VOIP Phone Service?

My presentation tonight on VOIP phone service really made me think about whether this might be a good alternative for our home and business wireless service. I would like to keep at least one landline for protection against power outages or if the internet service is down, but there appears to be some real advantages to VOIP over cell service (and land lines) – low cost, portability, and a wide array of options and features that are free! Internet service and bandwidth don’t appear to be an issue. So I’m not too worried about that. Would like to know a bit more about internet security and what is available to protect against spam, eaves dropping, and redirection. Would also like to know more about hardware and software requirements.

Out of curiosity and preparation for tonight, I did some additional research to see what VOIP service providers offer and what more I could learn about internet phone service. Found some good information on the local websites, but had additional questions about the service terms and conditions. Unfortunately, I was only able to get in touch with one customer service agent, who was more interested in selling me something than answering my questions. I was appalled at the high pressure sales tactics that the individual was using to get me to sign up. Realizing that the only way I was going to free myself of this person, I told him “thank you” and hung up. Thought this was the end of it, but less than a minute later he called me back to tell me that his pay is based entirely on commission and that he had not made a sale all night, and that he would greatly appreciate my business. This experience was a definite turn-off and gave me a bad first impression of the industry.

Don’t know what we’ll end up doing. I’m hoping that I can find someone who has been using VOIP to get a better idea on his/her experience and whether this is a good solution for us. Friends, family, or coworkers are sometimes your best resource for information. They are generally people you can trust and will not give you a lot of BS. I would like to consider this option, but want to be well informed and comfortable with my decision before I give up what I have. If any of you have used or are currently using VOIP, I'd love to talk with you about your experience.