VoIP and Fax-2-Email Closure

[#1]

This really, really, really sucks!
I've been paying £4.99 per month for Broadband Phone Anytime since September 2011 and I use this extensively as a second line (see attached screen shot from the VoIP control panel). Looking at the Gradwell site it looks like I'm facing a £7 per month increase!

[#2]

I'm actually surprised that PN have kept these products running for as long as they have.  Surely the writing was on the wall when they withdrew them from new sign ups - This was a clear indication that they weren't making money,
Hosting next?

[#3]

Found my merged thread!
I contacted Gradwell today and have just completed the direct debit and account details to go ahead with the swap.

I have taken the £4 per month package, there is no setup fee and I am advised there may well be no need to change any settings on my voip router either.
Now I need to raise a ticket to get my £10 credit I only put on thePN voip last week. Gradwell have advised they will not be transferring credit as per PN email suggested.  I will now also need to pay for calls per minute but that's not to much of a deal as I have charged it to my business.
I moved to Gradwell as PN email suggested to do otherwise could have resulted in my number being out of commission for upto 10 days which I can't afford.
So the move to Gradwell "should" be seamless. Now the hardest part will be getting my credit refunded from PN.
[added]
Which Option in ticket system should I pick to request VOIP refund as VOIP is obviously not listed and there is no accounts option to choose?

[#4]

pwatson: my figures came from folllwing through gradwells page on VOIP which can be found here: http://www.gradwell.com/store/configurator/
IN talking to the staff today I am assured there is no whopping installation charge. phew! so that can be IGNORED.
I have  just signed up for the voip line at £4 per month with call charges on top, no install and no transfer charge.

[#5]

Sorry to get involved when I don't use it.
Should there not be a sticky on the VoIP board, or the Feedback board?
One of those three paragraph bad news posts:
Fiirst one tells you how great your current service is, and how customers have requested we focus on something else,  and we wanr to offer you a better aervice elssewhere (i.e to save money).
The second one will deliver the bad news - to offer you a better VoIP service, it is now being scrapped.
Last one will say it is not all bad, contact our third party supplier to pay extra for a service which you can still keep as we've cancelled our contract with them

[#6]

Obviously as this is a detrimental change to the user, anyone deciding to leave Plusnet because of it should be let out of any contract with no penalty!

[#7]

I'm still on a legacy package that include 120 minutes. Reason that I have not changed package and stayed with PN is because of the VoIP. So with this going I will be looking to see what's on offer from other providers.

[#8]

Quote from: itsme

Reason that I have not changed package and stayed with PN is because of the VoIP.

Really? I would have thought that the primary concern would have been landline and broadband. I understand the need for a business user and how it will now be a bit of an inconvenience moving to another VOIP supplier and moving any numbers etc but even then they will end up with a superior service with loads more features but for a residential user and the rise of Skype etc there are lots of other, better solutions than Plus Nets VOIP offering anyway, in time when the dust settles it is probably a blessing in disguise.................

[#9]

that might be your opinion, but it's not one that those of us affected share.
it was a great value add component and as it was supplied by gradwell already had excellent service. Admittedly support from PN had dropped, but the fact it was very rarely needed was testament to how stable it was.
I've had to get a new number and move provider as for what gradwell want for £4 a month isn't value for money for me. Still waiting on my phone call.

[#10]

I am not mocking honestly and if I come across as doing so then please accept my apologies, I am just surprised that this service is so important to some people, I suppose it might be because I have never bothered to explore Plus Nets add ons, I have always just seen them as a landline and broadband provider, I was aware of their other offerings but learnt the hard way many years ago it is better to deal with service specialist in individual areas than a "jack of all trades".
You can have voip numbers moved to another provider, if you ask your new provider to move your existing number to them they will guide you through the process, when I did it last year with voipstudio there was no downtime either and it was free to do, might be worth asking for anyone worried about losing an established number.

[#11]

Quote from: Townman

More grim news then.   What else is on the cards for being dropped for existing users?  Web hosting? Email services?  Get rid of them and you no longer need domain hosting / name servers... Where will this all end?  Simple Internet connect and nothing else?  Is this why SSL work appears to have stopped? Who is making these poor decisions?

it will end as merely internet connectivity as you say - Which is how the new FTTP companies springing up operate now!
You just get an ultra fast connection and that is it - and is going to be the way forward.
You want hosting,email,VOIP go and sort it out yourself either from a 'free' supplier or from a paid for one if you want better facilities.
(and you want a UPS for ONT/router backup then again sort it our yourself)

[#12]

I have just had a quick look at Gradwells offerings and to be honest they are really really expensive, much much better deals out there from other providers, their so called "gold" numbers they charge £100 for are all available with soho66 completely free! Make sure you have a good look around because these guys are not cheap at all!

[#13]

Just been talking to Gradwell - as far as they are concerned, if you transfer across to them any unused credit will NOT be transferred over.

[#14]

Quote

I use Localphone for outgoing calls and Sipgate for incoming

@pwatson, Localphone do look to have good rates and their topup is more flexible than sipgate. Do you know if localphoen will allow more than one phone to be registered on the account at any one time ? I'll explain why, if I'm away on business and want to call home, I will use a sip client on my mobile, call my own sip id and wait for SWMBO to answer on the voip phone at home.

[#15]

Apparently the FAQs will be updated shortly to remove the reference to credit being transferred.