Stoty Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 VOIP is so much better than ANYTHING else. Free long distance to anywhere in North America, your messages are literally emailed right to you, so no matter where you go in the world, if you have internet access, you can get your messages. Or even better, whereever you go that has high-speed internet, you can literally take your home phone along with you. Bring the router, and a cordless phone, plug it in, and bam, you have your home phone with you when you go to visit your Aunt Selma in BC. $22.99/mth for 500 mins, no long distance charges to call my in-laws in FLA. YES PLEASE. I was paying about $60/mth for my BELL cell phone. Thats just for local calls. I switched about a year and a half ago to VONAGE. Best choice I ever made! I agree with whoever said, that when the power it out, the last thing you want is for someone to call you. No issues with 911 dialing anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyb Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Yesterday, I actually was able to call my folks who are vacationing in St Marten and it was a local call?! The best part is like Rick mentioned...call waiting, caller id, call display, voicemail, etc are all INCLUDED in the monthly price, not $5.95 per service or whatever the heck Bell is soaking people for. With the cost of living increasing at a seemingly daily rate, it's nice to know there are alternatives to help put some money back in our pockets (who am I kidding?...more money for Tackle!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 well my parents have VOIP, internet and tv all over the cable when they had the power outage they couldn't call couldn't watch tv could get on the internet....they were not happy campers and switched back to bell, old people like to know they alway have phone access Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Well, I'll chime in here... I have been working with VOIP here at the office for the better part of a year. As a person who's lively-hood relies on the phone, I can say that this technology is still in it's infancy and is not nearly as reliable as the good old fashioned land line. Here are just a few of my beefs; - echo's echo's echo's - Many times I can hear my own voice, far more than that of the person I'm TRYING to talk to -dead calls - I dial out the number and NOTHING happens... I hang up, dial the same number and the person at the other end asks me why I didn't answer them the first time I called... they got the call on their end, I got static -the net goes down - virus etc... the phone doesn't work! -if your ISP is having problems, then you are hit and miss as to whether or not you have a functional phone -you require a technical person to administer the system - read Geek here! The pluses - nice fancy lookin phone on my desk... make a good anchor for a canoe -yes it is more cost effective... if it allows you to do your work... I really haven't sat down to try and figure out exactly how much it's problems have cost me! I have no love lost for Ma Bell/Emily... but I also refuse to jump on an un-proven technology platform... sorry Ted! The phone is my main tool at work, and I can't afford to have it not available to me 100% of the time. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Sister-in-law has it and I get so tired of when she calls and it rings here once with nobody there.... other than her number showing on call display...calls..rings once...calls rings once..4th time finally connects......especially like yesterday when I was TIG welding and waiting for an important call. When she was using it from Vegas, when living down there before Christmas, you'd swear she was sitting in a 200 gallon tank while talking, the echo was so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfish1965 Posted January 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I've not experienced any issues with my VOIP on Cogeco. No echo, no lost connections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Maybe the echo just comes from the empty space beyond her ear canal Rick ? ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crappieperchhunter Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Yeah the "PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE" come back phone calls are annoying. And did anyone else get the nice card in the mail? Mine was soooo cute...Picture of a kid on one end of a teeter todder with the other end empty up in the air...and the caption reading...We miss you. Brought a tear to my eye....not. Switched to Rogers this past summer. Combined phone/cable/internet package...for $28 a month less then Bell...with more features then what I was getting from Ma Belle. I hope everyone leaves them. Would serve them right for years of gouging. I never ever had any issues with Bell...and would consider going back if they became more competative. My livelihood does not depend on the phone...so I will always shop for a bargain in that department. Never heard of VOIP before...but my homework on them has officially begun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Ya, got my card last night, no return address, opened it carefully, another filler for the recycle bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck2fan Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I'm not coming back. Man you are like an old girlfriend I once had. There's a reason I left...and you calling me 20 times a day affirms I made the right decision. Go away!!!I have a new girl now....her name is VOIP. She's lovely. She's everything you were and more. She's way less maintenance and more reliable than you. She also takes alot less out of my pocket. Sure we had some good times, me and you. Remember that month you insisted the noise in my line was from one of my phones? Remember how it turned out your wires went through a rabbit den and the bunnies had made a mess? Those were good times. How I laughed when you asked if the rabbits were mine...I mean I suppose since they were burrowing in my yard, maybe somehow you thought they belonged to me. Remember when I asked for a partial refund for that month because my