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 Review by prestonlewis 
Posted: 2 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 1785 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Sacramento,Sacramento,CA
 Contract price not specified.
 "Nice reps. Very good reputation for quality and service."
 "Poor communication, BYOD is very limited but not stated"
 "Great if you do it their way."
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
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(ratings well below consensus)
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I ordered VP with the BYOD for around $15/month. Great price. Got the original email then silence for 3 days. So I called and was told my account was "fraudulent". How I asked? "Don't know" I'm told. Why haven't you called or emailed me, I asked. "Don't know" I'm told. Problem was cleared up. Then a new problem. They only support a handful of BYOD devices, my PAP-NA not being one of them. It's OK for Open Access, the extra cost service they offer but the PAP-NA isn't good enough for basic service. Solution? They want $60 instead of $15 to turn on my service. Alas, twas too much for me and back to Village Vonage I went.
Followup comments:  Lenagainster
join:2005-01-07
Silver Spring, MD
 ·VoicePulse
 ·DIRECTV
·magicjack.com
| Not a "review" Readers be aware that this "review" was written by one who did not actually use VoicePulse, but balked because the company would not accept his telephone adapter device. The "reviewer" has not sampled the voice quality, the features of the service, or the reliability of the service over a period of time.
It is a pity that DSL Reports does not mandate that a reviewer actually uses the service he/she is reviewing before posting a review. | |
| |
prestonlewis
Premium,MVM
join:2003-04-13
Sacramento, CA
·VoiceStick
| I understand I understand both of your concerns and will just make two points that I'd you to consider. First, the PAP device that I own is welcome on their Open Access plan (requires you to have service first). The argument that they are wanting to "protect" their system or whatever doesn't seem valid to me since they allow any SIP/Soft device to connect to their system using the Open Access feature.
Secondly, while you are correct that I actually never received service from VP, I did attempt to do so and I feel a person's "review" of trying to get a service is valid. I'm not on a vendetta against VP. As I have stated, they have a great reputation for service/quality, etc. However, my only point in writing the review is kind of as a warning to others ie: being labeled a fraud, not being told for days that your BYOD won't work with them.
So I agree with both of you and I hope you'll see my side also. | |
| | dipswich
Premium
join:2003-06-27
Raleigh, NC
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·VoicePulse for Bus..
·ViaTalk
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: I understand Re your first point:
Your PAP device is welcomed on the "Open Access" plan because that plan doesn't have an "unlimited" feature. Voicepulse doesn't need the same protections on that plan, thus it is offered as BYOD.
Re your second point:
When you attempted signup for an unlimited plan, you had to select between a Sipura SPA-2000, Sipura SPA-2002, and a Linksys PAP2T-NA. The FAQs around the VoicePulse site, including one on the signup page (albeit dated wrt the devices listed, still not listing the PAP), communicate VoicePulse's intent to support *only* those devices and allow others on "Open Access" only.
Selecting a specific model and then entering a non-corresponding serial number must have triggered the fraud suspicion. I just want to be fair and point out that there was an error on your side that possibly led to an error on VoicePulse's side in that you created an exception to their automated process. I liken it to mis-addressing a first-class letter-- USPS has a well defined time standard for getting the letter there, but the "return to sender" takes a long and variable time. I would hope that VoicePulse would get back to someone within a couple of business days, though.
My gripe is that "web-site, "ease of installation," "call quality," "reliability," "tech support," and "value for money" all have scores although they clearly aren't all applicable. Many of the ratings would have been better left unchecked. | |
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| Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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 Review by Camelot One
Posted: 2 years ago
member for 8 years, 4638 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Austin,Travis,TX
 Business customer
$34 per month
 about 6 days
"Personalized tech support (same rep every time), very reliable"
"Outgoing Caller-ID Number only, unless porting from a major carrier"
"Absolutely the best VoIP service out there, if you care about reliability as much as price"
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I've been with Voice Pulse for 2 years now. They've been reliable enough that in addition to my home phone, they also have my business lines. The service has been great, and anytime there is even a hiccup, they are very quick to address it. The personalize tech support is a VERY nice touch, you always get the same rep. (and English is not a second language for them)
I highly recommend VP.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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 Review by rx100
Posted: 2.1 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 1266 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Sunnyvale,Santa Clara,CA
$14 per month
about 2 days
| Web-site:
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(ratings match consensus)
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A++ service. Best voice quality and I think its even better than a POTS connection. 0 downtime in last 3 or 4 months. Sofar I had to call the tech support twice once for setting up the acoount and to fix e911 issue. Both the times the isssue was resolved pretty quickly. If you have any issues either talk to Ryan or Martin, they know it all and they do followup on open issues. You cannot go wrong with voicepulse.
