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

[Erft]

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

Thanks, Liptonbrisk.

[Jake]

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?

http://web.archive.org/web/201111092344 ... alServices

Activating your freephoneline home phone is a one time cost.

For a one time charge of $50 freephoneline will send you a Configuration File

[User2934]

Its another money grab excuse. When I signed up for FPl 15 years ago the rule was one time fee and now I get all these excuses and none sense hidden charges . Also if Fongo is going to charge for service then they better provide service support for FPL because as of now there's Jill. Oh an what about the money that Fongo stole from users who had world credits in FPL accounts?? Where is that?? I'm very angry about this because I have 10 numbers which do not require 911 service and I paid for all unlock VOIP Keys 15 years ago. I was promised uninterrupted service while purchasing the keys then. Fongo better come up with another option for those users who do not wish to use their 911 service. Government and rising cost inflation has nothing to do with this. Greed is the major player here.

[emailit]

Rogers charges me $0.75/m for 911 services on my prepaid cell plan. Why does FPL want 2.5 times what greedy Rogers charges? I cannot believe that Fongo Home Phone which charges $4.95/m has $1.95 of 911 fees in it as overhead charges. This new fee appears NOT to be based on 911 charges to FreePhoneLine ...

[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.

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?

Looking into it now. Voip.ms requires a copy of your invoice. Our current invoices do not note the number being used. I'm not sure if that would cause trouble or not.

Voip.ms DID is $0.85 / month with no porting fee and per-minute billing (outbound starting at $0.005 / min, inbound at $0.009 / min). I assume these are in USD, but I'm not sure. If you're setting up a new number, there's a $0.40 setup fee for the DID. Alternatively you can pay $4.95 / month flat-rate with no per-minute billing.

They do offer a $10 referral bonus also.

Setup on your SPA2102 "should be" straight forward. They'll give you the relevant settings / addresses, and then your phone should work as it does now.

[fguser100]

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."

I'm not taking FPL side . I just don't think FPL make a penny out of 1.95$ + tx ( it's about 2.24$ ) for 911.

- Aveno charges 1.50$ US + tx for 911 - and it's mandatory. ( 1.50$ US + tx is about 2.35$ CDN depending on which province you're in and exchange rate )
- Oama charges 2.35$ CDN for 911 ( not sure if tax is included - it's mandatory )
- Voip.ms charges 1.50$ US + tx for 911 ( it's optional for now )

It's not a good news for us, but this is a reality, all voip providers charge for 911.

[fguser100]

Looking into it now. Voip.ms requires a copy of your invoice. Our current invoices do not note the number being used. I'm not sure if that would cause trouble or not.

Voip.ms DID is $0.85 / month with no porting fee and per-minute billing (outbound starting at $0.005 / min, inbound at $0.009 / min). I assume these are in USD, but I'm not sure. If you're setting up a new number, there's a $0.40 setup fee for the DID. Alternatively you can pay $4.95 / month flat-rate with no per-minute billing.

They do offer a $10 referral bonus also.

Setup on your SPA2102 "should be" straight forward. They'll give you the relevant settings / addresses, and then your phone should work as it does now.

- 0.85 + tx US
- 4.95$ + tx US montly flat rate : is only for incoming calls. you have to pay for outoging.

[cwspen]

Bulkvs might be another option. I haven't looked into it too much, but it appears their DID is $0.25 with $0.002 per minute. They charge a $5 port fee (vs. voip.ms no-charge).

E911 with bulk is $0.49. Not sure if it's optional.

[User2934]

I sent free phone line a request to fix this because this falls under crtc rule:

How to file a complaint about a phone company and about billing disputes and errors

Having agreed to one price and subsequently being charged more
Being overcharged due to either a billing system error or a price that is different than advertised
Being billed for per-use services which they claim they did not use

I agreed to $35 per use for 911 calls over 15 years ago and that was primarily why i purchased unlock voip keys. Then thay dropped service support completely from FPL and now this nonsense.

[Liptonbrisk]

Rogers charges me $0.75/m for 911 services on my prepaid cell plan. Why does FPL want 2.5 times what greedy Rogers charges?

Edit: Freephoneline is using Northern 911 and pulling information from a database, which needs to be verified by the caller. This process is similar to what other SIP service providers are forced to use. The method is different.

https://www.northern911.com/

I'm not saying that Freephoneline isn't charging more than the actual cost for providing 911 access -- only that unless someone discloses what Northern911 charges Fongo to provide 911 access, it's difficult to draw conclusions solely based on comparisons to mobility service providers.

