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Phone Service over the Internet Pages: 12

GM Tech on Thu February 21, 2008 12:59 PM User is offline

So now that I bought into the Clearwire system (Broadband using cell phone towers and technology) - this has opened some doors for me-- First off, my daughter will now speak to me again- (she didin't like dial-up)- second- we now know what a video looks like from over the internet, and now I see that my next biggest household expense is the telephone service- we run two businesses and the wife insist on a 3rd private line as well-- This "bundled service" is costing me nearly $200 a month!! for all the features- caller id, no long distance fees, voice mail etc......

I have fought the battle to eliminate some lines and have lost-- wife insists she needs all 3-- plus we have 3 cell phones!! and she says she can't bear the extended use of cell phone next to her head- says it makes her head hurt- and get hot-- believes the microwaves are destroying her mind-- I still say it is her genetics doing it--anyway- she refuses to wear a headset- wants these landlines along with the original phone numbers.... A quick google search yesterday lead me to Vonage- which advertises all the bells and whistles using the internet broadband connection for $24.99/month-- sure sounds like a deal-- digital over analogue--our current phone has static every time it rains- I have to call the repairman probably 6 times per year for either outages or noisy lines--- digital internet sounds very inviting-

--- BUT the wife will only go along with it- if she doesn't notice any adverse effects- as compared to what she already has.......does anyone have any experience with this service??? I thought about posting on a phone service forum-- but I like to get your thoughts first-- plus I haven't looked yet for such a forum....

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

CorvairGeek on Thu February 21, 2008 2:08 PM User is offline

I don't have a land line or VOIP, but Clearwire does offer their phone service here. We've had Clearwire here for over 2 years, I think your Dayton market is newer. Are they offering it there yet? I've considered it just because I hate the cell phone sound (old man hearing).

-------------------------
Jerry

NickD on Thu February 21, 2008 3:24 PM User is offline

Always interested in new services, I do not have http://www.clearwire.com/ here, but see they do offer a landline as part of there service as does Charter.

A kid came over to the house and installed a box both inside and outside, the outside is just a junction box, inside has all kinds of flashing lights that remain flashing even after I pull the AC plug, so does have battery backup. Not that I can use any of my cordless phones around here that all require 120VAC to work, but do have a real old phone that doesn't require power so that always works in case of a power failure. But then have cell phones, so not exactly cut off. But I was concerned about power failure anyway being old fashion. I suppose I could call them and have two more boxes added and maybe clearwire can do the same for you, but with so many phone numbers, can't even remember my own.

Still have my Fax machine, but that is ancient history, scan and send .pfd files that are crystal clear over the net. Charter charges $29.95 a month and has all those extras like voice mail, caller ID, waiting, call blocking, and some I haven't even read about. Well they say 29.95 a month, but that doesn't include all those taxes, more like 40 bucks a month. But I like it, crystal clear reception and can call anywhere in the USA without extra charges and even overseas for around 20 cents a minute, but still buy those calling cards for more like 3-4 cents a minute. I was being robbed blind by my local phone company making in-state calls as much as 50 cents a minute, now can call and talk as long as I want to at the same base price, that is nice.

What gives me a fit on caller ID if from a cell phone, don't get the area code with it, so have to key that in to return those calls, and never know whether to dial a 1 or not before a number, a recording comes on and says you do not dial a one with this number then disconnects me so I have to redial again. If they already know that, why can't they just let the call go through?

My son gave me his LG VX6100 cell phone, I really like it, very loud and clear and can use voice commands and has a speaker for no hands operation when driving, ha, US Cellular claims Motorola is best, wife has one, I get a clear signal when her phone is dead, Motorola sucks, can also take crappy pictures with mine and send those to my wife for clarification, that is nice. But I can't play video games on it nor listen to MP3's, all gee.

Check with clearwire, many offer a free trial before committing. Worked on a friends computer with a phone modem, forgot how slow those things were, painfully slow. Took over an hour to download a 40MB upgrade, do that here in less than ten seconds.

Edited: Thu February 21, 2008 at 3:27 PM by NickD

GM Tech on Thu February 21, 2008 3:30 PM User is offline

Yeah- I just saw it -- online--- Heck I did not know they did phone service as well-- they did a poor sales job to me- never even asked me about it-- I'll have to go back now and get phone service bundled in-- Heck- it's only $49/month for internet and one phone-- so who knows- I might be able to get three phone lines and internet for less than $100/month-- will save me over a $100/month.. I am excited now--They say it has a clear signal-- all I ever get is garbage static on my land lines........Thanks for the input.......

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

CorvairGeek on Thu February 21, 2008 3:44 PM User is offline

Isn't it amazing how many "sales" people don't have any idea about the products and services they sell?

Glad we pointed you in the right direction!


-------------------------
Jerry

steve325is on Thu February 21, 2008 3:56 PM User is offline

Is there still an issue with 911 calls on those VOIP services? I'd really hate to accidentally call the Bangalore Fire Department

-- Steve

NickD on Thu February 21, 2008 4:00 PM User is offline

Ha, Bangalore Fire Department is much faster than the one we have in town.

GM Tech on Thu February 21, 2008 8:06 PM User is offline

They say that for 911- you must first register with your current address and if you move the phone or connection (it is portable) that you need to re-register it-- and it takes 3-5 days to become active- I assume they have to get confirmation with your local 911 dispatcher or such.... So far I can't see any reason why not to go for it--there is no service when there is no electrical power- but- that's why we have cell phones - plus I have a generator anyway........Thanks again.........

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

CorvairGeek on Thu February 21, 2008 11:38 PM User is offline

GM Tech,

Let me know how you like it. I wouldn't mind getting one from Clearwire too.


-------------------------
Jerry

NickD on Fri February 22, 2008 7:00 AM User is offline

Amazing how these phone and cable companies can charge more than your electrical and natural gas bills combined and are only providing a couple of milliwatts of energy. The cable is going to be history soon, no sense in wiring a city with a bunch of cable when a couple of small microwave antennas will do. And why all the threats when popping in a DVD? After a couple of weeks, any movie is history and they can't even give the DVD's away, why even bother trying to copy it? Cable is double jeopardy for TV, not only charge you a fortune, but can't even watch a program for nine minutes without at least four minutes of commercials in it. Remote is no good, all the channels now sync their commercials at the same time, TMC is about the only commercial free channel.

Wife got me involved in MP3's with all these subscription sites when you pay a buck a track and don't really even own it, another ripoff. The prices for cellular phones and MP3 players is outrageous, did take a Motorola cell phone apart after my daughter sprinkled some water on it, if that 200 buck POS cost anymore than eight bucks to make, I would eat it. And Ipod is making a player now for over 500 bucks! All that super cheap three layer stuff, so they not only get you on subscription services but on hardware cost as well. Software companies are also nailing us by changing the format every year forcing you to upgrade and 99% of that stuff is not even tested causing us hours of aggravation. Had some respect for MS until they came out with Vista that obsoleted just about anything you purchased and used only less than a year. And Vista really needs service packs 1,2, and 3 and personal computer changed to a public computer, no way to get rid of that public stuff.

Electronics, what a bad choice of a field to get into, actually was nice working with vacuum tubes made in the USA, but this chemical etching and printing stuff was all kicked out of this country, first just the chips, now the entire product. Interesting that the Chinese are really hot on the collar when they learned we have the capability to knock out a spy satellite. It's coming out that China is building a strong military, not necessarily so they say that the USA will be an enemy, but an opponent. Somehow I had the feeling we would be at odds with China, didn't think this soon. But history tends to repeat itself just like many American corporation put billions in Germany before WWII, same thing in China but at a much larger scale. Then a culture where all the families can only have one child and want a male, not enough females to go around, so faced with millions of horny guys, that's a bomb ready to go off.

US China Relations.

