$1.95 + tax per month (or $23.40 + tax annually) 911 fee for VoIP unlock key users starting October 1, 2024

[Liptonbrisk]

Some invoices that were issued this month show the following:


“FreePhoneLine VoIP Key customers will be charged a 911 service fee of $1.95 [+ tax]/month on their next billing date following October 1st, 2024. Please ensure your payment method is up to date in your FreePhoneLine account to avoid service interruption.”

https://forums.redflagdeals.com/freepho ... #p39273045

Fongo Support responded to someone with this:

"Since we provide phone service to you, we’re legally required to provide access to 911 emergency services, which we incur costs for. Unfortunately we cannot remove 911 service from your account/service.

We recognize that adjustments to your bill may not be ideal, but there is no contract that states you will receive free-to-use phone service indefinitely. If we did not charge a fee, we would likely have to shut FreePhoneLine service down all together as it does not make sense for us to absorb increasing fees to provide free services."



https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... rvice-fee/

"We recognize that this fee is new to you, but we want to emphasize that we have kept your service free-to-use through past increases that we have absorbed. Unfortunately these fees have become too high for us to continue providing free-to-use service. This modest fee ensures we uphold the calling and emergency services that keep you connected and safe.


We appreciate your understanding and continued loyalty,

The FreePhoneLine Team"

--
There's now an option to prepay the 911 fee: https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... bbe4bb0871. There's also an option to switch to annual billing.

Also, new VoIP unlock key pricing has been reduced to $99.50 + tax.

[Liptonbrisk]

This is the escalation process with Fongo: https://support.fongo.com/hc/articles/2 ... -complaint



If someone needs to get in contact with Fongo, submit a ticket: https://support.fongo.com/hc/requests/n ... onthly+Fee


You can check your ticket status by logging in at
https://support.fongo.com/hc/requests. That's an account for tickets
(zendesk) only and is completely separate from your Freephoneline account or
any other Fongo account you may have. If you don't have a zendesk account yet, click "Sign Up" after visiting the link.
Use the same email address that you use to submit tickets. Do not use the same password as your Freephoneline
account. Again, these accounts are all unrelated.

Visit https://status.fongo.com/.
If "Support System" indicates "Degraded Performance", ticket response time can take up to a week (or longer).

Support staff does not respond to tickets on weekends or Canadian holidays.
Support hours are 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST. They are not obligated to respond
on the these user-to-user support forums.

Fongo does have https://twitter.com/Fongo_Support. I'm not sure if anyone
there responds to direct messages.

Similarly, they appear to be on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FongoMobile/. I don't know whether they'll respond to you there.

[hanke]

Thankfully my 2 invoices don't have that notice of 911 fee. Maybe I will get it next month on the invoices! My invoice dates were 22nd and 23rd of July.

Spoke too soon, just got one of the notices.....

[Liptonbrisk]

That monthly $1.95 + tax 911 fee is intended to affect all VoIP unlock key accounts, regardless of whether it appears on your current invoice (it probably will appear at the very bottom eventually).

[hanke]

That $1.95 (+tax, I suspect) 911 fee per month is intended to affect all VoIP unlock key accounts, regardless of whether it appears on your current invoice (it probably will appear at the very bottom eventually).

Well I sent in an account inquiry about the upcoming 911 fee and asked if we will not be subject to the $35.00 fee should we use 911 services.

[Liptonbrisk]

Well I sent in an account inquiry about the upcoming 911 fee and asked if we will not be subject to the $35.00 per call fee should we use 911 services.

The $35 fee was never charged to anyone anyway.

[hanke]

Well I sent in an account inquiry about the upcoming 911 fee and asked if we will not be subject to the $35.00 per call fee should we use 911 services.

The $35 fee was never charged to anyone anyway.

Oh ok...thanks for that update and guess we will just have to bear the new charge!

[Jake]

I just received an email with this in it.

We want to inform you of an upcoming adjustment related to your FreePhoneLine service. Due to the unexpected rise in inflationary costs effecting our upstream service providers, new fees have been imposed on us related to 911 emergency services.


In order to uphold the coverage and quality of service that you have come to expect, as well as maintain your 911 emergency access (legally required), our free-to-use service must include a 911 service fee. We will begin charging a small monthly fee of only $1.95 for 911 emergency services on your billing date following October 1st, 2024.

Out of principle, this might be a changing point in my FPL journey.

[oleas]

How can we fight this?

[cwspen]

Yes, it's a shame. I get it. But for the amount I use my account (less than 10 minutes every six months) it's definitely not worth it for me to continue. Voip.ms has a DID for $0.85 / month. I'd have to use the phone for a couple hours / month to break even with FPL's pricing.

I've been with them since 2008 and they've been great, especially for long distance. But in the days of $15 cell phone plans, $2 for homephone with an ATA seems disappointing.

I would have rather seen a higher per-use, or being able to opt out of e911 altogether.

[Liptonbrisk]

How can we fight this?

