Option to remove Fusion Voice from package

Fusion Voice service, features and help.
43 posts Page 1 of 5
by tomdale » Thu May 31, 2018 10:00 am
About $10 per month of the cost everyone pays on the Sonic service is purely taxes for Voice. These are taxes that are put on anyone that uses a phone service in California. So if you are like me and you don't even use the Voice portion (because you just love Sonic for their internet), then I am burning $10 per month on taxes for literally nothing.

Would be great if we had the option to disable Fusion Voice service from our plan so we don't have to pay these taxes. Thanks!

-Tom
by glev » Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:19 pm
Totally agree. And Fusion Voice is a much inferior product than most other VOIP services I can get for $10 per month. In my case, I cannot even have it forward to voicemail and use Accession to check those voicemails or make a call because no matter what I do, all in coming calls with forward to my cell phone. I want the VM, but do not want to ever hear the phone ring or answer it. I could go on. Bottom line - Fusion Voice is a poor service to be stuck with while using a solid service like the internet. Please make your customers happy so we can fully recommend Sonic

Thanks
by ayn » Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:42 am
Yup, just got my first full bill for Sonic fiber, I'm sure like most of you I don't even have anything plugged into the phone jack on the ONT. Would be nice to be able to remove the phone part of the service to save $10.
by monks2012 » Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:40 am
Count me in as someone who would be interested in this. We have never plugged the phone in nor do we plan on it.
by m.harmon » Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:56 am
From the Bossman
We have discussed here elimination of the voice line, because for those who do not use it, the tax is significant. It wouldn't lower the price of the service - data alone would cost as much as voice+data today.

But with the FCC's reclassification of internet access as an information service, in order to use copper lines we are required to include a telecommunications service - and voice telephone qualifies. So that's added a new imperative for us on this topic.

I'll also say that the fires last year reinforced for me the usefulness of a voice line for the home. Our members got reverse 911 calls notifying them of evacuations, which were key for life safety. And when someone in your home needs help, the "enhanced" part of e911 means that first responders receive your full address, including the apartment or unit, before the call even completes - with mobile they just get a location estimate. For children or the elderly, who may be unable to describe where exactly they are when calling from a mobile phone, that's a good thing.

We've also worked to make the voice line as useful as possible - for example, it includes free calling to fixed lines in over sixty countries, as well as all of the voice features such as caller ID and voicemail. We even include robocall blocking, at no extra cost. For those working from home, or even just conducting an important call domestically or internationally, a high-quality voice line can really be a joy to use.

We also have a goal of product simplicity. By having just one configuration, it simplifies our operations, which reflects in lower costs overall for our members. So, unlike an incumbent operator who might charge separately for not only voice service but also voice features, long distance, a fax line, etc - we try to incorporate everything into one simple price and package.

For all of these reasons, for the foreseeable future, our Fusion product, on copper, fiber, or IP Broadband, will remain as the name says, a Fusion of both data and voice services. I know that's not a perfect fit for everyone, but that's the path we've chosen.
M. Harmon
Sonic Customer Support
by glev » Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:08 pm
Then please provide a phone service like most other VOIPs. I want to use the Sonic Mobile app. But if I enable it, I am forced to have the phone ring my mobile device. This is unacceptable in light of the many phone services available today.

Thanks
by danielg4 » Sun Jul 29, 2018 5:16 pm
m.harmon wrote:From the Bossman
We've also worked to make the voice line as useful as possible ...
No, you have not. You provision application-specific SIP passwords for the Grandstream ATA's on FTTN service only, rather than for any SIP client on any fiber offering, so you require the use of Accession Communicator solutions, which your vendor Metaswitch limits us to Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows clients only. This means no Linux, no IP phones, and no PBX's, unless we clandestinely repurpose the SIP credentials provisioned to the Grandstream ATA, which is obviously not possible on Gigabit Fiber, where none is issued. This profoundly limits the usefulness of the VoIP service.

There was talk of an Internet-and-Dish bundle before as an alternative to Internet-and-VoIP. If that's possible, then why not an option where fiber Internet is bundled with Fusion Voice?

On a similar subject, the rationale for not pursuing IPTV is understandable, but Dish's 2-year minimum commitment and mandatory additional equipment rental is not very palatable. Some other small providers partner with Sony Vue instead. Alternatively, SlingTV is also owned by Dish.
by ankh » Sun Aug 05, 2018 10:05 am
I just want (and would pay extra for) a concierge, or robot-equivalent, who will pick up my line when it rings and decide whether to block and report the caller as a silent call or botspammer, or pass the ring on to my home phone as an actual human being.

