I need you to tell me the good things about Vonage.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 11, 2006 Posts: 1

Now, this might look like a strange topic, but let me explain. This is for my friend who has dial-up internet and thus, is unable to view and post in these forums for some reason. He wants to get highspeed internet, but his grandad won't unless they get Vonage. And his grandad is the type of person that needs to hear from like 20 people that something is good before using it. His exact words "We're notting getting fast interent unless we can get Vonage. I wanna know if anyone else has it and how good it is", or something like that.

Unfortunately, there are not many Vonage around, so he has to resort to getting information and satifactory comments from people over the Internet, which is where you come in. Please, help my friend.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject:

Been a customer for a little over a year, and here's my take:

The Good:

- The phone line has been about as reliable as I have come to expect from landlines, assuming of course my Internet connection is working properly. There's been a very small amount of downtime and/or issues, but nothing major. Voice quality is excellent, provided your Internet connection is up to the task.
- Tons of nice features and extras.
- Unlimited long distance, including some international calling, at a low price.
- Portability (traveling? Take it with you).

The So-So:
- Their provided routers are limited. They are unable to prioritize voice over your regular internet traffic, so you may have reports of choppy/broken audio on the other end if you use the Internet while on the line. A good router can fix that, but you have to pay for that. I call this "so-so" because it may not affect you. My bother uses the WRTP54G and is quite happy with it, but I hated it. I also use my Internet connection for a lot more than he does.
- 911 is hit and miss. Here in the hinterlands of Maine, I get my call forwarded to a national center who then in turn calls my local 911 center - E911 isn't available around here. Not Vonage's fault exclusively, just part of the deal with all non-landline carriers.

The Ugly:
- Their customer service, in terms of both reaching a rep and actually getting help when you do.

Posts: 497 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Apr 29, 2005 Posts: 497

NateHoy wrote:

Been a customer for a little over a year, and here's my take:

The Good:

- The phone line has been about as reliable as I have come to expect from landlines, assuming of course my Internet connection is working properly. There's been a very small amount of downtime and/or issues, but nothing major. Voice quality is excellent, provided your Internet connection is up to the task.
- Tons of nice features and extras.
- Unlimited long distance, including some international calling, at a low price.
- Portability (traveling? Take it with you).

The So-So:
- Their provided routers are limited. They are unable to prioritize voice over your regular internet traffic, so you may have reports of choppy/broken audio on the other end if you use the Internet while on the line. A good router can fix that, but you have to pay for that. I call this "so-so" because it may not affect you. My bother uses the WRTP54G and is quite happy with it, but I d it. I also use my Internet connection for a lot more than he does.
- 911 is hit and miss. Here in the hinterlands of Maine, I get my call forwarded to a national center who then in turn calls my local 911 center - E911 isn't available around here. Not Vonage's fault exclusively, just part of the deal with all non-landline carriers.

The Ugly:
- Their customer service, in terms of both reaching a rep and actually getting help when you do.

I would agree with NateHoy. I don't have anything worthwhile to add, but if you need 20 people maybe I'll count as one of them. 2/20

Posts: 282 · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:02 pm Post subject:

If I were asked by your friend and Granddad, who are using dialup and think the reason to get broadband is to have Vonage, if that is a good idea, I would say no. Voip is not consistant enough today for it to be a seamless transition from POTS. Vonage Customer Service is perhaps the worst in the Voip business, so when they have problems, they will have even more problems getting them resolved.

I am all for Voip, and I couldn't imagine not having a broadband ISP, but I don't recommend this to folks who are not into tech. There are just too many variables. What I would recommend is getting broadband tomorrow, and start living in the 21st century, and after having experience and getting comfortable with broadband and a home LAN, to add Voip. Vonage can work very well, but you need a good broadband ISP (as you will for any Voip service). You won't know if Vonage or alternatives will work until you know how well your ISP works.

