Vonage Philippines Unlimited!

[Woody]

Just released: http://classic.cnbc.com/id/41847161

http://vonage-promotions.com/plans/vonage-philippines

Unlimited** calling to landline and mobile phones in the Philippines
Unlimited** calling anywhere in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
Low international rates to other countries
Caller ID, Call Waiting, Anonymous Call Block, 3-way Calling, and tons of other standard features
Readable voicemail transcriptions (get it via text or email)
FREE activation for a limited time.
Includes phone adaptor.
No annual contract, No commitment

$65/month, includes cell and landlines!

This should help a lot of the married guys here.

[Ray]

It doesn’t sound that great to me. We spend much less that that now with prepaid cards.

When you read the ** fotnote, only a few cities in the Philippines are listed that you can call, and most of those are in Metro Manila area.

And there are numerous other non-specified conditions on the term “unlimited”.

Our voice services are designed only for continuous live dialog between two individuals. Unusual calling patterns, excessive called numbers and/or consistent excessive usage will each be considered an indicator that usage is exceeding normal standards.

Only 2 individuals can talk on a call??

Unusual calling patterns??

Excessive called numbers??

Consistent excessive usage??

WTF?

Also, the $64.99 price is phony because of the additional unlisted “taxes & fees” (?). Why should you have to dig all over their web site to see what the real total cost is?

I would make sure that you know exactly what you are paying for and how much it actually costs, not the phony promo price listed.

Ray

[Woody]

It doesn’t sound that great to me. We spend much less that that now with prepaid cards.

When you read the ** fotnote, only a few cities in the Philippines are listed that you can call, and most of those are in Metro Manila area.

And there are numerous other non-specified conditions on the term “unlimited”.

Only 2 individuals can talk on a call??

Unusual calling patterns??

Excessive called numbers??

Consistent excessive usage??

WTF?

Also, the $64.99 price is phony because of the additional unlisted “taxes & fees” (?). Why should you have to dig all over their web site to see what the real total cost is?

I would make sure that you know exactly what you are paying for and how much it actually costs, not the phony promo price listed.

Wow, Ray. Where exactly does it say that there are number restrictions? Because I looked and it says that it is for all landlines and mobile phones, not just metro Manila.

Philippines   Included
Philippines (Cellular & Premium)   Included
Philippines - Manila   Included
Source:
http://www.vonage.com/lp/US/philippines/rates.php#P

In addition, Vonage is not some fly-by night operation. They are only the most well known VoIP operation in the US. The $65/month is not a Philippines calling card, it is a complete landline replacement that includes things like Caller ID and Call Waiting without charging a premium like AT&T does, free long distance to all of the US, etc. The taxes and fees are minimal IIRC. I think they are about $7/month, but I will verify by looking at my parent's Vonage bill tomorrow.

As for the FUP/AUP: Well, duh! They are saying don't abuse the [snip]. With Vonage you can have your phone forward anywhere you like, probably even to a Philippines number. They don't want someone to buy this and then use it shared with 10 other people to use as a cheap phone gateway to the Philippines. It is meant to be used by one household, not the entire neighborhood. They are charging $40/month premium over the price of a normal Vonage line. What do you pay per-minute on those phone cards? 5cents a minute? 10cents a minute? Different rates for landlines and mobiles?

Next time look a little harder before you [snip] on a product.

And no, I have no vested interest in Vonage. I'm not even a customer myself! I am simply pointing out a good deal for someone that spends a lot of time calling the Philippines or has to restrict their call volume because of the cost.

[z_k_g]

Woods,

Think about it.

$64.99 usd for the vonage.

$30.00 ++ usd for the DSL internet service (Globe, Sun or Smart)

That rings up to almost $100 usd per month.  At today's exchange rate, about P4300 per month.

That's quite a bit of money.

I use google talk (initiate the call on my computer and the call rings back to my cell phone and I talk on that) when I call the Philippines.

I stopped using calling cards because google talk gives the best rates and its pretty easy to use, when i need to recharge, just click top up and i'm reloaded.

