Time Warner Digital Phone Rant

[Tom Snyder]

What a freakin NIGHTMARE!  :bang:

As part of total switch to TWC, we were asked if we wanted to digital phone too. It was critical that we keep our current phone number... but they assured us that would not be a problem. So we said OK.

The installer came out and after spending 3 hours of our evening trying to figure out why he couldn't get the line to work, discovered that it was because we actually COULDN'T keep our old phone number. As the "solution," we were assigned a new phone number. I said that although we weren't happy about that, it would be OK if we could have the message in place for people who called our old phone number informing them of the new number. We were assured that would not be a problem. So we said OK.

Since then, we've spent 5 hours on the phone (much of the time on hold) with TWC, Sage (our old phone company) and SBC trying to get that message on our old number. All we're getting is a runaround and a bunch of what seem like made-up answers about why we can't have that.  :guns:

So it's been a week and a half of no incoming phone calls because nobody knows how to find us. Even worse, we're running into people who are wondering about our financial condition because they said they tried to call us and got a "This number has been disconnected" message.

So we decided to switch back to regular phone to try to get our old number, our lives and our creidbility back. But as of this morning, SBC says they don't know what TWC did with our old number. On one of my long nights on the phone with TWC last week, some guy named Johann said that he "got the number turned back over to SBC." But SBC said he did no such thing.

So we are scheduled to have SBC service turned back on here on Monday night at 7pm (if they can get us our number), but it will cost us $49 and as of now, they're still not sure if they'll be able to get our old number back. Time Warner better not even think of charging us a penny to come and rewire us for regular phone.

BTW... does anyone with TWC Digital Phone have a caller ID that says anything more than WISCONSIN CALL for every incoming call?

[e-man]

We didn't have any problems in switching from SBC to TWC.  We were able to keep our phone number.  And, yes, our caller id shows the name of the person or company in most cases.

What I do miss and hope TWC adds it soon is the distinctive ring feature.  I have not been able to get our fax machine to receive incoming faxes.

What a freakin NIGHTMARE!  :bang:

BTW... does anyone with TWC Digital Phone have a caller ID that says anything more than WISCONSIN CALL for every incoming call?

[Talos4]

Tom, I made the switch back on August 1st.

Installation took about 20 mins. No rewiring.

Same number, fully functional caller ID.

RANT ON: Personally, I wouldn't give SBC the dirt off the bottom my shoes.

My changeover wa the result of them not being able to correct a problem at their end.  I wasn't able to receive or make calls on a consistent basis.

Repair guys hangs cards on the door that say's the problem is internal 3 times.

I plugged the phone into the jack in the box ( ) and still have the same problem.  Since the switch no problems.
   

They slammed me twice.

They are still trying to collect for a bill I don't owe them for SEPTEMBER! Remember I switched AUGUST 1st!!!!!!


My opinion, SBC may drive you further into the Rabbit hole and then charge you to be in there without service.

[Paul S.]

So it's been a week and a half of no incoming phone calls because nobody knows how to find us. Even worse, we're running into people who are wondering about our financial condition because they said they tried to call us and got a "This number has been disconnected" message.

 :rofl:  :rofl: Sorry, Tom, I think thats funny as all hell  :rofl:  :rofl:

[bradsmainsite]

Thanks for the heads up Tom I will now officially give up on TWC for this great deal of a phone service I have been promised for 3 months now.

I have been told and sent flyers and every marketing concept known to man about this so called phone NO service and have yet to see it up here.

Now here is the deal if we ever do get it up in Sheboygan cty.  We can't get or old number nor will we even get our area code (920) which is ok if all you do is out going calls only, but what about the people in your area code trying to call you what will their charges be? :confused:

This sounds like a total nightmare waiting to happen which Tom has just proven! :bang:

This has not been totally thought out  and I will now be cancelling my services with TWC and going back to Verizon and their DSL service which was just as good as this, so called blazing fast TOAD runner if not better!

Thank goodness I kept my business number , or that would be gone to and what a nightmare this could have been!!!!

Tom thank you! thank you! thank you! for letting us all know about your experience and saving a lot of people some major fustration! :wave:

Brad

[Gregg Lengling]

I had zero problems....we scheduled the change (back in March) and it took 5 days from the day the order was placed to the install date.  The switch over was smooth as silk, we retained our SBC number which we've had for years and the phone service from TWC has been flawless for the past 8 or 9 months we have had it.

