Reviewers Comments:

ZingoTel has given me nothing but trouble since I first signed up in early September 2006, and they still hadn't ported my phone numbers over as of October 8, 2006. Message History Thank you for contacting Zingo Telecom, Inc. Customer Support. Your request for assistance has been received. Case #XXXXX - "My phone numbers STILL have not been ported over CALL ME" has been created for you. A member of our customer care team will respond to your case as soon as possible. This was supposed to happen by 10/8. Meanwhile, I kept being billed by my current carrier AT & T. Not cool! To make matters much worse and what has caused me to initiate my 1st complaint to the BBB of So. Fla. is that ZingoTel's main advertising thrust is that they offer: "Residential Unlimited comes with the works. Unlimited calling to the continental US and Canada and tons of great features all for a low monthly fee. Residential Unlimited Starting At:$19.95 / month". Plan Highlights Includes your own US or Canada phone number! Unlimited calls to the continental US and Canada! Never miss important messages with our free Voice Mail, Tons of great calling features like Call Waiting, Caller ID, and more...Low international rates when you call abroad. Recently, they sent me an email contained herein: Email from ZingoTel received 01.03.2007 Dear Customer, Your account has been identified for excessive call volume based on historic residential call volume of current Zingotel users. Per our USER AGREEMENT (WWW.ZINGOTEL.COM ), we believe you are not qualified to continue our service under the current RESIDENTIAL plan assigned to your account. Unfortunately, we must ask of you to upgrade to our BUSINESS Unlimited calling plan ($49.95 per month) effective immediately. Your next month's Invoice will reflect the mandatory account change. Your account shall be temporarily suspended until we receive confirmation of your acceptance to the plan change. If you would like for a customer service representative to review your account call history, please reply with the time and telephone number convenient for someone to contact you. Thank you for your attention with these matters. Regards, Customer Service Zingo Telecom 1-866-946-4648 When I contacted ZingoTel, they stated that in paragraph 1.2.1 (shown below), that they have the right to determine excessive use and automatically bump you up to their business program that costs $49.95/month (up from $19.95/month). Here is section 1.2.1: 1.2.1 Basic Plan, Premium Plan, Residential Plan Use of Service and Device If you have subscribed to Zingo Telecom's Basic Plan, Premium Plan, Residential Plan services, the Service and Device are provided to you as a residential user, for your personal, residential, non-business and non- professional use. This means that you are not using them for any commercial or governmental activities, profit-making or non-profit, including but not limited to home office, business, sales, tele-commuting, telemarketing (including without limitation charitable or political solicitation or polling), autodialing, continuous or extensive call forwarding, fax broadcast, fax blasting or any other activity that would be inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns. This also means that you are not to resell or transfer the Service or the Device to any other person for any purpose, or make any charge for the use of the Service, without express written permission from Zingo Telecom in advance. You agree that your use of the Service and/or Device, or the use of the Service and/or Device provided to you by any other person for any commercial or governmental purpose will obligate you to pay Zingo Telecom's higher rates for commercial service on account of all periods, including past periods, in which you use, or used, the Service for commercial or governmental purposes. Zingo Telecom reserves the right to immediately terminate or modify the Service, if Zingo Telecom determines, in its sole discretion, that Customer's Service is being used for non-residential or commercial use. When I asked how they determine excessive, I was told they calculate an average use by all their residential customers, and if you exceed that average, you are considered excessive. My phone line IS a residential line used by my 5 family members, 3 of which are teenagers. The very reason I got the service was because of the 'unlimited calling in the US & Canada'. They could not tell me the 'magic number' where I crossed into excessive and stated that this number is constantly changing as it is derived from and aggregate composite taken at specific moments in time. They could not tell me my minutes used, or when I became excessive as we have had the service for almost 3 months now. This is very fraudulent advertising and behavior and needs to be made right. I had them port my existing phone numbers over to them from AT&T and now it looks like I will have to go through the hassle again to port them to a new carrier at a cost to me! I had to pay for the setup fees and go through a lot of trouble before the system functioned as advertised. I was never given a credit although I complained. I feel I have been misled, given no warning about any provisions that negate their unlimited calling claims and now I am automatically being billed more as they automatically deducted their new fees from my checking account as payment is setup to be automatic as a requirement by ZingoTel. This is a scam!! The last straw is that they suspended my outgoing service and are still billing me and auto-deducting from my checking account. They will continue to do so until I agree to pay the higher business plan fee or terminate the service. I am on the hunt for my next carrier. BUYER BEWARE!!