Edited: Fri February 22, 2008 at 8:30 AM by NickD

GM Tech on Fri February 22, 2008 9:47 AM User is offline

I remember when cable TV first came out-- Girlfriend had it in her apartment-back in 1976-- It was great - you paid for TV that had NO commercials-- that was how it worked-- My brother spends 95% of his time in FIJI- comes home-- sees my satellite-- and remarks-- "You mean you pay for satellite service and they still have commercials???" why would you pay for a service and still have to sit through commercials???

If this is the case how come there are not more "over the air stations" providing commercial TV? I suppose they only allow so many in your area-- I imagine they will be doomed soon......

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

NickD on Fri February 22, 2008 11:25 AM User is offline

CBS. ABC, NBC, PBS, and Fox have transmitters, is there any other stations? Milwaukee has that plus one independent as does Chicago. FCC did allocate 83 channels for UHF, but cut that back to 55. They could cut that back to 5, maybe even 2, UHF never took off. UHF reception is terrible, had to mount my antenna 30 feet higher when I had one plus a rotor just to get a snowy picture.

Our cable company did have an offer last year, 5 extra bucks a month for all 33 premium movie channels, we never watched it and was quickly reminded to cancel it when out bill came in 40 bucks higher. Movies first hit the theaters and a couple of months later are on DVD, well some of them, many come out directly on DVD, we get unlimited rental at our video store for 15 bucks a month, could watch 12 movies a day or 360 in a month if we didn't have anything better to do for that 15 bucks a month. Six months later they hit HBO and others, already way old hat by that time. HBO was showing Mr. & Mrs. Smith five times a day, had some comedy specials, but they were too disgusting if not nauseating for my wife and me to sit through, throwing up is not my idea of comedy.

They did offer basic cable for 6 bucks a month, first 12 channels, did have some good stuff on them, but moved all that up to the higher channels, just get the local channels now that you can get with an antenna, those stations that sell stuff and the local government and school channels that show messages about such important things as the school menu for the day. Channels 14 to 99 are analog with mostly crap, but all the discovery health and science channels were moved to 100-500 requiring digital and an extra fee.

Like any other so-called public utility, they have a monopoly that use to be government regulated that isn't anymore on any given community. We are beginning to see some competition in cellular phones, they just need a foot long antenna and a couple of boxes to set up operation, but see our locals setting up regulations where those antennas can be mounted, wonder if I could make a couple of extra bucks if I ran for mayor. The stage is already set for corruption. AT&T claims to have a new system for the internet, phone, and TV, already hear the local cable companies screaming about that, but won't be long until we all get wireless, dirt cheap, but not sure about the rates.

JJM on Mon February 25, 2008 12:17 AM User is offline

I've had Vonage for several years now and am fairly pleased with it. I've got the cheap $14.99 plan for 500 minutes, which used to come to about $16 or so a month with taxes, but lately it's around $20 or so - don't know why and haven't checked into it. In the beginning I used to have 2 lines with Vonage (my Vonage VoIP adapter has 2 ports), but that was overkill since I have DSL with POTS service, so that gave me 3 lines, so I cancelled the second VoIP virtual number. The $50 Vonage adapter also ended up costing me nothing after the rebate.

Wiring was a piece of cake, since I've got a structured media panel, and even with my 768/128 DSL service (fastest I can get here), the voice quality is good, though not always perfect... kind of like a cell phone. I'm sure when I get Verizon FiOS, the Vonage (which I still intend to keep) will be flawless.

Vonage has some really cool features too, all at no extra charge... many of the calling features are configurable right online (so no calls into the company for feature changes), e-mail alerts are sent out when you receive a voice mail, complete with the message as a WAV file attachment, caller ID and outgoing call log are available online... and many other great features you'd have to likely pay for from the TELCO. And if the Vonage is down because of lack of internet service (the service itself has NEVER gone down that I know of) calls automatically roll over to a number you specify, in our case, my wife's cell phone.

The downside? There are some. I notice the caller ID doesn't always display on system phones, and the phone doesn't always ring and callers go right to Vonage voice mail. Voice quality can be choppy when the computers are hogging up bandwidth. Using the VoIP lines for faxing (though Vonage offers fax service cheap) or analog modem connections doesn't work - which is one of the reasons why I keep my POTS line. As I've mentioned, even with my slow 768/128 DSL line, voice quality isn't bad, but if latency is an issue with your ISP or router, that's where Vonage has problems. I have friends with far faster cable connections, and their Vonage service works awful due to high latency. And while I've never had an occasion to need it, friends who have Vonage note that customer service is poor, virtually non-existent. But other than that, Vonage is great.

I recommend Vonage, and if you don't talk a lot the $14.99 for 500 minutes (if still available) is a great deal, otherwise $24.99 unlimited is the way to go.

I know what you mean about phone service, EVERY time it rains here, I lose ALL phone and internet service. It seems Verizon is neglecting copper since everything is going fiber, but they're still a few blocks away with fiber, and the way those guys work, that means another year.

GM Tech on Mon February 25, 2008 9:27 AM User is offline

Good to know-- Thanks for the input-- We have a fax machine on one of our lines- the wife uses it for her business- even though we have 2 desktops and two laptops- my wife is basically computer illiterate- and will have to have the fax machine- I guess I could keep one land line and change the other two to internet- she sure loves her *69 call back feature- often times looks to see who is calling- then waits till she's free to call back......if she can't do that - I will catch holy hell.......sounds like it will work okay though......

One question- when you say 500 minutes- is that like a cell phone?-- minutes both ways- on received and made calls?- how about nights and weekends? something to consider.....I'm sure the internet service (Clearwire or Vonage) will tell me fax machines will work- But now I know I need to test it-- If I get one line transferred over, then I can test allother types of features... Thanks again....

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

NickD on Mon February 25, 2008 9:58 AM User is offline

The question I have about Vonage, is, do you have to keep your computer on 24/7? With those fans sucking in dirt, should sell computers as air filters. And at 220 watts average, doesn't that run up your electric bill? My computers go into standby mode if not used for 20 minutes, but have to turn that off if running a virus check or speed disk that takes hours. Leaving a box on can run up your electric bill up another 20 bucks a month. If you have the option to get an independent phone line, would opt for that instead.

Some private contract cut our line and lost all service for a day, I asked our cable company if they are going to charge that contractor for repairs, they said you are darn right we are. Said, I am the one that suffered losing TV, phone, and the internet, so they gave me a day's credit on my bill.

Ha, can remember the good old days when I didn't even have a phone, life was a lot more peaceful back then.

GM Tech on Mon February 25, 2008 10:28 AM User is offline

From what I have researched- they give you a phone modem box that plugs into your ethernet hub- only needs a 110v adapter- (more plugs and wires) - and your phone line plugs into that box- Your computer has nothing to do with it-just shares the ethernet port through your hub or router and should be completely independent

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

NickD on Mon February 25, 2008 11:53 AM User is offline

Ha, is it Vontage, Vonage, Vantage, or Verizon? There is another V in there someplace that deals with downloading movies. All I know is after buying a store computer it came downloaded with tons of so-called free stuff, Vonage was one of them. When I had a major HD failure a couple of days after the warranty, had to send HP 15 bucks for the OS and got seven CD's that all had to be reloaded, again with all that free stuff. Took me six hours to delete it all. Can't get just a single CD anymore with the OS on it.

In the Vonage homepage, claim they can monitor your calls to make sure you are within their legal restrictions like using a residential license and using it for business, or saying dirty words.

Also sounds like Vonage is having other legal problems, Vonage other legal problems. Been seeing a lot of their commercials on cable along with GEICO and pills for diseases that I am sure to have, better tell my doctor about that.

Wish my wife never got an MP3 player after reading about that Jammey Thomson case where this 24 year old girl was fined $220,000 for sharing 24 MP3's. Is anyone carrying an MP3 player suspect? I believe an MP3 player only plays MP3s. Will you be arrested if you whistled a tune you heard on the radio for copyright infringement? All this legal stuff can drive a guy nuts.

