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Vonage Review: Horrible Customer Service
As an early adopter of technology, I jumped onto the Vonage VoIP bandwagon. I did not have the best experience with the service (lots and lots of dropped calls) which could have been related to my cable Internet service. In any event, I decided yesterday to cancel the service as I no longer even have the modem hooked up. That is when the fun began!
I attempted to cancel using the number provided on their web site 1-866-243-4357 (they do not provide online cancellation). That number eventually links you to a foreign call center where I attempted to explain my desire to cancel at which time they told me to hang up and call a different number to speak with someone who could assist me in canceling my account (at 800-860-5491). There is an automatic recording at this number that indicates a wait time of 25 minutes.
Feeling that this is an absurd wait time, I decided to give my written request to cancel via e-mail to the Vonage customer service e-mail address. I got an almost immediate written e-mail auto response, including the following instructions:
"To cancel your account and provide you with all of the important cancellation information, we need to verbally verify the owner of the account. This is done to protect you from having another person terminate your service without your knowledge. We do not process request to cancel or to make any changes to account via emails we request you to call to Vonage Toll Free at: 1-VONAGE-HELP 1-866-243-4357.
Note their instructions are to call the first (wrong) 800 number that refers you to the "other" 800 number. Isn't this turning into a fun game?! I had read on many "I hate Vonage" message boards that you really do need to go through with this wretched process or risk a run up of your bill. Even if you cancel all Vonage transactions with your credit card company, Vonage considers you an "active" customer and continues to runs up your bill and will eventually track you down for payment.
Therefore, I set the phone on speaker and waited on hold for over 45 minutes! I finally got a real person who was not about to let me cancel (How about a lesser call package? Let me tell you about why our service is better than your current service . . . and on and on . . . ) Finally, with all the patience I could muster, I interrupted his monologue and begged him to please just cancel my service. Since I was a couple weeks shy of 12 months of service, he told me I wold incur a $39 disconnection fee, so "Wouldn't you rather stay a customer for at least another month?" Who in their right mind would change their mind at this point and agree to stay with this company after being put through this run around?
At this point (blood boiling), I began repeating, "I'll pay the fee, just please process my cancellation" until he finally agreed to put through the cancellation transaction. This a.m. I did get an e-mail confirming my cancellation with a $42 cancellation fee (I guess there is tax on the $39 cancellation fee?) and I have never been happier to pay to get away from such a wretched company. Do yourself a favor and NEVER SIGN UP FOR VONAGE!!!
I attempted to cancel using the number provided on their web site 1-866-243-4357 (they do not provide online cancellation). That number eventually links you to a foreign call center where I attempted to explain my desire to cancel at which time they told me to hang up and call a different number to speak with someone who could assist me in canceling my account (at 800-860-5491). There is an automatic recording at this number that indicates a wait time of 25 minutes.
Feeling that this is an absurd wait time, I decided to give my written request to cancel via e-mail to the Vonage customer service e-mail address. I got an almost immediate written e-mail auto response, including the following instructions:
"To cancel your account and provide you with all of the important cancellation information, we need to verbally verify the owner of the account. This is done to protect you from having another person terminate your service without your knowledge. We do not process request to cancel or to make any changes to account via emails we request you to call to Vonage Toll Free at: 1-VONAGE-HELP 1-866-243-4357.
Note their instructions are to call the first (wrong) 800 number that refers you to the "other" 800 number. Isn't this turning into a fun game?! I had read on many "I hate Vonage" message boards that you really do need to go through with this wretched process or risk a run up of your bill. Even if you cancel all Vonage transactions with your credit card company, Vonage considers you an "active" customer and continues to runs up your bill and will eventually track you down for payment.
Therefore, I set the phone on speaker and waited on hold for over 45 minutes! I finally got a real person who was not about to let me cancel (How about a lesser call package? Let me tell you about why our service is better than your current service . . . and on and on . . . ) Finally, with all the patience I could muster, I interrupted his monologue and begged him to please just cancel my service. Since I was a couple weeks shy of 12 months of service, he told me I wold incur a $39 disconnection fee, so "Wouldn't you rather stay a customer for at least another month?" Who in their right mind would change their mind at this point and agree to stay with this company after being put through this run around?
At this point (blood boiling), I began repeating, "I'll pay the fee, just please process my cancellation" until he finally agreed to put through the cancellation transaction. This a.m. I did get an e-mail confirming my cancellation with a $42 cancellation fee (I guess there is tax on the $39 cancellation fee?) and I have never been happier to pay to get away from such a wretched company. Do yourself a favor and NEVER SIGN UP FOR VONAGE!!!
- Jennifer Maddrell's blog
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I just got off the phone with vonage to cancel my service and since I didn't call before the 30 day period, they want to charge me $114.19 just to get it canceled. And i can't get my money back from the service I didn't even use.They took money out off my account without notifying me first for the second time. I wasn't told that money would be taken from my account to pay the vonage bill. I'm just so frustrated that i can't even think straight.
