I'm disappointed that Ooma has gone out of its way to make it impossible to use an external answering machine properly.
Any $20 answering machine from Target will permit you to hear messages as they are being recorded, but Ooma requires that you pay $100/year for the "premier" ability to turn on "call screening." That's ridiculous. If Ooma doesn't allow you to hear incoming messages as a standard feature, they should not block customers from using their own secondary answering machines.
It is apparent that Ooma has programmed the system to BLOCK incoming keypad tones. You can test this yourself: Use a cell phone and call your Ooma number; answer the Ooma line and while listening on the Ooma line, punch some numbers on your cell phone. You will hear a faint but audible buzzing on the line every time you hit a number on the cell phone. Ooma is essentially "BLEEPING OUT" the incoming keypad tones, which means you will never be able to access your secondary answering machine remotely from an outside line.
Of course, when you hit the keypad on your Ooma line phone, THOSE keypad tones are allowed to go out. But no keypad tones are allowed to come in.
This is clearly manipulative and it does not reflect well on Ooma. I actually wonder about the legality of selectively blocking specific tones that are sent on a telecommunications line. What if I compose a song using only keypad tones, am I not allowed to play that song over a line connected with an Ooma? What about the rights of other manufacturers to create devices that provide useful services on telephone lines?
Any $20 answering machine from Target will permit you to hear messages as they are being recorded, but Ooma requires that you pay $100/year for the "premier" ability to turn on "call screening." That's ridiculous. If Ooma doesn't allow you to hear incoming messages as a standard feature, they should not block customers from using their own secondary answering machines.
It is apparent that Ooma has programmed the system to BLOCK incoming keypad tones. You can test this yourself: Use a cell phone and call your Ooma number; answer the Ooma line and while listening on the Ooma line, punch some numbers on your cell phone. You will hear a faint but audible buzzing on the line every time you hit a number on the cell phone. Ooma is essentially "BLEEPING OUT" the incoming keypad tones, which means you will never be able to access your secondary answering machine remotely from an outside line.
Of course, when you hit the keypad on your Ooma line phone, THOSE keypad tones are allowed to go out. But no keypad tones are allowed to come in.
This is clearly manipulative and it does not reflect well on Ooma. I actually wonder about the legality of selectively blocking specific tones that are sent on a telecommunications line. What if I compose a song using only keypad tones, am I not allowed to play that song over a line connected with an Ooma? What about the rights of other manufacturers to create devices that provide useful services on telephone lines?
