Ooma on sale

[The Real Bev]

$99, free shipping. VOIP device. Under $5.00/month thereafter,
supposedly only for Federal taxes/fees. We've had it for two years and
happily thumb our noses at AT&T, the grasping shitheads.

http://www.ooma.com/

In the past it's been as low as $89.00. I don't know if this price is
available through the website (give it a shot) or only with a code given
out to current users, who will get $20 for each referral. If you need
the code, send me email.

--
Cheers, Bev
++++++++++++++++++++++++
All bleeding eventually stops.

[The Real Bev]

On 01/25/2016 01:36 PM, Derald wrote:

> The Real Bev <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>$99, free shipping. VOIP device. Under $5.00/month thereafter,
>>supposedly only for Federal taxes/fees. We've had it for two years and
>>happily thumb our noses at AT&T, the grasping shitheads.
>>

> You're selling it due to the chronic calluses on your thumbs and
> noses?

<sigh> NOT selling ours, they just sent me an ad. THEY are the ones
cutting the price. You probably knew that and were just being snotty,
but still...

I can think of a few situations in which calluses on one's thumb
> could be a disadvantage but on the nose would seem to be quite an ice
> breaker. IME, VOIP still sucks as strongly as ever so I'm not a
> prospect. I just wanted to rag on your ass a little! :-).

I suspect it depends on the reliability of your ISP. Charter may charge
more than they should, but there's no competition for them so we should
be glad to get what we can. At least they're rarely down.

> I finally managed to get away from the Great Leech (Verizon) and
> its constant attempts to move me over to FIOS, though.

I've hated AT&T for a long time.

--
Cheers, Bev
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Once you've provoked a few people into publicly swearing they are
going to hunt you down and kill you, the thrill wears off."
-Elric of Imrryr

[Dennis]

On Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:55:13 -0800, The Real Bev
<bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:

>$99, free shipping. VOIP device. Under $5.00/month thereafter,
>supposedly only for Federal taxes/fees. We've had it for two years and
>happily thumb our noses at AT&T, the grasping shitheads.
>
>http://www.ooma.com/
>
>In the past it's been as low as $89.00. I don't know if this price is
>available through the website (give it a shot) or only with a code given
>out to current users, who will get $20 for each referral. If you need
>the code, send me email.

I picked up an ooma on Cyber Monday, brand-new, full warranty,
directly from Ooma, for $79 shipped. Unfortunately, the performance
was disappointing when connected to my home DSL. Sometimes it worked
great, other times there was an annoying delay that made it difficult
to communicate (parties talking over each other). I think it probably
was my rural DSL service - it has OK through put (e.g., I can watch
NetFlix OK), but sometimes has latency problems. I had a similar
problem when testing an Obihai OB200 VOIP box at home. (But oddly,
I've never noticed it when using my Republic cell phone, which also
uses VOIP over my DSL at home. Hmmm...)

So I gave up at home and donated the ooma to the local community
library. It seems to work OK there, but when they ported their phone
number to Ooma ($44 charge from Ooma, seems high), the geniuses at
Century Link cancelled not only the land line, but also their DSL
(even though they called in advance to make sure that would not
happen). So now they are going through CL customer support hell,
trying to get their DSL back. (The ooma does not work well without an
internet connection.:-)

Going through similar bonehead-type problems with renewing health
insurance and switching internet providers at work. All this stuff
should be routine, boilerplate, performed multiple times a day by the
providers. Does it seem to anyone else like the wheels are starting to
fall off?

Dennis (evil)
--
I'm a hands-on, footloose, knee-jerk head case. -George Carlin

[wilm...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 12:57:43 PM UTC-8, Dennis wrote:

>
> Going through similar bonehead-type problems with renewing health
> insurance and switching internet providers at work. All this stuff
> should be routine, boilerplate, performed multiple times a day by the
> providers. Does it seem to anyone else like the wheels are starting to
> fall off?
>
>

Starting service should be a breeze, with quick service and knowledgeable agents and a pleasant attitude. Ending a service, there is no advantage to making the process enjoyable. If they jerk you around long enough, maybe you'll give up and keep the service. Yup! Everything is as it should be.

BTW, I had Magic Jack for several years. Just $35 a year and no DSL needed. Seems cheaper than Ooma. If you really need a landline, I guess there are options.

[Dennis]

On Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:32:07 -0800 (PST), wilm...@gmail.com wrote:

> BTW, I had Magic Jack for several years. Just $35 a year and no DSL needed. Seems cheaper than Ooma. If you really need a landline, I guess there are options.

Umm, Majic Jack is a VOIP device, which requires some kind of internet
connection. DSL is just one type of internet connection (and the only
semi-reasonable option where I live). Ooma basic service costs only
what the local phone taxes cost, in this area about US$4.20/month. The
Obihai VOIP has no monthly or yearly charges, unless you want to
spring for 911 service, about US$15/year.

