I have received several messages and comments this morning about how SunRocket has quietly shut down, with them no longer taking new customers or answering their phones (outside sources: NY Times and DSLReports), as I am have previously been a happy customer and even posted a review. I might have picked up on this earlier but my Gizmo VoIP box is on a moving truck somewhere right now so I have no idea if it still works. There appears to still be no mention on the main website, which makes it seem like they really don’t care anymore about customer service.
My current status: Still don’t have Gizmo so I can’t say about service. I set my Sunrocket number to forward to my cell phone and it works fine. Caller ID even transfers through. I can still check voicemail over the phone, but not online.
The NY Times article suggest that accounts will be taken over by another company, but other competitors are already trying to lure us with offers to port our numbers for free. If you’re a new customer, you may want to hurry up and dispute the charge with your credit card company before it’s too late. Refunds may or may not happen (It’s not looking good.) Here are some alternatives to waiting that come to mind:
» ViaTalk – 6 month now only 3 months contract buyout (print out your Sunrocket information), $199 for two phone lines for one year. You must also pay $10 for shipping and $30 for initial activation. However, I don’t know about their situation either and what’s to stop them from going belly-up as well? Shaky financials is probably the case for all the VoIP-only companies right now.
» Vonage – The embattled VoIP company is offering former Sunrocket customers two months free if the sign up for the Unlimited plan. More stable, but I wouldn’t say Vonage is a solid company right now given all it’s legal troubles from Verizon on top of plain old financial troubles.
» Skype: SkypeIn + SkypeOut + Skype Phone System – SkypeOut (unlimited calling out to US and Canada) is $30/year, SkypeIn (phone number + voicemail) is $60/year, and a phone system cost varies from $5 (just add headset to PC) to ~$200 (cordless phone w/o PC).
I’ve been using Skype more recently via headset and it’s not too bad, but I still like have a “real” phone. I need to do more research on the newer Skype phones that don’t need PCs to work or those boxes that replicate a phone jack – any experiences or recommendations? Update: I am looking at phone jack replicator for $60 that lets me use my traditional cordless phones.
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Do you have cable? Most cable outfits offer voip. I’m on Time Warner and have been a digital phone subscriber for a few years now without a hitch. You have to call every once in a while to get on a new “deal” but that’s not too hard.
I’m surprised you didn’t menion Vonage – that’s the biggest VoIP company, and they’re at least in fairly decent shape. (Also bleeding money, and lawsuit encumbered – but that’s the price of taking on big telcos)
I’m with them for two years now, and quite happy.
I wouldn’t go with Vonage either, with the Verizon lawsuit and all. Perhaps on a month-to-month basis. Maybe it’s time to go cell-phone only.
Hmm… it appears Vonage is offering 2 months free to SR customers. If it’s the first two months I might be interested, but it seems vague.
It looks like Packet8 (Sherwood) may be taking over the service. Supposedly there will be an email going out tomorrow that explains some options.
I’ve been really happy with Voicepulse, although the website is slightly “techy”– less user friendly than others. I liked being able to buy my own equipment that isn’t locked to their service if I want to change (so less down time if I want to switch).
I have to echo the favorable report about VoicePulse that Erik wrote. I have had them now for nearly three years and the service is outstanding. They are also in it for the long haul which is evidenced by a sustainable business plan. Here is an enlightening report from Voxilla: http://voxilla.com/soapvox/2007/07/16/sunrocket-folds-240
Do NOT sign up for service with Vonage. The VOIP service is average but the customer service is horrible. I was a Vonage subscriber for 14 months until my wife no longer needed it for work. It took us over a week to cancel and many hours on the phone.
First, my wife called to try and cancel the account. The cancellation phone number is an average 45 minute wait from 8AM ? 8PM. She waited over an hour and then the CSR spent about 30 minutes giving her the run around trying to get her to stay. He would give her an offer and should would politely decline, then the CSR would put her on hold for a few minutes and come back with another offer. Finally he was ready to let her cancel so he spent about 10 mins verifying her information on the account. Eventually he discovered that she was Mrs. EAF and not Mr. EAF, the name on the account. He was happy to tell her that she couldn?t cancel the account only I could.
I called twice and was on hold for over 45 minutes both times. The second time I finally got a CSR. He went through the same deal with me with the offers and then asked me why I wanted to cancel. I told him I didn?t want to give a reason and I would just like to get this over with. He told me he HAD to put a reason down so I told him I didn?t like the customer service and that I had been on hold for very long time. He told me he would finally cancel my account and had to put my on hold. I was on hold for about 5 minutes and he hung up. I was left not knowing if my account had been cancelled or not ? after over an hour on the phone.
My experience is similar to many, many other people if you search around on the internet. I think Vonage is going through some tough times and their CSRs are behaving much like AOL?s did a few years back.
