Need alternative solution for consumer without traditional land line phone

[hippiedude]

I have a cell phone with unlimited minutes and, thus, cancelled my traditional land line...it's been a great decision until now, and I'll explain why.

I want to move from Comcast to Voom since Voom has 5x the HD content for less money; however, in order to use the Voom service, I've been told that I need a traditional telephone line....so I went to Voom.com and chated online with their support personnel.

He explained that i would need a traditional phone line or could use a wireless network in my home with a 56KBPS...i asked for him to explain the wireless option but typically the chat dialog stopped either because of technical difficulities or he just didn't know how to answer.

I did ask wether the voom box made inboudn or outbound calls with the phone line, and he explained that the box only made outbound calls, and said that it was used for dowloading new software updates...i don't understand why they need a traditional line if it only makes outbound calls...it seems that VoIP could be a viable solution, but the staff at voom was not capable of explaining an alternative to a traditional telephone configuration...I'm hoping there is a step by step instruction guide to an alternative solution.

I'm hoping someone out there is savvy and willing to help a guy like me find another viable option to paying for a $30 telephone line just to meet installation requirements of the voom box...If you can help, it's greatly appreciated.

regards,

jeff

 

[Claude Greiner]

I have yet to plug my voom receivers into a phone line. No problems so far

 

[hippiedude]

how long have your receivers been unplugged?....I wonder if when I try to get the service and give my cell number, then they will decline my installation since it is not a land line? I got that distinct impression from sales.

 

[Ilya]

hippiedude, welcome to the forum!

VOOM works over most VoIP connections no problem. There have been successful report-backs with Vonage and other VoIP providers. Typically, if VoIP works with regular modem and/or fax, it should work with VOOM too.

And as Claude, pointed out, currently this is not an issue anyway, as the phone line requirement is not yet enforced. (My STB has never been connected to the phone line. I don't have a phone outlet next to it, though I am ready to run a long phone cable, if this will become necessary.)

 

[hippiedude]

i'm on the phone right now with a manager...trying to get this resolved...it is not as simple as explained...when i call in to order their service, THEY ARE ADAMANT ABOUT THE LAND LINE REQUIREMENT.

The supervisor that I spoke with tonight said she will speak with her manager tomorrow and hopefully find an alternative solution. The sales staff is trained to accept sales ONLY if they have a land line.

I'm hoping that they will provide me with a wireless network solution as discussed with a Voom rep on their chat system.

 

[cmslick3]

Once about 5 years ago we experimented with a fixed wireless device made by Tellular. Basicaly it was a fixed location cell phone which had a jack on it you could plug a regular phone into and make calls just like it was connected to the land line company.

You would be able to hook any land line type device into it and get a dialtone. The only problem was that it would not pass modem data. Now things have changed a lot in the last 5 years so maybe the company you get phone service through can provide you with a similar solution that would handle data..

It's worth a try. But price may be a limiting factor..

 

[Ilya]

Do you currently have any broadband Internet connection? DSL? Cable modem? If so, you can sign up to a VoIP account (like Vonage) which will work with VOOM. You simply give the VoIP phone number to VOOM instead of a land-line phone number.

If you only have a wireless phone, I don't think this will work with VOOM, and I doubt VOOM will agree to activate your service in such case.

By the way, the phone connection is only used for out-bound calls (report-backs). It is NOT used for software updates.

 

[hippiedude]

thanks...i'll look into that if VOOM comes back with a deer in headlight response...of course, the idea is to find a solution that will not cost anymore money than what is advertised on Voom's site.

I've been following The Apprentice show, and this fundamental business problem reminds me of the sophmores on the show--similar to the management at Voom--scrambling around with no clear understanding of a basic/easy to solve problem:

1) VOOM is no where close to their projections for 200,000 subsribers...closer to 20,000. So why turn away a PAYING customer who wants the service? When I order a coke...does The Coca-Cola Company say...gee i'm sorry, we can't serve you. You'll need to provide your own container...we just supply the soda. BTW, Comcast doesn't have this problem...and their making more money than they can count.

2) VOOM requires an antiquated early 20th century technology for "security" purposes. Perhaps, Voom management should catch up to learn about the 10 top other telephony technologies that have surfaced in the past 5 years...You would think they'd have a less intrusive way of adding security that does NOT require other services on top of it. Comcast doesn't have this problem.

3) VOOM is loosing millions of dollars in revenue since programming costs are high and the subscriber base is so low that it doesn't even cover licensing costs. Why would they say no when they are dangerously close to bankrupcy? Comcast doesn't behave this way.

4) VOOM has no clear alternative solution to land lines. Depending on who you talk to at Voom, they all give a different reason as to why they need the land line....then i learn through this forum that "it's not enforced". Comcast doesn't have this problem.

