Merlin Legend VS IP office 2

[nowb2509]

Hi
I have a question why are some people going to IP phone systems?

Thanks

 

[Shine52]

Well I'm sorry if I've offended anybody w/ my "Figure it out damn it" SIGNATURE! I'm pretty sure most are "phone guy"'s on this board, and if your a phone guy, then you know to "figure it out damn it". Again sorry if I offended anybody.

I will stand firm w/ the IPO being a solid switch w/ the understanding it is driven by software, hence bugs. The Magix/Legend, no doubt, is as solid as a rock. I know the switch quite well, and have some great applications that test the boundries of the switch. I'm looking foward to doing the same thing w/ the IPO. It's just the nature of business. Whether it be for cost cutting, manufacturing issues etc, they have made a decision to go "out w/ the old, and in w/ the new". As an Avaya "phone guy", if I'm not learning and seeking Convergence applications to keep up w/ Cisco "data guys", then I will be the "unemployed guy". My 2 cents!

Figure it out damn-it!

 

[merlinman]

As you stated, we are PHONE GUYS, we do not get offended.

No, in fact, it is our duty to OFFEND.

OK, just kidding....

 

[dagwoodsystems]

I'm only warning--not advertising--when I suggest checking out this link:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc..._-Electronics-_-20-_-SimpliPhones_BCEmail_175

Highlights:

* 4 Lines, 8 Stations, 2 VoIP Ports (Connect up to 4 remote offices over VoIP)
* Expandable up to 20 lines and 40 extensions
* Auto Attendant and Voicemail; 500 hours of storage
* Auto Backup, Auto software update, Call Management, Call Monitoring, Caller ID
* Group Calling, Remote Call Forwarding and support for Phantom Extensions
* Loudspeaker Paging interface
* Self-install with color coded cables
* $3699.00

It's no IPO or Magix, but if I were selling Partner systems, I'd be concerned. True, the Partner is not difficult to self-install either. But it's not advertised that way either.

We're ALL screwed if we're not careful about how and what we sell. Our easy "low-hanging fruit" type customers will go away as these type of products enter the consumer market (just like home theatre).

Keep selling the crud out of those IP Offices. Us dinosaurs will continue to network Legends and Magix over VPNs and work to come up with other VoIP/TDM hybrid solutions. Keep helping each other and just maybe Avaya will be able to live through their current struggles.

Oh, and I apologize about my reaction to the "figure it out" thing. I wuz being Mr. Sensitive and didn't realize that it was just a tag line. Duh.

Now everybody say "A

http://wwwwwww."

:^ Þ

 

[Dexman]

One question for anyone who is considering purchasing that VOIP system from Costco:

Who are you going to call if the system has a problem or does not work as advertised? Costco? A Customer Help line?

 

[kmefford]

This says it all......

This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise.

 

[Dexman]

True you can send the unit back for a refund, but who provides technical help or answers questions about the product isn't mentioned in that disclaimer.

Another missing bit of information is who do you turn to for support after the warranty has expired?

 

[2BAvoice]

So it is like, "try this, if you can figure it out and make it work, fine, if not bring it back after your grisley experience and we will give you your money back", but not your time, lost calls, pissed customers, lost business, credibility, blood pressure, well you get my point.

 

[dagwoodsystems]

I suspect this pre-packaged system is an Asterisk, which--in addition to having a reputation for being reliable--has a tremendous amount of open source code available online. It's plug and play for the lunkheads and pure play for those who want to tweak it and add whatever feature they want.

I return to the PBX and home theatre comparison. John Q. Public first became "aware" of home theatre topics and jargon. Driven by selfish interest, Mr. Public actually went out and learned what aspect ratio, DVI, subwoofer and other such terms meant. Ultimately, lots of people followed Mr. Public's lead. As the general demand for such things increased, so did the need for prepackaged sound systems that could be self-installed. Prices for these items fall to all time lows.

Today, most any do-it-yourselfer can run down to Best Buy on a moment's notice (witness Super Bowl Sunday) and pull off a half a$$ installation of any number of these prepackaged systems.

Be cynical if you want, but keep your eyes peeled. All I'm saying is don't get complacent about the flaws of IP Office. Avaya has told me "sorry" a number of times while I've wiped the egg off my face in front of a big customer. There ARE serious problems with this box.

And yes MerlinMan, the Legend WAS a helluva dog when it first came out. But by my fifth Legend installation, the engineers had gotten the thing really shaped up. In contrast, the IP Office has been plagued with a variety of problems for a long time now. And how many times have you seen the patch fix one thing and break something else?

Am I smoking crack here? I see an entirely different picture than so many of you. I'm sorry, but this is just not the way I run my business.

 

[HiDesert]

I'm with Merlinman....I also have 40 yrs in the business
and have been through ups & downs of the merlin series.
I don't want to know about VOIP.....For any tech who has
been around a long time and goes back to the "Bell System"
days will tel you....there are more dumb customers than
smart ones....keeping a PBX or Key system simple was and is
the way to keep people happy. Voice Mail was hard enough
for customers to get use to. Now this...maybe the younger
techs like to shoot trouble on the VOIP systems...but for
me, getting trouble calls late friday afternoon is not my
idea of having a great weekend.
The whole idea of having you tel system and data network
out of the same box has NEVER appealled to me...
just my thoughts and call me T-Rex.

 

[Dexman]

If there is any upside to the loss of the Magix this past April, it would probably be that the system went out at the top of its game.

Seeing how Avaya messed up with the Partner ACS R7, it makes one wonder if the Magix would have suffered the same fate had an R5 been introduced.

 

[2BAvoice]

36+ years here, and I agree with Merlinman (of course) and HiDesert, KISS rule rules.