Exede Voice Review

I signed up for Exede Voice after hearing how much money it will save me and how well it works in all of their ads. Now the test begins. I can't say much for the sign up process. It took too long, they had to call me back because they didn't get all of the information that they needed in the first two calls. I hate calling these places because they never get your info correct. I would much rather fill out online forms.

If you are going to port an existing number, make sure that you have your account number for that carrier. The number that I wanted to port was with AT&T, so I had to give Exede my AT&T account number and the last four digits of my SS number.

The name on my new account conformation email was not right. In order to correct any errors you must call Customer Service again to get it changed. Did I already say that I hate calling Customer Service?

When I called this time, I got someone who wasn't awake yet or at least hadn't had her coffee. She talked so softly that I had to ask her to repeat herself and she seemed to resent that. After telling her why I was calling and explaining my problem, I was told that their system wasn't running yet and that I would have to call back in 45 minutes.

*Update: Just called Customer Service for the 4th time! A man with a very thick foreign accent told me (I think?) that their system is down for upgrades and to call back later. I wonder when later might be?

*Update: After waiting a couple of days I summoned my courage and called Customer Service back. I was told that the misspelled name didn't matter! Even though the email and the paper letter that I received said to call them if any of my personal information for Caller ID and 911 services was not correct.

While on the phone with them, I was told that my number had already ported, so I could activate my service. I told her that my land line phone was still ringing in at that number and she said that it might do that until I did the activation.

So, I hooked up my equipment, got online to activate my service and wouldn't you know, it only worked until I got to the MAC address entry then it said, "Invalid Device".

I just cannot bear to call those people again. I am so very, very tired...

Dear Exede Internet,
You are suppose to be an Internet company, why can't we take care of our Internet services on the Internet?

*Update 3/26/14: Since I could not bear the thought of calling CS again, I posted my problem on the Wildblue/Exede World Forum. A helpful moderator offered her assistance. I explained my entire problem in a PM. I told her that I wanted to make sure the number was already ported because I didn't believe that it was. I also explained that the caller ID and 911 name was misspelled.

Instead of changing the name and coming back to tell me that the number was not yet ported, she activated my account. When I asked about the name she told me that she would change that information when the number ported. I am seriously dizzy from dealing with these people. I could have waited patiently for the number to port, if I had not been told that the port had already been completed.

As I wait for my land-line to stop working, indicating that the number has transferred so I can finish this process. I eagerly await my next anxiety filled communication with Exede's finest. I think the thing that grates on me the most is the fact that they all tell you how sorry they are that you are having difficulty. Then offer to help you in any way they can, while they are no help at all. Followed by asking you if there is anything else they can help you with.

Oh, did I mention that your billing for Exede Voice begins when you call to order it and not when you receive the equipment and/or get them motivated to straighten out your account? And did I mention that it is supposed to be $19.99 per month for the first 6 months and then $29.99 after that? I bet you can't guess what they charged me for the first month? That's right, $29.99! Now, can you guess what I have to do to get this straightened out? My Husband is rather strongly suggesting that I cancel it all and go with HughesNet!

*Update 3/27/14: It has been 8 days since I ordered. I am waiting for the number to port, I guess. Can't use the service until the number ports but I am already paying. I am too scared to contact anyone about being charged $29.99 for the first month instead of the $19.99 that they promised, I fear that they will charge me instead of refund me.

*Update 3/29/14: From the Exede Voice Website: "Government regulations allow your previous carrier to take up to 3 business days to release your number to us. However, most porting requests are completed within 1 business day." Well, it has been 10 days and I am still waiting. I posted on the forum about this yesterday (I refuse to call CS again!), the moderator checked on my account and said that the number transfer would be completed on April 4th. So much for Government Regulations and so much for the info provided on the Exede website.

I hope to think that the number port was requested on the 19th and not by the moderator yesterday. So I am paying for over 2 weeks of service that I can't use. The moderator also told me that she had resolved my billing problem. We will have to wait and see if that is true, I am not holding my breath! She also told me that she had requested a sooner release of my number, that she would see this through to the end and that she would keep me posted. I really don't care for pretty words and promises, I just want some action!

As a side note, it makes me a little nervous that I have talked to 6 different people in the last 10 days and they have all had access to my personal information.

*Update 4/4/14: My number finally ported on April 2nd, at that time I was assured by the forum moderator that everything had been taken care of. My bill had been adjusted and the 911 info had been corrected. When I got into my account today (two days later), I found that everything is the same with no changes whatsoever.

*Update 9/6/16: I am now an Exede Voice Expert after using it for over two years. But I am stuck with it because AT&T is no longer providing landline service in our area and we don't have a cell signal here. My opinion of Exede Voice is that it is totally useless. When we first started out with it, it was not too bad but I don't even answer my phone much anymore because the latency issue is unbearable. My Exede internet speed, in general, is nearly as slow as dial-up now, so this makes the phone service unusable. If you call someone they normally hang up before they can hear you say hello. It also drops calls constantly, I never have an uninterrupted call unless it is less than 5 minutes long. We don't even try to make important calls and the first thing we tell people is that we have Satellite and that our call will be dropped, just to prepare them. I hate everything about Exede at this point!

*Update 4/5/2018: This is my final update because I no longer have Exede Voice. I was offered a great new plan with Viasat (formally Exede) and in order to be able to afford it, I had to drop my Exede Voice service which is very overpriced with all of their add-ons and fees. I now have an Obihai box and VoIP with Google Voice. It works just as well as Exede Voice ever did and it is FREE! Loving my new Viasat Silver 25 Unlimited Internet Plan as well, but don't bother looking for it because it is no longer available.

Click here to see a review of Exede Satellite Internet.

White Headed Wisdom

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 

2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and won't mold.

3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 

4. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream before beating. 

5. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 

6. Reheat leftover Pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. Or warm it in the oven on a cookie sheet or pizza pan at 350 degrees for 8 min. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. 

7. Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag, seal and mash until they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing  and mixing thoroughly, cut off the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done for easy clean up. 

8. When you buy a container of ready made Cake Frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You will double it in size. You can then frost more cake or cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

9. To warm left-over biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

10. Use wet newspapers in your garden or flower beds, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers. 

11. Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of broken glass that you can't see easily. 

12. Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 

13. To keep rabbits or other animals from eating your plants, sprinkle them with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and animals don't like it. 

 14. To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

15. Reduce static cling by pinning a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress.

16. Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using.

17. If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two and it will unseal easily. 

 18. Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it on your hair. 

 19. To get rid of pesky fruit flies or gnats, take a small glass, fill partway with Apple Cider Vinegar and a little squirt of dish washing liquid; mix well. Those gnats will be drawn into a watery grave.

 20. Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They will eat it or take it home to eat later but can't digest it, so it kills them. It may take a week or so, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed. This only works for certain types of ants.