Cons:
No caller id with name on outgoing calls
No timestamp on voicemail
No feature to play the VM from my online account
No feature to record the voice calls
For the metered plan/local unlimited plan, call forwards are charged additionally.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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Review by amourai
UPDATED: 2.1 years ago
member for 6.4 years, 50 visits, last login: 88 days ago
Miami,Miami-Dade,FL
$15 per month
about 1 days
"Excellent tech support, low rates, reliable, open standards, U.S.-based customer support"
"Call quality (FL) is acceptable not as good as landline; support is during working hours only."
"Most features and most scalable offerings for Asterisk prepay service. Best tech support."
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I'm paying for the basic local service at just under $15. Ordering and installation was fast though since I used my own SPA3000, it took a bit of tweaking of my LAN to let them have remote access. This is for the residential service (not the prepaid "Connect"/Asterisk service I have previously reviewed).
Good points: 1. very decent (not excellent) audio quality, 2. reliable server, 3. cheap rates per minute, 4. decent website (but needs an ergonomic and design renovation) and 5. "most excellent" technical support in the retail end of VOIP. You speak to a US-based person who is knowledgeable and responsive; though only during working hours; that's fine by me, preferable to 24h/7d service that not US-based, slow to respond and not always knowledgeable. You get the impression that the technical support agents have little need to "escalate" to a higher tier of engineer.
Improvement is needed in audio quality (callers can tell a difference from a landline call) but with everything else going for Voicepulse, I put up with it.
Keep up the good work.
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Review by liquidman
UPDATED: 2.2 years ago
member for 6 years, 18 visits, last login: 90 days ago
Boynton Beach,Palm Beach,FL
$25 per month
about 1 days
"PBX friendly, low calling fees, good call quality"
"Tech support not 24/7, often long hold times"
"Service is reliable and PBX friendly, service is very economical"
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As relatively new business, lowering operating costs is essential to stay in business. I cancelled two POTs lines through bell south and replaced them with 1, four channel line through Voicepulse Connect and connect it to a free Windows based PBX called 3CX. this really helps lower our monthly phone costs, and the VOIP PBX gives greater flexibility to transfer our calls to our a cell phones or to other extensions which we previously could not do because a standard PBX was out of our price range. I will continue to use Voicepulse in the future for all my PBX needs as well as use it for my clients when deploying VOIP PBX's in their offices.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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 Review by pab770
UPDATED: 2.2 years ago
member for 5.9 years, 1801 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Whitestone,Queens,NY
Contract price not specified.
about 3 days
"Call Quality, Price"
"Voicemail"
"I should of went with VoicePulse from the begining."
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8/31/07: Well I am back to Voicepulse. I tried a brief stink with Viatalk, totally bad experience.
Voicepulse continues to be a totally reliable Voip provider.
I previously had SunRocket and I had nothing but problems with them. I was attracted by the free phones. As it turns out the only positve out of my SunRocket experience were the free phones.
Anyway, I did my research here and came upon VoicePulse. What a difference. The call quality is so much better. There was always an echo with SunRocket. Not the case with VoicePulse. It sounds perfect all the time.
I signed up with SR at the end of April. There was at least one outage with SR every week. Not the case with VP. It has been rock solid since day one.
The only problem is that sometimes the Voicemail prompts sound choppy. I called Tech Support about this and they stated that they were in the process of upgrading their voicemail. According to the agent they have had plenty of calls about this and this is what prompted them to overhaul there voicemail system.
Anyway, I am much happier with my second try at VOIP.
VoicePulse just works and works well!
1/18/2006: I am still completely impressed with this company. Customer Service is top notch. How many company will call you back to let you know that your issue has been resolved and quickly too. Nice!!!
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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Review by techie301
UPDATED: 2.2 years ago
member for 7.2 years, 298 visits, last login: 59 days ago
San Jose,Santa Clara,CA
$25 per month
about 4 days
"Excellent sound quality! Great special features & a price you cannot beat!"
"Voicemail needs better features. Need 24/7 phone suppport!"
"Great value and SOLID performance! GREAT support techs too!"
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Back in June I began the process of 'disconnecting' myself from SBC (PacBell) to save the over $350 per month I was paying for ISP, Hosting, POTS, etc. I started with the activation of my Speakeasy OneLink ISP (see my other reviews) and then I used reviews here to choose VoicePulse as my VoIP provider.
