Vonage: Woo Hoo to You, Too

We've had Vonage (broadband phone) for several months now.

I categorically hate it. If I'm not experiencing random disconnections, there is so much intermittent static it's like calling from a tunnel. Or there's a delay, so that the other person isn't answering me for a full 2-3 seconds after I've finished talking.

Or there's no dial tone at all.

That was the problem today. Since my apartment has no cell phone reception, I was totally without a phone. So I e-mailed their tech support instead of calling.

Here's their reply. Tell me how THIS ranks on a customer service scale?

Dear Jared Clarke, [um, I DID type MEGAN into the box]

Thank you for contacting Customer Care.

We understand from your mail that you are experiencing issues with dial tone.

Please follow the instructions given below to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Open Internet Explorer from one of the computers connected to the RT31P2 router and in the address bar, type http://192.168.15.1 and press Enter.

2. Enter "admin" in both username and password fields when it prompts and click on "Ok".

3. Click on the tab "Administration" and then on sub-tab "FactoryDefaults". Now select "Restore factory defaults" as "yes" and click on "Save Settings". It should display "Settings are Successful".

4. Then it will ask to enter User name and password. So enter as
follows
User name : user
Password : [XXXXXXX]

5. Once this is done, disconnect power cable from all the devices inthe network which includes modem and RT31P2.

6. Connect the appropriate power cable to the cable modem.

7. Wait for two minutes for the cable modem to boot up, before continuing.

8. Connect the power cable, provided with the Phone Adapter to the power port on the Phone Adapter.

9. Wait for two minutes for the phone adapter to boot up before continuing.

10. Open Internet Explorer and in the address bar type "192.168.15.1"(without Quotes) and press Enter.

11. Enter admin as user name and password when it prompts and click "OK"

Click on the "Status" tab and then on the "router" sub-tab. Check for the Internet IP address. If an IP address is released, try to go online. If the Internet IP address is all zeroes, click on DHCP Renew. If an IP address is released, try to go online.

If the IP Address is still all zeroes, then Click on "Setup" tab and then on "MAC Address Clone" sub-tab. Select "Enable" under MAC Clone Service and then click on "Clone". Click on "Save Settings".

Click on the "Status" tab and then on the "router" sub-tab. Check for the Internet IP address. If an IP address is released, try to go online. If the Internet IP address is all zeroes, click on DHCP Renew. If an IP address is released, try to go online.

12. If you are able to go online, connect a telephone to the "Phone 1" port of the Phone Adapter using a standard phone line.

13. Wait at least five minutes for the Phone Adapter to boot up. The Phone Adapter's lights will remain off or blink until it is fully connected to the Vonage network. There may be updates that need to be downloaded such as new firmware or changes to your features. NOTE: Do not interrupt the configuration process by unplugging the power or lifting the receiver on your phone during the startup process. Interruption of the startup may result in interruption of service.

14. Once the Phone Adapter's status light is off, the Phone Adapter is ready to use.

15. Pick up the telephone receiver and listen for a dial tone. If you hear a dial tone, you can start making and receiving calls.

We believe this has assisted you in resolving the issue. If the issue persists, please reply to this email for further assistance.

1. What is the message you get when you clicked on "Save Settings"? Is it "Settings are successful" or "Settings are failed"?

We value you as a customer and are dedicated to quality customer service.

Regards,
Kanchan.
Customer Care.

I am not a technical idiot. I worked for Apple for a couple of years in my pre-Kid life. I even know what "http" stands for. I did NOT find this to be a reasonable troubleshooting suggestion.

Hubby fixed it. Woo hoo!

Now let's cancel.