No 10-digit dialing

Ooma requires me to dial a 1 before the area code for a number. This is a big problem because the caller-id in my phone only displays a 10 digit number (without the 1 prefix). So, I can't just scroll the number in my phone's caller id list and push talk to make a call. I have to dial the whole number.

For example, if I get a call from 813-123-4567, my phone's caller id displays it as 813-123-4567. But Ooma won't let me dial it as it is. I have to dial 1-813-123-4567 for the call to go through.

10 digit dialing pretty much works with every where including Vonage, MagicJack, AT&T, T-Mobile. Why can't Ooma fix it?

Without it, returning calls is totally unusable from my Ooma handset. This is the biggest strike against Ooma on my wife's acceptance scale. Now, I'm dialing all the numbers for her :-(

Ooma, if you can do one thing to make your customer's experience better then please make the 10-digit dialing possible.

Ooma Vs. MagicJack

I was using MagicJack prior to ordering Ooma. I read a lot of reviews on the Web that Ooma is significantly better than MagicJack.

Frankly, I don't believe the "significantly better" part of the story so far. I have both so I can compare. So far (in a week of use) I haven't noticed any significant difference in call quality.

But Ooma does have a big advantage that they don't require my computer to be turned on for the phone to work. I can now leave my computer switched off in the night and when I'm not using it. It will save me a lot of money in long run. That's pretty much the main reason, I bought Ooma.

Outbound Caller Id Display Name for Ooma

Ooma, by default, uses my first name and last name as a caller id for the outgoing call. On their knowledge base they write:

From the Ooma Lounge, you can modify whether and how you want your name displayed on outbound calls.

This is plain incorrect -- you can't modify how your name is displayed from the Ooma Lounge. In fact, you have to call customer service and they will have to change it for you. Moreover, there is a fees of $11.50 for each such request. Ooma should disclose this upfront.

Installed Ooma today

I just got my Ooma phone system yesterady. It was easy to set it up. I started setup at 9:00 PM, my wife had a telephone conference at 9:30 PM. So I was on a deadline here :-)

But it was easy and it worked!

Good things that I want to say about Ooma:
- Of course, painless install process.
- Great product packaging.
- Simple and easy-to-understand product manual

No-so-good-things:
- The special Ooma tone that you hear as well as your caller hears. You have to call customer support to turn off the tone for your callers. The tone on your side can't be turned off.

- I'm having issues in dialing numbers. For example, if I want to dial 1-813-123-4567, as soon as I dial 1-813-123, my phone erases whatever I had keyed and replaces it with with MSG WAITING OFF. This doesn't happened all the time but very frquently. If I find a pattern, I post here. But this is VERY annoying. This is of course not my phone because this only happens when I use Ooma.