VOIP services -- how do you rate yours?

[mindseye]

I've been a Vonage customer for 21 months, but I'm experiencing frustration lately because of an unresolved (since November!) service issue. I'm considering switching to Sunrocket, even though I know very little about them.

So I thought I'd ask. Are you using VOIP for your phone service? If so, which provider, and how satisfied are you with them?

 

[dtw-W-Boy]

I use AT&T CallVantage (VoIP - AT&T CallVantage. Phone service for broadband.) I've had it for close to 3 years. Had no issues with them. I will say there are some hassles with E911 regulations that were imposed after I signed up. Anytime the TA is unpluged you have to go thru a spill before you can dial out(excluding 911 and 800 #s). I would recomend it. I've never heard of Sunrocket!

 

[Lex]

I have Vonage (about 8 months in now) and have had no issues.

 

[Sklar]

2 years with Vonage. Never had a problem what so ever.

 

[dtw-W-Boy]

On another note, only gay guys have VoIP?

 

[Lex]

On another note, only gay guys have VoIP?

Do you get paid to ask ridiculously ignorant questions?

 

[dtw-W-Boy]

Do you get paid to ask ridiculously ignorant questions?

How exactly is it “ignorant”? If you notice, there are no responses to this post from any straight individuals even after considerable time! That said; excuse me for taking the time and effort to actually care about those with whom I chat enough to read their mini-bios! On a side note, I am Gay, and of all the people I know who have VoIP, NONE are straight. As for being paid, I am sure I will be paid by the same person who pays you to be an impolite ass!

 

[Lex]

How exactly is it “ignorant”? If you notice, there are no responses to this post from any straight individuals even after considerable time! ... On a side note, I am Gay, and of all the people I know who have VoIP, NONE are straight. ...

Yes, we now have scientific evidence that VOIP is the preferred phone service choice of gay men who responded to mindseye's LPSG thread.

...As for being paid, I am sure I will be paid by the same person who pays you to be an impolite ass!

I doubt it.

 

[mindseye]

I wanted to follow up to this post --

Still dissatisfied with the customer service from Vonage. I bought my mom a year of Sunrocket service for her anniversary, with the ulterior motive of using her as a "guinea pig" to try out their network.

Their VOIP adapters ship out from Maryland, and I live in Virginia, so I received the adapter in 48 hours from the time I placed the order (their website advertises 7 to 10 days, so I was pleasantly surprised). The adapter is a Linksys SPA2102-R, and is about 1/3 the size of the adapter Vonage sent me two years ago.

It took longer to cold-start than the Vonage adapter does, but once it started, the service is working fine. The call quality from Blacksburg to Charlotte (not that the physical distance should matter much) is noticeably better than Vonage, but the account account "dashboard" is much worse -- in particular, the documentation and help is more canned and less useful, and some of the option screens are badly laid out.

Back in March when I was considering making the switch, Sunrocket had a promotional deal where if you purchase 12 months of service in advance, they'd supply you with a free cordless phone. The promotion has since changed to one I think is even more enticing: purchase 12 months of service in advance and get three more months. The first 15 months of service -- with taxes and shipping and the initial connection fee -- came to $244.06. That works out to $16.28 a month for the first 15 months, and still less than $18 a month after that.

If Mom continues not to have any problems with the service (we just hooked it up this week), I'll be switching my home service as well.

 

[DC_DEEP]

No VoIP here. My partner and I have an aversion to any phone providers, since they are all crooks. But since phones are (in some instances) pretty much a necessity, we have cell phones. We didn't see any reason to have several different services and providers, so we ONLY have the cell phones. Our internet service is through the cable TV company (and the service has been barely passable, at best; unreliable at worst.)

Cox sucks! And yes, pun/double entendre intended.

 

[dong20]

BT Business VOIP. Not the cheapest calls but no problems and it's free with my broadband.

I can also use skype on my cellphone where there's roaming (regular WIFI or GSM data) which is useful at times, especially for international calls when abroad. Of course I can also use skype (on PC or phone) at home too and I often do.

