Couple weeks ago I saw one of the hot deals for me, and it is RocketVoip.
It offers me "Unlimited minutes to call the US, Canada, and the 50 countries (Including Indonesia). Yes it's true I am a college student from Indonesia.

Finally I registered and got all the devices and start calling. The service was great, because I don't need to buy more Phone cards for doing international calling.
However,
Yesterday I received and e-mail from them, saying that :

You have calling patterns that are inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns. According to section 1.2 of our terms and conditions these calling patterns violate the terms of service.

1.2 Residential Use of Service and Device
If you have subscribed to WQN's Residential services, the Service and Device are provided to you as a residential user, for your personal, residential, non-business and non-professional use. This means that you are not using them for any commercial or governmental activities, profit-making or non-profit, including but not limited to home office, business, sales, tele-commuting, tele-marketing, autodialing, continuous or extensive call forwarding, fax broadcast, fax blasting or any other activity that would be inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns. This also means that you are not to resell or transfer the Service or the Device to any other person for any purpose, or make any charge for the use of the Service, without express written permission from WQN in advance. You agree that your use of the Service and/or Device, or the use of the Service and/or Device provided to you by any other person for any commercial or governmental purpose will obligate you to pay WQN's higher rates for commercial service on account of all periods, including past periods, in which you use, or used, the Service for commercial or governmental purposes. WQN reserves the right to immediately terminate or modify the Service, if WQN determines, in its sole discretion, that Customer's Service is being used for non-residential or commercial use.

Fortunately, we have developed a more suitable program that we believe will better meet your needs. This is the best value available with superior quality. For only $14.95 per month, you receive:

§ 500 minutes to the US, Canada, and over 30 countries that you can also use with your cell phone
§ Lowest per minute rate plan for all international calls (see attached)
§ Unlimited rocketVoIP to rocketVoIP calls
§ Unlimited inbound calls.

I have just use it for about 2 hours a day, but they said I am not a reasonable caller, in fact, my Fiancee and my Family are of course back home in Indonesia.
I tried to call them, explain them all the things, but they said "The system has detected that I am over limit, and will terminate the Service" and They can't do nothing about it except change the plan or terminate the service. I tried to ask them to talk to their upper management, but they said They can't be reached.
The Question is:
What is the Meaning of Unlimited? Is that means I can't use it for about 2 hours a day?
I am very upset about this problem. I did sent an email to the upper management, but didn't get the reply yet.
What should I do now? Can anyone help me?

Thanks a lot

Sorry that I am very upset about this.

Following your link, I clicked Indonesia and found the following "modifications" to what "unlimited" means:

Dial Pattern Unlimited Business Basic
Plan Plan Rate/min
011-62 [INDONESIA - GENERAL] 1 hr Free 2 hrs Free $ 0.1190 /min
011-6221 [INDONESIA-JAKARTA] Unlimited 2 hrs Free $ 0.0490 /min
011-6231 [INDONESIA-SURABAYA] Unlimited 2 hrs Free $ 0.0590 /min
011-628 [INDONESIA-MOBILE] 1 hr Free 2 hrs Free $ 0.1790 /min

If you are calling 011-6221 or 011-6231, I think you have a valid argument with them. Otherwise, it seems that unlimited means 1 hour free per month?

This is America, sue them.

Unlimited never really means unlimited. If everyone was on the phone 2 hours per day (that's extensive use IMHO) then they would have to raise the price.

The contract says that you can't use the service in a way that "would be inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns". WQN determines what "normal residential usage" means, in its sole discretion, so I don't think you have much leverage here.

Actually my GF is thinking about using this service (24.95 pm) and "unlimited" means a maximum of 1200 minutes a month according to the CS. (This point was brought up from the discussion in the Hot Deal forum.)

So this means you can use the phone for 40 mins a day and be on the limit of your "unlimited" account.

I can see nowhere at all in any terms and conditions that this is specified - even the CS was clueless. However the online chat CS did say that it was limited to 1200 minutes per month on the unlimited plan - the session is anonymous but this is a very strange business practice.

It reminds me of Netzero back in 2001 who hounded me for months using their free service to upgrade to the unlimted Platinum service - which I did - then a month or two later I was suspended for excessive use...!

gtd2000 said:jayK said:Unlimited never really means unlimited. If everyone was on the phone 2 hours per day (that's extensive use IMHO) then they would have to raise the price.

The contract says that you can't use the service in a way that "would be inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns". WQN determines what "normal residential usage" means, in its sole discretion, so I don't think you have much leverage here.

If unlimited never really means unlimited then what else does not mean what they expressly mention then?

Normal residential use for many families they days is hours of yapping about nothing to friends and family god knows where in the world from my experience.

40 mins a day is not normal by any stretch of the imagination in 2005.

30 mins is "normal" to be on hold waiting for CS with musak in the background

If they mean 1200 minutes a month then that is what should be advertised...pure n simple.

Wow...
that really surprised me that there is a discussion about this before.
That is Absolutely True gtd2000, that's what I mean.
Why don't they just Simply State 1200 Mins per Month, then I can decide whether taking their plan or not.

I don't understand your statement here. What do you mean by "unlimited never really means unlimited?"

AFAIK, unlimited means infinite; having no boundaries; unrestricted. Unless, off course, corporate America has "changed" the term to their convenience -- for their advantage.

IMHO, 2 hours/day of phone call for residential-use is not across-the-board. There are people here who have strong bond with their family, lovers, friends. So, they want to keep in touch everyday, as much as possible -- especially when they are across the oceans.

If a business decided to offer an unlimited phone service, they would have had considered the possibility of residential users using 2 hours of their service/day.
If the business can't take that as a consistent usage patten, then they shouldn't have offered the service from the start.
At least they should have defined the "inconsistency of residential usage patterns" and stop the BS with "in its sole discretion."
How in the world we (customers) would know what the company wants? That's deceiving, IMHO.


jayK said:Unlimited never really means unlimited. If everyone was on the phone 2 hours per day (that's extensive use IMHO) then they would have to raise the price.

The contract says that you can't use the service in a way that "would be inconsistent with normal residential usage patterns". WQN determines what "normal residential usage" means, in its sole discretion, so I don't think you have much leverage here.

overama said:I think it should be reasonable to use the phone for 2 hours a day.

Reasonable to speak to another country for 2 hours a day? Try that with any other service and see what they charge? You're basically looking for a freebie. Forget it and while you're at it, learn some English!!

I'm sorry, but I am not trying to argue with people.
I used to use phone card which is not very expensive, but by using VoIp I don't have to always press the PIN number. And again, THIS IS VOIP! It Always Cheaper Using VOIP, because I Have to pay the High Speed Internet Access myself.

AND, I AM NOT TRYING TO INSULT U OR SOMETHING, BUT MY PROBLEM IS ABOUT THE SERVICE, NOT ABOUT MY ENGLISH.

By the way, do you have a cell phone? I believe you have heard about "Unlimited Night and Weekend".
Is there any limit for using that???

Antz were you watching me type my reply

Hehe!

gtd2000 said:It is perfectly "reasonable" for people speaking English or not to talk as long as they feel the need to speak on an unlimited plan.

My respect to you!

gtd2000 said:I'm off to bed now (I'm in Israel!) 12:51am and got to get up for work tomorrow

I'd use this service a lot personally as I'm British/Scottish but work for an American company and always travel around these days. I had considered getting the upgrade to the business plan so I can call from my laptop but it seems like false advertising.

You can tell I'm tired by the amount of typos in my other post...

Give 'em hell Antz and no need to apologise to anybody mate!



Thanks for your support gtd2000.