How is this for a list of rules?

"1.
INTRODUCTION
2.
EMERGENCY SERVICES - 911 DIALING
3.
CUSTOMER SERVICE.
4.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE.
5.
SERVICE.
6.
LENGTH OF SERVICE.
7.
DEVICES.
8.
FEES, TAXES, AND OTHER CHARGES.
9.
BILLING AND PAYMENT.
10. PROHIBITED USES; UNLAWFUL USES AND INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT.

11.
LIMITATION ON WARRANTIES, REMEDIES AND LIABILITY.
12.
INDEMNIFICATION AND WAIVER OF CLAIMS.
13.
MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS.
14.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND BINDING ARBITRATION.
15.
CHANGES TO THIS AGREEMENT.
16.
PRIVACY.
17.
EXPORT CONTROLS.
18.
COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK; COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT; DIGITAL MILLENIUMCOPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) NOTICE.
Proceed to Terms of Service


1. INTRODUCTION.
These Terms of Service constitute the agreement between Vonage America Inc. and the user of Vonage's communications services and any related products or services. This agreement governs both our service and any Vonage-approved or Vonage-provided devices used with our service. It applies to all lines on each Vonage account. Vonage America Inc. is sometimes referred to as "we," "us," "our," or "Vonage" and the user is sometimes referred to as "you," "your," or "user," or "customer".
By subscribing to or using our service, you agree to these Terms of Service. All information linked to these Terms of Service is part of it.
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2. EMERGENCY SERVICES - 911 DIALING.
2.1 911 Dialing.
Vonage 911 dialing is different than traditional 911 service.
2.2 Vonage 911 Disclosure Agreement.
Click here to see the current form of the Vonage 911 Disclosure Agreement.

911 DISCLOSURE DURING SUBSCRIBE

Vonage 911 service is different from traditional 911, but it is a safe and reliable means of emergency dialing that may differ depending on where you are located when using your Vonage service.

Most of our customers have access to either basic 911 or Enhanced 911 (E911) service. With E911 service, when you dial 911 your Vonage telephone number and registered address is sent to the local emergency center serving your location, and emergency operators have access to this information in order to send help and call you back if necessary. With basic 911 or limited E911 service, when you dial 911, local emergency operators answering the call may not see your Vonage telephone number or your registered address because the emergency center may not be equipped to receive, capture or retain your Vonage telephone number and registered address, so you must be prepared to give them this information. Until you give the operator your phone number, he/she may not be able to call you back or dispatch help if the call is dropped or disconnected, or if you are unable to speak. As additional local emergency centers become capable of receiving our customers' information, we will automatically upgrade customers with basic 911 to E911 service. We will not notify you of the upgrade.

Certain customers do not have access to either basic 911 or E911. If you don't have access to basic 911 or E911, your 911 call will be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center. A trained agent at the emergency call center will ask for your name, telephone number, and location, and then transfer you to the local emergency center nearest to your location. Your 911 call will also be sent to the Vonage national emergency call center if there is a problem validating the registered address provided by you, you are located in an area that is not covered by the land line 911 network or you use a Wi-Fi, Vonage V-Phone, softphone or some other portable device.

For each phone line you must provide a registered address where you will be using our service at the time you subscribe. Additionally, if you move your device to another location, you must update your address. If you do not update your location, your 911 calls may be sent to an emergency center near your old address. For purposes of 911 dialing, you may register only one location at a time for each phone line. Regardless of what address you register for a portable device (e.g., WiFi, Vonage V-Phone, or SoftPhone), emergency calls you make from these devices will be routed to the Vonage national emergency call center.

Please remember that our 911 Dialing service will not function in the event of a broadband or power outage or if your broadband, Internet Service Provider (ISP), or Vonage phone service is terminated.

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3. CUSTOMER SERVICE.
We offer varying types and levels of customer service depending on a number of factors, including the service you are using and the problems you are experiencing. For more information on our customer service, please review the "Help" section of our web site www.vonage.com. We assume no obligation to provide support services for any third party products or services, or for problems with our service caused by third party products or services. Unless you have entered into a separate services agreement with us, we may change the customer service options at any time.
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4. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE.
We offer a money back guarantee if you terminate your service within 30 days from your subscription date. The subscription date is the date you order service or the date we successfully process your payment, whichever is later. It is not the day you receive the equipment you ordered or the first day you use the service.
4.1 Click here to see the terms of our 30 day money back guarantee for all customers except Business Plus Customer
We offer a money back guarantee if you terminate your service within 30 days from your subscription date. Our money back guarantee applies only to the first-ordered line per account, not to additional or secondary lines. We will refund one credit for the activation fee you paid, the service charge for the first service term, initial shipping charges, the price you were charged by us for your device and the $39.99 disconnection fee if you meet the following conditions:



Any device you purchased from retail stores is not eligible for our money back guarantee. Please refer to the return policy of the retailer where you purchased your device.

Our money back guarantee does not apply to any charges for international usage, payphone calls to Vonage toll free numbers, and directory assistance. In addition, we may not be able to refund all of the taxes that you paid.

Due to the nature of how Vonage bills a customer's account, you may be billed for additional charges for the time between disconnection and return of the equipment. Vonage will use commercially reasonable efforts to refund promptly any charges (less any amounts that you owe to us) to your account following the return of your device. If you have a billing dispute following the termination of your account, please contact us at http://www.vonage.com/help_contactUs.php].

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4.2 Click here to see the terms of our 30 day money back guarantee for Business Plus Customers.
We offer a money back guarantee if you terminate your service within 30 days from your subscription date. Our money back guarantee applies only to the first-ordered line per account, not to additional or secondary lines. We will refund one credit for the activation fee you paid, the service charge for the first service term, initial shipping charges, and the $39.99 disconnection fee if you meet the following conditions:

you have not exceeded 5,000 minutes of usage; and

you cancel your service within the first 30 days of your subscription date.

Our money back guarantee does not apply to any charges for international usage, payphone calls to Vonage toll free numbers, and directory assistance. In addition, we may not be able to refund all of the taxes that you paid.

Due to the way Vonage bills a customer's account, you may be billed for additional charges for the time between disconnection and the return of the equipment. Vonage will use commercially reasonable efforts to refund promptly any charges (less any amounts that you owe to us) to your account following the return of your device. If you have a billing dispute following the termination of your account, please contact us at 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357).

