ViaTalk

Buy one year of VoIP service, get one free.

Summary
As people continue to cut the cord to their conventional home telephone, companies like ViaTalk continue to find ways to make VoIP, or Internet telephone, more accessible and affordable. Without the cost of paying for the infrastructure associated with landlines, VoIP providers like ViaTalk can offer a dramatic cost savings over the old phone companies.

ViaTalk chooses an interesting marketing approach by offering new subscribers one free year when they subscribe to two years. This savings is unlike many of ViaTalk's competitors. The contractual agreement provides unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada.  The package contains common features such as caller ID, call waiting, and many other popular features. There's also a a user-friendly web interface that lets you manage preferences.

Pros
- Control panel that is user friendly and full of great options
- Practical for daily life
- Ideal for residential or business use
- 24/7 U.S.-based customer service, with live chat
- Complete list of popular features
- Buy one year, get one year free plan
- Web site is easy to navigate

Cons
- Negative customer feedback
- Unsatisfactory BBB report

Calling Plans & Expense
As mentioned, the most cost-effective introduction to ViaTalk is the “buy one year, get one year free, and receive an additional phone line” offer.  This package runs $199, not including taxes and regulatory fees for services like E911.

Additional options from ViaTalk include:
-  A virtual number is $3.95
- A toll-free number $4.95
- Fax service is $9.95
- Rates for extra minutes are 3.5 cents per minute for both the residential and business plans.

ViaTalk offers lesser packages that are priced at 500 minute increments.  They will automatically bill your credit card in one month, three month or six month cycles.
International rates vary and are competitively priced.

Business Customers
ViaTalk also provides business plans. VoIP service for businesses can save in overhead costs and cut the communications bill. They have the same phone features as the residential plans and again, their most reasonable rates can be found on the two-year package. The business plan has both an unlimited call plan and a 1500 anytime minutes to the U.S. and Canada option. Add-on Business Class support for an additional $1.95 or a second phone line for $3.95.

Features
The capabilities of ViaTalk system are attractive. You'll enjoy many features included in your package, some having an additional nominal fee.
- Enhanced voicemail
- Call Hunt/Simultaneous ring
- Call records
- Caller ID
- Voicemail notify on email, transcribed to text
- 800-numbers
- Fax service
- Virtual numbers
- Use an adaptor from a previous service
- Call return
- Free in-network calls

Customer FeedbackCustomers have left negative feedback regarding customer service, including:
     - Hefty cancellation fee that is non-negotiable, whether or not equipment failure is at the root of the customer’s need to cancel
     - Excessively long hold times for technical support
     - Uneducated agents
     - A lack of flexibility to address either technical or billing issues

BBB Report
"Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to unanswered complaint(s)." Reports date back to 2005 with more than 300 complaints since that time. Customer service and billing issues have the most reports.

Common Misspellings
veatalk, Via Talk, VyaTalk, VTalk, ViaTalks