Telephone Service $14.99

[Hygiene99]

Hi was just wondering Like alot of us Im sure this may save a few bucks Say For a Cruise ?? Now we have a Home Phone and 2 cell phones.. with the Beep beep feature..

And we dust off the home phone when a call comes in ..

1) Does anyone use this service and how would You rate them ?

2) im not looking for any referrals..

Just thinking about making the switch of course I would have to sit down and
look at the bundle we have now. and see what the differences would be in Cost .. Think it is really cool..

here is a link.... phone service

Broadband connection required..

Can I post This ?? It is easier to ask for forgiveness, than it is permission..

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[mareed]

We're in the process of switching over, and I expect it to be completed within 1-2 weeks. My DH has really set it all up, and he's tried to explain it to me, but I can't say that I really fully understand it. So, we're giving it a try. We also don't use our land-line phone all that much!

 

[heathrow42]

Vonage.. it's basically VOIP, voice over ip (ip.. being internet) ..so instead of sending your phone calls over the phone network, they go over the internet. The special phone or adaptor converts your voice into data and sends it over your high speed internet connection.

If you have a good quality internet connection, you will probably be happy with vonage. If you have dsl and live just a little too far from the central office, or have cable and it's a little slow.. or otherwise have slow or intermitent internet connectivity then you will also have problems with vonage, or any other voip product. A few friends have it.. their number one complaint is problems using the internet and the phone at the same time.. their internet connection becomes slow, and the phone conversation becomes choppy. But then, many people are becoming accepting of choppy connections from their experiences with cell phones. Also consider, when the power goes out.. usually you still have phone service (unless you only have cordless phones in your house) with vonage or other voip, you will not have phone service when the power goes out... which shouldn't be too much of a problem if you have a cell phone.

Another neat feature.. not sure if vonage offers it or if it was another provider..say you have a kid in college across the country, for an extra $3-4/month you can set up another phone number with that areacode and have it at your house, so the kid will never have to make a long distance phone call to call home. Cheaper than LD service on campus, and cheaper than LD/using minutes on cell phones.

There was an article today about Vonage filing with the FCC because an isp blocked their customers from using the vonage service. (the isp's name was withheld) Remember, they are competing with the likes of ATT, Verizon and SBC.

Here's the aricle : http://advancedippipeline.com/60400413

I'm not trying to discourage you from giving Vonage a try.. just trying to give you info about the issues surrounding it, that stem from how it works.

Edited- I wanted to give these links about how it works:
http://pcworld.about.com/news/Apr012004id115156.htm?terms=vonage
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ip-telephony.htm

--heather

 

[curlyjbs]

We have had vonage since October. LOVE IT! No problems! Great reception. Friends don't notice a difference when they call. We took the $24.99 package for unlimited calls in the US and Canada. I have so many INCLUDED features (extra $$ through verizon) that I don't even use them all. My phone bill used to be over $100 so it is way worth it!!!

I can email you a referral for 1 month free if you'd like.

~curly

 

[NancyIL]

We've had Packet 8 since November. I HATE it - and just switched back to our old local carrier, SBC. It dropped calls, and at times the phone didn't ring and we didn't know we had no service. The last straw was when I was in the middle of a long-distance call last week, and I was cut off. Then there was no dial tone...then I got a dial tone, but didn't know it still wasn't working until daughter called me on my cell phone!!!! I don't know about other companies, but I didn't like that the caller I.D. was number only - no name and number. I don't care how much money VOIP supposedly saved us...I hated it!

 

[Hygiene99]

Thanks for the help so far.

NancyIL..

Caller id with this plan comes with name and number.. have you considered just changing Viop provider?

like I said we get alot of call via the cell

and only people like Mom, call land line..so it might be an option for us.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We used only cell phones for years.
Not long ago I called the local phone company, Sprint, and have the most basic service possible. (only local calls) I think I pay something like $13 a month.
We still rarely use the land line, except for security reasons. (We also have DSL through Sprint and really like it.)

 

[Humphrey Bear]

We have had Sunrocket for about a week now. We got one year of service including no long term contract, free long distance and 10 calling features for $199. Plus there was no activation fee, no shipping charges, and 31 days free to try it out. We also had a code for a free 2 phone Uniden cordless phone set.

So far we have been very pleased with the service and are will be saying goodbye to SBC soon!


http://www.sunrocket.com/

 

[seashoreCM]

I would be leery of trying a service that requires a long minimum subscription. If you have problems, or just pet peeves, about the service you want to be able to cancel anc switch back to your old carrier.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

<small>Mahatma Gandhi, as some of us know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of callouses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis. (Max L. on Hometheaterforum.com)</small>

 

[taximomfor4]

I have Vonage, and except for an occasional echo (I hear it but the person at other end does not, and this is only whenever my one friend calls me -- she apparently has old phone lines) I have no troubles at all. I do have a cell phone so in case of emergency during power outage I can still call 911. Through this service, we have name + number caller ID plus Voice Mail. I have heard that sometimes one cannot get their email notification of voice mail messages, but this has never happened to me -- I get the emails. I got the unlimited plan. My total (with FCC,taxes, etc) is about $27/month. HTH some!

 

[sap1227]

We have it and love it as well.
Good luck deciding!

Christy

 

[cinda65]

I have Vonage and have been begging my husband for months to switch back. He finally listened and we will be going back to our local carrier.

Not only could we not use the internet and the phone at the same time, I stopped calling friends and family because I dreaded dealing with the choppy sound and static.

Can't wait to go back!!

 

[Hygiene99]

thanks guys looks to be about 50 / 50 Jenn will kill me.
if the service is bad lol

Peter