March 3rd, 2006
Chatter Bug: VOIP Calling for $9.95 a Month and No Broadband Service Required
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
Let me say up front this is definitely not for everyone, but for those who have no idea what VoIP is and simply want a flat fee long distance calling plan, the Chatter Bug is an intriguing little technical gizmo. You plug the $24.95 adapter into your phone line and connect your phone and then your normal phone number simply hops on a remote VoIP telco and alllows you to keep your number and get the unlimited free long distance calling.
Chatter Bug™ is the newest revolution in communications. Chatter Bug™ allows you to make unlimited long distance phone calls in the US and to Canada* for $9.95 per month, anytime. No computer, DSL, Cable, broadband or Internet connection needed. International calling service will be available at the end of the first quarter. Source: Chatter Bug via Circuits
Pros and Cons: For those broadband holdouts, the price may be right. And you can use your exisiting 911 emergency service. For domestic travellers who don’t use Vonage, there may be a way to use this on plain old phone jacks around the country, but it is not clear you can move locations. For the rest of us - nice idea, maybe three years too late. And no international calling as of yet, and no local dialing. Botttom Line: Pricey and a little cheesy unless you really love to talk it up long distance and have no interest in the internet.
Gizmowatch says:
VoIP calling for $9.95, no broadband required
I think I fit the bill perfectly here. As Alice Hill points out, this Chatter Bug is not for every one, but only for those who have little or no knowledge about VoIP. I fall in there. Further he says, the gizmo is only for those who want a flat cheap…
March 3rd, 2006 at 2:42 am
Mike says:
I think it is a great idea! My in-laws cant even get broadband service back in the woods where they live, hell even dialup is crappy - 28.8 MAX!!
If I would add this to our phone bill, I would be at the same or cheaper price point than what the VOIP services offer, and I dont have to do a complete switchover!
Now of course you have to make a LOT of long distance calls to justify it, especially with how cheap phone cards are., but for those people that do a ton of LD this would be very nice.
Mike
It would be PERFECT if you could plug it in anywhere and use it. I bet there would end up being a lot of “sharing” though
March 3rd, 2006 at 3:30 am
Jack says:
I would only say to read the Terms and Conditions carefully. You will find out some interesting things, such as that it’s not “unlimited” service:
“….. If Company determines that your use is for a business, professional or governmental purpose, Company reserves the right to charge a higher rates for the Service provided and/or to immediately terminate the Service. If You generate more than 1000 minutes per month in usage, Company reserves the right to terminate your Service. …..”
And if you travel outside the U.S., you can’t take it with you: “….. You may use the Service within the United States (calls may be directed to, but not initiated in Canada.) …..” And no, you can’t just move it around at will within the U.S., either: “If you relocate the Product, You must provide Company with notification of the new location or the Service will cease to be available. Company reserves the right to terminate your Service if it determines You are using the Service at an unregistered location.”
And (I always love provisions like this)
If YOU terminate service, you have to give them notice ten days prior to the end of the billing month or you get charged for another full month, but “….. Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminated your use of the Service upon notice. You will be responsible for all charges through date Service is terminated. Company will not be liable to you or any third party for termination of the Service regardless of the reason for termination, or the lack of a reason, or the timing of the termination. …..”
Then there is the matter of the true monthly cost: “The billing charges will include monthly Service fees, applicable taxes and any other applicable charges.” What the heck are “any other applicable charges”?
And even if you think you can live with all of the above, the terms of service can change at any time: “Company has the right to modify the terms and conditions of this Agreement from time to time. The modification will be posted on the Company’s web-site and effective on the date posted. The Agreement as posted supersedes all previous agreements.”
The full Terms of Service can be accessed from a link at the bottom of the company’s main page. It seems to me that as long as you read the ToS and fully agree to use the service in the way they deem appropriate, that’s fine but bear in mind that 1000 minutes at $9.95 per month plus taxes and unspecified fees works out to around a penny a minute, maybe more, and that’s only if you actually use your full 1000 minutes. If you only use, say, 250 minutes in a month then you are paying somewhere around 4 cents a minute, and you can certainly get calling cards that charge a lot less than that.
March 3rd, 2006 at 4:21 am
ikaruga says:
Thanks for the *real* story Jack. I suspect that phone companies won’t take it likely that you’re going around their long distance plans, and that’s probably what those “other applicable charges” refer to. Think IDT—they advertise 39.99 a month unlimited calling, but when you add in all the other “applicable charges” (for using the telcom’s phone lines) the true bill comes out to $60.00. Well, at least here in NY.
