Contingecy plans - what if vonage goes down bad?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 11, 2005 Posts: 3

What happens to us? Personally I don't use Vonage for the price, though that certainly doesn't hurt. I use Vonage because of the features! I have 6 different lines with vonage for my business and my home. I'm so reliant on the feature they offer that I don't know what I'd do without them!

Does anyone know of a traditional carrier or a way to make a traditional carrier perform the same functions as Vonage?

What are your plans if Vonage goes down? I mean permanently (or close enough) down?

I've been using vonage for something like 2 years now with only minor issues and almost NO problems in the last few months. I'm thinking it might be time for me to jump ship for the sake of my business, even though it would cause me a HUGE headache.

Any advice or input?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 11, 2005 Posts: 3

The problem is that one of my main concerns is the reliablity of my phone service. If something goes wrong with my phones, then my business comes to a screeching halt.

I have no doubt that Vonage will be around, but what happens when next week some judge tells vonage to halt all service. What do I do then? Maybe this is the time for me to go with something more predictable?

What do you think?

Posts: 27 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Mar 25, 2007 Posts: 27

I can only tell you what I would do. If I were in youre shoes I would stay put as long as I am happy with the service I am now getting.

I can not see any judge shutting Vonage down. This would leave over 2 million people without phone service and without 911 service. No court will do this.

If it come to that there will be an advance notice of a time and date that Vonage service will stop.

In the mean time check out IDT and other VOIP providers so you know what is out there in case you need to know you will have your research done.

Posts: 172 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Apr 19, 2006 Posts: 172

Vonage will NOT shut-down. jojojeep is correct. A company with more than 2 million customers will not just shutdown so easily. There are lots of factors for that to happen. Verizon is not the company who could cater customers of broadband connection. Verizon is however losing customers to Vonage that's a fact or else they would have ignored Vonage existence.

If nothing is wrong with your service don't do anything hasty. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Smile

Posts: 26 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Aug 11, 2005 Posts: 26

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8OB69KO0.htm

This is getting beyond ugly. Vonage is now prohibited from signing up new customers........ They will obviously appeal, but this is really going to hurt them badly. I doubt this will effect service for existing customers short term, but I can't imagine what Vonage's stock price is going to open at on Monday........

Posts: 85 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jan 30, 2005 Posts: 85

I know this does no good, but I just e-mailed verizon telling them I vowed to never use their cell phone or internet service.
Can we get a letter to the judge going??? This company must be stopped.

Posts: 30 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Dec 18, 2006 Posts: 30

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A judge issued an injunction Friday that would bar Internet phone carrier Vonage from signing up new customers as punishment for infringing on patents held by Verizon Communications Inc.

Vonage Holdings Corp. planned an immediate appeal.

The company's lawyers argued that the compromise injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge Claude Hilton would be almost as devastating as ordering Vonage to cut off service to its 2.2 million existing customers.

"It's the difference of cutting off oxygen as opposed to the bullet in the head," Vonage lawyer Roger Warin said.

The judge had initially planned to issue a full injunction that would have barred Vonage from using the patented technology to serve its existing customers.

Verizon's lawyers proposed the compromise injunction earlier this week as a way to avoid shutting down Vonage's entire network.

Last month, a jury in Alexandria, Va., found that Vonage infringed on three patents held by Verizon. The jury awarded Verizon $58 million plus future royalties of 5.5 percent on revenue obtained through continued use of the infringed patents.

On March 23, Hilton went even further, issuing a permanent injunction barring Vonage from further use of the patented technology. But he delayed putting it into effect until Friday's hearing, at which he replaced it with the compromise suggested by Verizon.

Hilton said he would wait until Thursday to impose the new injunction, giving Vonage time to appeal.

The judge has said that awarding royalties to Verizon was insufficient, given a competitive climate in which Vonage continues to gain subscribers at Verizon's expense.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Verizon said that if a full injunction were to be implemented, it "would cause virtually all of (Vonage's) customers to leave for another provider."

Vonage officials have said that Verizon overstates the patents' importance and that they have a strong likelihood of getting the verdict overturned.

Rebecca Arbogast, an industry analyst with Stifel Nicolaus, said Verizon's compromise would be nearly as effective as a full injunction while being more likely to hold up on appeal.

"I think Verizon's legal strategy has been very aggressive and very effective," she said. "Vonage doesn't have very many attractive options except to hope for an emergency stay."

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Posts: 120 · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject: Chapter 11

I used to work for an American owned cable company here in the UK, they were called ntl:. They had approx 2 million customers just like Vonage......when they ran into financial difficulty they were put into an administrative state called 'Chapter 11', this means that a company which is operationally strong but has a poor balance sheet/credit can continue to run.......but under certain rules that are set out by the finance admin company that run it (in ntl: case that was Sarbanes Oxley) who had a permanent base within the ntl: head office in Hook, Hampshire.
I am not entirely sure, but I think a lot of purchasing or gaining of new customers is put on hold until they can sort the financial problems out.
In ntl: case they gained help from the shareholders who agreed to take a drop on their shares to help the company out (I think thats how it worked but don't quote me on this).......hence they came out at the other end with £10billion ($15billion approx) less debt and have now merged with another UK cable company to become 'Virgin Media'.
So maybe it will be a happy ending with Vonage too.......Although I don't have any Vonage shares, I would be willing to help them out as I've had such good service from them.
'A Happy UK customer'

Posts: 172 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Apr 19, 2006 Posts: 172

just read the article although it's based on the interview with the lawyers of both Co.

check this out:

"Verizon Communications Inc.'s lawyers had suggested the compromise injunction as a way to avoid shutting down Vonage Holdings Corp.'s entire network."

I sense they just want a compromise so they would benefit with Vonage existence. Hope not force all Vonage customer to use their broadband con.

Posts: 85 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jan 30, 2005 Posts: 85

If this moron judge upholds the 5% roayalty charge...I would gladly pay that much of a jump in my bill to stay away from Satan. (Verizon)

Actually, a great way to screw Verizon if that happens would be to lower the service charge to 10 cents and charge the other 24.85 for some other kind of "service"
Screw Verizon
Screw Verizon. I Hate them.