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4.3 We have the right to disconnect or revoke our 30 day money back guarantee for all customers at any time, without prior notice.
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5. SERVICE
5.1 Service Distinctions.
Our service is not a telecommunications service, and we provide it on a best efforts basis. There are important distinctions between a telecommunications service and our service. Our service is subject to different regulatory treatment than a telecommunications service. This treatment may limit or otherwise affect your rights of redress before regulatory agencies. Events beyond our control may affect our service, such as power outages, fluctuations in the internet, your underlying ISP or broadband service, or maintenance. We will act in good faith to minimize disruptions to your use of and access to our service.
5.2 Residential Use of Service and Device.
If you subscribe to our residential services, we provide you with service and the device solely for residential use.
5.3 Small Business Plans.
If you subscribe to any of Vonage's small business plans (for example, Small Business, Business Plus, or Vonage Office Anywhere plans), we provide our service and the device to you solely for use as a small business user or domestic business traveler. If you subscribe to Business Plus, you are responsible for supplying, operating, and supporting the standard SIP based Customer Premise Equipment for use with the service. As the subscriber and operator or administrator of this equipment, you are responsible for maintaining the security of the equipment, including but not limited to the physical and network security elements of your device.
5.4 Inconsistent Use.
If you use the service or the device in a way that is inconsistent with the normal use for your service or plan, you will be required to pay the rates for the service or plan that would apply to the way you used the service or device.
5.5 No 0+ or Operator Assisted Calling;
May Not Support x11 Calling. Our service does not support 0+ or operator assisted calling, including, without limitation, collect calls, third party billing calls, 900, or calling card calls. Our service may not support 311, 511, and other x11 services in one or more service areas. Our service does support specified dialing such as 911 and 411, which are provided for elsewhere in these Terms of Service.
5.6 No Directory Listing.
The phone numbers you get from us will not be listed in any telephone directories. However, any phone numbers you transfer from your local phone company may be listed.
5.7 Incompatibility With Other Services.
(a) Non-Voice Equipment Limitations. You acknowledge that our service may not be compatible with all non-voice communications equipment, including but not limited to home security systems, medical monitoring equipment, satellite television systems, and computer modems. You waive any claim against Vonage for interference with or disruption of these services and equipment.
(b) Certain Broadband, Cable Modem, and Other Services.
You acknowledge that our service presently is not compatible with AOL cable broadband service and certain versions of TiVO. There may also be other services with which our service may be incompatible. Some providers of broadband service may provide modems that prevent the transmission of communications using our service. We do not warrant that our services will be compatible with all broadband services and expressly disclaim any express or implied warranties regarding the compatibility of our service with any particular broadband service.
5.8 Passwords
You will be asked to create a password in order to gain access to your account information on-line or when contacting a Vonage agent by phone. You agree to keep all passwords and account information confidential and are solely responsible for any liability or damages resulting from your failure to maintain that confidentiality, and for all activities that occur under your password. You must immediately notify us if you suspect any breach of security such as loss, or unauthorized disclosure or use of your password and account.
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6. LENGTH OF SERVICE.
6.1 Service Term.
We provide our service for terms of a set length that depend on the term that you have signed up for (for example, 30 days, one year, and two years). Your term begins on the subscription date, which is the date you first ordered service or the date we successfully process your payment, whichever is later. It is not the day you receive the equipment you ordered or the first time you use the service. You are purchasing our service for the full service term.
6.2 Automatic Renewal.
The terms of this agreement automatically renew for the same term unless you call us to cancel your service before the end of your current service term. 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357) The renewal begins on the day after the last day of your term.

In Plan/Out of Plan Overview & Charges



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6.3 Other Commitments.
If you made a commitment as part of a promotional or plan benefit (such as an equipment upgrade, a free month of service, free installation, a rebate, or other incentive), unless otherwise specified in the offer you received, your commitment begins on the earlier of the day that you use the new equipment or accept the promotion or benefit. We will disclose the length of the commitment as part of the promotion or plan.
6.4 Our right to disconnect.
We have the right to suspend or discontinue service generally, or to disconnect your service, at any time. In addition, we reserve the right to immediately disconnect your service at any time without notice:





Our action or inaction under this section does not constitute any review or approval of your action or use or content.

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6.5 Fees upon disconnection.
(a) Disconnection by you. If you attempt to disconnect service before the end of your current service term, you will be responsible for all the charges for your current term, including unbilled charges, plus any disconnection fee. In addition, if you disconnect service that is based on a commitment before the end of the commitment, you agree to pay us the applicable recovery fee.
(b) Disconnection by us without a reason. If we discontinue service generally, or disconnect your service without a stated reason, you will only be responsible for the charges that have accrued through the date of the disconnection, including a pro-rated portion of the final service term charges, and any recovery fees.
(c) Disconnection by us with a reason. If we disconnect your service for any of the reasons listed in section 6.4 above, you will be responsible for all charges through the end of your current service term, including unbilled charges, plus any disconnection and any recovery fees.
(d) All of charges owed at the time of disconnection will be immediately payable. We will pursue collection for unpaid amounts on disconnected accounts and may report these unpaid charges to credit bureaus.
6.6 Number Transfer or "Port" on Service Disconnection.
(a) Single line Accounts.You may be able to take, or "port," your current number to another service provider. If you ask your new service provider to port a number from us, and we receive your request from the new service provider, we will automatically terminate our service for that number upon successful completion of the port. Once your service is terminated and the port is completed, you will remain responsible for all charges and fees through the end of that billing cycle, including any cancellation fees. If a port is unsuccessful for any reason, your service and your agreement with us will not terminate, you will remain a Vonage customer, and you will continue to be responsible for all charges and fees associated with your Vonage service.
(b) Multiple-line Accounts.If you request your new service provider to port a number from us and you have multiple numbers assigned to your account and/or additional devices such as the WiFi or Softphone on your account, you are required to inform us of your intent to terminate all the services on your account, prior to the successful completion of the requested port or we will select the most appropriate billing plan for any remaining numbers and/or devices on your Vonage account,and you will continue to be responsible for all the charges and fees associated with the remaining services on your Vonage account. Once the port of the requested number is completed, you will remain responsible for all charges and fees through the end of that billing cycle, including any cancellation fees applicable to the ported number.
6.7 Termination of Service.
In order to terminate your service, you must contact our Customer Care Department, via telephone, at the following toll-free number: 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357). Our Account Management Department is available to assist you Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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7. DEVICES
7.1 Devices purchased from a retail provider.
(a) Return of Device. Except as provided in the limited warranty found in Section 7.1(b) below, if you purchased your device from a retail provider, you may return your device only to that retail provider. All device returns are subject to the return policy of the retail provider and are not eligible for our money back guarantee. We will not accept any device returned to us from a retail customer.
(b) Limited Warranty from Vonage for retail customers only. We will provide a limited warranty on the device only for manufacturing defects for a period of 1 year from your subscription date. This retail customer limited warranty does not apply to any defect or failure other than a manufacturing defect. Without limiting the generality of the warranty, it does not apply to any defect caused by damage in transit, retailer handling, or your handling of your device. Some States do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you. For returns subject to this retail customer limited warranty, the following conditions must be satisfied:

we receive your device, in its original condition, reasonable wear and tear excluded, together with the original packaging, all parts, accessories, and documentation;

before returning your device to us, and within 1 year from your subscription date, you need to obtain a valid return authorization number from our Customer Care department which you can reach at 1-VONAGE-HELP; and [http://www.vonage.com/help_contactUs.php]

you pay all costs of shipping your device back to us.
7.2 Devices received from us.
(a) Limited Warranty. Except as set forth in these Terms of Service, if you received a device from us and the device included a limited warranty from another person (such as the manufacturer) at the time you received it, you should read the separate limited warranty document you got with the device for information on the limitation and disclaimer of certain warranties. We will provide a limited warranty on the device only for manufacturing defects for a period of 1 year from your subscription date. Some States do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.
(b) Repair or replacement. Your only remedy for any breach of any limited warranty or other breach of any duty regarding a device is to get a repaired or replacement device by following our return procedures. This limited warranty applies in place of the limited warranty included with the device if the included limited warranty is less favorable to you than this warranty.
(c) Service Cancellation. If you cancel your service within the money back guarantee period, you may obtain a credit for the amount paid for the device, if you return your device to us according to the money back guarantee conditions.
(d) Receipt of damaged devices. If you receive cartons or devices that are visibly damaged, you must note the damage on the carrier's freight bill or receipt and keep a copy. You must also keep the original carton, all packing materials, and parts in the same condition in which you received them from the carrier. You must then contact our customer care department immediately at 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357).
(e) Ownership and Risk of Loss. You will own your device and bear all the risk of loss, theft, or damage. This risk is from the time we ship your device to you until the time you return it to us according to this agreement.
7.3 Tampering with the Device.
You may not change the electronic serial number or equipment identifier of your device or perform a factory reset of your device without first getting our written consent.
7.4 Prohibited Devices.
You are prohibited from using Vonage services with any devices other than Vonage-approved devices received from retailers or from us.
7.5 Disclaimer.
Other than express warranties for the device in the documentation that comes with your device and the retail customer limited warranty in this agreement, following the term of the limited warranty, we make no warranties of any kind, express or implied, and specifically disclaim, following the term of the limited warranty, any warranty of merchantability, fitness of the device for a particular purpose, title or non-infringement, or any warranty arising by usage of trade, course of dealing, or course of performance, or any warranty that the device or any firmware or software is "error free" or will meet your requirements. This section does not limit any disclaimer or limitation of warranty in the documentation provided with your device. Device warranties do not apply to Business Plus customers.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State.
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8. FEES, TAXES, AND OTHER CHARGES.
8.1 Fees and charges.
We will publish on our web site the fees and charges. These fees and charges may change from time to time. We may introduce new products and services at special introductory pricing. At our discretion, we may change introductory pricing. Where required by law, we will send notification of invoices to your email address on file with us. We reserve the right to bill you more frequently if you owe us more than $75.
8.2 Billing increments.
We bill usage charges in full minute increments. We round partial minutes up to the next full minute, unless we state otherwise in the rate schedules on our web site. We bill fractional usage charges in full cents. We round up cents when the value is $.005 or more and down when the value is less than $.005, unless we state otherwise in the rate schedules on our website.
Click here to see a few examples of how minutes and cost per minute are calculated.



