Home VOIP service -- Vanity

Vanity | 2/28/06 | Pikachu

[pikachu]

What sort of luck are Freepers having with home VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. Considering that all Freepers are tech savy along with good looking and smelling nice, I'd like to canvus those of you using VOIP (Vonage, Skype, ???) to see if it is worth investigating.

[pikachu]

Currently the folks at a VOIP company (unnamed but running a lot of TV commercials) have not been able to get my router provisioned. Turns out my MAC address is not the one on the account and after a week they can not change it in their database. Right now I want to return it kit and caboodle but will reconsider another 'old college try' if other Freepers are happy with their VOIP service.

Please no 'just use POTS' as the local carrier is the pits.

[martin_fierro]

Considering that all Freepers are tech savy along with good looking and smelling nice, I'd like to canvus

Please tell me English isn't your first language.

[TexasCajun]

I'm considering changes due to all the damn taxes I pay on my current phone bill.

I'm sure VOIP will get hit eventually, but I see a big tax savings if it works properly?

[kingu]

VOIP is as functional as your Internet connection. I'd scream bloody murder if my phone was as reliable as my cable modem. I own a business, I get sales calls from these guys all the time. Their call centers use their technology, and the call quality stinks. Their excuse is that they have a broken headset (all five calls this year have had that problem; you'd think they'd buy some new ones by now...), a lot of people on the line (whoa, a confidence builder there), etc.

It's worth the trouble if you call overseas a lot or you can't get reliable cell or POTS service, but I'd go wireless before I'd go Internet at this time. A year from now, who knows - but if you do go with them, make sure you have a backup system in place - forwarding to a cell phone or POTS when their system is down (or your system..)

All in all, it's not ready for prime time right now.

[iPod Shuffle]

I use NetZero's VOIP. 3 months free, no further obligation. Works like a charm for me. It doesn't require any external equipment. Just a PC microphone.

[kingu]

VOIP is already getting hit by taxes, and it is growing by the day. I'd figure that by the end of the year, they'll be about the same, tax wise. The only good news is that most of the taxes appear to be based on the service fees, and as fighting continues, those service fees are going down.

[the tongue]

I just switched to Vonage from Verizon for all of my needs, and it's OK. I think I have bugs to work out. I've received a few complaints from people, but I'm willing to ignore THEIR problem because I'm saving $45 a month.

[AlaninSA]

I use digital phone from Time Warner. No issues with performance, it does have 911 capability and I pay nothing for long distance (helpful since my entire family - including in-laws - lives "long distance" from me). One of the neatest things is that, since we have digital cable, our caller ID shows up on our TV screen.

[Roses0508]

VOIP is a good deal for us because we call long distance constantly chasing down our children and family members. A local line, no long distance is $45 BEFORE taxes, etc.

Fortunately our cable service has been reliable at this house. Once and awhile the VOIP sounds a bit funny, but usually its decent.

Anyone who is cable service that is unreliable ought to be tearing up customer service at the cable company. I think they've added too many customers to their infrastructure in some places without updating the infrastructure. I'd complain until they took care of business.

[unixfox]

You must be talking about VONAGE.

What a bunch of yo yo's. I tried in vain to get my number ported with these idiots and all they did was screw up my phone service for 3 months. After that, I couldn't get my money back. Imagine that. I.M.O. they are LOSERS. Their customer service sucks!!

I went with Packet 8 and got my number ported with no problem. But just like Vonage, the customer service sucks!!

[kcbc2001]

I have a couple of friends who use it and love it.

One has a wife who is from overseas and it's allowed her to call home a lot more and the rates they say are unbeatable.

Because of their experiences, my husband and I are talking about getting it.

[MikefromOhio]

I don't know.

I've worked extensively with VOIP, especially when I was in Iraq.

It's only as reliable as your internet service and for as long as you have power.

I think I will keep my landline and anything else I will just use my cell phone for now. I don't think that the technology is quite there yet, at least for my purposes.

[Severa]

I switched from Verizon to Vonage last year. Only problem we had was porting over our number, and Vonage credited us with two free months while we were trying to iron things out. (We didn't fill out the info like we should have, so it caused some confusion. Even after it was cleared up, Verizon was still being a little bitch about closing out our account.) We ended up getting a new number through Vonage and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Linksys broadband router works beautifully, call quality is great, and I really like the option of email alerts for voicemail. Plus, we were paying $60/month with Verizon vs. the $27/month we now pay for Vonage.

[doc1019]

Did they get that 911 thing fixed?

[mschalock]

We use Skype. We got it when my husband was stationed in Iraq last year. I could call him and he could call me using his laptop (with internet connection of course) after he got off duty. The program is free and if both people have it, the call is free. We had no problem with interference at all. It was a blessing to have. Now that he's home we don't use it too much.

[Mike-o-Matic]

I am also curious about peoples' VOIP experiences. I'm getting sick of paying $25/mo for a voice line I barely use. I'd rather leverage the $65/mo cable modem I have (can't give it up -- too addicted to the speed!).

In particular, have any of you used SunRocket? Their costs and "no surprises" pricing seem unbeatable, although I have read absolute horror stories about their tech support.

[pikachu]

After a week (and six hour on hold or talking to the wrong tech support zombies), I now have VOIP service. It works great, sound quality is as good as Verizon or SBC have provided to me in the past, and is under $17/month with tax.

[AdamWilliams]

I use SunRocket and have been really happy with their service. I've been using them for over a year now and have saved a considerable chuck of money. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

[Mike-o-Matic]

Thanks for your feedback, guys. Pikachu, your experience seems to be one that I read about people having with them a lot. When it works, it works great. When not, good luck dealing with their support people.