JONATHAN,
A couple of points. The main concern for most people is saving their phone number. This is especially so if they ported there long-time home (or cell) phone number to SunRocket. As of right now it is unclear if numbers will be able to be ported out, as SunRocket has laid off its employees and ceased operation.
Secondly, many of us prepaid for a year or two. If it is more than 90 days since the credit card charge, it may be too late for the credit card company to issue a charge-back.
Luke,
Where did you get that information that Packet8 will be taking over? I saw that nowhere else.
In fact, many people have reported that their SunRocket service is already disconnected.
Jon, If you don’t trust vonage I don’t see how you can really trust ANY standalone VOIP provider (Packet8, ViaTalk, etc.)
Sad to say, I was victimized as well. It almost worked out to a good deal for me, as I ended up paying $120 for 5 months ($24 per), but should have had 15.
It has soured me on Vonage and ViaTalk and the like for sure though. ViaTalk is doing a brisk business now getting all the SunRocket castoffs, but I wonder if they won’t soon be overloading themselves. I’ve signed up for Verizon’s VOIP, VoiceWing. It’s month-to-month, so I can wait for the dust to settle on some of the other services before deciding whether they have the legs to make it in the market.
In the meantime, I’ve also signed up for GrandCentral, so I now have a new number that will forward to whatever provider I ever end up with, and I don’t have to worry about porting numbers again.
Joseph,
I have been following forums at dslreport, fatwallet and slickdeals all day to get whatever info I can. A press release from Sherwood came out today that said that they are working on getting the messed worked out (possibly just help to another VOIP provider). The speculation is that Packet8 might be the one to take the majority load, since they use Level 3 (like Sunrocket) which would make porting your old number that much easier and quicker.
My Sunrocket service was running until this morning and was disconnected just 2 minutes ago, while I was actually on the phone.
Is there a way to get the money back, maybe, my disputing it with the credit card company? I just got the phone in May, so its only been 1.5 months.
I’ll second the VoicePulse recommendations. I’ve been with them for 2-3 years now and have been extremely satisfied. Most of my calls are in-state, so their local unlimited + 200 plan for 14.99 covers all of my needs. Almost the whole state (Louisiana) is considered local which is nice.
http://www.ipevo.com/v2/prod/p163517.htm
Free.2 looks like a decent option if you want a USB skype phone.
Personally, I don’t like those special-purpose skype standalone phones. Hardware vendors might stop to support them right after release. If any new feature is added to skype, you cannot enjoy it.
If I were you, I will survey some general purpose tablet system. For example: Nokia N770. Currently, N770 is heavily discounted. You can buy one for just 140 bucks.
As long as skype inc. keeps supporting Symbian OS, you can upgrade your skype software to newer versions on your N770.
I am lucky in that I just moved and I don’t really mind losing my old number, although I was planning on using it for a while still. I feel bad for everyone who depended on these lines for business reasons.
I have few reasons why I’m not a fan of Vonage. First the aforementioned lawsuit specific to Vonage make it possible to be shut down as well. From a Forbes article today:
On a more personal note, my reasons for using VoIP are really because I am looking for something cheaper than a landline, while still getting fax capability. Vonage isn’t much cheaper than a basic landline at $25/month, since I don’t use much long distance. THEN they add taxes, for a total of about $28/month. On top of that, they seemed to charge extra for faxing, although some people report using the main line just fine.
If Packet8 picks up the pieces quickly and honors the rest of my contract, I’ll try them out.
Jonathan – to make Skype more convenient and ditch the headset, look into the UConnect 901. We purchased SkypeIn, SkypeOut and the UConnect device back in December and it works great! It’s also affordable at $40.
You plug it into your PC (via USB), and then plug your standard phone into the device (it has a phone jack built in). Then you can use your standard cordless phones as usual.
With this setup, you can only receive calls if your PC is on, but if you’re the kind of person that leaves your computer on all evening anyway, then no harm. Of course, you’ll still receive voicemail when your PC is off and you’ll see them when you boot up again.
link: http://www.bizrate.com/telephoneaccessories/oid571197995.html
Earthlink’s service goes down every three weeks and the customer service from India is terrible.
I have had Viatalk for about a year. I love it. I will never go back to a land line again. The reliability has been pretty good. The only annoyance that I’ve found is that long distance calls tend to take about 15 seconds to connect. Other than that, the quality is good.
I just hope that the Viatalk doesn’t develop the same problems as Vonage and Sunrocket.
Hi,
I previously had vonage for about a year and the service and quality I thought were pretty good. I would give it about an 8 out of 10. I have Skype now and use a phone I bought on amazon.com. Ebay owns skype and so I don’t think they will be going out of business anytime soon. And the price is phenomal. The quality is excellent. The phone I use is the Skytone USB Speakerphone with LCD By Radian.