Also I use Yahoo voice/cam on my computer and yahoo chatting on my computer/phone.

I have cut my phone calling card usage drastically over the last year and hopefully can maintain this present level. 

We communicate every day pretty often via our cell phones (yahoo chatting) which is basically free.

Is vonage such a great deal at P4300 ($100) per month?

Zulu

[Woody]

It is for me. I like the flexibility of being able to call anyone anywhere with no restrictions. DSL is already a sunk cost for me. A lot of the older crowd as tends to be the market here on PL likes landlines and is more likely to have a landline that they are paying probably $40/month or more for anyways on top of their internet bill.

I'm not a IM/SMS person. I hate how it interrupts my flow during conversations. I much prefer email or phone. IM/SMS has its place, but I do not like it for long conversations. It is great for 2-3 messages back and forth, but nothing much more. I could get calling cards and get 10cents a minute, but that is a hassle and why should I bother when I call her anytime I want and talk for as long as we want without worries about the cost. It pays for itself at 23 minutes per day of conversation even if I didn't need a landline otherwise, plus it has the advantage of being able to forward my calls to the Philippines while I am over there. If we go by the Google Voice rates to mobiles, it is 17cents a minute. That means that the Vonage line pays for itself in under 14 minutes per day.

I am willing to pay a little extra for convenience and quality, that is why I have a data plan on my cell phone now. I want to have email on the go, to be able to browse the net when I am waiting in line, etc. I have the convenience I want at a price I am happy with ($45/month for unlimited everything on my iPhone 3GS). When I go to the Philippines I will be popping a local SIM into my unlocked and jailbroken 3GS and paying for a data plan while I am there, using it on the go as well as using it as my primary internet connection (MyWi tethering app from Cydia).

[Ray]

Wow, Ray. Where exactly does it say that there are number restrictions? Because I looked and it says that it is for all landlines and mobile phones, not just metro Manila.

Where exactly does it say that? Exactly right there on the their web site that you provided a link to. And I didn’t see anywhere where they said ALL landline and mobile phones. If I missed the word ALL, could you please point that out for me?

This plan includes unlimited** calling to the Philippines (including mobile phones). Call Quezon City, Manila, Davao City, Antipolo, Pasig, Zamboanga, Taguig and more for one low montly price.

You tell me what it means. Why list only a few cities if you can call any number in the Philippines?

How many minutes are you allowed before they cut you off?

How many unique numbers can you call before they cut you off?

How many international calls can you have forwarded before they cut you off?

As I said before, too many unspecified restrictions for me. Sorry.

Ray

[jm21-2]

The age of hard, set, restrictions on bandwidth usage is pretty much over as far as I can tell. Companies over-sell their bandwidth gambling on the vast majority of people never using anywhere near the max. However, you get a few users who use a colossal amount compared to others and they need a provision to cut them off. How the company really evaluates which users are problem users and need to be cut off is usually hidden and changes from time to time. So they keep their criteria vague enough in the service agreement that they have some leeway. Probably 99% of people never need to worry about it.

[Jeff S]

VoIP is here to stay. I can't imagine anyone using a landline anymore. I call Asia for 2.9 cents a minute on skype all the time. $60 a month = 2068 minutes = 34 1/2 hours over an hour a day. I only pay for what I use too.

[thekfc]

I just renewed my MagicJack - $19 for a year of service. The wife left the MJ in the PI so she can communicate with her family. She uses it regularly. Some people have been having issues with it but we haven't had any major issues.

She also use the video call feature on YM - free. Both parties use the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 so the video & voice qualities are clear.

I still have a land line as I did get a good promotion to "stay" with my current provider - I was in the process of leaving & they gave me the triple play package that they offer for new customers - no contract. I got to keep my current level of service for the promotion price & then I added the Filipino package for $14.99.

The wife do love the Filipino package, she watches it daily along with Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern and a few of the cooking shows on CreateTV & the learning channel. Andrew Zimmern is her favorite - I already told her to stop trying to get "cooking" ideas from him. 

Probably 99% of people never need to worry about it.

Agreed.