phone was unusable? That sure made you chuckle. VOIP may not be as experienced as you, sure. But she makes up for it in her enthusiasm and her completeness. Remember all those extra 'packages' you wanted me to buy you? Call waiting, call display and all that...VOIP comes with her own! Sure she isn't pretty and her modem is clunky, but she's been here each time I've needed her and she doesn't make me feel like a cash cow. It sure feels good. Good rant but can you explain to me just exactly how VOIP is cheaper than Bell per month. I spend exactly and I do mean EXACTLY $24.73 per month including all the features, long distance I use and taxes. If you have a way to beat that and get me a DSL line for 5MB high speed for only 17.41 per month on top of the 24.73 to use the VOIP including the line then I am all ears.... but only if there is no cable company involved LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyb Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I've not experienced any issues with my VOIP on Cogeco. No echo, no lost connections. Ditto...also with Cogeco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyb Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Good rant but can you explain to me just exactly how VOIP is cheaper than Bell per month. I spend exactly and I do mean EXACTLY $24.73 per month including all the features, long distance I use and taxes. You must have swung some kind of deal then...Bell.ca lists their pricing at $29.95 including 2 services. What they don't tell you is that the good features like Visual Call Waiting count as 2 services, the rate for long distance calls to Canada and the US is 25¢/min and if you would like unlimited long distance in North America that's an additional $20/month. LOL Sooo...compare that to VOIP and the savings are significant. Also, people mentioned about power outages...With Cogeco anyway you get 8 hour backup battery inside the modem for your phone only though, not Internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyboss Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Rogers is the same for battery backup for phone modem but you have to make sure that you are not using a phone that needs Hydro( cordless) I have an old phone downstair just for that purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowPoke Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) If I switch to VOIP how do I call and complain when my cable and internet goes out? In my lifetime I can count on one finger how many times the phone has been out. I'd need the better part of one hand to keep track of cable outages in the last month. There are some services I don't mind paying extra for. Unlimited local and long distance Canada/USA for $50 $62.34 a month is fine by me. -Brian Edited January 16, 2008 by SlowPoke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuchikubo Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I've had a chance to try Skype (VoIP), which is a free program. Too bad not eveyone has it, otherwise all my calls would be free anywhere in the world (it's free for skype to skype accounts but not to non-skype). It sounds great over the LD to Japan, even better than a local call. BTW who here also has Skype? I just switched my office's phone lines to Rogers' home phone in Aug last year, not a problem and saving about 1/2 of what I was paying Bell. Bell wouldn't even try to match pricing. So bye-bye Bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck2fan Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 You must have swung some kind of deal then...Bell.ca lists their pricing at $29.95 including 2 services. What they don't tell you is that the good features like Visual Call Waiting count as 2 services, the rate for long distance calls to Canada and the US is 25¢/min and if you would like unlimited long distance in North America that's an additional $20/month. LOL Sooo...compare that to VOIP and the savings are significant. Also, people mentioned about power outages...With Cogeco anyway you get 8 hour backup battery inside the modem for your phone only though, not Internet. So it isn't cheaper than 25.00 bucks a month all in for just the phone part? So where is the deal I keep hearing about? I don't use any services because they are useless to me. I don't make more than 5.00 dollars worth of long distance calls in an entire year.... I want to switch but the cheapest I have found out there for VOIP is 8 for a dry DSL line PLUS 32 or 35 a month.... NOT A DEAL for what I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyboss Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 If I switch to VOIP how do I call and complain when my cable and internet goes out? In my lifetime I can count on one finger how many times the phone has been out. I'd need the better part of one hand to keep track of cable outages in the last month. There are some services I don't mind paying extra for. Unlimited local and long distance Canada/USA for $50 $62.34 a month is fine by me. -Brian Slowpoke Are you sure that your phone was never off more than once? Or you just picked up the phone once and didn't hear the busy signal? Bell has as much repairs to do on there cables as the cable company does. The only reason you notice more outages from the cable company is that when you are at home the TV is probably turned on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhook Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Amen!!! how many come back cards etc can you possibly send?? if you would of got it right the first ime you would not be begging for everyone to come back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 I don't make more than 5.00 dollars worth of long distance calls in an entire year.... Holey... I'm on a cheap plan too but I have friends that I call weekly. Maybe you need to make more friends? Thunder Bay owns its own phone company and it's a great asset to us. We are among the cheapest rates in the country. And the profits go right into the city coffers which help to keep municipal taxes down. And I'm very happy with the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowPoke Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Slowpoke Are you sure that your phone was never off more than once? Or you just picked up the phone once and didn't hear the busy signal? Bell has as much repairs to do on there cables as the cable company does. The only reason you notice more outages from the cable company is that when you are at home the TV is probably turned on. That's a valid point but I can only remember one time picking up the phone and not being able to dial out. I am on Rogers Home Phone after switching from Bell to Sprint and Rogers took over Sprint. Rogers keeps calling to try and switch me to thier phone/cable setup and I keep saying "no thanks, I'll stick with the old phone lines." We have cable/internet outages weekly and whether I notice when the phone goes down or not I can assure you it's not on a weekly basis. