VTECH IP8100-2 (5.8GHz) Cordless broadband phone

I made this purchase in Nov.2006. The referral came from a family member who purchased the Lynsky phone adapter with the product shown above. I made the purchase from online at the Vonage site. I chose these phones with the Residential "unlimited plan" since it would fit my disability budget. The purchase price was $99.99 + $10.00 for an additional phone. Ever since the installation 11/20/6 I have been troubleshooting to the present. I get great audio on my end, calling/receiving calls. However, the outbound calls I make doesn't have enough broadband & there seems to be a loss of packet per second. The people on the far end on the outbound call hear as described to me crackling, breaking up or they can only hear every other syllable. I followed the criteria from the troubleshooting section from the Vonage on-site page. I kept close contact each day with the support from the on-line tech dept. Vonage instructed me to call my ISP provider claiming that was the problem.
It was in part. They found a weak signal & replaced my modem. That brought me up to cable speed. But I still had the same problem. I was very frustrated over the holiday's when I wasn't able to call family members. Again, resuming my troubleshooting with the tech support, I followed their instructions to have the phone lines & house wiring checked. This wasn't the problem. Then I received my first bill. This is on a credit card. They charged me $163.67. This credit card charge I'm disputing. Next, they promise rebates but they don't send any paperwork with the phones to send in for the rebate. They also advertise "1-month free" but after talking to Customer Care they charged me for Nov. & Dec. $30.00. Where's the month free come into play? My wife bought a cell so I would have a phone to call out to emergency personel if I should need it. On Jan 11th, 2007 I called to disconnect service. But wait a minute. There are hidden fees. A $40.00 charge for disconnection within the one-year period & a $40.00 service fee. Since I receive calls coming in with clear audio the agent suggested that I keep the phone for that purpose, he would credit 2-months forward, and change my plan to $9.99 + tax =$10.61 (100 minutes)for incoming calls. Vonage promised me equipment & service but they haven't provided me that service yet. They are charging me and they think they are getting away with it. The money back guarantee is out the door since they had me troubleshooting all this time. Now you would think once the phone was working properly it would be in those 30-days you could get your money back. Not so, it's the first 30-days whether you're experiencing problems or not. Vonage keeps you involved with troubleshooting as they did me. Next, there is an Advanced tech support unit. Different from the online tech support. These people have all the certifications. They are the people who change the settings on your adapter (CPE). There are many different variables to correcting a problem. Vonage knows it's on their end. Advanced tech made some changes & had me test the outbound call. 2pm EST the local call was clear. Between
5pm - 8pm calling Pacific time the message was garbled. Same problem. Why wasn't I in contact with the advanced tech support at the onset of my problem, in those first 30 -days? There's no chance of recovering any monies for this purchased equipment nor can I get credit for the last two months that they failed to provide the service they promised to provide. Individuals who have had a bad experience with Vonage should do what I'm doing. I'm filing a formal complaint with the FTC (government communications), the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and am looking for a site that protects people's rights on disability. If enough people formally complain how big companies are taking advantage of our pocketbooks something will be done. Perhaps a class action suit! Vonage has already made it a point to drag me over the coals so to speak, I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. Just a note to everyone: Cordless phones have difficulty with the broadband selection in comparison to a hard line phone. The VTECH phone adapter comes with 2- ethernet connections with a built-in phone line unlike the Lynsky's router adapter that has USB ports & ethernet ports. You almost need to purchase a router or a booster to accomodate the phone adapter to make it work properly. It allows more broadband. I can't afford either.