VOIP Tech Chat → Lingo VOIP- $19.95 unlimited US, Canada, Western E

»www.lingo.com

PRIMUS Launches 'Lingo' High-Speed Internet Phone Service

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2004--

"Lingo" Offers 3-Months Free, Unmatched $19.95 Monthly Rate For
Unlimited Local and Long-Distance Calling in U.S., Plus Unlimited
Calling to Canada and Western Europe

Primus Telecommunications, Inc. ("PRIMUS") today eclipsed existing Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telecommunications companies in the United States by introducing "Lingo," a VOIP service that offers unmatched value and geographic coverage. Leveraging PRIMUS' global presence, and a VOIP network that reaches over 150 countries, the new Lingo service offers consumers free, unlimited calling to Western Europe - something no other broadband phone service provides. Lingo brings consumers with a broadband connection an alternative to their traditional U.S. telephone company- at savings of up to 80 percent.

Lingo is available free for a three-month period to consumers, and includes unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S., unlimited international calling to Canada and Western Europe, and over 25 popular calling features at no additional charge. Consumers can learn more about Lingo and sign up online for the service by visiting »www.Lingo.com.

The Lingo Offer

After three-months free, the same Lingo service will cost $19.95 per month, and be offered on a month-to-month basis without extended contract requirements. The plan includes:

-- Unlimited local and long-distance calls in the U.S., and
unlimited international calls to Canada and Western Europe

-- Very low rates to over 230 other top international locations

-- The opportunity to keep your current phone number

-- A free Lingo Analog Telephone Adapter ("ATA")

-- Over 25 calling features at no charge

-- Unlimited calls between Lingo customers

3 months free sounds nice...
$19.99 unlimited is quite competitive. what adapter do they ship?

IS this service provided by Primus? Anyone who has used the service care to comment on things like:

Voice quality/service reliability?
Features (do they all currently work)?
Customer service?

I'd consider switching from Vonage if services are good.:D

Why is the whole site under https ?

"Calls to mobile phones are not included"... »www.lingo.com/guWeb/com/ ··· plus.jsp

One thing in the T&C that I'm not sure is common with other providers would be this:

said by Lingo's Terms and Conditions:

---

5.CREDIT CHECK.

5.a. You consent and agree that Primus Telecommunications Group has the right to check Your credit rating from time to time.

5.b. You consent to the receipt and provision of account information from and to credit grantors, credit bureaus and suppliers of services.

---

Scott

after looking at the diagram of their adapter, it definetly is not a Sipura 1000 or 2000. It looks more like the VOnage Motorola VTA1005 with an extra phone jack on the back of it.

They say it functions as a router if you need it, otherwise you just plug it into the back of your router.

This sounds HUGE!

Primus is a big player and they offer much of what the others do for a VERY competitive price. The deal maker for me with Vonage was its 911 service, and this offers some kind of "Emergency Calling Service."

Nothing specific about what ATA they use, but they do say you can use it behind a router.

Something very confusing on their site
»www.lingo.com/guWeb/com/ ··· _911.jsp
The first paragraphs says routing to PSAP, while the second says routing to "local police station".
I thought 911 operation and local police are not the same thing..So Where on earth will they be routed?
Are they offering true E911 here? If yes, that'll be the industry first.

"Emergency Calling Service

It's safety first with Lingo!
When there's an emergency, you need to be connected fast real fast. Lingo's Emergency Calling Service dialing instantly routes your call from our network to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in your area. As a Lingo customer, you're automatically enrolled in the service.

It's important to note that Emergency Calling Service dialing will automatically route your call to the local police station for the address on file, not your temporary location. If you're moving your Lingo Service to a different location, you need to notify Lingo in advance of the new location so we can activate the Emergency Calling Service"

FYI - if you call the listed sales number (866-546-4603), you get a dry cleaner in NYC - and a grumpy dry cleaner tired of getting calls for Lingo!

The currect number is 866-546-4603 (all the other 888 numbers are correct). I called customer service and they are correcting the website.

Yeah, they sort of assume that your PSAP is the local cop shop. It may not be, so which is it? Good question.

I also notice the lack of Vonage's "Network Availablity Number," which is called if their servers can't reach your ATA. I do like that feature, but they seem to have covered just about everything else and then some (like ACR).

According to their telephone rep, the 29.95 activation and 9.95 shipping is being waived.

My order details:

Items Ordered
Item: Price:
Lingo Unlimited Subscription $19.95
Lingo Activation Fee $29.95
Phone Number $0.00
Primus Sold VoIP Lingo Equipment $0.00
Lingo Three Free Months Promotion ($19.95)
Lingo Pre-Payment ($39.90)
Item(s) Subtotal: ($9.95)
Shipping & Handling: $9.95
Tax: $0.00
Grand Total: $0.00

Were you able to get a phone number local to your community? What are the terms of return if you want to back out before the three months are up?

