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Attn Vonage Users: We're Screwed

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Oni

Oni

Oni-ni-Kanab;, Ninja Hippo eater Moderator
​
Joined
Apr 5, 2001
Location
St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/16/vonage-no-workaround-were-pretty-much-screwed/

Vonage can't find a way out of the patent-infringement mess they've gotten themselves into w/ Verizon. In the end, they may have to cut off service and close up shop, unless they can magically find a way to either come to an agreement w/ Verizon regarding the use of their patents, find a work-around (which the linked article has Vonage stating as an impossibility), or some other option that will work out in their favour.

Currently, they have a stay of the injunction that would stop them from signing up new customers, but in the end, that probably won't hold up long vs Verizon.

I'd rather not go back to Bell Canada, and I like paying $23/mo for Vonage instead of $45/mo for competing services.

Anybody got any ideas? I'm starting to follow this closely, just in case I have to jump ship.
 
Last edited:
I have had great service with Vonage, I can only hope this gets resolved so vonage can stay in business.

Sprint may buy them....

I have to use Verizon for a land line and I hate them with a passion......

For the same services I get for 25 a month I would pay 100 a month.
 
I have been with Vonage for several years now. If I was forced to go back to verizon then I would not have that line. Period. I will not deal with that suck butt company again. Ever!

Vonage has been great since it started and I too will start following this story closely.
 
I been with vonage since day 1, I however canceled like a few months ago cause i got tired of the "raising rates" again BS

Im actually happy to see them fall. IS verizon suing ATT/SBC for there VOIP?
 
Remove said:
I have been with Vonage for several years now. If I was forced to go back to verizon then I would not have that line. Period. I will not deal with that suck butt company again. Ever!

Vonage has been great since it started and I too will start following this story closely.
Click to expand...


I'm with you, I'd rather build fires in my backyard and communicate with smoke signals rather than go back to Verizon.


If you want a real feel of the situation, read this and pay close attention to what Vonage stated to the courts on Aprils 6th

I'll paraphrase the important segment that's totally different from what Vonage is telling it's client base:


To the courts:

"While Vonage has studied methods for designing around the patents, the removal of the allegedly infringing technology, if even feasible, could take many months to fully study and implement"

To the Vonage customers:

"There are many options available to us and we are preparing to implement them if necessary," the company said in a news update for customers. "Vonage is also continuing to develop and design technical workarounds that would prevent Vonage's phone service from infringing upon Verizon's patents."

Vonage's CEO leaving was not comforting by the way...


My backup plan is very simple, if Vonage folds like @Home did after the cable companies and AT&T lopped off thier head, I'll just switch over to Comcast Voip, and hopefully Comcast isn't violating Verizon patents lol

I'm not a big fan of Comcast, but I despise Verizon and will never be a Verizon customer for as long as I live. Comcast is the lesser of two evils ;)

Guess time will tell what happens with Vonage....
 
I've been looking into a few Canadian solutions. Babytel seems good, and Teksavvy has one out too, I believe.

Or I could just move to Skype. :-/

With a little luck, Vonage will kiss and make up w/ Verizon.
 
From reading the trade journals and from articles in various business publications, I don't think that Vonage will make it through this. Expect Verizon to enforce their overly broad patents on any successful VOIP company in the U.S.
 
Oni said:
I've been looking into a few Canadian solutions. Babytel seems good, and Teksavvy has one out too, I believe.

Or I could just move to Skype. :-/

With a little luck, Vonage will kiss and make up w/ Verizon.
Click to expand...

That ain't going to happen, since a good portion of Vonage's 2 million+ customers were Verizon customers, including me. Verizon wants Vonage dead
rip.gif



nvidiaOCmaster said:
So its not just me that hates verizon service...
Click to expand...


