Review rated by 7 Ciao members on average: helpful
This review received a counterstatement by a party concernedRead Comment
More out of curiousity (and because it was cheaper on a monthly basis and offers better rates than the competitor Vonage) I bought one of the Freetalk boxes more as a joke than as a serious "alternative" to the real phone. But now I seem to be using the phone constantly...
The "freetalk" packet comes in the form of a little box (either prepaid for a year, or with a monthly payment plan). The setup is straightforward: The box acts as a "router" in which you can plug a normal phone and your broadband modem. Once connected, you "activate" the box on their website and choose your "real phone" number (which can be anywhere in the country). Within twa fewo hours you then get connected - and can start receiving and making calls via your broadband connection. There is no need to have the computer constantly on, and you don't have to worry about headsets and microphones etc - a normal phone is really all you need.
In addition to the basic phone service Freetalk offers a various call features (all for free), such as voice mail, conference calls, caller ID etc. An interesting point is that call forwarding is free and included in the "unlimited calls" to any land line in the UK - which is extremly useful if for example you want to forward your home calls to your office while there. All call functions can be controlled both through the website as well as by phone.
Importantly, the call quality is excellent- in fact indistinguishable from a normal telephone line. An other important point is that the customer service is extremely responsive and friendly. I contacted them twice by email to clarify some points and each time they responded within 3 hours - certainly a point worth mentioning!
The price of subscription ( £79 for a year including the box, or £6.99 monthly) includes unlimited calls to landlines in the UK anytime of the day, and without any annoying 60 minute rules. Prices for calls to international numbers and mobile phones are equally very competitive.
Overall, I am very pleased with the service, quality and the value for money they provide. The only downpoint is that they do not offer a package which includes unlimited international calls (such as the "traditional" phone providers i.e. swiftcall or talktalk).
by (100%):
22.05.2006 11:30
Sounds great! X
22.05.2006 09:37
Sounds interesting - I might look into this further before taking the plunge though!