I'm Upset

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BobB
Posts:57
Joined:Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:28 am
I'm Upset

Post by BobB » Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:45 am

I'll be brief and to the point. 11/1/09 I called and talked to an Ooma rep to order premere service and to have my existing # ported. On 12/2/09 I recieved an email stating I need to fill out a form and send a copy of my phone bill to procede with the porting process. Now I am told I will have to wait 4 weeks after I submit the form. That will total out to be abiut 9 weeks. Why wasn't I told this info was needed 4 weeks ago when I talked to the rep?

I need to cool down and make a decision. To wait another 4 weeks or take the Ooma back to the store and get a refund on my premere service and look for a phone provider that I will be able to have faith in.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Bob

PS I just realized I will have to wait for my phone bill to come adding another 2 or 3 weeks to the wait.

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

Re: I'm Upset

Post by Groundhound » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:37 am

They should have responded sooner to you, for sure. The probable reason the rep you first spoke with did not tell you about the phone bill is that it's not required for all transfers. It depends on who you are transferring from and the "owner" of the number (it's not you). When I ported my number it was handled electronically with just the information I filled out online, but obviously that's not true in every case.

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

Re: I'm Upset

Post by allo » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:41 am

BobB wrote:I'll be brief and to the point. ...

I need to cool down and make a decision. To wait another 4 weeks or take the Ooma back to the store and get a refund on my premere service and look for a phone provider that I will be able to have faith in.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Bob

PS I just realized I will have to wait for my phone bill to come adding another 2 or 3 weeks to the wait.
Now that you let some steam out...
Stop and think who the real looser would be if you took the OOMA back and kept your expensive phone service ?
Take a calculator out and see if you can figure that out by yourself!

.

MsCoulter
Posts:108
Joined:Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:54 pm

Re: I'm Upset

Post by MsCoulter » Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:43 pm

Hi,

I am also waiting for my Verizon landline numer to port. They never asked for a copy of my bill. What company are you porting from?

oomg
Posts:593
Joined:Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:59 am
Location:SoCal -- L.A.

Re: I'm Upset

Post by oomg » Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:17 am

BobB wrote:I'll be brief and to the point. 11/1/09 I called and talked to an Ooma rep to order premere service and to have my existing # ported. On 12/2/09 I recieved an email stating I need to fill out a form and send a copy of my phone bill to procede with the porting process. Now I am told I will have to wait 4 weeks after I submit the form. That will total out to be abiut 9 weeks. Why wasn't I told this info was needed 4 weeks ago when I talked to the rep?
Those of you who have read my prior posts will recognize me as one of Ooma's most vocal advocates. I am rarely critical of Ooma, and will avoid being overly critical here. However, Bob does have a point.

I remember sending a recent copy of my phone bill for the number that I wanted to port. However, I believe it was sent as a result of reading the forums. In any event, I decided to look at the current information provided to new users by Ooma. Here is what I found.

The FAQ's don't really give much in the way of details. "Please note that porting typically takes up to three weeks and you must keep your current phone service until the transfer is complete." That's about it.

So, I went to the Knoweldge Base. From the Knowledge Base:

"The Porting Process

1) When activating your unit at https://www.ooma.com/activate, under Step 2 “Phone Number” you may proceed as follows:

a) If you have a landline (VoIP or traditional), choose to integrate it with your Ooma system and are ready to port, then select “I would like to use the Ooma system with my current phone provider”. If you're not porting choose "I would like to use the Ooma system with my current landline". In both cases be certain to plug your landline into the port labeled WALL on the back of the Ooma hub otherwise it will not go into service.

b) Alternatively, if you choose not to integrate your landline and are ready to port, then select "I would like to use a temporary phone number". Ooma will assign a temporary phone number to your Ooma system until the port is complete. If you're not porting choose “I would like to select a new phone number”.

2) Once your Ooma unit has been activated, you need to login to My Ooma to request a number port (go to the Add-ons tab web page). Per the online instructions, make sure you send back to Ooma the filled out LOA (Letter of Authorization) as the porting process will not start without the signed LOA. Within five business days, Ooma will send you an email confirming receipt of the LOA. Ooma will then submit the porting request to your phone service provider.

3) About three weeks later, Ooma will receive a FOC (Firm Order Confirmation) date from your current phone service provider. This is the day when your number will be actually ported to Ooma from your phone company. Ooma will send an email notifying you of the FOC Date.

4) When the phone number has been ported to your Ooma system, a member of our customer support team will make a test call to your Ooma system. Ooma will send a final email notifying you that the porting process is complete. You can then call your previous service provider to cancel the phone service."

So, it appears there is nothing there about sending a copy of a recent bill. Being ever vigilant, I went to the "My Ooma" page and clicked on "Add-Ons" tab to see if the information was there. Well, from the Add Ons page in My Ooma:

"Number Port

You have the option of transferring your current phone number to Ooma. Number porting is available for a one-time charge of $39.99 or free with an annual subscription to Ooma Premier.

Some important notes about transferring your phone number:

* You must keep your current home phone service until the porting process is complete.
* The porting process typically takes 3-4 weeks after receiving your completed paperwork.
* Click here for more information about number porting.

Please fill out the following information. All fields are required. [Information box deleted]."

