HOT: Vonage $19.99 Basic plan 500 MINS/$39.99 - unlimited calling anywhere

[shawn99]

www.vonage.ca

$19.99 Basic plan 500 MINS anywhere in Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico. FREE INCOMING.

$39.99 - unlimited calling anywhere in Canada, the U.S., Puerto Rico, Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland!

You also get a free Motorola WIRELESS router/phone adapter.
http://design.tario.ru/news/2007/img/02093.jpg Or pick one of the other cool devices they have.

I was able to get the activation fee and shipping fee waived with little effort.

If you sign up before the end of the month, you can get FREE 50$ prepaid VISA card and 1 months free. You get an extra month free through referral. Message me if you want my referral.


What impressed me the most is the many of the features they had. V-access is one of them I like, bascially anyone can call you for free as long as a local exchange number exists in their area code. More info here (http://vonage.ca/features.php?feature=v_access).

Caveat: If you cancel within a year, they'll charge you the disconnection fee.

[sporb]

vonage sucks.
their customer service is horrible.
and their voip service is not the greatest.
they double charged my credit card twice.

i recommend staying away from vonage.

[shawn99]

Company with 2.5 million customers has terrible customer service? I find that hard to believe.

If you been charged, you can request for credit right on the web account. No need to call in.

I been with em for a year. Aside from minor things, I had reliable service.

[felix]

I left Vonage a while ago ... and i'm not going back. :)

[ullyeus]

Company with 2.5 million customers has terrible customer service? I find that hard to believe.



? Vonage is pretty well known for it's horrible customer service, money problems and is pretty much all around crap. One of the major problems is how difficult it is to cancel your account, ironically probably increasing their customer base :)

Go googling

[sporb]

Company with 2.5 million customers has terrible customer service? I find that hard to believe.

If you been charged, you can request for credit right on the web account. No need to call in.

I been with em for a year. Aside from minor things, I had reliable service.

what does having 2.5 million "customers" have to do with the quality of the customer service? btw, it's 2.4 million subscriber lines as of june 30/07.... up from a wopping 2.4 million as of march 31/07. wouldn't be surprised if it drops to 2.2 million subscriber lines next quarter.

what were the minor issues you had? dropped calls? static? other person can only hear static or vice versa? other person can't hear you at all or vice versa? bad call quality?

i can get all that from skype and it's cheaper.

vonage is right up there with mdg.

[LNahid2000]

Company with 2.5 million customers has terrible customer service? I find that hard to believe.
Bell has more than 2.5 million customers in Canada alone, and they probably have worse customer service. From my experiences, the smaller companies with less customers actually have much better customer service.

With regard to Vonage, it's expensive and I've never heard good things. I'd go with Primus TalkBroadband since it's cheaper and there is none of that BS activation/shipping/access/cancellation/etc fees in the first place. I wish every company was like that. Just charge a price + tax and none of that fee BS.

[tylo]

I can also attest that, in my experience they've got horrible customer service!

I was one of their first customers when they launched in Canada, i signed up within an hour or so of the service launching!!

Phone quality was alright, but customer service was lacking.. When I finally decided to simply buy an ATA and find another provider, vonage proved difficult to get rid of!

I had moved overseas so I sent them written notice that I was canceling my account, with numerous follow up emails. They simply refused to cancel the account! They'd reply that I had to call them, and provide a 1-800 number that I couldn't access from overseas (the box was back in Canada in storage).

I informed them that as per their terms and conditions, my written notice complied with the requirements to cancel the service, no phone call was needed -- but I provided them with a number overseas they could contact me on to verify.

Again they'd continue to not cancel the account and send me an email telling me I had to call them to cancel the account (with a number I could not call!)

Incredibly clear that they never bothered to read any of my emails!

Luckily my credit card expired the month I initially went to cancel, so I didn't update with the new expiry date!

Long story short -- it took around 6-7 months, with me send them multiple emails each month and them refusing to cancel, while sending me bills for my "overdue" account that had long since been canceled! (Again, i'm glad they didn't have my expiry date!)

