A Notice When the Vonage Terms of Service have been updated

Posts: 409 · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:36 pm Post subject:

Gotcha EzCo.

When terms of service change on my cell phone they insert a note with my bill. Just the changed part. So I am an informed Customer.

I am concerned with the frequency of changes to the TOS on Vonages website. I feel it to be a inconvenience to read over 15 pages to find the change.

I'm sure other companies do this also where there is no paper bill via snail mail.

It concerns me. And I would like to see some changes.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:43 pm Post subject:

For the technically minded these are the literal changes in the document. I am preparing a more legible version now.

Summary:
Added V-Phone.
Added Office Anywhere Plan.
Clarified use outside supported countries (added UK).
Deleted some blank lines.
Modified copyright date.

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< These Terms of Service constitute the agreement ("Agreement") between Vonage America Inc. ("we," "us" or "Vonage") and the user ("you," "user" or "Customer") of Vonage's residential and small business communications services and any related products or services ("Service"). This Agreement governs both the Service and any devices, such as an IP phone, Multimedia Terminal Adapter, Analog Telephone Adapter or any other IP connection device ("Device" or "Equipment"), used in conjunction with the Service and it applies to all lines on each Vonage account. If you purchased Equipment from a retail store, dealer or other provider other than Vonage, you are a "Retail Customer" for purposes of this Agreement.
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> These Terms of Service constitute the agreement ("Agreement") between Vonage America Inc. ("we," "us" or "Vonage") and the user ("you," "user" or "Customer") of Vonage's residential and small business communications services and any related products or services ("Service"). This Agreement governs both the Service and any devices, such as an IP phone, Vonage V-Phone™, Multimedia Terminal Adapter, Analog Telephone Adapter or any other IP connection device ("Device" or "Equipment"), used in conjunction with the Service and it applies to all lines on each Vonage account. If you purchased Equipment from a retail store, dealer or other provider other than Vonage, you are a "Retail Customer" for purposes of this Agreement.
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< Most of our customers (other than WiFi and Softphone customers) have access to either basic 911 or Enhanced 911 (E911) service. With E911 service, when you dial 911, your telephone number and registered address is simultaneously sent to the local emergency center assigned to your location, and emergency operators have access to the information they need to send help and call you back if necessary. Customers in locations where the emergency center is not equipped to receive your telephone number and address have basic 911. With basic 911, the local emergency operator answering the call will not have your call back number or your exact location, so you must be prepared to give them this information. Until you give the operator your phone number, he/she may not be able to call you back or dispatch help if the call is not completed or is not forwarded, is dropped or disconnected, or if you are unable to speak. As additional local emergency centers become capable of receiving our customers' information, Vonage will automatically upgrade customers with basic 911 to E911 service. Vonage will not give you notice of the upgrade.
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> Most of our customers (other than WiFi, Vonage V-Phone and Softphone customers) have access to either basic 911 or Enhanced 911 (E911) service. With E911 service, when you dial 911, your telephone number and registered address is simultaneously sent to the local emergency center assigned to your location, and emergency operators have access to the information they need to send help and call you back if necessary. Customers in locations where the emergency center is not equipped to receive your telephone number and address have basic 911. With basic 911, the local emergency operator answering the call will not have your call back number or your exact location, so you must be prepared to give them this information. Until you give the operator your phone number, he/she may not be able to call you back or dispatch help if the call is not completed or is not forwarded, is dropped or disconnected, or if you are unable to speak. As additional local emergency centers become capable of receiving our customers' information, Vonage will automatically upgrade customers with basic 911 to E911 service. Vonage will not give you notice of the upgrade.
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< Certain customers do not have access to either basic 911 or E911. If you don't have access to basic 911 or E911 your 911 call will be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center. A trained agent at the emergency call center will ask for the name, telephone number and location of the customer calling 911, and then contact the local emergency center for such customer in order to send help. Examples of situations where 911 calls will be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center include when there is a problem validating a customer's address, the customer is identified with an international location, or the customer is located in an area that is not covered by the landline 911 network. In addition, if you use a WiFi or SoftPhone, due to the portable nature of these Devices, your 911 calls will be routed to the Vonage national emergency call center. Emergency personnel do not receive your phone number or physical location when your 911 call is routed to the Vonage national emergency call center.
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> Certain customers do not have access to either basic 911 or E911. If you don't have access to basic 911 or E911 your 911 call will be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center. A trained agent at the emergency call center will ask for the name, telephone number and location of the customer calling 911, and then contact the local emergency center for such customer in order to send help. Examples of situations where 911 calls will be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center include when there is a problem validating a customer's address, the customer is identified with an international location, or the customer is located in an area that is not covered by the landline 911 network. In addition, if you use a WiFi, Vonage V-Phone or SoftPhone, due to the portable nature of these Devices, your 911 calls will be routed to the Vonage national emergency call center. Emergency personnel do not receive your phone number or physical location when your 911 call is routed to the Vonage national emergency call center.
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< 1.3 Registration of Physical Location Required. For each phone number that you use for the Service, you must register with Vonage the physical location where you will be using the Service with that phone number. When you move the Device to another location, you must register your new location. If you do not register your new location, any call you make using the 911 Dialing feature may be sent to an emergency center near your old address. You will register your initial location of use when you subscribe to the Service. Thereafter, you may register a new location by following the instructions from the "911" registration link on your Vonage web account dashboard features page. For purposes of the 911 Dialing feature, you may only register one location at a time for each phone line you use with the Service. Regardless of what address you register for a WiFi or SoftPhone, emergency calls you make from these devices will be routed to the Vonage national emergency response center.
