Bulllwinkle,

I'm trying out Vonage.I can cancel without charge in the the first month.  Except  for  AT&T's slow switch-out of my prior service, Vonage is working well. The cost is $24.95 plus taxes. I believe the total charge to about $30/month. That seems a little higher than Pioneer. It is my understanding that there is no extra charge for service to US, Britain, Italy, Spain and Canada. Calls to Mexico are 1 cent per minute. Korea is 6 cents per minute. Vonage also offered me 3 months with no service charge (other than taxes) because of the hiccup in the switch which, as I mentioned, was mostly AT&T's problem.I am a little concerned about Vonage's financial position. I believe that it is a penny stock.In a pinch I can default to my cell phone.

David

Right now Vonage has a special, $9.95 for 3 months. I tried them out a few years ago for a FAX line, and recently changed my landline over as well.

You can save about 20% if you prepay 12 months in advance, which I intend to do once my special rate is over.

I have enjoyed great service, but I have always had a very good broadband connection. I used to have Road Runner, now I have Fios. I expect your service will be as good as your broadband connection.

They have some nifty features standard that the telcos don't offer unless you open your wallet wider.

I haven't regretted changing at all, in the 5 years I've used them.

Rick

3u telecom

Great rates and no surcharges or minimums.

Regards, Vince 

We travel a lot and have a cell phone with No Roaming, etc.

This is a God Send compared to the days we had to find a pay phone to make a call.

Finding a pay phone was one thing but finding a pay phone in a place where I could park the RV was a challenge, along with finding a pay phone that worked and did not smell like an outhouse in the middle of Kansas in August.

We have Alltel and our plan offers humongous minutes on the week ends.

The wife camps on the call phone calling her weird relatives every weekend.

My kin are normal so we only have to talk to one another on special occasions, such as funerals.

After reading this post, about being cheap, I decided I didn’t really need the Long Distance (LD) service I was getting from QWEST that was costing me $1.99 plus tax just to have it available. Not only did I not like the tax thing on phones, I occasionally used the damn phone for a call that resulted in a LD charge of 10 cents, plus tax.

So I called QWEST and got a real good looker on the line. Us old guys can tell just by the sound of the voice. She was young, thin, and pure as the driven snow. I almost felt ashamed talking to a #10.

The main thing I wanted to know was that if I dropped by LD feature I could still dial a 1-800 (AKA Toll Free) number. This way I could use a calling card in a pinch.

She allowed as I could do that.

Now comes the rub.

This QWEST lady told me it would cost me $5 to get my LD disconnected!

I was suspecting some underhanded ploy so I kept her on the line with dumb ass questions. Why do they want $5 to disconnect me but they did not want a thin dime to connect me and start charging me for LD service?

Is this fee just to discouraged folks from disconnecting the LD service?

Well, this fat broad had all the answers and was well trained.

She countered every accusation I made. I can just see the warts on her face!

I suspect I got a call center in Iowa and she trains between pork chops.

PS:

Please do not recommend another cell phone service to me. I have had Alltel for 85 years and they know me by name.

My cell phone is the last of historic vintage.

It is so big that an elephant could dial 911.

Rossby

Use your computer and make your calls for free.

Use Skype    http://www.skype.com/

Buy a cheap internet camera and can see each other as you speak.(not required)

Works great, costs nothing.

I talked to one of my daughters in Denmark at school from the US almost everyday

for four months and spent NOTHING!

Try it, it will cost you nothing to try it also.

Good Luck!

Even better than Skype........... Magicjack   www.magicjack.com

I am in the "testing" phase right now, but this little device might just be the greatest thing ever.   It is like Skype (voip), but you use your phones.   Like Vonage, but ridiculously cheaper.

The unit (basically a USB thumb drive) costs about $40, and gives you free local and long distance calling in the US and Canada for a year.   An additional year is $19.95, and if you extend it to 5 years it is only $59.95.   Heck.... my phone portion of my bill is that much per month right now.

I actually purchased mine on Amazon for.... I think $32 + $6.95 shipping?   ....but I signed up for their credit card and got $30 off my order.... so it will cost me less than $10.

So far I'm really pleased with it (only been 3 days).   There are some drawbacks (must leave computer on, main phone needs to be at computer.... unless you do some tricky rewiring, etc..), but I'm looking at some huge saving here.   Still have my landline until I am sure I am comfortable dropping it, but.... you just can't beat the price.

I use Skype. The other person does not need a computer. YOu can call a landline or a cell phone. I use it all the time to call Europe and it's very inexpensive 0.017 per minute. No initial investment for equipment. All you need is a computer.

