# We have Vonage. Should we be worried? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123 "2007-04-07T19:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/1 "2007-04-07T19:32:15Z")
Vonage got [bitchslapped](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqhP88XHcA7k&refer=home) by Verizon and now they are barred from adding new customers. Should we start shopping around for another VOIP (I think that’s what it’s called) or wait and see what happens? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/2 "2007-04-07T21:04:16Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Vonage got [bitchslapped](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqhP88XHcA7k&refer=home) by Verizon and now they are barred from adding new customers. Should we start shopping around for another VOIP (I think that’s what it’s called) or wait and see what happens? [/QUOTE] I hadn’t heard about that. But I do my phone service through my cable provider. $50/month, unlimited long distance. If your cable provider offers it, I think it’s a pretty good deal. It’s even better now that my employer picks up the cost! WooHOO! ---
**Author:** ![Gentle\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gentle\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gentle_Robot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/3 "2007-04-07T21:21:58Z")
$50? Seriously? Vonage is half that. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/4 "2007-04-07T21:25:30Z")
We’re paying about $24.99 a month, plus we get call waiting, conference calling, caller id, voice mail, etc. My cable provider does not yet offer phone service in my area. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/5 "2007-04-07T21:33:31Z")
[QUOTE=Gentle Robot] $50? Seriously? Vonage is half that. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but is it “conflict-free” long distance? 😉 I thought about Vonage, but a co-worker had it and it frequently got echoy. Not sure if that happens to other people, but it sort of put me off it. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/6 "2007-04-07T21:52:20Z")
It’s fine for us. There is a slight delay sometimes, between when you answer the phone and the connection kicks in, but it beats the hell out of Sprint. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/7 "2007-04-08T00:02:27Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Should we start shopping around for another VOIP (I think that’s what it’s called) or wait and see what happens? [/QUOTE] There are several other VoIP providers, packet 8being the one I use – because it is offered just about everwhere in the nation. I love unlimited calling longdistance and local for under $20 a month. Good luck on whatever you decide. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/8 "2007-04-08T14:33:24Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I hadn’t heard about that. But I do my phone service through my cable provider. $50/month, unlimited long distance. If your cable provider offers it, I think it’s a pretty good deal. It’s even better now that my employer picks up the cost! WooHOO! [/QUOTE] Us too, we have our telephone bundled with cale internet, and digital cable. It round sout to 29.99 a month, unlimited long distance ANYWHERE. We like it. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/9 "2007-04-08T20:20:06Z")
A friend of mine pays something like $10 a year for a Skype phone number, which you can hook up to an Internet phone. Just a piece of information I felt like spreading along. I, personally, hate Internet phone and wouldn’t use it for anything. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/10 "2007-04-09T01:14:45Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Vonage got [bitchslapped](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqhP88XHcA7k&refer=home) by Verizon and now they are barred from adding new customers. Should we start shopping around for another VOIP (I think that’s what it’s called) or wait and see what happens? [/QUOTE] For the moment they have been [un-bitchslapped](http://news.com.com/Vonage+Court+OKs+signing+new+customers/2100-1036_3-6173991.html). ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/11 "2007-04-09T12:13:14Z")
I must be on an old Vonage plan- $14.99/mo for 500 minutes, all bells and whistles (3-way calling, caller ID, voicemail, etc) included. I never see it on the ads anymore. Never have gone over 500 min/mo. We’re sticking with it until they pry it from my cold, dead hands. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/12 "2007-04-09T17:33:22Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] I must be on an old Vonage plan- $14.99/mo for 500 minutes, all bells and whistles (3-way calling, caller ID, voicemail, etc) included. I never see it on the ads anymore. Never have gone over 500 min/mo. We’re sticking with it until they pry it from my cold, dead hands. [/QUOTE] That’s what I have too. They offer it, but don’t advertise it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/13 "2007-05-06T19:13:16Z")
We just got an offer in the mail advertising the $14.99/mo for 500 minutes, OR going with their unlimited plan which you get to try free for one month. I’m trying to decide if we should try it out. Any idea how much bandwidth it’s going to use? Does your ISP get pissed off if you talk too much? Those of you who use it, still like it? ---
**Author:** ![AlwaysFresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@AlwaysFresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlwaysFresh)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/14 "2007-05-06T19:40:14Z")
I tried to love Vonage, I really did. It seemed to have a knack for dropping calls at the most inopportune moments…like when I was trying to make business deals. There’s nothing worse than being _this_ close to closing a deal and suddenly you hear silence. Vonage cost me money in lost business. They SUCKED for me. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-vonage-should-we-be-worried/399123/15 "2007-05-06T19:48:17Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Any idea how much bandwidth it’s going to use? Does your ISP get pissed off if you talk too much? [/QUOTE] VoIP only needs 64 kbps(but it needs a consistent 64 kbps).