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Comcast, Vonage or Landline?; What for Daughter #3?
Topic Started: Dec 17 2008, 10:22 AM (125 Views)
George K
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Finally
Daughter #3 moved into a new apartment last month, and because of location, she frequently has a problem with getting a cell on her cellphone (our town is lousy for that). So, she's thinking about a landline. She has cable/internet through Comcast, and is thinking about adding phone service.

Here's what I told her:
Quote:
 
So, you really want to go to Comcast for your phone service? Are you nuts? After the great job they've done so far, why would you even consider them for something as important as phone service?

Here's my recommendations:

1) Find out what it would cost to have ATT install a regular land line for you. Ask them what the TOTAL would be per month. You don't use long distance (and if you wanted to, use your cellphone for that - it's free), and your usage would be mostly local (within 20 miles or so).

2) The other option is Vonage. They deliver phone service over your existing internet service. Flat fee of about $25 forever, including long distance. The disadvantages are, a) if your internet goes down, you have no phone (but still have a cellphone), b) if you lose power, you lose phone (but still have a cellphone).

My gut says go with Vonage. A couple of people at work have it and they're happy. I've heard nothing but complaints about Comcast's phone service. One of the nurses in Recovery has been without service for almost a week.


A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
GeorgeK
 
b) if you lose power, you lose phone (but still have a cellphone).

Get one of those UPS backup battery thingie, and plug the DSL or cable modem and the Internet phone thingie to the UPS backup battery thingie. Then you will continue to have Internet and phone when the power is down. :)
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Not if the internet service has an outage, the way Charter Communications and Comcast are famous for. Even if the power ISN'T out, they still have outages left and right, and they can never tell the user how long it's going to be out, what the trouble is, or anything else. "Yes.. There appears to be an outage in your area..."

I actually made an FCC complaint against Charter Communications because I had so many problems, the entire summer, with them. My elderly neighbors have their bundled television, internet, and phone service. If they needed emergency services, they'd be sh!t out of luck.

This is bullsh!t. After three months, they finally figured out what was wrong with my whole street's internet service: There was a signal amplifier that had been struck by lightning and was full of water, about a quarter mile down the road.

:mad2:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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The 89th Key
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I've used Vonage before and it worked perfectly fine. Besides that, I think you have your pros/cons in order. If it were me, I'd go with a traditional landline unless it's significantly more expensive.
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George K
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Finally
Axtremus
Dec 17 2008, 10:27 AM
GeorgeK
 
b) if you lose power, you lose phone (but still have a cellphone).

Get one of those UPS backup battery thingie, and plug the DSL or cable modem and the Internet phone thingie to the UPS backup battery thingie. Then you will continue to have Internet and phone when the power is down. :)
Yeah, I thought of that, but it's my technically challenged daughter...
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Land line gets my vote, too. It's the most dependable, and if she wants/needs a cell phone, well.. That's up to her, right?
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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George K
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Finally
She has a cellphone, but it's unreliable where she lives.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
I still like my landline - it works all the time and it sounds better.

I really hate talking on a cellphone, when someone calls me on it at home or at the office, I always call them back from the land line.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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The 89th Key
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Me too, J. Well at least at work...I call people from my desk phone. At home, my cell *is* my home phone, but the quality is good enough I suppose.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Did away with my home phone. I was getting creepy calls from some woman, from a number that wouldn't show up on Caller ID. :cursing:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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brenda
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..............
Frank_W
Dec 17 2008, 10:57 AM
Did away with my home phone. I was getting creepy calls from some woman, from a number that wouldn't show up on Caller ID. :cursing:
Tell Crash. Maybe it was Teh Woman.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Heh... Somehow, I doubt it.
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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RosemaryTwo
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HOLY CARP!!!
I've had nothing but trouble with Comcast. A long list of problems.

I agree with Jon and 89th -- I do all of my calls on a land line and use the cell only when mobile.
"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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QuirtEvans
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I Owe It All To John D'Oh
RosemaryTwo
Dec 17 2008, 12:33 PM
I've had nothing but trouble with Comcast. A long list of problems.

I agree with Jon and 89th -- I do all of my calls on a land line and use the cell only when mobile.
Me too.
It would be unwise to underestimate what large groups of ill-informed people acting together can achieve. -- John D'Oh, January 14, 2010.
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
RosemaryTwo
Dec 17 2008, 12:33 PM
I've had nothing but trouble with Comcast. A long list of problems.

I agree with Jon and 89th -- I do all of my calls on a land line and use the cell only when mobile.
Look at us with our newspaper subscriptions and landlines. We're the last holdouts!

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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RosemaryTwo
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HOLY CARP!!!
jon-nyc
Dec 17 2008, 01:46 PM
RosemaryTwo
Dec 17 2008, 12:33 PM
I've had nothing but trouble with Comcast. A long list of problems.

I agree with Jon and 89th -- I do all of my calls on a land line and use the cell only when mobile.
Look at us with our newspaper subscriptions and landlines. We're the last holdouts!

Yeah, baby.

Except I have one TV. But it's old and thick and I don't watch any shows on it, so I may actually lose cool points. Not having a TV is likely cooler than having the one I have and using it the way I do.





"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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