DJGold

jbrown157

< Split from another topic >

We have signed up with Vonage (The Whoo Hoo people!) for our phones and have been very pleased with the results so far. It's only $50 a month for the business line including all long distance calls and a free fax line. All the usual bells & whistles (caller ID, voicemail etc.) are also included. You get online access that shows all your incoming and outgoing calls and you can even retrieve messages remotely from the internet. We connect through comcast high speed using the VOIP router they provided. The phones work exactly like any other phone line... only cheaper! So far, we're delighted! If you have a fast internet connection, this might be a good way to go. :idea:

CJ Greiner · Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Vonage VOIP phone service

jbrown157 wrote: We have signed up with Vonage (The Whoo Hoo people!) for our phones and have been very pleased with the results so far. It's only $50 a month for the business line including all long distance calls and a free fax line. All the usual bells & whistles (caller ID, voicemail etc.) are also included. You get online access that shows all your incoming and outgoing calls and you can even retrieve messages remotely from the internet. We connect through comcast high speed using the VOIP router they provided. The phones work exactly like any other phone line... only cheaper! So far, we're delighted! If you have a fast internet connection, this might be a good way to go. :idea:

That sounds good -- what about 1-800 numbers?
What about advertising in the phone book?
How does that work?

Thanks.

jbrown157 · Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: Vonage VOIP phone service

[quote="CJ Greiner"] jbrown157 wrote:
Well... since Bill's phones are back in service... who cares if we're off the subject? :lol:

That sounds good -- what about 1-800 numbers?
What about advertising in the phone book?
How does that work?

Thanks.

I already had my 800 (actually 866) number through a third party provider. I just had them continue to"point" it to the vonage number (we were able to keep our same local number even though we moved to a different exchange). Vonage does offer toll-free numbers too but I just kept what I had.

About the phone book... I'm not really sure how that works, but since we were already in it, they (the phone book publishers) called to try to get us to upgrade our free listing. I fully expect that our listing will continue.

CJ Greiner · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:07 pm Post subject:

I just checked out their website, and saw that they have a great deal on the 800 numbers.

:arrow: Vonage Services (Click Here)

I also really really like their SimulRing service for forwarding. It can ring the office number and up to 5 other numbers simultaneosly until one of the lines is picked up. That's perfect for me! I can have it ring in the office and also have it ring at my cellphone. Whichever I pick up is the one that gets the call.

bobsimo

I've had it for over a year, home and office with an 800 number and the Simuli-Ring. It rocks. Took my $175 a month phone bill (combined) and dropped it to $51.

In West Michigan, I just signed up for a SBC Yellow Page ad. You don't need their services anymore, so I just listed my website and 800 number.

winsorpd · Joined: February 21st, 2005 Posts: 110 Location: Gorham, ME

I'm a Vonage customer. If you would like a free month of service, let me invite you to become a customer.

Dave

ps. just pm me

Jim Weisz · Joined: May 23rd, 2005 Posts: 65 Location: Dallas, TX

We have two Vonage lines...one for home and one for business. I have a few dropped calls from time-to-time on my home line but business has been fine. The best features are the online caller ID, voicemail and ability to have voicemails e-mailed to you as attachments. I get the e-mail on my cell phone and then listen to the voicemail from my e-mail on my phone.

CJ Greiner · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 8:31 pm Post subject:

That IS cool.

Right now I pay $50 + $20 in taxes and fees for ONE line.

It looks like I can pay $50 for TWO lines with Vonage (Voice & Fax), and I don't have to get another physical line installed.

I checked with the cable company (Charter) and their package doesn't even come close to the services or prices offered by Vonage.

TheBartman47

Has anyone compared Vonage with Lingo? I've not checked into it myself yet, but someone recomended to me Lingo over Vonage.

CJ Greiner

TheBartman47 wrote: Has anyone compared Vonage with Lingo? I've not checked into it myself yet, but someone recommended to me Lingo over Vonage.

That's a good point -- I'd never heard of Lingo before -- Vonage is sold by Sam's Club around here.

It looks like Lingo offers a somewhat comparable plan.

Lingo has a fixed $69 rate for international calling for 13 countries.
Vonage tracks countries and minutes and has a different rate for each, but includes 807 Countries and country sub-areas of countries.

For domestic, Canada, Puerto Rico, etc. they both include everything in their standard packages.

Lingo only offers the $49 package for business -- the same all-inclusive package as Vonage.
Vonage also offers a $39 500-minute package for businesses that don't use as many minutes per month.

Anybody seen Lingo in the stores or tried their services?