Chessnoid
Interesting. I used to work for SunRocket up until this past Friday and I didn’t know about the Packet8 thing. I can say that SunRocket has all but closed. Plan to drop off my old key card and parking pass tomorrow if I get the chance.
My SunRocket service is still working as of now (10:56ET on Tuesday), though service has been spotty over the last couple days. Also, the SunRocket website is still alive and appears to be accepting new orders. Seems like they’d have at least shut that down.
No new orders are accepted if you try going thru the process.
They shut down without any notice. You shouldn’t extrapolate from their current website anything,
Jonathan,
If I’m not mistaken, your blog is time stamping comments in the Hawaii/Alsaka time zone.
My 2 cents…
I have Vonage Service for my home since early 2003 and all I can say about them is they have only improved their service with time. Yes speaking with a live person was a problem initially but they have a very quick turnaround if you contact Customer Support via email. I don’t agree with the people who are flaming Vonage about the Verizon lawsuit. The irony of the litigation threat is that Verizon never would have gone for Vonage’s jugular had it not believed Vonage to be a threat. Indeed, Verizon should have concerns over Vonage. It has a strong consumer brand, a scalable infrastructure, and an extensive distribution network. Vonage’s cost cuts will take effect in the next two quarters, which should help with cash flows. And if Vonage makes progress on the litigation, there is likely to be a nice move in the stock price.
Thanks for the update. I signed up for SunRocket last summer and I have been quite satisfied with the service. My service was out yesterday for a few minutes. But it’s back up. I look forward to receiving the announcement email. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Not sure if you know but Sunrocket is a subsidiary of vonage..seems to reason that vonage will absorb sunrocket if its goes under or does it make any sense to have 2 companies, when one can do the job better?
Corey, Vonage and SunRocket are two unrelated companies.
The time zone thing was set to -8 UTC before, I fixed it to -7.
Has anyone used one of those phone adapters? D-Link has one for $60. “The Skype certified DPH-50U allows you to use your existing corded or cordless telephone to take advantage of Skype?s low cost calling features.”
I use Skype with a bluetooth headset and it’s awesome. No wires!
As for VoIP, I’ve used several providers and they’ve all be crap. Vonage was by far the worst with Cablevision being the best. The problem with VoIP for me was that it sucked away far too much of my bandwith that I needed for my job. Everytime I used the phone, my speeds slowed to a crawl and with Vonage I got a horrible echo on the phone. Cablevision was better but still not great.
You’re best bet is to get a Skype enabled mobile with WiFi. That way you can use Skype as an application on the phone through the wireless network when away from home and run it over your home wireless network when you’re at home. In a few years, all the wireless networks in the country will have insane speeds and voice will be another application running on the data network.
One more thing. If you don’t need a mobile phone, then just get a PDA with WiFi that can handle the mobile Skype application. Then it becomes your home phone without having to subscribe to any mobile service. I bet you can get an Axim or iPaq on eBay for pretty cheap and that will be more than enough to run mobile Skype.
This is really aggravating. I’m concerned about losing my phone number, which I ported to SunRocket. Perhaps it really is time to go cellphone only. This would be a great excuse to get the iPhone, though I’m still waiting for someone to unlock it fully! 🙂
One concern I have is how in the world we access SunRocket voicemail. I’m not sure about other people, but I haven’t been able to get to my voicemail online or via my phone. This is a major problem!
Many SunRocket customer are reporting voicemail service has been lost. Some are even reporting complete or sporadic loss of dial-tone.
I have been a SunRocket customer for over a year now. And my service stopped working last night. No notice, warning, mail etc. I have sent them an email and tried calling up – no luck. So much for customer service 🙁
Has anyone tried the Comcast Digital Voice ? A friend at work has it and says it is really good. The neat thing is even though it is VOIP, Comcast sets up the box and everything outside of the house. So you can plug in a regular phone into the regular phone jacks all over the house. Little pricey, but might be worth it.
Doesn’t surprise me. Last I remember SunRocket hasn’t paid any of it’s providers in months.
Signed up last August under the $99/yr deal. I noticed I couldn’t make calls overseas and the redlight on my gizmo was on.
I was fortunate that SR went belly up before my renewal date.
ViaTalk lowered its buyout to 3 months now…
Allo is offering 2 years for $199
http://allo.com/services/residential/index.php
I think you can use the code “FREESHIP” to get rid of the shipping charges for ViaTalk
It is now official. Packet8 is the official replacement carrier for SunRocket customers. (Thanks Luke.)
They will not honor the remainder of your prepaid term with SunRocket. They will be able to transfer your number.
Another provider is JoiPhone
http://www.joiphone.com/splashads/sunrocket.htm
$8.95 a month for a year
Non of you mentioned another alternative, Lingo.
http://www.lingo.com
I’ve been using Lingo for 2 years and I have no problem with it.