If any one is brave enough to use this for a good couple of months, let us know what the real monthly bill is.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:14 am
Vicki says:
It does state that the only charges are :
Q: Does the $9.95 a month include all the federal and state taxes, charges, and fees?
A: The $9.95/month fee we charge includes all charges. You do not pay any additional charge.
But I agree that if you don’t make more than 200 minutes/monthly this wouldn’t be a good plan. Also I am sure that 1000 minute clause is in there in case one is using it for a business instead of personal use.
The 10 day cancellation probably has to do with the credit card billing process.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:52 am
andy says:
I am usng the device; have not received my first bill as yet. My local plan has anything over 50mi. as long distance. To cover an extra 100mi. I would have to pay another $50 a month. No broadband, sorry dialup service; unfortunatley there is a lot of places that are locked in to rural telephone networks that don’t want to invest. Back to chatterbug it was weird at first, after dialing you can hear another dialing then the quality was so-so I was told I sounded far away but clear. Also there was a slight delay ,but for an extra 10 a month so we can call our church and friend only 30 mins away it is worth it.
March 5th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
Paul says:
Hello. I am the exclusive seller of this item on ebay and have been granted those rights by the company. The beauty of this gizmo is that it is SO simple to get activated and it is not a high risk investment. We are talking 20 dollars to purchase the item and 9.95 per month unlimited to Canada and USA. Why is it people are not afraid to throw 20 dollars out at the casino? Lottery tickets? Pull tabs? a round of drinks? a meal out? Please note that if you dont like this once you are activated you can CANCEL anytime. There are NO contracts. This item could very well appeal to 43 Million households in the USA. There has been alot of years and research put into this item. You dont need internet, broadband just a plain old phone line. Believe it or not folks, there are ALOT of people in the 55 and up age bracket that may well NEVER care to explore the internet. Chatter Bug is aware of that. Thanks and next time you are on ebay type in Chatter Bug in the search box…………..Paul Johnson
March 11th, 2006 at 7:07 am
Norman Kramer says:
Sounds like a good deal to me. I have three questions. 1) My phone line is paralled all arround the house. Can I unplug and go to the e.g bedroom? 2) Do they tell you before the 1000 minutes are up? ( I havae a lot of friends scattered arround the country!) 3) What is the (QoS) quality of service.
Cheers
Norm
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September 10th, 2006 at 9:56 am
Jackalene Robertson says:
Just got our chatterbug. I can’t call at all on it. It keeps saying call 10 15 15 8000 and you will be connected to a national operator . What is the deal??? I am calling tomorrow and cancelling. I have tried all morning to even call my husbands cell phone and it is not even long distance. Just thought I’d tell you about it.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Antwan says:
Me & my wife have the chatterbug It works Find anyone that has it has to reprogram it.
Q: How do I reprogram my ChatterBug™ to use the new service?
A: If your ChatterBug™ serial number starts with a 5:
Step 1 - Keeping the ChatterBug™ connected, move the locking switch from “lock” to “unlock” on the back of the unit.
Step 2 - On your phone pad, speed dial the following number *59*1**18778000047*. You can speed dial this numbers in one of two ways:
Method 1: Dial the number first while keeping your phone on hook (do not pick up the handset) then pick up the phone like you were going to make a call.
OR
Method 2: Pick up the hand set, dial the number, hang up. Pick up the hand set again and hit redial on your phone.
Step 3 - You will hear numbers being dialed, at the end of these numbers, you will hear a dial tone, then a “beep”. Now hang up the phone.
Step 4 - Go to the back of the ChatterBug™ device, move the locking switch from “unlock” to “lock”.
For all other serial numbers (starting with a 2, 3 or 4):
Step 1 - Keep the ChatterBug™ connected.
Step 2 - On your phone pad, speed dial the following number *59*1**18778000047*. You can speed dial this numbers in one of two ways:
Method 1: Dial the number first while keeping your phone on hook (do not pick up the handset) then pick up the phone like you were going to make a call.
OR
Method 2: Pick up the hand set, dial the number, hang up. Pick up the hand set again and hit redial on your phone.
Step 3 - You will hear numbers being dialed, at the end of these numbers, you will hear a dial tone, then a “beep”. Now hang up the phone.
You are now ready to begin calling on our new upgraded platform. If you are not able to connect to a call that you place, try these steps again. It is necessary to complete this process to continue service.
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