Vox.co.za: Anyone using it?

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Tunasashimi

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Is this really the creation of Datapro?

Or maybe it's just one of the former directors' kids homework project, they decided to try out, as a joke. Seriously.

I have tried to contact them three times during the course of this morning, dialling their 087 support number touted on the website. It is, after all, an 087 number they are planning on offering you, as your gateway to 99% of local businesses whom you will undoubtedly need to call...

Presumably they had caller ID and could call me back, to the Telkom Landline I called from. Did they? No.

Two out of the three times, the call quality was terrible (couldn't make out the music or voice) - and in spouts of clarity I heard an operator, but soon as I started talking I was cut off with a hang-up tone. The other time, too, I was cut off seconds after speaking to an operator.

Well, one thing is sure. Telkom made about R5 off my calls.

So, what did I want to know? Simply, how their reseller program works, and how I would go about selling their products, should I subscribe. Simple information that is nowhere to be found on their website or their pretty-ish pdfs.

Their product looks great: Get a VoIP Phone and ADSL modem, for R300 connection and R50 monthly. My other question is: Does it work?

Third question: What are their call rates? Seriously, this is the first thing any VoIP company offers... They have bundles of 500min for R100, to several continents. Is that it? 20c/min? Sounds like the price to pay for useless quality calls..... or am I wrong?

I have used other (international) VoIP services without hassle and with excellent call quality, calling both to SA and abroad.
 
I find it hard to believe that this is a large company listed on the JSE. Their site looks like a homework project! misalignments everywhere, missing images, no real info, just ads everywhere! Looks more like a get rich quick scheme than a alternative telecoms provider's website.

no answers to your questions though... sorry :(
 
LOL funny that you say get rich scheme. I believe they use MLM for selling the phones. Nothing wrong with them though since they have a good product that they are selling. Perhaps one day we will have VOIP parties instead of tupperware parties.

I sent a frank email to the guy who did respond to me and I'm still awaiting my reply.

I reckon we should give these guys some time and wait and see. Maybe they launched a bit early but there is potential.
 
There are several problems with VOX
No 1 is that they have zero control over the quality of the internet connection.
Oh by the way the handset is R50, but the recharger/handsfree pedestal is an extra R75 per month.
They have no discount on local calls.
They tout that you earn money for people calling you, but this comes to a end as soon as ICASA finalises their interconnect regulations.
You would have to make more than R550 worth of national or cellular calls per month before you made enough savings to have paid for the phone & recharger rental.
 
Does anybody else find it weird that they have Amazon advertising down the left of the site? Buy ADSL telephony and a book at the same time??? WTF?
 
Thank you for your comments. Vox has just launched, and we are in the process of gathering feedback from current and potential customers and dealers in order to refine our offering. We ask people to bear with us in the initial phase and continue to provide us with constructive comments. Please direct any specific questions or comments to [email protected].
 
Yeah. I'm using the VOX ADSL phone.
A dude at Wits put me onto them about a month back, before it launched Service is really decent. International calls cost nothing compared to local. Call quality better than my mobile. I'm happy with the service.
Don't know about the R50pm for handset, R75 cradles - I only paid R300.00 for registering and I pay R49.00 p/month - which gave me the handset with a base (charger,ethernet router, wirless-router, dect etc) + calls.
 
Good Quality, cheap calls

Same here, am using the phone to make national, cell and international calls. Much more convenient than skype, just pick up and dial!!! Saving about 20% on what I would pay through Telkom.
 
Big G SA said:
Same here, am using the phone to make national, cell and international calls. Much more convenient than skype, just pick up and dial!!! Saving about 20% on what I would pay through Telkom.
Click to expand...
Why is it more convenient that skype? I use the same phone for both skype and telkom calls - must I stop doing that? :confused:

EDIT - wait a sec - you work for vox dont you. :)
 
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ruhs said:
Yeah. I'm using the VOX ADSL phone.
A dude at Wits put me onto them about a month back, before it launched Service is really decent. International calls cost nothing compared to local. Call quality better than my mobile. I'm happy with the service.
Don't know about the R50pm for handset, R75 cradles - I only paid R300.00 for registering and I pay R49.00 p/month - which gave me the handset with a base (charger,ethernet router, wirless-router, dect etc) + calls.
Click to expand...

