22 days later: I have escaped from Vonage hell
I noted 22 days ago that I was dumping my Vonage service. Unfortunately, I tried to have my Vonage number ported to another service (Comcast's Digital Voice) and three separate attempts to move my number to Comcast failed miserably.
The first two times Vonage told Comcast that the name Comcast was using ("Matt Asay") did not match the name on my Vonage account ("Matt Asay"). Yesterday, Comcast called to inform me that now Vonage was saying it had no record of my account (which is surprising since Vonage happily takes $60+ every month from my credit card).
So today I just canceled my Vonage number, but Vonage didn't make it easy:
Vonage Customer Service Rep: So, you are telling me that you would like to cancel your account?
Me: Yes.
Vonage Customer Service Rep: Can I ask why?
Me: The service has hardly worked for the past year. I'm fed up.
Vonage Customer Service Rep: So you would like to cancel your account because the service has not worked properly for you. Have you tried calling customer support? Our technicians are experts in resolving technical issues.
Me: Yes. I have called many times and the service continues to stink. Please just cancel my account.
Vonage Customer Service Rep: I can get a technician on the phone right now...
Me: Please just cancel my account. I don't want to talk to a technician again. I just want out.
Vonage Customer Service Rep: OK, so you are saying that you want to cancel your service with Vonage and that you do not want to talk to a technician to resolve your service issues. We value your business and would like to give you two free months to demonstrate that we can resolve your issues.
Me: I don't want two free months of unusable phone service. I just want to terminate. Can you please cancel my account?
Vonage Customer Service Rep: So you are saying that you do not want two free months of Vonage service? I would be happy to get technical support on the line with us to resolve your issues.
Me: Please just cancel my service. I just want out!
Vonage Customer Service Rep: You seem to really want to cancel your Vonage service. By doing so you will lose your Vonage phone numbers...
Me: Please! That's exactly what I want. I just want to leave Vonage.
Vonage Customer Service Rep: So you're saying that you would like to cancel your Vonage service....
Eventually I escaped. I think. I've read many reports of Vonage continuing to bill people once they have terminated their contract, so I'm not sure whether I am truly free. The only way to escape may well be to cancel the credit card associated with my Vonage account. But then they'll probably issue me a Vonage card....
Vonage Customer Service Rep: So you're saying you would like to apply for the Vonage credit card?
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
I understand about trying to get your Phone number moved. When I signed up for Vonage my previous provider (Sprint/Nextel)took three months to release my number. I kept fighting while Vonage gave me a working number that I could use. But my previous Carrier was relentless with holding onto a number that I originally ported to them. I've had the same number for 8 years now. I've had this number on cell phones and now on Vonage. The thing you need to remember is once you get a phone number .... you own it! It's your number and you can port it to any company you'd like. It's easy to see why so many company's have trouble with this one. Most folks want to leave the provider but do not want to lose contact with friends so it's always better to keep the number and it's easier to stay with the current provider. There is now a wireless number portability law(WNP) That say providers must release your number to the new provider at your request when you change service providers. Hopefully I will not have your experience if I ever decide to leave vonage.
Kim
I never even connected my modemn but returned it within a week or 2 of receiving it. Long before the 90 days.
I had the dumbest conversation with some idiot on the phone who charged me 150 dollars canellation fee....he would NOt allow me to speak to a supervisor or give me a Canadian address or phone # so I could address the complaint.
THIS COMPANY SUCKS!!!!!!!
- by EarthBpundMisfit February 1, 2009 12:57 PM PST
- Hi...I just had a bad experience with Vonage myself.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(6 Comments)I made a payment arrangement for $31.99 because I didn't have the money to pay my bill for December.
No problem they said.
I told them I was going to stop using their service...as I didn't want to continue running up a bill.
Again they said no problem.
I lost my job the day after I had made the arrangements...but I was going to make it right when I got hired on somewhere.
I started using my backup phone service..as its paid for already (I have a magicJack...works wonderfully...shouldn't have made the switch in the firts place. But my wife always complained about it...so I went with a bigger company name she knew.)
Anyway....two months later I get a bill from Vonage for $99.83.
WHen I called to complain...they tell me that I never bothered to disconnect the service.
When I told them that that was what my prior call had been to do...they tell me that ONLY a billing services manager can disconnect my service....and now I owe $189.83.
$39 for a disconnect fee...and $49 for the damned modem.
Happy day I finally get my taxes back...unhappy day the jerks pulled it from my bank account.
A week after I had told them my debit card had been stolen., and I was in the process of getting another one from my bank.
Its always something with these jerks.
When I called back...I asked to speak with a supervisor...like you I was told there wasn't one.
Altho they did offer to get the supervisor to call me back later.