Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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- Posts:98
- Joined:Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:09 am
- Location:Atlanta, GA
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.
- scottlindner
- Posts:1003
- Joined:Sun May 17, 2009 4:47 am
- Location:Colorado Springs, CO
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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
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
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.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.
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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
daveb
- southsound
- Posts:3519
- Joined:Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:31 am
- Location:Harstine Island, WA
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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 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
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.
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.
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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.southsound wrote: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 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 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.
Plays PRS guitars
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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
Wayne
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- Posts:2711
- Joined:Sat May 23, 2009 9:28 am
- Location:Atlanta, GA
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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
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.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
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.
tommies
Re: Make Personal Blacklist a Core Feature
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.