In today's digital age, communication between businesses and consumers has become more prevalent and convenient than ever before. However, with this increased communication comes the need for...
Mar 15, 2024
CallCentric vs Windstream
Compare CallCentric vs Windstream. Find out whether CallCentric or Windstream is better for your VoIP business or home needs. The experts at VoipReview have analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of CallCentric and Windstream and detailed analysis of the comparison can be found below.
User Ratings & Reviews
- 26 Reviews
- 7 Reviews
Overview:
CallCentric is an internet phone service provider that uses either your computer or a telephone adapter to place calls via the internet. CallCentric allows for free calls to other CallCentric customers and low-...
Windstream is one of the industry leaders: a full-service communications service provider for the Midwest, South, and East Coast in the United States. Windstream provides not only VoIP phone service, but also offers Internet and cable television...
Provider Info
- Website: www.callcentric.com/
- Headquarters Country:
- Founder Year: 2003
- Website: windstream.com
- Headquarters Country: United States
- Founder Year: 1997
Plans Available*
- N/A
- N/A
Users Average Rating
Recent User Reviews
I rarely give 5 stars to anyone, but CallCentric earned them. We were using PhonePower (1 or 2 stars, arrgh!) and learned that our home phone had been ringing busy for over a week and important calls had not gotten through. After much hassle with PP, I found CallCentric and got a new number. Getting setup was easy and the online customer support was prompt, professional, extremely competent, and patient working with me on customizing my account. My original home number (for 20+ years) was ported from PhonePower to CallCentric with assistance from CC support. Here are the benefits to having "unbundled" services from Callcentric: #1: My configuration now is: calls to the orig number are forwarded to the new CC number. That is Inbound only, $1.95/month, not calling out on it. New number is both In and Out, a "normal" phone number. We also have a number used by an alarm system, Outbound only, saving more than $29/month with most Voip servcies. #2: CallCentric allows me to customize features that most Voip providers do not. We have a new CallerID of our choosing; SMS texts can go straight through, as expected, forwarded to a mobile, or emailed -- our choice. When calls come in, they are filtered to deal with spam and then there are special "Call Treatments". Calls from MY doctor's office rings on the home landline AND simultaneously on MY personal mobile. Calls from my wife's family can go straight to her mobile and even not ring on the home phones. There is an option for "hunting": if a phone doesn't answer, the call goes to a second number (mobile) or a third, ... And the caller does not know about the treatments. A call to our original number is answered (or sent to voicemail, etc.) and they do not know what phone we answer. Might be away from the house on a mobile, the caller does not know that. Get a DID number for a family member and customize call treatments for them. Bottom-line: CallCentric has the highest quality network I have ever experienced, superb technical support, excellent custom features, and unbundled services so I pay only for what I need. I am paying less than 1/5th of what I would (did, sigh) pay for the same three numbers at PhonePower, Verizon, and many others. Reviews from 10 years ago may read differently, but CallCentric is world-class these days.
Callcentric offers the worst customer service imaginable. Listen to all the reviews. They offer only ticket based support for any issue you have. So if you're having technical/billing issues even emergency ones which are breaking your service, you will have to open a ticket and wait. Furthermore, based on my experience, much like other people's below, the technical support person will disclaim any responsibility even if it's clear he could help. Do you really want to trust your phone service to a company that offers only support tickets for help? Think about it ...
If you have a problem with Windstream's internet or telephone service expect to be on the phone for at least thirty minutes. It takes a least five minutes to even talk to a person while you are forced to listen to all their advertisements and other garbage that you are not interested in and don’t want to hear. Then after forcing you to give your name and the last 4 digits of your SSN three times, you ask your question and they put you on hold for ten to thirty minutes. The last time I called to report that my service wasn't working, I was on the phone, mostly on hold for almost an hour on a call that shouldn't have taken more than two minutes. If your internet or phone is not working, and they have to send out a technician it takes about ten days to two weeks. I called Thursday and was on the phone for an hour waiting on hold, time after time, I was told it would be fixed on Friday the next day. They lied. I called again on Monday and was told it would be the following Monday, (another 7 days) before they would send a technician. In the meantime, I am being charged for the time I am without service. His excuse was, I can call Windstream and they credit those ten days. However, because they will put you on hold, that takes at least another thirty-minute phone call. And, far worse, you are without your internet or landline telephone service. Needless, to I canceled the service and went with a different provider. Even after I finally got to talk to a person, to punish me for canceling, she put me on hold for over thirty minutes when it should have taken about sixty seconds. Naturally, she is polite and doesn’t tell you she is putting you on hold to punish you. Anyone that values their time, should never get service from Windstream. Now if you are a new customer, you quickly get to talk to a person and they will not put you on hold because if they did, you might hang up and they wouldn’t get your money.
We have an office with about 12-15 users (some are part-time so it depends on who is in). We are a legacy Broadview user. Though they merger went through a couple of years ago, The only recently turned off the BroadviewOfficesuite product. I learned this from a Windstream employee when I called for technical support. This technicial told me that the Broadview product was replaced with a newer and better Windstream Officesuite product. When I asked if the 50 to 75 external numbers that I had entered into the Broadview product would port over to the Windstream product, he claimed that it should. After installing the new product the external contacts did not port over. The technician escallated the question and reported back that with the new Windstream Officesuite product not only can you not transfer external contact from the older appplication, YOU CANNOT EVEN MANUALLY ENTER EXTERNAL CONTACT IN THEIR NEW SYSTEM! After again checking with his supervisor, he confirmed this and confirmed that they cannot return me to the older Broadview Officesuite. Separately, a Windstream sales person recently tried to conn us into a five-year contract. We are looking for a new provider right now!
*Plan pricing displayed here has been sourced directly from the provider's website or via the provider's sales team. Pricing is subject to change without notice. Check provider's website for most current pricing.Plan pricing may differ based on the country for which you are requesting service.
