Z Box and 1Number from Z

[VRSEngineer]

I heard that Zvrs fooled some Sorenson users by telling them, "just port your number to Z and get another number from Sorenson" but it doesn't work that way. Porting means you're changing VRS providers.

Porting means you're changing VRS providers for a phone number.

A phone number is not a video phone. A video phone can have many phone numbers. Case in point: does your vp200 currently _also_ have a Sorenson toll-free number associated with it as a DirectVP? It probably does. Most do.

Unfounded allegations aside, if you have an issue with your VRS provider, complain to their customer service. All VRS providers are required to file customer complaints yearly with the FCC. If your VRS provider cannot address your complaint adequately in a timely manner, it never hurts to drop a well worded complaint in the FCC EFCS system as well.


As to the technical aspects of porting: porting merely wrestles the control of a phone number from one VRS provider to another. When this occurs, the old VRS provider should remove that phone number identity from their internal dialplan to allow other old VRS provider's videophones from calling that number, and from the ported device itself to prevent it from placing calls that look like a phone number now assigned to another VRS provider.

It is up to the VRS provider to make business decisions about how how they can retain customers. A VRS provider _could_ make make the business decision to give you another number so that your VP continues working....

However, look at it from the business perspective: an amortized capital asset (your videophone) was partially or fully subsidized by your VRS provider with the expectation that revenue generated from that hardware device will eventually pay for the portion that the customer didn't pay for the hardware device.

No VRS provider wants to provide a videophone to a customer that won't use it.

How many old videophones do you have in the box under your bed that you no longer use? If you say "none", I'd be very surprised.

Simply put: Sorenson has made the decision to give you a free video phone, the VP200. If you give out your VP200 phone number to all of your friends, it is most likely that you will use that primary device for your VRS calls as well, which is what funds Sorenson's ability to give you that free phone.

Video phones are not free. You end up paying for that free videophone by placing VRS phonecalls through the VRS provider that "gave" you that phone.

If you suddenly port the _phone number_ away to another VRS provider, that new provider is going to reap the benefits of you using their device as your primary videophone. This includes the VRS minutes that you were going to generate to cover the cost of giving you that videophone.

Any VRS provider has to ask themselves what makes business sense here? Give a videophone a new phone number that isn't likely to be the customer's primary phone anymore and lose out on the potential VRS minutes, or cripple the phone in some way so that the customer is either forced to port the phone number back or send the phone back to the VRS provider to recycle for another customer.

Video phones are not free. There is a capital outlay. These are all business decisions.

The same thing is true for cellphones, btw. Cellphones are not free, or even inexpensive, unless you sign up for a wireless cellphone contract. Wireless carriers follow this same business logic to amortize the cost of the hardware they are subsidizing across the duration of your contract with them.

The difference here is that you haven't signed a contract with your VRS provider, have you?. They can't exactly charge you an early termination fee to recover the subsidization cost of their videophone. Who would they bill? How would they collect it?

A VRS provider is most interested in putting their videophone asset into another customer's hands who can bring in revenue to cover the cost of that asset.

In the end, this is just business.

Get the FCC to hand out vouchers for videophone hardware, and have everyone pay the full cost of the videophone hardware otherwise, and this problem goes away.

Until then, it is what it is.

Let me give you a good example. I had a friend of mine who wants to try out the "free Z-20". My friend called zvrs and said they wanted to get the free phone. He was explained that he needs to port his Sorenson number to get the phone for $200, and after 6 months or 1 year, he will get a rebate check for $200 from zvrs. My friend said he would rather port his snapvrs or purple number because he doesn't use it at all, and the sales person says "can't do that, has to be a Sorenson number" Why is that? That definitely is wrong! Who do we report that to at ZVRS?

After reading the above, ask yourself "why would ZVRS give me a rebate check for $200 in 6 months?" Really think about it.

Hint: Sorenson is 80% of the VRS market. No early termination fee, or way to collect it...

Understand?

If you were running a VRS business, what would you do? Can you think of a better way to handle the economics of this problem?

 

[zerodog]

Porting means you're changing VRS providers for a phone number.

A phone number is not a video phone. A video phone can have many phone numbers. Case in point: does your vp200 currently _also_ have a Sorenson toll-free number associated with it as a DirectVP? It probably does. Most do.

