Reports by Consumers

Consumers should know that VoIP does not include 9-1-1 service. It's important to have a handy list of emergency numbers if you use VoIP. Here's the report:

The Texas attorney general yesterday sued Vonage, the nation’s largest Internet-based phone provider, saying the company failed to clearly tell consumers its service doesn’t automatically allow them to dial 911.

The lawsuit follows an incident last month in which a 17-year-old Houston girl was unable to call 911 on her family’s Vonage service after a home invasion robbery left her parents injured. The girl ended up calling from a neighbor’s home.

The lawsuit – filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act – seeks to make Vonage more clearly inform consumers that they must sign up separately for 911 service. The lawsuit also seeks US$20,000 per violation of the act.

Vonage, which is based in Edison, N.J., offers details about its emergency service only in fine print on its Web site and buried inside its users’ guide, Abbott said.

Internet-based phone services such as Vonage have grown rapidly by offering low-cost calling plans to consumers with fast Internet connections. The company offers service in San Antonio and has more than 500,000 subscribers nationwide.

Even so, Abbott said Vonage’s television commercials and brochures don’t address its 911 requirements. And customers who contact the company’s call centers are not told they have to separately sign up for emergency service.

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