[dba-Tech] VOIP / Vonage

Thanks John, that's what I needed to hear!

I'll definitely put you down as a referral. If there's anything I need to
know to do that please just send it to me at:
john at winhaven.net

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John Colby

It saves me a TON of money for regular phone, which I give some back to them
in the fax and 800 number.  It is $25+ for unlimited local/long distance
anywhere in the US and Canada.  Also very low rates to places like Mexico
and Ireland.  $25 for unlimited phone is dirt cheap.  Of course you have to
have high speed internet, but since I have to have that anyway for my
business, I don't count that as a "phone" expense.  I talk to my clients for
1 hour regularly, 3 hours often.  At 10c / minute that is $6 / hour.  So it
only takes a few hours to pay for the $25.  Plus we call family all over the
country and talk as long as we wish.  

It is better quality than Cellular.

As a result of having Vonage, I have no real use for the "unlimited middle
of the night and weekend (what were those hours again)" cell phone crapola,
and so I switched my Cellular to Virgin Mobile, where I am now paying less
than $5 per month for cell phone - I don't use cell a lot, just a "pay phone
in my pocket" kind of thing.  My cell is "pay as you go".  It costs me 25c /
minute for the first 10 minutes a day, then 10c / min after that.  It turns
out for my usage patterns (I may make / receive 1 call every few days) that
is just incredibly cheap.  My wife is the same way.  Not the plan for a
teenager however.

So with Virgin Mobile my wife and I both have a cell, and it costs us a
minimum of $5 / month apiece ($15 every 90 days to keep the number active).
Not bad for "a pay phone in your pocket" - and it uses the Sprint network so
the quality isn't too bad.  I paid $20 apiece for the phones, delivered to
my door.  Basic but with everything I need.  No camera or all that happy HS
but who cares.  It's a cell phone.  

I used to pay ATT $36 / month for ONE cell phone, and the "privilege" of a
two year contract, early termination fees, piss poor customer service, and
my wife and I were always having a discussion over who would carry it when
we went out.

So if a client calls on my cell, then it costs me more, but then my client
pays a high enough hourly rate that the cost of the call is buried in the
noise of expenses.  Plus, they really don't call me on my cell all that much
since I work from home most of the time, so they get me on my Vonage line.

So there you have it.  I do like Vonage, and I do like Virgin Mobile.  And
if you decide to use either, let me know as I can get a referral "bonus" if
you give either company a code that says I sent you.