With the introduction of home computers and the internet, it was only a matter of time before companies developed internet phone service. Providers such as Magic Jack and Vonage have really taken off in the last couple of years with their low monthly and yearly plans. These plans include unlimited long distance. People jumped on these when they first appeared on the scene.

Once the customers installed and started using these services, it quickly became apparent to many of them why they maybe were not such a bargain after all. There were complaints of echoes on the line, or just not being heard, or able to hear the caller on the other end. For some customers, these services were little more than glorified walkie talkies. But people continued to use them because, in spite of all the technical issues, the price was still much better than anything the local or national phone services could offer.

The good news is that improvements were made over time to the internet phone services. While all the bugs aren’t worked out, there are now enough positive responses to make it seem a worthwhile venture. There are still some disadvantages, the biggest one being that if you lose internet for any reason, your phone service will go with it. However, in this day and age of cell phones, most people usually have a backup in case this happens.

Even with the drawbacks of internet phone services, there is still the price to consider. For just a fraction of the cost of landline phone companies, you can have free unlimited long distance as well as free local calls. Caller ID and voice mail is included in your monthly or yearly rate. So, as the costs of your non internet phone service providers continue to climb, you are saving a huge amount of money by using services such as Vonage or Magic Jack. For a lot of people, as long as the service works most of the time, they feel the savings are well worth any aggravation.

If you are someone who has a great longtime relationship with the local phone company, it’s still worth it to at least look into the internet phone services. You might be shocked at the amount of money you will save for the same service you get now. There are probably many ways you could spend all that extra money you will have left over at the end of the month.