Thinking of getting this, but Iām a bit concerned from some of what I saw when I clicked the link for Amazon reviews.
The āTop critical reviewā says that they wanted an additional $10 to reactivage a refurbished phone and make the buyer jump through days of hoops.
The first entry in the main list of reviews says there was a $5.03/month āmonthly billā which was raised to $5.35. Two things about this trouble me ā first, the review was dated November 29, 2017, so I think itās a safe bet that the monthly bill has continued to rise for the past two years, but I can only guess how high. A third of a dollar over the 9 months the reviewer had the system would, by my back of envelope math, come to an additional $8.32, bringing the monthly bill to $13.67, which when added to the taxes (see below) bring the monthly cost to $20.89 (assuming that the increases have not gone any higher).
Second, the only mention of costs for the basic program (besides āone-time porting fee of $39.99ā) and āapplicable taxes and feesā which for my zipcode are $7.22. This doesnāt seem to jibe with āFree U.S. Calling ā call anyone, anywhere in the U.S. (only pay applicable taxes and fees)ā ā am I missing something here?
I ask this because a friend has VOIP and Iām 99% certain itās OOMA (he told me the name when he got it, and unless thereās another company with a similar name, wellā¦), and he said he does NOT pay ANY monthly fee ā the only cost for him was the purchase of the box (and possibly a porting cost, but I donāt think he ported his number).
If the costs approach what our landline costs, I donāt know that the advantages are, given all Iāve read about the vagaries of VOIP (i.e., great when it works, but not as reliable as a POTS landline).
Please help me here. If it the math above is NOT what is currently the reality ā if thereās the dramatic cost savings over our POTS line ā Iād be on this like white on rice.
I just need to know what the ACTUAL monthly costs are ā including ALL costs, fees, taxes, and ANY other fees.
If I seem overly concerned, strike it up to āonce bit, twice shy,ā as I once was once āgotā by a cell carrier, who talked me into going with a service upgrade. I specifically asked them if there were ANY other costs or fees beyone the very low number they quoted me, and they ASSURED me that there were NONE.
I asked the question several times ā and each time was PROMISED that there were NO extra or hidden fees or expenses.
So, you can imagine my surprise when my first bill arrived, over $200 above what it should have been.
They gladly refunded it ā after I made a scene in their showroom full of prospective customers, telling them that I did NOT appreciate being lied to like that.
Like I said, once bit, twice shy. So, I tend to be wary of ātoo good to be trueā offers. (To balance this out, my ādue diligenceā HAS gotten me some truly ātoo good to be trueā deals over the years ā and protected me from the rest.
I have had an Ooma gadget, and Ooma VOIP service, for over nine years.
Yes, there is a monthly fee. Last year, it was $6.55 / month. This year, that monthly fee - per the charge to my credit card last week - rose to a whopping $6.71. That is almost all for various taxes and government fees, especially to fund the 911 service. In my case, most of those are California state taxes and fees.
The only other cost to me was for some international calls. Ooma will eagerly sell you some other products and/or premium services, if (and only if) you want them.
Iām a satisfied customer, anyway.
The tax charge varies per state, it is around 5.00 - 6. Used to be less than $4. Caveat, caller ID not included. That will cost you $10.00 for premium. It will only display the ph# no name, unless you have the name programmed into the phones address book. I occasionally have to reboot my Ooma, it loses connection. Frustrating. Otherwise good call quality
Ooma is free to use, however depending on where you live the local and state government will want their cut for 911 fees and other taxes. I live in CT and in the last 2 years my fees have run between $4.08 and $5.37 not a steady climb either.
There is a porting, caller ID, and hookup fee up front. If you want to block numbers it is about $10 a month but it knocks scam calls to almost zero per day. Here is an image of the upgrade page, it is an all or nothing deal.
Got me an ObiTalk 200 device, paid $50 a few years ago, connected it to a free Google Voice number, never paid another dime. Given how infrequently I use a āland lineā over my unlimited cell phone plan itās paid for itself over the years. I can even use it with other SIP providers if I want to, who may or may not charge a fee.
I have an Obi200 also and yes, there are no monthly fees when used with Google Voice. However if you want E911 service, you have to buy that separately for about $25/year. Also, Google Voice does not provide name caller ID, just numeric.
Is that a one-time fee, a monthly fee, or ???
PS: Thanks to all who have provided info. Iāve read all the comments and will continue to read them, until we either decide to buy it, or itās sold out.
Iām a product of the āSunRocket eraā. But when they went away, I ended up on Magic Jack. Iāve had them for 10 years and never suffered from the nightmares some have had. I think I pay like $100 for 3 or 4 years of service. I paid a $10 fee to KEEP my ported number. The ONE thing I noticed years ago is after 1hour of being on line, it would drop the call. You could call right back but that just ensured the wife couldnāt use it for work (sometimes her calls would last over an hour. Thatās why I just pay $10 bucks a month to use WOWās phone service. I donāt pay for a modem since my ULTRA box isnāt compatible with the 500/50 service I have so they had to give me a phone modem. But as far as Magic Jack goes, 10+ years and never suffered through the nightmares others have āexperiencedā. They have even improved the ability to block calls (by adding the number to a list) or running itās filter option (free of course) where the caller has to punch in a random number to get through. Guess the bottom line, they dontā nickle dime you to death.
