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• Great article that got me started on a Vonage quest last night.
  I spent about 1 hour on the phone last night with a polite Vonage rep. I qualified with all the prerequisites necessary to switch to Vonage: Current AT&T basic phone service with Unitel as my long distance provider and two years as a subscriber to Earthlink adsl. I did want to keep my existing phone number after the switch to Vonage. There was a bit of discussion about 911 disclosure/ service with Vonage. They seem to expect you to say "Yes" to something that sounds quite like legalese, without reading it first. Anyway, in just under an hour last night, I thought I was on my way to joining Vonage. After the call, I logged onto Vonage, filled out and submitted one form, changed passwords, etc all in a few minutes.
  
  The first thing this morning, there was an e-mail from Vonage :
  
  "Unfortunately, we have been advised by your current phone company that there is an issue that is preventing the transfer to Vonage. The below issue needs to be addressed in order to transfer your number.
  
  
  DSL high-speed Internet is currently associated with the number you wish to transfer. You will need to remove this feature in order to proceed with transferring your phone number. Please keep in mind that if you remove your DSL service from this line, you will need to establish DSL service on another line with your phone company or establish broadband service with another broadband provider, such as Cable Internet, in order to use Vonage service.
  
  In order to resolve this issue, we suggest that you :
  
  Call your current phone company and request that DSL be removed from the line you wish to transfer and placed on another line.
  Confirm with your phone company that your account has been updated to reflect the change by getting a confirmation number.
  Call us with the confirmation number."
  
  Keep in mind that you must have a dsl (adsl?) connection in order for Vonage to work. I went to work and called AT&T. After the usual long wait, AT&T told me they were sorry; but, that I had to call Earthlink to disconnect my adsl!
  
  I called Earthlink. They, of course, wanted to keep me as their long time (four years, total) customer. I explained the unanswered issues I have had with Earthlink and asked for my confirmation number to disconnect.
  
  I called Vonage customer service once again and explained that I felt their instructions actually were illogical. I now was without the required adsl connection. I told them that my ultimate goal was to go with "dry loop/ naked dsl." I did not plan to do it until AFTER I knew I liked Vonage, via the Earthlink adsl connection.
  
  I then called AT&T. (I suggest you use your local customer service number. The one in the above article is for Ohio only.) I was told that the cost for 6 MB was $47.95, 3 MB was $42.95 (37.95 plus 5.00 for the adsl), and 1.5 MB $37.95. I hesitated and said that I had read that the price was lower. She assured me that these were the correct prices. Of course the AT&T rep wanted me to stay with AT&T, with the usual warnings "Do you realize that when the electricity or the Internet goes down, you will not have phone service?" The clincher that stopped her was when I listed all the other benefits that Vonage offers, only two of which she was offering as part of the AT&T package.
  
  All agencies concerned thought I should be up and running with Vonage in about ten days.
  
  Costs:
  Vonage $24.99 will actually be $30.91/ month
  Vonage $53.12 which is the $29.99 activation fee and $14.95 S&H for their $49.99/ free router.
  AT&T $42.95 plus/month for the 3 MB adsl
  AT&T modem is free after activation I must call in for a rebate choice.
  
  So, for now I anticipate minimal savings, twice the speed I had with Earthlink, and with additional benefits such as call waiting, etc:
  
  Unitel costs about $10/ mo for long distance calls
  AT&T costs about $21.50 plus some instate toll calls apparently billed by USBL
  Earthlink adsl $39.95/ month
  
  As is said here in south Florida, "Time will tell."
  
  Thank you once again.
  
  Mike In reply to: "AT&T quietly rolls out reasonably-priced unbundled DSL"

  January 3, 2008

  0 replies