They eventually closed my account down due to "non payment", I was sure to reply to them clarifying that I was glad the account was closed, but it was due to my request 6-7 months prior, and not "non-payment", as I can't pay for a service I canceled!!

Total nightmare dealing with them, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone -- especially considering their rate plans aren't very competitive compared to all the other VoIP providers out there, and you can buy an ATA for cheap these days ($30-$50!)..

[GoodDeal]

Twice I tried Vonage and both times I was extremely dissapointed with both the quality of the phone and customer service.

[ARK]

I am with acanac VOIP $10 per month unlimited calls to Canada and US for the last 6 months. So far so good, no complains

[TorontoEh]

Left C#apy BELL 2 years ago when I moved and joined vonage through their online offer and since havent looked back!!! AMAZING SERVICE...

I received:
Free activation
Free 3 Months service
Free Modem
Free Shipping
$50 Visa Prepaid card
$20 Signup bonus from referral (we both got)

and now on $19 plan and absolutely love it :)

[mcjackass]

I left vonage and went back to bell. I couldn't take the poor call quality of vonage any more. I went out and bought a router that does QoS and set the vonage line to grab all of the bandwidth of my internet connection when it was in use. Still only made a marginal difference. People on the other end couldn't hear me if I was downloading or uploading anything from my PC - I would have to kill any ftp connection or download/upload that I was doing whenever we wanted to make a call. I called customer service and was told that that seemed like a resonable workaround to them - I lost it on the guy. Anyway, long story short, terrible quality to make the $20.00 a month you save not even worth it. All it did was make me spend more on my cell phone because I wouldn't use my home line.

[Swissbeatz]

I tried Vonage once.. quality was horrible.. so i returned the VOIP box back to Best Buy.... BB then put the box back on the shelf... and another customer picked it up and realized they could get free VOIP service because it was still activated under my account. (I called Vonage to cancel, and they told me to just return it to BB)

So after a few months Vonage went after me for usage by another customer and refused to believe that BB could have done this. It took a month of calls, screaming, a letter from BB, faxed copies of return receipts, and a letter from my lawyer before they decided that i was not responsible for the charges.

If there's one company that knows customer service better than Rogers... its Vonage!

[shawn99]

People don't realize but phone quality and (dropped audio, choppy audio) are due mostly based on how good your internet connection is. If you don't have a consistent connection, perhaps you shouldn't be using VOIP at all. They can try couple of things on their end to compensate for the packet loss, but other than that, it's really upto how great the internet connection is.

Also if you are using filesharing software like bearshare or torrents, you'll have to give QOS priority to the voip device. It needs minimum 90 kbs to make a quality call.

Static is primarily due to and no dial tone sometimes is because of home wiring. Also it can be caused by interference that is emitted by other devices such as your speakers or other appliances.

I suppose customers service is hit or miss with any company. You have veterans that can take care of your issue swiftly while the newbi's are still learning the system so they are bound to make mistakes. If you are not getting great customer service, simply try a different agent.

[soblecram]

I absolutely LOVE the service. Have been on for 6 months, 19.99 plan, never went over (due to the V-access #s.. I am able to call home from almost anywhere in North america by dialing a local number.. best saver for any phone company I have seen) My parents can call and talk to their grandson as well, without spending a dime.
I haven't needed to use their customer service lines more than 2 or 3 times, but every time was a positive experience..

[Corinthein]

try zingotel 16.95 usd a month, unlimited everywhere in NA + Puerto Rico. vm, call id. Been with them over a year and very happy.

[edmondt]

Stay away from the softphone, 3 out of 5 times I get all circuits are busy now for incoming and outgoing calls. Their regular VOIP service is horrible as well...

[Toronto]

This isn't a hot deal, it's actually their everyday regular price and has been for a long time. It's only hot if you compare to the large companies like Rogers home phone which you would have to be insane to buy anyways.

