I received an email from a Teleblend customer who was asking me if I could help him cancel his Teleblend account. Here’s what I sent him:

Dear XXXXX,

I don’t sell service for Teleblend, but their site is http://myteleblend.net/
For sales and billing related questions please call 877-488-5519.
For support related questions please call 877-252-4548.
Or you can e-mail them at info@teleblend.net.

Since I run a site talking about VoIP providers, can you send me a detailed report on how their service was and what you liked and didn’t like about using them? Please?

Thanks,

XXXXXX

This is what he wrote back.

When Sun Rocket went out of business I transferred my account to Teleblend. Their service is totally unsatisfactory. I have a difficult time communicating with them. It’s very difficult to contact them and I would categorize their service as lousy! I cancelled my service with them but am not sure whether they got my notice. They do not respond.

Does anyone else have a good or bad story about a VoIP provider that they have dealt with? There are a lot of potential VoIP customer that you could help by posting your stories.

Thanks,

Spiderman

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According to Teleblend customers, and reports on Teleblend’s website, Teleblend was still having service problems this week. Some of Teleblend’s customers were having problems with their service and were without inbound or outbound telephone service on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here’s what was broken this week:

Teleblend Network Outage (1176148430)
Update: Tue, Aug 7, 2007 2:03:20 PM CDT
We are currently experiencing a network outage which is affecting some customers. We are diligently working to resolve the problem but we do not have an estimated time for repair yet. We will continue to update this section with more information as it becomes available.

Update: Tue, Aug 7, 2007 5:38:44 PM CDT
The root cause for this issue has been identified. Services should be restored gradually throughout the evening for all customers affected by this issue.

Update: Wed, Aug 8, 2007 12:51:59 AM CDT
The network outage affecting TeleBlend customers has been repaired and service has been restored as of Midnight EDT tonight (08/08/07). Inbound and outbound calling services and voicemail services are now available. International calling is being rolled out slowly and more capacity is being added. If you are still having any technical issues or questions please open an online trouble ticket at http://www.teleblendsupport.net/support. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for choosing Teleblend! Your TeleBlend Support Team

There are also a couple of things on their website that I find extremely interesting. The first is that they put up their blog, but it doesn’t work. What they say on the blog though made me laugh my ass off though; considering the company is like 3 weeks old.

August 10th, 2007

TeleBlend is always seeking out new ways to productively interact with our customers. While we fully expect to develop a blog in the near future that customers find informative and compelling, our focus at this time is on delivering quality of service and exceptional customer support. As we re-tool our blog to better serve customers, we will be sure to let customers know when it is up and running.

That said, we realize the importance of communicating frequently and effectively with customers. For that reason we will soon be debuting a customer e-newsletter that will keep you up to date on the latest company developments as they relate to our customers and hopefully provide a window into who we are and why we are committed to delivering exceptional broadband phone service to customers across the U.S.

Stay tuned!

How can they say that “TeleBlend is always seeking out new ways to productively interact with our customers” when they have been around for less than a month, and have had actual customers for less time than that? I think it’s pretty cheesy when a, supposedly, “major voip player” (I laugh…) uses that kind of language. It’s like when a little company claims to be the “Largest Hosting Company” or “One of the top suppliers of…”. We’ve all seen it, and it usually means absolutely nothing. Teleblend should have waited to put up their Blog when it was done, not when they thought it up.

The second thing is that while they put up a tab for a blog that doesn’t work, they hid the web address for their international calling rates. I’m not sure why Teleblend wouldn’t stick the link to their international rates on it’s own tab, but they didn’t. If you need to see what Teleblend is charging you for international phone calls, click here.

If you have any more information on any of the Voip companies still fighting over the SunRocket crash victims, please drop me a note or post it under comments.

Thanks,

Spiderman

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According to an article by Tom Keating, over at Personalbee.com, starting yesterday, SunRocket gave their old customers just 10 days to get their accounts moved, then they’re going to turn everything off. He also said that “Teleblend is only temporarily keeping SunRocket customers connections alive (at cost to them)”.

I don’t see any reason for one company to keep another’s customers happy. Unless, of course, they cut some kind of a deal to get any customers who haven’t switched by some date or another. Everyone in marketing knows it’s easier to keep a customer you already have compared to spending the time and money it takes to get a customer from scratch.