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8.3 Taxes
State and local governments may assess taxes, surcharges, or fees, or all of these, on your use of our service. These charges may be a flat fee or a percentage of your Vonage charges and may change without notice. These charges are based on the rates applicable to the address you provided to us. You are responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, or charges for your subscription, use, or payment for our service or your device. These amounts are in addition to the payment for your service or devices. We will bill these charges to your payment method according to the terms in this agreement. If you are exempt from payment of any of these taxes, you must provide us with an original certificate that satisfies the legal requirements attesting to tax-exempt status. Tax exemption will only apply from the date we receive your certificate. Vonage America, Inc., Attn: Tax Manager, 23 Main Street, Holmdel, N.J. 07733
8.4 Payphone Charges.
If you use our "Toll Free Plus" feature, or any toll free feature that we offer in the future, we will recover from you any charges imposed on us either directly or indirectly for toll free calls made to your number. We may recover these amounts by means of a per-call charge, rounded up to the next cent, or in any other way we decide is appropriate for the recovery of these costs.
8.5 Charges for Directory Calls (411).
We will charge you $0.99 for each call you make to Vonage directory assistance.
8.6 Activation Fee.
We will charge you a one-time activation fee of $29.99 for residential and business accounts and any other activation fee that may apply to the particular features or service that you select.
8.7 Disconnection Fee (Does Not Apply to Business Plus Customers).
You will be charged a disconnection fee of $39.99 per voice line if your service is disconnected, subject to state and local laws. However, if your subscription date is on or after February 1, 2007 and is disconnected after 2 years following your subscription date, the disconnection fee is waived. If your subscription date is on or before January 31, 2007, the disconnection fee is waived if your service is disconnected 1 year following your subscription date.
8.8 Recovery Fee.
If you disconnect service based on a commitment before the end of the commitment period, you agree to pay us the applicable recovery fee. A recovery fee is equal to the difference between the price you paid and the regular price of the good, service, or other benefit you received. Any recovery fees are cumulative and are in addition to any other amounts you may owe us, including any disconnection fees.
8.9 No Credit Allowances or Refunds for Prepaid Service Plan Customers.
Subject to our money back guarantee and law, we will neither credit nor refund any service fees or any other amounts you pay for any prepaid service plans.
8.10 No Credit for Non-Usage
Non-usage of the service does not entitle you to a credit for, or refund of, any portion of a payment made to us.
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9. BILLING AND PAYMENT.
9.1 Billing.
We will bill you for each term of service. When you subscribe to our service, you must give us a valid email address and a payment method that we accept. We reserve the right to stop accepting your payment method or your payments. You must advise us at once if your payment method expires, you close your account, your billing address changes, your email address changes, or your payment method is cancelled and replaced on account of loss or theft. Except for usage-based charges, we will bill in advance to your payment method all charges, fees, taxes, and surcharges for each service term. We will bill monthly as due immediately usage-based charges and any other charges which we decide to bill as due immediately. Bills will be sent to the email address on record.
9.2 Payment.
When you subscribe to our service, you authorize us to collect from your payment method. This authorization will remain valid until 30 days after you terminate our authority to charge your payment method. We will then charge you any disconnection fee and any other outstanding charges and disconnect your service.
9.3 Collection.
If we disconnect your service, you will remain liable to us for all charges under this agreement and all the costs we incur to collect these charges, including, without limitation, collection costs and attorney's fees.
9.4 Notices.
You understand that it is difficult for us to distinguish between credit and debit cards. You agree to waive your rights under Regulation E to receive 10 days advance notice from us regarding the amount that we will debit from your account. While we may send you messages about your billing from time to time, we are not obligated to do so. We may change or cease our messages at any time without notice to you.
9.5 Billing Disputes.
If you want to dispute any Vonage charges on your statement, you must notify us within 7 days after you receive your statement from your bank or credit card issuer. If you do not dispute the charges within 7 days, you waive any right to contest the charges. 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357)
www.vonage.com/help_contactUs.php]
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10. PROHIBITED USES; UNLAWFUL USES AND INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT.
10.1 Lawful purposes only.
You may use our service and your device only for lawful, proper and appropriate purposes. You may not use our service or your device in any way that is illegal, improper or inappropriate. For a non-exhaustive list of examples of illegal, improper or inappropriate uses of our service and/or devices, click here.




threatening,
abusive,
harassing,
defamatory,
libelous,
deceptive,
fraudulent,
invasive of another's privacy, or any similar behavior

In addition, you shall not use our service or your device for
auto-dialing
continuous, or extensive call forwarding
telemarketing (including charitable or political solicitation or polling)
fax or voicemail broadcasting, or
fax or voicemail blasting

and, you shall not use
our service or your
device to
impersonate another person;
send bulk unsolicited messages;
use robots, data mining techniques, or other automated devices or programs to catalog, download, store, or otherwise reproduce or distribute information from our service or use any automated means to manipulate our service;
use our service to violate any law, rule, or regulation;
violate any third party's intellectual property or personal rights; or
exceed your permitted access to our service.


