Business Profile

Communications

ViaPath Technologies

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Important information

Customer Complaint:
Please be advised that due to the high volume of complaints received for this business, BBB publishes 1 out of every 10 complaints handled through our conciliation process.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for ViaPath Technologies's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

737 total complaints in the last 3 years.
176 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:04/03/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
This is an ongoing issue with GTL, has been happening for 6 months or more. My loved one (LO) will call me and/or other family members and at some point, throughout the call, a generic recording will come on the line to announce, "no third-party calls are allowed", then the line is disconnected. There is never a 3rd party call taking place. My LO does not have the option, to just call me right back. He must wait a minimum of 30 minutes before calling again to any number he chooses. That is, if there is no line for others to make outgoing calls to their LO. If so, he must wait even longer to finish our conversation. I have heard numerous individuals complaining about this exact issue at visitation, on social media, etc. I pay a significant amount of money for the communication, several hundreds of dollars weekly. This is completely unacceptable for a business to run this way, and consistently not handle the situation. If this was any other business, the consumers (myself included) would have closed their accounts and found a better option. HOWEVER, we as family to those incarcerated do NOT have any options. We must use whatever company FDOC chooses. Even with the ridiculously high call cost, and poor quality of service. ViaPath/GTL should take some of the thousands of dollars it makes from consumers like myself and invest in better quality telecommunication/ fiberoptic lines. Stop the excuses and handle the poor quality of service they are providing. Sincerely an upset customer
Business Response
Date: 05/08/2023
**. ******************************* May 8, 2023
**** ******
Sumterville, FL*********
**************
Email: ***************************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania
RE:*************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer *************************** contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that This is an ongoing issue with GTL, has been happening for 6 months or more. My loved one (LO) will call me and/or other family members and at some point, throughout the call, a generic recording will come on the line to announce, "no third-party calls are allowed", then the line is disconnected. There is never a 3rd party call taking place. My LO does not have the option, to just call me right back. He must wait a minimum of 30 minutes before calling any number he chooses again. That is, if there is no line for others to make outgoing calls to their LO. If so, he must wait even longer to finish our conversation. I have heard numerous individuals complaining about this exact issue at visitation, on social media, etc. I pay a significant amount of money for communication, several hundreds of dollars weekly. This is completely unacceptable for a business to run this way, and consistently not handle the situation. If this was any other business, the consumers (me included) would have closed their accounts and found a better option. HOWEVER,we as family to those incarcerated do NOT have any options. We must use whatever company FDOC chooses. Even with the ridiculously high call cost, and poor quality of service. ViaPath/GTL should take some of the thousands of dollars it makes from consumers like me and invest in better quality telecommunication/ fiberoptic lines. Stop the excuses and handle the poor quality of service they are providing. Sincerely an upset customer.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath reviewed the AdvancePay account ending in **** for calls coded and disconnected as three-way calls to find three calls specifically from 03/21/23 which were coded as such.In reviewing the calls, we found during two of those calls that ******************** was using the speaker phone option which picked up background noise or outside energy causing the line to be disconnected. The third call reviewed, revealed the pressing of buttons during the call conversation which caused the call to be terminated. Going forward please note that ViaPaths phone/calling system is extremely sensitive to interruptions in calls such as an incoming call notification or beep and placing the call on hold to answer a second call. Long pauses where the conversation is null and additional energy such as conversations/voices in the background, will also trigger the system to disconnect the call citing a three-way call. It is imperative that incoming calls are not answered during a call as this may result in the call being disconnected. Please also note that upon the release of a call for whatever reason, billing is terminated as ViaPath bills on a per-minute basis of $0.14 per minute plus applicable taxes and fees as regulated by the FCC.
We regret ******************** has not had a great experience using our products and services, however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined,we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:04/03/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I made a purchase through GTL's Getting Out app on the ******. I made this purchase on February 8th 2023. The exact same day I requested a refund because I funded the wrong account. The web page states that the refunds take 2-4 weeks. 4 weeks goes by and I called and checked on the refund and they had not processed it correctly. Then today, April 2, 2023 I called to check on the refund and they inform me that it will take another 2 weeks to get a check in the mail. I asked them why they were refunding me a check when I payed with a card and they told me that the system said I gave them the wrong card information which is impossible. I had the credit card and the bank account pulled up in front of me at the time I called. They stated that they could'nt reverse the refund and pay me back on the card I used. This is ridiculous and they are making me wait due to their own error processing my refund.
Business Response
Date: 05/03/2023
**. *************************** May 3, 2023
************************
Tucson, AZ *****
**************
Email: *******************