Nothing there about sending a copy of a bill, but wait, it says, "Click here for more information about number porting."
Eureka...? Well, sorry to report, but no. "Click here" sent me back to the Knowledge Base page.

It seems that it should be ease enough to insert a sentence into the "Knowledge Base" page and the "Add-Ons" page advising the new user the he or she should be sure to send a recent copy of the bill for the number for which porting is being requested. Not only would it help the user, but it would also streamline the process and eliminate extra work (and perhaps some grief) for Ooma.

Having said all that I am still one of Ooma's greatest advocates.
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.

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

Re: I'm Upset

Post by murphy » Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:26 am

This is the text of the email that I received that contained the pdf file of the LOA form.

Porting your Phone Number to ooma
Dear John,

Thank you for placing your order with ooma, we're thrilled to have you on board!

In order for us to port your telephone number from your current Carrier to ooma, we need a bit more information from you to get your ooma system revved up and ready to deliver the ultimate phone experience.

When we port your number, your services and features will be provided by ooma, so we require a LOA (Letter of Agency) which is necessary for your current Carrier to transfer your phone services to ooma.

Please complete the attached LOA and follow the instructions on returning a copy back to ooma. In addition, we are also going to need a copy (by fax or email as a computer scan) of your phone bill showing your name, address and account number.

The sooner you provide us with this information, the sooner we can start the porting process. The porting process takes a few weeks to complete.

Got questions? Feel free to contact our customer support team by visiting our support page at ooma.com/support, or by calling our porting support line at 1-866-452-6662.

Thanks for choosing ooma!

Sincerely,
ooma Support


This email message was sent from:
ooma Inc, 1840 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA
Need assistance? Visit https://www.ooma.com/support

It has been reported that for some carriers they don't need the copy of the bill.

In my case it was Vonage back to Verizon, who owns my number, and then to Ooma.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

MsCoulter
Posts:108
Joined:Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:54 pm

Re: I'm Upset

Post by MsCoulter » Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:56 am

Hi,

I followed all porting instructions to the letter and even involved ooma support to make sure. I never received any request to send a copy of my bill but perhaps I should have? Is it required if porting a verizon landline number or not?

I have received 2 emails stating that porting is in process and I should be ported by Dec. 8th. I'd hate to let that date go by and not be ported because nobody asked for a copy of my verizon bill.

feartheturtle
Posts:108
Joined:Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:02 am
Location:Maryland

Re: I'm Upset

Post by feartheturtle » Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:12 pm

MsCoulter wrote:Hi,

. . . I never received any request to send a copy of my bill but perhaps I should have? Is it required if porting a verizon landline number or not? . . .
Good question(s). In some cases the extra paper work (old phone bill) is required, and in other cases not. In our case we only filled out the on-line form. Our number was with T-Mobile, who had to return it to Verizon (an old land line number) where Ooma was then able to pick it up. You may want to call CS again just to be safe.

MsCoulter
Posts:108
Joined:Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:54 pm

Re: I'm Upset

Post by MsCoulter » Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:19 pm

feartheturtle wrote:
MsCoulter wrote:Hi,

. . . I never received any request to send a copy of my bill but perhaps I should have? Is it required if porting a verizon landline number or not? . . .
Good question(s). In some cases the extra paper work (old phone bill) is required, and in other cases not. In our case we only filled out the on-line form. Our number was with T-Mobile, who had to return it to Verizon (an old land line number) where Ooma was then able to pick it up. You may want to call CS again just to be safe.
I was hoping that someone else here that ported a verizon landline directly to Ooma could tell me. It is not always easy to get through to Ooma support.

MsCoulter
Posts:108
Joined:Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:54 pm

Re: I'm Upset

Post by MsCoulter » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:01 am

Well, that makes 2 of us. I was notified twice by email that my number would port on Dec. 8th. I called at the end of the day Monday and was told to be patient that the day was not over. The next day (yesterday) I called again that it had not ported and was told that a ticket was being opened on it and I should hear something from someone within 48 hours. I stressed to them that my only reason for investing in the ooma device was because I could port my number and that otherwise I have no use for it and would return it if the number is not going to be ported. I explained that any delay seriously affects my ROI. Assuming I was ported on time, it would take over 10 months of free service to break even on the cost of the ooma and porting fee.

I was also wondering since they only have a 12 month warranty, what happens if the thing breaks on me whether in or out of warranty? I'll have no phone at all?

Now look what I just received as if I never requested and paid for the porting weeks ago:

Dear ooma subscriber,

Thank you for your email. This email is to acknowledge that we've
received your request and will be initiating the porting process. We
will notify you via email once we receive an expected due date of your
port completion, or if we need any additional information. You should
hear back from us with an update typically within 5-7 business days
from receiving this email.

Please remember not to cancel your phone service with your previous
provider associated with this phone number until we send you
confirmation that your porting process has been completed.

Keep in mind that if you have DSL on the same number that you
requested to port, you will lose your internet connection when your
number is ported. ooma will not work without a broadband connection,
so this is a friendly reminder to insure you do not experience down
time.

If you have any questions or concerns you can reach us Mon-Fri 8am to
6pm PST, Sat-Sun 8am to 5pm PST at 888-711-6662 (ooma). Please do NOT
reply to this email address.

Thank you and have a great day.

Team ooma

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