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> 1.3 Registration of Physical Location Required. For each phone number that you use for the Service, you must register with Vonage the physical location where you will be using the Service with that phone number. When you move the Device to another location, you must register your new location. If you do not register your new location, any call you make using the 911 Dialing feature may be sent to an emergency center near your old address. You will register your initial location of use when you subscribe to the Service. Thereafter, you may register a new location by following the instructions from the "911" registration link on your Vonage web account dashboard features page. For purposes of the 911 Dialing feature, you may only register one location at a time for each phone line you use with the Service. Regardless of what address you register for a WiFi, Vonage V-Phone or SoftPhone, emergency calls you make from these devices will be routed to the Vonage national emergency response center.
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< 2.3 Small Business Use of Service and Device. If you subscribe to Vonage's Small Business services, the Service and Device are provided to you as a small business user. You shall not resell or transfer the Service or the Device to another party without our prior written consent. You are prohibited from using the Service or the Device for auto-dialing, continuous or extensive call forwarding, telemarketing (including, without limitation, charitable or political solicitation or polling), fax or voicemail broadcasting or fax or voicemail blasting. We reserve the right to immediately disconnect or modify your Service if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have at any time used the Service or the Device for any of the aforementioned or similar activities.
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> 2.3 Small Business and Vonage Office Anywhere™ Use of Service and Device. If you subscribe to Vonage's Small Business services or Vonage's Office Anywhere Plan, the Service and Device are provided to you as a small business user or business traveler. You shall not resell or transfer the Service or the Device to another party without our prior written consent. You are prohibited from using the Service or the Device for auto-dialing, continuous or extensive call forwarding, telemarketing (including, without limitation, charitable or political solicitation or polling), fax or voicemail broadcasting or fax or voicemail blasting. We reserve the right to immediately disconnect or modify your Service if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that your use of the Service or the Device is, or at any time was, inconsistent with normal small business or business travel usage patterns, or that you have at any time used the Service or the Device for any of the aforementioned or similar activities.
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> 2.6 Use of Service and Device by Customers Outside the United States. Although we encourage you to use of the Service to place calls to foreign countries from within the United States and to use the Vonage Service as you travel, we do not presently offer or support the Service in any countries other than the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Vonage Service is designed to work generally with unencumbered high-speed internet connections. However, if the high-speed internet connection you are using is outside the United States, Canada or the UK, and/or your ISP places restrictions on the usage of Voip services, Vonage does not represent or warrant that use of the Vonage Service by you is permitted by any other jurisdictions or by any or all the ISPs. You will be solely responsible for any violations of local laws and regulations or violations of ISP terms of service resulting from such use. We reserve the right to disconnect your Service immediately if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have used the Service or the Device in violation of laws of jurisdictions outside the U.S., Canada and the UK.
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< 2.6 Use of Service and Device by Customers Outside the United States. Although we encourage you to use of the Service to place calls to foreign countries from within the United States, we do not presently offer or support the Service in any countries other than the United States and Canada. If you use the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada, you will be solely responsible for any violations of local laws and regulations resulting from such use. We reserve the right to disconnect your Service immediately if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have used the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada.
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< (a) Residential and Small Business Customers. We offer a thirty (30) day money back guarantee from the date of activation of your Service (different periods apply for Retail Customers depending on the applicable offer details contained in the advertising or online content of the retail store or dealer that sold the Retail Customer the Equipment). The money back guarantee applies only to the first-ordered line per account, not to additional or secondary lines. We will refund the activation fee, the monthly charge for the first month of Service, shipping charges and the disconnection fee provided that:
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> (a) Residential, Vonage Office Anywhere and Small Business Customers. We offer a thirty (30) day money back guarantee from the date of activation of your Service (different periods apply for Retail Customers depending on the applicable offer details contained in the advertising or online content of the retail store or dealer that sold the Retail Customer the Equipment). The money back guarantee applies only to the first-ordered line per account, not to additional or secondary lines. We will refund the activation fee, the monthly charge for the first month of Service, shipping charges and the disconnection fee provided that:
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< Last Updated: May 26, 2006. Copyright 2001 - 2006 Vonage Marketing Inc. used under license. Vonage is a registered service mark owned by and used under license from Vonage Marketing Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp.
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> Last Updated: June 29, 2006. Copyright 2001 - 2006 Vonage Marketing Inc. used under license. Vonage is a registered service mark owned by and used under license from Vonage Marketing Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject:

Side by Side comparison at

http://www.otabi.com/VonageTOS.html

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:03 pm Post subject:

What would be nice is if companies used a Wiki to maintain their terms of service. Then you could see the changes and when they were applied.

However, as this little exercise showed, most of these terms of service are innocuous. Adding V-Phone everywhere that Vonage devices are listed for example.

Posts: 409 · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:24 am Post subject:

scerruti wrote:

What would be nice is if companies used a Wiki to maintain their terms of service. Then you could see the changes and when they were applied.

However, as this little exercise showed, most of these terms of service are innocuous. Adding V-Phone everywhere that Vonage devices are listed for example.

Still stand my ground on thinking the notification of updates to TOS is not fair to a customer. If Vonage could send out an email notification when changes occur that effect .
1. Return policy
2. 911 issues

I know your little exercise showed that this update was not of much importance, that still does not cover the issue of a customer being informed in a fair way. Most customers don't know about programs that can sift through pages to find changes.

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2006 Posts: 23

yeah, mind if we ask what was the change?