Any feedback on BasicTalk or Vonage phone systems?

[llmart]

I trust DU'ers, so I'm coming here to ask if there are any drawbacks to switching from AT&T home phone service to something like BasicTalk or Vonage. I am so angry at AT&T - they keep raising their rates and now I pay $54 a month for phone service. BasicTalk is offering $10 a month and I'd love to switch except for I'm always leery of things that sound too good to be true.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[Lars39]

1. We use Net Talk Duo...very happy with it.

http://www.nettalk.com/

You buy the device, pay taxes once a year, get to keep your phone #, have voice mail.

[2banon]

2. I'm a former Vonage consumer

The only reason I no longer contract with them, is because I haven't used cable-broadband service any longer.. I really liked having the option of a "landline" using Vonage, which worked quite well for me. No issues to speak of and the price was right.

Actually there was one minor issue that was annoying. On occasion conversations would almost be like talking on a cell phone, in that there would be that "cut out" from time to time like what happens on cell phones. So you'd have ask the person on the other end to repeat what they just said. It's a functional result of broadband. But I paid $9 a month, against the outrageous fees AT&T charged.

Id sign up with them again if I lived with access to cable/broadband. Unless, they've upgraded their technology for wireless finally?

[JCMach1]

3. No issues with Vonage... I have a line due to their foreign calling plans which are excellent

there is nothing comparable for that...

You can also connect one mobile phone to their service for free now to make use of those long distance plans.

[sharp_stick]

4. We're very happy with them

It took a few days and calls for the system to get used to giving enough bandwidth to the router they sent us. That was several years ago and we still have the original router.

They've saved us a fortune on the phone but you have to remember that if you lose power or internet you lose the phone. You will have to be comfortable with resetting the router as it will occasionally go down.

[llmart]

5. Thanks to all of you who responded.

I lose my landline with AT&T phone service whenever the power goes out, so that won't be new. I've also had to reset AT&T's modem several times for Internet access, so I'm comfortable with that.

I think I'll give it a try. Sounds to me like NetZero, Vonage and BasicTalk are all about the same.