____________________

Vonage does have a nice utility that checks your download and UPLOAD speed here:
http://www.vonage.com/help.php?article=497&category=73&nav=6

DJ Iron Mike · Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 6:33 am Post subject:

I was considering signing up for Vonage but here is a little problem. Vonage does not yet have the capability to assign any number in the 540 area code. They are not able to transfer my numbers over to a number they can assign. What makes no sense to me is that an extremely large portion of Virginia has the 540 area code, places like Bristol, Roanoke, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Winchester, Warrenton, Fredericksburg but yet phone companies are constantly adding new area codes like 571 and 434 and I even remember when they added 540 because everyone in the northern half of Virginia used to be 703 at one point. Norfolk, Richmond used to be 804 but now they are 757. (Richmond is still 804)
Vonage is really cutting themselves out of the market by their not being able to assign a single 540 area code to anyone. If I were to have them I'd have to have a 703 area code and couldn't call my mother across town locally, let alone a prospective client. Every phone call would be long distance for me.
I'd love to have Vonage, the rates are way better than the present telephone rip-off arrangement I have already where I pay more for service charges than I do for the actual services through Talk America.
I'm so not satisfied with any local service right now, but I'm almost considering going back to Verizon even though I can't stand them! Unfortunately, a necessary evil.
After the first of the year, I'm buying a "trac phone" for my personal uses because it's no credit check, no contract, and pay as you go. You can refil you airtime minutes at any convenience store. It's the "bondage" I hate. I don't like being a slave to these contracts and committments. As for phone book directories, they have messed up my listing so badly they should pay me to advertise in there!
Did Vonage ever get their 911 service problem resolved? There was supposed to be a law that was being enacted to better and improve the 911 services provided by these companies. With the inabilty to assign a 540 area code, the 911 call goes where? Fairfax? Richmond? takes how much longer to go right through to Fredericksburg? I'm thinking of waiting a little longer before I hop on this bandwagon. I like what I see with it, but it needs to develop a little more before I finally dispose of the traditional landline services.

All in all it's Christmas Day! I'm not a cranky old coot. Telephones are just a touchy topic for me. SO! With that in Mind I hope that you and yours are having the merriest!

CJ Greiner · Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 6:48 am Post subject:

Vonage now has E911 -- It relies on you to accurately enter your current address, and that's what's reported to the 911 center.

Vonage does have a sign-up where you can enter your email address and they'll let you know as soon as they've picked up a 540 number.

I checked Lingo, and they said they don't have anything in Virginia! :roll:

DJ Iron Mike · Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 6:54 am Post subject:

Yak doesn't either

davidjones@a2zmobilemusic

earthlink has -true voice- and it can also be bundled.

DJ Iron Mike · Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

UPDATE: I did sign up for Vonage, they finally got their situations corrected and I have the small business package which inclued a free fax line. They do 800 numbers, but no vanity numbers at this time.
I like it because I can download my voicemails tot he computer, I can have a real-time look at who has called and who I have called. I have not been dissappointed with their service. It was just a little rough navigating between the Adelphia and Comcast merger, Comcast offers the same services as Vonage does, though Adelphia did not. I'm staying with the Vonage for now. Sorry Verizon, do a better job and I'll reconsider but Vonage has Verizon beat for the buck right now.

Doug Fairbanks · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:18 pm Post subject:

Other than the "lower cost" I don't understand why you'd want to have a phone that sounds like your speaking from a tunnel. I have never heard a VoIP that sounds as good as POTS. :shock:

CJ Greiner · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:29 pm Post subject:

Doug Fairbanks wrote: Other than the "lower cost" I don't understand why you'd want to have a phone that sounds like your speaking from a tunnel. I have never heard a VoIP that sounds as good as POTS. :shock:

I was worried about that when I started with Vonage... but I was surprised to find that the quality it top-notch. You can't tell the difference between land-line and VoIP.

The limiting factors are, of course, the quality of your telephone, and the quality of the line at the other end.
Everything else is digital via your high-speed modem.

I can call next door, or across the country, and it sounds exactly the same. (i.e. like they're next door!)

Vonage also gives you the ability to adjust the quality UP if you experience any signal loss at their normal level. (I haven't yet.)

DJ Iron Mike · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject:

I haven't had the need to do that yet either and let me tell you the Adlelphia/Comcast merger had me worried about it. Adelphia was 3rd rate and I learned not to put my expectations with them too high. Now that it's Comcast, I've not had a problem and I find that Comcast does a much nicer job, has a more stable network to handle it than Adelphia ever did. Comcast also offers VoIP too but changing phone numbers is a real pain in the behind and creates it own set of problems. These problems like some websites with my former number might not get updated, but for the service I'm getting the Vonage is doing a real good job. The problems are so mute that I can deal with it. The quality is just tremendous. When you sign up and tell them that a freind who has it sent you, you then qualify them to receive some free services.
YAK VoIP , I've not heard of anyone ever using it.