According to Narayan Bhat, a TMCnet Contributing Editor, who posted this article at TMCnet.com, Teleblend is going to get “strategic assets” of SunRocket’s. Are those “strategic assets” their customers? Do they get to keep any customers that don’t switch before the deadline?

I’m thinking that any customers who don’t know about the death of SunRocket, and therefore don’t switch away from SunRocket, will probably end up in Teleblend’s clutches anyway, right? If the customer is still there when the “strategic assets” are moved, then I would think that next month, we are going to hear a bunch of old SunRocket customers asking who Teleblend is and how come they’re getting a bill from them for $12.95?

On another note, you really need to read John McKinley’s article on what the real uses of VoIP should be. Mr. McKinley used to head up AOL’s Digital Services Section, and seems to think that people should have a regular land line for their main line, and then use VoIP for other, add on type services. I think he makes sense. Read his article here.

Spiderman

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Wow, that’s gotta hurt, especially when it’s a Sunrocket employee that says it about your VoIP company.

According to Kim Hart, a writer for the Washingtonpost.com, she had a talk with an ex Sunrocket employee who said, and I quote:

that Teleblend didn’t exist prior to SunRocket’s demise, and it is basically a shell company with little customer support. The former employee is urging customers to use caution when choosing a new provider.

If a Sunrocket employee is saying it, then I’m wondering if I was right all along about Teleblend not being quite what they said they were.

The article discusses the collapse of Sunrocket and the fact that Sunrocket offered 2 alternative VoIP companies, Packet8
and Teleblend, to their customers as the best companies to switch their broadband phone service to. What they don’t tell you is that they did this because Packet8 and Teleblend offered to pay them for customers who switched over before a certain date.

I find it very interesting that Sunrocket gives you two choices, then one of their old employees lets it slip that you should be very careful who you choose, while saying Teleblend:

is basically a shell company with little customer support.

Man, you’ve got to love that kind of PR…

Do you think anyone will sign up with Teleblend after reading a statement like that from someone from Sunrocket who should know?

Read the rest of Kim’s article, then go sign up at Packet8 as fast as you can. LOL

Spiderman

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I got this letter from Teleblend support today. So, I’m just going to post the whole letter here so that you can have all of the information I have on Teleblend.

Dear Valued TeleBlend Customer,

Thank you for contacting our support team.

We have received your inquiry and would like to take this opportunity to update you on a few open issues as well as provide the answers to several commonly asked questions.

1. We are currently working to initiate voicemail service for all new subscribers. We expect that it will be online soon and we will send an email out to all customers once it is available. We will also provide instructions on how to setup and use your voicemail. Please review the network status on our web site for additional updates.

2. International calling is currently available in only a limited capacity. We are currently working to increase capacity for this service and expect to be able to do so within the next day or so. Please review the network status on our web site for additional updates.

3. If you are experiencing problems making or receiving phone calls, please unplug your device from the power. Please wait 1 minute and then plug it back in. This will force the device to re-register with the server and your service should be restored.

4. If you service is working, but there is a red light blinking, please unplug the device from the power. Please wait 1 minute and then plug it back in. This will force the device to re-register with the server and your service should be restored. If the red light continues to blink, please try to make and receive calls. The red blinking light should not interfere with the operations of your phone.

5. Many of you have asked about our pricing plans. Our price is $12.95* per month. You may also transfer your additional or virtual numbers to TeleBlend for an additional $4.99* per number per month.

6. We will honor your original service term with SunRocket with the promotional price of $12.95*. After your service term expires, your service will increase to the very low price of $19.95* per month.

*All prices are subject to local and state taxes and surcharges that vary by locality and state.

If you still have questions, you may review many other commonly asked questions by visiting us online at http://myteleblend.net. We are continuously updating and adding new commonly asked questions, so check back often.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to transfer your service as soon as possible to TeleBlend. You may do so online at http://myteleblend.net.

Due to the overwhelming response to our offer we are currently running at full capacity. We are doing our best to answer questions as quickly as possible. We hope this update has answered your question but if we did not or if you still cannot find the answer to your question on our web site, please open a new ticket so that we may assist you as quickly as possible. You can open a new ticket by visiting http://myteleblend.net and click on Support.

Also, please note, you may contact one of our support representatives by calling 877-252-4548. Due to the huge response from former SunRocket customers, our hold times are longer than normal.