Reviewers Comments:

Like most people, I look for ways to save money. I thought I found a great way to save on my phone bill with Zingotel. The headaches have not been worth the money saved. I signed up for unlimited residential service in March 06. I was happy to pay about thirty dollars for service startup, and having the 'router' shipped to me. It took about 10 days to receive the equipment. Things went well for about a week, until I had my first dropped call. Suddenly, all calls would disconnect mid-call. Customer service said my service was running correctly, but the dropped calls continued. Finally, after my own investigation, I discovered I needed more bandwidth, even though I'd been assured by Zingotel I had plenty. The next issue was that I was charged for the "free" month I was promised. My money was refunded, after I called and threw a fit (for 30 minutes) at customer service. Service was on again, off again. Sometimes I couldn't get calls in. Sometimes I couldn't get calls out. Sometimes people would call me and get a recording that my line had been disconnected, even though it had not. Some calls dialed would go to a fast busy signal. I called customer service and emailed repeatedly to have these problems corrected. They were, but only ever temporarily. The problems would arise again within 7 to 10 days. Back on the phone with their USELESS customer service. Another issue I have with this company is that my bill was 14.95 a month for a few months. Then it went up to 16.85 for 'fees'. They were listed as regulatory recovery fee and sales tax. The latest bill has gone up to 19.19. The increase is due to more 'fees', these being listed as 911 tax, FUSF (VoIP) (whatever THIS is...) and telecommunications infrastructure fund. I was never notified that these charges would be appearing on my bill. I had to discover it on my own. The final straw was my service being suspended on Jan 3. A recording was played with any call I tried to dial out, directing me to call customer service. I tried calling customer service and couldn't get anyone. I sent emails to their support department and got no response. I left messages with their automated phone system and didn't get calls back. This went on for 4 days. Finally, I used a different phone to call their toll free number. I got a customer service agent almost instantly. He informed me that my line had "excessive call volume." My options were to A: pay the higher business rate for my line or B: Disconnect my service and pay a disconnect fee. Customer service claims they sent me an email regarding the change to my service. I never received it. I highly recommend this company for anyone who enjoys poor quality of service, non-existent customer support, an increasing monthly bill, and general headaches and frustration. You'll love all the wasted time on the phone talking to no one.

Reviewers Comments:

I've had ZingoTel for a few months now. I was once a NetZero Voice unlimited subscriber but could not be tied down to my computer any longer... I go to school and live on campus that is long distance to where I used to live and from where my girlfriend lives. I didn't want to use up all my cell phone minutes so this seamed like the perfect plan, and it has been. I've only had one problem and that's with my voicemail. I'll get it, but there won't be anything there! Other than that totally satisfied. It took them just a few days to port my number from NetZero Voice to ZingoTel. I do miss not having to have my phone device plugged in somewhere to get my calls forwarded to my cell phone though.

Reviewers Comments:

I tried a number of VOIP services side by side and settled on Zingotel. I used it both on satellite and cable for a couple months with pretty good luck and then reliability went down hill and eventually quit. I have spent a ton of time trying to rectify the issue, with finally (after 3 months of downtime) a new modem, but that hasn't worked either. I have asked for credit for downtime with no response. I can no longer reach Zingotel. I can't fix the problem, I can't cancel the service. THIS IS BAR-NONE, THE WORST SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED ANYWHERE!!!!!

