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Phone Power Review: VoIP |
| Visit Phone Power Website | |
| Inexpensive 2-year plan and overall low international rates | |
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With a range of plans including month-to-month contracts as well as longer commitments, Phone Power offers consumers strong value and a nice feature set. The service did particularly well for international calling with its uniformly low per-minute rates.
Plans and Pricing Phone Power is a relative newcomer to the VoIP landscape but has hit a sweet spot in the market with their nice range of very cheap plans. For those that aren't afraid of a longer term commitment and are looking for a great value on domestic calling, Phone Power provides two years of service for a total of $253.27 after fees, shipping and taxes. Although it sounds like a lot, that works out to just $8.33 per month for unlimited calls in the United States and Canada. There are a host of other plans ranging from $14.95 to $19.95 per month, if you don't want to pay upfront or you want a month-to-month plan. It's also worth noting that in our rate-comparison test, Phone Power had the overall lowest international rates of any provider (though we suggest you check their site to determine the rates for countries you call the most). Equipment and Setup Phone Power is one of the few VoIP providers to offer a VoIP adapter other than the standard Linksys model. The Grandstream adapter that's included is a little finicky though. It did not like being plugged into our Apple Airport, and had trouble with our office router too. It was fine when it was plugged in directly to our Linksys wireless router. We mention this little caveat because if you have any kind of unconventional setup, Phone Power is a little unforgiving without some tinkering. Call Quality Once we got it set up, Phone Power was fine. It delivered acceptable voice performance. Features Included are the now-standard VoIP features such as conference calling, caller ID, voicemail to email, and call waiting. You also get a cloned second line, which allows two lines to share the same number. This means incoming calls will be routed to either connected line, even if one is busy. Likewise, you can also call out while the other line is in use. Other popular features include free in-network calling that lets you call other Phone Power customers for no charge, web-based call logs, remote voicemail acces, a blocklist, and a Phone Power iPhone app. Phone Power also provides a "fax catcher" feature that sends incoming faxes to your email account for free. Customer Service Phone Power's technical support is based in the United States. We had to leave a call-back number. It took several hours for our call to be returned; support was thorough, however. In addition to phone support, Phone Power offers sales, billing and technical support via live web chat and email. The site also maintains an online knowledgebase and user forums. Refunds There is a 30-day guarantee if the service fails to meet your expectations (your first month, equivalent to $19.95, is non-refundable, as are shipping charges). Note that if you cancel after 30 days you'll have to pay the remaining part of your contract, or a $99.95 disconnect fee (whichever is less). International Calls The basic Phone Power plan includes 60 minutes of free international calls each month to more than 55 countries. Phone Power provides an interactive online lookup chart so users can determine whether any given phone number or country is included in the plan. This chart also contains the per-minute rates for countries not eligible for the 60 free minutes each month. Customers who make a lot of international calls can upgrade to 1200 free minutes per month with the International Plus plan. Conclusion If you don't mind the commitment, Phone Power is a great choice for VoIP. The plan is nearly the cheapest we've found, and the cloned second-line is very useful. Try the 30-day trial, and see if it's right for you. |
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Service Details:
| Plans: | Unlimited: $8.33-$19.95 |
| Setup Fees: | $14.95 S&H |
| $ Back Guarantee & Cancel Policy: | No cancel fee for month-to-month plan, can cancel prepay & contract plans in first 30 days for $19.95; $99.95 disconnect fee after |
| Promotions: | $199.95 for two years prepaid unlimited; 60 minutes free calling to 55+ countries |
| Countries Included: | USA & Canada |
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Q: I'm very interested in getting VoIP, but I live in a somewhat secluded area where the power goes out relatively often. I'm worried that if I sign up for VoIP that I'll lose service every time we have a power outage.
Phone Power Forum Posts
- Where can I post my negative experience with Power Phone?
We're sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with Phone Power. You are more than welcome to write your experience with Power Phone on our... - Where can I post my negative experience with Power Phone?
I think this is an unfair review of this vendor. I believe their contract is dirty and full of hidden fees. Where on your site can I post my... - How fast does my Internet speed have to be for Phone Power?
Yes, Phone Power home services will work on your 35.00 Clear Internet plan (54Mbps). The minimum required download speed for Phone Power's home... - How fast does my Internet speed have to be for Phone Power?
I have the 35.00 Clear Internet plan (54Mbps). Will your service work for me? - How can I find the Power Phone international rates?
To find the international rates for Power Phone visit their website and click on the "International calls" page located on the top of the...
