Was anyone else lied to???

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oomg
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Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by oomg » Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:20 am

hwlaster wrote: I WAS TOLD THAT ....
1. If I get any 2-Line Phone that it will guarantee me the instant second line!! That's what I had hoped for but its not doing it. They told me that line two would automatically become activated. Now I am getting told different things by different reps. Some say it doesn't some say it does. I know several people who has OOMA and they have a 2 line phone hooked up to their ooma and it works fine.

2. I was told that phone numbers 1-3 were free and 4-10 is payable. Now I am being told once again by different reps that 1-2 is free and 3-10 is payable. I know for a fact it is 1-3 free and 4-10 payable.

3. I was told that a $20 credit would be on my account just for signing up to try the 411 and overseas calling. It is not there. I contacted sales & customer service. They told me in their exact words, " I am sorry, but we don't promise stupid s**t like that to people. If you want free money go apply for disability." I took offense to that.

4. I was supposed to get a free Telo when I signed up for premier. I was never put on the yearly plan just monthly.

5. I was promised up to 6 months of premier at Best Buy and Customer Service now its showing 2 months.

I WANT MY FREE TELO DAMN IT.

THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE LIES THAT I WAS TOLD...
Geez... (I hope that's not a swear word. Actually, I don't think that even by adding "us" it is either profane, irreverent or sacrilegious.) There is a large number of Ooma subscribers on this forum who are very happy with the product and the service. Many of us have multiple Ooma accounts. I for one have three premier accounts; two with Hub and Scout and one Telo. I have purchased a number of systems as gifts to friends and relatives... even my 86 year old mother who, by the way, loves her Ooma (since I pay for the Premier service at her home, I guess technically speaking, I have four Ooma accounts). In a couple weeks, I will have been a user as well as a forum participant for two years. Hopefully, I can shed som light.

Two lines: Some people confuse Ooma's "Instant Second Line™" with two lines. This is what Ooma says: "Make or take a second call without missing a beat. Let’s say you’ve got a teen and they are always on the phone. Not a problem. With Ooma’s Instant Second Line feature, all you have to do is go to another Ooma Telo Handset in the house, pick it up, and you’ve got a fresh Ooma dial tone." Same concept applies to the Hub and Scout except there is no Telo handset, and thus, you must provide a handset.

Although I haven't tried this with my Telo system, using multiple cordless base stations allows two simultaneous calls over the same "line" (i.e. number) so long as each call uses a hand held unit connected to a different base station. Now, on one of my Hub/Scout systems, I have even segregated the "second number" by specifically assigning the Scout to that number (which is at my home office desk). Still works on the first number... two simultaneous calls may be made so long as I am not already using the second number. Has worked flawlessly for almost two years. (Although I will not elaborate at this point, I tend to prefer the Hub/Scout because it has the ability to segregate the two numbers; and thus, is more readily adaptable to a large home; e.g. I have at least ten handsets spread out through my home on a single Ooma system.) So, maybe you want to rethink that free Telo. Don't get me wrong, I think the Telo is the preferred system for some applications. (Actually, if you get the Telo, you might want to try a splitter on the back of the Telo; plug in two separate units or segregate the two lines on a two line phone, and I bet the "Instant Second Line™" will work. I will try this at my other location this weekend.)

LInes 3-8: Ooma has never offered anything more that two numbers included in the Premier package. And in my humble opinion, having more than two numbers on a single Ooma system is probably not worth it... (remember, I mentioned that I have multiple Ooma systems). I tried adding a third number, but did not like the way it integrated into the system. I decided it was better to add a third and fourth number for about $5 each per month. The problem with adding a third number (or more) is that the system only allows for two calls at the same time. If you want to make or take three or four calls simultaneously, get a second system.

Free Telo: Sounds like you purchased the coveted Hub/Scout (getting harder to find new ones all the time). Are you saying that you were supposed to get a free Telo in addition to what you purchased? I believe purchasing the Hub/Scout may allow you to "upgrade" to the Telo for free, but I don't recall any "two for price of one" promotions. Otherwise, the only free Telo I have been aware of is a "free Telo handset" as one of the alternatives offered to those who elect the Premier subscription. Check with Best Buy to confirm the exact promotion they may have offered.