Reviewers Comments:

I just started using the Zingotel service the other week, and it works great. Under 2 minutes to plug in the provided cables...computer doesn't even need to be turned on...only need your broadband modem switched on and you are ready to make a call...instant dial tone through the included Sipura/Linksys telephone adapter. It took about 3 weeks to get my telephone adapter via UPS, but they are only slow due to the popularity of their service...I was patient and waited...once my Zingotel package left their offices in Florida it only took 1 day to reach me with UPS express air delivery to Canada. That is impressive, and I appreciated the quick to-my-door delivery. I can forgive them for my 3 week wait since the service works exceptionally good. I was even able to get a Canadian phone #. Looks like I will definitely be a customer for a while, as I have nothing to complain about. If you want a good provider of VOIP for a low cost...choose Zingotel.

Reviewers Comments:

This is really a company for those who need to save money more than they need good sound quality. Service is okay, but nothing to write home about. I have a very fast cable connection, yet sound quality is quite poor, despite their service's best efforts to improve it. I have friends with other voip services, with the same connection and their sound quality is far better. Fortunately, I'm using it on a line that only receives minimal use each month, so I don't care too much. If it was any more money, I'd switch to a carrier that gave the sound quality I'd expect. If you need good sound - go elsewhere. If you are out to save money over all else - expect to live with the negatives.

Reviewers Comments:

We were a bit leary in setting up our business with their business service but now we're glad we did. I've been reading some of the reviews here, but considering other VoIP providers reviews, this company does ok. Our business had 5 business lines set up with the local telco and after speaking with Leo and Anthony we ended up setting up the Linksys 9000 PBX device and dropping 3 business lines. To this day I can't believe that my 2 partners and I can make long distance calls at the same time for under $50 a month. Value for your money, you bet! Paying for the extra features the telco's charge is history. We got the PBX device set up, call quality has been great and service on my end has been great. Thanks guys.

Reviewers Comments:

This company is a NIGHTMARE…DO NOT SIGN UP!..... I was referred thru Minutebuster long distance service, (my previous LD provider) Date of Activation: Aug. 1, 2006 Last day of service working: Aug. 24, 2006 It was a hassle getting things going, the customer support was terrible. Either I got a voicemail, just to leave a message, (no one ever called back) or someone who didn’t really speak or comprehend English. Finally got it working, just for long distance, it didn’t work for local calls. After 3 weeks, it inexplicitly stopped working. Nothing had changed in my set-up, etc. My first call was Aug. 26, 2006, I was told that the router box was defective, and I was sent another one. Received new box, had several conversations with tech support, but MY SERVICE WAS NEVER RESTORED!!! On Sept. 19, 2006, I was told my ISP had the wrong settings. More conversations with tech support, still service was not restored. Finally I had enough and decided just to cancel, the service only worked for 3 weeks in August. On Oct. 3, 2006 I requested that the service be terminated, since I was still being billed every month even though service never worked after Aug. 24, 2006. I was told that when I sent the equipment back, I would be issued a refund. On Oct. 4, 2006, I was charged a $39.99 “cancellation fee” (sucked out of my bank account without my permission, or knowledge) On Oct. 9, 2006, I was sent an email that my account was “past due” and my service was being “suspended”. (Ha Ha is that a bad joke??) Oct. 25, 2006 2 Router boxes were received at Zingotel office. Oct. 25, 2006 Charged $16.85 for monthly service. Once again, sucked out of my bank account without my permission, or knowledge AFTER I HAD CANCELLED, AND CHARGED A CANCELLATION FEE!! Oct. 25, 2006 I was told I would not get a refund because the “service not working problem” was on “my end”, so it wasn’t their fault. Also I had used the service for 3 weeks, so it had worked. Therefore, I would not be getting a refund. I now have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in south Florida, also I have had to cancel my debit card. So BEWARE!!!!

