Cheapest way to get phone service is the VOIP with a third-part. Time Warners twice as expensive as vonage and others. On the other hand, dont use vonage, their service is so crappy. They tell you one thing and do another and charge you at their whim. I have never cursed at a customer service representative so badly. I would recommend Earthlink VOIP. They are cool
I've used Vonage for months, and I haven't experienced a single problem with the service or the support.
That's my problem. I love TIVO. I think the wife would be upset if I got rid of TIVO to save $50 per month.
I have TWC phone service and love it. I've never had to reset the phone or anything like that. The only thing that I've had happen was a 'all circuits are busy' for a few calls. Its really helpfull for the long distance. I work out of the house so not having to itemize each long distance call is important.
link It's good news and bad news for VoIP With the stakes rising, Time Warner Cable (TWC) got some good news by taking the top spot for VoIP reliability and audio clarity, followed by Vonage and AT&T CallVantage in what is being called a "benchmark" study of Internet phone service by Keynote Systems. The VoIP Competitive Intelligence Study evaluated critical performance factors and metrics for VoIP technology and service, and compared a cross-section of service providers for reliability and audio clarity over consumer cable, DSL and business class carriers. Despite the strong showing by the three top finishers, however, the bad news is that VoIP service quality remains far behind traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) standards. Half of the VoIP providers measured in the study not only scored well below "toll quality" audio, but also far below wireless standards. Ouch. Not only does VoIP require some serious awareness among consumers, but "considerable" improvement in overall audio clarity, the study recommended. It also found that calls placed on VoIP "continue to have up to twice as much audio delay as calls placed on traditional PSTN phones." Because of those issues, analysts believe VoIP ROI (return on investment) could take up to four years. So, the operative word for VoIP service providers is patience. And lots of it.
I read about that...apparently it's worthless. link Time Warner seeks to retain phone costumers (News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 9--Without any fanfare, Time Warner for the past year has been installing backup battery power for its phone customers who threaten to switch to another phone service. The battery-backed devices won't work in most power outages -- highlighting a common problem with cable and Internet phone systems -- but they're apparently enough to keep some customers from canceling their phone service. Fewer than 1,000 customers with Time Warner's phone service have the devices, out of about 80,000 of its phone customers in a 16-county area that includes the Triangle, said Gary Frederick, vice president of the digital phone department in Time Warner's Raleigh division. "We do not market it. It would be misleading," Frederick said. "The reality is that in large, wide scale outages, there is no benefit in having this battery backup." A power outage typically knocks out amplifiers that are mounted on utility poles and required to transmit phone calls over Time Warner's phone system. But if the outage is localized to one house or neighborhood block, it could leave the amplifiers unaffected. In such a circumstance, the device with a rechargeable battery would allow the phone to be used for about four hours. The modems are available for free to Triangle customers who insist on them. A few hundred customers even have them without knowing, because Time Warner used the battery-backed devices during routine installation. In other parts of the country, Time Warner charges extra for the devices. "In cases where it's essential to closing the sale, we will offer it," Frederick said. "And we also wanted to test them." The potential for outages continues to vex phone systems that use cable or the Internet, which compete aggressively for customers with traditional phone companies, such as BellSouth, Verizon and Sprint. Time Warner's phone system uses its cable network. Internet phone services, such as Skype and Vonage, market themselves as a less expensive alternative to conventional phones. But they require high-speed Internet access. Cordless phones that need to be plugged into a wall outlet also won't operate without electricity. But basic land-line phones, as well as cell phones, generally aren't affected by power outages.
I wanted to add that my VoIP provider has a feature that forwards my calls to another phone number if a connection can not be established with my phone. I currently forward calls to my cell phone. Thus, I am taken care of if my cable or power goes out. Another cool feature is that I get emails everytime my VoIP phone gets a voicemail message. The email can have a WAV attachment of the message.
I've had TW phone service since July of 2005. It has had to be re-set a couple of times but not really problematic. They told me last Fall that they would be offering 3-way calling early in the new year-- okay, now it's March and still nothing. They also don't offer 2-line service yet either. Vonage offers both those features... and is cheaper. Anyone have any Vonage experience?
I've been a Vonage customer for well over 2 years. I've never had trouble with the service or customer support. And for $15 a month, how much more could you ask? (I don't call long distance to the tune of 500 minutes/month so I don't even need to pay the $25).
I just signed up for Vonage today. I hope the sound quality is better than it was talking to the sales rep.
