FreePhoneLine Service (Fee ?)

[hanke]

Will any new Freephoneline registrations be subject to the Monthly Essential Service Fee as well?
I only see where they speak of Fongo Registrations that will be subject to the fee.

Thanks for any clarification that maybe offered.

[TheHardy]

It appears to only be for the Fongo Home Phone service --- not the DV or FPL "free" service. At this moment, the PC softphones for both platforms is still free to use, without monthly charges.

I am not certain what the future holds tho, as there has been no information posted about where Fongo is planning on heading with this project ...

[Jake]

I am not certain what the future holds tho, as there has been no information posted about where Fongo is planning on heading with this project ...

To be fair, they did reply to your question saying they don't have any plans to change FPL. http://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?p=30974#p30974

I think it would be corporate suicide to completely change all the business models of the sub companies, but who knows.

[TheHardy]

I am not certain what the future holds tho, as there has been no information posted about where Fongo is planning on heading with this project ...

To be fair, they did reply to your question saying they don't have any plans to change FPL. http://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?p=30974#p30974

I think it would be corporate suicide to completely change all the business models of the sub companies, but who knows.

That is only HALF the answer though, Jake --- they just stated that they have no plans to discontinue selling the SIP file --- nothing mentioned about any possible MONTHLY fee that may come along!!

Selling a SIP/config file and having a monthly fee for use of the service are two completely separate things ...

As you say, it would sort of go against their established business model, but we are not the ones that are in the seat of power!

[CSCO]

If there is a change in fee structure for FPL I'm likely to look for an alternative. There are other guys who can give me $1 DID with 40mins a day which should cover my usage. My outgoing Canada-wide should be under $4.

Good news is, this does not appear to be case at this time. Fongo Home Ph is for those less technically inclined and also for those don't want to shell out ATA+SIP upfront.

[TheHardy]

If there is a change in fee structure for FPL I'm likely to look for an alternative. There are other guys who can give me $1 DID with 40mins a day which should cover my usage. My outgoing Canada-wide should be under $4.

Good news is, this does not appear to be case at this time. Fongo Home Ph is for those less technically inclined and also for those don't want to shell out ATA+SIP upfront.

Not sure if that was the AIM directly, but it seems to be the side-affect, and a good way to spin it.

I do not mind that they changed horses half-way thru and changed their product line up ... but to flat out stop offering a service without GRANDFATHERING pre-exisiting accounts, to me, is WRONG.

Although we have no "contract" per se, it is like a mobile carrier -- discontinuing a rate plan --- until they completely get rid of it, you are grandfathered on that plan, even though new accounts can no longer get it... and then after a while, when they phase it out, you are GIVEN NOTICE prior to that ...

The way that FONGO did it with DV and just up and stopped, changed their marketting, leaves a sour taste in my mouth still (even though at this very moment I am unaffected) --- I would have liked to see them have some integrity in this and be PRO-ACTIVE rather than RE-active.

It is not too late for them to take a long hard look at this and set up some kind of a grandfathering plan for accounts that existed prior to 1 July/2012 when this changeover seems to have taken place!

[FONGO_mike]

If there is a change in fee structure for FPL I'm likely to look for an alternative. There are other guys who can give me $1 DID with 40mins a day which should cover my usage. My outgoing Canada-wide should be under $4.

Good news is, this does not appear to be case at this time. Fongo Home Ph is for those less technically inclined and also for those don't want to shell out ATA+SIP upfront.

there are no plans for Freephoneline to make any changes (and i have not heard and rumblings of it happening)

As well, anyone previously signed up with any particular service will have their set-up grandfathered in. So if they have previously purchased a SIP/ATA or SIP, they will not be obligated to to pay the monthly essential services fee's.

[TheHardy]

there are no plans for Freephoneline to make any changes (and i have not heard and rumblings of it happening)

As well, anyone previously signed up with any particular service will have their set-up grandfathered in. So if they have previously purchased a SIP/ATA or SIP, they will not be obligated to to pay the monthly essential services fee's.

Thanks for reassuring us with that Mike.

I understand that once PURCHASED, the config file is good for the life of that number ... at least that is how I read the T&C (please clarify if this is wrong!).

