CrustyViewer wrote:I have. Call assistant seemed like a good idea at the time but after a couple months it lost it's luster.
It seems like almost everything else Verizon gets involved in outside of their base products, C-A was underdeveloped and in need of further refinement. A call to Verizon about a problem with it ususally brought amazement by the person at the other end that Verizon even had such a program! Go figure.
In the end, control over the recorded calls was the issue that spoiled the program for me. All deletions had to be done over the phone- not on my computer at a Verizon site ( this was the kind of needed software refinement I'm talking about ) and the program became burdensome. The lack of tech support and the feeling that I was immursed in some kind of experiment to see if A-S was technically viable led me to eventually cancel it.
Looking back there was great promise to the program: the idea that you could view calls coming in on your Verizon connected TV seemed futuristic and added excitement to my new Verizon triple-Play hook-up. But the A-S promise of making telephone communication easier ended up just being a pipe-dream as far as I was concerned.
One last thing: I think there was a charge for the service- not much, maybe $4-$5 per month - but it was just 'salt in the wound' to me. The program wasn't 'free' so I felt cheated somehow. I was paying for a product that Verizon wasn't supporting or further developing. The whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth that is still there today. So think twice before you leap.
Now this was a year ago that I singed-up for the program. Maybe it's been improved by now although I doubt it. There would be a push by Verizon to get us to sign-up if A-S had come of age and that isn't happening.
I have had VCA for well over a year now, works pretty well for me. But unfortunately I do not remember the process I used to get access to it 
However:
1) Here is a link to the VCA website: Link On that page is a link to where you are supposed to be able to check availability and sign up. I think I used that process but am not sure, I do know I did not have to call anybody to get VCA.
2) VCA has two distinct parts;
2a) A PC client that will pop-up on your PC the calling name and number just before the phone starts to ring. This client can also be used to delete old calls, but it is only one call at a time. The PC client is optional, it is not required to install/run it to have VCA (but of course if you want to have the caller id info pop on your PC then you must have the client running).
2b) The VCA website itself. Once logged in, you can view and delete calls (delete multiple calls at a time).
3) I do not use voicemail so I have never tried to use the voicemail capabilities of VCA, but there are some.
4) The VCA website has been promising new features for months, nothing at all has happened that I know of, no new functions, features, etc. I even received an email on 11/9/2009 saying that on 11/17/2009 there will be a new version of the PC client with new functions - nada. And no further communication to explain the failure - dumb!
5) VCA is free, no charge. I don't know why you would say there is a charge, there most certainly is not.
6) There is a VCA hotline - 1-888-483-5156, I used that number back when I first signed up for VCA and had a few problems, the folks were very helpful and fixed me up. I have seen posts from others though that say they have not been able to get any help at that number.
7) I have Caller ID on TV here in North Texas. As far as I know it is only available in North Texas for now. This feature may (or may not) depend on having VCA, I don't know.
Hope this helps.
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Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
QIP6416-P1, IMG 1.7C, Build 09.83
Keller, TX 76248