BT also do a fusion product, essentially it's a cellphone when you're out, and converts to a landline at home though I'm not a subsriber so I don't know how good it is. Vonage advertised here in fits and starts but the deal wasn't worth it for me. Didn't Vonage run into legal problems over algorithm infringements?

Also, I'm not gay and no one has, thus far, paid me for posting here.:smile:

 

[GoneA]

My partner and I have an aversion to any phone providers, since they are all crooks.

LOL, I love you, DC.

And no, Mind, I don't use a VOIP service. I've actually been thinking about trying it out. I know not to go with Vonage, now.

 

[DC_DEEP]

LOL, I love you, DC.

And no, Mind, I don't use a VOIP service. I've actually been thinking about trying it out. I know not to go with Vonage, now.

Heheh, Gonnie, one of these days, call up your phone provider's customer service, and go line by line asking for explanations of the charges, how each of the taxes and fees were authorized, and their purpose.

Some years back, when I lived in a single-provider area (Southwestern Bell at that time) and my bill suddenly jumped about $12 per month, I started going through the charges, and had no clue what a "number portability charge" was. I looked back through my bills, and they had been charging that for the two years I had the service. I called, and asked what the charge was, and she explained "if you change your service to another carrier, this charge allows you to take your old phone number to the new carrier." She got nasty with me when I asked her why they charge that if they don't actually PROVIDE the service, since there are no other carriers to switch to, and informed me that the law allows it so they charge it.

 

[mindseye]

She got nasty with me when I asked her why they charge that if they don't actually PROVIDE the service, since there are no other carriers to switch to, and informed me that the law allows it so they charge it.

You chose a bad example; I'm going to defend Southwestern Bell's actions in the past (but attack their actions in the present!)

LNP (local number portability) was first implemented in the US in 1997. At the time, the FCC was requiring all landline carriers to provide compliance reports (except that rural carriers smaller than a certain size were granted a six-year extension). In other words -- even though Southwestern Bell had no local competition in your area, the FCC was requiring them to develop protocols to port numbers in your area so that they'd be ready to do so when a competitor moved in. And yes, the FCC allowed them to cover the cost for doing so by passing it on to their customers.

The person you spoke to may have given you the impression that they were taking an additional fee from you and doing absolutely nothing to earn it, but she was mistaken.

The travesty is that the work of developing the means to port numbers is complete -- every phone company now has that ability -- but the FCC is still allowing them to tack on the number portability surcharge.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Even at that, the Bell company was still better than any others I dealt with over the years. Sprint was the worst, Alltel was a close second. I can't remember the name of the number 3 worst. They all have horrible customer service, and problem resolution is non-existent.

But back to the main topic - if and when VoIP becomes a viable alternative to our cell phones, we may consider changing. But having more than one service is insane IMHO.

 

[Mr Ed in Mass]

I'm technology challenged, so I don't know what VOIP is.
I use to have Sprint until I lost service with them,I called them up,and they told me that I was dead!

 

[dong20]

I'm technology challenged, so I don't know what VOIP is.
I use to have Sprint until I lost service with them,I called them up,and they told me that I was dead!

VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol.

Basically using the network protocol (language if you will) that you use to connect to the Internet for carrying telephone calls (in the form of digitised data).

 

[Mr Ed in Mass]

VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol.

Basically using the network protocol (language if you will) that you use to connect to the Internet for carrying telephone calls (in the form of digitised data).

Thanks for clearing that up,I do have it with Comcast

 

[HazelGod]

I got sick of paying AT&T/SBC upwards of $26 per month for a local-only land line, so I gave them the middle finger. I've been with Vonage for almost 3 years now...never had any issues with the service or quality of connections.

The only "upgrade" I've made is to switch from the Linksys wired router they originally sent me to the WRT54GP2 wireless model.

 

[CBS1]

Have you ever heard about BROADVOICE? ITS THE BEST i have it for more tham 2 years paid $25 dollars and i was making call all over the world for no extras.
www.broadvaice.com/index.html i think