It is no secret that Sparklight VoIP has been having some reliability issues. Customers have taken to social media and online review platforms to express their dissatisfaction with the service. Expensive bundles, poor customer service, and long wait times are driving people to look for cheaper and viable alternatives to Sparklight.
This article provides information on the drawbacks of having a Sparklight landline and the best alternative - Community Phone. Read on to learn how to continue using your landline with future-proof technology at affordable prices from Community Phone!
Drawbacks of Having a Sparklight Landline
1. Landline Service Is Not Sparklight’s Priority
Landline service is not Sparklight’s main priority. They are a broadband communications provider and have bundled landline services with the internet. Since they also have a monopoly in some areas, people do not have an option but to buy a bundled landline costing upwards of $90.
2. Expensive Bundles
Sparklight has bundled landline service with TV or internet or both costing you upwards of $90 for TV and internet and upwards of $200 for TV+internet+Phone. Low-income groups or seniors on a limited income may not be able to afford such expensive bundling for services they may not need. However, their monopoly in certain areas has forced customers to accept their terms of service without question.
If you want to continue using your landline without bundling it with expensive, unnecessary services, switch to Community Phone, the best wireless landline in the US. Talk to their specialist at 866-806-1270 to learn more!
3. Unhelpful, Pathetic Customer Service
Reviews on various forums indicate severe customer apathy from Sparklight. Since they have a monopoly in certain areas, not attending to customer complaints promptly or slapping them with huge bills and hidden charges have become customer service norms.
4. Specialized Hardware
Customers must lease a specific modem from Sparklight to receive internet and phone services. Several reviews indicate that the company insists customers buy modems specified by them and does not use the hardware the customer already has.
5. Credit Report Needed for Deposit and Install Fees
To receive promotional rates or to decide on deposit and installation fees, Sparklight requires customers to authorize them to obtain a consumer report per the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You will have to enroll in the Sparklight Easy Pay program if you want a fully discounted installation.
Get Community Phone’s wireless landline service that comes with a Zero-cost DIY installation. NO credit checks and NO deposit fees. Read on to learn more about Community Phone!
6. Patchy Connectivity
Sparklight’s phones need more bandwidth for calls than you would use for normal browsing. So, you need a high-speed internet connection for good call quality. Since actual internet speeds vary by customer based on time of day, network congestion, equipment, and other factors, you can expect issues such as call drops, latency, and poor call quality.
7. Questionable Reliability
Sparklight landlines will go down:
1. If you or the company have a power outage
2. The company has internet issues
3. Network outages
4. Scheduled or unscheduled maintenance
These issues make Sparklight’s internet-based phones highly unreliable if you want to stay connected with loved ones or emergency services.
8. Does Not Work During Power Outages
Sparklight landlines utilize the power from the power source in your home. If there is a power outage, the phone lines will go down. You can buy a battery backup unit from one of Sparklight’s shortlisted vendors or be stranded without a phone during the outage.
Switch to Community Phone, as the 12-hour backup battery in their landline base keeps your phone working during outages and blackouts. Read on to learn more!
9. Safety and Security Issues
Sparklight’s internet-based phones will make you vulnerable to hacks, attacks, malware, and internet-related threats. Hackers may intercept your data when you use the internet for communication, leading to data and identity theft.
For example, you may be liable for credit cards, expensive purchases, and loans you never took.
10. Installation Costs and Challenges
Sparklight’s internet-based phones need internet lines installed at your home. The company will install wiring for voice and internet that goes from the main connection point outside your home to a phone or a computer inside your home.
The expertise required for the installation and the company’s customer response will determine the speed and accuracy of the installation and the subsequent working of your phones. Be ready to face several technical issues if the installation is incomplete or incorrect.
11. Challenges With Emergency Tracking
First responders, especially 911, cannot trace your location accurately if you have an internet-based phone. Since the information comes from an IP address with no GPS data and is not from a physical address or cell tower, location tracking becomes difficult.
Community Phone - The Best Alternative to Sparklight Landline
Community Phone is the best landline service provider in the US, revolutionizing traditional landlines to combine reliability, flexibility, and excellent features. Its wireless landline base connects your home phone to local cell towers, eliminating the need for high-speed internet to make or receive calls.
The company provides solid coverage across 99% of the US for you to experience excellent connectivity and superior voice quality in rural and low-reception areas.
Enjoy unlimited nationwide calling, features like spam call blocking, call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, 3-way calling, and more at affordable prices. With US-based support, no hidden charges, and flexibility, Community Phone is the best landline service.
How It Works
The Community Phone landline base does not tie your phone to the internet as it works off resilient cell towers. The company's partnership with nationwide carriers and the unique design of the landline base ensure connectivity across 99% of the U.S., including rural areas. The built-in antennas on the base amplify signals from mobile towers to ensure superior voice quality in low-reception areas.
The 12-hour backup battery in the base ensures your phones continue working during a power outage or blackout in your area.
