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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 192 days ago
(review was emailed from domain verizon.net)
 Redmond,King,WA
 $15 per month (12 month contract)
 "Nothing"
 "Everything"
 "Buyer Beware!"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
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Buyer Beware when it comes to Phone Power. There are known conflicts with
Verizon FIOS router and Phone Power. Phone Power service will not work
properly with Verizon. Forget about the satisfaction guarantee, Phone Power
will not and I repeat will not refund all of your money. Their customer
service tries to lay all the blame on you. I would not recommend their
service to anyone.
Redmond, Washington
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Review by AJ_Z0 
UPDATED: 192 days ago
member for 199 days, 151 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Fairfax,Fairfax,VA
$14 per month (24 month contract)
 about 20 days
"Sales and technical support, cost, honesty and transparency"
"Phone number wasn't ported at given time"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
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(ratings match consensus)
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I am a first time VoIP user. Tiring of the cost of local phone service (Cox Communications bundled local and AT&T long distance), I was attracted by a special offer from Vonage which had the ATA and phone with three handsets for approx. $20 after mail-in rebate for a one year contract, not least because I wanted to get a new phone with three handsets.
Fortunately for me the offer had expired by the time I went to exercise it, so I did what I should (and usually would) have done: researched my options. It quickly became clear that Vonage was not a market leader for either cost or service and the Vonage phone set was mediocre quality and lacked handset speakers. Of a number of apparently good providers, I picked PhonePower because in addition to being well reviewed they seemed refreshingly straightforward, honest and transparent in describing their service - something rare in this kind of business these days.
Since I have no other VoIP provider experience against which to compare, the ratings reflect my experience relative to general expectations. I presume these can be updated at a later time.
Timeline:
30 April 2009
Used the web chat to talk to a sales rep who quickly admitted they could not help with my technical question and, without requiring me to ask, transferred me to technical support who not only answered my question well, but also gave me the information I needed [an important distinction, especially for one unfamiliar with the technology].
Researched plans and signed up for "Residential and Small Biz Freedom - 24 Month Term - $14.95/mo" requesting to port my number ASAP. Received confirmation email with order number.
6 May 2009
Received "Completion of Your Order" email with "Activation Date: 5/19/2009" and "Confirmation of Your Hardware Shipment " email with UPS tracking details for the ATA.
11 May 2009
ATA delivered by UPS.
12 May 2009
Picked up, unpacked ATA and connected it to my router (TRENDnet TEW-611BRP). Connected phone (Panasonic KX-TG9331), got dial tone and tested outgoing calls, all of which connected and were clear and without any problems.
19 May 2009
According to the Order Notification, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, your service is active by midnight on the activation date", which though poorly worded I took to mean it would be ported at or before 00:00 today. It wasn't, so I chatted with PhonePower tech support who advised that it would be ported "in a few hours".
A few minutes later I received a couple of calls from the tech, testing the service. He was a little disappointed when I told him it was the old service which was working fine.
I plugged a phone into the ATA in case the port went through and he would call again. About an hour or so later I got a call on that phone, though not from the support rep.
I've been making and receiving calls since then, setting up voicemail and speed dials and other stuff with no problems.
The only problem has been tearing out the huge cableco. phone box and fixed co-ax cables to return to them.
Notes:
The MAC on the label on the ATA was off by one - the sticker had "...E" but the device was "...F". Not a problem, though I did have to update the IP assignment on my router and reset the ATA.
Followup comments:  
PhonePwrTech
join:2007-07-20
1 edit | Not a mistake, a misunderstanding. The MAC on the label on the ATA was off by one - the sticker had "...E" but the device was "...F". Not a problem, though I did have to update the IP assignment on my router and reset the ATA.
The MAC listed on the bottom of the Grandstream device is the LAN MAC address and is used for provisioning, not network negotiation. If you check the status page of the Grandstream (accessed via the LAN port at »192.168.2.1 with the password 123) you will see that it lists both the WAN and LAN side MAC addresses. Hope this clears up any confusion. | |
| 
44402812
Hack The Planet
Premium
join:2006-08-28
Plattsburgh, NY
2 edits | Port Date I'm curious as to why you would strike PhonePower with the bad point of your phone number not being ported at the date given? They even spelled it out for you ""Barring any unforeseen circumstances, your service is active by midnight on the activation date". Did you bother to call them and ask why it was not ported at the date you were expecting? I'm almost willing to bet it may have been the telco holding the process up, in which case PhonePower has no control over. JMHO | |
| | AJ_Z0
join:2009-05-12
Fairfax, VA
 ·PHONE POWER
| Re: Port Date Unless I misunderstand the scoring mechanism, I am not aware of having stricken PhonePower with any bad points. I made no inference that PhonePower was responsible for the delay in porting, merely identified it as part of the experience; my attempt to contribute to that which I valued on this forum when doing my research.