Six months free Premier: Some promotions at some retailers have offered extended Premier. I can't speak to Best Buy's promotion, but I did purchase an Ooma system at Costco as a gift for a friend a little more than a year ago. Came with six months free Premier plus $100 international calling credit. Everything has worked well, and the unused portion of her calling credit continues to appear on her account. Once again, check with Best Buy to confirm the exact promotion they may have offered.

Maybe the best I can offer is that you need to take time to assess exactly what you want for a phone system, and to study the Ooma system so that you understand its nuances, and how to best utilize its features.
oomg -- Voice Over Internet Person

I've learned a lot here... two months ago I didn't even know how to spell VOIP and now I are one.

dianaj20
Posts:2
Joined:Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:29 am

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by dianaj20 » Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:48 am

I understood that OOMA was free... To my knowledge I never approved being billed for dial tone. I am now being billed $13 per month and I never approved this..... For $13 a month I could have used Vontage, had a support team behind me and not be out the price of OOMA which is not cheap... The Cust. Service Desk said "all new customers have to pay"... I wish the retail shop I purchased this from had know this. I think I am going to throw this unit in the trash. It is not worth the price of the unit plus the monthly obligation.

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southsound
Posts:3519
Joined:Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:31 am
Location:Harstine Island, WA

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by southsound » Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:00 pm

dianaj20 wrote:I understood that OOMA was free... To my knowledge I never approved being billed for dial tone. I am now being billed $13 per month and I never approved this..... For $13 a month I could have used Vontage, had a support team behind me and not be out the price of OOMA which is not cheap... The Cust. Service Desk said "all new customers have to pay"... I wish the retail shop I purchased this from had know this. I think I am going to throw this unit in the trash. It is not worth the price of the unit plus the monthly obligation.
If you are being billed $13+ for your service it means that they are charging you for Premier as well as the (now mandatory) $3+ for regulatory fees and taxes. You can call ooma at 888 711-6662 to have them discontinue the Premier service. It came for free for a limited time (usually 2 months) with your purchase but you had to opt-out to not have them start billing for it. I personally hate opt-out programs but that seems to be the norm with most things today. ooma without Premier is still a great phone service - call waiting and call waiting ID, free local and domestic long distance calling, E911 service - all for free plus the $3+ for regulatory fees and taxes. Of course Premier adds some great things too - a second line and if you like, phone number, call blacklist, email voicemail delivery (not just notification), etc. I'll be coming up on two years in just a few weeks and I could not be happier. I hope your experience is as good as mine.
ooma customer since February 2009
VoIP hardware: 2 Telo w/3 handsets & Linx / ooma core
Total Lines: 8 / Numbers: 11 / Handsets: 20
Lifetime Premier Member
Friends don't remember what Landline Integration was or why we did it.

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Leeway
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Location:North of Milwaukee WI

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by Leeway » Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:07 pm

dianaj20 wrote:I understood that OOMA was free... To my knowledge I never approved being billed for dial tone. I am now being billed $13 per month and I never approved this..... For $13 a month I could have used Vontage, had a support team behind me and not be out the price of OOMA which is not cheap... The Cust. Service Desk said "all new customers have to pay"... I wish the retail shop I purchased this from had know this. I think I am going to throw this unit in the trash. It is not worth the price of the unit plus the monthly obligation.

And where did you purchase your Ooma? If you are that upset about things why didn't you simply return it. And, if you think you could have gone with Vonage and saved any money, you better start talking to people paying Vonage by the month. You won't have to go very far because there are lots of good folks here in the Ooma forums who have switched from Vonage to Ooma to save money. It appears that you are too upset to be polite, ask questions and do some research here. Just coming on the forums and ranting is not the way to find out what or why things are different from what you were told by some salesman.

Donna

kieranmullen
Posts:102
Joined:Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:38 pm

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by kieranmullen » Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:39 pm

I can haz phone?

