 Review by jeisenberg 
UPDATED: 37 days ago
member for 7.2 years, 1956 visits, last login: 4 days ago
 Windsor,ON
 $45 per month
 about 5 days
 "No charge long distance, visual caller ID, visual call waiting"
 "Service dependent on internet availability, a few missing call features"
 "If you use anything beyond basic telco features, you'll save a bundle"
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Call Quality:
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(ratings match consensus)
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Update (August 2008): Nothing much to say, actually. Things are still awesome with Cogeco VOIP. Surprisingly few losses of service since my last review. It's one of those services that seems to always be there, so not much to say. The only real reason for this "update" is because I noticed that my avatar no longer indicated that I had a Cogeco VOIP review. I guess it must have expired after a two year absence in updates!
Update (June 24/06): Just had my first major problem with VOIP service. We had a major storm this past Wednesday, and the electrical transformer right behind my house took a direct lightning hit. The transformer had to be replaced, and I noticed that my VOIP service went down during the storm and did not return afterward. I scheduled a service call for today (they had wanted to schedule me for Thursday or Friday, but I was not going to be home), and was out when the tech arrived (missed him by a few minutes). I called Cogeco, and they turned the tech around and he came back within 30 minutes of having left. I needed to have my modem swapped out, which he did in a matter of minutes. My service is back online and I'm tickled pink. Try getting service that quickly from Bell!
I'd been a Bell customer for well over 30 years, including their long distance service. As a long-time customer, they had offered me packages not advertised to the general public. Despite those deals, my long distance service was still costing me between $10 and $30 per month - and I did not subscribe to caller ID.
I waited until the Devonshire Mall location had a working VOIP display before finally committing to the service. Before ordering, I placed several long distance calls directly from the phone in the mall. I booked the appointment on the spot, and was given a four-hour window when the installer would arrive. I elected to keep my existing telephone number, and Cogeco made all the arrangements with Bell to terminate the service at the correct time. It was Cogeco that disconnected the Bell service, so my phones were never "out of service" before the installation.
The installation did not go completely smoothly - with the technician having to do some wiring troubleshooting. However, he stayed until the job was completed, and verified that all my handsets were operational before he left. My cable modem was replaced with a different model that directly ties into my home phone wiring, and is equipped with an 8-hour backup power source. Since I have not yet had an electrical failure, I don't know whether this backup only powers the phone service or the internet connection as well.
With Cogeco VOIP service, I receive call quality that I have to call excellent. Except for two very brief service outages (one coming the day after installation of the service), the service has been rock steady. And all calls within Canada and the continental US are absolutely free of charge.
Soon after installation, I also had an issue with their voicemail. My voicemail box somehow got messed up, and it required a "reboot" of the service (effectively erasing the few messages I already had on file). There have been no troubles at all since then.
When a call is placed, there is sometimes a short (maybe 2 second) period of "echo" on the line. Cogeco says it is a system-wide issue which they are working to resolve. All calls within Canada and the US are dialed with a 10-digit direct number - you don't dial the "1" prefix. In areas that support 7-digit local calling, this works as well.
If you need to call outside North America, Cogeco recommends you purchase a calling card with a toll-free access number, since the VOIP service currently cannot place those calls directly. You also cannot accept collect calls or make calls to pay services (such as 976 or 900 numbers).
The Cogeco website indicates that some call features such as three-way calling may be coming later, though it's not clear whether they will carry an additional charge. I also found Windsor's new "311" service for access to all local government services does not work. However, you can access the very same service by dialing 255-CITY.
All in all, I am extremely satisfied with the service and price. While Vonage seemed to have a lower price, I chose Cogeco because it gave me a single point of responsibility for cable and phone service.
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