Some (minor) negatives about Vonage

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

I poked around this NG when I was trying to decide to use VOIP/Vonage.
I was specifically looking for the disadvantages of VOIP/Vonage. I
didn't find enough to stop me, so I signed up for Vonage and have
transferred my POTS number to it.

It is a terrific bargain and I don't regret doing it, but I have
discovered a couple of things that I thought I'd pass along. They
aren't big deals and wouldn't have changed my decision, but I thought
others might find the info useful.

- you have to register for 911 and then those calls go to some operator,
not directly to your local emergency service (NBD)

- 411 calls are $.99 each

- Caller id blocking is on a per-call basis only (you cannot do a
permanent block) (NBD)

- you a=cannot make or receive collect calls (this might actually be an
advantage)

Here is a tip: the 500 minutes you get with the basic service is a lot
more than you might think. First, the minutes are only on outgoing
calls, incoming are free, and calls to another Vonage number are free.
Second, minutes beyond 500 are only $.04 each - this means that all use
below 750 minutes is cheaper than the $25 unlimited service (750 = 500 +
250, 250 * $.04 = $10, $15 + $10 = $25). We are currently using about 7
minutes a day (210/mo). We are a retired couple - other domestic
situations might have different usage.

Bob

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

>I'm not sure if you have experienced this at all, but I've heard some
>horror stories about their customer service.

My experience of their customer service is that it doesn't exist any more,
which is the main reason I recently switched to Lingo.

After nearly two years Vonage voice quality deteriorated to the point
where more often than not I couldn't hear the other party, althogh they
always said they could hear me fine. None of the self-help on the Vonage
web site applies to me, and I was utterly unable to raise a live person
by e-mail or phone.

Until then it was fine. If the voice quality hadn't collapsed, I'd
probably still be using it.

Archived from groups: comp.dcom.voice-over-ip (More info?)

Bob,

When you need to speak to a LIVE person at Vonage always call between
1:00AM and 6:00AM EST.

732-650-6699

You will get a LIVE person immediately between those times.

Sincerely,

Brad Reese
BradReese.Com Cisco Repair Worldwide
United Kingdom: 44-20-70784294
U.S. Toll Free: 877-549-2680
International: 828-277-7272
Fax: 775-254-3558
Website: http://www.bradreese.com/cisco-big-iron-repair.htm