The "grandfathering" I am talking of is, for those of us that signed up for a DV account, when it was essentially the same as FPL account, where you HAD the OPTION to purchase a config file/unlock key ... now that DV has diverged and no longer offers this OPTION, that leaves me STUCK in case I DO decide in the future to get an unlock key for the account I have on DV.

My only 2 options, at that point NOW, are to either go with the pay-per-month option, or pay to port the number from DV to FPL (which I never did understand WHY there was a porting fee involved intra-company....???).

What I am asking about is FAIRNESS to those in my position (or similar) that signed up for a DV account _when it did have the option to purchase a config file/unlock key_. We are now boned ... unless Fongo grandfathers us in and allows us to purchase a config file/unlock key, or waives the porting charge for us to move our DV # over to Bud/FPL ...

THAT was the gist of what I was trying to get across.

[seagame2001]

I know Fongo and DV have a monthly essential services fee. FPL doesn't have it right now

Just let you know if they change that's service fee then compare to Magicjack Plus it will be more expensive, however magicjack plus can call every where in US and Canada. Fongo and DV need to purchase long distance credits

This week I was helping someone in the forum fix his problem which Fogno tech support did not know how to fix it. He ported his home phone over more than two weeks he could not use it.

They sent him two different Grandstream 701 model. I say this cause if you charge service fee then you have to able to fix customer problems. The problem was his wireless routers. Of course I fixed his problem and he still used the same router. He did not have phone service for more than two weeks kinda long.

[TheHardy]

I know Fongo and DV have a monthly essential services fee. FPL doesn't have it right now

Just let you know if they change that's service fee then compare to Magicjack Plus it will be more expensive, however magicjack plus can call every where in US and Canada. Fongo and DV need to purchase long distance credits

This week I was helping someone in the forum fix his problem which Fogno tech support did not know how to fix it. He ported his home phone over more than two weeks he could not use it.

They sent him two different Grandstream 701 model. I say this cause if you charge service fee then you have to able to fix customer problems. The problem was his wireless routers. Of course I fixed his problem and he still used the same router. He did not have phone service for more than two weeks kinda long.

I get what you are saying, but with or without PAYING should not be the deciding factor whether SUPPORT is offered or not. Of course, the LEVEL of support may change.

In the case of Fongo and their "limited" support of only their own-supplied ATA's, I think that is crap ... as you say, a lot of the time it turns out to be router/firewall issues. While there are so many other configurations that could possibly be out there, we do have a good database here already of known working configs, and there is a good base also of "generic" settings to check which are usually the culprits of causing 85%+ of the problems.

While I don't really believe in PAYG support, that is always an option too, for more-than-basic support, but there should always be a baseline of included support, basic configuration certainly should be.

A vastly improved FAQ would go a long way, I think, to solving a lot of these issues, and with the input of THIS forum into that FAQ, I am certain that it would be a fairly well detailed one too.

[seagame2001]

I have talk to their tech support a few time they just know the basic port forwarding that's all they would say to customers. I am agree with you that if people who buy Fongo device have to pay monthly fee to tech support. But not fair to people who use third party device to pay it too.

My friend just signed up with Fongo but he did not pay yet. He said to me "they will call me for payment then I will cancel my account". He could not believe that he could not delete his account with fongo after he signed up.

[j8van]

I have talk to their tech support a few time they just know the basic port forwarding that's all they would say to customers. I am agree with you that if people who buy Fongo device have to pay monthly fee to tech support. But not fair to people who use third party device to pay it too.

My friend just signed up with Fongo but he did not pay yet. He said to me "they will call me for payment then I will cancel my account". He could not believe that he could not delete his account with fongo after he signed up.

Your friend can delete his account whenever he wants, there is a "delete this account" button within the admin setting page.

[jaguar414]

hello, mike


is new essential services fee is for old freephoneline .ca customer to who has bought file or ata for home phone. you can help as niw you may have heard as is stated on website but not saying olnly for new customer or for old freephoneline.ca customer too. thanks for help

[FONGO_mike]

Hi jaguar414,

Any pre-existing account the had the VoIP unlock key and an ata that was free, will continue to remain free (grand-fathered in)

[seagame2001]

I will make it straight forward and easy to understand

If you buy ATA device then you have to pay $4.95/monthly fee for tech support

If you buy your on ATA device from third party then you don't have to pay monthly fee, however when you have any problem with your ATA device then tech support will refuse to troubleshooting for u.