Jeannette

I have been using skype 3 years and very happy with it. Saved lots of $$$ so far. In some cases perhaps you don't need cell phone either.

1. You can an account for Wi-Max service from clear wire and use your computer with the help of blue tooth enabled ear phone and microphone to make calls. In this way you have internet service both at home and to go as well.

or

2. Buy a Wi-Fi phone, download skype application and make calls (free calls skype to skpye or very low fees to landline/cell phones all over the world) where ever you can get free or subscribed Wi-Fi.

 Anatole

Jeannette10:

I use Skype. The other person does not need a computer. YOu can call a landline or a cell phone. I use it all the time to call Europe and it's very inexpensive 0.017 per minute. No initial investment for equipment. All you need is a computer.

Jeannette

Skype also has unlimited calling plans. I signed up  for the US/Canada/Europe plan; it is $100/yr, and they complain only if you go over 10,000 mins/month. I use it for work. It's great. I don't know if this plan can be used for cell phones in Europe - never tried it.

If you use Skype credits, i.e., pay per minute, then calls to cell phones in Europe are expensive; almost 24 cents/minute, calls to landlines are very inexpensive.

I have to look into this skype.  I've heard of it but thought you had to sit at your computer to talk, and I like to wander the house or go outdoors.

We have Comcast triple play, and I'm sure we're getting hosed.  But, I like the high speed internet, the digital TV, but the phone is annoying.  If the kid takes us offline in order to hook up his Xbox or whatever, we lose our phone service.

All this for 200 a month. 

GG

I know but they've got me over a barrel.  No one else will give me the high speed that we want, we live at the shore.....and in order to get it we have to have the digital package.

I can hardly sit down it hurts so much.

GG

who is taking a licking.

GardenGirl:

I have to look into this skype.  I've heard of it but thought you had to sit at your computer to talk, and I like to wander the house or go outdoors.

GG

When I use Skype I make phone calls through my computer, so yeah, for this you are tied to it.I use it at work, so this is not a problem for me.

They also have a feature called SkypeIn, where you get a phone number and people can call that number. You may have to be at your computer; I don't know about this...

 vivek

Which shore?  I lived near the shore of Lake Michigan when i was a kid - Chicago.  I was surrounded by the "shore" twice on islands - The Azores & Okinawa.  Now i live near the ocean shore (Atlantic) - the Hampton/Newport News area of VA.

Understand if you don't want to give location.  Max might try to find you!  Bull

Skype users.....

Look into MagicJack...... it is like talking on Skype (voip), only you use your actual phones.   ...and it costs next to nothing.   I officially dropped my regular landline service and use this.   See my post above.

 All you do is plug your phone into the MagicJack/USB device, then into the USB port on your computer.   I have a cordless phone with 2 other satellite phones.   So far it has been great.

We got our hours cut back to 32 at work, and had a layoff.... so money is a little tight, and I am a little nervous.   So.... this MagicJack thing is really going to save me some money.   Also cut my internet speed doen to 768 (DSL), so my phone/internet bill should be slightly around $25 month.

In Europe we have ADSL packages costing 30 € per month that include:

• high speed Internet access
  
• worldwide unlimited VOIP phone calls using a normal phone
  
• cable TV

I've been a customer for years and am very satisfied.  Our provider's web page is HERE.  The reliability is very high.

Since the technology is there, I'm wondering if something similar exists in the US?  If not, are there regulations preventing its use?

Bulllwinkle:

Which shore?  I lived near the shore of Lake Michigan when i was a kid - Chicago.  I was surrounded by the "shore" twice on islands - The Azores & Okinawa.  Now i live near the ocean shore (Atlantic) - the Hampton/Newport News area of VA.

Understand if you don't want to give location.  Max might try to find you!  Bull

GG is from the Garden State of NJ!!

Rossby,

This must be the best post I have read this year! I am just recuperating and burst out laughing as I read your post. I thought such people, as your beautiful, #10, lady,  were restricted to NYC with an ankle bracelet!

Thanks for sharp sense of humour.

Best regards,

Solly

Sasol/Solly, Both of your names caught my eye, even though the spelling of "Solly" is not what I'd expect. Did you work at Sasol?

I did, but the name and owner were different when I accepted the buyout back in 1995.

I won't mention the name of the city but I will give a couple clues: Barrel House. Also, I worked in the I & E Dept.

Any of that familiar?

Whether we know each other or not, I hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hey, that goes for the rest of you guys and gals too, whatever holidays you celebrate.