[stugots]

You may want to compare the cost of getting a Canadian line vs an american line with vonage

[CRXguy]

Anyone know if there's a fee for downgrading the phone plan? I'm currently on the $39.99 unlimited, but looking to go down to the basic 500mins for $19.99, since I'm not home that often anymore.

Also wanted to say that the service has been good, even though I called in just two times. The sound quality is the same as a normal land line on my end. Never had anyone on the other end complain.

[stugots]

Check this link:

http://vonage.ca/help.php?article=594&category=52&nav=6

stu

[CRXguy]

Check this link:

http://vonage.ca/help.php?article=594&category=52&nav=6

stu

Thanks. :)

[coolspot]

vonage sucks.
their customer service is horrible.
and their voip service is not the greatest.
they double charged my credit card twice.

i recommend staying away from vonage.

I've been using vonage for 3 years... while the first couple of months they had some problems, it's been GREAT for me!

Good call quality too. OK customer service (I always had my problems resolved).


I went out and bought a router that does QoS and set the vonage line to grab all of the bandwidth of my internet connection when it was in use. Still only made a marginal difference. People on the other end couldn't hear me if I was downloading or uploading anything from my PC - I would have to kill any ftp connection or download/upload that I was doing whenever we wanted to make a call.

That's the nature of VoIP - you need bandwidth! Your problem is that QoS isn't working on your router... I on the otherhand have it setup correctly (using DD-WRT) and I can upload/download etc while making a call :)

[antman59]

Basic Service
Only $15.95/month
Get one TalkBroadband phone line with unlimited local calling. Ultimate Bundle
Only $19.95/month
Includes Basic Phone Service plus over 18 phone features. Unlimited Bundle
Only $29.95/month
Includes Basic Phone Service, over 18 phone features and unlimited long distance.

And Airmiles to boot. Been with them for 3 years. Only one major hicup and the appologized and compensated me for it. VONAGE is a rip off!!!

[LNahid2000]

That's the nature of VoIP - you need bandwidth! Your problem is that QoS isn't working on your router... I on the otherhand have it setup correctly (using DD-WRT) and I can upload/download etc while making a call :)
Yeah, I agree. DD-WRT with QoS works great. I can be downloading on bittorrent at 500kB/s and the VOIP call still sounds perfect.

I do recommend Primus over Vonage though. They don't nickel and dime you like Vonage with all the extra fees. It's just $30/month + tax. Nice and simple. And from what I've heard it works better than Vonage.

[Mir]

Basic Service
Only $15.95/month
Get one TalkBroadband phone line with unlimited local calling. Ultimate Bundle
Only $19.95/month
Includes Basic Phone Service plus over 18 phone features. Unlimited Bundle
Only $29.95/month
Includes Basic Phone Service, over 18 phone features and unlimited long distance.

And Airmiles to boot. Been with them for 3 years. Only one major hicup and the appologized and compensated me for it. VONAGE is a rip off!!!

There are lot of feature offer with Vongae which not with TalkBroad
With Vonage You get FREE WiFi 80211 G router with Built in Qos
E911, Click to Call, V acess, With this I can have my fmaily call me from their local phone to my vonage which is long distance othe wise (Even from Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland they can call me for without hitting a INTERNATIONAL TOLL)
and off course I can call for them for free too.
Perhaps Vonage is Permuim services which has lot more to offer then what you like to have

[LNahid2000]

There are lot of feature offer with Vongae which not with TalkBroad
With Vonage You get FREE WiFi 80211 G router with Built in Qos
E911, Click to Call, V acess, With this I can have my fmaily call me from their local phone to my vonage which is long distance othe wise (Even from Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland they can call me for without hitting a INTERNATIONAL TOLL)
and off course I can call for them for free too.
Perhaps Vonage is Permuim services which has lot more to offer then what you like to have
Primus has all these features. They definitely have E911. Click to Call on Vonage = Phone Control on Primus. V-access just means that you can call Vonage to Vonage for free, but with Primus you can call Primus to Primus for free. And I really don't care about the router since I like to run my own router with 3rd party firmware which has way more features than any linksys router.