Recently I signed up SunRocket for its two year $199 deal and hoped to transfer my lingo number to SunRocket.
It’s good that SunRocket was slow enough that they stop working before my number being transferred. But it’s sad that I have to file dispute with my credit card company to ask my money back.
Besides, Does any one know if this website is legit?
http://www.sunrocketclassaction.com/
Thanks
hahaha…..the guys at Packet8 know how to rub it in.
go to http://www.packet8.com and see their flash animation at the bottom right hand corner…..hahahha!!
Joseph,
I dont think packet8 is the official carrier for sunrocket. It is just another VOIP scrambling to get sunrocket customers.
****************************************
8×8 is not acquiring the assets of SunRocket, nor can it honor any prepaid amounts paid to SunRocket. Since SunRocket equipment will not work with the Packet8 service, new equipment will be needed to make use of the Packet8 service subject to 8×8, Inc. Terms and Conditions.
This is a scary reminder to all of us that we should be careful with who we invest.
If sunrocket was publicly listed, I think i might have bought shares coz i really thought they were doing GREAT!!
Correct code for ViaTalk free shipping is “SHIPFREE”
Nony-mouse,
The venture capitalist backing SunRocket reached some sort of financial agreement with Packet8 making them the official replacement provider.
See: link
Looks like Teleblend is another Preferred Provider. They say that you do not need new hardware and will charge $12.95 through the end of your contract. Almost seems like they moved into the Sunrocket offices and set up shop.
WSJ article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118479699440570808.html?mod=wsjcrmain
Teleblend website
http://www.teleblend.com/
I haven’t posted here in the last couple days because I’ve been dealing with the whole Crashrocket fiasco……..LOL!
Anyway………….hiarious that all us cheap@$$ folks all happen to also share so much in common that as soon as the SR fiasco happened, there’s a blog here on Jonathan’s site……..;)
So, I did my research and finally decided to give my $$ to VERIZON!!! I, too, am going to go w/ Voicewing.
1.) Verizon owns everything within a 100 mile radius around me. (Lines, poles, all the local #’s, etc. etc.)
2.) Per above, they also originally own my #, so to keep it I figured I’d go back to the chief. (While still in processing, VZ assured me that my # will be pulled from SR, no problem as they OWN the #)
3.) Who’s got the #1 voip provider by the juevos?????? VERIZON!!! I spoke at length today w/ a CSR at Voicewing & she assured me that VW is just as good as the rest & solid as Verizon! (i.e. Sears/Kenmore) The mother company is actually delta something or other, but that company, too, is also solid and backed by Verizon w/ loads of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Hard to beat the best in the biz.
P.S. I’d have gone w/ Time Warner digital phone ‘cuz I have their TV & internet, but they said DP isn’t available in my area just yet. Due to the discounts of the 3 in 1, the price would’ve probably been similar to VW + TW, but I’ll try VW & see how they do first.
I have used the D-Link DPH-50U. Bought 3 when they went on sale at the local Fry’s. Worked out to about $16 per unit after a rebate (which I have not received as yet 🙁 ). The device works very well. It has some interesting features beyond Skype -> Phone jack. You can forward calls to a local phone if you have a land line connected as well so you can call into Skype and have it forward your call to another number using your land/VOIP line. Reverse is true as well. You can have your land/VOIP line be forwarded to a Skype entry (#, name, etc.). Pretty cool overall.
I am a Sunrocket orphan and just ordered this thing:
http://www.magicjack.com/site/index.html
Unlimited local and long distance in the US and Canada for $39.95 year.
Everything I could find was positive about it, and for the price why not give it a try?
Also, I used the promo code “sunrocket” to get free shipping.
Packet8: Hi Sunrocket, you don’t look so good.
Sunrocket: Nah. I’m hiding out in Hawaii right now leaving my customers high and dry.
Packet8: If I pay you $20 will you make me your “preferred” provider?
SunRocket: Will you honor the rest of our contracts?
Packet8: Nope.
SunRocket: Use the same equipment?
Packet8: Nope.
SunRocket: Hmm… make it $25 and it’s a deal.
Teleblend seems to be a company that was set up overnight JUST for sunrocket customers. I would be a little cautious.
I went ahead and ordered majicJack. Hey…as Clancy said, for $40…cant beat the deal. I know it would suck to leave ur computer on all the time….but what the heck. I just hope the quality is decent and they dont go belly up in 6 months.
Has anyone used Joiphone? http://www.joiphone.com/faq.htm
Just got off phone with Chase card services (have Chase Rewards card), just told them that SR went belly up, and I was charged jut this month ( 4th July actually), is there anything they can do.
