AT&T issues official shutdown warning for CallVantage VoIP service

I'm a soon-orphaned CallVantage user, but when I look at the connect and disconnect fees, I lose interested in Vonage as an alternative. Vonage has always had the smell of low reputability. There doesn't seem to be a VOIP alternative which instills confidence.

I do not agree to the statement about Vonage. I have been a Vonage customer for over 2 years now & haven't had a problem unless it is an internet issue. Their customer service has improved a LOT...& I really mean it, it has IMPROVED & better than AT&T!

It's unfortunate that CallVantage customers are hearing that their service is being discontinued, as it can be disturbing to open a letter or email and find out something you rely on is no longer available.

For anyone interested in other VoIP options, there are some great alternatives out there. Of course, I work for Vonage, so I happen to think that's the way to go, but you decide. Until 5/10, Vonage is $9.95 for the first 3 months ($24.99 per month after) and includes lots of cool features.

Don't forget to read the Terms of Service, and if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Shoot me a message or follow me on twitter (vonage_voice).

When I added a second residential line, I went with Vonage (their 500 minutes for $14.99 plan -- which has gone up to $17.99/mo). That was Dec. of '04. The two things I like best are 1) I get a .wav file sent to my email address of all voice messages and 2) calls ring simultaneous at home and on my cell (so, I almost never miss a call I want to take.) The service hasn't been perfect, but close. (As mentioned by another person, if the service went down, it was almost always because the underlying Internet line went down -- a problem for any VoIP service; which is why I switched from ATT Internet service to Comcast.) I liked Vonage so much I moved my primary line to Vonage (a number we had for 10 yrs at that point.) I recently moved that line/number from Vonage to T-Mobile@Home without any problems. So, why did I move? T-Mobile is $9.99 for unlimited domestic usage vs. Vonage's $24.99 -- and, that was the only reason (...I miss the the two cool features from Vonage listed above, but I'm just cheap.) I don't doubt others have had poor experience with Vonage -- that's true for almost every provider; but, my experience has been great.

I've been using Vonage almost as long as it has provided service and have had excellent service both with a primary and FAX line. Also I've had a virtual live into a city where a number of friends live so they can call me easily.

I've also used it for International calls and provided excellent, reliable service.

The only troubles I've had, as others have mentioned, have been caused by Internet failures.

The main competitor in this area is Times Warner who now is dropping their charge for a basic line down to almost what a Vonage line would cost. They have tried to get me to change but will provide only a single line except under a business more expensive plan. I told them that when they can provide the same service as Vonage at the same or lower price I might re-consider.

Sounds like you all work for Vonage. I'll bet most of you do. Very shameless.

I had Vonage before becoming a CallVantage customer. I became disappointed with Vonage after a decline in service quality (echoing on call sounds, random failures that had nothing to do with any internet outtage), and the strage lack of ability ("strange" because Vonage clearly had the technologoy in their system) to block certain phone numbers or unidentifiable numbers from calling you - a problem that seemed to increase exponentially over my two-year vonage tenure. Finally, when it came time to cancel my Vonage account and move it to CallVantage, doing so with Vonage was like receiving a root canal: nearly two hours on the phone between being on-hold on transferred to different representatives essentially begging me not to cancel.

I found that there were MANY advantages to the AT&T VIOP service, and I had ZERO issues or technical problems with them (they also had a LOAD of privacy options for your phone numbers) - so I'm really disappointed that they're closing shop. I hope that there is a service out there that offers nearly as good as the quality and the same features (especially the SPECIFIC NUMBER call-blocking / privacy features) that AT&T CallVantage did.

I had callvantage for 3 years, no problems whatsoever. Now I will have to deal with Comcast or Verizon or some other company plagued with issues.