[warthunder2k]

How come with you guys the QoS that comes with DD-WRT works great? Mine doesnt work, what version do you have? I have the mini-image, maybe that's why?

[stugots]

Primus has all these features. They definitely have E911. Click to Call on Vonage = Phone Control on Primus. V-access just means that you can call Vonage to Vonage for free, but with Primus you can call Primus to Primus for free. And I really don't care about the router since I like to run my own router with 3rd party firmware which has way more features than any linksys router.


I think vonage is overcharging Canadians but your info about v-access is not precise

Vonage has access numbers all around North America, Mexico and some places is Europe (Anyone can call a vonage number for free) and you will get an unlisted number as part of any plan.

I may not like some things but I been with them for more than 3 years and the service is great......

[ullyeus]

How come with you guys the QoS that comes with DD-WRT works great? Mine doesnt work, what version do you have? I have the mini-image, maybe that's why?

It would have a negligible difference really...no matter how great your QOS is in your house once the connection gets on the Internet it loses it.

[coolspot]

And Airmiles to boot. Been with them for 3 years. Only one major hicup and the appologized and compensated me for it. VONAGE is a rip off!!!

Does Primus have a web control panel or local access?

How come with you guys the QoS that comes with DD-WRT works great? Mine doesnt work, what version do you have? I have the mini-image, maybe that's why?

DD-WRT v23. You may have to use Port Based QoS or MAC based QoS. The standard protocol filters may not be picking up Vonage's VoIP packets. Also in the Max Upload/Download speed settings, don't be overly aggressive - set them 15 - 25%+ slower than your real connection speed. This will give the QoS engine enough buffer to work with.

It would have a negligible difference really...no matter how great your QOS is in your house once the connection gets on the Internet it loses it.

Yes, there's no QoS on the internet, but on the other hand VoIP only needs 90kbps, <~100 -150ms latancy and minimal packet loss. If your broadband connection cannot provide these service levels to the VoIP gateway, you'll have bad voice quality.

Judging by the post about downloading, FTP, torrents, etc... the poster was saturating his/her local download pipe... as a result, VoIP call quality suffered.

I noticed recently Rogers has improved their network significantly... I rarely hear any blips on Vonage. In fact the line sounds better than my Bell land line!

[LNahid2000]

I think vonage is overcharging Canadians but your info about v-access is not precise

Vonage has access numbers all around North America, Mexico and some places is Europe (Anyone can call a vonage number for free) and you will get an unlisted number as part of any plan.

I may not like some things but I been with them for more than 3 years and the service is great......
Ah right, I read up a little more on V-Access and it could be convenient if you travel a lot. That's one feature Primus definitely doesn't have. But for me, it's not worth the extra $10/month and having to deal with all the random Vonage fees which Primus does not charge.

Does Primus have a web control panel or local access?
I don't know what local access is, but Primus definitely has a web control panel at https://mytbb.primus.ca/. They also have this really cool application called VOISS which gives you call display on your computer and lets you control your phone in all sorts of other ways. It also tells you when someone is using the phone, and what number they have dialed.

[Tha DraGun]

This isn't a hot deal... Regular price. Now if they gave us the USA price and their features then it would be HOT. I still don't know why they have a better price and better features :( Some days I wonder if I can just signup under a usa address. oh well.

I've had Vonage for just over a year. I have thier basic plan. I've never had a problem with them. Call quality is great. A couple times it was pretty bad, but lately I havent had any problems at all. Again, it all depends on your internet connection. If you have a bad connection, you will have bad sound quality. I've only had to call them once since I got it and I got the problem fixed fast.

If you want to know if your Internet connection can handle Vonage go here:
http://www.vonage-forum.com/tomtest/vonage.htm

Everyones experience is different so what I reccomend to anyone that is considering changing over to voip is to sign up with vonage and keep your landline phone. Try it out and if you don't like it you can cancel within 60days and get a full refund... If you do like it cancel the landline and switch over the phone numbers.

