ooma Outages - Corrective action plan

[oomg]

Well said, Clynch!

Wayne

Yes... Bravo... Bravo... re: customer expectations. I couldn't have said it better myself. However, I don't quite agree with the statement "that this [ooma] is not intended to be a business-class service and that some residential service interruptions are inevitable."

I have seen a number of users on this forum comment about using ooma for their business, and IMHO it is a viable business-class service at least for a small business. For my part, I originally intended to use my ooma strictly for residential, but have decided to hog one of the lines [assigned to a Scout] to record all incoming messages for my business which is run primarily from my home (althugh I do have a separate office as well). Having the ability to access my business messages from the lounge works great for me. Likewise, if I am working on a project and don't want to be disturbed, I press the VM button and turn down the lights on the Scout, and don't worry about any disruptions.

Of course, as WayneDsr and I have suggested on multiple occasions, any VOIP user must (or at least should) develop a contingency plan. Having had a backup plan in place, I suffered nothing more than a minor inconvenience during the service disruptions that occurred on the 13th. Whether the contingency plan relies on cell phones, a basic landline, 2-way radios, alternate VOIP, or otherwise, depends on the needs or desires of individual as well as the configuration of his particular system.

Nevertheless, Bravo...Bravo!

The foregoing was my comment on April 17, 2009 following the major outage that occurred four days earlier. I continue to stand behind my comment. I have experienced a couple minor interruptions is service since the big one on April 13, but nothing so significant that I can even remember it at this point. So far, Ooma has exceeded every expectation I had when I acquired my first system. I currently have two separate systems operating. Both are near flawless. I have such confidence in the product that I gave five Ooma systems to friends and family members for Christmas.

Having said all that, I haven't forgotten that it is important to have an emergency backup, whether cell service or alternate POTS. I suppose even a MagicJack would work well enough as a backup unless there is an internet outage. Above all else, don't hesitate to report an outage (even if only suspected) and be patient. Thus far, the Ooma crew has managed to resolve most, if not all, technical issues.

Given the number of Ooma users, it is far from clear that the problems accessing toll free numbers was, in fact, system wide, but then again, not everyone dials toll free numbers every day. I was one of those who suggested a brief status report during any outage. I'm not quite sure if that has continued since I have not had any need to resort to it, but will nevertheless expand on that concept; suggesting that a separate forum be established where outages can be posted. It would also help if each person on the forum would identify his or her general location (e.g. City, State, Zip Code or???), so that it could be determined whether any outage is limited to a locality, or is more widespread.

[caseybea]

This isn't about the outage itself-- hell, "stuff happens". It was a limited type of outage. With voip technology, I expect an occasional hiccup.

The part that pisses me off however is the TOTAL LACK OF COMMUNICATION by ooma. Noforum posts. No twitter update (in the ooma status twitter page).

Nothing.

[amoney]

What really leaves a distaste in consumers mouths is the feeling that Ooma is a sub par service mind you they advertise to be the equilavent and better than "old" landline technology. Yes, I think we are all aware and understanding of hiccups along the way, but the 800 outage for several hours I think is significant to acknowledge.

I think it was sheer luck that it was discovered at that point in the evening and someone posted to the forum, those that were just happened to be browsing, gave it a try and confirmed the same result. Note we can not even call customer service becuase they were closed. And thats what really drives this need for information if there is/was a issue.

And how about those 900 numbers, thats prime time, imgine those poor souls!

[oomg]

This isn't about the outage itself-- hell, "stuff happens". It was a limited type of outage. With voip technology, I expect an occasional hiccup.

The part that pisses me off however is the TOTAL LACK OF COMMUNICATION by ooma. Noforum posts. No twitter update (in the ooma status twitter page).

Nothing.

O.K., I'm glad we agree that "stuff happens". And possibly some of the stuff that happens is not something that Ooma can control directly, but rather something that Ooma must react to. From what I read, most of those reporting problems had the problem occur sometime between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the next morning. I have no reason to believe that Ooma's staff is on board 24/7. More likely that they go home at the end of the day. Thus, unless they have specific knowledge of an existing problem, it is unlikely it will be addressed until the early crew arrives the next morning. I would be guessing as much as you if I attempted to pinpoint the nature or the source of the problem. However, based upon what we do know, it's possible that whatever problem may have existed may have been tied to some other source, of if internal to Ooma, corrected itself overnight. As such, when Ooma staff returned the following morning, there may not have bee anything to report.

Personally, I don't care whether there is some minor issue that might restrict usage of Ooma system goes unreported. However, when a system wide disruption such as the one that occurred on April 13, 2009, I think it is important for the Ooma provide periodic updates regarding the estimated time when service will be re-established.

ON the other hand, if you would like specific information regarding the cause, I would recommend sending an email to Bobby B. or Dennis P. asking for an explanation. In my experience both are straight shooters who will try to properly respond.

In the meantime, RELAX... and enjoy all the benefits that your Ooma system offers.

