizon....took it home, came to my senses....as I suspect some mind control was in use...and immediately returned it. Never took the thing out of the box! Got a reciept stating we owe nothing, and are still getting bills from them...first $97 and then after talking to everyone who agree we never used it and owe nothing....$124. HOW??? Must be those naked demons....all dancing around at Verizon, laughing at us!
14 September 200718. Adam:
Maybe you have been affected by the drunken rep syndrom. Here are the symptoms http://www.buyers-nightmare.com/drunken-verizon-rep-attempting-to-solicit-business-services
YourThoughts?
(Minutia)
This entry was written by Jesse on Monday, December 12, 2005 at 4:50 PM and appears in the Miscellany chapter. The previous article was entitled, "Narnia: A Journey into the Imagination", and the next entry is called, "My Sick Wife". Bookmark the permalink, save it to del.icio.us or Digg it.
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12 December 20051. dave:
wow,
they put the cuss in customer service.
and it just goes to show you that we southerners get things done. guess what, I am a russian B... lol, I am half russian. lol, how dare you blow up the red square, mother russia will never fall. aaaaaaaaagh.
lol,
by the way, if those half naked demoms come back, maybe you should call an exterminater.
dave