Why is Community Phone better than Sparklight?
Here are some salient Community Phone features that make it better than Sparklight:
1. Landline Service Is Community Phone's Priority
Community Phone, the best wireless home phone service provider in the US, is fighting to keep the landline alive. The company was built to provide customers with reliable, easy, and affordable landline service without internet and copper connections. The company does not “nickel” and “dime” you and will not stop providing landline service.
2. NO Bundling
Community Phone does not bundle landline service with unnecessary and expensive services like TV and internet. You can get a new number when you sign up with them or port your existing number to enjoy reliable landline service and the freedom of wireless access at affordable prices, with plans starting as low as $39/month.
Talk to their specialist at 866-806-1270 to learn more!
3. World-Class Customer Support
A trust score of 4 on Trustpilot and an “A” rating on BBB indicate the company’s commitment to providing world-class customer support. You can contact Community Phone via phone, email, and chat with wait times of under 1 minute and have your questions and concerns answered by their diligent reps.
4. No Specialized Hardware Needed
You don't need fancy equipment for your Community Phone landline, except the landline base and a SIM. You will receive the SIM with the base when you sign up with Community Phone. The landline base is compatible with all phone models, saving you the hassle of buying new phone equipment. Save time and money with the zero-cost installation of the landline base.
5. No Deposit or Installation Fees
Community Phone does not require a consumer report to decide your installation or deposit fees as it charges the customers neither. The Community Phone landline base comes with an easy 30-second setup and NO deposit fees. Talk to a specialist today to learn more!
6. Quick 30-second Landline Setup
You do not need a technician or advanced skills to install your Community Phone landline. You can set up your landline in 30 seconds with the following steps:
1. Unwrap the landline base.
2. Connect the base to a power outlet. Do not turn it on yet.
3. Hook your phone to the base per instructions in the manual.
4. Toggle the ON/OFF switch to the ON position.
5. Turn on the power and wait for 5 mins. Once the base finishes setup, make a test call to ensure your phone works as intended.
7. Connectivity
Community Phone has partnered with nationwide carriers to ensure coverage across 99% of the U.S. Since the wireless landline base does not need an internet connection to work, you will not face issues such as call drops, jitter, or latency.
8. Reliability
Resilient and thoughtful technology have made your Community Phone landline the most reliable option to stay connected with loved ones and emergency services. Their landline base works off resilient cell towers with power backups to support them during a massive outage. The base also has a 12-hour backup battery that keeps your phone working during a power outage or blackout in your area.
9. Security
Since Community Phone does not tie your landline to the internet, it does not leave you vulnerable to hacks, attacks, data, or identity theft. You get an additional layer of security as the wireless landline cannot be wiretapped like conventional landlines.
10. Call Quality
Community Phone has partnered with carriers nationwide to ensure robust coverage and superior voice quality in rural areas. The landline base has built-in antennas that amplify mobile signals to ensure crystal-clear voice quality in poor-reception areas.
11. Geographical Limitations
Community Phone's landline service covers 99% of the U.S., including rural areas, making geographical limitations and the monopoly of certain carriers a thing of the past. The landline base's unique design and revolutionary wireless technology provide superior voice quality even in low-reception areas.
12. Flexibility
Community Phone's partnership with nationwide carriers and the unique landline base design ensure excellent voice quality and connectivity across 99% of the U.S. Experience extreme flexibility with your Community Phone landline, as you can take it anywhere without changing the number. Plug it into a power outlet and a phone, and your landline will work as well as new!
13. Emergency Tracking
First responders can easily track your location in an emergency, as they can trace the data originating from the cell tower and zero in on your location.
Community Phone Landline Features for Great Telephonic Experience
Spam Call Blocking
Studies reveal that 61% of the people that fell prey to phone scams were duped by robocalls. With scammers being persistent in their brutal attacks, manual call barring and phone features to block spam are no longer effective. According to reports, scammers have found a way around the STIR/SHAKEN protocols implemented by the government for consumer protection.
Get the Community Phone spam-blocker, your one-stop solution to block unwanted and unlawful calls from ringing your phone. The spam blocker challenges robocalls and blocks them before the call can ring your phone, ensuring protection against spam.
The "Safelist," a new Community Phone feature, allows you to list the numbers you want to accept calls from. Your phone will ring to let calls from these numbers through and block all others before the phone rings. You can update your allowed list anytime to add or delete numbers, or Community Phone specialists will be happy to assist you.
Studies report that several people miss legitimate calls fearing spam. Understanding the need to balance robust spam protection and legitimate calls, Community Phone is launching another iteration of the Safelist soon.
This feature will allow you to accept calls from numbers you want and route the rest to voicemail. Since Community Phone will not block other numbers, you can check your voice messages and respond to the ones you deem necessary.