c/o BBB of Metro ************* & Eastern ************

RE: ************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ************************** The Office of the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that I made a purchase through GTL's Getting Out app on the ******. I made this purchase on February 8th, 2023. The exact same day I requested a refund because I funded the wrong account. The web page states that the refunds take 2-4 weeks. 4 weeks went by, and I called and checked on the refund and they had not processed it correctly. Then today, April 2, 2023, I called to check on the refund and they inform me that it will take another 2 weeks to get a check in the mail. I asked them why they were refunding me a check when I paid with a card, and they told me that the system said I gave them the wrong card information which is impossible. I had the credit card and the bank account pulled up in front of me at the time I called. They stated that they couldn’t reverse the refund and pay me back on the card I used. This is ridiculous and they are making me wait due to their own error processing my refund.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath confirmed the refund was initially requested and confirmed to be refunded back to the original method of payment per credit/debit card ending in ****. In the attempt to successfully approve the refund as requested, an error occurred as the refund failed to submit or accept the refund therefore the credit/debit refund was rolled over to a check refund for the full amount of $75.00 and as stated in a previous complaint submitted through a different resource, the refund was expedited overnight to the address on file via *** (****** ****** *******) Tracking # ****************** on April 11th, 2023. If this refund has yet to be received, please respond to this complaint via the BBB or directly at the email address below.

We regret *** **** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager,Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:03/31/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
DATE: 3/31/23 PROCESSING FEE: $3.81 ($25) I called the customer service number because I was not able to locate an inmate to add money on the advance pay to receive phone calls. I was told that I did not need to add an inmate to the account but I just needed to add money for them to be able to call. I asked the customer service phone representative to confirm which jail the inmate was in and she had asked me the inmate number and which facility did I add to the account. I told her I added all that I could find but only named off the jail facilities in ****. She stated that the inmate was in the "**** State Prison" and that they provide phone service to this facility. Once I got off the phone I got online and added $25 to the account which charged me a fee of $3.81 to deposit the money. I late received a phone call from the inmate but it was telling me that I had a zero account balance for phone service. I later found out that the inmate is not in the jail the customer service representative told he was, so I called back Connect Network GTL for a refund but I am being told that I can only get refunded back $21.19 minus the processing fee. I tried the explain to the other representative and his supervisor that I would have never deposited the money if she would have given me the correct information I was seeking. Now I've just given $3.81 for a service that I can't even use. The inmate is in the ********* Correctional Facility (****) at which they don't provide phone service for, not the **** State Prison that she told me he was in. If that do this to every other family that is try to keep in contact with their loved ones in jail, I can only image the processing fees they are collecting and know service can't be provided to certain jail facilities.
Business Response
Date: 05/03/2023
**. ********************* May 3, 2023
**** ******* ***
Oxnard, CA *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE: ********************* Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ********************* contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that DATE: 3/31/23 PROCESSING FEE: $3.81 ($25) I called the customer service number because I was not able to locate an inmate to add money on the advance pay to receive phone calls. I was told that I did not need to add an inmate to the account, but I just needed to add money for them to be able to call. I asked the customer service phone representative to confirm which jail the inmate was in and she had asked me the inmate number and which facility I added to the account. I told her I added all that I could find but only named off the jail facilities in ****. She stated that the inmate was in the "**** State Prison" and that they provide phone service to this facility. Once I got off the phone I went online and added $25 to the account which charged me a fee of $3.81 to deposit the money. I received a phone call late from the inmate, but it was telling me that I had a zero-account balance for phone service. I later found out that the inmate was not in the jail the customer service representative told he was, so I called back Connect Network GTL for a refund, but I am being told that I can only get refunded back $21.19 minus the processing fee. I tried to explain to the other representative and his supervisor that I would never have deposited the money if she had given me the correct information I was seeking. Now I've just given $3.81 for a service that I can't even use. The inmate is in the ********* Correctional Facility (****) at which they don't provide phone service for, not the **** State Prison that she told me he was in. If that does this to every other family that is trying to keep in contact with their loved ones in jail, I can only imagine the processing fees they are collecting and know service can't be provided to certain jail facilities.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath *** *****’s prepaid AdvancePay account, ending in 6037 to confirm calls originated from ********** County UT-********* Jail as recently as 04/23/2023. ConnectNetwork does handle calls from this facility as stated. In reviewing the account, the service fee of $3.81 was applied per the deposit of $25.00, yet it was removed in the refund process as the deposit was not made with a representative. However, in reviewing the information provided, ViaPath reinstated the service fee of $3.81 to be refunded via check and will be sent to the address on file. Please allow up to 30 business days to receive the refund via check.