It's a question of dollars and cents, one quick example is that Verizon charges $12.95 just for caller ID (If not bundled in a plan they may offer from time to time)

Vonage has the motto: The Power of Free

Vonage gives you these features for the base price of $24.95 a month in their unlimited plan:

Voicemail Plus
Caller ID with Name
Call Waiting
Call Return
Repeat Dialing
International Call Block
311 Dialing
Call Forwarding
Call Transfer
Call Hunt
Area Code Selection
Vonage V-Forecast
1-700-GETNEWS NEW
511 Traveler Information
Vonage Moves With You
V-Access
Ring Lists
Click-2-Call
Caller ID Block
3-Way Calling
In-Network Calls
811 Dialing





Not to mention free calls to Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. Other calls to parts of the world undercut what nearly every Telco charges including IDT ;)
 
Last edited:
~sigh~

this is Truly sad...

its sad, when a company gets sued...all because they are offering competition...

and in the end, who gets screwed? US!


and i'm not on vonage...but HELL, the stuff SSS posted that vonage GIVES you, for that 25 bucks a month...thats 10x more than what i currently get with my cell-phone, and i'm paying TWICE as much a month! :bang head
 
SunRedRX7 said:
Just switch to one of the other VOIP companies, I've been using SunRocket for over a year now with no problems.

$200 a year is what I'm paying with the annual plan
http://www.sunrocket.com/services/plans/annual/
Click to expand...

My sister has been using that also and loves it.

I just wish Yahoo was a little more dependable. But at $2.50 a month a for a phone number, caller ID, call waiting and voice mail. I can't complain :)
 
Ya this sucks. I've been following it as well but not really sure whats up with it. I mean they squeezed there way out of the 2 infringements, but the last one is tricky. Just hoping, if sadly they do go under, I'll be able to transfer my number over to another VOIP. Not sure which one but this was the cheapest in the area. AT&T is the next option for VOIP for me then again if that happens the wife might just want to go back to regular land line. I personally hate the idea of a home phone but she wants it. I got a cell and everyone calls it, wtf do I need a land line?

Guess we'll see what happens.
 
Elif Tymes said:
I don't even have a land line. Cell phone only fTW.
Click to expand...


thats what my family did... we ust to have 2 land lines from verizon ( about 25 a month flat rate then how ever much you would use would be added on..). they took the numbers from verizon and ported them to cell phones on their exsisting plans... it was only 9 bucks more a month and you can have your home phone any where. i havnt had any problems with verizon, their fios internet kicks some serious ***!
 
The real thorn in my side about it is that the patents that Verizon holds are just so terribly broad! They can cover just about anything! It's obscene, really.

I'm still looking for alternative VoIP solutions, but I'll pro'lly end up going w/ Babytel, especially if I make the move to Hamilton, Ontario like I've been thinking about.
 
Silversinksam said:
I'm with you, I'd rather build fires in my backyard and communicate with smoke signals rather than go back to Verizon.


If you want a real feel of the situation, read this and pay close attention to what Vonage stated to the courts on Aprils 6th

I'll paraphrase the important segment that's totally different from what Vonage is telling it's client base:


To the courts:

"While Vonage has studied methods for designing around the patents, the removal of the allegedly infringing technology, if even feasible, could take many months to fully study and implement"

To the Vonage customers:

"There are many options available to us and we are preparing to implement them if necessary," the company said in a news update for customers. "Vonage is also continuing to develop and design technical workarounds that would prevent Vonage's phone service from infringing upon Verizon's patents."

Vonage's CEO leaving was not comforting by the way...


My backup plan is very simple, if Vonage folds like @Home did after the cable companies and AT&T lopped off thier head, I'll just switch over to Comcast Voip, and hopefully Comcast isn't violating Verizon patents lol

I'm not a big fan of Comcast, but I despise Verizon and will never be a Verizon customer for as long as I live. Comcast is the lesser of two evils ;)

Guess time will tell what happens with Vonage....
Click to expand...


Comcast has been a good company to deal with lately. They have been really helpful in my last several encounters so I guess if Vonage does go away the I too would get the Comcast phone. I have their cable and 8mb internet already so might as well get them all.
 
Before you default back to whoever is the dominent carrier in your area, check out local companies.
 
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