Hey Ruhs, good to hear its working for you.

Was quite impressed sent through a mail to Vox with some questions early this morning and had a reply by 08h30.

Could you give some more info on the actual router supplied. Model No.s etc. Also do you know if you can keep using your current router with the Vox router just accesing the original router as a gateway?
 
I took a look at one of these units. I could not get all the answers, but I *think* most of the following is correct:

1. It looks like a rebranded Thomson EV5203-C, and IS branded Thomson. A review of the Thomson device is at:

http://digital-lifestyles.info/2005/08/31/ev5203-c-thomsons-linux-voip-dect-phone-ifa/

Very little can be found at www.thomson.net.

2. You have to use it as your router - for me I cannot use it over my IS ( Cisco ) uncapped.

3. Connectors at the back - Aerial ( wireless ethernet? ), Power, USB, USB, Ethernet 1, Ethernet 2, Phone ( pre-filtered in the device ), ADSL.

4. Their website's R75pm for a second dect handset is apparently incorrect.

A nice looking device, but not for someone authenticating from their PC not router, or anyone who likes fiddling with their router.

Anyone else got more info?
 
I have been in this bussiness for ages and let me tell you this can work if the game is played right firstly the unit it self is still in testing fazez secondly i dont now if u guys can even remember the setup of mweb's voip it was horrible router then phone all in 2 pieces it was k*k against this thing .
Voice quility is excelent on thios phone didnt have much hope for the phone but its good .

I will say anything that can give telkom a run must be tried out cause they are going over the hill here.

In defence of the website i would say guys remember this is not a corparate product in the first placee this is VOX HOME <<<<< the website is ease of access and suppose to be user friendly for the non it ppl . :P

Now to the callcentre
This desk is only 2 months old anyways so maybe they are still doing all the other calls of datapro until tthey get busier

Guys it doesnt help u break the product down
all of u hate telkom try to make a change then

any questions :)
 
what info u need jabulani ??

1. this is a thompson unit but they are real stable thompson something 7
2. unfortunetley these routers cannot be used on uncapped because of the fact that it is not the same as a cisco or netgear :)
3.and looks as if there is problems with the prices on the website im sure it will be rectified soon
 
Hey Daveogg.
Sorry didn't manage to reply to your question.

The Vox ADSL handset and base appear to be extremely similar to that used by British Telecom by the way.

The call quality is really good between Vox to Vox, the same, if not better than Telkom to the ear. What is a pain though is calls to MTN, I'm told this is due to MTN dragging its giant telco feet on some agreement, whatever it is hopefully it will be sorted by the time they officially launch.

Have you or anyone else heard of a product of theirs called Vox Mahala?
I phoned Vox to find out about whether or not their phone users qualify for cheaper ADSL packages or stuff. They claimed to be running a launch special for free dial up internet access open to everyonerone - While I'm not sure how free Dial Up will help me, an adsl user I'm still interested in trying it if its free. I'm worried that it might be a scam of some sort, especially because the number is charged at R1.07 per min. Could one of their guys be pulling a fast one, about to duck to a desert island somewhere.


I was given 0878059999 as a National POP' username = Mahala; password = Free.

* Does anyone know if it's a scam?
* What's the Catch?
*How do Vox make money giving away free internet access?
 
"Telco for the people"

< I was given 0878059999 ......>

Your answer in infront of your eyes.

Call an 087 number and pay a higher rate than if you called a local Telkom number. This is how they afford to give you an Internet user account. You will dial up on your Telkom line to their 087 number and pay a much higher rate. Vox then get paid by Telkom as Telkom had to interconnect to the Vox backbone. (Nice one)

Its a similar concept to the 0865 Fax numbers that are handed out free of charge, great for the user as they get a free fax to e-mail service bad for anyone that need to send you a fax.