We regret *** ***** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

****** ********
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
***************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/29/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
My loved one is currently incarcerated in ****** ****** ***** prison. Their tablets working n his building and only his building have not been working since Friday march, 24th. It looks like nothing is being done about it and we haven’t heard from our loved ones since!
Business Response
Date: 05/11/2023
*******************************; May 11, 2023
**** ******* ***
Oxnard, CA *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE:*************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer *************************** contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that my loved one is currently incarcerated in ****** ****** ***** prison. Their tablets aren’t working in his building and only his building has not been working since Friday March 24th. It looks like nothing is being done about it and we haven’t heard from our loved ones since!

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath reviewed both *** *****’s and *** ********’s account and confirmed recent successful exchanges via the message application between both parties. Please note that there are several unread messages by both parties, however there are no issues found on Mr. Salvador’s tablet/device as reported in the complaint.

We regret *** ***** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:03/21/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
The business has committed to providing citizens with a way of communicating with their loved ones via technology in the Virginia prisons. However, they are not updating nor fixing the technology in the prisons themselves, which has lead to decreased availability of visits with our loved ones which is a violation of rights afforded to us thru viapath and the DOC. The prison cannot fix the kiosks, that has to come from viapath. They are not doing their due diligence in fixing broken kiosks, and I (we) would like a resolution.
Business Response
Date: 05/15/2023
*********************************** May 15, 2023
*******************************
Austin, TX *****
**************
Email: **************************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE:******************************* Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ******************************* contacted The BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing the business has committed to providing citizens with a way of communicating with their loved ones via technology in the Virginia prisons. However, they are not updating nor fixing the technology in the prisons themselves, which has led to decreased availability of visits with our loved ones which is a violation of rights afforded to us through ViaPath and the DOC. The prison cannot fix the kiosks, that must come from ViaPath. They are not doing their due diligence in fixing broken kiosks, and I (we) would like a resolution.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath is aware of the recent issues related to the kiosks for video visitation and is currently in the process of making the necessary upgrades to the kiosks. In reference to the repair times, we are currently meeting our SLA in repairing and or upgrading equipment.