Allan J

With Vonage, do you need the computer on to talk or receive calls? And then you hook the Vonage box to 1 wired or cordless phone. No extension phones then I assume.

With Vonage you don't have to have your PC on at all, it works over the internet just like your PC, not THRU your PC. If you have a router, you will use a port off it, if not, the Vonage equipment will have a router/adaptor in one piece.

IF you remove the connection from your TELCO at your network interface device, you isolate your inside wiring from the TELCO.

Make sure your inside wiring remains isolated from the TELCO wiring, otherwise you can damage your phones.

Then, you can use your house wiring to distribute phone connections wherever you have a jack, or you can use a base station w/cordless extensions. Obviously a base station with cordless extensions is the easiest, you can put the phones where you want, as no jack is needed. The base station plugs into Vonage's TA (telephone adapter).

The Vonage web site explains in detail.

Rick

Vonage knows how to keep customers, as well.

I've had great service with Vonage, but like everyone else, I look for ways to cut my bills. So, I called up to cancel my fax line.

Vonage changed my billing to $4.99/month for a year on my fax line, and gave me two free months on my house phone line, effectively giving me almost a year's worth of free fax line service. I can live with that, easily.

I'll just have to remember to call again when the twelve months are up. ;-)

By then I expect companies will be paying us to use them.

Rick

I used Vonage for 2 or 3 years and enjoyed the cost effectiveness, but too many people complained about the inferior quality of the sound and echo on their end, although I didn't notice it. Also, our electricity goes off quite often during bad weather. Whenever that happened, our calls got routed to my daughter who didn't appreciate the inconvenience.

A couple of years ago, Verizon came into the neighborhood with FIOS and I went for the Freedom Triple threat package. I get good phone service now, and fast broadband speed for the computer. I have one landline connected directly to the wall so even if the electricity goes out we still have the phone. Plenty of good movies and interesting TV channels to choose from, but it's a little pricey.

When the Verizon crew (very nice people) installed the system, they hinted that if I ever went back to Vonage that the reception would be much better because of the Fiber Optic lines in the house.

Sy 

When the Verizon crew (very nice people) installed the system, they hinted that if I ever went back to Vonage that the reception would be much better because of the Fiber Optic lines in the house.

Very true. The quality of Vonage service rests primarily on the quality of your internet connection. 

When I first started with Vonage, I had Time-Warner Roadrunner internet service, which was very fast. Now I have Fios internet service, which is very, very fast. So, I've enjoyed good service from Vonage with two internet service providers.

Rick

Rick,

Very true. The quality of Vonage service rests primarily on the quality of your internet connection. 

But that defeats the purpose of Vonage for me. I have the triple package making the Verizon Freedom phone plan about $15 more per month than Vonage. If I cancel the phone service now, three negative things happen. The cost of broadband and cable rise because I'm unbundling the package and I also lose an additional discount for a set top box. In addition I may have to pay a penalty for breaking the yearly contract. And when the electricity fails, I have no phone service. The only advantage would be if I needed another phone line; which I don't.

Sy

We changed out ATT to a basic ATT phone line (unlimited local,  caller ID and call waiting), replaced their LD with Pioneer Telephone at 1.9 cents/min.  Got a $20 credit through Citizens Utility Board.  Took a little work with the switch, but worth the effort.  Online billing waives monthly fee.  Saving $25/mo.

norbertc:

In Europe we have ADSL packages costing 30 € per month that include:

• high speed Internet access
  
• worldwide unlimited VOIP phone calls using a normal phone
  
• cable TV

The computer may be left off for TV and phone use.

I've been a customer for years and am very satisfied.  Our provider's web page is HERE.  The reliability is very high.

Since the technology is there, I'm wondering if something similar exists in the US?  If not, are there regulations preventing its use?

norbert -

we dont have anything that is so fairly priced here.  we should, because the internet cable and phone are basically the same thing, but AT&T charges about 120USD a month for it, as does the other large provider Comcast Cable.  you can get the services cheaper here if you dont get a package and pick and choose the best deals out there, but we dont have the nice package like in France/Europe.  the issue is that only certain companies have laid down the cables for that technology and they do not allow competition to seep in.

i use:

AT&T for telephone and internet and cable tv, it is just a little cheaper than Comcast.  but i switch between the two because the new customer packages are about 50$ cheaper than the existing customer prices.

for long distance:

my folks use nonoh.net, it is a web phone service that costs about 30 dollars per 4 months and you call the number with the computer and then your house phone rings and you are connected!  but looking at some of these other suggestions, i think we might be better off with another service like magicJack.