I know you basically said it in your post, but for those who only read the first line Numeric Caller ID is included. Name Caller ID (edit: Enhanced Caller ID) costs extra. Both are mostly useless since phone companies allow businesses to enter whatever they want for the number and name (a āfeatureā of leased lines). I love it when my own phone number calls me.
Also, rather than programming your phone, the my.ooma.com site lets you setup a centralized contact list. The text for the contact is what displays on your caller-id capable phone(s) regardless of whether you subscribe to Name Caller ID. If a telemarketer is especially irritating I add them to my āDO NOT ANSWERā contact and that is how they display on my phones if/when they call again. I also added my own number to the āDO NOT ANSWERā contact.
PS - I bought mine in 2013. Has been one of my better Woot purchases. Started out around $5/mo. Is now up to $6.77/mo . Still way cheaper than anything the phone/cable company offers.
I have been using the same Ooma that I bought on Woot since 2012. when I first got it the fees were somewhere in the $3-4 range. Iāve moved to two different states since then an am now paying $6.63 a month now that essentially all goes towards 911 fees and taxes (breakdown below).
Iāve had two Oomas over 8 years. Iād probably still be using the first one, had it not been struck by lightning, along with the TV, etc. The very first Ooma users pay nothing at all, but I got on board at the taxes only point. Thank you, Al Gore. I use the basic service, which is fine for me. The sound quality is acceptable, actually better than acceptable. If I thought lightning would strike twice, Iād jump on this. Oh, I almost forgot, you can prepay in increments of $10 to make local calls while you are abroad. Way better than buying a local sim card. I used it and it worked in Israel.
I bought my as a refurb here on Woot in 2014 as a way to drop the ridiculous fees my provider charged for phone service. I currently pay $5.71/month in NJ and that price has been pretty steady over the 6 years, Has your current phone bill stayed the same over 6 years? I bet not. Iām very happy with the service. Easy to check voicemail remotely, check my billing on line, setup a phone book, see missed calls, it has everything I need.
I have an Ooma (but not a refurb). If you only use the basic service, Ooma doesnāt charge you any fees. You will pay all the states and federal taxes though. Thatās about ~$5 where I live. I believe you can estimate it on the Ooma website.
I, however, pay the extra $10/month. This gets you additional phone line, name caller ID, etc. But the reason I do it is for the call-blocking features. I used to get so many calls on that phoneline, but now Ooma blocks them all. That peace and quiet is worth $10 to me.
Itās a great device and sound quality is good.
A: They only charge applicable taxes, which they have no control over as far as increases.
B: They will give you a phone #, so you donāt need to pay to transfer and existing one.
C: They have a free app that lets you use your phone or table in any WiFi area to contact your Ooma and make calls and check messages from it.
Had one for ten years (from Woot). Saves me a bundle.
Weāve had Ooma since the company started.
The only āfeeā is to pay the taxes.
Death & taxes, you canāt avoid them.
Weāre on our second Ooma, the first one finally quit after maybe 10 years.
With the first Ooma, there was no fee at all, not even taxes.
When we had to get a new one, Ooma said the Government wants their cut.
We donāt have their Premier serviceā¦
Just to chime in, I bought one back in June 2015 for around $149, I think from Amazon. The monthly taxes were close to $4 per month back then. Now in 2020, it is costing me $6 and change. All in NYC. So I imagine, no matter where you are, it will not be more than $7 per month in taxes (for this year). (Apparently, it can cost as high as $10+ a month for certain areas in Illinois.) There was a $25 (or something) port fee because I wanted to keep my existing landline number. Otherwise, if you choose from their selection of numbers, there should be no additional cost.
I too, opted for the premium plan. I get a second number and the call-blocking features are well worth it, as had previously been said.
Been using it for almost 5 years. I have no complaints. I donāt think the service was ever disrupted by Ooma themselves. But remember, it is only as reliable as your Internet Provider can be.
I have one of these connected to my Ooma. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J9RT5QU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
It allows me to have an intercom service between the floors of my house. No phone wires to mess with, just connect the main unit to the Ooma and the rest just needs a power outlet to recharge its mobility.
This has not been my experience, My caller ID tells me the name of the caller as long as they have a name attached to their phone number. Calls from Land lines show with names, calls from Cell phones normally do not, depends on provider. Calls from Scammers show whatever line of BS they put in there as the name. Phone numbers, even the fake ones always show.
$2851 Savings since November 2013
Prior Phone Bill: $40 with Vonage
Bought reconditioned here on Woot
Still works great
With Premier
No junk calls
Includes unlimited calls to Mexico
Includes second line
Iāve had Ooma for about 8 years. It has worked very well for me. I pay $7.40/month for the basic service in Texasā¦still seems like a great deal to me. Ooma has ābasicā caller id and āenhanced (you pay extra)ā caller id. The basic caller id works well for me and I didnāt even know that there was an enhanced version. Here are the differences.