Mr Om, which stock ticker app do you use in the screengrab?

That’s a Mac Dashboard widget.

As a customer, I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t find another service. How much longer will Vonage be around?!

Erik: Why would the future of a company prevent you from doing business with them? That doesn’t make any sense. If they go down, switch the service. If they stay up, continue to use them as long as you enjoy their service. Switching services based on bad news is idiotic.

Tom J:
It’s not idiotic if you rely on them for uninterrupted service.
-Andrew

Andrew Fife:

I’m inclined to agree with you, but they haven’t announced to shut down yet. Microsoft stock plumped 14 or so percent, does that mean you are going to stop using their software because someday they might shut down and all Microsoft based applications will be left unsupported?

If Erik doesn’t like the service, I can understand making the switch. But making assumptions based on what might happen in the near future that no one knows about other than the executives at Vonage is immature.

I believe that Verizon may have inherited some patents from the MCI side of the business. MCI has been selling voip to business customers for ages and it wont surprise me at all if they have quite a few patents in their kitty.

Tom, Microsoft may be down, but they still have $40 or so billion in cash last time I checked.

Partick Mullen:

Yes, you are correct, but I was just presenting that as an example. :) All I’m saying is cancelling service based on company’s financial performance doesn’t make sense. Now if you are not enjoying the service, feel free to get out, but if you are enjoying them, why pull the plug now? When (If) they go down, you won’t have a choice, but to cancel anyways.

it’s a coin toss which is funnier to me:
VG–trading $8.54 today,
those poor investors. i wonder which is worse: being the sucka that paid $17 at the IPO, or the idiot who thinks $8 level stock is a value scoop worth buying.

–if you love the VG service/product–just enjoy it, there’s no need to run hand-in-hand with the stock through the death gauntlet.

–if you have any interest in really playing the stock: trade options not stock. options became available June 1, initally listing the 10-12.5-15 strikes. I asked an exchange specialist why they didn’t have 5 or 7.5 strikes. he grumbled–confident that any day, VG would add the 20 and 25 strikes.

so, only 11 trade days later–the 5 and 7.5 strikes opened.
customers bot july 5 and 7.5 puts all day. there is almost no open interest on the july 10c side.

can things get worse for VG? sure.
maybe the 2.5 puts will be available soon..

Tom, I agree, if you like the service, keep it, if you are interested in trying it, try it. Its not like it would be difficult to replace it with VoiceWing or any other VoIP service should Vonage go belly up.

Buying or selling the stock is of course a different subject. Is it now a good buy, a buying opportunity with room for profit? Is it a good time to short the stock because it will tank?

If I knew those answers, I wouldn’t be viewing this website (or pretty much any other website for that matter) but rather tending to my staff at my golf course on some nice island (where par would be adjusted depending on my game that day.)

Timing of the Verizon patent lawsuit smells fishy to me.

I’m just saying it seems that Vonage is getting socked with lots of bad news in the form of lawsuits, etc that would make it seem the company is on rocky ground. I’m not about to switch service anytime soon, its been great and I’ve told many people about it. Its just that I am starting to wonder how well Vonage can weather it’s troubles.