Pros:

- Compared to Bell it is a very good deal. I've saved tons of money. Cheaper then Cogeco voip

- Other people can call you free! Even if it's longdistance and they don't have vonage. They call a local access number, then punch in your number then the call is free for them.

- Tons of phone features. Everything you can think of is included.

- Two phone plan options. 500min or umlimited long distance. Always free incoming

- You take your phone number with you if you move.

- If go somewhere to visit you can take your phone adapter with you.. all you do is hook it up to internet and you can make and receive phone calls under your same number.

- You can receive your voicemail over the internet and be notified by email.

- If your internet is down it will forward calls to any other number you would like (mine goes to my cell) or it will go to voicemail.

- If you refer people you get 2 months free and $50 prepaid visa! (if anyone wants me to sign them up, pm me. :D Plleeeeasse. lol)

Cons:

- Quality depends on your internet connection.

- 911 service is a little different. If you don't have your address set up in your vonage account correct they will not know where you are. Also from what I've heard it it also takes a little longer to get a hold of someone.

- Some 1-800 numbers do not work. They are trying to fix that tho.

- If your internet connection or power is out you have no phone. (calls can be forwarded to another number for free tho)

- After Trial, If you cancel within two years of activating you are charged $45 disconnect fee.

- You have to install it yourself. If you want the phone to go all throughout your house to all phone jacks you have to disconnect the bell lines going into your house. Its easy to do but some arent comfortable messing with wires.

[Mir]

Primus has all these features. They definitely have E911. Click to Call on Vonage = Phone Control on Primus. V-access just means that you can call Vonage to Vonage for free, but with Primus you can call Primus to Primus for free. And I really don't care about the router since I like to run my own router with 3rd party firmware which has way more features than any linksys router.

V-acess Mean A non Vonage USER can call Vonage Customer. Exmaple.
Qwest user from LA California can dial a Local acess Number then go through IVR then Dial a 416 number who is Vonage user. So that is how one of the V-acess Feature for Non Vonage user.
About Router; as I said it may not be best for you. however it is awsome deal if some body do not want to spend Money and hassle getting Router and have to be TECHIE to upgrade the firmware of their ROuter and MAINTAIN.
Mind it you need very NICE pwr Router to HANDLE RTP traffice other wise you will jitter or one way traffic.
With Vonage every thing done on Vonage side; with very nice QOS; where it works and maintain by Vonage. NOT SPENDING MOENY to buy NICE ROUTER.
Last time I checked with Primus/Lingo did not had ACTIVE E911 (they were working on PLan).

[LNahid2000]

With Vonage every thing done on Vonage side; with very nice QOS; where it works and maintain by Vonage. NOT SPENDING MOENY to buy NICE ROUTER.

Last time I checked with Primus/Lingo did not had ACTIVE E911 (they were working on PLan).
With Vonage, the QoS is not done on their side, it is still being done in the Vonage router, just automatically instead of having to set it up. You are paying for it indirectly, in the form of higher monthly charges and Vonage's various fees.

Also, I've had E911 with Primus TalkBroadband for over 2 years now.

[BB88]

Company with 2.5 million customers has terrible customer service? I find that hard to believe.


I wonder what do you believe in.

[Mir]

With Vonage, the QoS is not done on their side, it is still being done in the Vonage router, just automatically instead of having to set it up. You are paying for it indirectly, in the form of higher monthly charges and Vonage's various fees.

Also, I've had E911 with Primus TalkBroadband for over 2 years now.
Errrrrrrr QoS can't be done on Vonage Side. (Moot idea)
A number of subscribers in Alberta have inquired as to their ineligibility to receive Enhanced 9-1-1, even though they appear to meet the basic requirements


Yes with Vonage Adapter it is Plug Play no user interaction Required!
They do not charge indirectly for the adapter.
However YOU PAY directly for the Router with Primus. If you need a QOS you spend quiet bit $$$ and then you have to very NICE Firmware which have to maintain it.
Look at Primus Adapter option so limited. So no way you can Compare with Vonage has to offer over Primus.
They also do not have Network unaviablity option. If ATA goes down you get NO Calls
Also they do not have simutanously ring option.