The rep. was very helpful, talked to he supervisor, got back to me that you should get refund for the unused portion (I was charged 214.11 – including tax) , (was so happy to hear that, and thanked the rep. for the excellent service, and also promised that I’ll post my experience on the web). The rep. then added that need to be transferred to the dispute department. (At this time I was little skeptical as these are the people who can actually approve the credit, and who knows?). Talked to the rep. in this dept., explained again (she had the details of request in from of her). She asked me to wait, took little longer (3-5 mins.) than earlier rep., came back and (surprise!) told me that she will credit me the full amt. ($214.11). She also told me that I’ll recv. a letter explaining the incident, and the credit will be applied in the next 2-3 cycles. . Of course, I’ll wait to see the credit, but I believe that Chase won’t be another SR! Now I ma so relieved, i can choose a good service rather than just going to viatalk just to get the refund (I am still comparing services, and don’t have any opinion about viatalk yet).
Chase cards rocks!
For any of you wanting to visit broadbandreports.com there are some seriously interesting happenings w/ this Teleblend company.
I have every reason to believe they are basically Sunrocket reincarnated. They obviously have access to all of SR’s equipment because phones are now working again, voicemail, etc. etc.
Answers are coming slowly from a “new” Lisa (Lisa Bickford, NOT Lisa “the curse of biz death” Hook) but she’s rather vague about their relationship to SR and I wish they’d just come clean about everything.
Anyway……..the most convenient part for SR refugees is that it’s………….well…………basically Sunrocket. No new equipment. No need to port #. No need to do anything except kickdown about $13 for the rest of your previous SR contract.
Questions is……………………..Is this Teleblend Legit???
The domain name Teleblend.com was Created on: 17-Jul-07
See: link
Yes i work for a Card company and they seem to have stopped servicing customers and have not refunded back the cost of the program. Our company released us a disclaimer about the customers calling in and that they need to dispute the charge at a prorated cost and it should be honored.
Correct. All of that information and much more can be researched in the Sunrocket forum over at broadbandreports.
But more curious to me is how TRULY legitimate they are.
Since my last post here the previously mentioned Lisa Bickford has posted a couple of times over at BBR and while it sounds like she’s pleading hard for some trust, her answer are vague and cryptic. There is an OBVIOUS link to themselves and Sunrocket (they wouldn’t have such quick and thorough access to all of Sunrocket’s equipment, servers, etc. if otherwise) and she’s even posted that you don’t need to do anything to retain ALL of the features you had at Sunrocket by simply getting started w/ Teleblend online.
As much as I hate to admit it, it would certainly be the most convenient transition………(especially since I’m still waiting for Verizon Voicewing to get me started)…….but I just don’t know.
It’s Information to acquire trust & Teleblend won’t give us any of either. It’s like Sunocket refugees and this “Teleblend” are at an impass until Teleblend starts coughing up more details!
???
I ditched my original plan to move to ViaTalk and have temporarily signed up with Teleblend and their $12.95 per month service. Once I get confirmation that I’m a Teleblend customer I’ll be signing up with AxVoice.com and their $8.99 per month “Pay as you go” service ($.02 per minute for outbound calls). I average less than 60 minutes of outbound calls per month, so I’ll even be saving a couple of bucks over what I was paying SunRocket.
Got the dreaded email finally!!!
As everyone here knows…..Sun(k)Rocket is recommending Packet 8 or Teleblend.
Something tells me that Teleblend is run by SunkenRocket. Or perhaps ex employee’s/VC’s of SunkenRocket. Just get that feeling. They are already running it as of now. Coz at the moment, my sunrocket still works.
Thought the best and easy way (at least in the interim) is to sign up with Teleblend as the # is the same, the box is the same, no yearly plan, and monthly charges are even lower. Tried to sign up with Teleblend, and got the “Runtime Error”. Looks like they are still setting up!!! Tried to call them as per their support page, asks either to leave a message, or hold. I tried to hold; phone kept on ringing, and then got disconnected. Second time tried to leave a msg., the msg box was full! Not sure if they can handle the load.
Quick update. Finally, I was able to sign up online with Teleblend. At least the service will continue until I find a better alternative.
I just un-forwarded my SunRocket line to test it. Call went through correctly and my wife answered it. Good voice quality. Called back to let it go through to voicemail and after several rings I got a fast busy. Outgoing calls also not working, though outgoing worked for at least a while last night.
Back to forwarding to my cell for now…
Got the email, reviewed the alternatives and ended up signing up with VOIP.com (any experience with them would be appreciated). Same cost and features as SunRocket and their website is easy to navigate and utilize for account management/use. The equipment is free (LinkSys gear) and is shippped out immediately at no cost. They checked my number and said there would be no problem transfering it as the holder is a known entity (Sheridan at this point I believe).
