Phone Service With No Monthly Fees: ooma
September 19, 2007 by Lauren
I'm willing to look past the infuriating need of some corporations to put their company names in lowercase, and look beyond, into the wonderful realm of free[ish] phone service. Just who am I talking about? None other than ooma.
Instead of an ugly monthly fee, ooma offers its users the opportunity to buy the necessary equipment for their VoIP service and never pay again. This company, along with its dreams of freedom, isn't new. However, the said necessary equipment is now past the invite-only beta testing phase and onto the release. You may not have gotten all the gear for free by testing the products, but you can still save some major bucks.
So what are we talking about here [and more importantly, how much are we talking]? Each ooma hub is going for $399, and each scout is at $39.95. Make note that you'll need one scout for each phone extension. The bad news, in case those price tags didn't deter you enough, is that these are actually the introductory prices. That means come next year, a hub will set you back $599. Typically, any decent technical buying advice will tell you to wait a while before purchasing; initial releases mean hurtful prices that will come down. Not every company will give you $100 back because you bought too early.
That said, basically ignore that completely when it comes to ooma. If you're going to buy this hardware, you'd better do it sooner rather than later.
The hub will get you unlimited US calling and two functional phone lines. You'll also receive the broadband answering machine, giving you voicemail-like features with other benefits such as call screening. This voicemail can be accessed via the internet through the Online ooma Lounge, which I think is especially convenient and cool.
It may sound like a lot of money to initially pay upfront, but this is a prime example of something that pays for itself over time. It'll end up costing you less than traditional monthly billing, and you'll certainly appreciate the weight being lifted with your new found freedom; one less bill is always a good thing.
If this sounds like you, or you at least want to check it out for yourself, head over to ooma's website. All of the ooma equipment can be purchased directly from this site.
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