mikey2007
join:2002-05-07
Enfield, CT
clubs:
| reply to seandar
Re: Vonage vs. iConnecthere
Hello
I do use both iConnecthere and Vonage. I just relogged into my iConnnecthere account and there are still no options for call forwarding.
I do believe that do have call waiting but do not offical advertise it.
--
Get $40 for signing up for Vonage Digital Voice (Unlimited Long Distance) INSTANTLY |
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seandar
@optonline.net | reply to Authority
I'm still trying to decide between vonnage and iConnectHere. I 'd like to know if iC has call forwarding and call waiting.
Earlier in this thread, someone said iC didn't use to have them. Do they now?
thanks |
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AllTheRuss
join:2001-12-01
Saint Paul, MN
| reply to claudeo
said by claudeo  :
I tried the iConnecthere softphone a couple of days ago. Poor quality. Intelligible, but nowhere like a real phone, even with good headset/mic combination. I don't know how it works out with the IPphone hardware they are selling as option.
I use the "softphone" as well, but I do use it with an Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard, it works fine for me.
I'd like to get an ATA 186, but they are too spendy right now.
We never use LD on the landline anymore. |
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claudeo
join:2000-02-23
Redmond, WA | reply to claudeo
I tried the iConnecthere softphone a couple of days ago. Poor quality. Intelligible, but nowhere like a real phone, even with good headset/mic combination. I don't know how it works out with the IPphone hardware they are selling as option. |
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Authority
Obama Biden '12
join:2000-03-29
Beverly Hills, CA
 ·AT&T Yahoo
 ·Packet8
·magicjack.com
| reply to schnauze
said by schnauze :
or you can dial out on any available endpoint
Whoa. Distributed call center via VoIP? Way cool.
Thanks - I hadn't heard of them. I think I'll order it just for fun. Can I have TOO many lines?
Brett  |
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mikey2007
join:2002-05-07
Enfield, CT
clubs:
| reply to schnauze
Wow Packet8 looks like a really good service.
I am glad to see that there is more competition in the end user VoIP market. The Packet 8 site actually looks "OK" compared to the way iConnectHere looks.
The $19.95/mo for 1000 minutes is with a 1 year contract, without a 1 year contract it would be $24.95. However it doesn't say anything about customer satisfaction (at quick glance).
Should be interesting to hear from anyone who has/is using the service.
--
Get $40 for signing up for Vonage Digital Voice (Unlimited Long Distance) INSTANTLY |
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schnauze
join:2001-05-29
Sunnyvale, CA
| reply to Authority
Another data point (actually two data points you can add to the analysis):
Packet8 offers 1000 anywhere-US PSTN minutes for $19.95/mo and unlimited Packet8-to-Packet8 calls (calls between Packet8 subscribers; these calls are pure IP so the company does not charge for them).
If all you want is to call point-to-point between two Packet8 users, you can sign up for the $5.95/mo. account and get unlimited Packet8-to-Packet8 calling (actually you need two of these accounts, so you should count 2*$5.95 = $11.90/month for unlimited calls anywhere in the world-- US or international (because the call is IP)).
There is also a $39.95 plan available that adds additional PSTN minutes.
»www.packet8.net for details. This is not based on the Cisco ATA boxes-- the endpoints are 8x8-manufactured terminal adapters (SIP-based). The company is in beta with Windows Messenger support. Minutes are not unlimited (a la Vonage) and so 8x8 is not paranoid about fraud/abuse of the account. One cool feature is that if you have multiple endpoints associated with the same account, all available endpoints ring when the user's DID is called. Once you are on that call, another call that comes in gets routed to the remaining available endpoints (or you can dial out on any available endpoint). Instant call center! Endpoints do not need to be geographically related (just associated with the same Packet8 account). |
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dconnor
Premium
join:2002-01-03
The Beach
clubs: 
| reply to VonageWannaBE
said by VonageWannaBE:
OKay - i have been avoiding this personalized message for a long time, but I guess I have to say it now:
I think it has more to do with your full time affiliation with Vonage. In my view, it creates "Conflict of Interest". If i am not wrong, you own atleast the following sites:
»www.vonage-promotion.com/
»www.vonage-referral.com/
»www.vonage-credit.com/
»www.vonage-discount.com/
»www.vonage-refer-yourself.com/
»www.vonage-refer-a-friend.com/
»www.daniel-connor.com/
»www.connor-family.net/
»www.soniaconnor.com/
»www.audreysalgado.com/
»www.katherinereina.com/
»www.brandonconnor.com/
»www.natalieconnor.com/
.. .I can go on ...
You have several Vonage referral IDs which are incorporated in each link that you post here, and you do post the same links again & again - one of which is 27400178.
sole purpose of all these sites (and your posts in this thread) is to earn a referral from Vonage. This makes you more than a regular vonage user, who is also referring the good service to friends.This makes you a business partner of Vonage and clearly creates a conflict of interest.