[Mir]

I wonder what do you believe in.

http://i.dslr.net/awards/2.gif

[LNahid2000]

Yes with Vonage Adapter it is Plug Play no user interaction Required!
They do not charge indirectly for the adapter.
However YOU PAY directly for the Router with Primus. If you need a QOS you spend quiet bit $$$ and then you have to very NICE Firmware which have to maintain it.
Look at Primus Adapter option so limited. So no way you can Compare with Vonage has to offer over Primus.
They also do not have Network unaviablity option. If ATA goes down you get NO Calls
Also they do not have simutanously ring option.
By charging indirectly, I meant in the form of higher fees. Yes, I did pay directly for a router with Primus, but it sure wasn't expensive. There have been lots of deals on this very website to get the WRT54GL for $40. And there isn't any maintenance required. I'm not home 8 months out of the year and my non-tech savvy parents can still use everything just fine.

Primus does have the network unavailability option. If the ATA goes down, the calls are automatically redirected to my cell phone. They also have the simultaneous ring option. It's called Find Me Follow Me.

[Mir]

By charging indirectly, I meant in the form of higher fees. Yes, I did pay directly for a router with Primus, but it sure wasn't expensive. There have been lots of deals on this very website to get the WRT54GL for $40. And there isn't any maintenance required. I'm not home 8 months out of the year and my non-tech savvy parents can still use everything just fine.

Primus does have the network unavailability option. If the ATA goes down, the calls are automatically redirected to my cell phone. They also have the simultaneous ring option. It's called Find Me Follow Me.

Find me and Found me is Little different it rings then Switch it over.
I yet to see WRT54GL for $40 I have seen with TAX and SHiPPing with it. Then you have to know how to hack to 3rd party Firmware. There goes your Warrantty and support for that Router.
If you want to look for Deal; you can get your OWN DiD and for $5 and buy outbond mins as you needed and setup your OWN Astrick. Lot Cheaper then Primus Too. ;)

[burnaby]

+1

Test to make sure your internet speed can handle VOIP.

The not working 1-800 is a real pain. The big company don't seem to have a non 1-800 for customer support. Where did you hear they're trying to fix it. This missing feature is a primary reason I don't recommend VONAGE.
...

Cons:

- Quality depends on your internet connection.

...

- Some 1-800 numbers do not work. They are trying to fix that tho.

...

[st7860]

both italk and primus are a lot cheaper than vonage for a better plan.

[SKperformance]

The reason some 1800 number don't work for Canada is because the switches are located in the US. So many Canadian 1800 numbers are not paying for North American coverage and only national. If you have a number you can't reach just call vonage and they will have it added to the database in 24 hours. I have done this before and it works after.Otherwise find the companies local number (google) and call it as it is still free.

[Mir]

Actually if 1 800/8777/888 are north American; they would not accept the calls because they do not go by DiD or where ever calling from. They go where call my be originating from and its often in NJ USA
As SKperformance said call them up they just re map that toll free numer to their toll number

[puroi]

using vbuzzer, moved away from rogers.
~$2.50 for a 416.
~$2.50 for outgoing and incoming unlimited, voice mail mp3'ed to my email.
got an an unlocked router wireless, 4 ports and 2 voip ports for $80, tax in.
once in a while, yea, there might be an issue. i had 1 problem in 6 months, could not call a certain number. Problem lasted 2 weeks, on and off. Cant beat that price.

[warthunder2k]

Thanks guys I,ll try that

[TorontoEh]

using vbuzzer, moved away from rogers.
~$2.50 for a 416.
~$2.50 for outgoing and incoming unlimited, voice mail mp3'ed to my email.
got an an unlocked router wireless, 4 ports and 2 voip ports for $80, tax in.
once in a while, yea, there might be an issue. i had 1 problem in 6 months, could not call a certain number. Problem lasted 2 weeks, on and off. Cant beat that price.

do u have to use your PC for this to work or regular home phone?

