Vonage: From a Seasoned Customer

I have had Vonage service for well over a year. Before I signed up for their service it had been years since we had home phone service. I was of the mind set that long distance fees and the fees just to have the connivance of a home phone were just not worth it. I had my cell phone why did I need more? Then I received a job offer where I had to have a home phone and a fax. I called the local service and there fees were well over fifty dollars a month for what I needed. It was then that I decided to check out the Vonage services that I had heard about online and on television commercials. Vonage promised to be easy to install. Vonage also offered one low rate for unlimited calling. Here is my honest opinion of the pros and cons of the Vonage Phone.

Vonage was very easy to sign up for. I received an email and went to check out their website. I decided to call Vonage to sign up for service. I prefer to talk to someone. It was very easy. She asked the basic questions, name, address, email and payment information. Before I was off the phone with the Vonage representative I had an email with all the information for my new Vonage account in my inbox. A few days later I received my Vonage router via UPS. It was as Vonage had advertised easy to hook up. Just plug it in to my existing router and plug in a phone and I was in business.

I continued with my new job and my Vonage service for over a year. I was very pleased with the service and convenience I received with my Vonage phone service. I could call anywhere in the United States and Canada for only $24.95. When my job ended though I thought that I could live with out the Vonage service and wanted to cancel it. This is where the problems started.

When you first sign up with Vonage you sign a year's contract. I was past my year so I could easily cancel my contract. When I called them to cancel I was sent to several different people. It was like in the movies where you get sent to all the different office only to find that the person you need to speak with has just left the office. It took me two phone calls to get my service canceled. But it was canceled with no problems after that.

I did though after a few months decide that I would like the Vonage V-phone. It is a phone that basically is much like a flash drive. You plug the Vonage V-phone into your USB port. It has a headset and a dialpad appears on your computer screen. I travel a lot now and know this would be a wonderful service. I went to Best Buy and bought the Vonage V-phone. They were unable to give me my new phone number at Best Buy and told me that it would be in an email. I waited several days and still no email. I found the number by calling my cell phone and it came up, but I had no email with all the fees and information. When I called Vonage to request the information I got someone who was very hard to understand. I had to continually ask her to repeat herself. She had no idea how to help me get my login and password and when I asked her for a supervisor she just kept telling me that I would get the information in an email. When I finally made it clear to the Vonage representative I wanted to speak to her supervisor and she at last transferred me the supervisor was able to help me in a matter of minutes.

Over all I have been happy with the service that I receive from Vonage. They have great features, which you can access from their website. You can have your Vonage phone forwarded to another number at the click of a mouse. You can also receive notice of a Vonage voicemail in your inbox to listen to. I love the fact that I can just take my Vonage V-Phone anywhere I have my laptop and a high speed internet connection. If you don't have to call customer service often or have the patience to deal with them, then Vonage is a worth while alternative to traditional phone service.