Review by HarperJG 
UPDATED: 314 days ago
member for 7.6 years, 290 visits, last login: 257 days ago
 Nashville,Davidson,TN
 $32 per month
 about 3 days
 "No more Bellsouth, can keep same number when moving"
 "None so far..will update when move"
 "So far, so good...."
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(ratings match consensus)
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I had originally planned to get Vonage when I moved to a house that is currently under construction, mainly because I wanted to keep my existing phone number, as the house is not in a Bellsouth serviced area. However, line noise developed on my existing Bellsouth landline about 2 months ago, and the Bellsouth technician that tested the line said that the problem was inside. I did not have the inside wiring plan, so I would have to pay for the repair (as much as $200). When I called Bellsouth to add the inside wiring plan, I was told that I would have to wait 30 days before the inside wiring plan would be effective. Bellsouth never gave me a legitimate reason for this, other than just saying it is just the way it is. I did port the number to MCI out of frustration with Bellsouth, but finally decided to go with Vonage.
I ordered the service via their website the night of Wednesday, December 16th along with a Vonage supplied phone adapter. The adapter arrived on Friday, December 22nd, and I installed it the following morning (Saturday, December 23rd). The instructions were rather straight forward, and after plugging the phone adapter to my router and a phone, the phone had a dial tone. The quality of the Vonage line, so far, has been significantly better than the landline. Plus I am receiving unlimited long distance, which I did not have on my Bellsouth landline.
With my Bellsouth landline phone, I was paying nearly $40.00 a month, and that was without any long distance. I had an unlisted and unpublished phone number, so that was another fee tacked on all the other fees. I opted for the $24.99 premium unlimited plan, and the total up front costs was $43.79 ($29.99 activation fee, shipping on the Telephone Adapter, and taxes). Total monthly charges should be around $32.00 according to the price estimates. The Telephone Adapter was free after rebate, and the first month is free. I’m currently using a virtual phone number while my landline number is in the process of being ported over.
I’m currently rating the service as mixed, since I’ve only been on it a few days. Once I move to the new house, I will update this review according. At this point, I’m just happy there are now alternatives to Bellsouth and other local traditional landline phone services, such as Vonage. It may just be me, but whenever I had to deal with Bellsouth (customer service, etc.), their service and demeanor seemed to be less than average, perhaps because they had a monopoly on local phone service in a given area. VoIP service and cell phones may not totally eliminate land phone lines, but at least it is forcing phone companies like Bellsouth to take notice, as they have some serious competition now.
UPDATE 1/5/08
I have been with Vonage for about a year now in my new house, and have not really had any major issues with it. I considered using Comcast's VoIP service and ditching Vonage, but the price would had been higher that I am paying now ($33 for the first 12 months, than the regular Comcast price vs. ~$32 to $33 w/ Vonage).
The only concern that I have regarding Vonage is the 911 service, however I did purchase APC UPS unit that I have the cable modem, router, Telephone Adapter, and phone hooked up to in case I needed to call 911 in case of a power outage. Worse case I could use my cell phone or the OnStar service in our Saturn in case I could not get to 911 through my Vonage Line. To date we've only had two power outages, and they have been brief in nature (less than 10 mins each).
Overall, I am happy with the service, and not being nickeled and dimed to death for the extra services that Bellsouth did (i.e. unlisted number, call waiting, etc.). I especially like the ability to review your call activity online as well as receiving notice via email that a voice mail has been left.
Update: 1/19/09. I ported the number to a cell phone and disconnected the Vonage service.
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