I AM NOT SAYING THAT VONAGE IS BAD - I AM JUST ASKING THAT YOU KEEP THIS FORUM HEALTHY AND POST SOME SENSIBLE POSTS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION, AND LET PEOPLE MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION BASED ON WHAT THEY NEED, AS EVERY SERVICE HAS ITS PLUS AND MINUSES. If you wish to repspond - you can - I will not post a followup in this thread atleast not something which is not related to VOIP.
Vonagewannabe:
Again, I posted the following:
"I actively promote Vonage, for reasons I do not need to explain..." prior to my post.
If you did a more thorough search, you would find that I have been somewhat professionally critical towards Vonage on certain issues, that I actively market numerous other VoIP companies and that I am equally critical with those companies on certain issues.
To everyone that has emailed and IM-ed me with your support, Thank you
--
Dan
»www.vonage-promotion.com
[text was edited by author 2002-12-20 09:30:07] |
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LameDuck
@Dial1.Detr
| reply to VonageWannaBE
>And for those, who really need unlimited calling,
>I guess MCI's unlimited calling plan is much better
>as those who really need to talk 3000-4000 minutes
>a month, realy heavily on phone and they need
>something which is more reliable than a VOIP device.
>With the first free month, no need of seperate local
>line for emergencies, and with all the miles you get
>with MCi, makes it more attractive.
VonageWannaBE: I am trying to figure out why, no matter what someone says, you seem to want to use it as a springboard to diss Vonage. Now you apparently would rather see someone use MCI than Vonage if they want flat rate service. You forget (or ignore) the fact that, at least in my state, MCI's "Neighborhood Complete" costs about $10 a month MORE than Vonage (I understand that in some states, it is $20 more). PLUS you have to pay MCI the same taxes and service fees that you would pay the regular landline phone company. Plus, if part of your motivation is that you're fed up with the local phone company, remember that in some cases MCI resells their service and in any case they use the phone company's lines to connect to your home (of course the latter comment would also apply to Vonage if your broadband connection is DSL).
Plus, well, it's MCI Worldcom. And while some people may like MCI, there are a lot of folks who've had problems with them. If I really wanted that type of service, I'd go with Z-Tel, which has a similar offering at a similar price, and isn't going through bankruptcy.
The thing that's really getting annoying is the "anybody but Vonage" attitude you seem to have, despite your strange choice of a nickname. I freely admit that others may not prioritize features in the same way I do, but who are you to in effect tell me that if I don't like iConnecthere's offering, I should skip Vonage and go to MCI? Can't you accept the fact that several people have decided that Vonage is the right choice for THEM, and just let it go?
I'm really, truly starting to wonder if some of these anti-Vonage posts we're seeing aren't coming from people who have some interest (financial or otherwise) in one of the other companies.
I will simply once more say that low rates aren't the only criteria that people use in evaluating service of this type. Many people (in the United States at least) just don't like meters. More than one small city downtown area has died because the city fathers (or mothers, as the case may be) have refused to remove the parking meters, even as the malls and shopping centers with free parking have prospered. If you're willing to have every call billed according to usage and pay by the minute, that's great - I'm not telling YOU that you shouldn't have that option. But don't try to artificially limit my options, either! |
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Sparky12
join:2000-02-27
Nokomis, FL
| reply to Authority
Lemme tell you a very stupid Vonage story. I had a problem with one of their calling features, the repeat dialing when someone's line is busy. So I wrote in, thought I was just reporting it. This was yesterday. Now I followed the protocol they asked for, included my name, account number and a quick summary of the problem in my subject line.
Someone called me today from Vonage at about 5PM. He acknowledged that we needed to test it. After actually taking the trouble to set up a line which WOULD show up as a busy signal, he asked me to call it and use the "press 5" option to test out how this was working for me, while he watched the logs on his end.
Look really tight at this, what I am saying here. He called me back 8 times. Gave me his number to reach him back, and I used it. Emailed me with his direct email address so I could report repeated problems on the line, should they show up.
We solved the problem. And he was really honest about what he knew and what he didn't know. My point here? Follow Vonage's requests on how to file a tech support email. They DO call you back, they DO read it. This guy Abiy actually called me back several times to make sure it was working, and emailed me to make sure that I know to file any problems to him directly.
Sorry, I know that I sound like a Vonage freak right now, but the fact is that if you email them with a problem, include your account info and a summary of the problem in the subject line, they get back to you in a way that makes you WISH your original phone company would.
I would never switch back to my local phone company. And support like this makes me want Vonage to stay in business big time, and they should give Abiy a raise.
For all of you who complain that Vonage does not answer you at all? Read what they've said in this forum please! A good subject line would be:
Account# 1230855, name: Moofus.. Problem: No call waiting
And they will get back to you at warp speed.