I am a service providers nightmare as I am Internet-aware (technical that is) and I know how the technology works. That can be good, but I am very hard to please! I know when I am hearing an excuse vs. fact! VoicePulse is both a low-cost, no-frills VoIP provider AND a high-quality, cutting-edge technology VoIP provider. I am pleased with the overall 'performance' of their service.
I have a 3.0M/768K ADSL Covad line (11,000ft from the CO!) with service from Speakeasy. I am using a 2Wire 1100HW (3.7.5 F/W) with bridged static IPs for the TAs. (Just FYI, the 2Wire SIP ALG works GREAT, no configuration, just plug-n-play!) I purchased two Sipura SPA-2002 TAs from Voxilla (which got me one month of free service to test out all three of my lines!) I received the TAs in about 3 days, the next day I was up and running. The installation of the TA's was simple and the VP provisioning worked without any issues.
I had three numbers to Port from SBC. I used 'Call Forward' features on my lines to direct everything to the VP lines during the Port process. Over the three numbers, the range was 2 weeks to 5 weeks. I had all numbers ported in 5 weeks. The porting process needs to get resolved in general, but this is not a VP problem.
Voice quality has been 'golden'! The Speakeasy service helps make the VP service shine. I have two lines into the house and a 2 line Uniden cordless phone system. That phone can have up to 10 remotes and I love using it with my VoicePulse service. I have configured things to Hunt between the two lines and that makes it very simple to just pick up the phone and not have the 'Call Waiting' issues to deal with. I have the Contacts all up to date with good Caller ID data, nice feature!
The Tech Support crew is hard working and does a great job. The only issue I have is the lack of 24/7 tech support via a phone. I will say this, if I report a problem via their web site (even over the weekend) they do get back to me! I just wish that I could pick up the phone and call them when I have a hot issue! While it is rare, I just don't like the limited contact.
The only reason I have a 4 out of 5 on Reliability is that I had a two week issue with the upstream CLEC and the LEC in my area. They were dropping calls (inbound) made to my ported numbers and also I have some quality issues. It took almost 3 weeks to totally resolve this, but the VP team was on it every hour of every day!
Only other item is that the Voicemail system is limited. It works, but the features are very minimal.
Six months running and things just keep getting better with VoicePulse! Calls are clear as can be.
Aug 30, 2007:
Still running great! Voicemail service is getting better. Overall VoIP quality is great! Only issue, the east coast only POP. I'm on the west coast and a local POP would give a better MOS score. Right now, the Internet and my ISP are the biggest issues with VoIP. VoicePulse is totally RIGHT ON! Good services, good quality, great reliability!
Switched to Linksys PAPT2.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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 Review by nightshade74
Posted: 2.2 years ago
member for 5 years, 2576 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
Prattville,Autauga,AL
$15 per month
about 2 days
"It's cheap and available"
"Tech support points the finger at Netopia and Bellsouth"
"A quick RMA"
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(ratings well below consensus)
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I attempted to try the unlimited local plan. It worked for a few days and then suddenly stopped working. I tryed opening ports, placing the item in the DMZ and swapping
routers. It refused to register. Well I played with it off and on for about a week and then
called "tech support". They blamed the router (where I'd already tried two completely different ones). Then they blamed my ISP -- who wasnt port blocking as per remote port scan. They wouldnt swap my ATA (which is the issue). Oh well onward and upward.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of VoicePulse |
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Review by tlsmith2
Posted: 2.2 years ago
member for 2.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.2 years ago
Arlington,Middlesex,MA
$25 per month
"call quality"
"misrepresent their ability to port numbers"
"wasted our time and lost our legacy number in the process"
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(ratings well below consensus)
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VoicePulse was unwilling to attempt any accommodation for securing our business under misleading pretenses. I guess they assumed we could not tolerate the switching cost since we had been up and running for 2 weeks when they told us that they could not port our number.
Followup comments: llast08
join:2004-08-05
Boise, ID | Doesn't make sense How did VoicePulse cause you to lose your number if they said it can't be ported? If they can't port it, that means they didn't touch anything or start any process that would cause it to get lost. | |
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Review by ktekale
UPDATED: 2.2 years ago
member for 4.5 years, 62 visits, last login: 40 days ago
08854-3120
$24 per month
"7 Digit Dialing, *69 (for Call Return), DND and Scheduled DND, Tech Support"
"Decent Feature Set"
| Web-site:
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I have been using Vonage for a long time. On the same high speed network connection from Optimum, I have no issues with Vonage services.
