I have been using Lingo for over a year now, and after much complaining I have finally succomb to the wife’s pressures–we are switching to a more mainstream phone service. Charter is now offering a total package (phone, Internet 3mb, digital cable) for $99/month. Besides the 28 day lead time, I am excited about testing out the new service.
Lingo was a feature rich service. I could control through an online interface my voicemail, call forwarding options, simultaneous ring, voicemail to email. My two favorite features were voicemail to email and universal numbers. All of my voicemails would forward to my gmail account. This feature saved me an enormous amount of time b/c I could take screening to the next level. For example, if I saw my mom’s phone number, I could just delete without preview because I am sure that the message would go something like, “Hey, just wanted to call.” Really? I would have never guessed that. Thank you for wasting my life to listen to that voicemail. With the email option, I see the caller ID in the from line, and I simply depress “delete.” I don’t even get frazzled.
On the other side of marital paternity, we have the second choice feature of Lingo: universal numbers. Not only do we have a local number in my mom’s calling area, we also have a local number in my wife’s mothers calling area. For an additional $4.95/month we can have a local number in every major city in the US, but we chose only for the Nashville option. Now her mom (or any interested Nashvillian) can call us without making a toll call, which may or may not be a good thing–a cool feature nonetheless.
After making the determination to bundle my services with Charter, I received one of the monthly communications from Bellsouth. This one in the form of an email. “Click to see our fantastic deal” a bright blue button read. I did. $54.95 month for phone and Internet (without long distance)! As my boss would say, “are you smoking crack?” No LD? $55/month with 1.5 internet and local phone service? Big Freaking Deal (“BFD”)? All I have to say to you Bellsouth is: I don’t know you, at all! The days of the Bells are OVER. I will get a tin can and twine before ever going back to you. Unfortunately I don’t have to. With cell phones and VOIP your days are numbered. Change your business lines and be competitive or get out of the way!