This is the escalation process: https://support.fongo.com/hc/articles/2 ... -complaint.

You should at least contact Fongo first to see what they say: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requ ... urce=email.

CCTS doesn't usually deal with complaints related to 911 fees, however.

[Erft]

Breach of contract.

[streetcore]

I was surprised to see the email today regarding the new 911 charge, because I didn't think FPL supported 911 calls and have a note taped to my home phone saying "NO 911". I've had a voip unlock key since 2013. Have I been mistaken all this time or has something changed?

[Liptonbrisk]

Out of principle, this might be a changing point in my FPL journey.

Personally, I'm not happy.

I've got senior citizens that I help out. I'm not sure how I'm going to explain this situation to them after stating initially, "You pay once, and that's it." Now I have to tell them, "Oh, now you have to pay $1.95+tax per month because terms changed." Doesn't feel good.

On the other hand, I guess Freephoneline must be losing money because there's no way any company wants to deal with upset customers that may wish to completely cut all ties.

[Liptonbrisk]

Have I been mistaken all this time or has something changed?

Edit: Yes, that has changed.

[Erft]

Does anyone have a copy of the Service Contract they could share? CRTC wants to take a peek.

I signed up with them in 2013, back in the days before I started copying and saving T&Cs. All I have is a copy of the original settings page where, beside "Important", it mentions the $35 charge for 911 calls.

Also, in my account in Payment Information, the boxes for credit cards are blank. Did I give them that information back when I paid for my VoIP key, and it's just hidden? I guess they wouldn't have just discarded that info? Certainly, the expiry date will have to be updated.

[Erft]

FAQ re: the new 911 charge
https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... urce=email

[LoDown]

Yes, it's a shame. I get it. But for the amount I use my account (less than 10 minutes every six months) it's definitely not worth it for me to continue. Voip.ms has a DID for $0.85 / month. I'd have to use the phone for a couple hours / month to break even with FPL's pricing.

I've been with them since 2008 and they've been great, especially for long distance. But in the days of $15 cell phone plans, $2 for homephone with an ATA seems disappointing.

I would have rather seen a higher per-use, or being able to opt out of e911 altogether.

After paying a couple hundred dollars for a "pay once service" from freephoneline, then to have them unilaterally change the terms on short notice, is in my mind dishonest and maybe even illegal. They do not deserve our business as a consequence.

What is required for freephoneline users with a SPA2102, to switch to Voip.ms?

[Liptonbrisk]

Does anyone have a copy of the Service Contract they could share?

For 911?
http://web.archive.org/web/201301161815 ... ine.ca/911

Also, in my account in Payment Information, the boxes for credit cards are blank. Did I give them that information back when I paid for my VoIP key

Probably

and it's just hidden

If the card is expired, I'm not sure that it matters.

[leonid]

As your friend, I received this email with the new monthly fee of $1.95 for 911 starting October 1st, 2024 ― and like you all, I'm very not happy. It is a breach of contract.

I use my cell phone if a need 911 because I don't want to $35 charge for 911 calls. And now they impose a monthly fee, and the contract (I did sign in 2014) always say that after the initial payment, it was free for life. Business seem to be not good for them to change they mind.

We sould start a petition or someting to complain or ask Consumer Protection ot something...

[Erft]

For 911?
https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... urce=email

Thanks, Liptonbrisk, but I was actually thinking of the whole agreement, especially any parts pertaining to payment or the free-for-life nature of Freephoneline. Do you have a link for that?

[Liptonbrisk]

I do think we need to consider Fongo's side of the story at least.

"We recognize that this fee is new to you, but we want to emphasize that we have kept your service free-to-use through past increases that we have absorbed. Unfortunately these fees have become too high for us to continue providing free-to-use service. This modest fee ensures we uphold the calling and emergency services that keep you connected and safe."

Unfortunately, this explanation, I feel is somewhat vague. I think that if Fongo explained exactly why it's losing money, a few people might be a little more understanding and perhaps offer alternative options to the business that make sense.

Imagine you're running a business. A certain segment of your customer base is creating losses due to increased costs. What should you do? What would be fair?

Anyway, while I too am not pleased, I think asking Fongo for clarification first makes sense to at least consider their explanation before filing complaints.

[RandyG]

It actually STILL says 911 is free, as of right now.
https://www.freephoneline.ca/

I'm in the same boat, having set up freephoneline acounts for family members, seniors, many people I've not stayed in touch with.

[Liptonbrisk]

For 911?
https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... urce=email

Thanks, Liptonbrisk, but I was actually thinking of the whole agreement, especially any parts pertaining to payment or the free-for-life nature of Freephoneline. Do you have a link for that?

You may need to perform a search in the wayback machine or simply click around at the bottom of that link.
http://web.archive.org/web/201301161814 ... e.ca/terms

[Erft]

@RandyG

It actually STILL says 911 is free, as of right now.
https://www.freephoneline.ca/

That's brilliant. Thanks.