Question about VOIP - Another Vanity

[Jamestown1630]

I have a question for other users of VOIP.

Over the last couple of years, we've encountered several businesses/services that will not approve us or accept our orders because we use VOIP for our phone system. We've used it for ten years, but this problem has only shown up in the last 2 years.

(We don't do any business at all on our cell phones; in our situation, they are mainly for emergencies. But some places don't accept those numbers either, because they are TracFones, and not some major telecom provider.)

Has anyone else encountered this? Our phones work fine for our uses and we are certainly not going to change what works to be 'accepted' by some company; but this issue has been troublesome.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[cableguymn]

Can’t say I’ve run into that problem with my business lines. But if they refuse to do business with me because I use a VOIP phone and they’re using a dinosaur telephone company maybe I don’t want to do business with them in the first place

[Jamestown1630]

That’s how we’re beginning to feel.

[Sarcazmo]

Your setup is just like ours. We have had problems before but we thought it was with using VPN. Weird. I thought at one time it was the credit card.

We have never really nailed it down.

[mjustice]

While I’ve seen dating services and other apps that are prone to misrepresentation reject VOIP numbers (in part because you can create them out of thin air), I’ve never seen a business that is in a position to take your money reject them. Maybe you can reach out to the business via phone or email and ask them for an alternate way to identify you.

[monkeyshine]

I can’t help but that sounds stupid. How do they even know you’re on VOIP? Our business has been basically VOIP (we transferred our numbers, we use analog phones but the lines come in from the modem which means they are voip).

We had a separate issue with AT&T where our numbers were “hidden” in the data ass, which meant some callers depending on their provider couldn’t reach us, but I think we finally fixed that. But no idea why some of your vendors refuse to accept Almost all businesses use voip now.

[sten]

there has been a massive uptick in scam calls from people overseas (particularly india) making scam calls

this could be the issue.

maybe reach out and check to see if this is the issue. if it is, you could look into a new number or making sure to register with the clients so they know you.

[Jamestown1630]

That’s what I thought when it happened again today - maybe I entered the card number incorrectly; but I was told precisely that it was due to the phone number. (Maybe they don’t have ways to ‘verify’ a VOIP?)

I called up and worked it out with them, but we shouldn’t have to go through all of this.

[monkeyshine]

Oops. “Database”. But the autocorrect was more accurate 😂

[KarlInOhio]

I’ve had some complain that my VOIP phone doesn’t accept text messages. I’ve told them that they aren’t getting my cell number and to deal with not being able to text me. None have walked away from my business.

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks; see post 8.

(An order I placed yesterday - a rather expensive item! - was canceled for the reason that they couldn’t verify the phone. When I called to straighten it out, they specifically asked if I didn’t have ‘another’ phone I could use...I insisted that I didn’t, and finally got it straightened out; but with a lot of wasted time.)

[Jamestown1630]

Well, they say it’s a ‘verification’ issue; so I guess they have access to some kind of proof with the big telecoms, but not with our little VOIP.

[Jamestown1630]

I kind of liked it...:-)

[srmanuel]

I agree with you, I’m not sure how you would know if someone were using a VoIP phone or not.

I was on VOIP engineering team that installed Voip phones at every location of Bank of American in the USA, some of the other companies I’ve installed VOIP phone at are KPMG, Capital One Bank, and Exxon-Mobile.

From the description, transferring number from legacy voice systems to Voip System is very normal and done all the time.

Legacy systems like Fax Machines can be configured to use VOIP systems, in big companies, we converted dozens of fax machines to a Voip system.

I’m thinking the poster doesn’t have all the information or understand what the issue is.

[Jamestown1630]

So far, that hasn’t been an issue with us - everyone has offered the option of an email or voice call for two-step verification (again, so far.)

[Jamestown1630]

All I know is what they’ve told me. One place even had an auto reply stating the reasons they couldn’t accept my account setup; and one of them was ‘You are using a VOIP’.

Again, when this has been a problem (three times) we have been able to rectify it; but not without wasting time on phone calls and, in one case, having to contact them by snail mail.

[midwest_hiker]

Nortel, the non-VOIP phone Hardware company most companies used to use, went out of business years ago. The Canadian Govt. bought the company and ran for a few more years.
The NORTEL systems can't be upgraded or be able to be compliant with most company's network security requirements.
So pick some sort of VOIP vendor, cause most phone companies want to switch from PRI circuits to SIP Trunks.

[Jamestown1630]

I think their problem with me is that I do use a smaller, VOIP provider, and not one of the big phone/cable companies.

[Mean Daddy]

There are VoIP companies that have a reputation for allowing scammers to utilize their platforms.

[Jamestown1630]

Well, honest users of a service shouldn’t have to pay in extra time and effort; but if that’s the way it is, I guess we have to weigh the benefit to cost issues of dealing with that service.

If the point comes where someone won’t do business with me despite my efforts to explain my phone number, I’ll just find another business - and tell them exactly why I’m rejecting THEIR business.