Ooma Forums

lbmofo wrote:

anonymouse wrote:I currently use an alternate carrier to recharge my account every few months. With the free 500 minute plan you basically use it or lose it.

What's "recharge?"

After reading these responses, I believe that the $9.99 is probably a recharge but I am not sure. Recharge meaning, that you get to exhaust your 1000 free minutes for as long as it takes, 2, 3 or even 12 months.

Now, is the $9.99 a recurring monthly charge, and you get a 1000 minutes? So, at the end of the month if you don't use these 1000 minutes, you lose them?

Also, at what point does the bulk rate apply?

I currently use "Pingo". You put money in the account and you get their rates. Once you exhaust the prepaid funds, you cannot call until you put some more money in the account. All this time, you get the same single (low!) rate.

This free, bulk and standard rate stuff is confusing

lbmofo wrote:

anonymouse wrote:IT WOULD BE NICE IF OOMA OFFERS BULK INTERNATIONAL RATES TO PREMIER MEMBERS. I currently use an alternate carrier to recharge my account every few months. With the free 500 minute plan you basically use it or lose it.

Ooma should consider an option to recharge the account at your lowest or bulk rates. Right now, the only way to recharge is if I pay standard rates, way too expensive!

Furthermore, it seems that Bulk rates apply once you actually burn up your free minutes - either 500 or 1000. Do I understand this correctly

The 1000 min $9.99 package for Premier members actually includes bulk rate

Call 1000 minutes to 70 countries and get our lowest Bulk Rates to all other destinations.

So does this mean then, if your bulk rate is 3c, then you'll actually only be able to call for 333 minutes instead of 1000? Please clarify. Thanks!

With mobivox, you can add all your contact in your phone book which are all voice activated. Just call Mobivox and say the name of the contact and bobs your uncle, instantly connected.

If you want to call sombody thats not in your contacts, once your connected to mobivox, just dial their number and your through. Nice and easy!

anonymouse wrote:So does this mean then, if your bulk rate is 3c, then you'll actually only be able to call for 333 minutes instead of 1000? Please clarify. Thanks!

This is how I understand it...the bulk rate is applicable if you call destinations outside of the 70 countries that you can call for free (1000 min free for example; 55 of these countries, you can only call landline #; 15 of these countries, you can call mobile as well as landline), ooma would charge the lower "bulk" rate instead of the normal rate; I suppose these charges are taken out of your prepaid account because these calls are not included as "free" in your plan. The minutes don't roll over.

anonymouse wrote:Now, is the $9.99 a recurring monthly charge, and you get a 1000 minutes? So, at the end of the month if you don't use these 1000 minutes, you lose them?

If you sign up to one of the plans, it is a recurring charge unless you cancel. The minutes don't roll over.

anonymouse wrote:Also, at what point does the bulk rate apply?

If you sign up to a plan that includes the bulk rate, the bulk rate applies to all the minutes included in the plan. Then the regular rate kicks in. Keep in mind if you only call within the 70 countries (landline only but 15 of them mobile as well), it is free if you stay within the mintues.

anonymouse wrote:I currently use "Pingo". You put money in the account and you get their rates. Once you exhaust the prepaid funds, you cannot call until you put some more money in the account. All this time, you get the same single (low!) rate.

I checked Pingo's rates just now. For the destination I call often, they are more expensive than ooma's regular rate (Taiwan). Also they have a $1 per month maintenance charge. If you don't call international that often, you can load $ into your ooma prepaid account and don't have to sign up to any of the plans. Just call internationally when you need to and you get charged ooma's regular rate. There is no maintenance charge so your $ in the account doesn't shrink and they never expire.

I signed up for the 1000 min for $9.99 plan. I don't see it listed in my account page anywhere, including additional features section. There's no indication of a charge, no email confirmation, no order number, nothing. I spoke to some from support and she said it was on my account and to try and make a international call (can't do it now because I'm at work). And lastly, how do I track the number of minutes used and how much left?

wah77 wrote:I signed up for the 1000 min for $9.99 plan. I don't see it listed in my account page anywhere, including additional features section. There's no indication of a charge, no email confirmation, no order number, nothing. I spoke to some from support and she said it was on my account and to try and make a international call (can't do it now because I'm at work). And lastly, how do I track the number of minutes used and how much left?

When I got the international bundle, I noticed that too. The only way I could tell that I had the bundle was because when I made international calls, the amount charged to me under my prepaid account showed as 0. I believe the only way you can keep track of your minutes is whenever you call, Ooma tells you how many minutes you have left.

Thank You! I wish their account page was a little more streamlined and showed the purchase of the plan...number of minutes used would have been a nice touch...maybe add it later.

I forgot to add that with Mobivox, you can have upto four phones, accross four different countries all sharing the same bundle. Each country has their own local access numbers, making international calling very cheap

I have a 400 minutes per month bundle and my wifes cell, my cell, my home phone and my UK cell all share this bundle, which cost $17.99 every three month.

lbmofo wrote:I checked Pingo's rates just now. For the destination I call often, they are more expensive than ooma's regular rate (Taiwan). Also they have a $1 per month maintenance charge.

I don't recall paying any maintenance charges with Pingo.