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I'd like to have Ooma allow me to set up the option to have call waiting notification or to have a call go directly to voicemail if I'm currently on the line.

Thanks

I second that request.

I asked them about that option earlier this year and the first response was that it could be done, but that it would be un-reversible if we chose to do so. We held off on that request until a couple of months ago, I asked if it was still an option to turn off Call Waiting permanently and the support tech said yes, but that the caller would just hear ring back without being forwarded to voicemail. I replied that my previous communication with Ooma support indicated that the callers would go to voicemail if I was on the phone when they called. My last response from Ooma contained a contradiction within the reply:
“Good day! We apologize for the inconvenience and confusion this issue may have caused you. Please be informed that once the Call Waiting feature has been disabled, incoming callers will just hear continuous rings until the voicemail picks up the call. You will not hear the call waiting beep from your end anymore. Incoming callers will not go directly to voicemail when the call waiting feature is disabled.”

At this point I don’t mind that it’s a permanent change; I just want to be sure that once Call Waiting is removed, that callers will go to voicemail if my line is busy.

To get mass adoption, Ooma needs to be able to mimic POTS (plain old telephone service). There are lots of older people who want to save money, but don't want to try anything new. They definitely need to turn off voicemail and call waiting. About the only new features they can tolerate are free long distance and caller id. And they want caller id works that as well as it does on Ma Bell.

For these people, saving money is most important, and pure unadulterated POTS emulation is the *must* *have* feature.

First off, get a real dial tone. The Ooma dialtone is distinctive all right, and immediately reminds an older person that this is not a real phone, but a goofy electronic gadget. It takes a long time to overcome that bias.

You should be able to turn off voicemail. No voicemail, ever. No stutter dial tone. Just a ring that lasts for hours.

You should be able to turn off call waiting. No call waiting ever. The caller just gets a busy signal, so they know to call back later. No beeping in the headset. When they are on the line, the caller gets a busy signal. Period full stop.

Have any of you people tried to get your parents to accept an ooma? Have you? You will have the best success if they can't tell it is an Ooma. "Mom, got you a new phone. Saves you $30/month. Works *exactly* like your old phone. Same phone number. Same phones around the house. Works exactly the same, except now you get caller ID and free long distance. You are going to love the savings."

POTS emulation should be easy and quick to set up. All the fancy Ooma phone features are nice gimmicks, and the kids probably love them. Great. Kids can have them. Except kids are all going to mobile phones. Who wants land lines? Older people. You want to sell phones to people who like land lines, you learn to emulate POTS.

POTS emulation is trivial to set up on a Vonage phone. Why is it *IMPOSSIBLE* on an Ooma???

Or no dial tone... Just a female voice saying, "Number Please"?