"Please leave a call-back number" would be an adequate challenge,
And test what's heard against an archive of voice recognition files to identify the robocallers.

Or say
"Oh, wait, you sound like a real person, I'll put that call through for you now"

though a challenge like "what is six plus two, use your touchtone buttons to answer" would be good too.

But yeah, in line with this thread, the voice phone is becoming just an annoying energy sink now.
by JamieMac » Mon Aug 27, 2018 4:21 pm
Sorry, but that reply from the Bossman is a bunch of excuses, not a real answer.

1) It is required by the FCC. My service (as well as that of I assume a growing number of customers) is fiber, NOT copper. The FCC requirement does not apply.
2) 911 is good: I do not have a phone connected to my Sonic voice service. I will not use 911 on my Sonic voice regardless of how great it might be. Please don't patronize me and tell me you are shoving this down my throat for my own good.
3) It's got lots of great features: Fine. Let me decide whether they are worth it or not. OK--I've decided: they're NOT. Again--don't patronize me and tell me what's good for me. Give me an option and let me decide.
4) Product Simplicity: OK--this one at least has some validity. But it translates to "We don't want to bother with the complexities of allowing our customers to choose only the services they want." So how does that attitude align with providing true customer service?

Please reconsider your "you should like what we've decided you'll get" attitude and let us choose what we actually want.
by wangissimo » Fri May 08, 2020 10:05 am
I love the Sonic internet service. The bundled VOIP is horse poo however, solely because I'm paying >$10 for a service I do not use period.
Let me break down the CSR's response point by point:

>>
But with the FCC's reclassification of internet access as an information service, in order to use copper lines we are required to include a telecommunications service - and voice telephone qualifies. So that's added a new imperative for us on this topic.
COUNTERPOINT: So if it's mandated, then strip away all the features so it only costs $1.00/month. Those exorbitant taxes on a service we don't use, don't want is not adding to your customer satisfaction. I had Comcast broadband - they didn't force me to bundle VOIP, IIRC.

I'll also say that the fires last year reinforced for me the usefulness of a voice line for the home. Our members got reverse 911 calls notifying them of evacuations, which were key for life safety. And when someone in your home needs help, the "enhanced" part of e911 means that first responders receive your full address, including the apartment or unit, before the call even completes - with mobile they just get a location estimate. For children or the elderly, who may be unable to describe where exactly they are when calling from a mobile phone, that's a good thing.
COUNTERPOINT: Well, that that e911 sounds great! However, you have to be at your home to receive the evacuation call, whereas w/ a mobile notification, it's always with you. Besides, we all get city wide emergency alerts on our phone now.
If you have a child or elderly alone in the house in a state where they can't provide an address, well then, you're a terrible guardian, which is another issue altogether.
The benefit of having regular 911 access on your mobile device arguably outweighs the benefits you listed above.

We've also worked to make the voice line as useful as possible - for example, it includes free calling to fixed lines in over sixty countries, as well as all of the voice features such as caller ID and voicemail. We even include robocall blocking, at no extra cost. For those working from home, or even just conducting an important call domestically or internationally, a high-quality voice line can really be a joy to use.
COUNTERPOINT: So you're providing free robocall blocking for a phone number your customers don't even want? If I was that interested in the highest quality voice call, I'd use standard copper, not VOIP.

We also have a goal of product simplicity. By having just one configuration, it simplifies our operations, which reflects in lower costs overall for our members. So, unlike an incumbent operator who might charge separately for not only voice service but also voice features, long distance, a fax line, etc - we try to incorporate everything into one simple price and package.
COUNTERPOINT: Product (line) simplicity is something your customers shouldn't care about. Furthermore, your customers care about saving money and omitting unnecessary services more than "lower costs overall" for something they don't use. As a telecommunications company, giving your customers the flexibility to opt out of services they don't want shouldn't have to be like twisting one's arm.


For all of these reasons, for the foreseeable future, our Fusion product, on copper, fiber, or IP Broadband, will remain as the name says, a Fusion of both data and voice services. I know that's not a perfect fit for everyone, but that's the path we've chosen.
COUNTERPOINT: Well, at least that the least marketing-speak excuse given. "You're gonna have to live with this"
43 posts Page 1 of 5

Who is online

In total there are 9 users online :: 0 registered, 0 hidden and 9 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 999 on Mon May 10, 2021 1:02 am

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests