Vonage – Tell It Like It Is – by Paul Jenkins
Vonage is one of the big guys in the internet phone world. They provide everything – including equipment, tech support, a pretty good selection of area codes and more. They are mostly aimed at the undereducated or the can’t-be-bothered middle and their prices are some of the highest. Although, along with their high price also come lots of features which you often have to pay extra for with other companies. Up until recently Vonage made it hard for customers to leave. Now it seems like they’re trying to change their image. They got rid of their long term contracts and now offer month-to-month deals and they no longer charge a cancellation fee. According to their phone support they now even let you keep the Vonage router if you cancel – in case you decide to go back to them.
Why It Rocks
Vonage is straightforward to use. You don’t have to know squat to use their stuff. If you need something adjusted, or your phone is not working properly you can just call them. Vonage offers 24/7 phone support. If you like phone support and don’t mind paying for it, Vonage could be a good choice.
Vonage offers a reasonable selection of area codes. Vonage provides area codes for the US, Canada, and the U.K., and they offer unlimited long distance calling to over 60 countries. If however, you’re looking for an international number outside the above countries, you’re choices are more limited. Vonage offers virtual numbers for about 18 other countries.
All Vonage plans include the same long list of features – a bonus especially if you order the cheapest package. Some of the features which are included are 911 and 411. Vonage also offers a softphone, which means you can also make calls from your computer, but you have to pay an extra $10 bucks a month for this service.
Where It Strikes Out
Vonage, like most all-in-one providers, are vague about the details of how everything works. They overwhelm on the exhaustive and never-ending feature list. Chances are that by the end of it, you won’t care about other details, and you’ll just go for the recommended package deal.
Despite their long feature list there is one feature they don’t offer – and that’s the ability to use Vonage on a smartphone. They do offer the Vonage Mobile App for Facebook which allows you to call your Facebook friends for free. But, personally I think if you’re going to have an internet phone you should be able to save money by not using cellular minutes on your smartphone. You also have to pay extra for a second line with Vonage, a feature which is often included with other companies.
Vonage, like some other big providers also require that you buy some of their equipment. If you want to set up an actual phone – they do let you use any phone, but you need to buy their internet phone adapter. And you can’t use it with other providers. So, if you’re going to go with Vonage, you’ll probably be stuck with them for a while.
I don’t mind Vonage at all. But in my way of thinking, you should buy your own equipment, set it up right, and forget about everything except how cheap things are. So Vonage doesn’t come first in that model. In fact, they won’t let you BYOD. If, on the other hand, you have a friend that won’t read a set-up guide, will want some help getting set up, will get frustrated when it isn’t perfect (even when it might be their fault), well then Vonage is perfect for them (or for you, if you fit this profile). It has its place and it is certainly huge.
The Last Word
Vonage uses the same tactics that all the big telecoms use and provides the same big telecom service. They get you invested in them by making you use their stuff and paying for set-up charges and they don’t provide a lot of details, so that you become dependent on them. At the same time, if you don’t mind having someone to depend on, and want the security of a big telecom, then Vonage might be for you.
My Straight-Up Advice: Vonage is great for someone who doesn’t want to be bothered with doing too much work and doesn’t mind paying. It’s also for someone who is not looking for flexibility and doesn’t mind getting locked in for a while. If however, you want to have more control over your internet phone, want to be free to easily switch providers, and don’t mind doing some basic troubleshooting yourself, then I would skip Vonage.
