You, of course, may have much better luck or more patience with the service then we did.  Congratulations to you if you do!

 

If you do not have it yet -  Please  Find some one who has the service and use their phone a number of times at different times of the day BEFORE you sign on.

 

Also go to their web site and CAREFULLY READ the Terms of Service.

What I found out is that I should have questioned more before agreeing to any contract.  It still gives me a headache!

 

You can stop here - Take my advice - and please check YES for this guide

Or you can read our experience and please check YES below.

 

We have had Vonage for the last year - I say a year because it would have cost more to cancel then continue the last few months we could not stand it any more.

 

Our internet connection is broadband via a dish that gets it signal from a local tower.  (Sorry not sure exactly what you call this connection)

 

During the first month the service was unreliable and most often you could not understand the person or they could not hear us speaking.  Each time we would call Vonage and they would "adjust" the service for us.  We assumed this worked but in all honesty we used the land line so little we only noticed during the occasional calls.  This we chalked up to poor weather conditions, lags in the net and just us being too picky after coming from a normal, old fashioned land line.  Hang up, use the cell phone and get on with life.

 

Now our youngest and last still home has noticed the phone hanging on the wall and figured out how close her school buddies really are when you use it!  {Why do they have to grow up???}

 

This reminded us of what horrid connection we had and decided enough was enough - Time to get rid of the flashing box that does nothing but gobble electricity!

 

As usual Vonage could not hear/understand us to know what our issue was.....

Cell phone minutes wasted again to argue with Customer Service to find out that "Of course we can cancel your account.  Please note there will be a $39.99 fee and a $70.00 equipment fee and some other fee I do not remember, but it added up to around $200.00 (early termination fee I think - which is redundant since they were already charging $39.00 right??)

 

WTH I say -  I understand the early termination fee...   but a 39 disconnect and 70 for your equipment that you gave me for only 9.99 to sign up?? 

The lovely gentleman informs me that was only a promotion and you will be eventually charged for the equipment.  BUT If you continue your contract to the end you will not be charged these fees.

 

OK   Fine - We had not found any solutions to an inexpensive land line and were not ready to let a 12 year old loose with a cell phone.  We had 3 months left - we will survive it and cancel after the year is up!

  

WOOOO   HOOOO   Today is the 12th and our year is UP.

 

Get right through to a live person - They HATE it when you choose option "Cancel" (If you ever want to talk to Customer Service quick - Say Cancel)

The Lovely woman on the other end spends 5 minutes trying to convince me to talk to their tech department - "totally understands the issue"   (If I hear that sentence once more today I will go outside and scream for 5 minutes!!)

After interrupting her again and again she agrees that we can cancel the service.

I will only be charged $39.99 disconnect fee and $70.00 for my equipment....  Sound familiar??

 

After arguing with the nice lady and looking up on the net - I have to agree that the TOS states there is a fee of that amount if you cancel before "2" years have passed...   Stupid Stupid me for not reading this fully before signing up!!

 

As far as 70 for equipment - I will ship it right back to you - it does me no good and never worked in the first place!   Oh   by the way...   That original set up was $9.99 for your equipment special - NO mention that I would have to eventually pay for it anyways....

 

At this point I am fed up - I have left out many minutes of our conversation, but it is filled with "I understand your situation" and "yes I am looking at your account" statements - I wont bore you even more with it....

 

I want a supervisor to hear this complaint and maybe get a sympathetic person who will give Vonage Customer Service a good name.

 

After being on hold I do get through and hear the same annoying statements but after a few minutes I am no longer responsible for $70.00 and can now drop that box over a cliff for all the difference it will make.   But yes I have to agree to the $39 since it is there spelled out in that TOS I did not fully read before agreeing. 

 

We now have MagicJack - Yes it is very similar and quality is not perfect.  If I am going to pay for cheap phone service to have that land line that is needed for kids and satellite service - I want the cheapest with least hassle.

 

One time payment and a year of forgetting about it.  You get what you pay for.

A year worth of crappy service for the same price I was paying for a month of service is worth it in my book.

 

As I said - Consider Vonage carefully - READ all the information on their site - Ask EXACTLY what fees are involved to cancel.

And Most Important - If you have issues with it after a week.  CANCEL IT before that trial period is up!!