Optimum Voice

Does anyone use Optimum Voice (phone service from Optimum Online)? It's the service that costs $ 34.95 every month, always the same charge.

Voice over IP telephony is such a buzz at work, we have many corporate customers who are transitioning to this type of service. It's definitely the way of the future.

Just wondering what the pros and cons are...

Re: Optimum Voice

This is our first month of using it...and there's no difference in the quality, I thought that maybe you'd hear a difference, that it wouldn't be a clear as a phone line...but it's great.

We switched from phone company to phone company, but the bills always stayed high.

What's great about the optimum voice is that supposedly (we'll see when I get the cable bill), the federal gov't can tax the internet, and there are no phone line charges as it would be with a regular phone company...so it really is 34.95 a month (excluding your state sales tax)., no matter where I call in the US and how long I'm on the phone.

Whereas, with the phone company...we sign up for a flat fee monthly type deal, and it was so much more money...if you add in the fed taxes, phone line fees, etc.

So far, we are very happy.

ONly cons:
You have to get a new phone number, but on the plus side...you're phone number is automatically unpublished, you don't have to pay money for it to be that way...and telemarketers won't even have this new number.

Other con, calling overseas, you will need a calling card because it's not available yet.

Overall, we are saving A LOT of money!

Re: Optimum Voice

My FH works for Cablevision. He has Optimum Voice. He likes it. Its the one service that he has to pay for (cable tv and internet are free) Its cheap and its good quality. The only thing I had to question about it (and his answer was this is why you have a cell phone) was when the electric goes out you have no phone!

Re: Optimum Voice

True, my mother came over one day and unplugged our modem (sp?)..I wondered why we had no phone calls...NO PHONE SERVICE!

Still, it's so worth it for the money.

Re: Optimum Voice

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Posted by Kathy116

True, my mother came over one day and unplugged our modem (sp?)..I wondered why we had no phone calls...NO PHONE SERVICE!

Still, it's so worth it for the money.

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DEFINETLY worth the money.

Re: Optimum Voice

We hated it. We kept getting knocked-off and we would have to reset the modem all the time.

Re: Optimum Voice

we LOVE it!! totally have had the best service!!

Michele...your modem maybe shot. Thats what happened to us and we bought a new moden and have never had a problem.

Re: Optimum Voice

The tech said that it is a new service so some areas are not as reliable as others.

Re: Optimum Voice

I thought you got the new modem when you signed up?
We did.

Re: Optimum Voice

we love it - have had it for about 5 months, and never hada problem.

Re: Optimum Voice

My huband wants to get this...we were just talking about it last night.

Re: Optimum Voice

We will be getting this service starting next week. I'm not happy changing my telephone number but it's worth it to save about $50 a month.

Re: Optimum Voice

SO how does it work-- we already have optimum online-- what else would we need?
Where do the phones plug into?

Re: Optimum Voice

We have had it for 6 months and we LOVE it! We are saving so much on our phone bill, and the quality is great! I couldnt be happier, and I was REALLY skeptical when DH suggested it. He was right!! but shhhhh dont tell him that. LOL

Re: Optimum Voice

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Posted by june262004

My FH works for Cablevision. He has Optimum Voice. He likes it. Its the one service that he has to pay for (cable tv and internet are free) Its cheap and its good quality. The only thing I had to question about it (and his answer was this is why you have a cell phone) was when the electric goes out you have no phone!

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ummm -- if the electric goes out (like last summer) cell phones won't work either. They need to connect to the tower to send the signal and that uses electricity.

Regular wireless telephones have the same problem.

The only way to have a phone when the power is out - is one that is plugged into the wall.

Re: Optimum Voice

We have had it for 6 months now and have never had a problem. I love it because my sisters live out of state and now I call them whenever I want and it doesn't cost us a dime.

Re: Optimum Voice

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Posted by belleboyd

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Posted by june262004

My FH works for Cablevision. He has Optimum Voice. He likes it. Its the one service that he has to pay for (cable tv and internet are free) Its cheap and its good quality. The only thing I had to question about it (and his answer was this is why you have a cell phone) was when the electric goes out you have no phone!

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ummm -- if the electric goes out (like last summer) cell phones won't work either. They need to connect to the tower to send the signal and that uses electricity.

Regular wireless telephones have the same problem.

The only way to have a phone when the power is out - is one that is plugged into the wall.

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ummmm... Some Phones did work last summer. Mine didnt and neither did FH. Verizon and I believe Nextel did work. FH just bought a new cell phone and its verizon. Optimum Voice connects to a modem so you need to have optimum online. So if the electric goes out then you have no modem which means no phone! Even if it's plugged into the wall.

Re: Optimum Voice

the only problem is getting knocked off with no power... which could be important if we have blackouts like the one back in august again.. but i guess its not bad if you have a cell phone for backup... i think IDT advertises $39 a month unlimited...