There is an automated response to tickets that are sent under the unlock key subject. Those tickets get the automated response and are 'closed' without any human intervention, this might explain why people get their tickets closed without help.
This doesn't mean that FPL just washes their hands of them though. Even though it is now clear from the start that there is no free support for unlock key customers, the Fongo staff do try and help when they can. There is always the paid option if you really need help setting things up (which is refunded if the fault is found on their end).
With regards to the voip3 server. A few years ago their servers were fairly lax in how they operated. This lead to a horrible service that pretty much ground to a halt. There were so many poorly configured ATAs out there (mainly because of other problems) that they were bringing the main servers down. They then, rightly, tightened things up and the service on the whole has improved no end. This is why you may find that getting things working on the official servers takes a bit more than just putting in a username and password. There is a special server set up for certain customers using certain modems, probably because of how the other servers are set up. voip3 however is not an 'official to use' server. That doesn't mean that they can't have other servers for testing and fault finding purposes, and that doesn't mean they are there for the general public to use. In fact they tell you explicitly that if you do use servers that are not listed then you account may be effected negatively.
- Code: Select all
Yes, I too find it perplexing that all the FPL servers aren't configured in the same manner as voip3.freephoneline.ca. Doing so would help resolve a lot of one-way audio headaches for Freephoneline newcomers.
To help you try and be a little less perplexed. If they set the other servers up the same as this server is, I am willing to bet the service would degrade to the point where it was 2 or 3 years ago. Support would be inundated with hundreds of tickets and would swamped to the point of not being able to help anyone. Most importantly, we would not be able to make phone calls because the servers would be down all the time. Don't you think that even my 5 year old could see that if this server is working better than the others, then the answer would be to make the other servers the same? It would be a no brainer, wouldn't it. That server is more than likely is not set up the same as others, and is probably there for testing and fault finding reasons. The other servers do work, and all work very well, as long as the customers end is set up correctly. FPL are will to help with that if people are having troubles, but now they require people to pay for the help. Personally I don't like this part, especially when I first got here you could pick up a phone and get a very helpful support agent to get things going. It has changed a lot since then, but hey, I paid $50 for my phone line over 5 years ago and not a penny since; so can I really complain?
I do not work for Fongo, in fact a few will know I have been very critical about them in the past. If something is wrong I will say so. They have set the service up how they want it to be. Regardless of how much I don't agree with a lot of changes that have happened here over the years, I will say the service is a lot more stable than it was. I know for a fact that no support ticket has been closed by a support member and ignored (refer to the automated ticket response comment above). Support has actually been very fair and helped customers for free when their bosses have told them that they have to charge those customers. To give you an idea of how much better things have got with the changes they have put in place, whenever something would go down everyone would flood here to find out what the problem was and when it would be back. This increased the 'most users online' count every time. This is what it is now, and has been for a while (you can find this on the home page of the forum).
- Code: Select all
Most users ever online was 75 on Sun 18 Mar, 2012 11:08 am
2012! That number used to increase every few months back then, and you can bet your bottom dollar that there is a lot more users here since that date. So whatever they are doing, they must be doing something right, although it does seem to impact a few customers. I would rather a few had problems then everyone not having a phone line, but that is just me.
They are not being awkward, they are making headway.