Ooma Forums

Add me to the long list of users that would love text message support, for the exact reasons JedWare gave.

Please ooma, if you are not going to support receiving of text messages, then AT LEAST LET THE SENDER OF A TEXT MESSAGE KNOW THAT THEIR MESSAGE CANNOT BE DELIVERED!
Otherwise, they assume their message was delivered, and then a fiasco results, and no one is happy.

I have to emphasize:
Not being able to receive text messages in just an inconvenience, something we can live with.
On the other hand, not letting the sender of a text message know that their message could not be delivered can create all sorts of embarrassing situations. This is simply unacceptable.

We just experienced this very problem in an urgent situation. A parent was trying to reach us about their daughter, who was visiting playing with our daughter. We never received the texts and he had no idea we couldn't receive.

At a MINIMUM respond to the sender of the text that the number does not receive texts.

Better: receive the texts and forward like a voice mail to the registered e-mail address and include in the mailbox online. That's exactly what our business VoIP system (RingCentral) does. It works great to receive texts, even on a non-mobile number.

Add me to the list of people who have lost work due to customers sending me text and never getting a response. Why is this so hard for Ooma

Because Ooma is mainly an analog telephone network and there is no method in place to send text messages over the analog backbone network. The only place they could implement it is between two Ooma customers where the connection never leaves the Ooma servers.

Aloha, I agree with the need for simple text messages.
Replying to GraniteStateColin » Sun Mar 10, 2019 7:31 am
I had exactly that situation trying to connect with someone driving who though I had a smart phone.
I'm 76 and can't use smart phones due to shaking hands.
I still use a flip phone with tactile keys that don't respond to heat and shakes.
I had a long conversation with Ooma support this afternoon.
BTW: I'm back with new account since my 2009 Ooma Forum account vanished.
My bad, I didn't use it enough. I do value the thoughtful content of this forum.
Mahalo nui loa - Hawaiian for Thank you very much.

I just came from VOIPo which allowed you to forward text messages texted to your landline to your cellphone.

The implementation was a bit wanky. I’d get a text message from my home phone number and not the phone number sending the text. This meant I couldn’t reply to the message and I didn’t get the name of the person who texted me (just their phone which I had to look up). However, at least people could text my home phone number and I even put that in my outgoing voice mail message: “I cannot answer the phone right now. Please text me for quick response or wait and leave me a message.”

I was told this feature is a “business account” feature. It should be part of the premium package too.

I've lost count of the number of times that people have tried to send me texts on my number. This really should be part of premium service.

It's an analog phone service. Texting requires a digital phone service.