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10.2 Monitoring.
We may monitor the use of our service for violations of this agreement. We may remove or block all communications if we suspect a violation of this agreement, or if we think it necessary in order to protect our service, or Vonage, its parent, affiliates, directors, officers, agents, and employees from harm.
10.3 Providing information to authorities and third parties.
If we believe that you have used our service or your device for an unlawful purpose, we may forward the relevant communication and other information, including your identity, to the appropriate authorities for investigation and prosecution. You consent to our forwarding of any such communications and information to these authorities. In addition, we may disclose your name, telephone number, credit card information, and other personal information, any communications sent or received by you, and any other information that we may have about your account, including but not limited to, types of service, length of service, MAC address(es), IP address(es), email address(es), registered 911 address, and all other account information, as follows:
(i) in response to law enforcement or other governmental agency requests;
(ii) as required by law, regulation, rule, subpoena, search warrant, or court order;
(iii) as necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be misusing the service, the device, or both;
(iv) to protect Vonage's rights and property; or
(v) in emergency situations where disclosure of such information is necessary to protect Vonage customers or third parties from imminent harm.
10.4 Use of Service and Device by Customers Outside the United States.
Although we encourage you to use our service to call foreign countries from the United States and to use our service as you travel, the services are only offered and supported in the United States. Our service is designed to work generally with unencumbered high-speed internet connections. However, if the high-speed internet connection you are using is not within a Vonage service area or your ISP or broadband provider places restrictions on using VoIP services, we do not claim that they will allow you to use our service. You will be solely responsible for any violations of local laws and regulations or violations of ISP and broadband provider terms of service because of your use of our service.
10.5 No Transfer of Service.
You may not resell or transfer your service or your device or provide a telephone service to anyone else by using your Vonage service or features of your Vonage service without first getting our written consent.
10.6 No Alterations or Tampering.
If you copy or alter or have someone else copy or alter the firmware or software of the device in any way that facilitates a compromise of your service, you are responsible for any charges that result. You may not attempt to hack or otherwise disrupt our service or make any use of our service that is inconsistent with its intended purpose.
10.7 Theft of Service.
You may not use or obtain our service in any manner that avoids Vonage policies and procedures, including an illegal or improper manner. You will notify us immediately at 1-VONAGE-HELP or http://www.vonage.com/help_contactUs.php if your device is stolen or if you believe that your service is being stolen, fraudulently used, or otherwise being used in an unauthorized manner. When you notify us of one of these events, you must provide your account number and a detailed description of the circumstances of the theft, fraudulent use, or unauthorized use of service. If you fail to notify us in a timely manner, we may disconnect your service and levy additional charges on you. Until you notify us, you will be liable for all use of our service using a device stolen from you and any stolen, fraudulent, or unauthorized use of our service whether or not it involves a stolen device.
10.8 Unauthorized Usage of Device; Firmware or Software.
Except as stated for Business Plus customers, you have not been granted any license to use the firmware or software we use to provide our service or that we provide to you in providing our service, or that is embedded in your device, other than a nontransferable, revocable license to use the firmware or software in object code form (without making any modification to it) strictly according the terms and conditions of this agreement. You also agree that you will use your device exclusively for our service. We will not provide any passwords, codes, or other information or assistance that would enable you to use your device for any other purpose. We reserve the right to prohibit the use of any interface device that we have not provided to you. You warrant that you possess all required rights, including software or firmware licenses, or both, to use any interface device that we have not provided to you. You may not reverse compile, disassemble, or reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code from the binary code of the firmware or software.
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11. LIMITATION ON WARRANTIES, REMEDIES AND LIABILITY.
11.1 AS IS Services.
You agree that our services are provided "as is," except to the extent provided below.
11.2 No Warranties on Service.
We make no warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness of the service or device for a particular purpose, title or non-infringement or any warranty arising by usage of trade, course of dealing or course of performance. In addition, we do not warrant that the service or device will be without failure, delay, interruption, error, degradation of voice quality, or loss of content, data, or information. Neither Vonage nor its officers, directors, employees, affiliates or agents, or any other service provider or vendor who furnishes services, devices, or products to the customer for our service will be liable for unauthorized access to our or your transmission facilities or premises equipment or for unauthorized access to, or alteration, theft, or destruction of, customer's data files, programs, procedures, or information through accident, fraudulent means, devices, or any other method, regardless of whether such damage occurs as a result of Vonage's or its service provider's or vendors' negligence. Statements and descriptions concerning our service or device, if any, by Vonage or Vonage's agents or installers are informational and are not given as a warranty of any kind.
11.3 Device Warranties and Limitations (See Section 7)
11.4 No Credit Allowances for Interruption of Vonage Service.
We will not give you credit for any interruption of Vonage service, including international calling services.
11.5 Limitation of Liability.
We will not be liable for any delay or failure to provide service, including 911 Dialing, at any time or any interruption or degradation of voice quality that is caused by any of the following:




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11.6 Disclaimer of Liability for Damages.
In no event will Vonage, its officers, directors, employees, affiliates or agents or any other service provider who furnishes services or devices to you in connection with our service be liable for any damages, including but not limited to personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, loss of data, loss of revenue or profits, or damages arising out of or in connection with the use or inability to use a device or the service, including inability to access emergency service personnel through the 911 dialing service or to obtain emergency help. These limitations apply to claims founded in breach of contract, breach of warranty, product liability, tort, and any and all other theories of liability. These limitations apply whether or not we were informed of the likelihood of any particular type of damages.

Some States do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
11.7 Disclaimer of 911 Liability.
We disclaim all responsibility for the conduct of local emergency response centers and the national emergency calling center. We do not have any control over any local emergency response center. Therefore, we are not responsible for whether they answer calls using our 911 dialing service, how they answer these calls, or how they handle them. We rely on third parties to assist us in routing 911 dialing calls to local emergency response centers and to a national emergency calling center. We are neither liable nor responsible if the data used by a third party to route calls is incorrect or produces an erroneous result. Neither Vonage nor its officers or employees may be held liable for any claim, damage, or loss, fine, penalty, cost, and expense (including, without limitation, attorneys fees) by, or on behalf of, you or any third party or user of our service, relating to our service, including, without limitation, 911 Dialing, or your device.
11.8 Limit on total liability.
Our total liability under this agreement will not exceed the service charges for the affected time period.
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12. INDEMNIFICATION AND WAIVER OF CLAIMS.
12.1 Indemnification.
You shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Vonage, its officers, directors, employees, affiliates and agents, and any other service provider who furnishes services to you for our service, from any and all claims, losses, damages, fines, penalties, costs, and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys fees) by, or on behalf of, you or any third party or user of our service, relating to our service, including, without limitation, 911 Dialing, or your device, or use of our service by you or others using your account (whether or not such usage is expressly authorized by you).
12.2 Waiver of Claim or Causes of Action.
You waive all claims or causes of action arising from or relating to our 911 dialing service unless the claims or causes of action arise from our gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.
12.3 Content.
You are liable for all liability that may arise from the content you transmit to any person, whether or not you authorize it, using your service or device. You promise that you and anyone who uses your service and all your and their content comply at all times with all laws, regulations, and written and electronic instructions for using our service and the device.
12.4 Account Information.
You are liable for all liability that may arise from your failure to provide true, accurate, current and complete information and to maintain and promptly update such information. If you provide any information that is, or we have reasonable grounds to suspect is, untrue, inaccurate, misleading, not current or incomplete, we may suspend or terminate or refuse any and all current or future use of the service, or any portion thereof. .
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13. MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS.
13.1 Governing Law.
The law of the state of your residence will govern this agreement as well as the relationship between you and us, except to the extent such law is preempted by or inconsistent with applicable federal law. Because this agreement is a transaction in interstate commerce, the Federal Arbitration Act will govern the interpretation and enforcement of the arbitration provision in Section 14.
13.2 No Waiver of Rights.
Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this agreement will not constitute a waiver of the right or provision. Vonage reserves all of its rights at law and equity to proceed against anyone who uses its services or device illegally or improperly. All determinations by Vonage under these Terms of Sale and exercise of its rights are made and done in our sole and absolute discretion.
13.3 Survival.
The provisions of this agreement that by their sense and context are intended to survive the termination or expiration of this agreement shall survive.
13.4 No Third Party Beneficiaries.
If you are not a party to this agreement, you do not have any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, or cause of action. This agreement does not create any other third party beneficiary rights.
13.5 Legal Age.
You promise that you are of legal age to enter into this agreement and that you have read and understand fully its terms and conditions.
13.6 Entire Agreement.
This agreement, including any future modifications to its terms, and the rates for services found on our web site constitute the entire agreement between you and Vonage. This agreement governs your use of our service, and the use of our services by the members of your household and your guests and employees. This agreement supersedes any prior agreements between you and Vonage. It also supersedes all prior or contemporaneous statements, understandings, writings, commitments, or representations concerning its subject matter.
13.7 Severability.
If any part of this agreement is legally declared invalid or unenforceable, all other parts of this agreement will remain valid and enforceable. This invalidity or non-enforceability will not invalidate or render unenforceable any other portion of this agreement.
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14. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND BINDING ARBITRATION.

