home phone companies

[S_H]

hi
just curious. I have been with bell a bit now but am moving. Sprint tried to scam me and I did'nt even have a line for them. so is there only bell or sprint???

[Sammyman]

I believe Rogers offers phone service now with high speed internet.

[fred Zed]

I believe Rogers offers phone service now with high speed internet.

Rogers bought Sprint.ca. Sprint tried to scam S_H.
Primus is another one, a friend of mine who uses them is not too happy with their customer service.

[Sammyman]

I thought Rogers was offering VoIP, same a Vonage. If it's with Sprint though, I agree I'd stay away.

[t8rs]

Rogers bought Sprint.ca. Sprint tried to scam S_H.
Primus is another one, a friend of mine who uses them is not too happy with their customer service.
Primus took over the ISP I was using a couple of years ago. Dropped them like a hot turd for trying to rip me off and having one of the worst customer service dept's I have ever encountered.

[TheNiteHwk]

http://www.eye.net/blog/index.php?cat=5

[Madison Doll]

I have Sprint home phone service and it totally SUCKS!!!!

I have been using them for about a year now and each and every month I have some sort of issue with billing or actual service. They fequently cut off my phone for technical problems and take days to resolve the problem. My ONLY reason for staying with them is the $19.95 a month unlimited long distance. I am going to look into Vonage after yet another battle with Sprint just this morning. They have a long distance plan that is very similar and hopefully more realiable!!!!

Stay far away!!!!

[mmouse]

I've had Sprint for a while and it's been OK. However I cannot stomach to give Rogers/Robbers any more money so I need to switch now. Unfortunately the alternatives seem equally dire from this thread... :(

[billyboy57]

take it from someone in the industry - I work with one of the companies that does suck for voice over IP - I used Vonage they are okay and been doing it for a while internationally just don't ever try to use it with an apple computer and or need customer service for any reason - they use third world countries for custommer service - you think sprint is bad and they are - and yes Rogers is using sprint for the home phone line - sprint and Rogers are a disaster with their custoomer service - if i were anybody i would stick with what they got and no i have no association with this company whatsoever work for the competition but I would buy calling cards until belllaunches their digital voice in toronto. They have invested a lot of time in devloping this watching the other companies fail and that was thier plan. Since Bell is know as a home phone lland line company they wantg to launch with as close to zero erros as possible. Now Bell customer servicxe just a bad as rogers and they have had their own billing issues in the past - bad ones - but they have revamped their whole infastructure wait till digital phone lauches with bell in august here or early september best bet. with love billy.

[thewheelman]

No, Rogers is not using Sprint for home phone service.
Rogers is providing PacketCable VOIP. This is not like
Primus or Vonage, who are simply using your Rogers internet service.
Rogers VOIP is a completely seperate service, that does not share your internet
connection. Third party interconnects like Sprint and Allsteam, provide long distance
carriers only, not home service.

[jaycam]

www.fcibroadband.com offer home phone service. Cheaper then bell and Rogers/Sprint

[mmouse]

No, Rogers is not using Sprint for home phone service.
Rogers is providing PacketCable VOIP. This is not like
Primus or Vonage, who are simply using your Rogers internet service.
Rogers VOIP is a completely seperate service, that does not share your internet
connection. Third party interconnects like Sprint and Allsteam, provide long distance
carriers only, not home service.

Not sure what you are saying. Rogers just bought Sprint, who provided non-VOIP residential phone service.

[jaycam]

Not sure what you are saying. Rogers just bought Sprint, who provided non-VOIP residential phone service.


HAHA I second that... I had to call Sprint customer service for work this week. The Recorded greeting it "Thank you fro calling Rogers, formerly Sprint Canada." Roger bought Sprints parent company Callnet solutions.

Also note that the merger happend not long after Roger bought Fido who was reselling there cell phone services through Sprint with home service

[WhaWhaWha]

Rogers is much more customer conscious than Bell, Sprint, and a host of Locale reconnect companies.

I went through the same shpiel with Westworld Telecommunications for a reconnect account. Bunch of time wasting unprofessional bumblers. They took about 3 weeks longer to install than they said they would — and that was after I paid 124.75 in advance. My compensation was 300 free minutes of long distance. Which at todays rates works out to about 20 bucks. Then eight months later the company went under and closed my account and shut off my service without warning me. To compensate they offered to reconnect me and “Waive” the new connection fee. Like they were entitled to charge it in the first place. I settled with Bell and went back with them.

As for Rogers, I was having a dispute with my landlord who didn’t want me to install cable in my apartment, which was the basement of her house. Seems she wanted to control the cable in the household and the connection in my apartment, which was included in the rent, was lousy. I tried to opt for my own account and the landlord interfered. For her part the landlord is now being denied Rogers service until she agrees to set up a seperate account for the rental unit. For my part, Rogers was very apologetic for not being able to circumvent the landlord’s interfernece of my hookup. They gave me a free DVD player and $200 credit toward rentals and purchaes at any Rogers Video Store in Ontario. It wasnt even their fault!! They also agreed to hook up my cable at my next residence at 1/2 off the first month and waive the installation fee. Can’t get much more fair than that can they?

