So, months ago I decide I’ll join the “internet phone revolution.” I call up Vonage eager to cut my phone bill from the $56 monster Verizon charges for local service (that’s right, I didn’t even have long distance and it was still $56 a month). Two weeks later, I have the “Vonage modem” in my home which had high-speed cable internet from Comcast. I plug it into the router. Nada. Thus begins my odyssey.
I’m not a tech idiot, but I’m not a genius either. I call up their tech support number using my cell phone. On the other end is someone who sounds like they’re from Bombay but would claim they were from Jersey. They ask me a series of questions that are typical. Is the power on. Is it plugged in. To what is it plugged into. Is there a cable from this to that. What are the lights doing. Ok, here’s a configuration to use. It can take up to 15 minutes to register on our network, please call back if we didn’t solve the problem. Alright.
Fifteen minutes later… no dial-tone.
I call back. I connect to a new person who sounds like they’re from Bombay who begins to ask me the same questions. I explain I’ve been through this already, skip to the good part. I’ve set it up in “this configuration” and it’s not working. Rather that keep going, they seemed to have problems understanding me and continued reading what I can only assume is their technical support chart of questions. They recommend the exact same configuration as before… then I explain it didn’t work. Frustrated, I call it a night. Maybe someone from Jersey will actually be working tomorrow.
Day 2 was a repeat of day 1. Call a few times, get people who can’t understand what I’m saying, then get frustrated and give up.
I was sent on a trip to California through work which put me out a week. Came back, still no service. I called my brother, a tech support guy, who told me I’d probably made a mistake. Vonage runs one of those operations where they’ll blame the cable service and when I call the cable service they’ll blame the internet phone company and no one ends up helping. Time passes as time does and it’s two months later. Still no service. I’ve made multiple calls to customer service and always, without exception, get the guy who can’t understand me who’s accent is an obstacle to our communicating.
I’ve had enough… I cancel my account. Of course, it’s not THAT easy. Vonage explains that because I’m out of the 30 day window from the date of “service activation” that I have to pay a cancellation fee. Never having received a day of service and already having paid over $200 in equipment and monthly charges I balk. He explains it’s fine for me to balk, but they’ll just keep charging me unless I agree verbally to pay the cancellation fee. Once that occurs, I can then speak to an account arbitrator who will look into the problem and work this whole money mess out.
I pay the fee.
I speak to the account arbitrator who basically tells me to get bent.
I complain to the FCC. I complain to the FTC. I complain to the BBB. Vonage elevates my complaint to a higher level of customer service who offers to send me $90 if I return the modem. Interesting… Vonage basically wants me to pay $20 in shipping so they can buy a modem I paid $150 for at the discounted price of $70. That hardly seemed fair to me.
I call my bank and ask if I can recall my payments through them. USAA, a great place to bank, actually calls Vonage with me on the line. The USAA customer service rep listens to the back and forth. I explain that I am owed every cent back and will be happy to return the modem as long as I receive my money. The customer service rep explains that I am past the 30 day window from “service activation.” I explain that since my service was never activated, this is impossible. The fundamental problem is this: I count service activation starting on the day I receive service, Vonage counts you as activated the day the money begins flowing.
USAA offered to pay $100 to me over the debacle. USAA has always been good to me, I couldn’t take the money from them for the low-lifes at Vonage.
I let Vonage know I’ll be suing them in small claims court in Virginia. Virginia’s unique in that a corporation is not allowed to send a lawyer to small claims court. In fact, no one in small claims court is allowed to have a lawyer. The only exception is when you happen to be a lawyer and are one of the two parties involved in the complaint.
Then comes another trip to California for work. I work through the pre-stages of the small claims process, reporting Vonage to the Alexandria Consumer Protection people. It takes a couple months for Vonage to offer them the same deal they offered me: $90 for the modem.
Then I moved houses. Everything’s in boxes. Time has dulled the sting of the corporate rodgering of my backside.
Then in the mail today, I receive a letter from Vonage.
“As one of our valued Vonage alumni, we’d like to extend to you this Exclusive Limited Time Offer…”
A little bit lower is says “Satisfaction Guaranteed” with a reference to the back…
The reference?
30-day money back guarantee is refunded for activation fee, 1st month service charge, shipping charges, and termination fee. Applicable only to first ordered line per account. Available only in the event of timely cancellation for subscribers who obtain a valid return authorization code from billing@vonage.com or 1-vonage-help, and return of original condition and packaging within 30 days of cancellation. Refund will not include charges for taxes, international usage, payphone calls to Vonage toll free numbers and directory assistance. Offer revocable.
Keep in mind it takes between 10-14 days to get the modem. It also takes 10-14 days to have your number switched. Then customer service will assure you they can solve the problem. If they can fool you for about 2 weeks, you’ve just been swindled by Vonage.
Worst… company… ever…
The sucked in 2004.
They sucked in 2005.
They sucked in 2006.
Guess what… they still suck in 2007.