It is important that you read this entire section carefully. This section provides for resolution of disputes through final and binding arbitration before a neutral arbitrator instead of in a court by a judge or jury.
14.1 Arbitration.
Vonage and you agree to arbitrate any and all disputes and claims between you and Vonage. Arbitration means that all disputes and claims will be resolved by a neutral arbitrator instead of by a judge or jury in a court. This agreement to arbitrate is intended to be given the broadest possible meaning under the law. It includes, but is not limited to: disputes and claims arising out of or relating to any aspect of the relationship between you and Vonage, whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation or any other legal theory; disputes and claims that arose before this or any prior agreement (including, but not limited to, claims relating to advertising); disputes and claims that may arise after the termination of this agreement; disputes and claims that are currently the subject of individual litigation; disputes and claims that are currently the subject of purported class action litigation in which you are not a member of a certified class; and disputes and claims concerning the scope of this arbitration provision. References to "Vonage," "us" and "you" include our respective subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, employees, predecessors in interest, successors and assigns, as well as all authorized or unauthorized users or beneficiaries of the service under this agreement or any prior agreements between you and Vonage.
14.2 Informal Resolution of Disputes.
Our customer care department can resolve most customer concerns quickly and to the customer's satisfaction. If you have a dispute or claim against us, you should first contact the Vonage customer care department by telephone at 1-VONAGE-HELP (1-866-243-4357) or by email at http://www.vonage.com/help_contactUs.php. In the event your dispute or claim is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may seek to have that dispute or claim resolved as set forth below.
14.3 Formal Notice of Disputes.
A party who intends to seek arbitration must first send to the other party a written Notice of Dispute.
(A) A Notice of Dispute to Vonage must be sent to Vonage:
(1) by certified mail addressed to: Vonage, Attn: Chief Legal Officer, 23 Main Street, Holmdel, New Jersey 07733; or
(2) by email addressed to arbitration@vonage.com.
(B) A Notice of Dispute to you must be sent to you
(1) by certified mail at the last mailing address that you registered with Vonage; or
(2) by email addressed to you at the last email address you registered with Vonage.
(C) The Notice of Dispute must
(1) describe the nature and basis of the dispute or claim; and
(2) set forth the specific relief sought.
(D) If you and Vonage do not reach an agreement to resolve the dispute or claim within thirty (30) days after the Notice of Dispute is received, you or Vonage may commence an arbitration proceeding. You may download or copy a form to initiate an arbitration proceeding from the AAA website: http://www.adr.org/si.asp?id=2062. The amount of any settlement offer made by you or Vonage shall not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator determines the amount, if any, to which you or Vonage is entitled.
14.4 Arbitrator and Arbitral Rules.
The arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"). You may contact the AAA by telephone at 1-800-778-7879, by email at Websitemail@adr.org, or by mail at 335 Madison Avenue, Floor 10, New York, New York 10017. The arbitration shall be governed by the AAA's Commercial Dispute Resolution Procedures and Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (collectively, "AAA Rules"), as modified by this Agreement. The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879.
14.5 Location and Procedure of Arbitration.
Unless you and Vonage mutually agree otherwise, all hearings conducted as part of the arbitration shall take place at a location, convenient to you, in the county or parish of your billing address. If your claim is for $10,000 or less, you or Vonage may request that the arbitration be conducted solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator, through a telephonic hearing, or by an in-person hearing as established by the AAA Rules. If your claim is in excess of $10,000, the right to a hearing will be determined by the AAA Rules.
14.6 Fees and Costs.
For claims under $10,000, Vonage will reimburse you for your payment of the filing fee, following the completion of the arbitration. The filing fee currently is $125 for claims under $10,000, but is subject to change without notice by the AAA. If you are unable to pay the filing fee, Vonage will pay it directly upon receiving a written request from you or the AAA. Except as otherwise provided for herein, Vonage will pay all AAA filing, administration and arbitrator fees for any arbitration initiated in accordance with the notice requirements above. If, however, the arbitrator determines that either the substance of your claim or the relief sought in the Demand is frivolous, then the payment of all such fees shall be governed by the AAA Rules. In such case, you agree to reimburse Vonage for all monies previously disbursed by us that are otherwise your obligation to pay under the AAA Rules.
14.7 Waiver of Jury Trial.
You and Vonage agree that, by entering into this agreement, you and Vonage are waiving the right to a trial by jury.
14.8 Waiver of Class Actions.
You and Vonage agree that the arbitrator may award relief only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by that party's individual claim. You and Vonage agree that you and Vonage may bring claims against the other only in your or its individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative proceeding. You and Vonage agree that, unless you and Vonage agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's or entity's claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding. Despite §13.7 or any other provision in this agreement to the contrary, if this specific waiver of class actions provision, or any portion thereof, is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this dispute resolution and binding arbitration provision shall be null and void.
14.9 Statute of Limitations:
You must contact us within one (1) year of the date of the occurrence of the event or facts giving rise to a dispute (except for billing disputes which are subject to section 9.5 of the agreement), or you waive the right to pursue a claim based upon such event, facts, or dispute.
14.10 Exceptions to Arbitration Agreement:
You and we agree:
(a) you may take your dispute to small claims court, if your dispute qualifies for hearing by such court;
(b) if you fail to timely pay amounts due, we may assign your account for collection, and the collection agency may pursue in court claims limited strictly to the collection of the past due debt and any interest or cost of collection permitted by law or the Agreement;
(c) you or we may take any disputes over the validity of any party's intellectual property rights to a court of competent jurisdiction;
(d) any dispute related to or arising from allegations associated with fraudulent or unauthorized use, theft, or piracy of service may be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction; and
(e) either you or we may seek any interim or preliminary relief from a court of competent jurisdiction, necessary to protect the rights or property of you or Vonage, pending the completion of arbitration.
14.11 Modification of Arbitration Provision.
Despite §15 or any other provision in this agreement to the contrary, if Vonage makes any substantive change to this arbitration provision, you may reject any such change and require Vonage to adhere to the language in this provision.
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15. CHANGES TO THIS AGREEMENT.
We may change the terms and conditions of this agreement from time to time. By subscribing to our service, you agree that we may provide to you by use of electronic communications required notices, agreements, and other information concerning Vonage, including changes to this agreement. We may give you notice of a change by posting the change on the home page of Vonage.com or on the relevant web page of the applicable service. Such notices will be considered given and effective on the date posted. These changes will become binding on you on the date they are posted and we are not required to give you further notice in order for you to continue using our service. When posted, this agreement supersedes all previously agreed to electronic and written terms of service, including, without limitation, any terms included with the packaging of your device. It also supersedes any written terms provided to retail customers with retail distribution, including, without limitation, any written terms in the packaging of your device. If you want to withdraw your consent to receive notices electronically, you must discontinue your use of Vonage services.
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16. PRIVACY
Vonage Service uses, in whole or in part, the public Internet and third party networks to transmit voice and other communications. Vonage is not liable for any lack of privacy which you may experience from using our service. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for additional information, such as how we use your information and how you can opt out of receiving marketing messaging.

You authorize us
(i) to investigate your credit history, including requesting a consumer report, when you sign up for our service and at any time after you sign up and
(ii) to share credit information about you with credit reporting agencies. Upon your request we will inform you whether or not we have requested a consumer report, and if a report was requested, the name and address of the consumer reporting agency that furnished the report
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17. EXPORT CONTROLS
You agree to comply fully with all relevant export laws and regulations of the United States, including but not limited to the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, administered by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. You also expressly agree that you shall not export, directly or indirectly, re-export, divert, or transfer any portion of our service or any direct product to any destination, company, or person restricted or prohibited by U.S. export controls.
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18. COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK; COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT; DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) NOTICE.
18.1 Our website content, our materials, services, logs, service marks and trademarks are protected by trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property laws, and international treaty provisions.
Infringement by you may result in civil or criminal prosecution.
18.2 Third parties may make materials available using our service.
These third parties are not within our control. We do not review the content posted on our service to see if it includes illegal or impermissible content, nor are we under any obligation to conduct any review. However, we respect the copyright interests of others. It is our policy not to permit materials we know infringes another party's copyright to remain on our service. If you believe any materials on our service infringes a copyright, you should give us written notice. Click here to see what information must be included in your notice and where your notice should be sent.
Your notice should at a minimum contain the following information:
(i) a physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
(ii) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
(iii) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
(iv) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
(v) a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
(vi) a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. All DMCA notices should be sent to our designated agent as follows: Vonage Legal Department, Attn: DMCA Notices, 23 Main Street, Holmdel, NJ 07733.
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Last Updated: February 4, 2008. Copyright 2001 - 2008 Vonage Marketing Inc. used under license. Vonage is a registered service mark owned by and used under license from Vonage Marketing Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp."