I am quite sure that my comments for 19 May 2009 answer your question, "Did you bother to call them and ask why it was not ported at the date you were expecting?".
Some months on, I am still very happy with the service and only wish I could travel back in time and save all that money I wasted on phone service before I switched. | |
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 Review by SterlingJ85
UPDATED: 194 days ago
member for 9 years, 1852 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Millville,Cumberland,NJ
$20 per month
about 14 days
"Great Voice Quality and Reliability"
"FAXing does not work at all, and GrandStream ATA still has some bugs"
"Best Internet VoIP I have ever used"
| Web-site:
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(ratings match consensus)
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The overall:
I have had every VoIP provider under the sun the past 5 years (Packet8, SunRocket, Vonage, Comcast CDV, COX, etc..). While most provided pretty good service (except Packet8), I had yet to find a reliable one that was also cheap without a ton of extra taxes and fees.
I signed up for PhonePower(.com) last month, when Vonage upset me and I wanted to get away from them.
I have had wonderful voice quality (with the exception of cable VoIP it's the best Internet VoIP yet) and I can't find another reliable provider that is nearly as cheap as they are. My number ported the day they said it would, but Vonage dragged out the port date 2 weeks (10 business days).
Really loving their service thus far
Cons:
I am VERY unhappy that FAXing does not work AT ALL. I have tried EVERY setting, even changing TX Transmission down to 2400 bps with no error correction. I have never had this problem before, even Vonage and SunRocket with the high voice codec did FAXing fine at 9600 bps.
DMZ is also screwed up on the GrandStream ATA (confirmed with tech support), so don't expect it to work. It will just prevent incoming calls if enabled!
Tech Support needs better hours (24/7 would be ideal), everytime I want to contact them to ask a quick question with online chat they aren't there.
The volume on calls is pretty high, I had to turn every cordless/corded phone's volume at it's lowest level. Occassionally, it's still too loud. Hoping they modify the GrandStream configuration to turn down the amplification a little.
Followup comments:
44402812
Hack The Planet
Premium
join:2006-08-28
Plattsburgh, NY
4 edits | Your complaints In response to your comments. Faxing over VoIp is always been problematic at best. If it was such a concern how come you did not ask them about faxing reliability? If you would have asked they would have told you it is not recommended and if the tech was on the ball would have recommended a service like K7.net, myfax, efax, etc.
Okay, so the DMZ does not work right now? What is the problem other then something to complain about? I'm sure they are working on it?
24\7 tech support is very costly. How many telephone providers have 24\7 tech support, bet you can't think of any? Verizon has 9-5 tech support which PhonePower easily surpasses. You like saving hundreds of dollars right? Sure you can have 24/7 tech support and you can pay 25-30.00 a month for it?
"The volume on calls is pretty high, I had to turn every cordless/corded phone's volume at it's lowest level." Are you serious! I'm sure it makes the techs at PhonePhone wonder what they are in for? I really wish there was a hotline so s#$%id people could just call into complain so it would free up tech support and keep my costs down
Glad you everything is working out for you. 
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SterlingJ85
Obama 2008
join:2000-11-19
Millville, NJ
·PHONE POWER
1 edit | Re: Your complaints Dude, seriously. I have been in IT for years, and been a member of this site for almost 9 years... my complaints are valid. Don't be such a fanboy.. This is a newer VoIP company and if no one can speak to the shortcomings of the service how could it improve to be even better?
1) FAXing is not supported by ANY VoIP provider for obvious reasons. My statement was that I have gotten it to work on every single VoIP provider so far except PhonePower, which has me disappointed in that regard.
2) DMZ is something to complain about because it doesn't work. I want the GrandStream between my cable modem and router because I want it to do QoS. Router based QoS will not work on Comcast due to PowerBoost unless you want to limit your upstream bandwidth to less than what you could burst up to (for me that's between 2 and 6 Mbps). I wanted DMZ to be able to be pointed at the router so that UPNP will work correctly with multiple programs, #1 being uTorrent. To port forward through 2 NATs isn't optimal because I would have to assign static IPs in my LAN.. and for 9 computers (most of them being wireless laptops) this isn't an optimal situation. I was able to do DMZ perfectly well with Vonage's V-Portal, and I expect to be able to do the same with any ATA.
3) I said it would be optimal. I understand it does cost money, but at least Live Support on the website could be staffed by 1 or 2 people to handle simple questions with expanded hours.