Free sounds, well, nice!

waived? that's cool.
But then is there any cancellation or termination fee after that?

I got a local number assigned immediately, they said that there is no cancellation fee, but there will be a charge of 39.95 if the ATA is not returned within 10 days of cancellation.

I would like to get this service, but they don't have 212 area code for New York City.

That's bad, But it's look great company.

Looks good, this may kill Packet8....but why they have Germany for 3c a minute while it should be for free ?

If all is true, free activation, free shipping, no contract, no termination, month by month service. whoa. that's gonna kill a lot more than just p8.

said by pcmeet:

---

Looks good, this may kill Packet8...

---

If you get the basic plan, that only includes 500 minutes, so I imagine that the 3C a minute is the overage charge.

arl, what about that "Add one or two Universal Numbers to your account to receive ‘local’ calls from anywhere in the world"

what's a "UNIVERSAL' number anyway? I suppose it's just a fancy name for a DID of your chosen in another area different from your area code..? or a virtual number that points to your main number?
So how many diff. DIDs are included in the 19.99 plan? " one or two" plus, the main one, is that "3"?
Why cant just these marketing guys be more upfront and specific??

Looks like they're still hammering out some launch shakiness.

First off, the phone # for sales is incorrectly-listed as 888-Lingo-03 -- some poor bastards at Manhattan Cleaners are getting swamped with calls. The correct number is:

866-Lingo-03 (546-4603)

2nd... the saleswoman I spoke to said they're *not* waiving activation & shipping... they "had some problems" that they've now "fixed" -- I asked "so, the problem is that you weren't charging, and fixing it means you *are* charging?" "Yes."

So you have 3 months to decide if the service is worth keeping, but you'll be out $29.95 + $9.95 shipping if it isn't.

Hmm.

arl, did you just sign up regularly online?

That is weird. According to their FAQ, they are waiving the activation fee:

" Is there an activation fee?
Yes. There is a minimal one-time activation fee of $29.95. This fee is waived with the Introductory offer. "

Sounds nice. Again, competition at its finest in the markeplace, giving us more choices than ever before.

However, I've been running well on Vonage the last 45-50 days or so and have seemingly worked out all the issues, I would be hard pressed to change my service at this point. I realize I could save money, but what about the potential of all the headaches during setup? It may or may not happen, but I don't want to take that chance.

Vonage has been serving me well. When they don't, I will bail and try another provider.

said by arctangent:

---

That is weird. According to their FAQ, they are waiving the activation fee:

" Is there an activation fee?
Yes. There is a minimal one-time activation fee of $29.95. This fee is waived with the Introductory offer. "

---

I guess they didn't "fix" that yet!

Would $10 a month make me move from Vonage? Maybe, but I'll wait here to see how it goes for now. I have a wife and kids (if it was just me I'd give it a shot) and they sorta' like things stable.

K, after calling their Customer support, I just become even more confused. I talked to a rep with heavy Indian accent, which reallly is no big deal if only we could understand each other. What confuses me is the answers he gave me, and I had to finally give up talkiing to him..

He said that yes they were waiving activation and shipping BUT they would charge 19.95 for sign up and first 3 months. I cant get him to clarify what that charge is.

Also he confirmed there that would be no charge for changing plans and that you got only 1 universal number for Now..

But after all the confusion, I am not sure if what he said should be discounted....

I agree - I am staying put with Vonage as well.
I am just amazed at the Lingo offering though. Free calls to Western Europe!!! Plus you can get a number in a foreign country!!! That is awesome. I hope it will force others to offer that as well to stay competitive.
"
$4.95 per month for additional U.S. phone numbers
$10.00 per month for additional International phone numbers
"

Well I just spoke to them, and it looks as if they are charging activation and shipping, so arl seems you are lucky, and it also seems like a lot of outsourcing is going on down there at lingo... I dont like that, even though I still am considering changing...

This is the summary of my order, with the fees waived. I confirmed this with Customer Support:

Item: Price:
Lingo Unlimited Subscription $19.95
Lingo Activation Fee $29.95
Phone Number $0.00
Primus Sold VoIP Lingo Equipment $0.00
Lingo Three Free Months Promotion ($19.95)
Lingo Pre-Payment ($39.90)
Item(s) Subtotal: ($9.95)
Shipping & Handling: $9.95
Tax: $0.00
Grand Total: $0.00

Well, I just called (the right number, not the cleaners) and was told that they would be charging for activation and shipping, but not the first 3 months of service. Anyone whose gotten a better deal care to share the name of the person so I can ask for him/her?

Looks like their server went down...