We regret *** ***** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:03/20/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Viapath Technologies under the trade name of GTL operates an email system for incarcerated persons. As part of my work with such persons I frequently correspond with inmates., many of which depend on me as their sole contact with the outside world.When we as an organization began using GTL another individual was primarily in charge of correspondence and as such his physical address was used to open the account as our organization is composed of volunteers and the official organizational address is a PO Box. (GTL requires a physical address.) One of the prison's where persons I correspond with are located recently blocked these inmates because they require a personal name on the account. In correspondence with the prison they specified how I needed to correct the account information to conform to their standards. I have tried for three months to get this issue resolved with GTL (Viapath) and get customer service people who simply refer me to a form I have filled out three times with no response. Today I received an email asking for a copy of my persona ID as well as a recent bull but was not provided with a secure website to upload it, the email simply said to respond to the email which goes to a general support box.I think any company who is contracted with the government should provide adequate means of resolving such simple issues and a timely manner, and a secure site when requesting such sensitive personal information. GTL has failed to do either and has kept me from providing the close contact to those I serve for over three months by their lack of a pathway to do so and attention to my requests. I seek a reasonable resolution. That will allow me to continue my correspondence while meeting the specified security requirements of the institution.
Business Response
Date: 04/24/2023
******* ****** C/o **************************; April 24, 2023
****************************************************
Leesburg, IN *****
**************
Email: *********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE:******* ****** C/o *************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer *************************** contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that ViaPath Technologies under the trade name of GTL operates an email system for incarcerated persons. As part of my work with such people, I frequently correspond with inmates, many of whom depend on me as their sole contact with the outside world. When we as an organization began using GTL another individual was primarily in charge of correspondence and as such his physical address was used to open the account as our organization is composed of volunteers and the official organizational address is a PO Box. (GTL requires a physical address.) One of the prisons where people I correspond with are located recently blocked these inmates because they require a personal name on the account. In correspondence with the prison, they specified how I needed to correct the account information to conform to their standards. I have tried for three months to get this issue resolved with GTL (ViaPath) and get customer service people who simply refer me to a form I have filled out three times with no response. Today I received an email asking for a copy of my personal ID and a recent bull but was not provided with a secure website to upload it, the email simply said to respond to the email which goes to a general support box. Any company contracted with the government should provide adequate means of resolving such simple issues and a timely manner, and a secure site when requesting such sensitive personal information. GTL has failed to do either and has kept me from providing close contact to those I serve for over three months by their lack of a pathway to do so and attention to my requests. I seek a reasonable resolution. That will allow me to continue my correspondence while meeting the specified security requirements of the institution.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath confirmed receipt of the requested documents to update the account information related to the prepaid AdvancePay account ending in **** and as of 04/24/2023, the account information has been updated as requested, to reflect account ownership as ******* ****** C/o ******* ******* Please contact Customer Service at ************ to add a passcode to the account for security purposes, we are available 24/7 to assist you.

We regret the delay in processing the request, however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Customer Answer
Date: 05/18/2023
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
From: ******* ****** <***********@*****.com>
Date: Thu, May 18, 2023 at 12:45 PM
Subject: Complaint Response Re: ID # ********- ViaPath Technologies
To: <*******@mybbb.org>

Dear Sir:
I have not had the opportunity to respond to ViaPath's response as yet.

In the response, ****** ******** states that the account has been updated. If that is the case it is not reflected in any portion of the account to whichI have access, The name of the account still only reads "******* ******" and as indicated in order to meet IDOC policy my name "******* ******" needs to go in the first name line and "******* ******" in the last name line. Nothing has changed from the time I sent the request.

I reject their response because it is not correct, they did not make the requested changes to the account and secondly I have called customer service multiple times in the past and they have been unable or unwilling to assist me, sending me to the form I have already filled out.

For reference here is the portion of ****** ******** response indicating they have corrected the problem wherein they acknowledge they have received the requested information from me, and yet they have not made the change.:

"Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath confirmed receipt of the requested documents to update the account information related to the prepaid AdvancePay account ending in **** and as of 04/24/2023, the account information has been updated as requested, to reflect account ownership as ******* ****** C/o ******* ******. Please contact Customer Service at ************ to add a passcode to the account for security purposes, we are available 24/7 to assist you."

This matter has not been resolvedI ask that your site reflect that the company has not done as they indicated in their response and I reject it.

******* *******
******* ******

Regards,

******* ****** C/o ******* ******
From: ******* ****** <***********@*****.com>
Date: Thu, May 18, 2023 at 12:51 PM
Subject: Additional Information - Re: ID # ********- ViaPath Technologies
To: <*******@mybbb.org>

Here is a screenshot of my account with Viapath dba Connect Networks GTL. You can clearly see the name on my account has not been changed to include my own.
******* ******
******* ******
Business Response
Date: 05/19/2023
******* ****** C/o ******* ****** May 19, 2023
**** * ******** **
Leesburg,
IN *****
###-###-####
Email: ***********@*****.com

c/o
BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE:
******* ****** C/o ******* ****** Complaint ID# ********

This
letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer
******* ****** contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania
citing that the recent request to update the online account information was
incomplete. Please update it in its entirety.