I have some good contacts with TWC Tom, maybe I can help when I'm back at work on Tuesday.

[gparris]

Over a year ago, when TWC had the $19.95 for three months promotion, our digital phone install took a short time, same number used and all the jacks in my house got activated in seconds.  
The only thing I wish they had was the caller ID with hold and switching back between calls and conferencing like with regular land lines.  
Once I get the caller ID coming in I have to make a decision as to who I am going to talk to next:
Stay with the call I am on or get the incoming call?
Since I am so near the border with Illinois, the savings interstate-wise have been great with Digital Phone and with that all-on-one-billing feature the RR and HD cable/DVR setups there is just one bill to pay instead of three.

Sorry to hear you have had so many problems, Tom and I hope Gregg can help you out.

[Gregg Lengling]

What a freakin NIGHTMARE!  :bang:

BTW... does anyone with TWC Digital Phone have a caller ID that says anything more than WISCONSIN CALL for every incoming call?

Actually all my calls show the name of the caller including my cell phone comes thru with my name.....Caller ID works great here.

[mhz40]

What a freakin NIGHTMARE!  :bang:

I don't have a clue as to what went wrong from the technical side of porting your old number, but I did notice a few things about your situation.
1- It looks like you already had a 2-ring circus set up with Sage & SBC, then added a third ring by layering in TW phone. This may have made it impossible for TW to get access to your old number. If Sage 'owned' your account, they may not have been bound to release your old number to TW. I know SBC must comply...
2- You are frustrated by a lack of ability (or desire) of you old companie(s) to put a message on your old number for you, yet for some reason you believe TW can do anything about it. I would have thought SBC or Sage would have been on the hook for that. I also believe they made the message deal an issue, figuring you would come back to them knowing you needed your old number so badly. Which is apparently what you ended up doing.
3- You are rewarding SBC/Sage for their inability to port your number and/or provide you with a message on your old line by continuing to be their customer.

I would:
A- Go back to TW, stating you will go w/digital phone but need it free for one month while...
B- You put your own message on your old line, pointing callers to your new number.

The TW stuff works as advertised. I think you will be happy once the pain of moving is over, if you decide to go that route.

[Tom Snyder]

Time Warner's system was set up with inaccurate data.. .a system that they plug your number into that says whether or not it can be ported. TWC's system said ours could.  But we are in the Hubertus phone exchange, and TWC can't port those numbers. They should have known that before their guy spent three hours here trying to make it work.

If I couldn't keep my number, we wouldn't have even considered changing. I have too many things going on right now that make my old phone number critical. Had we known that we couldn't keep that number, we wouldn't even have considered changin. End of story.  

But we were mislead (albeit accidentally).  A forwarding message was only an inferior option. But now getting my old number back is priority one. TWC can't do that.

[StarvingForHDTV]

Next time record all of your conversations.  Inform them that they are being recorded.  When they screw up, threaten to sue.  They claim their time is worth $x per hour.  You claim your time is worth $x per hour.  Plus pain and suffering of course    Add in damage to your reputation, and you are looking at a chunk of change.....

Probably too much trouble, but right now I'm sure you are angry enough to consider this option.

[Doug Mohr]

Your problem was most likely that you used Sage with your number which I assume was originally from SBC.

The number databases list to the original authority and if the original authority doesn't have the proper arrangement with the sub-carrier, then the number is in never-never land.

When TW (or any other provider) queries your number to check on portability, it responds with the original authority information and that is what the portability "yea or nay" is based on.

This is a major flaw in the number portability regulations. There is no databasing or transferring of authority for numbers to sub-carriers, so you are at the mercy of fate if you try to port from a sub-carrier to someone else. When TW sent the transfer request, it was sent to SBC since they own the block your number came from. SBC's records show they no longer have the number and the request is just dropped.

In order to ensure a smooth transition, your number needs to be in possession of the original issuer. You would have had to switch back to SBC service and then switch to TW in order to get your number transferred flawlessly. Unfortunatly that adds major costs onto the process as you have to pay SBC's setup charges and a month's worth of service.

A word of warning. TW, Vonage, and other VOIP carriers are considered sub-carriers according to the portability regulations. If you wish to leave them, you will have a high chance of the same number problem that you experienced.

Yet another government screwup. Lets add a number portability surcharge onto everyone's bill, but not build a system that actually works!

Doug