Spoke with my credit card company and they are crediting my account the full amount and going after Sheridan for compensation. They expect a pro-rated settlement, which I’ll get under their fraud policy less a minor fee regardless. We use CitiBank.
Getting compensated via this approach rather than taking a discounted deal seemed more logical. It let me compare and choose the VOIP provider with feeling like I was dealing with a sidewalk shell-and-pea hustler.
Good luck, all.
Hi all, I only just signed on with SunRocket a month ago having read about it on this blog and having had a friend recommend them also. I was very happy with it all until the meltdown. Anyway, my post SunRocket experience has been as follows. I initially signed on with Packet8, but then decided to go with the seamless transition option with TeleBlend. My phone hasn’t missed a beat since this all happened except that my voice mail was down for a day or 2. In the days of doing business with Packet8, their CS was OK, but certainly for me not great. The last thing to happen was that today I called them to cancel out of my new account and get the refund on my credit card etc. It seemed like the message was understood until I checked my credit card account later on today and saw that Packet8 had charged me a 2nd time. Not long after that I received an email from Packet8 that they had received my order of service etc etc. So, I guess my request for a cancelation became a request for a second new service with them and a chance to charge my credit card again!! Anyway, I tried to call them tonight but was too late. Will see what happens tomorrow to sort this out. In the meantime, my phone continues to work fine and I’m now a TeleBlend customer. I haven’t spoken to anybody there yet…just did the application online. maybe that’s why I’m happy with them so far and not happy with Packet8. The more human input when doing this stuff, the more chance of a screw up occuring! As an aside, I didn’t really like the Packet8 web page for members either. The SunRocket one was far superior in my view (and also still working!!??)
Wow- Had no Idea this is going on . As of today my service is working fine. I can even check my voicemail online just fine. I will now seek other service alternatives!!
I have NOT switched over to anyone and my sunrocket still works. Anyone with similar fate?
I think teleblend is still running the people who havent switched over yet. Maybe wait it out a little longer and then switch over. Might be free service….who knows! Well technically not free….coz its paid for 🙂
I signed up for Teleblend 07/21/07. My phone is able to send and receive calls with good voice quality; however, run light on my Gizmo is still blinking red just as it did when I was only on Sunrocket since the closing. I have no voicemail. After about four rings the caller hears a fast busy signal. My attempts to get through to Teleblend support/customer service about this issue have been unsuccessful. Keeping my fingers crossed that voicemail and etc. will kick in soon. TeleBlend has my money for this month anyway so I’ll just have to wait and see.
As of this morning my SunRocket phone was still working fine…
Does anybody have any idea what is going on?
my SR is still up and running minus voicemail. Thinking of viatalk because i also have a signature number to transfer that will be changed into a seperate line. this actually may work out better because we were running 2 businesses on 1 line ( busy voice mail and a lot of minutes used on the cell phone – but i have 1500 ). Anybody up and running with VT yet after they transfered??? Please post update!
Eugene,
Just checked the Teleblend website and they posted a new comment under a new section of their site called “Blog”. Anyway, I’ve cut and pasted what applies to you (and plenty others also I’m sure).
“WOW! What a week this has been? We are excited by the number of former SunRocket customers that have signed up with TeleBlend. Please continue to use the website to answer as many of your questions as possible as our call center has been handling tens of thousands of calls over the last couple of days. If you do need to call, please keep this in mind. The FAQ section of the site will be updated on a regular basis as we move forward.
Please spread the word that TeleBlend is here to provide each former SunRocket customer ongoing service. At some point if you have not transitioned off of the SunRocket plan to another provider, you will likely lose all service.
When we receive an indication as to when that will occur we will let you know immediately.”
So there you have it. At some point soon I would imagine, you’ll need to sign up with someone.
Bagman915, have you tried to reset your gizmo?
Uh Oh! My home phone number is not working in so far as receiving calls is concerned. I’m hoping it is a temp issue and am on hold with TeleBlend at the moment to see if this can be sorted out. If someone calls my home number, it rings once then says that this number is no longer available. I tried calling my original SunRocket number and my home phone rang! The number that isn’t working is the number that I had ported to SunRocket…..and subsequently was/is the number that I signed up with TeleBlend with.
We’ll see if I’m ever able to get through to anybody to talk to about this. As I type, I’ve been listening to elevator music for 30 minutes.
I paid $13.96 ransom to Teleblend to get my phone going, since my contract with SR ended in August, Teleblend will charge me 19.95 start from August, I only have 1 month to shop around and port my number, How I wish I can port my SR number to GrandCentral, then everything is going to be perfect without SunRocket.
Does anybody know how to set up Teleblend voicemail? So far I haven’t been able to reach their customer service and there is nothing on their website…
Scott,
I had similar problem, and I opened a support ticket online. My service is working fine now, and I recd. an email suggesting some actions (I didn’t take any action, and my service is fine, so I am no0t sure if that will help, but at least there is a suggestion. Look at #3 and 4.)