If Donald Trump was in charge of this company, he'd lay these basic facts on the table, and say "you mean to tell me that we have a techno savvy consumer who is dying for our service, leaving our biggest competitor Comcast, and we have repeatadly sent him away? even though he is willing to pay for our premiere package and fits the new wave of HD users?, and he is a model for the demographic that we are trying to reach?, and we're no where close to meeting our subscriber targets?...MR. CEO and supporting management, you're ALL fired!!"

 

[Vreesar]

I am in the same situation as you. I only have a cell phone at this point in time. When I signed up for voom they asked for my land line number. I gave them my cell phone and didn't mention it was a cell phone number.

I've had voom for for about 8 months now and never had an issue. I can think of only two reasons you will need a landline.
1. Voom receiver sends a call to voom to verify identity
2. PPV

Sense VOOM doesn't offer PPV yet and it doesn't force the receiver to send a call to VOOM there's no problem.

 

[medicalwaste]

same here, i never told them i didn't have a land line. when installer came, he didn't even ask for a phone jack.

hope you enjoy it a lot more than i did.

 

[dankgus]

I agree, for now just don't tell Voom you don't have a landline. When I ran all of my cables for Voom, I ran a phone line and terminated it but never tested it. The voom installer came, we plugged everything in, and months passed before I tested the phone line and found that it did NOT work. I just had to punch down the wires one more time and it worked.

My point is, I had been using Voom for months with no phone line.

If they do start requiring land lines (and I mean require in the sense that the Voom stb wont work without it), look into a converter for your specific cell phone that allows use of regular phones/fax/modem. I know there is such a device available for my Motorola phone. It is basically a docking station that you hook up to your home phone wiring and it allows all of your regular phones to operate through the cell phone.

--Dan

 

[weagle]

you can get voip easily even free ones if you search the internet, the most annoying thing is the installation thing voom wants to charge $250 for the installation and won't let you self install they even state it in the $200 discount offer that half the price of the receiver is really the installation fee, and for those who have no other choice but to have self install its a real pain for example what if you live in a condo you can't just bring a satellite installer upstairs to your apartment but one can easily install it themselves by one of those camoflage things for the dish and no one would know you have one hanging outside your balcony. another thing voom is missing out is the canadians or americans who have a cottage up in canada they'd sell tonnes of systems way more than the 20k subscribers than they got that is for sure. i think they will loosen up their totalitarian policies when they have no choice to increase sales this way.

 

[hippiedude]

weagle, there are no free VoIPs that provide you with your own telephone number...FYI, telephone numbers cost money...the type of free VoIPs that you mention are ones without telephone numbers....and since this thread is clearly about the mandate that Voom imposes for a telephone number, the issue is still unresolved...and BTW, for anyone who has read this complete thread, Voom never called me back and never provided closure to this issue...In lieu of the problem that they initially caused by imposing the telephone land line mandate, their lack of response is consistent with their poor sales management strategy.

 

[weagle]

there is i will give one in nyc you can get a nyc phone# free at stanaphone.com only problem if you forward the # to voom it shows funny numbers on the ani but i dunno if you can hookup a data/fax via the internet through that phone# because of the bandwidth being low or only for voice only.

 

[DarrellP]

I have 2 receivers and neither one has been plugged into the phone line since they were installed 7 months ago. The service menu always says "Round Trip Failed", but WTH, as long as they work, I'm not going to bother.

 

[qwacker2]

I think it will all come down to the installer. Odds are, they won't enforce a landline hookup since I assume they won't get paid unless the install is completed. I didn't have a jack close to my connection, so I got an adapter which supposedly runs it over the power line to a phone jack. It was plugged in during the install, but the installer never set a phone number on the STB. So my box has never called out, and it has never been a problem. So I basically wasted $50 on a powerline adapter (which I'm not sure would work anyway since it has alot of noise).

 

[GJetson]

I arranged my VOOM install with a local company that deals with all satellite providers. After having seen it pointed out here on the forum that the STB had to be conected to a phone line, I was concerned because the closest phone jack was in the kitchen and it would mean running a line to the adjacent room, the den...I asked the local company's rep about it and she didn't think the phone connection was required, but she called an installer to verify and he said no, it wasn't...my installer arrived Wed. and he said it was required so I had to hurriedly get one of those wireless phone jack extenders from WalMart for $79. I assume it's working-I was concerned it might effect my DSL or cordless phones but all seems OK...

 

[DarrellP]

Regardless of what THEY said, at this time the phone connection is NOT required. I have never hooked up either of my stb's since March until CID was activated, so I connected one stb but the CID does NOT work.

 

[FrankJo]

If you really want Voom. Just sign up for it and give them your cell phone number (don't tell 'em it's a cell phone). Right now, they only use it for Caller ID.

IT WILL WORK AND THE INSTALLERS ARE NOT GONNA MISS OUT ON THEIR CASH JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN"T PLUG THE PHONE IN.

 

[Walter L.]

Regardless of what THEY said, at this time the phone connection is NOT required. I have never hooked up either of my stb's since March until CID was activated, so I connected one stb but the CID does NOT work.

Amen!!! Checkout this poll: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=14477