Upon
review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath successfully
communicated with *** ****** and upon verification of the requested
information, the online account was updated in its entirety to reflect IN DOC
standards for online account information. *** ****** confirmed this information
was reflected upon logging into his online account.

We
regret the delay in processing the request, however, we remain willing to
continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely
manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will
close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel
free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

****** ********
ViaPath
Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
***************@viapath.com
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:03/20/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Global Tel Link and its partner Getting Out provide little to no technical assistance after calling about problems. Since January the state of California passed legislation that permits inmates in state institutions to make free phone calls to friends and families. To this day I continue to get recorded phone messages informing me that GTL will be unable to complete such phone calls unless I add money to my account. Additionally inmates continue to struggle to get all their calls to go through. At least 40% of the attempts are met with recorded messages that their calls will be "collect calls", and they must hang up and retry their calls until the proper message "the call will not be charged." As to the arm of Via Path Tech, Getting Out - the program for emails- sending photos continues to be hampered by denying photos that are indeed below 5 MB in size for exceeding this size limit. Moreover, photos that are accepted, sit in a cloud in "pending" status for weeks or even months before the inmate finally receives them. I have made repeated calls to their technical support for these problems since January, yet the issues persist. It is high time for these problems to be addressed and eliminated.
Business Response
Date: 05/04/2023
********************************;                                                                              May 4, 2023
*************************
Hattiesburg, MS *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE: ***************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ***************************** contacted The BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that Global Tel Link and its partner Getting Out provide little to no technical assistance after calling about problems. Since January, the state of California passed legislation that permits inmates in state institutions to make free phone calls to friends and families. To this day I continue to get recorded phone messages informing me that GTL will be unable to complete such phone calls unless I add money to my account. Additionally, inmates continue to struggle to get all their calls to go through. At least 40% of the attempts are met with recorded messages that their calls will be "collect calls", and they must hang up and retry their calls until the proper message "the call will not be charged." As to the arm of Via Path Tech, Getting Out - the program for emails- sending photos continues to be hampered by denying photos that are indeed below 5 MB in size for exceeding this size limit. Moreover, photos that are accepted sit in a cloud in "pending" status for weeks or even months before the inmate finally receives them. I have made repeated calls to their technical support for these problems since January, yet the issues persist. It is high time for these problems to be addressed and eliminated.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath is complying with the ruling related to permitting inmates in state institutions to make free phone calls to friends and families. ViaPath is aware of the issues outlined regarding call delays and numerous unsuccessful attempts to process a call, and we are working diligently to improve the functionality of the call attempt coding as a free call the first time. Also, we are adding additional servers to ensure call attempts are successful and not delayed due to the influx of call attempts during peak hours.

ViaPath is responsible for the messaging application and service offered, however, approvals and denials, including the release of messages and photos are at the sole discretion of the facility staff.

We regret *** ****** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager,Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Customer Answer
Date: 05/15/2023
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: I continue to receive the calls from GTL containing the recorded message about my account not having any money and their inability to process calls from the institution. The most recent call came on May 13, 2023 at approximately 9:00 AM CDT. Previous to that date, similar calls came at least three times per week.
As to the issue of photo dissemination being at the discretion of authorities at the institution, I can attest to occurrences where officers were asked to investigate whether photos remained in an account or cloud for an individual who had been waiting for months to receive said photos. The outcome was that there were no photos waiting for dispensation, which directly points back to the routing process from the origin. To add, I have received direction from ViaPath to seek out telephone assistance from representatives when sending photos to assure proper distribution. I would do so if said representatives were astute enough about the problems at hand. Telephone agents do not have knowledge and skills to help with the technological shortcomings inherent within the email program.