================
Dear Valued TeleBlend Customer,
Thank you for contacting our support team.
We have received your inquiry and would like to take this opportunity to update you on a few open issues as well as provide the answers to several commonly asked questions.
1. We are currently working to initiate voicemail service for all new subscribers. We expect that it will be online soon and we will send an email out to all customers once it is available. We will also provide instructions on how to setup and use your voicemail. Please review the network status on our web site for additional updates.
2. International calling is currently available in only a limited capacity. We are currently working to increase capacity for this service and expect to be able to do so within the next day or so. Please review the network status on our web site for additional updates.
3. If you are experiencing problems making or receiving phone calls, please unplug your device from the power. Please wait 1 minute and then plug it back in. This will force the device to re-register with the server and your service should be restored.
4. If you service is working, but there is a red light blinking, please unplug the device from the power. Please wait 1 minute and then plug it back in. This will force the device to re-register with the server and your service should be restored. If the red light continues to blink, please try to make and receive calls. The red blinking light should not interfere with the operations of your phone.
5. Many of you have asked about our pricing plans. Our price is $12.95* per month. You may also transfer your additional or virtual numbers to TeleBlend for an additional $4.99* per number per month.
6. We will honor your original service term with SunRocket with the promotional price of $12.95*. After your service term expires, your service will increase to the very low price of $19.95* per month.
*All prices are subject to local and state taxes and surcharges that vary by locality and state.
If you still have questions, you may review many other commonly asked questions by visiting us online at http://myteleblend.net. We are continuously updating and adding new commonly asked questions, so check back often.
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SR/TB cut off my phone service completely on Monday, 7/23/07. I signed up with VOiP.COM the prior Thursday evening, 7/19/07, to replace SR (no interest in TB after reading several tech and business reviews on TB, and several very positive reveiws on V) who then sent notice to SR/TB last Friday (7/20/07) that my number was to be transfered to them. Coincidence?
I’m still waiting for my new phone modem to arrive from V so I won’t have a phone until it arrives (they provided a temporary number in the interim). It shipped last Friday, 7/20/07. via FedEx ground which means the only thing I can learn from the tracking number is that the package got picked up last Friday. According to a V CSR, their records indicate that it will/should/could/may arrive today (fingers crossed).
still up and running minus voicemail – quality actually seems better than normal. i can get thru more when faxing……????
RJ,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve tried resetting the gizmo plenty of times but no luck. I’ve put in a couple “trouble tickets” and we’ll see what happens. The weird thing is, when I make outbound calls, the caller ID shows up as my home phone number. When I call my home number, I just get the 3 beeps, not even anything….just says “call failed” on my cell phone. I can make my home phone ring by calling the SunRocket issued number from when I joined them.
The only other possibility I can think of is that I had started the LNP process with Packet8 before I decided to go with TeleBlend. The portability process obviously never got too far, but I wonder if it got a little ways, and that is the reason for my problems.
I don’t have alot of patience for this at the moment. I’m trying to give them a break because basically they are a brand new company. Still, even if I was to sign on with someone else now, things wouldn’t be fully up and running for a couple of days while I would wait for a new gizmo etc. so I’ll wait it out a bit to see how TeleBlend do with this issue. They’ve got my first months payment also……hopefully they can get their act together with this whole transition mess.
I made a mistake of replacing my land line and going voip all the way early this year but it was a lesson learned for me. I am getting a land line again and just signed up will use Onesuite.com for my long distance calls. BTW, I just learned that they got a VOIP feature also and for only $2.95 a month I’ll get a second line and save on my calls at the same time.
One thing I am sure of is I will never pay $200 in advance for 12 month plan and just like some of you guys there’s something fishy about Teleblend coming out of nowhere when the Sun sink.
Still up minus email – even faxing. Got another email this one says its from sunrocket. Here it is:
CRITICAL LETTER TO SUNROCKET CUSTOMERS
– SERVICE TO BE DISCONTINUED WITHIN 10 DAYS –
Dear Customers,
As previously reported, SunRocket is in the process of closing its operations and therefore will no longer be able to provide you with the phone service. However, this email provides you with an opportunity to sign up with select service providers who we believe will offer outstanding replacement service.
While services to customers may be discontinued at anytime, all services will be discontinued no later than August 5, 2007.
However, there are two preferred service providers we are recommending, which are: 8×8, Inc., provider of the Packet8 service, and Unified Communications Corp., provider of Teleblend services will be offering you the best options and we are proud to recommend the following alternatives to you.
