The Details

October 24, 2018 - Reading time: 9 minutes

We offer a lower cost "Landline phone service" than traditional / incumbent Canadian Telcos

 

How can we do this?  

We use an 'enterprise class, bulk carrier VOIP based service provider' operating from Montreal, to gain access to a robust platform with lower costs than "Traditional Telco".  We offer simpler and less flexible billing terms, to minimize paperwork for you and for us - to help keep costs down.  We use a 'pre-paid / pay-as-you-go' model that is common among 'entry level cell phone plans' - it is probably familiar. 

It all adds up to a simple, reliable service which costs you far, far less in the long run.

 

Great, How do I get started?

Since our service is VOIP based, you must have a good working internet service for your "Better Value Phone" to function.  While "bundling" is common in Canada, it is NOT required that you bundle your services.  You are entitled to 'un-bundle' and not get phone and internet from the same provider. Please remember that you do still need internet service though!

 

The Process is straightforward - but it does take a bit of time (typically around 2 weeks).

Here are the steps:

1. You register with us, using your preferred email account. We will communicate via email nearly all the time. Once registered, you will provide some information required for migrating an existing phone / or setting up a new phone service. (Your Name, phone number you want to migrate, and 'billing address where you currently get phone service'. Please make sure your account is in good standing with your existing phone provider; and please do NOT cancel service with them.
2. We will confirm that we can migrate you to our VOIP carrier network, and reply to give you the good news.
3. You provide us with payment in advance; a signed scan/PDF of your last invoice from your current phone provider, if you are migrating phone service from THEM to US. And then we start the "porting process". This is where the majority of the 'delay' happens - porting requires your current phone provider to review the transfer request, make sure your name & address are correct, and that everything is ok. (Your account with your existing phone provider - must not have any balance owing, or the port request will fail.  If your port request fails more than one time, we need to bill extra to cover the repeat porting attempts, which will be deducted from your pre-paid service credit balance. )
4. During this time - while we are waiting - We pre-configure and then ship to you a "VOIP ATA - analog telephone adapter" - so it is ready to plug in on cut-over day.
5. Once your cut-over day is scheduled, we inform you well in advance. On cut-over-day you plug in your new phone ATA... and start enjoying your better value phone.

 

 

The cost model is very simple. That's part of how we keep costs down / fees down.

• Virtually all communication is via email, for efficiency and clarity (This ensures we all have written copies of communication)
• We only accept payment via interac E-Transfer, from your online banking to ours.
• Support is expected to be minimal, because - this is a 'set it and forget it' type of service.
• There are no paper invoices; reporting is minimal - we just tell you when you need to 'top up' your pre-paid account when balance is getting low. $100 Payment increments ensure that paperwork (both for you, and for us) is kept to a minimum. (ie, pay for more months, less often...)

 

That is all fine and dandy, but what does it cost ?!

First Bill - $150 - includes one-time setup fees:

• $25 - Phone number porting fee
• $50 - VOIP ATA purchase (unlocked, yours to keep always)
• $55 - service credit (~equal to 6 months @ $5/mo. base service fee & 300 minutes airtime @ ~5c/min
• ... plus GST/HST as per your location in Canada - makes up the balance of your $150 payment

After that - $100 increment payments can be made to pay for service, for which the costs are:

• $5 fixed monthly recurring fee - for the phone line
• 5 cents per minute / flat rate - for all airtime (inbound and outbound calling)  (Local, Most of Canada / Most of North America, Most 'G7' nations - generally anywhere with "good internet backbone access"; slightly higher rates for more remote long distance calling).
• 0 cents per minute for calls to other 'better value phone voip customers'
• ... plus GST/PST/HST as per your location in Canada

 

What if I don't have a number to port / I just want to setup a phone number?

• $150 first payment will use the extra $25 that others pay for porting -  towards your service credit

 

OK. Are there any other Details I should know?

• 911 service is available as an optional add-on. It is not free / and is not included in the base $5 monthly phone line cost. If you want 911 enabled, it will cost $3 extra per month; this is effectively a pass through fee from our service carrier - that you may elect to add to your voip phone (or not). Strictly speaking, we recommend you don't bother 'if you have a cell phone around normally'  but some people are more comfortable having 911 on their landline as well. It is your choice. Your '$$ burn rate' with just be a bit faster if you elect to have 911 service enabled.
• How about other features? Like .. umm....
• Voice Mail - yes, you have voice mail included that you can check from your phone, and you can also have voice messages sent to you at one email address if you enjoy that sort of thing as well.
• Caller ID - yes - the service supports inbound caller ID display if your telephone is able to display it. This 'generally just works' as you would expect.  Outbound caller ID is also configured, so that your 'display name' will be shown to others via CallerID / when you make outbound phone calls.
• FAX machine support? Wow - do people still do this thing?! :-) - well - yes -  in general you can just plug in a fax machine (assuming you have one, and really! want to use it :-) and it will 'just work' as expected, for both sending or receiving faxes. Generally we would recommend you get a fax-to-email service instead if you anticipate getting lots of faxes, and we could help with that as well if needed. It is a simpler way to manage your inbound faxes, and does not eat up so many trees!
• Mobility? Yes, if you move to a new house / apartment / or just want your phone with you for a long weekend in your Condo in Monaco (woot! :-)  - just bring your VOIP ATA and telephone with you. Plug it into a Cat5 network socket that has DHCP / internet service (ie, 'a normal home router box thing'). And your inbound and outbound calls will 'just keep working'.  You don't actually have to be physically in your 'primary home' to use your 'voip home phone'. How cool is that? :-)

 

What if I don't like Email? PDF invoices? $100 payment increments? $150 for first bill payment?

• This is how our service works, please ensure you understand that these are requirements to use our service. "It is part of our agreement".