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck2fan Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Holey... I'm on a cheap plan too but I have friends that I call weekly. Maybe you need to make more friends? Thunder Bay owns its own phone company and it's a great asset to us. We are among the cheapest rates in the country. And the profits go right into the city coffers which help to keep municipal taxes down. And I'm very happy with the service. I think too many people on here have phones for reasons other than THEIR convenience. I just don't call anyone long distance to "chat".... If I wanna get in touch I email, snail mail or how about just wait to see em whatever. It cracks me up how people can't live without 6 or 7 features on their phone lines. I live alone if I am on the phone it is only because I really value who I am talking too so call waiting is just that. You the other caller wait till I am off the phone to call me back. Call display? Who cares I haven't picked up a phone that rings until I hear the person's voice on my answering machine in over 10 yrs. Anyone who should be calling me knows this so if they really want to talk to me they know to speak up after the tone otherwise the call really wasn't that important. Doing things that way I don't get arrested for telling telemarketers what I think should be done to them ;o) I'll give you a hint it involved a legally sanctioned hunting season.... If you can't a hold of me at home and DARE to call my cell you get told that this better be a life or death situation because by calling me on my cell there is a good chance you are giving me brain cancer so it better be IMPORTANT... I don't get very many calls though I must say being ugly and having no friends has it advantages at times. I got a laugh the other day at work the phone is ringing and ringing any my boss looks at me and goes aren't you going to answer that. I snort and tell him point blank you KNOW I don't answer my phone at home I be damned if I will bother answering yours here for what I make an hour. I am a delivery driver not a desk jockey..... didn't fire me either so I guess fishing is still going to be a part time pursuit this winter.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verno Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 If you have to call 911 call from your cellphone. There are still lots of headaches with VOIP and 911. It's getting better with some companies, but it's not to the point that I would bet my families life on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Thanks Verno... and considering where I know you work, that's all I need to hear ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snag Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 I'm still dating Bellinda, As a dominatrix, she's second to none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinHoffman Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 (edited) Hello All, I'm with Rogers for all my services - internet, cable, home phone and cell. Overall the prices are not bad, and I lucked in to a 1000 min/ $5 long distance deal when I signed up, that unfortunately they no longer offer. Got to like a deal like that, so I kind of covet it... I did get some info from Primus last week that seemed like a very good deal. It was a bundle for home phone and internet. Here are the details: Primus Local Home Phone Service: * Includes 9 FREE features: Call Display, Voice Mail, Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, Call Forwarding, Call Screening, Call Display Blocking, Call Hold, and Call Trace * Keep your existing home phone number and phone book listing * Enjoy a worry free switch, with no connection or installation fees, and no contract to sign * Telemarketing Guard: NEW! Gives you additional screening and blocking capabilities for your incoming calls. DSL High Speed Internet * Unlimited Internet access * Up to 5 Mbps speed * Anti Virus/Spam * 4 Email accounts and 20 MB of Personal Web Space * 24/7 support * Add a DSL Wireless Home Solution from only $3 more per month! Primus Unlimited Longdistance * Unlimited calling within Canada and to the U.S., anytime, any day * No caps or time restrictions * No monthly network fee All of the above for $69.95!! Now that's not bad. If you commit for 1 year, they drop that price down to $59.95/month...even better! Have been thinking about switching, but realized one thing: my email account is with Rogers. If I switch, I will no longer have my Roger's email account, but I assume a Primus one. Unfortunately, all of my work and personal contacts have my Roger's email address. Yes, I could try to give notice to them all of the change, but I'm sure I would miss many. So, although it would be nice to save some decent cash per month, I wonder if the possible complications are worth it? Will have to give this one some more though... Oh, and if you're a Roger's customer, I just received a letter detailing all of their rate increases, that go into effect March 1. A sample of the gouge: Home Phone System Access Fee - Was $4.50, Now $5.95 Hi-Speed Ultralight - Was 21.95, Now $23.95 Super Sports Pak - Was $26.95, Now $29.95 Basic Cable - Was $27.49, Now $28.49 And sadly, that's just a small sampling... Justin Edited January 17, 2008 by JustinHoffman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now