Regards,

*****************************
Business Response
Date: 05/22/2023
********************************;                                                                              May 22, 2023
*************************
Hattiesburg, MS *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE: ***************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ***************************** contacted The BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania to reject the initial response citing that I continue to receive the calls from GTL containing the recorded message about my account not having any money and their inability to process calls from the institution. The most recent call came on May 13, 2023, at approximately 9:00 AM CDT. Before that date, similar calls came at least three times per week. As to the issue of photo dissemination being at the discretion of authorities at the institution, I can attest to occurrences where officers were asked to investigate whether photos remained in an account or cloud for an individual who had been waiting for months to receive said photos. The outcome was that there were no photos waiting for dispensation, which directly points back to the routing process from the origin. To add, I have received directions from ViaPath to seek out telephone assistance from representatives when sending photos to assure proper distribution. I would do so if said representatives were astute enough about the problems at hand. Telephone agents do not have knowledge and skills to help with the technological shortcomings inherent within the email program.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath successfully disabled the Low Balance alerts to stop the call recordings to the Advance Pay account advising of low balances in the wake of an unsuccessful call attempt. Please note that the call recording advising of a low balance will play upon a call attempt as the system is computed to advise of such when there is no available balance to accept the call. Unsuccessful call attempts trigger a courtesy recording to advise that a call was placed to the telephone number, but that the balance is too low to accept future call attempts and to provide information on how to add funds to the telephone number to accept a call. The Low Balance courtesy call has been disabled. Please allow up to 72 hours (about 3 days) to take effect.

As stated in our initial response, ViaPath is complying with the ruling related to permitting inmates in the California Department of Corrections state to make free phone calls to their friends and families. ViaPath is aware of the issues outlined regarding call delays and numerous unsuccessful attempts to process a call, and we are working diligently to improve the functionality of the call attempt coding as a free call the first time. We are still in the process of adding additional servers to ensure call attempts are successful and not delayed due to the influx of call attempts during peak hours. We are working diligently to resolve these issues.

ViaPath is responsible for the messaging application and service offered, however, approvals and denials, including the release of messages and photos are at the sole discretion of the facility staff. Our Customer Service team is happy to submit a ticket to have the account reviewed for confirmation that photos are approved and delivered as expected. Please be prepared to validate the account information and provide details on the dates and times of photos sent to be investigated to provide a resolution.

We regret **************** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Customer Answer
Date: 05/25/2023
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because ViaPath gave the following response: " Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath
successfully disabled the Low Balance alerts to stop the call recordings to the Advance Pay account advising of low balances in the wake of an
unsuccessful call attempt. Please note that the call recording advising of a low balance will play upon a call attempt as the system is computed
to advise of such when there is no available balance to accept the call. Unsuccessful call attempts trigger a courtesy recording to advise that a call was placed to the telephone number, but that the balance is too low to accept future call attempts and to provide information on howto add funds to the telephone number to accept a call. The Low Balance courtesy call has been disabled. Please allow up to 72 hours (about 3 days) to take effect.

As stated in our initial response, ViaPath is complying with the ruling related to permitting inmates in the California Department of Corrections state to make free phone calls to their friends and families. ViaPath is aware of the issues outlined regarding call delays and numerous unsuccessful attempts to process a call, and we are working diligently to improve the functionality of the call attempt coding as a free call the first time. We are still in the process of adding additional servers to ensure call attempts are successful and not delayed due to the influx of call attempts during peak hours. We are working diligently to resolve these issues.

ViaPath is responsible for the messaging application and service offered, however, approvals and denials, including the release of messages and
photos are at the sole discretion of the facility staff. Our Customer Service team is happy to submit a ticket to have the account reviewed for confirmation that photos are approved and delivered as expected. Please be prepared to validate the account information and provide details on the dates and times of photos sent to be investigated to provide a resolution.

