The Call 17 - 10/18/2004
From Michael Robertson, CEO and founder,
SIPphone.com
Dear Staples:
I received my order today from my online purchase. The delivery was very prompt as usual. But I had some questions about the items I ordered. What is the monthly fee is to use my 74¢ Ballpoint Comfort Stic pen? Of course, normally I wouldn't have to ask, but it turns out the other product I bought is completely useless unless I pay an unadvertised monthly fee of $25!
The other product I am speaking of is the Linksys Phone Adapter (Item #577467). I was very impressed with the $9.95 price you advertised. When I looked closer, I noticed that it was really $59.99 with a $10 instant rebate and a $40 mail-in rebate from Vonage for signing up with their AT&T-wannabe service. But that's OK, because even though you used a fake low price, $49.99 is still a pretty good deal.
Well, it turns out the Linksys Phone Adapter is locked and only works if pay a $25/mo fee to Vonage. So actually the price isn't $9.95 or even $59.95, it's $300+ a year! That is a VERY expensive VoIP phone adapter! Maybe I am charging way too little for our SIP Mini!
Of course hidden monthly fees are an old trick of the telcos who have made an art out of deceiving customers for big profits. Locked hardware, flat rate monthly fees, hidden charges and fake service fees are just some of the nefarious ways telcos have invented over the years to deceive us for profit.
But these are the old tricks of the old system. I had hoped Vonage, a new VoIP-based telco would leave the dirty tricks to the old, dying phone companies. I guess I was wrong. The more I learn about Vonage, the more I see they want nothing else than to be just like AT&T. What a shame.
Well, I am betting customer are smarter than that, and I am hoping that companies like Linksys and Staples will be smarter than that, too. I am betting that customers will decide that deceit and tricks are not acceptable, and they will look for a different, more honest way of doing business. At SIPphone all the hardware and software we sell is unlocked (you can use it with a competing service if you like) and there are no monthly fees required to use the service. All SIP to SIP calls are always free, and you only pay pennies a minute for calls you make to PSTN phones. No contracts. No monthly fees. No small print. And no hidden fees in our store.
Anyway, I want my money back. You will find your $300 Linksys Phone Adapter enclosed in the box.
Let us know your thoughts and feedback about this or any other SIP topic in our user forum.
**Michael Robertson
CEO and Founder
SIPphone.com
