No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

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Leyte
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Joined:Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:06 am
No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by Leyte » Tue Jan 08, 2013 7:29 am

I've been a regular Ooma user for the last year and a half and today I decided to upgrade to Premier for a 2nd number. I go to the online Live Help to get a few basic questions answered, like how much is Premier and is the HD2 phone in stock. I'm told that Premier is around $99.88 a year and the HD2 phone is $20. I then decide the prices are fine, so I tell Mark to go ahead and upgrade my account to Premier.

About an hour later, I had a problem adding the 2nd free phone line and went back to Mark at Live Help. After we got that figured out, I ask Mark about the Free Gift that the Ooma website states you get when you get a Premier account. Here is the link:

Code: Select all

http://www.ooma.com/app/support/annual-premier-free-gift

Mark then tells me that I do not get a Free Gift because I got a discount on the HD2 phone. I explained to Mark that the Ooma website clearly states that if you get a Premium account, you get a Free Gift and nowhere does it state that you give up the Free Gift if you get a HD2 phone, regardless of the price.

When I initially asked what the prices were for Premier and the HD2 phone, Mark did not bother to tell me that I was giving up my rights to a Free Gift. When I asked Mark where on the Free Gift page is states that I do not get a Free Gift if I get a HD2 phone at the price I was quoted, and his reply was startling:
Mark: One moment
Mark: Our website is still under construction
Mark: I cannot pull up the Information
You: Seriously?
Mark: Yes
I then gave him the link to their own website page that clearly states what Free Gifts are offered for signing up to Premier and in his reply, gave me a link to the HD2 page:

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http://www.ooma.com/products/accessories/ooma-hd-handset
Even though this page only describes the HD2 phone, he could not tell me where it stated that I would give up my rights to a Free Gift for accepting a HD2 phone at a promotional price.

I tried every way imaginable to communicate with Mark at Live Help, but he kept saying that I get no Free Gift, even though the Free Gift is expressly for those who signup for Premium service, which I did! I then told him that I would go online to discuss this, but I would also take it to Ooma management to find out why Ooma Support was taking this position. What was Live Help's response? Mark said he could cancel my HD2 phone and then give me my free gift. Are you kidding me?

Mark also said he would inform his manager about this so he could help, to which I said that I wanted this manager to contact me via phone to discuss it. As of this writing, I have not heard back from Ooma.

At this point, I had wasted an hour and was ready to say something I would regret, so I told him goodbye. Can someone tell me why this occurred and if Ooma has this policy, why it is not on the Annual Premier website page and why was this not disclosed to me when I signed up using Live Help?

So far, my first two hours of Ooma Premier have been horrible!

murphy
Posts:7554
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Location:Pennsylvania

Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by murphy » Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:50 am

Ooma Premier is $119.99 per year and includes a free number port OR a free handset the first time you sign up for it.
Subsequent Premier renewals do not include any freebies.

https://www.ooma.com/legal/rates
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

Leyte
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Joined:Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:06 am

Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by Leyte » Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:15 am

Mine is not a Premium renewal since this was the first time I ordered it.

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lbmofo
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Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by lbmofo » Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:18 pm

Leyte,

Normally, for first time upgrade customers,

https://www.ooma.com/products/premier

"Free Offer! Sign-up for a year of Ooma Premier ($119.99) and get a free number transfer, Bluetooth Adapter, Wireless Adapter or Extended Warranty."

Normal pricing:

HD2 Handset $59.99
Bluetooth Adapter $29.99
Number Port $39.99
Wireless Adapter $49.99
1 Year Extended Warranty $39.99

Seems like you are getting a break on the 1 year Premier for $99.88 vs $119.99
And then you are getting HD2 discounted $39.99 at the price of $20

IMHO, there shouldn't be double dipping. If you want the discount elswhere other than HD2, I think it is a simple matter of dumping the HD2 order and get something else for free.

Leyte
Posts:11
Joined:Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:06 am

Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by Leyte » Tue Jan 08, 2013 1:21 pm

You can't just make things up as you go along and neither can Ooma. Their website clearly states the following without conditions:
At Ooma we truly believe in our service and our products -- but we also know that everything’s better when it’s free! That’s why we’re proud to offer a free bonus gift to any user who signs up for a new annual subscription to Ooma Premier.
No where does it state that if you get a phone or a discount, that you give up your right to a Free Gift. Can anyone show me where is states that I am not entitled to a Free Gift for signing up for Premier? If it doesn't prohibit it, then you just can't say whatever comes to mind. This is a business website and facts matter. If they make an offer and it is clearly stated, then you can't change the conditions after a customer makes a purchase.

