Will You Suggest Vonage To Your Relatives Over Thanksgiving?

Posts: 72 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 27, 2005 Posts: 72

hi everyone,
it would be wise not to have Vonage as the main line, and in case someone wants to have it like that, have an other adapter as a backup, so that if that one goes bad , you can register it, also it would be better to learn how it exactly works, befor one goes for it!!

siva

Posts: 29 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Mar 26, 2005 Posts: 29

After more than a month of no CID and being run around by Vonage's tech support with no results, what do you think!

Posts: 40 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:34 pm Post subject:

If you want to convert them to Vonage. Take your adaptor with you, and let them make some of their holiday calls on it. We all call long distance a lot more on the holidays. This was they can see the call quality for themselves. Then tell them all those calls were free. They are in a since if you have an unlimited plan.

Of course that's if they have a broadband connection. Smile

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 21, 2005 Posts: 23

I would only recommend Voip as a supplement to POTS. i.e., for second or third lines. And then only for tech savvy individuals with time on their hands.

My nominal cost savings so far disappear when I place a value on the time I have had to spend resubmitting my line port, which was delayed due to poor communications between Vonage and my TelCo, and the time I am spending getting caller ID debugged.

Furthermore, IMHO Voip is not a complete substitute for traditional phone service. With traditonal POTS you are reliant only on the local TelCo, and while their reiliability may not be as excellent as it once was, it is obviously better than Voip. With Voip you become reliant on the Voip provider, the ISP, and the electric company, and a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. Each of those three links is likely considerably weaker than the single link provided by POTS. So in case of an emergency or disaster I still want the security of knowing I have an old fashioned telephone line if I need it, so that is what I recommend to anyone who asks.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Oct 19, 2005 Posts: 16

I agree with optiman. There has been much too much technical configuration for the average Joe/Jane.

I don't mind it since I am a wire geek/nerd but anyone I recommended Vonage to would be calling me for tech support. My service has not been reliable enough. I would not have it for my only phone service.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:44 pm Post subject:

I purchased Vonage for a work line. I telecommute, and wanted a line where I didn't have to worry about how much time I spend on the phone.

So far, from a telephony standpoint, Vonage has been far more useful to me than a POTS line. Voice quality has been consistently excellent, and I've never had more than slight problems with the phone.

I still have a cell phone as a backup (and as a simulring target on the rare occasions I need to be available but not at the house), but the cell rarely gets any use.

I don't have a POTS line, and frankly don't miss it all that much. Yes, there are quirks, and I would think twice about trusting one device to be a router, a switch, a wireless hub, AND a phone adapter, and trusting the firmware of all four to someone else. If I had it to do over again, I'd consider that my biggest mistake.

But, yes, I'd recommend Vonage, with some limits, serious testing of the broadband connection of my recommendee, and a few caveats. Unfortunately, my mother (who I will be visiting) lives in the sticks, where a 28.8K connection on a dialup connection is a gift from the Computer Gods, and a 14.4K connection is considered acceptable. She's lucky when her POTS line works. Wink

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:09 pm Post subject:

My only relative with high speed access uses satellite, so no I won't be suggesting it this Thanksgiving.

However, I would. I have used Vonage as a POTS replacement for nearly 2 years with few problems, free features I wouldn't previously pay for and significant cost savings.

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:43 pm Post subject:

When it first crossed my mind to make this post, I said to myself "This is an open invite for those that have had a less then smooth ride.. to vent" I am so glad to see the responses that we have received so far. Thank you all for your input.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 02, 2005 Posts: 7

It's been a month now for me with no response at ALL of ANY sort to the various emails I've sent them about the Caller ID issue. Not even a "message received, we'll get back to you" automated reply.

My last email about a week ago said "answer THIS damn email or I'm cancelling my service". Still no reply. Not a word.

I call, I get a guy smacking gum VERY loudly in my ear, who doesn't know anything, and ultimately, doesn't call me back like he says he's going to. That particular call-in was a couple weeks ago now.

So I'm not that "up" on Vonage right now. I don't know what they've broken, but I'm paying for service I'm not getting, for over a month now. No one seems to know the answer, or care to help me.

It suucks, as I've been a customer--and a VERY happy one--since June or so of 2004.

I'm totally angry and frustrated right now, for most of the past month. Where's the service? Where's my money's worth?

Criminy. SOME reply. SOME semblance of giving a crap about the customer. SOME interest in SOMETHING.

*sigh*

So no, I won't be recommending Vonage to ANYONE anymore. I mean, honestly, what's my motivation?

Posts: 60 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:12 am Post subject:

I've been with Vonage for almost 2 months now, and have only had sporadic caller id problems. Maybe twice since the new firmware. Today was the first time I have ever had a problem with it (cable was out for about 3 hours), but it directed them to my cell phone no problem and then went back after the internet came back up.

Bellsouth calls me about 2 times a week now asking me to come back. Offering unlimited US calling for $45 with all the features. I just stop them now and tell them what I have...they usually say well I can't beat that so have a nice day. One lady asked me how many minutes I got for that price and I told her unlimited, and then she asks "well how many minutes is that?" I said it slower then u n l i m i t e d. Her response was "wow, that's a really good deal - have a nice day."