I have been having so much trouble with Vonage’s billing lately, it’s frustrating. They charged me $520 for a year without any notice, so I contacted them telling them I wanted to downgrade because it costs too much and I don’t use it that much. I use Vonage for business/support, but being an online business very little is done on the phone. So I got downgraded, but they weren’t sending my money back, so I had to dispute it through my credit card to get the refund. This month, they charged me $42, which would come to $500 yearly and I wasn’t saving any money. I had finally decided I was switching to Magic Jack and called to cancel.

When I called to cancel, the guy offered me a new ‘promotion’ they’ve started that has their unlimited calling plan for only $12.50/mo. This is the type of savings I was looking for, so I switched and I’m pretty happy about that. It still comes to about $180/yr (and Magic Jack is $40/yr) but it’s reliable and I won’t have to change my number.

Just a quick post to let all of you out there who have Vonage know about this promotion so you can call and attempt to get it. You may need to ask to cancel to get it offered to you. And if you’re using a regular landline, but have been thinking about Vonage, let me know and I’ll send you a link that will give you and me a free month if you sign up.

In the current economic situation, everyone’s cutting back on spending as much as they can. I’ve noticed in my own business that clients are trying to cut back and as a result, I’ve had to cut back on my own spending by getting rid of DirecTV and lowering my internet speed. But some things are still very necessary, like school supplies, clothes, computers, etc. I had to buy some new pans recently (mine were terrible) and I spent about 4 hours looking around and deciding where to buy from to get the best deal. I didn’t want to pay $150 one place, then find I could’ve saved $40 by going somewhere else.

Just the other day I stumbled across a link to ShopWiki, which is a site that will list the price of a product at stores online and offline so you can pick the best deal. It’s almost kind of like Froogle, but it lists a lot more stores and it’s much more accurate. It lists the pan set I bought ranging from $114 to $149 and includes the store where I bought it for $119. I was so relieved to find that I had gotten a good deal, I tried again for my computer. Turns out the computer I kinda got shafted on, this site could’ve saved me $300. Next time I have a purchase, I’m checking ShopWiki first.

They also have a directory that will help you pick a product when you’re not exactly sure what you’re looking for. If you click Desktop Computers it brings you to a list of the types of desktop computers with information about them and their Pros and Cons. Personally, I suggest the HP Touchsmart All In One. They have a site for those of you in the UK and Australia as well.

I like the fact that the site’s design doesn’t distract from the content and that it’s not covered in graphics or banners. Not everyone thinks a site’s design is as important as its content, but I do. If a site is too busy, has too many graphics ads, or has an unattractive design I’m not likely to stay and much less likely to come back. The simplicity of the site makes it incredibly efficient. What will you do with all that extra time you’re not comparing prices?