How does the above process works? sounds cheaper then vonage but can you explain the process ?

[Jungle]

Will this phone work with Rogers lite ? 256 Kbps download and 64 Kbps upload?

[Mir]

Will this phone work with Rogers lite ? 256 Kbps download and 64 Kbps upload?

U have to use Bandwidth Saver to reduce bandwidth
You will feel the voice Quality difference. However it would be slow browsing the internet and Phone Call

[Jungle]

Left C#apy BELL 2 years ago when I moved and joined vonage through their online offer and since havent looked back!!! AMAZING SERVICE...

I received:
Free activation
Free 3 Months service
Free Modem
Free Shipping
$50 Visa Prepaid card
$20 Signup bonus from referral (we both got)

and now on $19 plan and absolutely love it :)

How did you get them to waive all those fees?

[TorontoEh]

How did you get them to waive all those fees?

actually i didnt even had to ask for it, it was during their special summer offer, i think in 06.....

[jraja]

anyone get any good deals, I just called them would like them to waive the activation and shipping charges, anyone succeed on this recently.

[trunkspace]

anyone get any good deals, I just called them would like them to waive the activation and shipping charges, anyone succeed on this recently.

I signed up with Vonage not even 2 months ago. On my very first call, I was just calling for some information/pricing, but I mentioned how I wanted to switch from my current provider who I was fed up with (Videotron). I got a quote, and then he tried to slip in (quietly) the activation/shipping fees. As soon as those fees were mentioned, I changed my tune and said I'd have to THINK about it, because it was getting "quite costly with all these additional fees" and so he said "I'll have to ask my supervisor if I can waive the fees". He said he would only ask his Supervisor if I guaranteed him that I would sign up if those fees were waived. I agreed - and so he put me on hold for literally 15 seconds and then came back and said "no problem".

Vonage seems very flexible with those fees -- if they can be sure they'll get you on board!

[Tenshi]

just be careful to read the fine print, as there will be a disconnect fee if you don't stay long...

[Jungle]

I called twice and they would not waive all the fees. Best they would do is waive the activation-that's it. After some research, I have read a lot of negative things about Vonage.

I went with Rogers Home Phone Basic, 19.99/ month, no contract. You don't have to buy any internet connection and from what I have read I believe it's more reliable than VoIP, since Rogers has its own dedicated line. Comes with 911 service too.

Sorry Vonage, you suck at selling your (crappy) service.

[Mir]

I went with Rogers Home Phone Basic, 19.99/ month, no contract. You don't have to buy any internet connection and from what I have read I believe it's more reliable than VoIP, since Rogers has its own dedicated line. Comes with 911 service too.

Sorry Vonage, you suck at selling your (crappy) service.
I dont think so.
Rogers have 19.99 plus their various fees. (System acess fee +etc)
Your calling area with vonage it is not your home town where you getting services.

[selpats]

I don't really see how this is a hot deal?

Regardless, my experience with Vonage has been excellent. I have been on their $19.99 plan for almost three years now and have never had an issue, not once, I highly recommend them.

[st7860]

I don't really see how this is a hot deal?

Regardless, my experience with Vonage has been excellent. I have been on their $19.99 plan for almost three years now and have never had an issue, not once, I highly recommend them.

thats because with telus the basic line cost is $28/mo and the long distance rate blows.

however, if you're a high usage customer, there's almost no reason to go with vonage anymore. $45/mo or so you get a REAL copper phone line and unlimited canada/US calling.

[selpats]

Well, I didn't consider it a "Hot Deal" because this has been around forever...

Good deal regardless, just not anything new and I am sure that there are numerous about it...

Thanks to the OP.

[shuffle]

thats because with telus the basic line cost is $28/mo and the long distance rate blows.

however, if you're a high usage customer, there's almost no reason to go with vonage anymore. $45/mo or so you get a REAL copper phone line and unlimited canada/US calling.

And how well does you're Telus line work when you want to bring it with you when traveling? Oh yeah, you can't!