Reviewers Comments:

This is my second review after having the service for 6 months now... With the exception of a few weeks after the first month, I LOVE my Zingo service. So much so, that I got my sis to order through them. Service is still landline quality, and seems like it's gotten better. For a while I had a problem with Echo's (either on my or the other caller's end), but those seem to have disappeared. I recently moved out of my old apt to a new one, and the service transferred seamlessly. All I had to do was make sure I changed my address with Zingo for 911 purposes. The voicemail can be a little screwy sometimes. It won't register the Vmail deletion for a few hours or days after you delete a message, so you still get the broken dial tone. Aside from the quirks it does exactly what I want... I highly recommend ZingoTel.

Reviewers Comments:

I ordered this service for overseas calling. It took 2 @1/2 months to finally be able to complete calls to Australia. They claim the numbers I called were not valid. What, Hilton Hotel in Sydney has the wrong phone number listed on the web-site? Also have had problems with the voice mail indicator not showing on the phone, no name caller id, and to review the calls made is now virtually non -existent. Technical support seems to have only 3 people working there, Riley seems to be the best but situations clearly are more advanced than phone support can handle at that level. The billing department is in total denial, they say since the phone works in the US all services are fine. If I wanted to call the US, I'll use my cell. I still have this service as I can complete some calls to Australia, but I probably never should have left Packet 8. I have had this service for over 6 month's and intend to cancel it very soon.

Reviewers Comments:

When you call my number it goes directly to voice mail and the Zingotel phone continues to ring for :30 seconds. I have contacted support and they take down the info and after not hearing from them for several days, I call back only to discover no one is working on the case. This has happened repeatedly and I can't get the Tech Support Supervisor to return my phone call. It's been almost two weeks and according to one person, the only thing that needs to be done on the Zingotel side is to delete the account and simply re-create it. According one tech, this would only take about 2 minutes. I've had the service as a backup for about 10 months and would have cancelled long ago but since I can place calls and it's only 14 dollars a month, I've stayed with the service. If you are wanting a voip phone as your primary telephone service, do not use Zingotel. Pay a few extra dollars per month and get a provider that will stand behind their product.

Reviewers Comments:

You do all ordering on the site. They send you a letter saying welcome and box should be there in a couple of days. Setting up involves you hooking the device between your modem and router or computer. Anyone with a little computer knowledge can do it in minutes, if your not computer savvy, they have a color booklet that comes with it. Features include all the standards anyone else does. Call quality is pretty good. Sounds like a normal phone, not much to say. Reliability is pretty good as well. I haven't had any issue. Customer service is average, they won't always return my call within 10 minutes, but I usually hear something back from them within the hour. They have email contact as well, which is what I normally do now because when I'm at work and can't always call. Their billing was confusing at first, because they send a letter saying they will bill you, then a letter that says they have billed you, which isn't so clear at first. Value for money is really good, my plan is 14.95 a month, no tax, and no long distance charges. International rates seem really cheap compared to Bell South and even Vonage.

Reviewers Comments:

Service works good when it works. But, if you have ANY problems, forget it. I've had two phone adapters go bad in 3 months. Customer service is terrible. If you get a hold of anyone on the phone, you can't understand them. You usually just get a voicemail. So, when you use their online support system, you can look forward to a 3-5 day response time on emails. Yes, this service is cheap, but you get what you pay for. I would not recommend to anyone who needs reliable service.

Reviewers Comments:

Had for about a week, so far so good. Dont know what all the fuss is about. I'm using a cordless panasonic phone with my service. It took a week to come by ups ground service and took me less than a half hour to be up and making calls. My mom who has Vonage will be switching to Zingotel soon.

Reviewers Comments:

Ordered Zingotel & sounded like a great deal. But I noticed when dialing out its take a few seconds to call whoever your calling. Also the caller ID only displays the number but no name. I called tech support and they said they would have to contact the carriers and fix the problem with them. They said it would be fixed within 2-3 days. 2 weeks later still no name on the caller ID. I called tech support once again and this time they said it isn't available and that they are working on providing a name with the caller ID. 2 different stories! If I would've known that the caller ID isn't fully functional I definitely would've have went with another carrier. Overall if you don't care about caller ID then Zingotel is okay.