We regret **************** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue toimprove our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly."
I do not foresee this complaint being closed at this early date. The said calls with the recorded message continue to come, including on Sundays during church service (9:00 AM), later in the day on Sunday, and once each day thereafter, including today at 10:00 AM. Until the calls cease to come, you will continue to hear from me.
Regards,

*****************************
Business Response
Date: 06/05/2023
********************************;                                                                              June 5, 2023
*************************
Hattiesburg, MS *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE: ***************************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ***************************** contacted The BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania to reject the initial response citing that I do not foresee this complaint being closed at this early date. The said calls with the recorded message continue to come, including on Sundays during church service (9:00 AM), later in the day on Sunday, and once each day thereafter, including today at 10:00 AM. Until the calls cease to come, you will continue to hear from me.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, stated, ViaPath successfully disabled the Low Balance alerts to stop the call recordings to the Advance Pay account advising of low balances in the wake of an unsuccessful call attempt. Please allow up to 72 hours for the alerts to be disabled in their entirety, however, please note that a missed call attempt will trigger the system to automatically set a reminder to advise of an unsuccessful attempt by an inmate. Options are provided via the initial recording to allow the customer to deny the call and or block calls from any facility to your number. As stated above, ViaPath has disabled the low balance alert as initially requested.

We regret **************** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager,Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Initial Complaint
Date:03/20/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
ViaPath is offering video visits for the incarcerated. We, as their loved ones, pay for this service. Monitor 1 at ************ Correctional center hasn't been working for over a year now. Numerous complaints have been filed with the company as well as with the facility. A work order was put in by the facility too because the company didn't brought the correct parts to fix the monitor. It has been weeks now again after reaching out and the monitor is still not working. Ive spent 3 hours waiting on customer service (on the phone) to hear they are experiencing technical issues and to try later. i sent out emails, through ******** Messenger but I'm done now. I have video visits EVERY DAY and I can't get any refunds because ViaPath doesn't answer their phone nor responds to anything else. They need to fix that monitor NOW. or take it out. 10 bucks for every video visit with nothing but A BLACK SCREEN. Do not offer a service that you can't offer
Business Response
Date: 04/25/2023
************************; April 25, 2023
*******************************************
Portland, OR *****
**************
Email: ***********************

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE:*********************** Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer *********************** contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that ViaPath is offering video visits for the incarcerated. We, as their loved ones, pay for this service. Monitor 1 at ***** ***** Correctional center hasn't been working for over a year now. Numerous complaints have been filed with the company as well as with the facility. A work order was put in by the facility too because the company didn't bring the correct parts to fix the monitor. It has been weeks now again after reaching out and the monitor is still not working. I’ve spent 3 hours waiting on customer service (on the phone) to hear they are experiencing technical issues and to try later. I sent out emails through ******** Messenger, but I'm done now. I have video visits EVERY DAY and I can't get any refunds because ViaPath doesn't answer their phone nor responds to anything else. They need to fix that monitor NOW. or take it out. 10 bucks for every video visit with nothing but A BLACK SCREEN. Do not offer a service that you can't offer.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath reviewed *** ********’s account and confirmed that the station referenced as Inmate Station ***** *****-* has been successfully updated and the last 22 video visits have been successful with no issues and or interruptions as mentioned in the complaint. Several visits reviewed were conducted on the inmate station referenced as Inmate Station ***** *****-* and were successful, including the most recent visit on 04/20/2023. ViaPath found no further interferences or disruptions, including encountering black screens that would warrant a refund back to the original method of payment. Going forward, ViaPath encourages Friends and Family to capture the date and time of video visits and include the visit ID# to assist us in reviewing and resolving the issues reported. Please note that these matters must be reported within 30 business days of the visit date to allow us to review, issue credit where applicable, and resolve the inquiry promptly

We regret *** ******** has not had a great experience using our services; however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

****** ********
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
***************
Customer Answer
Date: 04/26/2023
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
This is because the monitor was repaired after filing a complaint with the BBB already. I still believe that ViaPath should work on their customer service. Waiting 2 hours to speak to someone is absolutely crazy and hearing after that there are technical difficulties after waiting 2 hours is crazy too.
Regards,