Again, you just can't make it up as you go along.

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lbmofo
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Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by lbmofo » Tue Jan 08, 2013 2:45 pm

Leyte, I am not here to arugue with you. However, I do want to point out a few things for your consideration.

Perhaps the agent wasn't clear on why you were getting a $40 discount on HD2. This is because you are getting 1 year Premier. (I would be wrong if everyone else can get HD2 for $20).

If you get the desired outcome (get HD2 for $20 and then free number port), you'd be getting $80 in free stuff from buying 1 year premier when everyone else is getting $40 in free stuff. Your 1 year Premier is $20 cheaper than what others would pay to boot.

Leyte
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Joined:Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:06 am

Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by Leyte » Tue Jan 08, 2013 3:25 pm

I'm not here to argue either, but it seems very obvious that no cares about what the website actually states. You all want to make assumptions that are plain wrong, such as I had a number ported. I did not have a number ported, but who cares about facts right????

If Ford Motor Company states on their website that if you buy an new Mustang that you will get a $5000 rebate and there are no exceptions or conditions attached to that statement, you would expect a $5000 rebate wouldn't you? And after buying the car, Ford says sorry, but you got the floor mats at a $10 discount, so you can't get the $5000 rebate. Would that be fair? Would that be fair, even though their website actually states that you are entitled to the rebate?

That is what I am talking about here. Am I the only one who understands what language means on a website that is selling services and products? Am I the only one who understands that when a company puts up a website and makes an offer that is without conditions, that they are bound by those conditions? Is this too complicated for some of you to understand? This is not about what you feel, but what is written on the website and whether Ooma should be bound to the wording of their own website.

Geez...

The website clearly states that all that is REQUIRED to get the free gift is signing up for a new Premier account. Nothing more and nothing less. That is what the website clearly states, yet you all seem to ignore that plain and simple fact. Very well, I'll take my case directly to the top of Ooma.

By the way, I find it interesting that no one thus far has been willing or able to show me where it states that if you get a phone at a discount, you are not eligible for the free gifts. Anyone?

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lbmofo
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Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by lbmofo » Tue Jan 08, 2013 4:02 pm

Only thing is you got a set of $5000 gold studded floor mats for free instead of the rebate. Just not get the $5000 floor mats and you'd get your rebate.

2spirit
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Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by 2spirit » Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:33 am

Leyte,

I understand where you are coming from . . . but since the actual cost of a year of Premier is $119.99 and you are getting a year of Premier and the HD2 handset for $119.88, it seems to me that you are getting the handset free. Why they would choose to reach this conclusion by discounting both items is a mystery though!
Telo w/ 2 Ooma Handsets
Annual Premier Subscriber

GMOOMA
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Re: No Premium Free Gift Ripoff

Post by GMOOMA » Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:11 pm

Well, the language should reflect that the "incentive(s)" is/are $20 discount on 1st yr. of Premier PLUS a $40 ($39.99?) valued item, whether that be applied to free number porting, applied to a handset, or other accessory which could result in the accessory being free that's upto the customer. Nevertheless, it's doubtful you will be able to pull a fast one and make them give you more than $60 worth of goodies on your first go at Premier (total). Ooma doesn't apparently parse their language and it would be a shame for someone to sue them over semantics, as that could concievably raise the cost of providing service for all which goes against the principal of cheap phone service in the first place.

At best you might (as others have on a case by case basis) get another $20 knocked off premier for 2nd year.. but getting more than $60 in discounts on your first year is a non-starter..

Where there is some confusion is I think when Ooma had the Original handset they were offering it as a free option, not the case with the HD2... considering there were so many consumer complaints about the original handset it's market value eroded to around $40 anyway and thus it was "free". Not so with HD2.. When the HD2 first released, Ooma offered a buy 2 for $99... which would make one handset $10 after the $40 credit is applied or $30 each if you look at it that way.

When the HD2 comes down to $50 that's probably when I might buy.. or if I get some more amazon gift cards from promoting Ooma ;-) Tis better to get some (gift cards) by promoting Ooma than bashing them.

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