Vonics Digital: Talk is Cheap

What does this tool do: Gives you full telephone service…no long distance fees.. and many options through your internet connection, but unreliability is a notable reason for caution.

Cost: $8.99 per month

Who Needs It: People wanting a cheap second phone line who can live with less reliability and probable support headaches. (Please see my updates below.)

Info Page: http://www.vonics.com/vonics/index.jsp

Comments:

There are around 700 U.S. internet phone providers already, and most appear to be struggling. But phone service options are changing rapidly behind your back, so you may want to be looking into this. I’ve been using a Vonics (not Vonage) Digital phone, for about six months so I can speak from only my experience. The primary benefit to me is having a third line at a very reasonable price. (I already pay for “free” long distance on my land lines.) I use the Vonics as a backup and would not yet recommend using a VOIP phone as your primary line because of well publicized problems with these services. But as a second line or for free long distance calls, it does exceptionally well. Free national long distance, low or no international charges, lower monthly rates, an extra phone number to receive free incoming calls from almost any area code, and a multiplicity of free options make it very attractive. Beyond the low pricing (about half that of larger VOIP providers), I love the large array of free programming options. I set my Vonics to ring all my other lines, including cell, simultaneously so I never miss a call…unless I choose to. On the negative side, I have not had the most responsive service with Vonics technical support, a common complaint. The service has also been down for short periods, but rarely. Still its very low price and excellent sound quality with no latency (delay or echo) makes this a tool that you may want to try. Not enough space to cover the many benefits…and potential pitfalls…here, but you can research and do side by comparisons at VOIP Review. At the low annual price, this was an easy decision for me.

Update: (June 16, 2008) Service is dead today, with no explanation. This happened last month too, but an email was sent explaining the problem and asking forgiveness. Sigh. I’m not ready to bail, but their spotty service keeps me wondering if THEY will bail. You may want to check our previous review of MagicJack. And do your research before you move to VOIP.

Update: (August 31, 2008) Through the past few months Vonics service has again been out for short periods. Sometimes for a few hours, sometimes up to a day or more. On those occasions I have fallen back to my land line for long distance. Would I still recommend it? Guardedly. I’ve already used the Vonics line for long distance calls far in excess of the annual billing. But my recommendation is still to not rely on it without a backup long distance line.

Update: (November 13, 2008) Forget it. Vonics has gone continually down hill since the last update and I can’t recommend this service. There are now plenty of alternatives that provide much better service. See VOIP Review.