The price of VoIP's thriftiness

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Seriously using VoIP

I have been using VoIP for a year now and would never go back. For less than $25 per month I have unlimited incoming and outgoing calls within the US, three-way calling, caller id, call forwarding, and voicemail. My POTS phone was almost $8.00 just for the caller id. I have gone from an average $75 to $100 per month phone bill (including long distance charges) to under $25 per month.

If someone breaks into my house at 2am, I'll have my cell phone handy and probably use that anyway. I'm willing to take the risk that I won't end up in a situation where someone breaks into my house and incapacitates me so that I could pick up a phone to dial "911" but wouldn't be able to speak to provide an address. 911 isn't worth $50 to $75 per month to me when I'll always have multiple ways to contact police anyway. And for those keeping your POTS phone just because of 911, what about if your phone line is cut before the intruder breaks in?

I have periodically had connection problems, but for the most part have found VoIP very reliable. My cell phone is my primary phone, and my VoIP phone has served very well as a secondary phone. I have had many hour-long conversations with no problems.

Yes, as a non-business consumer of telephone services, not being listed in the phone book has been a bonus to me and not a negative. I have received zero telemarketing calls since going to VoIP. I only give the number to the people that I want to have it and only get calls from people I want to hear from. If my number gets sold or I otherwise end up on a telemarketing list, caller id will be there to do the job just as it did with my POTS phone.

Also, it is very easy to hook all the phones in your house to the VoIP box so you can make and take calls from any phone just as with POTS.

For a savings of $50 to $75 per month, VoIP is definately worthwhile for me. The only reason I would stick with POTS is if my POTS phone was my only phone AND my life depended on the highest level of reliability and availability. Neither is the case for me, and if they were I would still supplement with a secondary phone... be it VoIP or cell.

Posted by: tod.pratte@...   Posted on: 07/20/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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