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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Packet8 customer for almost 2 years
By John D. Eberly
Hi, I have been a packet8 customer for almost 2 years now. I love the service from Packet8, ... and I have tried the other providers as well. I have had voice for a while and love it, and decided to purchase the video phone since Grandma/Grandpa want to see there new grandkids. We love it! I also used Packet8 coupon code "gateshare" from [...] to save $20. The site has a lot of useful information. I will never go back to the Plain old telephone system.
20 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
Poor Voice Quality, Poor Customer Service, But Inexpensive
By M
[...]----------------------------------------------------------------SUMMARY: VOIP is great for second lines, but not your primary line. At just $19.99 per month, Packet8 is cheap, but the audio quality is poor and customer service is terrible. If you want better quality, Vonage has much better sound quality and marginally better customer service for $29.99 per month.REVIEW: There are a number of companies that offer the ability to use your broadband internet connection to give you a telephone jack that you can plug your regular phone into. This technology is known as Voice Over IP, or VOIP for short. When you sign up, you get an adaptor you hook up to your internet connection and to a regular telephone. When it works properly, you can pick-up your phone and make calls just like you normally might, but the call gets routed over the internet.A lot has been said about using VOIP as your primary phone line, but I'd sum it up this way: Don't use VOIP as your primary phone line. VOIP lines can go down for many reasons, including power failures, internet outages, or VOIP network problems. But, if you want a feature-laden second-line, VOIP is the only way to go.The technology is a fantastic idea and is loaded with great features, including the ability to get a telephone number in just about any area code, even if it is nowhere near where you live. Most VOIP providers give you the ability to have more than one number (in different area codes if you want) ring to the same line. They also provide caller ID, call-waiting, call-waiting caller ID, three way calling, call forwarding (including forwarding to multiple numbers at the same time), voicemail, and, some include the ability to transfer calls. These features are usually free, along with unlimited local and long distance calling. You can also take the adaptor with you when you travel and plug it into any internet connection (such as at a hotel) anywhere in the world, and use your phone to call anywhere in the U.S. for free.I've tried Packet8 (this one) as well as Vonage.Because the quality of the audio is very important to me, I was very disappointed with Packet8's performance. The voice quality sounds noticeably computerized. I also use Vonage, which charges more per month, but has audio quality which matches a traditional telephone line. Vonage also has the ability to reduce the sound quality if you want to reduce the bandwidth required, while Packet8 offers no option to increase the sound quality.I also found that Packet8's support was terrible. I wanted to find out if the sound quality I was experiencing was the result of a defect or just a characteristic of the service. So, I called Packet8's "24-hour" support line. Although I placed my call at 1:30 a.m. and several times later in the morning and the following afternoon, I always reached an answering service who could do nothing other than take a message and promise a return call. The return call never came. In my view, a 24-hour answering service does not qualify as "24-hour" support, even if the calls had been returned.I also sent several e-mails complaining about the sound quality, and the only response that I got asked me to send another e-mail if I wanted support. I did, but it was never returned.I finally called Packet8's main number and asked to speak to a manager. The switchboard operator transferred me to a line that nobody answered. When I called back, she transferred me to a voicemail. When I called back again, she transferred me to a very rude person who insisted upon finding all of my e-mails before he would help me. When I suggested that he help me first, and find the e-mails later, he hung up on me.I called again and the operator transferred me to the director of technical support's voicemail, where I left a message promising to cancel my service if I didn't get a return call. Five minutes later, I got a call from a senior technical support representative who said that he was asked to call me by the director of technical support. He called me on my regular phone line from a Packet8 line in their headquarters. The call had the same mechanized quality that my Packet8 line had, which led me to conclude the audio problems are normal.All that said, if you won't need support, and you don't mind the digitized sound quality of Packet8, you can't beat the price. If you want better quality, Vonage (which you can buy at Amazon.com) offers better quality at a higher price.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
BEWARE - Worst customer service
By Paul G
I was a Packet8 customer for 4 years. WHen I started to have technical problems after moving to Arizona, I discovered just how bad customer service can be. I opened a problem ticket describe the poor quality of connections I was experiencing. The problem ticket was ignored for months, and I could get no response even after multiple attempts. When I finally cancelled my service with Packet8 and transferred my number to Vonage, I foumd that the worst experience was with their billing department. Packet8 continued to bill my credit card for 5 months. I have as yet been unable to extract a refund. I reported the incident to the FCC and am waiting to see if they can help deal with this company. Don't expect help from Packet8 if you have a problem. Vonage has excellent customer service, so far.
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