Then I migrated to Optimum Voice. No issues again on the same high speed network connection. I was one of the unfortunate few to migrate to SR. Surprisingly, I have had no issues with SR and their service till they went out.
SR goes kaput. I have to migrate to one of the VoIP service providers. I pick VoicePulse. This decision was made in part by the reviews here and review by PC Magazine.
It was my mistake to choose VoicePulse.
Pros:
• 7 Digit Dialing
• *69 Call Return Functionality
• DND
• Scheduled DND
• Filters are a good idea. I did not find a use for them.
• Same is true with Telemarketer Block. I would rather use the Do Not Call Registry rather than play around with and try to improve my Telemarketer Block Filter.
Cons:
• There is a one time activation fee of $29.99 - No other vendor asks this fee
• I have been told there is at least a 30 day wait for porting my number from SR
• Many times, I do not get a dial tone - I have the service up and running for almost more than 15 days.
• When on a call, I can hear white noise in the background. I have not heard this noise with other VoIP service providers.
• There is an issue with digit collection, when trying to access any of the 1-800 numbers for customer service
The white noise has been resolved. Changed the wireless router at home. I have been happy with the support trying to make sure, I get the best service.
Followup comments: llast08
join:2004-08-05
Boise, ID | Giving up already? Have you given them a chance to troubleshoot the issue? Their strongest selling point is customer service. I would be shocked if they weren't able to resolve the issue before your 30 days are up. | |
| | DoozerM
Premium
join:2005-12-22
Vienna, VA
·VOIPo
1 edit | Re: Giving up already? They stated the port would take 30 days for me as well, coming from sunrocket, but it actually only took 10. I'm sorry you have been having trouble with your service, but I agree with llast08. You should let them try to troubleshoot the issue as they are top notch at their support. At least, they have been with me.
Also, the one time activation fee is if you use their device, which you did not have to do. They offer the ability to use your own if you have one of their supported devices - then there is no activation fee. | |
| | | sp8
join:2005-05-15 | Re: Giving up already? Hi,
Do you know if the SR AC-211 device will work with their network. Do they port all numbers? From their website, looks like they can't port my number yet...:( | |
| | | | DoozerM
Premium
join:2005-12-22
Vienna, VA
·VOIPo
| Re: Giving up already? said by sp8 :Hi, Do you know if the SR AC-211 device will work with their network. Do they port all numbers? From their website, looks like they can't port my number yet...:( I don't recall seeing our SR AC-211 on the list. However, give them a call and ask. You will get through pretty quickly. | |
| | | | | ktekale
join:2005-05-01
08854-3120 | Re: Giving up already? SR AC-211 is not listed by VP. VP has three devices that are supported. They are listed on their website.
--
-k | |
| | | ktekale
join:2005-05-01
08854-3120
 ·Cingular Wireless
| My port was completed yesterday - took a total of 10 days. Here is my take on the supported devices -
1. I buy my own device. I shell out $ for it. $29.99 is waived.
2. I use the device given/borrowed from them. I am charged $29.99 for activation.
Either way, I am out of $$$. All I wanted to say was that this is not the norm with other VoIP vendors.
I have reported my issues to VP tech support. Let me see, how they pull through.
--
-k | |
| | | | brothertrav
join:2005-09-12
Lakeland, FL
| Re: Giving up already? As good as VP has been for our family, I'd happily shell out $29.99 for the device.
There are always a few who slip through the cracks though and for whatever reason the service just doesn't work out.
Hopefully tech support gets your issues worked out for you and you can be as happy as the majority of us are with VP.
Good luck and please keep us informed! | |
| | | | nycityny
Premium
join:2005-08-09
New York, NY | I shelled out $29.95 to ViaTalk last month for them to activate the device they sent me. It's the exact same policy as VoicePulse.
Your comment about no other VOIP provider charging an activation fee is just plain wrong. | |
| llast08
join:2004-08-05
Boise, ID | So, what happened? Did someone from VP call & email you? Did they identify the issues? | |
| | ktekale
join:2005-05-01
08854-3120
·Cingular Wireless
| Re: So, what happened? Yes, I have spoken to the support folks from VP. They are nice folks.
I have been given additional trouble shooting details. And I have not noticed any issues, so far.
I have changed my wireless routers and things are fine and dandy.
--
-k | |
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