The soon-to-be-launched "blocklist" is an aggressive spam blocker that blocks over 6 million spam calls based on an ever-growing database of spam numbers and a spam score. You can actively contribute to this database by adding a spam number to protect yourself and other Community Phone customers from scams and fraud.
Talk to Community Phone specialists to learn more!
Call Waiting
The call-waiting feature helps you handle two calls simultaneously. You will hear 2 beeps when there is an incoming call while you are engaged on one call. You can place the first call on hold, talk to the second caller, or route it to voicemail.
Call Forwarding
Enable call forwarding to forward important calls when you cannot answer them from your business landline. You can opt from one of the several Community Phone options to forward your business calls to a number of your choice.
Temporary Forwarding: Use the manual process to turn call forwarding ON/OFF if you are temporarily away from your business phone. Here's how you can enable it:
1. Get a dial tone
2. Dial **21*1
3. Dial the 10-digit number you want the calls forwarded to and #
4. Three beeps will indicate you have enabled call forwarding
Follow the same steps, but press ##21# to turn off call forwarding.
Talk to Community Phone specialists to learn more about unconditional forwarding, conditional call forwarding, and forwarding without a phone, to choose the best option that fits your needs. Contact them at 866-806-1270 Today!
Call History
Enable the call history feature and access information on incoming and outgoing calls to and from your Community Phone landline.
You can use this feature to
1. Return missed calls from known contacts
2. Store legitimate contacts
3. Check caller information against known contacts
4. Send a message or
5. Block spam calls.
Caller ID
On Outgoing Calls
Opt for the caller ID feature so the recipient can see your number or name when you make outbound calls. This feature can help loved ones answer your call or return missed calls without mistaking them as spam.
Incoming Calls
You will be able to see the caller ID of the person calling you if:
1. The person has enabled caller ID
2. Has registered in the national register
3. Your phone can support the caller ID feature.
Community Phone does not use third-party apps to provide the caller ID feature.
Landline Texting
Studies reveal that millennials and later generations prefer texting to talking. Stay in touch with younger children or grandchildren by texting them from your Community Phone landline through the landline texting feature. The unlimited text feature and 2-way messaging enable you to see the messages from the recipient and continue the conversation.
3-way Calling
Connect with 2 or more of your loved ones simultaneously with the 3-way calling feature, spend some great moments, and create memorable experiences. You can connect with your loved ones on the same call and hear them speak simultaneously without worrying about free calling apps, internet bandwidth, or patchy and dropped internet calls.
Benefits of Switching to Community Phone
Besides having a reliable landline service that does not require internet, Community Phone members enjoy the following benefits:
Unlimited nationwide calling and text: Stay in touch with loved ones across the U.S. with Community Phone's unlimited talk and text.
No internet needed: The Community Phone landline base works off cell towers without tying your phone to the internet. Since your phones are not dependent on the internet, they will continue working during an internet outage or maintenance.
Number choice: You can get a new local number FREE when you sign up with Community Phone. You can also transfer your existing number through their unique hand-held porting process.
Zero-cost Installation: The landline base does not require a technician to install it. You or anyone in your business or household can install your Community Phone landline in under 30 seconds and be ready to make calls in 5 mins.
24/7 reliable customer support: Contact Community Phone customer support via phone, email, and live chat 24/7 to experience world-class support from live agents. Glowing customer reviews on BBB and Trustpilot are testimonies of their commitment to customers.
Works during power outages: Save the money you would invest on buying a battery backup unit, as the 12-hour backup battery in the landline base ensures your phones continue working during power outages and blackouts.
How to get a Community Phone landline?
Follow these steps to get a Community Phone landline:
1. Call Community Phone at (866)-340-6256 and speak with a specialist.
2. The rep will check your area for coverage. Since Community Phone covers 99% of the US, this should not be an issue.
3. You get a local number FREE when you signup. Choose a new number or port your existing number. The specialist will help you get a similar number if your preferred number is unavailable.
4. Choose a plan to suit your needs.
5. Complete the signup process
6. Wait for your landline base, and install it per instructions. You can contact Community Phone support if you have challenges or questions.
7. Wait until the base completes the setup. Make a test call to check if your landline works as intended.
FAQs
What are the drawbacks of Sparklight VoIP?
The main drawback of Sparklight VoIP is that it can sometimes be unreliable. If there is a power or network outage or problem, you may not be able to make or receive calls. Additionally, the company’s customer apathy, expensive bundles, additional specialized hardware expenses, and installation and deposit fees have made customers look for Sparklight alternatives.
What is the best alternative to Sparklight VoIP?
The Community Phone wireless landline service is the best alternative to Sparklight. Landline is the main focus for Community Phone, which is why their services are so much better than their competitors. Their landline service works during power outages without an internet connection. With great customer service, no hidden charges, and affordable plans, Community Phone is the best landline service.
Conclusion
Community Phone is the best landline service provider out there. With better call quality, features, and customer service than Sparklight, Community Phone is the best alternative to Sparklight.