No landline and Dish - solutions?

[Stacy A]

I know I've seen this issue discussed here before and since I have a landline connected to my receivers, I didn't pay much attention, but now we are considering dropping our landline. Are there any viable workarounds anyone has discovered to keep from being charged the extra fee?

 

[Dodge Ram Nut]

Landlines

As soon as you find out...please post or let me know. This is total B.S for people who do not have landlines and opted for the cell phone only lifestyle. Dish NEEDS to get it through their thick heads that every thing is changing. People are dropping landlines. Dish needs to be conforming to people like us (me) and provide a workaround without saying "its either paying 40 bucks for a landline and save 5 dollars a month..or pay 5 bucks a month with no landline." Thats just plain ol B.S and its actually a deal-breaker for some to switch to local cable providers.

 

[digiblur]

Free voip provider and a sipura works great.

 

[kb7oeb]

Aren't featureless landlines under $20 in most areas? A big reason I've held on to my landline is for 911, I don't yet trust that E911 works as well.

 

[digiblur]

Aren't featureless landlines under $20 in most areas? A big reason I've held on to my landline is for 911, I don't yet trust that E911 works as well.

For 911 you can use any deactivated cell phone that has signal in your area.

I checked in my area recently, and a plain jane phone line was $22 a month after taxes and fees. I'll pass! That's almost as much as I pay for my 2 phone lines and one has unlimited US long distance.

 

[Compulov]

I just got E* installed yesterday and managed to get it to dial out via Free World Dialup... FWD | Home . I have my 622 hooked up to a Sipura 2000. I can't seem to get it to download billing info or anything else, but it did indeed successfully dial up the 800 number to call home. Not sure whether it registered on their end yet, though.
Really seems silly in this day in age *especially* since the thing has an ethernet port. I understand their reasons, but to be honest, there's *so* many ways around their rules that it seems like an unnecessary inconvenience for those of us without land lines.

 

[kb7oeb]

For 911 you can use any deactivated cell phone that has signal in your area.

To contact 911 yes, but my landline has reliably resulted in 911 already knowing my address the few times I've ever had to use it.

I know voip is making progress with E911, i just don't know if they are there yet.

 

[digiblur]

To contact 911 yes, but my landline has reliably resulted in 911 already knowing my address the few times I've ever had to use it.

I know voip is making progress with E911, i just don't know if they are there yet.

You've been out of the VoIP "loop" for a while, eh? E911 is here and working.

 

[Zero327]

Why is a company obligated to conform to a lifestyle choice you made again? I know of no legal or obligatory course of action required by E* because your primary method of chosen communication is a cellular phone. I also find it to be exceptionally unreasonable for you to expect a Fortune 500 company to alter their practices for your personal convenience. Not a criticism, just a statment of what's likely going through Chuck's head.

While it would be a nice feature, and relieve a nice burden from you, I don't see E* doing this. ESPECIALLY if more people are headed that was in the future. Think about 5.00 a month over 13.4+ million customers. Cha-ching!

 

[Claude Greiner]

You can get a cheap Voip provider like sun rocket and that will satisfy the phone line requirement.

Also if you write the CEO's office sometimes they waive that fee for the life of the account

 

[digiblur]

I just got E* installed yesterday and managed to get it to dial out via Free World Dialup... FWD | Home . I have my 622 hooked up to a Sipura 2000. I can't seem to get it to download billing info or anything else, but it did indeed successfully dial up the 800 number to call home. Not sure whether it registered on their end yet, though.
Really seems silly in this day in age *especially* since the thing has an ethernet port. I understand their reasons, but to be honest, there's *so* many ways around their rules that it seems like an unnecessary inconvenience for those of us without land lines.

Order a PPV and see if you get billed.

There are a few other Free VoIP providers you can configure on your Sipura. SIPPhone/Gizmo Project works well. But you can't beat FreeWorldDialup with a free phone number from IPKall either.

 

[Zero327]

Also if you write the CEO's office sometimes they waive that fee for the life of the account

That's a myth. Longest waive was one year...and the person who did that won't have to worry about doing another.

 

[Stacy A]

You can get a cheap Voip provider like sun rocket and that will satisfy the phone line requirement.

Also if you write the CEO's office sometimes they waive that fee for the life of the account

We are wanting to get WildBlue (I know, I know... but there is no onther option out here where we live, so don't get on the "use any other possible alternative" bandwagon on me) and we would like to use the $30/month phone bill plus the $22/per month Earthlink dialup fees to pay the monthly WB fee. My question to Claude, or anyone else who might know, is with WB and the latency issue can you still use a cheap voIP service reliably, just for that?

 

[digiblur]

We are wanting to get WildBlue (I know, I know... but there is no onther option out here where we live, so don't get on the "use any other possible alternative" bandwagon on me) and we would like to use the $30/month phone bill plus the $22/per month Earthlink dialup fees to pay the monthly WB fee. My question to Claude, or anyone else who might know, is with WB and the latency issue can you still use a cheap voIP service reliably, just for that?

It's not the latency that kills VoIP its the jitter. I can't speak from experience but I can highly doubt you'll be able to get a successful connection with your satellite receiver w/VoiP over WB.

 

[bigthrust]

That's a myth. Longest waive was one year...and the person who did that won't have to worry about doing another.

ceo@dishnetwork.com took care of my mother's account without a problem. I explained that she has only a cell phone and she is on a fixed income and cannot afford both a landline and cell phone (which is true). The CEO office marked her account accordingly. So far so good.

 

[brad15]

i told dish that i have Vonage, and that the receivers will not always connect (and sometimes they don't when i have them plugged in)

i get the message on my 625 and 322 sometimes that if i don't plug the phone line in i will be charged, it's been unplugged for seven months and i have yet to be charged for it.

 

[Van]

Aren't featureless landlines under $20 in most areas? A big reason I've held on to my landline is for 911, I don't yet trust that E911 works as well.

It works, I used it wednesday night for some jackass deciding to shoot off his beretta to celebrate independance day.

 

[Van]

i told dish that i have Vonage, and that the receivers will not always connect (and sometimes they don't when i have them plugged in)

i get the message on my 625 and 322 sometimes that if i don't plug the phone line in i will be charged, it's been unplugged for seven months and i have yet to be charged for it.

Once you call them up to get that message taken away then you will get charged, but if you like having that message pop up and interupt your television viewing then be my guest and enjoy it.

 

[Stacy A]

I just don't understand why an internet connection isn't more desirable to Dish. I'm sure the technology is there to offer a choice - either a phone line or internet connection.

 

[thedamaja]

That's a myth. Longest waive was one year...and the person who did that won't have to worry about doing another.

My parents have not been charged for over 5 years. The phone line was hit by lightning which took out the modem in the receiver.