[oomg]

What really leaves a distaste in consumers mouths is the feeling that Ooma is a sub par service mind you they advertise to be the equilavent and better than "old" landline technology. Yes, I think we are all aware and understanding of hiccups along the way, but the 800 outage for several hours I think is significant to acknowledge.

I think it was sheer luck that it was discovered at that point in the evening and someone posted to the forum, those that were just happened to be browsing, gave it a try and confirmed the same result. Note we can not even call customer service becuase they were closed. And thats what really drives this need for information if there is/was a issue.

Hang on just a minute... Oh yeah... I just remembered how ATnT handled similar situations when their service crapped out. Nothing... that's right, nothing. And they didn't even provide a forum where users could exchange information or compare notes. Maybe this Ooma thing is equivalent or better than "old" land line technology.

And how about those 900 numbers, thats prime time, imgine those poor souls!

Now, THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM! Glad you caught this one.

[caseybea]

Personally, I don't care whether there is some minor issue that might restrict usage of Ooma system goes unreported.

I understand that the ooma folks aren't available 24/7. However, given the nature of the outage, I would have been much happier if, even if sometime the following day- if ooma had publicly acknowledged the outage-- even if it was beyond their control. At least tell us what freaking happened. We're now what, 2+ days later? ooma styill has yet to acknowledge there was a problem. And the "twitter" page was last updated Jan 4th!!

Yes... AT&T also does uh, "nothing" when an outage occurs. But Ooma is a startup-- and they want, no.. NEED new business to survive and grow. To accomplish that, they need to be BETTER than the competition. And it's this point where I feel they are failing. Miserably. The current state of customer service is horrid. As stated in a previous post, I have now completely lost confidence in Ooma to serve me as a customer. I was considering getting a premiere subscription, but no longer. Ooma has lost my money.

[oomg]

Personally, I don't care whether there is some minor issue that might restrict usage of Ooma system goes unreported.

I understand that the ooma folks aren't available 24/7. However, given the nature of the outage, I would have been much happier if, even if sometime the following day- if ooma had publicly acknowledged the outage-- even if it was beyond their control. At least tell us what freaking happened. We're now what, 2+ days later? ooma styill has yet to acknowledge there was a problem. And the "twitter" page was last updated Jan 4th!!

Yes... AT&T also does uh, "nothing" when an outage occurs. But Ooma is a startup-- and they want, no.. NEED new business to survive and grow. To accomplish that, they need to be BETTER than the competition. And it's this point where I feel they are failing. Miserably. The current state of customer service is horrid. As stated in a previous post, I have now completely lost confidence in Ooma to serve me as a customer. I was considering getting a premiere subscription, but no longer. Ooma has lost my money.

Personally, I think you are grossly overstating your case. Failing miserably? I respectfully disagree. Customer service is horrid? That's a huge stretch. My recent experiences with CS, although not 100% perfect, have certainly fell within my expectations of what CS should be doing. Frankly, I am a bit surprised that CS is as good as it is, particularly given the surge in new customers coupled with the release of the new product (Telo). As a Premier subscriber on both of my systems, I think the value of the Premier service is significantly greater than the cost... so, in that sense, it is unfortunate that you have chosen to opt out. By the way, you won't likely hear Ooma complaining that you and a number of others that have opted for their basic VOIP service have failed to upgrade. So...

[caseybea]

"My recent experiences with CS, although not 100% perfect, have certainly fell within my expectations of what CS should be doing."

Based on the number of CS complaints I see in the forums recently-- I would disagree.

In the forums, blogs, and such-- it is clear that the ooma representatives were quite active as things were ramping up. This was good to see. But lately, I feel that level of involvement has decreased. Significantly. And I see that as a problem if this company wants to continue to attract- and retain- customers.

[oomg]

"My recent experiences with CS, although not 100% perfect, have certainly fell within my expectations of what CS should be doing."

Based on the number of CS complaints I see in the forums recently-- I would disagree.

O.K. then, we agree on some points and disagree on some others. I will add that based on my perception, most complaints seem to be from those who are fairly new to Ooma, not that I would expect anything else, as that is the point in time when most are likely to have become frustrated with being unable to configure their system in the exact manner they had envisioned. Others are frustrated by what they perceive as being an inordinately slow porting process. Some are simply dissatisfied with the product, and choose to return it. The vast majority take the time to learn about their system and enjoy it. That's pretty much what I did.

[caseybea]

I'm not arguing the quality of the product-- there, I think it's the coolest thing since sliced bread. And I've learned my system inside and out, set up QoS on my router to give me the perfect secure setup that still alows for great call quality, I've played with and enjoyed the features, etc. I still plan to port my number.

But my view of the COMPANY is different. I see them as overwhelmed, slow to fix issues, unresponsive. Their call center is a joke.

It will be very interesting to see OOma's response to the next service outage. I am watching, closely. This most recent one? FAIL.