Voip

[TinyFish]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me some more about saving money with VOIP? I've been looking into it, trying to compare to my phone bill, but I'm wondering, what about all the fees/taxes on your phone bill? Mine makes up a very substantial percentage. If there are still all those fees to pay with VOIP on top of $30/month rate or whatever, my bill might be pretty much the same. Can someone who has VOIP give me the details of how their bill works?

-TinyFish

[poundwise]

I use Vonage. My $14.99 plan totals out to $18.16 each month.

You can use this tool to see their plans and how the fees and taxes impact the price. This ought to be typical across VOIP carriers.

http://vonage.com/help.php?article=586&category=52&nav=

[Broken Arrow]

Well, if you're willing to stick with making computer to computer phone calls, VOIP can be had for free (with broadband of course).

However, if you want it tied down to a traditional number that can be used like a traditional telephone, then I agree that Vonage would be the first place to check out.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Sorry no info on billing, but a caution about at least one free service. I'd say my free Skype works like something that was free! Adequate for talking with son away at school, but I would pay for better quality if I wanted something akin to regular phone service.

[MaureensAvon]

I have a different VoIP carrier. My carrier's monthly cost is a flat rate, all fees, taxes, etc are included. I paid $199 for a year's service. Right now, they are offering, buy one year, get the second year FREE!

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by TinyFish

Can anyone tell me some more about saving money with VOIP? I've been looking into it, trying to compare to my phone bill, but I'm wondering, what about all the fees/taxes on your phone bill? Mine makes up a very substantial percentage. If there are still all those fees to pay with VOIP on top of $30/month rate or whatever, my bill might be pretty much the same. Can someone who has VOIP give me the details of how their bill works?

good news is that right now a lot of the taxes & surcharges that appear on a POTS bill (plain old telephone service), currently don't apply to VoIP service. my taxes & surcharges run about 3-4 a month of a $30 plan.

things that typicaly AREN'T on a VoIP bill: federal/state universal service fund fee, which runs (at the federal level) at about 10% of LD Plan fees and usage. also, the EUCL (end user common line fee), sometimes called an access charge, service, fee,what have you that runs about $6.50 for the first line and $7 for all others for residential customers. this is a fee the bell companies charge other providers to be able to use their lines, and that fee is passed to the consumer. it's so lucrative that most bell comanies/LECs also charge the fee.

with that said, be forewarned that states and the fed aren't very pleased about VoIP not being taxed the same, so the chances are good that'll change in the future.

[elessar78]

I work for a cable/internet/phone provider.

We are at the point that we give away our phone service, literally—it's free. If your provider isn't at that stage yet then the only counter argument is for 1) emergency services. depending on your area 911 will take a tad longer to locate your position in the event of an emergency in your home.

[thefrugallery]

I looked into VOIP but when I had my cable/internet hooked up, adding a home phone was only $5 a month. For five bucks I might as well go with the traditional phone. Has anyone tried out the Magic Jack that's advertised everywhere? I'm curious to hear about it.

The Frugallery

[kork13]

Originally Posted by thefrugallery

I looked into VOIP but when I had my cable/internet hooked up, adding a home phone was only $5 a month. For five bucks I might as well go with the traditional phone. Has anyone tried out the Magic Jack that's advertised everywhere? I'm curious to hear about it.

I use one, and it's outstanding. 99% of the time, the connection is crystal clear (only exception is if you're on a bad wifi connection). I travel all the time, and it's really nice to have a single phone number while traveling. All I need is my laptop and the USB plug, and I basically have a phone anywhere I've got the internet. Whether in Japan, USA, Korea, or the Middle East, it's always worked great. Plus, it's cheap -- $20/year.

[JBinKC]

The magic jack does save big money and worth owning but its operation depends upon where you live and what connection speeds you can get. It won't work with dial up or the slower speeds of satellite internet or throttled back service. One other qualm about the magic jack is it is not recommended to use if you need to dial in for speed.

[kv968]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

good news is that right now a lot of the taxes & surcharges that appear on a POTS bill (plain old telephone service), currently don't apply to VoIP service. my taxes & surcharges run about 3-4 a month of a $30 plan.

things that typicaly AREN'T on a VoIP bill: federal/state universal service fund fee, which runs (at the federal level) at about 10% of LD Plan fees and usage. also, the EUCL (end user common line fee), sometimes called an access charge, service, fee,what have you that runs about $6.50 for the first line and $7 for all others for residential customers. this is a fee the bell companies charge other providers to be able to use their lines, and that fee is passed to the consumer. it's so lucrative that most bell comanies/LECs also charge the fee.

Ya gotta love phone bills. I can read and understand a company's balance sheet, income statement, etc... but I still find it hard to interpret my phone bill