VOIP Provider Again

[Ron Rafajko]

> >    I am sorry you had that experience with ACN.  I am trying to locate some
> >    contacts within the company that will be able to answer technical
> >    questions and provide technical documents.
> 
> Don't hold your breath. When a company is geared to the consumer market,
> they do not place any value on the availability of technical support below
> the surface, nothing to answer serious questions. But, I'd eat my words if
> they have finally matured and DO have tech support which will address the
> questions I have. 



I'll let you know what  I can find.



> >    ACN has been around for over 14 years, so two years ago ACN would not have
> >    been a "handy-dandy new MLM".  Maybe it was new to them.  That is more
> >    likely the case seeing the piquing comments they make.
> 
> Maybe I am talking about and considering a different ACN. The ACN I know
> about is the one which started out pitching Lower Utility Billing, by
> contracting with public service utilities such as Natural Gas, Water,
> Electricity, et al. Is this the same ACN which has refocused it's efforts on
> VOIP and the Net? 


ACN started out with only long distance and did have utilities for a
while.  I do not know how long ago they stopped doing utilities.  Now
they deal mainly in telecommunications (local, long distance, Internet
(dial-up and DSL), Digital Phone Service (with video phone option),
wireless (with all of the major service providers), and data cards and
service.



> >    I have been an ACN local and long distance customer for over two years
> >    (long before I was a representative) and I have never had a problem they
> >    could not resolve in a timely manner.  Much to the contrary, I love their
> >    24 hour customer service as apposed to Qwest's 8am-6pm Mon-Fri customer
> >    service.  I once had a problem with no dial tone that I verified was on
> >    the line side of the Dmark.  I called on a Saturday morning and they had
> >    it back up in no time.  In fact, since ACN leases Qwest's lines, ACN
> >    customers have priority over Qwest's own customers.
> 
> Such service does sound impressive. Hopefully it's a different company than
> when I interacted with them or when my patient did. 


I think they have grown a lot in 14 years.

 

> >  cable TV providers and satellite, where customers demand customized plans,
> >  without all the BS cruft that no one ever wants to consume.
> 
> I was pointing to cable television as an example of cruft forced upon
> consumers. Sign up for cable TV and you get plan A, B or C...and included
> with each plan are channels which everyone wants, plus other crufty/BS which
> no one ever wants, the junk stuff. Call up Comcast and ask to only get local
> broadcast programming, plus your favorite movie channels, and sports
> channels WITHOUT any of the other dumb stuff that you hope never to watch.
> They will say Sorry, You can get the channels you want, but these others are
> included...that's the plan...No Substitutions! 
> 
> Qwest currently advertises High Speed Internet, which their 'customers'
> swear on the ad that the speed with Qwest just Feels faster...hell, how
> about some concrete measurements, such as www.speakeasy.net... to really
> show speed. You can't order the service they provide, at the price
> quoted WITHOUT also purchasing a voiceline, or some other service. 
> 
> There is no 'a la carte' selection. They put the 'package' together and
> that's what you get, take it or leave it. This, imho, is cruft or junk, it's
> saying, you get this thing you really want, only if we also force you to
> take this other junk you don't want, but we gotta move it out. 
> 
> I'd like to get cable net access at my office from comcast and choose xmission as my
> ISP, and choose whether I get a Static IP or whether it is dynamic, and i
> don't want to get penalized and have to pay double for overlapping services.
> Alas, the current system and marketing goals of all the providers disallows
> me getting just what I want, and paying only for the services I want,
> without other extra unwanted stuff.


DSL service will always require a local phone service because you need
the land line to bring the service over.  No DSL providers would provide
service over a line they have no control over.

There are a few Internet providers that do have more flexibility than
others.  I get to the Internet through the American Fork high speed
network, yet I can still only pick from the three ISPs they work with.
Then I am restricted by the services the ISP I pick provides.  Maybe in
the future more freedom will be available.

~Ron Rafajko
American Fork, Utah