Reviewers Comments:

This was the worst nightmare I can imagine. I found Zingotel and it looked like a good deal. I emailed them and they said I could keep my old number (Packet 8, another nightmare) So I signed up and waited and waited, finally I emailed them and they said they were waiting for the number to be released. I then waited and waited. Now it’s a month and I email them and they said they are still waiting. So I told them to forget my old number and just give me a new local number. So they send it me, but they have to give a temporary number until a local number is available. Well they give me a number that is in Seattle (I’m in Spokane, on the other side of the state.) So every time someone calls me they have to pay long distance. To make a longer story short I waited 8 months going through this crap till I wrote them and cancelled (I went with Vonage) They then sent me an email saying they now had the number. I got a new number on my Visa so they wouldn’t continue to take money out which they did. They continued to bill me and I continued to tell them I have cancelled. 3 months later they confirm my cancellation and say I have to pay them for all those months. I’m glad I kept all the emails.

Reviewers Comments:

Plug & Play setup--was really easy. First had $9.95 plan for 400 min. Didn't think would use that many min. since I also have a cell phone, but you do use up airtime just making calls even if there is no answer. (Incoming calls don't use up min.) Switched to $14.95 a month unlimited. Haven't had any problems with service. I do live in an area where we have a lot of lightning storms and can lose electric so I do have downtime with service, but cured that by having call forwarding to my cell phone. This would be a problem with any VOIP service. Calls are pretty clear, some static at times but nothing real bad, and so far no dropped calls. For me the service is well worth it and so far customer service has been ok. Since I just moved to an area where cell phones (any service provider) can have poor reception, this has been a god send for me and have been able to keep in contact with friends and family.

Reviewers Comments:

My first line was easy enough to setup. Pretty much plug and play. The downside is that the voice line you get does not work with Tivo or a fax machine despite what the website says. When I called them about this, they said that I had to get a separate fax line with a different connection speed in order for the faxes to work. I decided to go ahead and do this because the price was reasonable ($7.95 for a second phone number, dedicated faxline, and 250 minutes of outgoing calls). It took me 6 phone calls to finally get things to work and it ended up being five days after I was promised that I would have it. Never do anything through their online support form or cases. I asked for my faxline through this and when I called they said they never got the request. When I finally got my my faxline, it screwed up my "My Account" section of the Zingo website. I can't access any info on my original line or view and pay bills. Only my new fax line shows up. Again, I asked for support and they told me they were working on it and asked for my understanding. It's been almost a month since this help request and the problem still is not fixed. They have the worst customer service of any company I've ever worked with. The phone quality and features have been ok. Not great, but not too bad and it's hard to beat the price. Just be aware that you're in for some customer service headaches.

Reviewers Comments:

Worst VOIP company ever. DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM! I've had my service for a two months, during this two month trial period they decided that my call volume was to high to be residential so they automatically, without asking me, took me up to the business account and tried to bill me for it. I have tried for 3 days to reach ANYONE at Zingotel, I've tried the Residential side and Business side. I have left several messages. I opened a support ticket 4 days ago, and have emailed! I have had to call my bank and change my credit card and fill out a fraud form to get my money back. Whats up with this company?

Reviewers Comments:

Their only selling point is the low prices. Product works well, but customer service is a bummer. Their Customer Service is primitive, which is to say that they do not know anything about what customers want to see happen when they are contacted. They have a long way to go to be seen as a formidable player in the segment. DO NOT BUY INTO THEIR LOW PRICES...it is NOT WORTH the headache of dealing with their service. I cancelled their service after 6 months of service, and I am now a happy Vonage customer. TRUST ME...just cross out this company from your list of VOIP companies. Come back to them when their service has improved.