[Liptonbrisk]

Government and rising cost inflation has nothing to do with this.

Do you not believe Fongo has to pay a small fee for numbers that it resells?

[Liptonbrisk]

It's not a good news for us, but this is a reality, all voip providers charge for 911.

The VoIP unlock key cost was originally (before $35 appeared anywhere) supposed to have the fee buried into it. I always believed Fongo or Fibernetics had some special arrangement with Northern 911, but since I don't work for them, I don't know.

I thought Fongo might be billed on a per call basis to 911.

[RandyG]

I would prefer what has been quoted before over the years:
"calls to 911 are subject to a $35 fee which is payable after the call is made, failure to remit payment may result in termination of service"

I have 3 lines, so I'd have to start paying $75 / yr. This isn't in the spirit of what I signed up for.
(These lines are used rarely, and not once used for 911 either in all the years)

Does Fongo have to pay somebody monthly now, if you've never called 911? This is some sudden cost they now have to recoup?

Why is it a monthly charge, instead of a 911 fee because you called it? Does anyone know?

From the FAQ about 911 (last item) https://www.fongo.com/freephoneline-911 ... rvice-fee/
it says "Fongo Home Phone costs $4.95/mo" INCLUDING 911.

It's simply hard to believe that 40% of the value of a full service Fongo account is the 911 fee.

Some light on this subject would be nice.

[Liptonbrisk]

I would prefer what has been quoted before over the years:
"calls to 911 are subject to a $35 fee which is payable after the call is made, failure to remit payment may result in termination of service"

No one has been charged anything before for dialing 911, much less $35. The $35 published statement was meant to deter people from frivolously dialing 911: viewtopic.php?t=20529.

I suspect this situation doesn't have anything to do with 911 so much as a way for Fongo to recoup costs or provide a reason to keep Freephoneline running.

Does Fongo have to pay somebody monthly now, if you've never called 911?

I feel Fongo would benefit from explaining further or providing more details.

"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."

Something has increased, according to Fongo.

Some light on this subject would be nice.

I agree.

[RandyG]

It's not a good news for us, but this is a reality, all voip providers charge for 911.

Not accurate. *All* VOIP providers bill you as services rendered.
They never asked you for $100 up front,
where FPL banked your $100, as the price of having "no monthly fees" after.

It's different.

[User2934]

"Freephoneline.ca" the name says it all. If i wanted monthly charges then i would use Fongo or Voip.ms or any other voip provider. I choose FPL for a reason but then Fongo took over completely and I lost all world credits from all my accounts, then some of my purchased accounts stopped working until i complained. Also other providers charge the fee because they also provide service support. Like I mentioned in my first post this is another money grab scheme covered under 911 support charges which has nothing to do with 911 actually.

[streetcore]

Perhaps you were thinking of desktop application users?

Maybe that was it, or maybe I just didn't want to pay the $35, since I'm such a cheap bastard. Anyway, it's good to know it works, but I'm not too crazy about paying a monthly fee for it.

[Erft]

Thanks @Jake.

Erft wrote: ↑07/24/2024
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?

http://web.archive.org/web/201111092344 ... alServices
"Activating your freephoneline home phone is a one time cost."
"For a one time charge of $50 freephoneline will send you a Configuration File"

Unfortunately, those sentences will still be correct after they make the change. There is still a one-time cost to activate the phone line, and a one-time charge to get a configuration file. The monthly $1.95 is a new, additional fee.

[mikoul]

I sent free phone line a request to fix this because this falls under crtc rule:

How to file a complaint about a phone company and about billing disputes and errors

Having agreed to one price and subsequently being charged more
Being overcharged due to either a billing system error or a price that is different than advertised
Being billed for per-use services which they claim they did not use

I agreed to $35 per use for 911 calls over 15 years ago and that was primarily why i purchased unlock voip keys. Then thay dropped service support completely from FPL and now this nonsense.

I will do the same next week, it should be pretty straightforward to have the fee cancelled since it was not in the original contract.

Once you told to FPL you that their new fee was not a part of the original contract if they don't agree, you will have to fill a complaint with the CCTS here: https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/for-consumers ... aint-form/

The process seem pretty fast and FPL have no choice to cooperate because the CCTS is under the umbrella of the CRTC.

