Why do we pay more for vonage with less features?

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

Very nice houses in Oakville, went camping down that way a couple of years ago at the provincial park. I see why the houses are expensive, too close to Toronto. I am in Trenton, small military town.

Posts: 52 · Full Forum Member Joined: Feb 22, 2007 Posts: 52

Actually, I left Oakville six years ago to live in Brazil. I now own a condo in Cobourg, not too far from Trenton, that I and my wife use when we visit Canada. Easy access to Toronto without the high prices.

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

How is the quality of Vonage in Brazil? Do you use your Canadian number?

Posts: 52 · Full Forum Member Joined: Feb 22, 2007 Posts: 52

I do use my Canadian Vonage number in Brazil. The quality is very good--unless my Internet provider is having problems, which happens from time to time. But when the Internet is working fine and there is no problem with the pipeline to North America, Vonage is excellent.

I am on a 1 meg DSL connection, which is the fastest I can get in my part of Brazil. I started using Vonage when I had much slower 256 kb/s download and 128 upload and it worked then as well, although with that limited bandwidth the voice quality sometimes suffered. Then I moved to 768/256 as that speed became available and it worked much better. And the current 1024/320 it is good and generally reliable.

Strangely, I had more Vonage problems with my recently installed Cogeco Cable Internet service in Cobourg Ontario (10 megs) with Vonage than I have had recently in Brazil because that connection was having packet loss problems. I think those were resolved before I left to return to Brazil, but I'll only know when I return to Cobourg.

Vonage and other VOIP services have saved me thousands of dollars because calling North America on a regular phone service from Brazil is absurdly expensive. And my business associates and friends can call me just by picking up the phone and dialing a Toronto number. I also numbers in a smaller Canadian city and in the UK so my family can call. So not only has Vonage saved money, it has made life in Brazil seem far less distant from Canada than before I had Vonage.

Needless to say, far more people call me now that I haver Canadian numbers than called when they had to shell out money to phone Brazil.

I'd say VOIP in general is far more valuable--both financially and emotionally-- to those who live in another country and want inexpensive communication with their homeland than it is to those who live in North America.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2007 Posts: 4

it is still crap that there is such a big difference between what we pay in Canada and what they pay in the US given the almost parity between the 2 currencies.

Posts: 43 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 11, 2006 Posts: 43

How much does Virtual number cost for the USA Vonage site? I tried looking but had no luck.

If we really wanted to could we not just sign up on the American Site and use a Virtual number for the Canadian Number? It's not like they send us a phone bill in the mail or anything. How would they really know. I can use my Canadian vonage if I wanted to take it down to US on a visit if I wanted to so it should work the other way around. A virtual number would just have to be used so that you get your local number.

Even with the cost of the virtual number (if its the same as our price) it would still be a couple bucks cheaper and you can use all the other additional features that they have.

I personally think it's riduculus the price differences. The US dollar is almost equal to the CDN! It's definately not just Vonage tho, everything is like that. Ah well.

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

I couldn't find the price, but I think they are around $5.00

I think to sign up with the Vonage USA you need an American address.

Posts: 43 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 11, 2006 Posts: 43

Most likely. You would have to know someone down there I guess. My parents live in Indiana so it'd probably work for me. I've done the same with magazine subscriptions. Americans can get a lot of free magazines or cheap ones on ebay. I sign up with my parents address (alot of other people just make up a random US address) then I just change the address over to my real one in Canada. Works every time.

You must be able to change your 911 Dialing address too. Again, if I was to take my Canadian Vonage with me when I visit my parents in Indiana I would have to change my 911 Address so that they would know where the vonage router is. I don't see why it wouldn't work. Unless you can't change countries. I've never done it before so I don't know.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 06, 2006 Posts: 3

I find this question a very good one. In fact, here is a letter I sent to Vonage about this very issue on June 3, 2007.

*** Start of Email ***

Hello,

I have been a Vonage Canada customer for about 9 months.

I have not been overly satisfied with the call quality (long delays, static, poor sound, etc) but have stuck in there.

Recently I compared Vonage Canada prices with Vonage USA prices and was blown away that we (Canadians) are being charged a 60% exchange rate by Vonage. This is comparing the $24.99 USD Plan vs the $39.99 CAD Plan.

With the current exchange rate ranging from 5%-10% I feel Vonage is ripping us off. The savings using Vonage vs the Local Telco is only $5-$7 but the quality ends up being much better. The only encouragement for me to stay with Vonage is the price savings but at a 60% exchange I feel taken advantage of.

*** End of Email ***

Here is the response I got from Vonage on June 4, 2007:

*** Start of Email ***

We continually re-examine our pricing strategy, both for our phone plans and for our international calling rates, to ensure they are competitive in the Canadian marketplace. Our research indicates that, in the Canadian market, $39.99 CDN is a very reasonable price for unlimited local and long distance calling in North America, including phone features. Vonage does not claim to be the lowest cost Internet phone service provider in Canada. Rather, we claim to offer superior service and value that is incomparable in the Canadian telecom industry. Despite our emphasis on quality and on the C"b,Kcustomer experienceC"b,b", we have found that Vonage Canada continues to rank among the lowest cost providers in the industry, particularly when compared to most of the cable and traditional phone companies that offer VoIP service. We are confident that you will draw the same conclusions after having researched alternative VoIP offerings in Canada.

*** End of Email ***

They aren't using a Canadian Infrastructure for terminating, they are terminating from the USA. This can be verified by calling a Canadian Only Toll Free number which will not work with Vonage.

Since I am in New Brunswick, Canada and the only VoIP service with local numbers is Vonage, I have them as an option and Aliant (local Telco). At this point I am willing to pay the higher price with Aliant since I can actually use my phone with them. Every person I call using Vonage I have to call 2 or 3 times since the person I am calling and only hear beeps or buzzing. This isn't a bad device or ISP since my sister had the same problems on a different ISP. There service is just bad, at least in New Brunswick.

If anyone knows of a different provider that I can switch my local number to I will be more than happy to give them a shot.

I think everyone needs to team up and send Vonage a big loud message "We will not stand to be charged a 60% Exchange Rate while not having as many services as our neighbour to the South."

IceCold

Posts: 1320 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1320

Products and services are not just based on the dollar exchange rate.

You never mentioned your internet provider in New Brunswick. I would assume it is either Rogers or Aliant.

I am living in Ontario using Cogeco cable and have a 506 number since I can't get a local number. I am having very limited problems with Vonage. With regards to the toll free number situation, those are getting better. If I can't dial the toll free number, I either try to look for a local one or I call Vonage and they give me a local number to call.

With Aliant and having all the features it would cost you, $65.00 a month
http://productsandservice.aliant.net/PS/nb/english/productsandservices/ps_wide.jsp?section=1&bodycont=productsandservices%2fvp_local.jsp&curbody=1

With Rogers Home phone with 6 features it would cost you, $41.95 and another $19.95 for unlimited North American calling for a total of $61.90
http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/rhp/packages.asp?shopperID=B41J3XXFMBLS8PVL2AKJAPLG5BUJ9DC7
http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/ld_UNA.asp?shopperID=B41J3XXFMBLS8PVL2AKJAPLG5BUJ9DC7

Do the voip speed test on here and show your details. Please use a computer that is hooked up directly to the vonage adapter, I find when using a wi-fi signal you don't get accurate details.

What is the speed that your internet provider is telling you that you should be getting up and down? To test that visit, www.speedtest.net the closest provider will probably be in Maine.