Thank you for choosing TeleBlend as your VoIP provider. We are excited to be able to offer quality service to all former SunRocket customers.

Your TeleBlend Support Team

If you have any information on Teleblend, drop me a line.

Spiderman

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The best answers to any Teleblend questions I’ve seen to this point where asked and answered over at gandhi.wordpress.com. Lisa Bickford, who works for USA Telecom, the owners of Teleblend.com and MyTeleblend.net, answered some questions asked by the blog owner “Mihir Gandhi”.

Here’s a snippet, but what you really need to go to Mahir’s website and read the rest:

Teleblend is a new brand name they created to ensure that customers would understand that the VOIP product is offered as a separate product and

to ensure differentiation from both the other companies [vying] for the abandoned SunRocket customers and from our USA Telephone customer base. We also want to ensure that Teleblend is profitable and able to sustain itself on a stand-alone basis over the long term with its own assets, costs, and management team.

It’s a little weird to me that they would start a new company and brand, to take on Sunrocket’s voip customers, when they already have a telecom company that has some face recognition, but I guess if Teleblend goes under, this way it won’t take the rest of USA Telecom with it. LOL

Spiderman

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Someone over at GigaOM posted that they tried to order from Teleblend, but they got some website errors. Then they tried to call, but the company wasn’t answering their phones and their voicemail was full. Sounds like their off to a good start. Read the GigaOM Post Here.

Does anyone else have anything to add to this?

Spiderman

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Yes, they are a real VoIP. Teleblend was set up just for this transition. They are owned by Unified Communications Corp. -Though I’m not sure I’d want to use a company that was set up just for a transition!

From today’s Wall Street Journal:

Creditors of Failed Web-Phone Firm Reach
Customer Deal With Two Former Competitors
By SAMAR SRIVASTAVA
July 19, 2007; Page B3

Creditors of SunRocket Inc., a failed Internet phone company, have reached deals with two former competitors, 8×8 Inc. and Unified Communications Corp., that names those companies as “preferred” service providers for SunRocket’s 200,000 customers.

SunRocket customers, who abruptly lost service Monday, will not have to pay 8×8’s normal start up costs for its Packet8 service, a little over $100, according to a written 8×8 statement. The company also plans to offer one month of free service for former SunRocket subscribers who will be able to maintain their existing numbers. Unified Communications, which offers a service called Teleblend, will offer SunRocket customers a special rate of $12.95 a month for the remainder of their contracts, according to Unified’s Web site.

The two companies will pay SunRocket’s creditors, represented by Sherwood Partners LLP, an undisclosed fee for each subscriber that switches to their service. The agreement doesn’t restrict SunRocket subscribers from choosing different providers.

Aaron Cook: AaronCook.com

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“I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.” Don’t know who said it, but it applies to me every day of my life.

It looks like Teleblend is actually a real company. Yes, I know, they show up out of no-where, they have a brand new website and they charge half of what everyone else charges. But, according to Sherwood Partners LLC, who is the company liquidating SunRocket’s assets, they are a real company. At least according to the article at News-Leader.com.

Also, according to “Wayde” in an article at GizmoCafe , they are owned by Unified Communications out of Singapore. Of course, I can’t find any mention of Teleblend on their website, but that may just be because they don’t have a search function and I was wandering around blind. (Which is actually my usual state of being).

I do wonder why they are only charging $12.95 though, when Packet8 is charging $24.99 and doesn’t have to pay royalties since they own most of the patents. Even with the SunRocket’s $199.00 plan, which averages to almost $17.00 per month, they couldn’t make it, so how is Teleblend going to make it at only $12.95 per month?

The things that make you go Hmmmmmm……

Spiderman

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GizmoPasswords, over at Blogspot.com seems to think so. He says he used to be a SunRocket user and has posted the Hacks to break into the Linksys SPA2102-R, ViaTalk’s AC-211, the AC-211-SR and other routers so that you don’t have to get a new voip router from your new broadband phone company. (This makes it cheaper and gives you the option of not having to sign a contract in most cases.)

One of his readers, Julian, doesn’t buy it, and I’m not real keen on the idea of a 2-3 day old company being for real either, but I’ll try to hold my tongue.

I emailed Bill Fogg, who is listed in the whois for Teleblend.com, but haven’t received an answer yet, so I’m still in the dark too.

Spiderman

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