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On Sat, 21 Dec 2024, Sebastian via list wrote:
Dear all,It is perhaps something of a coincidence that, as everyone is discussing how to keep their VoIP systems running through storms and gales, I am just in the process of setting one up. I've been trying to order an DID (Directed Inbound Dialling) number for the +44 1271 prefix from voip.ms; their pay-as-you-go rates looked appealing. Unfortunately they require proof of address by means of a "water, gas or electricity" bill - a bit tricky, as I am not the bill-payer for my household, and, of course, the bills will therefore not be in my name.
So maybe a bit late to the party. Joyous festivities to you all. (And yes, I'm currently in Devon too)They need address ostensibly for 999 calls. (And fraud, scams and the usual "we know where/who you are shenanigans")
You may find a provider that won't do 999 calls, but they may be few & far between now. (Or should be)
You may be living at home, but you have a credit/debit card and a bank account. Use that.
And here is the big: Why on earth are you giving money to a non UK company when there are plenty of UK companies that will do this for you?
The chase to to save a penny here and there has led the the race to the bottom of the barrel - or as a friend said recently, we're through that and chipping at the bedrock now.
And so you get what you pay for.I'm sure some remember that in the past I used to run a VoIP telephone service. I didn't like selling to consumers because they're a waste of time and money. One support issue and you've blown a years of potential profits. It's not worth it. The margins really are that low. Incoming calls are non-billable (unless you use a US company, LoL!) numbers are traditionally non billable either. "Line Rental" is a made-up thing in VoIP land, but some sort of monthly standing charge does help pay for infrastructure, so you have to call it something.
(And when selling to business they expect that. And support, so they are willing to pay for it. Consumers are a bunch of cheapskate freeloaders who aren't).
Outgoing calls - fraction of a penny a minute to the UK and most of Europe, and most other "1st world countries". So we impose a minimum call fee and round up to the nearest minute charges and so on just to scrape a small profit per call.
And then lets not forget the "IP" part of VoIP - The Internet. That's your own home/mobile Internet service and let's face it - you're paying the least you think you can get away with, so have no support, poor quality, high contentions, fighting with your parents, siblings, etc. playing online games, streaming the latest TV, Music, Porn, etc. shows.
Given I used to earn a nice living out of it, I feel I know what I'm doing.... So why did I abandon VoIP over 4 years back? I sold my business and moved on....
... To mobiles. Or specifically just one mobile. The one I carry round with me.All I have now is a mobile phone. It "just works". It's ... portable, or ... mobile. Its with me all the time. The device has timed "Do not disturb" features so I can sleep at night. I can block spam/scam/etc. calls or divert them to voicemail. It has alarms to wake me up when I need to wake up. Cameras. It can do video calls better than any desk phone I had ever could. I can even play games on it or watch porn on it, if I chose to and I can turn it into a mobile hot-spot and tether my bigger devices to it when needed.
My current phone can even take 2 SIM cards although that's not a feature I use. Old phone are factory reset and fitted with a "burner" SIM should I ever need another number for any other purpose.
Forget VoIP and go mobile. De-Stress, relax and enjoy the winter solstice chocolate festival.
-Gordon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG FAQ: https://www.dcglug.org.uk/faq/