Express Users

[VOIPoTim]

How are all of the Express users doing?

Most of you are being quiet with a lot of the action going on with residential users.

Just wanted to check in and make sure the silence is a good thing...

[Montano]

Not a whole lot that could go wrong with Express

One of my lines is still having the 'not a working number' issue, but it does not appear to be a Voipo problem. I just wait for the recording to end, then the call rings through.

My other line has been flawless forwarded to CWU via SIP URI. What I wouldn't give to have Voipo voicemail on this line.

[fisamo]

No problems on my end. Tollfree comes in fine, as does the local number.

[gbh2o]

How are all of the Express users doing?

Most of you are being quiet with a lot of the action going on with residential users.

Just wanted to check in and make sure the silence is a good thing...

I don't really have enough traffic on my lines to really comment. What I do have works great.

I do miss my FAX-out capability, even though it isn't a high use item for me either. I also wish the monthly running usage were displayed on the Local Numbers tab beside each DID! Just in case I'm going to get in trouble on one of them. The other minor thing is that I seem to recall that SIP vs PSTN calls were originally to be accounted for differently/different rates. Is that still happening/going to happen?

And IZO-729574 is still showing open, just to pick on you! ;-)

[fisamo]

I should echo the comment that my usage is sporadic at best, so it may not be the best indicator of reliable service. (Though, if it were flaky when I tried to use it, it probably would be serious cause for concern... ) I see that you moved the 'block/enable Canada calls' for tollfree numbers to the 'preferences' page. I think it makes more sense to have it as one of the options on the tollfree number page (that displays once you order a TF number). The other option I'd suggest is posting a link on the 'Order a Tollfree number' page for 'call blocking options'.

The other thing that I'd throw out there is to put some more thought into the concept of blocking/allowing incoming tollfree calls from payphones. I understand the abuse concerns and applaud a conservative stance (both to protect you and your customers). However, I'd propose a few thoughts to limit the abuse potential...

• Allow enabling or blocking of incoming payphone calls, but place a limit on the number of incoming payphone tollfree calls per month/day/week.
• Allow enabling or blocking of incoming payphone calls, but place a limit on the dollar amount of 'credit' allowed on an incoming tollfree account/number, especially early in the account's history.
• Put a control to block/enable incoming payphone calls on the website, but disable it by default. In order to enable the control, require certain identity verification measures , similar to what Hostgator requires before they grant ssh access.

The 'case-by-case' basis that you had informally proposed earlier could certainly work while you're small, but building a process around it early in the game would, IMO, be best.

[usa2k]

For Toll-Free:

• What is the fee for payphones?
• Is that fee different from Canada?

[fisamo]

Typically, if someone from a payphone dials a tollfree number, that number is hit with a significant connection fee--maybe 50 cents give or take? I have no idea if that's different for Canadian payphones. The issue with blocking Canada is that inbound calls from Canada are 7c/min, but from the US are 5c/min (or so). Now that cell phones are so prevalent, it seems much less important to allow inbound calls from payphones, but thinking of the however improbably 'emergency situation,' like a teenager who doesn't keep her cellphone charged is driving alone on a rural highway, car dies, she walks to a gas station, finds a payphone... :-D

The problem, as I see it from what I think is Tim's perspective (he can correct me if needed) is that the following scenario is much more probable: someone steals a credit card number, sets up a tollfree number that allows inbound tollfree from payphones, sets up quite the 'business'... repeats cycle with new card each time the current one gets discovered and blocked... Meanwhile, voipo is eating those costs (or even if the bank is, voipo has to deal with all the associated hassles)...

[VOIPoTim]

Yes, at this point payphone calls are being blocked and would require the user to deposit money into the payphone.

The main reason is that when you're doing with VoIP, the billing is going to be delayed for potentially 1-2 months. Our TF numbers are currently routed through Level3. So Level3 could get hit with the charge immediately (since they are the actual carrier they would know immediately) and then pass it on to us 2 months later. If there was a way to bill payphone surcharges in real-time, I'd be more open to it but give the name of VoIP TF numbers, it's not really possible.

If we move these away from Level3 later and terminate the traffic ourselves as a CLEC, it would be a lot easier. This is a possibility we've been exploring.

[usa2k]

Cool!

When I had Vonage 1-800, I never was charged extra that I could tell for payphone calls to home. That was tested in Ontario Canada, and Michigan USA.

[fisamo]

Your reasoning here makes the decision much more understandable. Thanks for that additional insight.