NickD on Mon February 25, 2008 12:03 PM User is offline

When I paid MS 200 bucks for XP Pro, didn't read all the fine print, but as always, tried it on an old computer first, that killed that. I already had a four month battle with MS on another issue, getting too old for that. Learning to read the fine print first. Just because you spent your hard earned money buying something, that no longer means, it's yours.

GM Tech on Mon February 25, 2008 12:38 PM User is offline

Okay- that was Vonage-- But I am looking at Clearwire now- since that is now my ISP......I did not see their fine print.....yet......on their website.......but is probably much the same.........

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

NickD on Mon February 25, 2008 1:20 PM User is offline

My son was lucky to refinance his home for 4.85% fixed over a 15 year period with no prepayment penalty. We spent hours reading over the fine print and checked out the financial institution with all these scandals going on lately. That was good timing as the rates are back up again. Ha, just like buying can of R-12, a guy has to be on top of everything nowadays or get nailed. And there are plenty of nailers out there today.

JJM on Wed February 27, 2008 12:30 AM User is offline

Yes, the Vonage adapter just plugs right in your router... mine is mounted right inside my structured media center, with all the other low voltage gear (telephone, security, lighting control, internet). The Vonage box is about 2/3 of the size of a 3.5" hard drive. It's powered by an AC adapter.

The only thing you need your PC for is the initial Vonage account set-up. Create the account online, enter the ID from the Vonage adapter, and you're immediately assigned a temporary phone number that works right away. It takes several days to several weeks before your existing phone number is transferred, so I suggest you keep your POTS service until the transition is complete.

Tip: Don't give your temporary number out, and keep your POTS service until the transition is complete. Leave a cheapie phone connected to your Vonage adapter, and when your Vonage phone rings and your POTS line no longer does (from someone calling your existing number), you'll know the transition is complete. You can then cancel your POTS service. But do start using Vonage right away for outgoing calls to save you money.

As for the 500 minute limit, I think it's both incoming and outgoing, not like the cell phone, but to be honest I'm not sure. You don't get a statement mailed, and we never check online. We pay our $20 a month and that's it. If it was consistently over $30 with the taxes, then I would probably consider the $24.99 plan. Between 500 minutes on Vonage, and 500 minutes with our cell phone plan (Verizon), 1,000 minutes a month is more than enough chit-chat.

As for the fax issue, all I can say is try it first, nothing to lose. Some of my friends report no problems with fax machines, but fax modems, and analog modem connections... bad news. It's got *69 and a whole host of other free features - many of which you can't get with your phone company even if you pay.

The reason I'd rather stick with Vonage as opposed to ISP VoIP is because if you change ISP's (around here, cable ISP's tease you with into rates for cable, phone, and internet, then jack up rates), you've got to go through the whole phone number switch process. With Vonage, it doesn't make a difference what ISP you use.

My experiences with Vonage have been positive, though others have not. Keep in mind I'm not a big phone person though... I like my phones silent... so if my phones don't work, all the better.

NickD on Wed February 27, 2008 6:39 AM User is offline

Ha, Joe, wait until you have a teenage daughter, let alone four of them, that's one way to keep telemarketing calls off your phone, your number is always busy. And is a phone a necessity for a business or emergencies? So why are they taxed to death?

Charter really wanted my business, installed everything for free with three months free service and instantly switched over my telephone number. My home is prewired for two lines with the junction box outside the house, guy ran a cable out there instead of just putting a short cable directly from his box to my box. I changed that, bare copper wire is used and these guys like to use twisted wire with wire nuts. I like soldered and taped joints, least in my house, I own the cable that goes to a junction box at the back of my property line. That copper corrodes, then you have noise problems. What they do with that wire on the other side of that junction box is their business, can only complain about that.

Phone company always runs a double pair, one for backup, while the electrician that wired this house did all the receptacle boxes correctly, on the main entrance box only made the red and green wires hot leaving the yellow and black hanging, that must have saved him five minutes. If you want anything done right, have to do it yourself or live with problems.

I was using a dial phone up to around 1993, our phone company was charging eight extra bucks a month for touchtone, even though the touchtone system is far cheaper for them. My brain had a built in phone directory, but that is history today, with each person having a home, cell, fax, and business number, way too much to remember and all phones have auto dialing by name. Ha, can't even remember my own phone numbers anymore, my brain needs more RAM.

GM Tech on Wed February 27, 2008 11:09 AM User is offline

Good information- This is what makes the internet great-- I would rather ask people who use this stuff - like a real consumer-- than a sales jockey with all kinds of agendas--like commissions-- so you guys are great-- now I just need to get off my butt and start changing things around.....Thanks

-------------------------
The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

GM Tech on Thu March 06, 2008 2:47 PM User is offline

I was doing more research- now I find out that you can only have one phone plugged into their box-- not multiple phones- Heck we have one phone line with three desktop phones on it- upstairs downstairs etc--wonder why that is-- perhaps not enough power to run extra ringers? what about a phone amplifier? their tech says to install a cordless phone with three handsets and individual statiions-- may be the way to do it-- can't run wires like the old days.....

What I really asked them was if I have a phone hooked to their box and a phone line splitter (like I do now) that puts a line to my Directv receiver- will my on-screen (TV) caller ID still function as it does now-- she says no- it is not designed to be split-- I said so you mean I can only have one receiver on a line? she said - yes- I said so you cannot have more than one phone on a line? she siad -- only one phone per line.....I asked why? not enough power to run more than one? she would not answer other than - it won't work-- makes me want to get it-- plug in just the satellite receiver- see if it gets the caller ID-- then plug it and a phone in and see what happens-- I find it hard to believe you can't run more than one "object" off their phone box. If it needs more power- I think a phone amp would do it-- I just don't want any surprises before I get it- they did say I can get an additional phone line for $15/month- which would be a great deal.

I am not sure if their phone tech support woman understood my question-- heck she did not know what I meant when I asked her if my "voice caller ID" phone would still tell me who is calling (as well as display it) as it currently does on a landline....I don't think she knows what voice caller ID is.....

It is tough to talk to these people who just keep giving you the same answer- even though you are asking the question several different ways- to try to clearify things.....

I also asked if a fax machine would work- their response to me was why would I want an archaic- outdated method of transferring data anymore?-- (I agree with this statement) but took issue with the way they wanted to put me down for asking- beside the wife is archaic in her thinking and likes things the way they are- she just got good at the fax macvhine a few years ago- and still uses it in her business....

-------------------------
The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

Edited: Thu March 06, 2008 at 3:06 PM by GM Tech

NickD on Thu March 06, 2008 5:02 PM User is offline

I thought you wanted more boxes for more phone numbers, now if she said one phone number per box, would make some sense. Use to be very common only to have one phone in a house, ha way back when, we were on a party line with eight homes on the same line. Couldn't even use your phone if you wanted to, some old b-tch was hogging that line all day.

But in regards to putting several phones on the same box, I didn't get any restrictions like that with charter, matter of fact have four phones and a fax machine off that same box, it ain't smoking, and if it did, it's their box, they would have to replace it. One of my phones is a 33 year old clanker with real bells in it that really sucks the current and will awake the dead. You know that kind, works off the 50 volt line with no transistors nor a wall power supply, and with a carbon microphone invented by Thomas Edison himself. These cordless phones draw very little power off the line, ringer though the loudspeaker that is amplified with a whole bunch of chips and transistors on the inside. Just try it.

I had to use my fax machine today, still some people that do not own a computer, ha, those are the happy people.

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