Hats off to these guys... best to Ingrid, Mona and Abiy! |
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clecrupt9
join:2002-01-22
GA
| reply to Authority
As I see it ICH lowest cost is .01 a minute. Vonage unlimited is plan is 40 dollars a month. If you spend over two hours per day on the phone you come out ahead with Vonage. MCI wants 32 dollars (with no voice mail) 49 with voice mail, add at least 10 in taxes plus your DSL cant ride the line. Dont forget who MCI is related to- Worldcom. Surely the ATA can handle two and a half hours of use a day. Am I wrong here? |
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VonageWannaBE
@verizon.net
| reply to Cyber2lz
Well, Cyber2lz - thats what I am saying all along. Vonage's rates are not at all good for those who donot want unlimited calling. And for those, who really need unlimited calling, I guess MCI's unlimited calling plan is much better as those who really need to talk 3000-4000 minutes a month, realy heavily on phone and they need something which is more reliable than a VOIP device. With the first free month, no need of seperate local line for emergencies, and with all the miles you get with MCi, makes it more attractive. |
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Authority
Obama Biden '12
join:2000-03-29
Beverly Hills, CA
·AT&T Yahoo
·Packet8
·magicjack.com
| reply to AJuan
said by AJuan :
I would agree with you that for anyone planning on using VoIP for the long haul is better off buying their own ATA box and then signing up with whichever service provider they want.
Or sign up for Vonage and keep the box?
Brett |
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Cyber2lz
join:2001-11-15
Odessa, FL
| reply to Authority
Hey guys,
I don't know if this is important, but I just did a comparison between the rates of both companies, V & I.
You might be surprised at my findings!!!!!
V doesn't come off so good.
Just some unbiased research of their posted rates!
--
If you're not livin' on the edge, you're takin' up too much space ! |
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LameDuck
@Dial1.Det | reply to LameDuck
P.S. I meant the ToS language should be subjected to a sanity check, not the lawyers! |
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LameDuck
@Dial1.Det
| reply to claudeo
Valid point, claudeo. I do wish these companies would not let their lawyers write these ToS agreements without subjecting them to a sanity check first. Language like that does scare potential customers away!
(What worse yet is when a company insists you agreed to something like that when you know you didn't, simply because they NOW include some language in their terms of service. When do consumers get some rights?) |
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claudeo
join:2000-02-23
Redmond, WA
| reply to LameDuck
Lameduck states: (snip)...Now here comes a company that says, you pay us $40 a month and we won't hit you with any strange charges or fees that make no sense to you...(snip)
I'm not sure about that. I almost signed up for Vonage but then I read the TOS -- which is a binding contract -- that states that "Customer is responsible for paying all charges posted to its account, including but not limited to, monthly Service, subscription fee, usage charges, advanced feature charges, Device charges, shipping, and others. Charges, including disputed amounts, must be paid by the date shown on the invoice." followed by some threatening language along the lines of "pay first, or else." -- Note that nowhere in the TOS does it state what those "other" charges can be, or that the only charges will be those stated in the plan description. I understand that this kind of language used by all kinds of service providers, not just Vonage, but let us not be blindsided here. While the Vonage team now appears to be a bunch of very nice people, the contract remains in force even if some scumbag company buys them out and decides to fleece the customers by tacking on new fees and running with that. The same TOS states that even if you cancel within the 5 days after email notification of changes of service (such a notification can easily be formulated as an email that will get discarded by most spam filters) you are liable for everything that was billed, plus termination fees -- which can also be changed at any time, BTW.
Paranoid, me? No way. Just been fleeced once too many.
[text was edited by author 2002-12-19 16:06:42] |
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GeekJedi
RF is Good For You
Premium
join:2001-06-21
Mukwonago, WI
clubs:
·CenturyLink
·VOIPo
·Vonage
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Authority
Although I do kind of take issue with someone making a site look "official" (and not mentioning that they have nothing to do officially with Vonage, just that they are collecting a $40 per pop) it really is none of my business.
dconnor has added other POV's on this board other than Vonage, and has even offered help for various things. His posts are helpful, and valuable to the board. I can separate the wheat from the chaff, and know when to turn on the BS filter.
Having said that, Vonage is a great service. I would recommend it, and have done so for friends. I haven't tried other services, but for what I want, it's perfect.
Yep, getting referral credit here and there is nice, but I certainly am not looking to get free service for life. I would much rather pay real cash for the service than get it for free and see them go away. Again, personal preference.
Bottom line, there are a lot of Vonage users hawking referrals...why not? They have all brought other things to the table, and if they get a referral, so be it.
--
The goal of the broadcast engineer is to get all the meters on the transmitter to go as far to the right as possible!! |
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VonawannaBE
@ibm.com | reply to LameDuck
LameDuck - I was not responding to you. |
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LameDuck
@Dial1.Det
| reply to VonageWannaBE
>OKay - i have been avoiding this personalized message
>for a long time, but I guess I have to say it now:
>I think it has more to do with your full time
>affiliation with Vonage. In my view, it creates
>"Conflict of Interest". If i am not wrong, you own
>atleast the following sites:
[list deleted]
Since you didn't quote the message you were responding to, I will just say that if you were replying to me, you're dead wrong. I own NONE of those domains.
But having said that, I don't get what you think is so evil about someone owning several domains. I own none personally, but I have several friends that have registered multiple domains (no, NOT any of those you mentioned). There's no law or rule that says "one to a customer", you know! Of all the things to make an issue of, this seems like a gigantic non-issue to me. |
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