About to try canceling with them now, found this blog while searching for a number to call to cancel. (Takes deep breath)
Wow, I had a lot to learn from your posts, I am not familiar with their services and I am glad that now I am aware of that. One thing is for certain, people begin to be less tolerant to bad services and I think this is a great thing, this will make us progress even further until perfect customer services will become an absolute must. Answering Service
I'm waiting for vonage to slander one of these major phone co. [by name] in one of their big trumped up commercials we've all seen on tv, that makes me want to puke my guts out. I tried cancelling with them and I had the same trouble most of you have had . they tried to make me pay a 118.00 disconnect fee , I said no ,so I went to my bank and changed my account so they would stop robbing me 30.64 every month.I tried to pay the final bill through the mail "OH NO, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ANY OF THAT!!" So they can either bill me through the mail or they won't get a damn thing.
After having Vonage for less than a month I lost 2 computers and a tv because of their equipment. Anyone else have problems like this. Maybe we do need to get a class action suit going against them. The service is terrible. The calls get dropped, just a horrible service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not use vonage !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was looking for a different phone company. I have Comcast triple play and when money got tough, you can't get pay the phone first and let the cable go. It all goes out. So I wanted to split at least my phone and perhaps Internet. Vonage was the seemingly logical choice having been around a while but the complaints I read now are exactly the same I read from 4 years ago so they don't seem to be doing anything to address the complaints against them. So for me Vonage is out.
Thank you.
Thank you for steering mein the right direction, I was about to change my ATT package due to the costs, but their customer service is good, so again sorry about your misery but you saved me form some. Hope an angel wings drifts some good luck air your way for giving us the heads up! Gracias/Thanks!
SORRY, GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH THE BOLD (AND CAPITALS)
DO NOT SIGN UP WITH VONAGE!!!!!
I AM BEYOND PISSES OFF!!! HOW MANY TIMES, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE DO I NEED TO CALL TO CANCEL MY ACCOUNT???? UPON SIGNING UP, I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE RECEIVING A $100 GIFT CARD, WHICH I NEVER DID, AND THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CONTRACT OR CANCELLATION FEES. I WAS LIED TO, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE!!! AFTER NUMEROUS REPEATED CALLS, I HAVE REACHED THE END OF MY ROPE!! THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $158 TO DISCONNECT!!! I WILL PURSUE THIS MATTER BY CONTACTING THE TV MEDIA, AS WELL AS MY LAWYER!! IS THIS COMPANY THAT RETARDED???? DO THEY NOT REALIZE THAT WITH SO MUCH BAD PUBLICITY (I SHOULD HAVE READ ALL THESE REVIEWS PRIOR TO SIGNING UP) THAT EVENTUALLY, THIS COMPANY WILL FAIL!!!???? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR, AND LEARN FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S MISTAKES, BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR OWN!!
VONAGE CAN GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!
I called that number on 4 different occasions and waited more than 40 minutes each time without an answer
After paying my final bill the way i got out of this was to add a invalid credit card number for billing 4111 1111 1111 1111 will pass the credit card validators but is not an real visa number.
I then changed my name and address to "Cancel my service" and left it at that.
Like many of you, I have been through the high pressure "please don't cancel" rukus with vonage. They have a very scripted cancellation process.
I'm wondering where that cancellation fee is buried.
Hi,
I cancelled my UK Vonage account 7 months ago. It took two attempts to terminate my contract. They eventually managed it. I heard nothing more from them until I received a phone call (7 months later) from a debt recovery agency telling me I owe Vonage £41.00. I told them I have received no letter or invoice from Vonage (honestly) and could they send me an invoice now. They told me it would cost £25 which would be added to my debt!!! This is terrible customer service - I did not rate the quality of the calls highly either. I strongly recommend avoiding this company. There are plenty of VOIP companies springing up - pick an alternative.
I am on hold with vonage now. This is good.
"I've been trying to cancel my account since April!"
"Why can't I get a hold of anyone to cancel my account?"
"Why can't you do it?"
OK, here's how it went. The procedure was to get me to hold, repeat information and hold again whenever the script could not be followed. She claimed that my request to be cancelled was not in her notes. I demanded a written copy of those notes. I head to repeat this about twenty times as she was very good at weaseling around this. She claimed that I "was interrupting her" as she had an incredible script to work with. Vonage is apparently contracting the cancellation of accounts with a very experienced company. I got her to promise to email me her notes so I would have legal documentation that I wanted to cancel. She states that she "cannot" refund my unused service for the last several months, even though she states she is in charge of billing.
"Thank you for being a valued customer and using our service, have a great day."
I've been talking to other people who work at major telcos and they are frequently bringing back customers who went with Vonage. They are laughing at the cancelation fee even though there was no contract. Oh, that cancelation fee was not discussed in the phone conversation, but a form email stated they were sticking everything they could to me. At least they sent something stating a cancelation.
This is customer service from HELL. Can we fight this?
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