Ooma Telo VOIP - Free Home Phone Service $144 at Amazon + FS

Not exactly free service. Users are liable for monthly taxes, I believe most pay around $3/month.

ParkRoad22 said:   Not exactly free service. Users are liable for monthly taxes, I believe most pay around $3/month.

$10 a year, less than $1 a month

ParkRoad22 said:   Not exactly free service. Users are liable for monthly taxes, I believe most pay around $3/month.
It varies depending on where you live.
https://go.ooma.com/tax_calculator

In area code 60016, I pay:
Regulatory Compliance Fee: $1.78
911 Service Fee: $1.59
Federal Universal Service Charge: $0.39
State and local taxes, fees and surcharges: $0.24
Total: $4.00 each month

Doesn't the "free" apply, or did apply, to some of the original Ooma units, rather than the Telo or maybe those who upgraded from original Ooma Hub & Scout to Telo?

Would anyone in New York State who has have Ooma Telo be willing to provide a list of their monthly charges for their standard Ooma service (i.e., not "Premier"). Thanks.

Much cheaper options available..

I use a PAP2 adapter ($20) and have Voip.ms

I use Google Voice for free incoming/outgoing and E911 service is $3/month.. My only fee.

what's that you say sonny? excellent call quality from a seniors point of view I've been with them longer then 3 years and perhaps I did agree but I agreed to it being Free! they said free advertised free (except for the most expensive hardware out there)I never thought free meant but we will automatically bill you for "free" in 2 years time. but it's totally my fault I ported my home number for close family or I would have been gone along time ago I hardly use it.

azq said:   what's that you say sonny? excellent call quality from a seniors point of view I've been with them longer then 3 years and perhaps I did agree but I agreed to it being Free! they said free advertised free (except for the most expensive hardware out there)I never thought free meant but we will automatically bill you for "free" in 2 years time. but it's totally my fault I ported my home number for close family or I would have been gone along time ago I hardly use it.

1. A company has to make money somehow to stay in business. Razor or blades, printer or ink model. One problem with TVo is they can't seem to determine a financial model that works for it despite product quality.

2. These days, if it says free or some low cost in the beginning, bet that they're coming back to try for for more later. Watch out for high start-up costs, watch out for contracts written by sellers.

Heard Ma Bell used to make you rent the corded telephones phones from them with Gov. OK if you wanted phone service Sounds likes companies have found ways to do the same to us now with a whole lot of stuff.

horizon6 said:   Doesn't the "free" apply, or did apply, to some of the original Ooma units, rather than the Telo or maybe those who upgraded from original Ooma Hub & Scout to Telo?
Lots of questions/rehashings about Ooma. Perhaps a dedicated FAQ thread is needed for this topic. I'll address a few of the main points.

• The completely free basic service applied to the now discontinued Hub/Scout model. I bought one of these nearly two years ago and have not paid for service since.

• The current Telo model charges monthly fees/taxes which are in the $3+ range as shown in the estimator link shown above. The basic service is otherwise free.

• If you choose to keep your existing phone number, there is a fee for porting. You can opt for a new number, and will not be charged this fee if you do this. If you sign up for Premier service, I think they may waive the porting fee.

• There has been discussion that Ooma has begun charging "grandfathered" customers the monthly fee/tax structure, starting sometime around the three-year mark of service.

I am personally quite happy with my Ooma device and service. It works fine with my pokey 1.5 mb internet, voicemail is good too. I had one brief outage lasting about three hours once last summer, otherwise no hiccups. Even if Ooma eventually starts billing me for monthly taxes, I have already well more than saved a worthwhile sum since dropping my POTS landline. Like all things tech, who knows what changes and developments might come about a year or two from now?

144+ is free?

The $3 estimate is no longer accurate. Fee is now around $4.50 per month. You can go Obi100 + Google Voice route, but you will have no E911 service. There are other threads that talk about using Voip.ms for E911 for Obi100. Voip.ms is $1.50 a month for E911.

ParkRoad22 said:   Not exactly free service. Users are liable for monthly taxes, I believe most pay around $3/month. And to get all the normal features other providers provide it's $100+ a year. There are other VOIP providers that provide service for that same price or close + I believe they charge a fee to port your number. Ooma is good, but not really as great as it seems.

Well, I have been with T-Mobile at Home since Teleblend went down the drain. It truly was a no brainer, since I only pay $10 + 1.33 for fees. I was trying to see if Magicjack Plus would be a better choice, since it is cheap, $81.50 per year, and they offer more savings for 5 year, but for now, I'm using the 30 day trial. It also says that the can transfer your number and functions with 911. So, far for five days, the calls are crystal clear, and no, I'm not using the computer, I have it plug to my router. Any one has used Magicjack here?

It is not free, and should not be so titled.

Whether the fees and taxes are charged once, monthly, or yearly, it is not free.
And those charges will only increase with time.

linkcinch said:   OOma is my third VOIP service, and the only one that really delivers top quality sound, and consistent quality. This from a rural New York user.

For comparison sake, what are the other VOIP services you have used.

ach1199 said:   ElGuache said:   Well, I have been with T-Mobile at Home since Teleblend went down the drain. It truly was a no brainer, since I only pay $10 + 1.33 for fees. I was trying to see if Magicjack Plus would be a better choice, since it is cheap, $81.50 per year, and they offer more savings for 5 year, but for now, I'm using the 30 day trial. It also says that the can transfer your number and functions with 911. So, far for five days, the calls are crystal clear, and no, I'm not using the computer, I have it plug to my router. Any one has used Magicjack here?

Aaah....the Teleblend....started by the former Sunrocket crooks. I remember everyone including me scrambling to port our numbers to other carriers before it was lost forever.

Yeap, I tricled down from Sunrocket, then to Telebelnd, and hoped onto T-Mobile, with the same number right before they went down.
So, any one using the new Magicjack?