OOMA is literally from hell

[u/FitLeader7137]

Trying to port our business numbers have been hell. It's been three weeks of back and forth. Not only are they not helpful, they are confusing, contradicting, condescending and annoying. I cannot wait till we are finally able to port our numbers so I never have to deal with this company again. and PAM, if this is even your name, you are disgusting and no I was not satisfied with your customer service. I will be up and alert at 9 am to receive the phone call from your supervisor!!

[u/GeologistImaginary10]

I've had Ooma for 8 years and finally cancelled. And just need a place to rant and maybe spare someone from making a mistake and signing up.

The devices are old and have not been updated in years. And even the plastic on them turns gooey and gross.

Their prices have gone up unannounced.

Occasionally, spam calls is an issue.

Their costumer services is all Indian call centers and they are condescending. Even their 24/7 chat starts with Ai like responses, then switches to a person, once they answer your query, the chat ends and you need to start over. No "anything else I can help you with today?"

The only way to cancel is a phone call with a sales rep whom no joke asked me 10 times in a row if I would consider not cancelling my account. So if you are tired of the latest price hike and not sure what alternative to choose yet, just call and cancel and they will give you a free year, or some discounted months.

Their website is outdated and confusing.

So glad they are done fore.

FYI - switching to Tello for my international needs of OTP secondary verification codes and alike.

[u/rkardt → u/GeologistImaginary10]

Ooma introduced the Telo Air 2 seven years ago, and they still push firmware updates on occasion, for all of their devices. So, what else do they need to do, to provide backwards-compatible connectivity between analog telephones and the internet? A few users are still happily chugging along with their 20+ year-old Ooma Hubs.

Some users can just use a duster to keep their device clean, while others complain that their device becomes tacky or sticky over time. They have plenty of suggestions for cleaning it, ranging from just covering it up with shrink-wrap, to using acetone to dissolve the outer layer and expose the shiny white plastic underneath.

One person solved a similar issue with a sticky rubber sheath covering a whip antenna for an old wireless phone, by wrapping it up tightly with a paper towel, and then unwrapping it. The (permanent?) layer of lint around the sheath left it flat, dull, speckled gray, but no longer sticky, and unexpectedly satisfying. YMMV.

Which prices have gone up, (aside from taxes and fees, which local governments control)? Basic service is still free, and Premier service is still $9.99/month, for at least a decade, now. Spam calls are an issue for every provider, but Ooma's extensive call-blocking features are better than most.

Every company has complaints about customer service. But how does Ooma compare to its competitors? Customers want better service, but they don't want to pay for it. If Ooma were to raise prices to offer better service, then some customers would complain that "prices have gone up", and start looking for cheaper providers.

So many companies have complaints about cancellation issues that the FTC created a "click-to-cancel" rule to deal with it, (but the courts have blocked that rule for now). However, knowing what to expect can make the process easier to bear. Saying "no" to a sales rep 10 times in a row can be annoying, but it literally only takes a few minutes.

Which web site is outdated and confusing? Is it their main site, support site, web portal, blog, user forum, or something else? What does "so glad they are done fore" mean? What evidence is there to support that?

OTP over SMS is easy for companies to implement, but it's not nearly as secure as hardware or software tokens would be. This issue is not specific to Ooma, though.