Let me know how it goes for you, I will monitor this thread and update it my own case when I have new information.

[Liptonbrisk]

The process seem pretty fast and FPL have no choice to cooperate because the CCTS is under the umbrella of the CRTC.

Are you not considering the possibility that Fongo could close Freephoneline completely if pressured enough?

I do wonder whether Fongo has calculated the mass boycott and resulting online negativity if that were to occur though.

[Erft]

They can do it.
It was in the original contract. Fongo reserved the right to charge additional fees in the future, in the Terms and Conditions. "g." under "8. Account information and payment"
https://web.archive.org/web/20130328162 ... e.ca/terms

g. Currently there is no charge for the Fongo Mobile App Service or the Fongo Softphone Services (not including Equipment, long distance or other ancillary services such as 411 calling and secondary telephone numbers). Fongo reserves the right to change the Services and any fees for the Services at any time. In the event that fees are to be charged on the Freephoneline Services in the future, Fongo will notify the Customer by providing thirty (30) days written notice to the email address submitted at registration (or the current email address, if updated in Customer Account) and will confirm credit card details for the purposes of payment. At this time, Customer must provide all requested financial information and update any Customer information in order to continue using the Services. Failure to provide such information may result in suspension or termination of the Service(s).

Also, be aware that they reserve the right to cancel your Freephoneline service should you breach any part of the contract (which includes their right to add future fees).

9. Service Term and Cancellation
v. Fongo has the right to cancel the Service immediately due to Customer's breach of this Agreement or this Schedule or any abuse or action that is inconsistent with the Fongo Acceptable Use Policy.

[LoDown]

This is from the CRTC at https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/911/voip.htm

IMPORTANT 9-1-1 INFORMATION
We want to make sure that you are aware of important differences in the way 9-1-1 service operates with a VoIP phone when compared with traditional telephone service. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

Differences between traditional 9-1-1 service and VoIP phone 9-1-1
With traditional phone services, your 9-1-1 call is sent directly to the nearest emergency response centre. With VoIP phone service, your 9-1-1 call is forwarded to a third-party service provider that will automatically or manually route your call to the emergency response centre.

Remember to provide your location
Because you can move your VoIP phone between locations and because, for technical reasons, the emergency operator may not have your name, location or contact information available, you must immediately inform the emergency operator of your location and contact particulars any time you call 9-1-1. Do not risk sending police or ambulance services to the wrong location.

Be prepared during any service interruption
VoIP phone service depends not only on your continued subscription (and payment) for the service, but also on Internet connectivity and power to function. In the event of power, network, or Internet outages (including congestion), or if your service is disconnected or suspended due to non-payment, you may experience a failure, disruption or delay in your 9-1-1 service. We recommend that you keep an alternative phone service (such as a cellular telephone) handy to increase the reliability of your access to emergency services during any service interruption.

Do not disconnect
Until you are told to do so by an emergency dispatcher, do not disconnect your 9-1-1 call. If you are inadvertently disconnected, call back immediately.


So the CRTC acknowledges that users should have a cell phone. They seem to miss the fact that 99% of people in Canada do have a cell phone and will use the cell phone to call 911. These days, VOIP phones are the backup to Cell (dead phone, etc) phones. VOIP providers and users need to complain to the CRTC that making 911 service compulsary for VOIP providers must end - it should only be optional.

[LoDown]

An elderly person I know with freephoneline does not have a credit card. Can the 1.95 montly fee be paid at a physical bank or through online banking?

[Liptonbrisk]

An elderly person I know with freephoneline does not have a credit card. Can the 1.95 montly fee be paid at a physical bank or through online banking?

Sadly, I think the answer is no due to https://support.freephoneline.ca/hc/art ... ed-payment.

But you can ask: https://support.fongo.com/hc/requests/n ... urce=email.

I don't even know if a prepaid credit card works. If it does, then that might be an option.

[Erft]

LoDown wrote: ↑
They seem to miss the fact that 99% of people in Canada do have a cell phone and will use the cell phone to call 911. These days, VOIP phones are the backup to Cell (dead phone, etc) phones. VOIP providers and users need to complain to the CRTC that making 911 service compulsary for VOIP providers must end - it should only be optional.

I only got a cell phone two years ago. Only about 50% of the 1000+ residents in my apartment building have cell phones. It remains my backup. My primary phone has been my Freephoneline since 2013 (and Freephoneline was my only phone until two years ago).