April 29, 2005

            LANSING – Attorney General Mike Cox announced today that New Jersey-based Vonage Holdings Corporation, a major provider of Internet-based telephone service, faces legal action for misleading consumers about the company’s emergency 9-1-1 service. In a Notice of Intended Action (NIA) sent to Vonage Wednesday, Cox told the company it has failed to make it clear that customers do not have access to traditional 9-1-1 service.

            "Vonage needs to make sure its customers understand that normal 9-1-1 access may not be available to them," Cox said. "Emergency calls made through Vonage’s service are often routed through call centers that may not be answered outside of regular business hours."

            Although Vonage advertises its "911 dialing" as a benefit, the feature has significant limitations compared to traditional phone service. Customers who use Vonage’s service are not directed to operators who dispatch emergency vehicles. If emergency personnel do get the call, they may not be able to identify the caller's phone number or have information displaying the caller's address.

            "I don’t know about most people, but I don’t have the ability to time my emergencies," Cox said. "Vonage has ten days to respond to the NIA, or my office will file a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties."

            Consumers who want to file a complaint about Vonage or VOIP may do so by writing to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at P.O. Box 30213, Lansing, MI 48909, or by calling toll-free 1-877-765-8388.

            During 2003 and 2004, the Consumer Protection Division collected more than
$600 million on behalf of Michigan. In 2004, the Division stopped more than $400 million in utility rate increases and responded to more than 102,000 consumer complaints.

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