Vox advertise that "they will pay you" to use your telephone all you have to have is an 087..... number from them. Yes, they pay you some commission from the margins they get from the fat interconnection fee they get from from Telkom, much more than a Telkom to Telkom call. They have enough to even share it with you.! Great you end up gaining and ripping off you family and friends.............!
They call this innovation from an "alternate Telco for the people" but they are ripping off consumers having to make the call. They will of course blame Telkom............but they should disclose the cost price they charge Telkom to interconnect and place the call onto their network. Lets see who is actually holding the big margins. Its in their interests that ICASA allows them to charge Telkom a high interconnect rate, it allows for this "innovation". So the rule is if you get an 087 number and Grandma has a telkom number, you are effectively ripping her off, when she calls the grand kids!

Local is Lekker !!
 
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Repsonse from the Vox CEO

Amazing how the same people moaning about Telkom's monopoly now rip into a service that has not been launched yet. I suppose that is inevitable but the proof will be in the pudding and in a couple of years we will know whether we have a viable strategy and service offering or not. Fortunately for us businesses are measured on market share, growth and profits and are not reliant on “Internet critics”.

Trust me, we are used to it, we have been criticised for just about every move we have made. Comments come to mind like; “How can you expect to compete by only getting into the ISP market in 1998”; “Only a fool would purchase Atlantic”; “DataPro overpaid for Orion”; “Who would buy from DataPro, when they buy from Telkom”; “Not possible to do an IPO in this environment”; “No one will take a company listed on AltX seriously”; “Uncapped ADSL will never work”; “Don’t launch anything until it is 100%” etc.

In the environment that we find ourselves in we don’t make policy and we don’t control the incumbents but we do give our customers choices and we don’t hold them to any solution that does not make commercial sense or add value.

We also don’t expect to be all things to all people, fortunately Telkom and the GSM providers will be around for those who want to continue with the status quo.

Douglas Reed.
 
What's different between this phone and any other voip dect phone?
 
Douglasr said:
Trust me, we are used to it, we have been criticised for just about every move we have made. Comments come to mind like; “How can you expect to compete by only getting into the ISP market in 1998”; “Only a fool would purchase Atlantic”; “DataPro overpaid for Orion”; “Who would buy from DataPro, when they buy from Telkom”; “Not possible to do an IPO in this environment”; “No one will take a company listed on AltX seriously”; “Uncapped ADSL will never work”; “Don’t launch anything until it is 100%” etc.

Douglas Reed.
Click to expand...

Well I wont and cant comment about what you put forward, its all beyond me. I wasn't having a dig at your overall business, just pointing out potential issues with regards this "particular offer" and even then, its only an opinion, perhaps not even a fact.
My comment was pretty defined and simply covered the subject at hand, non of the above. I point out how this particular offer is made free because someone asked, its no secret how it works. Nothing much is ever free, someone looses. You are very right your company's existence provides people with a choice other than traditional Telcos and for that the customer is grateful. Your company obviously offers value in the many areas of telecom's that you trade and offer services in, otherwise it would not be listed, so I'm not disputing that, that does not mean every service offering is a winner.
Refreshing to most is that someone of your stature will at least make comment and drive an opinion.
 
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I received my test phone the other day and the quality is good (not excellent) but good. I found the Datapro Call center a little helpless but I am sure they will get trained up and then be able to help. good on you Datapro take Telkom on.
 
Quality is indeed good and the value-ads are great. I would have liked to have more than 2 Ethernet ports on the router and call centre will need to improve.

I really hope that this service from Vox – and others like it – takes off. This will bring competition to the market and even force Telkom to reconsider their wholesale termination rates. If enough people start to cheaply phone Vox-to-Vox, Vox-to-MWEB, MWEB-to-IS etc it may just bring the needed competition to the voice market…
 
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