***********************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/17/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I have been using GTL for a while now, and about two months ago my loved one tried to call and it said my number was not authorized, he thought I blocked him. I have called the company several times trying to fix the issue. They say it's a connection issue and tickets have been submitted. I called yesterday 3/16/23 to check the status of a month old ticket. They told me they are still working on it and it may be an issue with my cell phone provider. I've never had this issue before. They keep telling me my account will be fixed in 5 days. It's been like 2 months. He still cannot call. I have even called his facility and they aren't having issues with their phones. I feel like they are giving me the runaround about this. I have funds available, so that's not the issue. They have refreshed my account a few times, it does nothing. Please look into this. My sister is now having the same problem as of a few days ago. (NOTE: I previously did a complaint, but it was with the wrong company, they only use like 4 companies for communication. My original complaint was against securus, but they are not responsible for the phone calls.)
Business Response
Date: 04/18/2023
********************************; April 18, 2023
**********************
Sanderson, FL *********
**************
Email: ****************************

c/o BBB of Metro ************* & Eastern ************

RE:******************************* Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer ******************************* contacted The BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that I have been using GTL for a while now, and about two months ago my loved one tried to call, and it said my number was not authorized, he thought I blocked him. I have called the company several times to try to fix the issue. They say it's a connection issue and tickets have been submitted. I called yesterday 3/16/23 to check the status of a month-old ticket. They told me they are still working on it, and it may be an issue with my cell phone provider. I've never had this issue before. They keep telling me my account will be fixed in 5 days. It's been like 2 months. He still cannot call. I have even called his facility and they aren't having issues with their phones. I feel like they are giving me the runaround about this. I have funds available, so that's not the issue. They have refreshed my account a few times, but it does nothing. Please look into this. My sister is now having the same problem as a few days ago. (NOTE: I previously made a complaint, but it was with the wrong company, they only use like 4 companies for communication. My original complaint was against *******, but they are not responsible for the phone calls.)

Upon reviewing the complaint and addressing the concerns outlined, as stated,ViaPath confirmed there was an active prepaid AdvancePay account for the telephone number ending in **** and calls were not connecting as the resident was calling incorrectly by attempting to make collect calls, which are billed to the phone provider as opposed to using the prepaid balance ******************** added to the account for calls. On March 20th, 2023, ******************** requested a refund for the balance remaining on the account of $30.84 and the request was approved and processed on March 23rd, 2023, via check as the original method of payment was not available. ******************** was advised to allow up to 30 business days to receive the check refund at the address on file.

We regret ******************** has not had a great experience using our products and services, however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that *** arise in a timely manner.Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

*****************************
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
www.viapath.com
Customer Answer
Date: 04/18/2023
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I had to change my phone number so my loved one could call me. I had someone else at a different facility try to call me, they couldn't call either. Both people know how to call out. I did receive a refund, after I was advised to get a new number, that it may never be fixed, from a gtl employee.

Regards,

*******************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/16/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Requested a refund on December 5th 2022 the guy told me it could take up to 7 weeks. I waited about 5 weeks called company back and was told it was processing I should receive it any day , contacted the company again on Feb 1st was told they sent it on the second , to check with my bank and cont them again in 48 hours . My back has not received in form of refund from ********, company. Called back today and heard same excuse that i was issued a return on December 2nd and they are looking into the matter to see what happen.
Business Response
Date: 04/20/2023
*** **** ******* April 20, 2023
** ******* *****
Pineville, KY *****
###-###-####
Email: *************@**************.**

c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania

RE: **** ******* Complaint ID# ********

This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.

Consumer **** ******* contacted BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that I requested a refund on December 5th, 2022, and the guy told me it could take up to 7 weeks. I waited about 5 weeks to call the company back and was told it was processing and I should receive it any day, contacted the company again on Feb 1st and was told they sent it on the second, to check with my bank and contact them again in 48 hours. My bank has not received the form of refund from ********, the company. I called back today and heard the same excuse that I was issued a return on December 2nd, and they are looking into the matter to see what happened.

Upon review of the complaint addressing the concerns outlined, ViaPath confirmed that the initial refund request was delayed for processing, due to a system error, however, ViaPath approved the refund and expedited the refund via check for $100.00 to be sent overnight due to the delay referenced. Please refer to the following tracking number via ***: ******************, with a guarantee to be delivered by the end of day Thursday, Apr 20, 2023.

We regret that *** ******* has not had a great experience using our products and services, however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. Considering the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cordially,

****** ********
ViaPath Technologies | Manager, Consumer Complaints
********************************************************
***************

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