RIP Ooma ?

Problems using My Ooma? Ideas on how we can make it better? You’ve come to the right place.
debonas
Posts:18
Joined:Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:01 pm
RIP Ooma ?

Post by debonas » Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:46 pm

I switched to vonage for the vonage world plan. I was offered a 24.99 with 2 months free with 1 yr contract.
However they now offered me a 14.99 plan for 6 months and then it will go up to 24.99 per month for next 6 months.

Now this is a killer for Ooma. Ooma was supposed to release a 9.99 pm international plan which got selved.
They now have only 4.99 plan for premier customers. So if you want international call you will have to take the premier plan
which is $120 per year. The international plan also limits the minutes to 500 mins per month. the extra minutes are charged with exorbitant pricing.

I had Ooma for a while now. I was going to add another line in my house and was eagerly waiting for their 9.99 pm international plan. Now with Ooma shelving the international plan, vonage is all out to kill Ooma.

May be , ooma is still a good investment for some, but for most of us, I think vonage is a alternative and ooma is no more useful for me.
Thanks,
Debonas

just4fn
Posts:679
Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:46 pm
Location:The State of Washington

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by just4fn » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:20 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that 240.00 a year for Vonage? Don't you still have to pay International rates also?
Ooma Telo, Hub.
1958 was a very good year!
No cell phone , no land line- just Ooma
all my eggs in one Ooma basket
I lied- my wife has a cell, but not me!! I like my privacy and not being attached to a phone.

debonas
Posts:18
Joined:Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:01 pm

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by debonas » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:26 pm

24.99 is the world plan. it includes unlimited international calls to 60 countries plus unlimited domestic minutes. Of course, ooma pays for itself in a year and then you have free calling (albeit the 12 per yr regulatory fees for telo users). But for people who need international calling, Vonage is the way to go.
Thanks,
Debonas

Groundhound
Posts:2711
Joined:Sat May 23, 2009 9:28 am
Location:Atlanta, GA

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by Groundhound » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:41 pm

just4fn wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that 240.00 a year for Vonage? Don't you still have to pay International rates also?
No, I think International rates are included, but the post 6 month rate is 25.99, not $24.99. Also what was not mentioned were the following monthly fees:
FUSF= $2.75
State & local taxes and fees= $2.22 (in my area)
County 911 fee= $1.50 (in my area)
Regulatory and Compliance Fee= $1.49
Emergency 911 Service Fee= $1.49 (in addition to the above county fee)

For my area that works out to a post 6 month total rate of $35.44 per month. For the first 6 months it would total out to $24.99 per month. That's a first year contracted cost of $359.28. And in the second year it totals out to $425.28. That makes, even with the 6 month "deal", a two year total of $784.56 :o . Maybe if you make a ton of International calls the math still works out for you - but for someone like me who makes infrequent International calls - no thanks, I'll stick with Ooma.
Last edited by Groundhound on Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

debonas
Posts:18
Joined:Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:01 pm

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by debonas » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:47 pm

How does it change for second year. I have a 24.99 per month cost. Now they are offering 14.99 for 6 months and then it goes up to 24.99. Of course tax on top of it. I pay 31.XX per month, not 35. I am not sure, how you were charged. Ooma is for domestic calls. Vonage is for international plus domestic unlimited.

Dont forget, new Ooma charges you 12 usd per year for new users.
Thanks,
Debonas

allo
Posts:267
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:58 am
Location:FL

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by allo » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:52 pm

debonas wrote:...
May be , ooma is still a good investment for some, but for most of us, I think vonage is a alternative and ooma is no more useful for me.
Speak for yourself...
Who are you speaking for when you say " FOR MOST OF US! ".... sorry to burst your bubble but the real " most of us... not just SOME " have little use if any for International Plans/ calling...

And before you start counting your chickens before they hatch; those Vonage International calls are just for "landline calls "... and most non western countries don't have landline phones in every household, may be 1 in 10 at best... mostly cell phones which are not included in Vonage plans; and the rates for those cost an arm and a leg... even to Europe !!



.
Last edited by allo on Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Groundhound
Posts:2711
Joined:Sat May 23, 2009 9:28 am
Location:Atlanta, GA

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by Groundhound » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:55 pm

debonas wrote:How does it change for second year. I have a 24.99 per month cost. Now they are offering 14.99 for 6 months and then it goes up to 24.99. Of course tax on top of it. I pay 31.XX per month, not 35. I am not sure, how you were charged. Ooma is for domestic calls. Vonage is for international plus domestic unlimited.

Dont forget, new Ooma charges you 12 usd per year for new users.
Read their offer again. It changes for the second year because you no longer get the 6 month "deal". The non-deal rate is $25.99 plus taxes and fees. Granted, perhaps Georgia (where I live) is a high tax state compared to where you live. Vonage has a calculator to figure it all out for your zip code, and it's pretty grim for where I live.

debonas
Posts:18
Joined:Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:01 pm

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by debonas » Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:06 pm

For the sake of argument, there are other VOIP services which are way cheaper than ooma.
But the reason for me to put this out there is for "international" plan.

I agree, Ooma is a good investment for some. Even I have a ooma. But I use international calling a lot.
So vonage works out good for me.

I was one of the users who was eagerly waiting for Ooma's 9.99 pm international plan. But they shelved it.
Thanks,
Debonas

debonas
Posts:18
Joined:Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:01 pm

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by debonas » Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:09 pm

allo wrote:
debonas wrote:...
May be , ooma is still a good investment for some, but for most of us, I think vonage is a alternative and ooma is no more useful for me.
Speak for yourself...
Who are you speaking for when you say " FOR MOST OF US! ".... sorry to burst your bubble but the real " most of us... not just SOME " have little use if any for International Plans/ calling...



.
Allo, I dont sell ooma . I dont sell vonage either. As a user I just put out my thinking for others who have usage patterns like me. This forum is for information sharing. There is no reason to be abusive.
Thanks,
Debonas

mthomtech
Posts:317
Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:46 pm
Location:Plano, Texas

Re: RIP Ooma ?

Post by mthomtech » Sat Feb 27, 2010 12:46 am

I'm with Groundhound on this one. You'd have to make a heck of a lot of international calls to make Vonage prices tip the balance in your favor. Especially considering you already had Ooma equipment.

Ooma Premier + International = $120 + $60 + $12 taxes = $192 per year
Vonage World = $14.99 + $6 tax per month for 6 months + $25.99 + $6 tax per month for 6 months = $318 1st year ($384 for 2nd year)

So for the first 2 years, you are paying $318 more for Vonage ... after that Ooma is exactly 1/2 of the cost of Vonage. That's a lot of extra money to pay for more international minutes. If your calling the most common countries, then your probably averaging 5 cents per minute for those extra minutes. So you'd have to call over 6000 extra minutes over the first 2 years for Ooma to cost as much as Vonage. After that, nearly 4000 minutes per year to break-even.

Unless you are calling some high cost countries, and calling them a lot. I'd exercise that 30-day "guarantee" from Vonage! But if your math works out, stick with Vonage ... and good luck!
Ooma Customer since March 2009
Ooma Hardware: Hub/Scout(2) and Telo
Premier Member

Post Reply