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by Dameon Welch-Abemathy on September 21, 2007
Bell-Me and Global FREEdom Phone are the latest two examples of companies whose products were found as a result of following the links in comments. One was a direct link, the other was through an affiliate. If you are really interested, look at the comments on some recent posts.
Bell-Me is almost exactly like Truphone, but without the cool client to help manage your connectivity. Global FREEdom Phone, well, it's just another Vonage-type service that has a multi-level-marketing element to the whole thing.
Neither of these services are particularly interesting. They do basically the same thing that other companies in that space do. There's no differentiation whatsoever.
I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from leaving comments and providing links here. They are always welcome, assuming the comments are relevant and aren't obvious spam. However, if you run one of these companies or are an affiliate thereof, you might ask the people that run the company: how is this service really different from everyone else? In fact, if the two representatives of the companies I mentioned above want to answer this question in the comments, I'm all ears!
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Vote for Bell-Me and Global FREEdom Phone: Two More Me-Too Products:
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Rating: 7.60 out of 5 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Stephanie
(09/21/07 3:08pm)
Certainly no one wants to be accused of spamming, so I try to be careful to make my comments relevant. The Global Freedom phone differentiates itself by paying its customers to spread the word, taking what most traditional companies spend on advertising (80%-85% of every dollar) and instead spreading the wealth to its own clients and their communities. This service offers competitive rates and high quality customer service notwithstanding their offer to make money on this emerging technology (and get the service for free). In four months here on the Big Island of Hawaii, it has already transformed the income of a poor, rural community, and these results are very real and documented. This type of marketing is being done alongside traditional methods more and more even in large corporations like Xerox, Microsoft, IBM and Coca-Cola, to name a few; the Global Freedom phone represents a paradigm shift not just in telecommunications, but in the way of doing business altogether. And the compensation plan is far beyond old, outdated Amway models - if we want to survive a sagging economy and struggling middle class, I suggest these business models should be taken more seriously, rather than lumped together with outdated mindsets and dismissed without further investigation.
Response from:
Francis
(09/24/07 1:04pm)
Can these services really survive? Add in Ooma and phonegnome and Magic Jack (terrible name)to the list of oversimplified VoIP offerings with little to no customer service, and do you have a recipe for longterm success or just another SunRocket?
Response from:
Dameon Welch-Abernathy
(09/26/07 4:21am)
The way Global FREEdom is marketed is besides the point. What matters is you're selling a commodity product that is closer and closer to costing nothing. Hard to make any money when your product doesn't cost anything.
Response from:
Stephanie
(09/26/07 5:04pm)
While many VoIP providers are offering various ways to get their services for free, they all have fine print; limited number of minutes, network calling only, etc. It's a business and it will always be a business, at least for the masses. While some techies may figure out how to get free VoIP as technology progresses (though still requiring equipment and internet costs), much of this information will be lost to the everyday consumer who will only have the know-how to plug in a unit and dial. For such people, standard 'oversimplified' VoIP will be the sensible alternative to expensive land lines, especially with the video option, and such providers will always find a way to make a buck. Even in the case of the Global Freedom phone, while the monthly service becomes 100% free for unlimited US & Canada calls after three referrals, clients still need an adapter or a videophone, for example. And by the way - their customer service is incredible.
Response from:
Dameon Welch-Abernathy
(09/27/07 3:54am)
I'm not talking about the "free" services that exist today, which have too many limitations. Sort of like unlimited calling plans, regardless of the provider. There is always a limit. I'm talking about various companies offering some form of voice service as part of a larger service offering. Sort of like the triple or four-play offerings from cable and phone companies, but on steroids. The current offerings are already giving Vonage and the like a run for their money!
Response from:
Peter
(12/19/07 2:25pm)
What most of the mainstream phone companies do not tell the public, is that they expect 95% of the US market to be digital by 2010. They will convert without telling the public and still continue to charge the same rates. Extra for voicemail, caller ID, etc. Liberty International includes all those features free in it's monthly package and it becomes FREE after you refer 3 other people. Yes there are other FREE voip services out there. But how many of them will send you a check if you refer someone else to that business?
I heard a story from a friend who says that she was looking for a new SUV. She wanted to check out BMW's and Lexus but her friend told her about a new Jeep she bought and she went and test drove one. Loved it and bought a Jeep without test driving the others. Her friend convinced her to buy the Jeep. Do you think Jeep would send her friend a check for doing all the marketing to sell a Jeep? NOT! Which company will? Wouldn't you like a check from a company if you love their service or product (in this case, a utility) so much that you convince your friends to get it too? So far, in the VoIP world, only Liberty International does that.
I heard a story from a friend who says that she was looking for a new SUV. She wanted to check out BMW's and Lexus but her friend told her about a new Jeep she bought and she went and test drove one. Loved it and bought a Jeep without test driving the others. Her friend convinced her to buy the Jeep. Do you think Jeep would send her friend a check for doing all the marketing to sell a Jeep? NOT! Which company will? Wouldn't you like a check from a company if you love their service or product (in this case, a utility) so much that you convince your friends to get it too? So far, in the VoIP world, only Liberty International does that.
Response from:
Dameon Welch-Abernathy
(12/30/07 12:25am)
I would not expect the conventional telcos to pass along the savings they will incur by upgrading the backend infrastructure until such time as they are forced to by actual competition.
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