I'd watched the ads on TV for months about freeing one's self from Bell South. Sadly, I lived in a remote area where broadband was not yet available. When it did become available, I contacted Vonage. They said my numbers could not be ported, so, again, I waited.
February 13 - they said my numbers could now be ported, so I ordered Vonage service, eager to tell Bell South to take a hike.
Clue #1 should have been the inability of their order takers to speak English. They are in the Philippines. If you ask to speak to someone who has a better grasp of the English language, you are refused, and not at all politely.
Clue #2 should have been their billing options; there are none! You must give them access to your funds through your credit card. You cannot opt for monthly paper bills, nor log onto your account and pay online. They are in control of separating your from your money.
February 24 - completed the Letter of Agency which allows Vonage to contact my previous service provider to get the numbers switched. The acknowledgement Vonage sent me the same day advised that the number transfer would take a minimum of 10 to 14 days.
February 26 - now it begins... The first in a string of seemingly unending inquiries about what to do with the additional numbers associated with my Bell South account. Geesh. When I placed my order, I advised Vonage that I had three phone numbers to transfer to them, which number went to which line, and confirmed pricing for each line. I simply replied with the original order#, listed each line separately, and retyped the pricing confirmed to me at time of order entry. My reply was simply ignored, and the same inquiry was repeated to me NINE TIMES over the course of the next two months.
Although the LEAST of my requests had yet to be processed, (being my known telephone numbers be ported), Vonage continued to bill me for service I had yet to enjoy.
April 26 - fed up with their shenanigans, I sent their "customer care/number transfer" representative a return email, detailing and dating my every interaction with Vonage. I advised that I was canceling the order for service with Vonage. I further advised that I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the FCC, and NJ State Attorney General, and numerous consumer-to-consumer websites.
April 28 - Two days AFTER I told them I was canceling, I received an email saying they were rejecting my request for a number transfer. HA!
April 29 - in the middle of a phone conversation, suddenly I could no longer hear the party with whom I was speaking.
April 30 - now I can neither receive calls nor dial out. The service is prepaid through May 12!
I sent an email to the CEO (jeffrey. [email protected]) and his executive secretary (paula. [email protected]) detailing my experience with Vonage, and requesting a return authorization to return the Linksys router.
May 5 - FIVE DAYS after my complaint to the CEO, I got an email from the "Executive Response Team". What a joke. I told them I was not interested in a resolution; they had had more than 60 days to resolve my issues and port my numbers. I have now been without phone service for a full week. All I want now is to return the router.
May 8 - they replied that I did not have to return the router. They actually had the cojones to tell me they wanted a $79.99 "rebate recovery charge", and a $39.99 "termination charge". They advised that it would be in my best interest to keep my account active until May 13, so I wouldn't be charged a "rebate recovery fee". I responded that they already had my money for service prepaid through May 12th, yet I'd had NO phone service for two weeks now, and hadn't been able to use my fax machine since mid-February!
I called Bell South on May 12, and I my phone, fax, and toll-free numbers were reactivated THAT SAME DAY!
May 13 - Vonage's billing department actually tried to bill my credit card for another month of service, and when the card didn't process, sent me an email asking me to fix it!!!
Sadly, some time earlier, my credit card had been lost, so I had to get a new one. A new card to which Vonage had no access.
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