Unfounded allegations aside, if you have an issue with your VRS provider, complain to their customer service. All VRS providers are required to file customer complaints yearly with the FCC. If your VRS provider cannot address your complaint adequately in a timely manner, it never hurts to drop a well worded complaint in the FCC EFCS system as well.


As to the technical aspects of porting: porting merely wrestles the control of a phone number from one VRS provider to another. When this occurs, the old VRS provider should remove that phone number identity from their internal dialplan to allow other old VRS provider's videophones from calling that number, and from the ported device itself to prevent it from placing calls that look like a phone number now assigned to another VRS provider.

It is up to the VRS provider to make business decisions about how how they can retain customers. A VRS provider _could_ make make the business decision to give you another number so that your VP continues working....

However, look at it from the business perspective: an amortized capital asset (your videophone) was partially or fully subsidized by your VRS provider with the expectation that revenue generated from that hardware device will eventually pay for the portion that the customer didn't pay for the hardware device.

No VRS provider wants to provide a videophone to a customer that won't use it.

How many old videophones do you have in the box under your bed that you no longer use? If you say "none", I'd be very surprised.

Simply put: Sorenson has made the decision to give you a free video phone, the VP200. If you give out your VP200 phone number to all of your friends, it is most likely that you will use that primary device for your VRS calls as well, which is what funds Sorenson's ability to give you that free phone.

Video phones are not free. You end up paying for that free videophone by placing VRS phonecalls through the VRS provider that "gave" you that phone.

If you suddenly port the _phone number_ away to another VRS provider, that new provider is going to reap the benefits of you using their device as your primary videophone. This includes the VRS minutes that you were going to generate to cover the cost of giving you that videophone.

Any VRS provider has to ask themselves what makes business sense here? Give a videophone a new phone number that isn't likely to be the customer's primary phone anymore and lose out on the potential VRS minutes, or cripple the phone in some way so that the customer is either forced to port the phone number back or send the phone back to the VRS provider to recycle for another customer.

Video phones are not free. There is a capital outlay. These are all business decisions.

The same thing is true for cellphones, btw. Cellphones are not free, or even inexpensive, unless you sign up for a wireless cellphone contract. Wireless carriers follow this same business logic to amortize the cost of the hardware they are subsidizing across the duration of your contract with them.

The difference here is that you haven't signed a contract with your VRS provider, have you?. They can't exactly charge you an early termination fee to recover the subsidization cost of their videophone. Who would they bill? How would they collect it?

A VRS provider is most interested in putting their videophone asset into another customer's hands who can bring in revenue to cover the cost of that asset.

In the end, this is just business.

Get the FCC to hand out vouchers for videophone hardware, and have everyone pay the full cost of the videophone hardware otherwise, and this problem goes away.

Until then, it is what it is.



After reading the above, ask yourself "why would ZVRS give me a rebate check for $200 in 6 months?" Really think about it.

Hint: Sorenson is 80% of the VRS market. No early termination fee, or way to collect it...

Understand?

If you were running a VRS business, what would you do? Can you think of a better way to handle the economics of this problem?

Wish to knew more about that toll free number issue after porting to ZVRS. How come ZVRS didn't post the website about the tech issue with number after that or any process to sign up and sales rep didn't inform us as we aware of this may cause problem...

It would nice hassle so we can contact CRI to remove toll free as it proof that we one of us who wish no longer want their service.

You are well explain...

 

[VRSEngineer]

Wish to knew more about that toll free number issue after porting to ZVRS. How come ZVRS didn't post the website about the tech issue with number after that or any process to sign up and sales rep didn't inform us as we aware of this may cause problem...

It would nice hassle so we can contact CRI to remove toll free as it proof that we one of us who wish no longer want their service.

You are well explain...

I'm not sure who "CRI" is in this context, what website you're referring to, or what tollfree number you're talking about.

Again, rather than post identifying data here, I suggest contacting Customer Support about this issue with the facts and escalating until you reach someone who can answer your question. I can assure you, your question will be answered, even if you have to escalate all the way to engineering

 

[lilbugsb3]

i would prefer to stick with VP 200 because what if zvrs upgrade a new product and have to pay for another while sorenson stays free so they upgrade a new one while i lost nothing but zvrs will have a new product in the future and might waste my money on it so nah. i would like to stay with free so i dont have anything to lost