[kyle8085]

Not sure what you are saying. Rogers just bought Sprint, who provided non-VOIP residential phone service.

Rogers is offering two options now: phone service through your cable line (not VoIP, the signal runs through the fibre), and now service through Rogers Telecom (formerly Sprint), where the signal runs through the Bell lines. I just signed up for the cable service and am waiting for it to be installed.

[childwild]

kyle8085 is it a long wait for installation with rogers?

[kyle8085]

kyle8085 is it a long wait for installation with rogers?

Sorry, haven't been on in a few days. Its about a month, which is actually shorter than Bell is quoting these days.

[leah_mpa]

All I have to say is SPRINT SUCKS!!! Don't EVER sign up with them!!! When I joined Sprint last year, they were suppose to send a technician to come install the phone line for me, but he never came!!! I was so mad that I wasted the whole friggin' day waiting so I called and complained. After putting me on hold for almost half an hour, they told me that the earliest they can send someone else is like a week later. So a waited the whole week, and finally when that person showed up, guess what?? For some reason, he couldn't get my phone line to work. Pissed, I called back to cancel their services. They asked me if I wanted to get their cell-phone package instead. Since they made it sound like a really good deal, I said O.K. Well, guess what??!! Surprise, surprise, the cell-phone never came!!! On top of that, 7 months later, they had the balls to send me a letter, though a collection agency, to ask me for almost $500!!! They said it was for the cell-phone and it's usage. I was furious!!! I told them I never received no cell-phone and asked them that if I really do owe them money for the cell-phone and it's usage, then why wasn't I sent a monthly bill??? Well, they couldn't answer me. But still, they tried to get money from me so finally, after threats to call a lawyer among other things, they decided to drop all the charges. What idiots!!! A total rip-off company!!! So what did I finally do??? I got myself a cell-phone and I've had no problems ever since. Fido's the best. I can talk all I want, anytime, anywhere. It's fantastic. Why friggin' bother with a home phone line?? I say, if you can do without it, don't bother getting one. I haven't had a home phone for over a year and a half now and I don't even miss it.

[goodtime]

Sprint bite off more than they can chew with the home phone market for service and support and been down hilll ever since. Their competition in local and long distance did scare Bell into smarten up. Bell used to be every complain listed here.

I'm on Fido plan as well but reception in certain part of T.O. is lousy. MPA often complain they can't hear me. Funny thing is, it's amazing crystal clear overseas from their partner carrier, while on moving trains going 300+ km/hr, tricked the girls into thinking I was next door. Hope Fido intergration with Rogers don't ruin them and beef up local reception as I hate MPA book me for 3:15 when I intend for 3:50.

[baltimoron]

As a cheap alternative, couldn't you just use your cell for everything?

If your humble abode gets good cell reception indoors, then I'd say get rid of the home phone and use cell at home.

Worked for me.

[t8rs]

So I get the usual telemarketing call a just few days ago from Bell, trying to get me on their long distance plan and other services. I usually let them go on with their spiel since I know they won't be able to sell me on anything. I know exactly what my needs are and I'm pretty anal about it. (You can thank me for taking up their time so they're not calling you. :D)

One of the things they try to sell me is the service plan for wiring in the home. I say no, but this time the girl is persistent. "It's only about 16 cents per day or $5 per month!", she says. Well, that got me thinking... and I say this aloud, "Let's see, $5 per month, that's $60 a year; I've lived her for 4 years, that's $240. I've saved myself $240!" Well, thank you for prompting me to analyze it like that. I guess she didn't have anything in her script to handle that objection as she went right on to trying to sell me on some other service.

Now really, has anyone ever had problems with telephone wiring in their home? I can maybe see that in an older home where wiring corrodes or rats chew through it (and do those things even happen?). Could a service call/repair cost as much as $240? Sounds like a total rip-off to me.

[goodtime]

...Now really, has anyone ever had problems with telephone wiring in their home? I can maybe see that in an older home where wiring corrodes or rats chew through it (and do those things even happen?). Could a service call/repair cost as much as $240? Sounds like a total rip-off to me.
When wiring is a problem, an alternative is go to The Source, ex-Radio Shack, buy a pair of GE Wireless Jacks for about $75 or less that transmits phone signal over the electric wires in your home. Limited speed if you have fax or phone modem. May have trouble in some Metallic buildings like Office and Condos.

[goodtime]

There are some good look hotties at call centers. The bonus is some have the sexy 1-900 voice. When much younger, Goodtime didn't have the heart to hang up on the sweet young voice. Lucky I'm stubble in not buying, otherwise will be broke.

[kooley]

I have often thought about getting rid of my home phone, but having a home alarm kicks that plan in the ass.