4) This is a simple setting in the ATA. The amplification level is too high on mine. I was commenting that it should be lowered. It's not a complicated change. It bothers me that I have to hold all the phones in my house (corded and cordless) away from my ear because it's so loud you can hear it from across the room! | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 
Neal Gilbert
@omcastbusiness.net
| VoIP Faxing has been a problem for most companies I wrote a post on this very issue on April 14, 2000 entitled "Fax over VoIP is not ready for prime time". It is actually a bigger problem than most people in the industry believe. Something like 2 out of every 10 faxes will fail completely or have pages missing. This makes Fax over VoIP or VoIP completely unacceptable for businesses.
Here is a link to the article »bit.ly/Pfir
Neal Gilbert
Business VoIP Specialist
AVAD_Technologies | |
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Review by Ndmand6
UPDATED: 221 days ago
member for 5.6 years, 32 visits, last login: 131 days ago
Little Rock,Pulaski,AR
$10 per month (24 month contract)
about 14 days
"Tremendous customer service, low price, good sound 98% of time"
"Caller ID Just Shows State Name, Every Once in a While Voice is Choppy"
"Glad I Made the Switch, Good Bye Comcast"
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I tend to compare and research products. Comcast disappointed me so badly that I looked for options. I bought Magic Jack; Toktumi; and Phone Power. I sent back the MagicJack. It and Toktumi require the computer to be on.
So far Phone Power has good quality, not up there with a line phone, but certainly acceptable. If it is not as good as Comcast, it is very close. It seems to be better than when I first got it. My problem was that Comcast VOIP would get very choppy at times, and Comcast couldn't always identify and fix problems.
Phone Power has good quality, but the thing that sets it apart is that customer service is just crazy good. Yesterday, for example, I emailed about two simple questions, and in about 20 minutes a technical person called me. When I have called them, they have responded quickly and have known what they were talking about. Something bad has happened to customer service in this country, so the good service at Phone Power is refreshing. I just hope it lasts.
Price is very very good. If voice quality stays as good as it is, I will sign up for the $200 dollar-in-advance for two years deal. I am still on my 30 day intro period at $9.95. PP lets you know up front that the two year deal will be $253.27 after taxes and fees, so my unlimited calling will run about $10.55 per month after taxes and fees. You get a regular line and a cloned line so two people can be on different calls.
Toktumi is a very interesting product. It has a built in PBX for $14.95 per month, and you can choose a toll free number for that price. Phone Power's voice quality may be slightly better. Again,you computer must be on for Toktumi to ring through.
It took longer than I expected to get my equipment and for my number to be ported over. However, overall, I am very happy and about $30 a month richer.
UPDATE
Folk, I am really pleased with this service. Last week, I upgraded to the two year plan which required me to pay $199 plus taxes in advance. For the two year plan and for certain contracts, you get the extra "cloned" line. I have one line hooked to my telephone and the fax hooked to the other. Fax isn't supported by Power Phone, but it works now that I slowed my fax down to 14.4 kbs, which is probably what all my associates have anyway. My greatest fear is that customer service won't be as good in the future, but that is probably based on the poor customer service that I get elsewhere. I love my telephone plan, but it also felt good to be able to buy from a company that has such good customer service.
Followup comments:
44402812
Hack The Planet
Premium
join:2006-08-28
Plattsburgh, NY
1 edit | I love their tech suppor as well. Have worked with Matt through all the little glitches that I have mentioned in my review. What I love the most is that they fess up if they are having an issue with voicemail or whatever. With ViaTalk I would just get some BS excuse relating to something on my end and tinker with some settings. I agree about 95% of the time my phone works great! I'm willing to live with the other 5% to save 400.00 or so a year, not to mention the great features that the phone companies can't (won't) supply. | |
| bullmoose
join:2001-07-01
Kuna, ID | Incoming Caller ID Can some others chime in on the con regarding the Caller ID limitation. What's your experience. Does the incoming caller ID only provide the state and not the name? I am looking to replace ViaTalk.
Thanks | |
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Review by as10113
Posted: 224 days ago
member for 4.7 years, 22 visits, last login: 173 days ago
Fairmont,Marion,WV
$18 per month (12 month contract)
about 3 days
"easy to use"
"none"
"Good value"
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At $11 per year excellent vaue. Some echo - Responsive Customer Service.
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 Review by LeeOpines
UPDATED: 232 days ago
member for 2.3 years, 63 visits, last login: 149 days ago
Crestview,Okaloosa,FL
$12 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Excellent voice quality - excellent support from billing to technical"
"Not sure just how dependable their VOIP adapter will be for me"
"Definitely worth trying – the price is right and you will be able to live with the voice quality"
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** Updated 04/07/09 **
My phone number has been transferred (very quickly and with no pain).
My Grandstream adapter HT502 has been working fine and staying connected for weeks now with NO problems.