We urge each and every customer that has not signed up with a new service provider to immediately do so now. Do not delay as services are being discontinued and will be permanently shut down no later than August 5, 2007.
then the rest is the same pushing Packet8 and teleblend. i signed up finally with Viatalk. I hope it all pans out OK – I spoke to someone at their tech support starting at caller 87, over an hour later i spoke to a woman that seemed like she was american and not india.
She said they were hosted by a provider named Hostrocket and both were based in upstate New York. Praying they live up to what they say……………
Ok, I’ve worked it out and the reason for my probs has forced me into changing my setup….again. I had started the number porting with Packet8 before I decided to go with TeleBlend. Anyway, as I had a sneaking feeling….the number ported even after I cancelled out with Packet8. Long story short….I’ve decided to go back to Packet8 to save anymore hassle. I figure that trying now to port the number back to TeleBlend will be more trouble than its worth. I’ve got to say that being with someone who is pretty established (to the best of my knowledge!!) like Packet8 seems like a better bet than an overnight startup like TeleBlend. I’m still wondering what the process of SunkenRocket recommending TeleBlend was when they basically didn’t have anything set up at the time of this debacle.
Jeremy, I see where you are coming from about going back to traditional landline. That was my wife’s suggestion……calmly put to me as I tried to explain why nobody could call us at home for a few days!! I’m still willing to keep going with VOIP. I found the call clarity for International calls actually better with SunRocket than my former landline provider. Anyway…..its been kinda nice to have a quiet phone at home. Maybe going cell phone only is the final best solution??? Oh, then we have to talk about the cancer issues with extreme cell phone use too then………….
Finally received my voip.com phone adapter after waiting two weeks (came in 08/01/07 one day ahead of FedEx Ground projections). The directions were simple and after a quick installation it was operating perfectly and our house phone is now on-line with the temporary voip.com phone number.
Needless to say, my local phone number has yet to be transferred to voip.com but they say that things are moving forward in that regard.
SunRocket is still permitting me to manage my account, so I have set SunRocket to forward my local number to my new temporary voip.com phone number. And it works fine. Go figure.
Life is starting to assume a semblance of normalcy again.
Signed with viatalk but things are slower than expected all around . I heard about magicjack.com which sends you out a little usb jack that you plug your phone jack into and wala you have service. It seems like a good back-up plan or maybe I’ll get 2 ( for 2 lines ) It’s only $43.90 everything included for a years worth of service and a $20 yearly renewal charge there after. Plus you can take it to any pc that has high speed internet and make and receive calls. Sounds almost too good to be true. The catch is you can’t port your old number, but for a savings of $195 over viatalk I may cancel them durning their 14 day trial…..
Well, this Monday saw the end to call forwarding by SunRocket of my old phone number. And there is still no projected date as to when SunRocket will transfer my old number to VOiP.com at the three week point now.
VOiP.com’s quality is good but their Call Center is swamped and getting technical support or answers on number-transfer progress are near impossible. Obviously SunRocket’s demise put a burden on more than just us hapless consumers.
What a mess.
I switched to packet8 from sunrocket 3 weeks ago and while the service works fine with the new number, there has been no progress on porting my old number. Not only has no progress been posted about my LNP on their web site, no one at Packet8 can talk to me about this problem. My faith in this company is dwindling fast. I expect to pick a new service soon.
I would have to recommend Vonage for the 2 months. I know they had it on their site. It cost me only $1.20 cents to get everything hooked up and shipped. Free for 2 months. Let me put it this way, I got Vonage, VOip.com, and packet 8.
VOip.com is HORRIBLE. If you get them, cancel it. I have had so many problems with them. Plus I had to pay 35.00 to get started with them. The box sucks, the customer service is the worst and all they can do is blame it on sunrocket. Honestly, I have learned a lot about voip.com. All the people work from home, they have no managers or someone higher up if you need help, when they answer they never say the companys name, they just say hello, and thats about it. Matter of fact I even left 2 customer support tickets about 8 to 10 days ago and still their is no answer from them even. All I can say is if you get anything get Vonage or packet 8. Packet 8 is ok but still they just give you some bull to get the service. Not sure about the other company that sunrocket recommends?
Also to let you know vonage can provide a yearly service if you want it, I never knew this at all…
Voip.com will give you nothing but nightmare. It took money from my credit card multiple times the same month. Very bad voice quality. They charge one minute for overseas calls even if the call doesn’t go through. They told me I have to since I dialed the number, it does not have to go through. Their customer service is almost non-existing and very rude. Call quality is very bad. Lately I’m getting calls from strangers saying that I made the calls. VOIP rep told me that they can’t do anything about it. I am going to report the matter to BBB. Stay away from them.
The Sunrocket customers are much better off now. In my opinion Packet8, who will be taking Sunrocket’s customers, is the best. P.S. Packet8’s equipment will work on line speeds as low as 17k, Even vonage recommends minimum of 128k, So, if they offer any deals on equipment, grab it!