VoIP providers falling down on number portability
posted Oct 3rd 2005 10:26PM
If you're using a VoIP service and have
decided that it's not ready for prime-time, you may not want to cancel just yet. Unlike traditional phone services and
cellular carriers, VoIP services are not required to let you keep your existing number when you switch. They
might let you, but it's entirely up to them. According to the AP, VoIP carriers have lagged when it comes to
implementing the onerous task of enabling number portability, with most focusing on porting numbers for incoming
customers, rather than helping customers keep their numbers when they drop the service (big surprise). And while some
larger services, like Vonage, allow bidirectional portability, others have taken advantage of the legal gray area to
limit where customers can take their numbers; BellSouth will let you take your number to a fixed-line or cellular
carrier, but not to another VoIP carrier. Meanwhile, both the FCC and congress are working to level the playing field,
so full portability should arrive soon. In the meantime, read the fine print, and don't get too attached to that
number.
I was able to port my BellSouth number to Lingo in less than a week! No questions asked! Unbelievably painless.
I tried to get my corporate numbers OFF of Vonage (1-800's that customers were and still call) and they gave me the big middle finger. The quality was just terrible. I now have to PAY for vonage, setup a redirect message that says call our new number and lose countless customers as a result. Think about that before you port a number over to Vonage (or any other VOIP service).
Switching to Vonage, it took them over a month to port my number which was held with a copper-wire telco. Vonage provided me a free month's service as it took so long for them to get on the ball. Eventually, though, my existing number was ported and the temp number they used for me got recycled into new ones and zeroes. My service experience with Vonage in number porting is that unless you're extremely patient, just suck it up and get a new number. If you don't mind waiting a while and occasionally use customer service people as ersatz verbal speedbags for when you've had a bad day, swing away.
Switching to Vonage, it took them over a month to port my number which was held with a copper-wire telco. Vonage provided me a free month's service as it took so long for them to get on the ball. Eventually, though, my existing number was ported and the temp number they used for me got recycled into new ones and zeroes. My service experience with Vonage in number porting is that unless you're extremely patient, just suck it up and get a new number. If you don't mind waiting a while and occasionally use customer service people as ersatz verbal speedbags for when you've had a bad day, swing away.
A friend of mine is with Primus in Toronto. He had switched from Bell Canada, and ported his number over to Primus (with relative ease). After receiving nothing but horrible quality (I personally blame his internet connection, as I am with Primus and brought my box over to Dublin when I moved here, and the quality is great, especially for 20 bucks a month, but I digress) he decided to switch back to Bell in June. He called Bell, and they informed him that Primus doesn't need to cough up his number if they don't feel like it, and since he has a "good" number (repeating digits and such) that it was pretty unlikely Primus would give it up to him. I found it astounding that the company would base this on the attractiveness of the number, rather than a "trying to keep customers" basis... I never did follow up with him though to find out how it turned out...
#1 You must be one of the lucky ones...
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to transfer my SkypeOut number to Vonage last month. It took a couple of weeks, but hey...I'm just psyched because I had given that number to enough people over the summer that it would have sucked to lose it.
I had no problems keeping my number when I switched from NYC's Verizon to Vonage to Lingo. Every time it was switched within 2-3 weeks.
Part of the problem here is that since these companies are not actually telcos, they aren't the ones doing the porting. Usually it's outsourced, and when you go to a new phone co, you port through them - if you put "Vonage" on your "from" telephone company, technically they don't have to do anything (and you know they won't call to fix the problem) because Vonage isn't a phone company - you pretty much need to know who the backoffice firm is to do this if you end up with a problem.
Packet8 ported my number--after almost 2 months and several calls. I don't think people use VOIP for their amazing customer service. I've been happy with the actual service, but they certainly seem to be unprofessional and disorganized.