Toll free service recommendations?

gwyneth · #1 12-31-2006, 09:02 PM

Does anybody have a good toll-free provider with virtual mail box access? The co-op is getting fancy and the artists want an 800 number, and since they haven't decided on a physical location it should probably be a virtual 800 number, too.

Thanks.

Serra · #2 12-31-2006, 10:03 PM

Vonage has some nice 1-800 plans as part of its service.

gwyneth · #3 01-01-2007, 01:09 AM

If you need to have Vonage's regular service, that's not virtual enough--it won't work until the co-op determines a physical location. Or cable tv or DSL lines are run under Lake Superior.

I'm in town (it sounds so metropolitan!) for the winter but it's bad enough having a zillion pounds of the co-op's cotton pulp and unsold slime mix crammed in here without getting cable tv, too, just to get cable internet access, just for Vonage. Everybody else is still on the islands or off the grid or doesn't believe in electricity.

I shouldn't say 'just' about the cable internet access (if you weren't required to buy the tv service to get it I'd have gotten it a long time ago) but philosophically I don't want my winter hovel to become the co-op's mainland headquarters. One of the members wanted me to install a second phone line and take messages for people!

So that's why I'm trying to avoid anything that needs a physical phone line or its equivalent. There are a bunch of virtual providers out there but many of them seem to be resellers with the phone service equivalent of a cheap HG plan.

colgeek · #4 01-21-2007, 08:11 PM

I was poking around for a 1-800 number as well and couldn't find any clear cut solutions that didn't come off as a scam or a rip-off in one regard or another.

I have digital phone through Time Warner and simply announce that number. I'd ratherr have a 1-800 but it's not a smart expense for me right now.

Of course when some nutjob from these forums or someplace starts to wardial my number I am sure my tune will change.

chaloupe · #5 01-21-2007, 11:04 PM

I am with Phone People and I have been with them for over a year and never had any suprise.

Great deal and they offer some good options. I can like send all calls to my home or my cell phone if needed in just a 15 seconds process in the admin panel. Also got the voice box that send the message in .wma to an email account so I can listen to it on my computer.

Here's the link: http://phonepeople.com/

Best Regards,

PsiPro · #6 01-21-2007, 11:49 PM

I'm currently using tollfreeexpress.com its cheap however they decided to stop giving me my monthly minutes... so i pay for every call. I would be quite peeved if I received calls. phonepeople.com looks good, I may move there.

My ultimate goal when i have a few more people working for/with me, will be http://www.gotvmail.com/ I think.

slapshotw · #7 01-22-2007, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsiPro

My ultimate goal when i have a few more people working for/with me, will be http://www.gotvmail.com/ I think.

VirtualPBX.com is supposed to be great for that as well.

***VOIPoTim*** · #8 01-22-2007, 05:26 AM

Just a heads up that our VoIP service is about to go live and we'll be offering toll-free numbers both with the plans and also standalone.

After almost a year of development, we're in the final stages. The entire platform is pretty much built from the ground up including billing and the control panel, etc.

What do you guys think is reasonable pricing for toll-free numbers?

How many of you would be interested in them right away?

PsiPro · #9 01-22-2007, 11:32 AM

That depends on how easy they are. The places I am looking at are $10/month with a monthly minute plan and an exclent user end for quick and professional customization, including on hold music and automated opertors. If VOIPo can offer that, I will more then happily give them a try.

gwyneth · #10 01-22-2007, 01:46 PM

As somewhere between an interim and longer-term solution, we went with kall800.com despite my ingrained revulsion at spelling things with the wrong letter.

Very cheap per number, immediate setup, not tied in to monthly plan. Actually, sort of like HG in that you can buy a bunch of numbers for $2 a month each (800, and other toll frees) or some localities local for $5 a month each and don't have to get a minute plan for each.

Since we didn't know what or where or anything else, like usual with our coop, this seemed to offer less catastrophic consequences than anything else, as well as actually being easy for me to explain to the artists.

I figured that phonepeople would be cheaper if things went right but that kall800 would be cheaper if things went wrong, and with such low per number costs (the setup = one month, so that's two bucks per 800 number), the artists could even have their own 800 numbers if they want.

Like psipro said, "if I actually got calls"....they don't, but like the idea of it.

My idea of a great 800 number service would be a lot like HG's hosting plans, with parallels at every step, at the same rough cost. HG is good re hosting charges because some people like the infinite domain aspect, others like the storage/bandwidth--and the ability to decide how much of the latter goes to each of the former, without having to sign up for a plan for each.