Disable Voice to avoid $13 tax

General discussions and other topics.
51 posts Page 2 of 6
by markusg » Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:32 pm
I too wish the voice service wasn't forced.

That said, even at $60 or $70 the fiber product is a good deal. I just wish it was advertised that way!
by digitalbitstream » Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:02 am
sysops wrote:The main difference is that I think the Sonic backup is a lithium ion battery where the APC is a sealed lead-acid battery. Food for thought anyway.
I'd say the main difference is that the Sonic backup is direct 12 VDC, where the APC first converts to 120VAC, then lets the fiber gateway convert back to 12VDC. Of course for full power outage use you'll want to power both the fiber gateway and the wifi router.
by digitalbitstream » Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:03 am
markusg wrote:I too wish the voice service wasn't forced.
That said, even at $60 or $70 the fiber product is a good deal. I just wish it was advertised that way!
I wish all providers were required to quote the bottom line price with all taxes, and advertise the "regular" price if there's a promotional discount. This would take legislation.
by glev » Wed Jan 31, 2018 9:22 pm
I agree with the above thoughts. I used Sonic many years ago for my business when the Fusion system was all I could get in downtown SF. Recently dropped Comcast to go with Sonic. I still think Sonic is much better company. But I do not recommend them to people because of the unfair practice of making it sound like it is $10 less than it actually is. Didn't need the router - nor do I want to pay the $10 a month forever. And the phone service is extremely basic. Nowhere near the caliber of service I get with the Gigabit fibre.

It is unfortunate that for a solid service worth the asking price is marred by a seemingly deceitful start.

I am glad to see that others here feel the same way. Please fix this "problem" so I can recommend Sonic to my neighbors.
by dragonsclaw » Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:16 am
Hey, I was a modem rental griper. Until last week, when I woke up and the Broadband (linked) lights were out. I logged into it, for status. Power cycled and it became even further 'dead' and would not respond to the Reset button.
Sonic replaced it (IMHO too slow a delivery because they used the cheapest shipment method. 3 days down). If I had bought it, it would be my $$$ problem .
by Peteg » Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:34 am
Add me to the list of disappointed customers. I saw my bill today and realized that Sonic lied to me when promoting their $40 price. Dana, why copy Comcast's business practices? Their customers hate them. Show some leadership and emulate T-Mobile instead. Zero transparency on price creates happy customers and high net promoter scores. You’ve lost my loyalty and I will no longer recommend your service to neighbors and friends.

Based on your post above it’s doubtful you are open to advice. But just in case, I suggest you offer an unbundled package, drop the silly rental fee for customers that provide their own modem/router. And I’d also increase your price to $50.

And don’t be surprised if you’re contacted by a consumer protection agency that makes you change your misleading advertising practices.
by ryan1dan » Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:13 pm
I've been fighting to get Sonic into my building since it was made available in my area - July 2016, so almost 2 years now. Until a few weeks ago, it was tied up in HOA approval. For almost 2 years, I have been advocating and working for Sonic: planning different routes for entry, visualizing pathways into each unit, discussing logistics for minimizing new holes created, and coordinating with the HOA board and residents.

In every HOA meeting, I brought up the possibility of approving Sonic for install, and in each of those meetings I was asked what the cost would be. I confidently answered "$40 a month" every time. I've been pitching to my neighbors that approving Sonic would not only be future-proofing the building, but for the current residents it would be an amazing service at an amazing price.

I now have to tell them that the cost of service will actually be almost 1/3 more than I originally told them. I can't tell them that the prices have increased nor can I tell them that I was misinformed. The cost of the service is truly "$40 a month". I'm going to have to tell them that there are hidden fees and that I did not do my proper research. Ultimately I will be damaging my reputation with my HOA who also happen to be my neighbors.

Personally, I will not be using the voice service because I have no need for it. To me, It's strange to encourage someone to have a land line by forcing them to pay for it, regardless if there are good intentions behind it. If somehow during an emergency, all other means of notification fail, the voice line will not benefit me because I will not have anything connected to it. To me, this is the same as forcing me to pay for a TV package that I will never watch in the hopes that emergency alerts will be delivered through it.

I understand the motivation behind bundling voice with internet and the positive intentions behind it. If a household finds out they have the service and wants to use it, that is a good thing and they can continue on paying for it. However, if a household has no use for the service and finds out that it will cost them money to keep it, I personally think they should have the option to separate it and would hope that my reasoning can be interpreted as common sense.

I was under the impression that I finally found an honest telecom company that stands for net neutrality and wouldn't have such types of hidden costs. I thought Sonic could be serious competition for Comcast and AT&T and would finally bring a fair model for internet service to the country. I still hope for that.
by miken » Wed Jun 06, 2018 8:31 am
We currently only offer Internet + Phone bundled together. While Internet-only is something we've discussed and bounced around, its not something we have any concrete plans on at this time. That being said, Fiber is the fastest service on the market, has a relatively low cost for the speed and is offered with our award winning privacy, local customer support and no data caps.
Mike N.
Development Trainer
Sonic
by ryan1dan » Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:26 am
miken wrote:We currently only offer Internet + Phone bundled together. While Internet-only is something we've discussed and bounced around, its not something we have any concrete plans on at this time. That being said, Fiber is the fastest service on the market, has a relatively low cost for the speed and is offered with our award winning privacy, local customer support and no data caps.
Even though the overall cost is still relatively low compared to the speed provided, it's not low compared to the advertised price - it's an extra $13 on top of $40, or 1/3 more. One would naturally assume that taxes and fees would add a maximum of ~15% to a bill, not more than double that.

If the taxes and fees were associated with your flagship service, the fiber you speak of, then most or maybe even all of us would gladly pay them. Fiber is the reason we all came to Sonic. However, the extra fees are associated with a service that the vast majority of customers don't need or even want. I've searched these forums, and the complaints about this forced bundling of internet and phone date back to 2012 - it has been more than enough time to reconsider what "Fusion" means for your customers.
by rdsf » Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:01 pm
When I dumped Comcast cable and kept internet only it was pretty amazing to get a bill each month for the advertised price - no added costs, fees, taxes.

I have no need for and will not use a landline phone. I understand that there is some revenue from the phone line - I'd rather pay another $5 per month for the internet to offset the income loss from having no phone line. But I don't want to pay taxes and fees for a service that I don't want and won't use.
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