Posts: 881 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Nov 05, 2005 Posts: 881

Not to say that I disagree with anything that "NateHoy" and "Arcking" stated, but I strongly agree with "ChrisFix". There are just to many variables with Voip for someone who is not tech savy...especially if there still using dial-up.

If your high-speed internet providers service is A1, then most likely your Voip service with Vonage should have a very high success rate. Keep in mind that when your internet service goes down, your phone service will also be interrupted...but that can be circumvented with the "network availability number" which basically means that, when someone dials your Vonage line it will automatically ring an alternate number that you provide so you don't miss any calls. I would strongly suggest to you that you have your friend talk to some of his neighbors that have high speed internet and ask them what their service is like. Then he would have some idea as to what to expect from the high speed internet provider. If all is good, then definitely move from dial-up to dsl or cable internet service. See how the service is for a month or so and then try Vonage.

My personal experience with Vonage has been excellent! The call quality cannot be discerned from a traditional land line and the features and cost savings (over $20.00 a month) are far superior to my old landline provider.

Posts: 497 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Apr 29, 2005 Posts: 497

Darrell_G and ChrisFix do have a really good point. I used Vonage as a selling point on getting broadband for myself, but I knew most of what I was doing (err...maybe not, look at my first few posts...).

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 15, 2006 Posts: 18

Dont get Vonage. Minus 1 vote.

Unless you REEEEEAAALLLLLYYYYY want to f*ck with your telephone service constantly, stick with land line.

Mine has worked off and on for a year and now Im switching back to Comcast. Dont be fooled by the pretty girls in the ads, the service has absolutely NO customer service - all they will do is link you through to "Bob" in Bangalore, who will have you reboot your computer a few times. When that doesnt work, you will be "transferred" to advanced customer service. Im convinced "advanced customer service" does not exist, as Ive stayed on hold for over 30 minutes on more than a few occasions with no answer.

DONT GET Vonage. This service is a fucking joke. As much as I hate Comast, Vonage just doesnt work well enough for the average person.

Paul
Atlanta, GA

Posts: 103 · Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:58 am Post subject: Good Things

You said that your friend has dial up?

The first move is to have your friend get cable. Because of where I live, I am forced to use Comcast. When Comcast works, this are wonderful. When Comcast is having problems, it takes multiple calls to find a customer service person who understands English properly, and those are customer service people in American call centers.

I use Vonage for my business. The Vonage adapter, PAP2, is in my home, and I have it set up to Simulring to my cell phone. I also have a fax line set up. I have been very happy with Vonage service. The thing you have to remember is things are layered. A problem with your ISP will cause a problem with your phone service. I also have my cell phone number as the forwarding number for when Internet is down, so I never miss calls to my Vonage number.

I am generally happy with Vonage via my PAP2. I do wish their pricing on the V-Phone and WiFi phone as a package with my business plan was better, though.

Posts: 249 · Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 10:32 am Post subject: Recommend Vonage?

I would not recommend Vonage to anyone that did not have basic computer knowledge. Then I would have to qualify the recommendation with "It depends how good your high speed connection is".

Personally, I have been using it for a year and a half with no problems at all. Well, an occasionally glitch that works itself out. My cable company is first rate with fiber optics right up to the house drop. That's most of the show as I see it. I simply plugged my Vonage adapter in a year and a half ago. It worked so I never messed with it. After a year I ported my landline over to Vonage. That's one other thing you need to check. Go to the Vonage web site and see if their local area code and phone area are available. Not just the area code but also the local exchange.
Best

Posts: 69 · Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 2:39 pm Post subject:

I am going to agree with everything others have said. I have had Vonage for two monts and I think it is excellent. I have had a good experience with customer care, porting my phone number over, and qualty of service. Comcast has not gone down for me, so I have yet to lose my Vonage service. *knock on wood* Smile

If you still got dial-up, try Broadband for awhile to see if the Broadband part of things works out. In the two years I have had Comcast, it had only gone down for one evening.

Jake