[st7860]

if you really wanted an internet phone that bad you could go with primus or italk , or even TELUS and get a much better plan

[brunes]

Although I am with Vonage currently and do think they are a good bargain, I don't see why this thread should be in HOt Deals since this is the STANDARD Vonage deal. It's been the same for the past two years or more.


Admin pls. move this thread,

[brunes]

thats because with telus the basic line cost is $28/mo and the long distance rate blows.

however, if you're a high usage customer, there's almost no reason to go with vonage anymore. $45/mo or so you get a REAL copper phone line and unlimited canada/US calling.

How is $45 a month with no features VS. $39.95 a month for every imaginable feature plus more a bargain?

Don't really care if I have a copper line, I have 24 hours of battery backup and frankly my cable internet is just as reliable as my Bell line ever was. And the $20 a month I am saving on calling features pays for a cell phone for even more backup!

[st7860]

How is $45 a month with no features VS. $39.95 a month for every imaginable feature plus more a bargain?

Don't really care if I have a copper line, I have 24 hours of battery backup and frankly my cable internet is just as reliable as my Bell line ever was. And the $20 a month I am saving on calling features pays for a cell phone for even more backup!

that $39.95 plan you're talking about is an internet phone that needs electricity to function. You don't need electricity nor the internet to use the $45/mo telus service and obviously you won't hear funny oises too.

[Jungle]

Pro's
long distance
cheap Price
free features

Cons
1800 don't work
reliability is not consistant
requires high speed interent
sometimes poor voice quality
no phone when power is out
911 is not local dispatch
2 year hidden contract
poor customer service
activation fee
shipping fee
early termination fee

I don't believe it's the best phone for primary use.

[Azenha]

www.vonage.ca

$19.99 Basic plan 500 MINS anywhere in Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico. FREE INCOMING.

$39.99 - unlimited calling anywhere in Canada, the U.S., Puerto Rico, Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland!


So the VOIP discussion resurfaces, yet again.

Vonage is way OVERPRICED!!!! Their adapter's are also LOCKED!!! which means that they are unless with other VOIP providers after you've left them (and yes, I know that some can be hacked).

Do a search on RFD and you'll find many significantly lower cost VOIP phone services which provide even more features and services then Vonage. For example, WWW.ACANAC.COM offers for $10/month unlimited phone service with every calling feature available and free unlimited local and long distance anywhere in Canada and the US. Even better, their VOIP service uses the standard SIP protocol which means that you can use the service with any standard VOIP phone, software phone, etc. In other words, load a softphone onto your WiFi PDA or your laptop, and you now have a wireless phone that can be used anywhere in the world for free (i.e. a hotel room, a WiFi hotspot, etc.)

Forget about Vonage! There are way overpriced. The Acanac example given is only an example. There are many VOIP service providers out there which much lower costs and more features. Again, do a search on RFD as there has been many, many, many, threads on this topic over the last few years.

[Mir]

Pro's
long distance
cheap Price
free features

Cons
1800 don't work
reliability is not consistant
requires high speed interent
sometimes poor voice quality
no phone when power is out
911 is not local dispatch
2 year hidden contract
poor customer service
activation fee
shipping fee
early termination fee

I don't believe it's the best phone for primary use.
If you bring your own device there is no discountion, shipping Activation fee there is no contract.

Sound Quality and Realiability depend on your internet connection

[[H]ackerK]

I tried Vonage once.. quality was horrible.. so i returned the VOIP box back to Best Buy.... BB then put the box back on the shelf... and another customer picked it up and realized they could get free VOIP service because it was still activated under my account. (I called Vonage to cancel, and they told me to just return it to BB)

So after a few months Vonage went after me for usage by another customer and refused to believe that BB could have done this. It took a month of calls, screaming, a letter from BB, faxed copies of return receipts, and a letter from my lawyer before they decided that i was not responsible for the charges.

If there's one company that knows customer service better than Rogers... its Vonage!

Holy crap. *IF* I am going to try Vonage and had to return unit to store, note to self, fry it before return... Gosh.