[quote="dianaj20"] I am going to throw this unit in the trash. quote]

oomg
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Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by oomg » Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:44 am

dianaj20 wrote:I think I am going to throw this unit in the trash. It is not worth the price of the unit plus the monthly obligation.
I don't know how much you paid for your unit, but even if you had the absolute basic telephone service, the monthly amount you pay for two lines is less than than what you pay for a single line from a major carrier. Because I live in an area where cell phone service is sporadic at best, I have retained a single line to allow for phone service in the event that my high speed (cable) internet service, or Ooma's system goes down (most service disruptions are with internet). The cost for that single line is slightly more than $15/mo (about 40% of which are taxes and regulatory fees). Because I run a small business out of my home, I had four lines at home (including dedicated fax line and a dedicated family line) plus a separate business line a an office location where I would meet my clients. Together, my service was costing me almost $240 per month. I now have six lines through Ooma (three systems) which cost me less than $40/mo including applicable taxes, etc. Since I do have that pesky AT&T line (at $15/mo) the total comes to about $55 per month. Look's like I am saving approximately $175 per month. So, the payback for my three systems is about 3-4 months. Did I mention that the features and service I receive from Ooma are actually better than what I had been receiving from AT&T.

I think part of the reason I have been so satisfied with Ooma is that before purchasing the product, I studied the system and planned the installation to accommodate my needs. Don't get me wrong, I am no gadget geek, but I can read. It appears to me that many people make an impulse purchase without first understanding how the system should work, or calculating how the system functions. When the system does not match their expectations, they become frustrated, and IMHO, far too often discard (or return) the system before making a reasonable attempt to resolve issues.
oomg -- Voice Over Internet Person

I've learned a lot here... two months ago I didn't even know how to spell VOIP and now I are one.

bdeepak
Posts:2
Joined:Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:17 am

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by bdeepak » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:49 am

I am a brand new customer to ooma ( 2 days old). So far I like ooma and i didnt feel any different from traditional phone line. I have ooma telo. But before i bought this unit i had a chat with Ooma CSR (Chat history below). They said that 1 telo unit will support 2 phone numbers. But reading this forum i feel like that is not the case. Can someone please confirm?

Toby: Thank you for contacting the Ooma sales department how may assist you today?
Hello
Guest: Hi
I am looking to buy Ooma Telo
Toby: ok
Guest: but want to check if the device supports more than 1 phone number in 1 device
also do you also have fax service offered?
Toby: http://ooma.custhelp.com/app/answers/de ... 2nd%20line
this will explain 2nd line
and this will explain faxing with ooma to you
http://ooma.custhelp.com/app/answers/de ... 135/kw/fax
Guest: i understand the instant second line
i am not asking abt that
i am asking about 1 device supporting 2 phone numbers
Toby: yes that's what 2 lines means
Guest: so u mean the instant second line has 2nd phone number?
Toby: yes adn 2 voice mails
Guest: so 1 device support number like 408-123-4567 and 408-789-1234
Toby: yes it can
Guest: ok gr8
thanks
Toby: you're welcome
Guest: and both lines will support call waiting too rite?
Toby: yes they will
Guest: ok thanks a lot for your support
thatz all i have

murphy
Posts:7554
Joined:Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:49 pm
Location:Pennsylvania

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by murphy » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:58 am

The Telo supports two (or more) phone numbers but you must be a Premier subscriber to have them.
Premier includes the second number. Any additional numbers cost $4.99 each per month.
To use two numbers at the same time you must have at least one Telo handset.
If you have more that two numbers, only two can be used at the same time.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

bdeepak
Posts:2
Joined:Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:17 am

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by bdeepak » Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:09 am

Thanks Murphy for the reply. Yes I have subscribed to premier features. Also for the second line, can i port the number to ooma?

murphy
Posts:7554
Joined:Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:49 pm
Location:Pennsylvania

Re: Was anyone else lied to???

Post by murphy » Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:38 am

bdeepak wrote:Thanks Murphy for the reply. Yes I have subscribed to premier features. Also for the second line, can i port the number to ooma?
Yes. It will require a second porting fee if you are also porting the first number. Let CS know what you want to do so that your numbers end up where you want them.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

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