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Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:26 am
by DickRhoads
I appreciate the "free preview" of the Personal Blacklist feature, and therefore the ability to test and comment on it. I'd like to suggest that ooma make the Personal Blacklist a core feature. In the modern world, it's a requirement that telephone users be able to block annoying and malicious callers (despite the fact that "traditional" phone companies still charge for the feature). Since I have a cellular gateway box between my ooma and my telephones, most of the Premier features would not be usable or helpful in my environment, but I would like to be able to continue to use the Personal Blacklist. As a number of other users have already commented, I would like to be able to select routing to VM or blocking (or ringing busy) separately for each number on the list, rather than having to specify one choice for all numbers.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:48 am
by scottlindner
I agree with your intent. I believe Ooma's revenue model is you get the dial tone for free, everything else is an extra service that you need to pay for. I'm comfortable with that approach. As it is, they need 10,000s of premier subscribers just to break even in the long run, and that doesn't even account for their start up expenses to design the hardware and set up the services.

With my landline I need to pay extra for call waiting and caller ID. You get those for free with Ooma. As long as the dial tone is considered basic service, I am very comfortable with everything else being premier, or some other pay per use model.

I do like the blacklist feature. It is the single reason I am petitioning my wife to buy into premier. I haven't sold her yet, but I'm hoping I can. She really likes the blacklist feature so I'm hopeful she'll go for it.

This is all opinion, perspective, and point of view. I understand why you feel it's a basic need.

Welcome to Ooma!

Cheers,
Scott

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:47 pm
by in2dadark
DickRhoads wrote:I appreciate the "free preview" of the Personal Blacklist feature, and therefore the ability to test and comment on it. I'd like to suggest that ooma make the Personal Blacklist a core feature. In the modern world, it's a requirement that telephone users be able to block annoying and malicious callers (despite the fact that "traditional" phone companies still charge for the feature). Since I have a cellular gateway box between my ooma and my telephones, most of the Premier features would not be usable or helpful in my environment, but I would like to be able to continue to use the Personal Blacklist. As a number of other users have already commented, I would like to be able to select routing to VM or blocking (or ringing busy) separately for each number on the list, rather than having to specify one choice for all numbers.
ooma gives us lots of free features, caller ID and call waiting and voice mail among them. Other phone companies charge for those. I'd get premier if you want the upgrade. I did. I figure it's better to pay the lower price and support them. Way cheaper than my phone company.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:26 am
by smurfless
I can understand them wanting to go premiere with most features beyond the dial tone, but I sure love the ability to turn off unwelcome repeat callers. Personally I'm on the edge of going premiere, but the stability issues are causing me to think twice. Maybe if they can stay online for a month straight I'll do it just for features like this.

daveb

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:45 am
by southsound
smurfless wrote:Personally I'm on the edge of going premiere, but the stability issues are causing me to think twice. Maybe if they can stay online for a month straight I'll do it just for features like this.

daveb
I've had ooma since early February and since that time there has only been one major outage that I am aware of. Have you been having relaibility issues? If so, maybe you can describe what has been happening and we can possibly shed some light on a solution.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:03 am
by number9
southsound wrote:
smurfless wrote:Personally I'm on the edge of going premiere, but the stability issues are causing me to think twice. Maybe if they can stay online for a month straight I'll do it just for features like this.

daveb
I've had ooma since early February and since that time there has only been one major outage that I am aware of. Have you been having relaibility issues? If so, maybe you can describe what has been happening and we can possibly shed some light on a solution.
Smurfless, If you are having connectivity issue's post the problem here and maybe one of the many fine people here, like Southsound can help.

I love the blacklist feature and also wish it were part of the 'core' of ooma service. Again, I am getting quite a bit for nothing *minus initial hub fee*. Through AT&Fee call waiting was almost $20? a month.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:17 am
by WayneDsr
Also a member since Feb. and aside from one outage ooma has been rock solid for me. It amazes me sometimes just how reliable it is.

Wayne

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:00 pm
by Groundhound
The key to ooma's success/survivability is their ability to attract users to the premier service. Since adding additional features to the basic free (beyond equipment cost) service would be counterproductive to that goal, I doubt they will provide blacklists or any other additional features to the free service. The free service is a great deal for those that want basic phone, domestic LD, and VM; and the premier service at $0.27/day based on the annual fee is a great deal for everything else.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:28 pm
by tommies
scottlindner wrote:I agree with your intent. I believe Ooma's revenue model is you get the dial tone for free, everything else is an extra service that you need to pay for. I'm comfortable with that approach. As it is, they need 10,000s of premier subscribers just to break even in the long run, and that doesn't even account for their start up expenses to design the hardware and set up the services.

With my landline I need to pay extra for call waiting and caller ID. You get those for free with Ooma. As long as the dial tone is considered basic service, I am very comfortable with everything else being premier, or some other pay per use model.

I do like the blacklist feature. It is the single reason I am petitioning my wife to buy into premier. I haven't sold her yet, but I'm hoping I can. She really likes the blacklist feature so I'm hopeful she'll go for it.

This is all opinion, perspective, and point of view. I understand why you feel it's a basic need.

Welcome to Ooma!

Cheers,
Scott
Bellsouth (now ATT) used to cost $7 for call waiting, another $7 for call ID on top of the basic service. With ooma, for my case, the $200 up front cost for hardware amount to roughly $16.66 a month for the first year; after that it is free. I certainly want ooma to stay in business, and I don't have any problem with them trying to make some profit.

Maybe an a la card pricing would help some of us to convince the wife/husband to open the purse.

just my thought
happy ooma

PS
My new Panasonic Dect. 6.0 has a 50 numbers block list. It's very basic but good enough for me.

Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:19 pm
by Gaelic1
I opted for a new Ooma provided phone #. It is not listed anywhere and if telemarketers get it, it's my fault for letting it out. My Panasonic Dect 6 phones come with a basic # blocking option and that's enough for me. I feel I get so much free for the basic service, it is more than fair to pay a nominal fee for the extras.