Dennis (evil)
--
"There is a fine line between participation and mockery" - Wally

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

Looked into it a while back, but because I'm on satellite internet there would
be no support, and the calls would count against my cap. Ended up getting the
Exede VOIP that goes with the satellite. Not the cheapest, only about 1/2 of
AT&T, but when AT&T let out phone be out for a week without repairing it, I had
to dump them. (That is another story, involving the FCC and PSC to get action).

I didn't think I would be using the phone much, but since my wife died at the
end of the year, I've been using it a lot for support from family and friend.
It works well enough. I've got skype as well but don't seem to use it much at
all.

On Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:55:13 -0800, The Real Bev <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Michael Black]

On Fri, 29 Jan 2016, hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Looked into it a while back, but because I'm on satellite internet there would
> be no support, and the calls would count against my cap. Ended up getting the
> Exede VOIP that goes with the satellite. Not the cheapest, only about 1/2 of
> AT&T, but when AT&T let out phone be out for a week without repairing it, I had
> to dump them. (That is another story, involving the FCC and PSC to get action).
>
> I didn't think I would be using the phone much, but since my wife died at the
> end of the year, I've been using it a lot for support from family and friend.
> It works well enough. I've got skype as well but don't seem to use it much at
> all.
>
>

That's too bad, your wife, not the overuse of the phone.

Michael

[The Real Bev]

On 01/29/2016 07:27 PM, hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Looked into it a while back, but because I'm on satellite internet there would
> be no support, and the calls would count against my cap. Ended up getting the
> Exede VOIP that goes with the satellite. Not the cheapest, only about 1/2 of
> AT&T, but when AT&T let out phone be out for a week without repairing it, I had
> to dump them. (That is another story, involving the FCC and PSC to get action).

I really hate AT&T. I hope you hurt them badly.

> I didn't think I would be using the phone much, but since my wife died at the
> end of the year, I've been using it a lot for support from family and friend.
> It works well enough. I've got skype as well but don't seem to use it much at
> all.

Sorry to hear that, Harry. Nothing helps but time, and not all that much.

--
Cheers, Bev
===========================================================
"You should be glad that bridge fell down -- I was planning
to build thirteen more to the same design."
-- Attributed to I.K. Brunel, addressing the
Directors of the Great Western Railway

[tra...@optonline.net]

On Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 11:00:37 AM UTC-5, Dennis wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:32:07 -0800 (PST), wilm...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > BTW, I had Magic Jack for several years. Just $35 a year and no DSL needed. Seems cheaper than Ooma. If you really need a landline, I guess there are options.
>
> Umm, Majic Jack is a VOIP device, which requires some kind of internet
> connection.

+1

DSL is just one type of internet connection (and the only
> semi-reasonable option where I live). Ooma basic service costs only
> what the local phone taxes cost, in this area about US$4.20/month.

I have Ooma and am also paying about $4 a month. The monthly cost
of Ooma is about the same as Nettalk and MajicJack. The difference
is that the Ooma hardware costs $120 or whatever one time, upfront.
The other two, you can get the hardware bundled in with X months
of service, meaning the net cost of the hardware is a fraction of
the cost of Ooma. But I've used all three and there is no comparison.
Ooma is a level of service and support way above MJ and NT. The
call quality, call reliability is higher and Ooma has a real phone
number with real tech support that you can call. Another factor,
NT now has a limit of 1500 mins a month, though they continue to
advertise it as unlimited. That might sound like a lot, but it's
50 mins a day average. In a multi-person household, not too hard
to go over it. And in my case, when I did hit it one month, they
just cut off my service, no warning, nothing. Phone just went dead
and I didn't know what had happened.

I'd say Ooma is way above MJ and NT and only slightly below what
I could get from VOIP from my cable provider, Cablevision. The
difference is that Ooma costs 90% less. Even if you amortize the
$120 initial cost, Ooma is still a very low cost choice. And you
can find used ones on Ebay for $50, which is how I got mine.

[Dennis]

Doesn't Ooma charge a fairly stiff fee for re-activating a used ooma
device that has been previously activated by someone else?

Dennis (evil)
--
I'm behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave,
dodging the bullet and pushing the envelope. -George Carlin

[tra...@optonline.net]

I think it's $20 to activate one that is totally out of commission,
but at least some of them can be transferred for
free. When I bought mine a year ago on Ebay for $50 there were
many on there that said they could be transferred for free.
In my case, not only was it free, but the guy I bought it from
had paid for their premium service with about 5 months remaining.
That transferred over too and somehow I actually had the premium
service for more like 9 months.

One good thing with Ooma is they don't play games. For example,
when I was trying out MJ, they charged I think $30 to port a
phone number. Which is fair, typical etc. What isn't so obvious
is that they then consider that number a vanity number and you
have to pay $20 extra each year. I've also heard that MJ tries
to hit you with a charge to port out the number if you want to
leave and keep it. IDK any other company that does that.

[The Real Bev]

No idea. We bought ours from Costco for ~$90 (they have them on sale
every once in a while). When we initially signed up they paid to
transfer our old (since 1961) phone number and gave us a year of free
premium service. The additional features weren't sufficiently tempting
to actually pay for, but YMMV.

--
Cheers, Bev
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look
of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs
think humans are nuts." -- John Steinbeck