Scott A.

I use TextNow primarily on my desktop since transitioning to 100% work-from-home. I've had my account for about two years. I can send and receive texts reliably. But that's where the fun stops. While I get an ocean of incoming calls (spam) and can make calls out, the calls will last only UP TO 45-seconds. Then the calls inexplicably disconnect. I was just waiting on my bank to return my request for help. As the customer support agent was verifying my identity (44-seconds into the call), the call disconnected. Now I'll have to sit on hold for hours to get through to another agent--and that call will likely disconnect quickly, too.

It seems to me like TextNow is purposely disconnecting some calls to save bandwidth for the company's high-paying customers. This has been happening to me consistently since I opened a TextNow account. It doesn't matter what kind of internet protocol I use (high-speed wifi, ethernet-connected...), my calls are invariably ended in under a minute. But if I'm waiting on hold to speak with a customer support agent (like with my bank), the call persists as long as I'm willing to wait (hours...). So something is happening with the active voice calls.

Another issue I have with TextNow is that I can't find a way to bulk-delete spam calls/texts. You have to sit there clicking on each message/call, selecting delete, then CONFIRMING delete before being dumped back in your call/message queue. This is a massive waste of time.

If TextNow had proven reliable, I'd have happily bought a plan with them even just to use on my computer. But if they can't put forward a good showing with their free plan, then I have no confidence in the company.

By the way, I did contact TextNow. Their customer support asked me to create a new account to "test." But the account sign-up page recognized that I already had an account so wouldn't let me create a new one via email. The TextNow agent then asked me to link a "test" TextNow new account to my family's Facebook or Apple account pages. Are you kidding? To troubleshoot I have to disclose our other accounts? That's one way customers' private data is stolen--via these linked accounts. So, no, TextNow doesn't offer a reliable alternative to traditional exorbitant mobile phone services.

I bought a trial version of ExpressVPN (EVPN) a year ago before taking a job outside the US. During the short trial period EVPN seemed to be work fine. But once I got overseas, the proverbial crap hit the fan. When EVPN worked, my machines were very slow. And the connection would fail every few minutes. Even though I never connected the VPN kill-switch, when the VPN was down and struggling to connect, I couldnt connect to the Internet at all. It was so consistently bad that Internet use became unpredictable. I actually had to return to the US after only 6 months BECAUSE I couldnt do my work. Others who were using EVPN throughout the country were experiencing the same problem.

Now Im back in the States and EVPN still throughout the day fails. Its typical for me to look at its icon in my system tray and see its NOT connected, obviating the very protection Im paying for. And its worse on my mobile phone. Its CONSTANTLY down. And when its active, my phone is so slow I cant load even just a webpage.

Worst of all, the company doesnt care about these experiences. When you contact customer support, you get the same insipid trouble shooting instructions. If you try to tell them youve tried the steps before without any improvement, theyll tell you you havent. Then when you send them the files showing that youve already done what theyve instructed, the communication will go dead.

And Ive tried EVERY server, but Netflix eventually denies them all despite EVPNs claim you can use them with Netflix. I have trouble using EVPN with other sites, too, like Craigslist.

How does this company keep turning up as the #1 VPN provider? Either their competitors are even worse or EVPN pays review companies for biased assessments.