The reason I switch from my old VIOP provider to Phone Power was because a telemarketer woke me up at 8:00 on a Saturday (I am on the do not call list). This telemarketer was calling & calling day after day week after week. My old provider had very limited features and did not allow blocking of anonymous calls or any call blocking at all. Within minutes of setup with Phone Power, these calls have stop (they are still calling but all they get is a busy signal)
I have taken the HT502 adapter out of the DMZ and placed it behind the firewall for protection. Once I turned off SIP ALG on my DIR-655, I have not had any more problems.
I am happy; I made the right choice at the right time ($199.00 for two years)
** Original review **
To Date, Phone Power has provided me excellent support from billing to technical and excellent voice quality.
I was able to very quickly utilize my new Phone Power VOIP service and the phone quality was/is excellent.
But I did have a few minor issues;
• On the first day when I tried to answer two of my incoming calls (many other calls work fine) all I received was a fast busy signal. I called technical support to see what they thought (only spent about 3 minutes on the phone with them and their support was excellent). Technical support’s suggestion was to put the Grandstream adapter into my router’s DMZ zone. I did this and I have not had a busy signal since. This issue is not Phone Powers fault, but mine because I am putting their adapter behind my router.
• After four days of flawless service, I went to call my wife and my call went directly to voice mail. So I figure a simple reboot would fix the problem, it did not. I call technical support and guess what; my Grandstream adapter HT502 needed a hard reboot. Worked great since that hard reboot.
Phone Power's technical support team was able to fix my problems very quickly.
I am glad that I have join Phone Power and I know you will be glad too once you join.
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 Review by galandy
Posted: 236 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 2646 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Great Neck,Nassau,NY
$10 per month (24 month contract)
"Extremely reliable, excellent voice quality, good feature set"
"Very happy with the service :)"
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I have been using Phone Power since 12/2008, and I must say that I am very pleased with the quality and reliability of the service. I switched from ViaTalk, and retained all of the great features I grew accustomed to (including the 2nd line) minus the glitches in the service. Since I signed up, there was no downtime. Call quality is excellent, the voice comes through loud and clear with no echo or distortion at all. International calls sound great too.
If I had to find some "bad" points, I would say that the cancellation policy could be improved, but for now I don't think I need to worry about that.
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Review by valkyrie_mt
UPDATED: 237 days ago
member for 237 days, 0 visits, last login: 237 days ago
Indianapolis,Marion,IN
$13 per month (18 month contract)
about 11 days
"Super Reliability, faxing works when you pick the high codec on the web page, caller ID works great, great international rates"
"No soft phone, have to empty the voicemail box when it gets full (should be auto), I wish I could mark vm for delete from e-mail"
"Don't hesitate. I have had 3 voip providers and this is the BEST value and I kept my number! And REAL phone support!"
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Order and install were a breeze. The HT502 they send you can work in front of or behind the router. They transferred my number effortlessly and the service was transferred and working on the exact date they said it would be. This is my 3rd VOIP provider and this one is the absolute best. My wife was ready to kill me over the last provider (voip.com). The service was unusable and I made us stick with it for 6 months, I left because of the bad service and lost the remaining 6 months of prepaid service. What a waste. But, with PhonePower, confidence is restored and my wife loves it! Seriously! Now she can call her family in Texas all she wants! I have had this service now for 11 months and am happy to report that it has always worked! I just can't say enough about how great the service is...
Note: I entered "18 month" term because I paid for a year and got a promotional 6 months free.
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Review by pxc0
UPDATED: 258 days ago
member for 4.1 years, 6 visits, last login: 246 days ago
Silver Spring,Montgomery,MD
$20 per month
about 1 days
"Easy setup, great sound quality, good feature set"
"Nothing so far"
"Best VOIP I've had yet"
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As a Voicewing customer forced to switch, I went with Phone Power. The transition was absolutely flawless. I literally plugged in and was good to go. The phone number transferred over when they said it would. Sound quality is excellent. And the web-based control panel is very fast with a good feature set.
This is my third VOIP company (Voicewing and Speakeasy previously), and the first time I didn't have to call technical support to tweak the quality settings. It appears that they have their act together...I hope Phone Power will stick around for awhile.
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 Review by gninke
Posted: 260 days ago
member for 5.7 years, 590 visits, last login: 17 days ago
Tempe,Maricopa,AZ
 Business customer
$39 per month
about 4 days
"Great Clarity"
"none yet"
"Good quality, great price"
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I have been with Vonage for 4 years, and keep getting some bad qualty calls. Looked around for a business option, and found Phone Power. The price is great, and the quality outshines Vonage by a long shot. I am ver happy with the quality of the sound, with little impact on my bandwidth.
I am probably going to switch my home vonage line over. »www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=13896···&M=18817
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(19)
(14)
Some Tips
Turns out it was her crappy phone, lol. Hopefully by my 1 year anniversary my therapist will help me get over the FBSD (Fast Busy Stress Disorder) caused by ViaTalk?
What Glitches