ring.to will not work with existing OBi devices (purchased prior to 5/1/2014)

Started by mushnut, May 24, 2014, 07:29:27 AM

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mushnut

Just in case you were wondering, I got an email back from OBi support informing me that existing customers will not be able to use their existing device (purchased prior to 5/1/14) with the free ring.to service. I was disappointed to see that they would disregard loyal customers like that.

When I asked why they weren't allowing existing customers to use the ring.to service for free this is the reply I got:

On May 19, 2014 2:25 PM, "Obihai Support Team" <support@obihai.com> wrote:
You can sign up for our other ASP service provider in OBiTALK (for example
Anveo or Phone Power)
see attached for Phone Power
The Ringto SP is our new addition to OBiTALK 's ASP plan.
The features are what Ringto offer.

-Obihai Support Team

On May 20, 2014 1:58 PM, "Obihai Support Team" <support@obihai.com> wrote:
Unfortunately, that is the term that ring.to has
But don't worry, our other ASP plan with Anveo or Phone Power provides low cost.

-Obihai Support Team

So they are putting the blame on ring.to saying that those were their terms. I find this hard to believe.

Kage

That doesn't make any sense unless Ring.to is getting a cut of obi sales as a way of offsetting their costs. Otherwise I can't see why they would care whether older boxes use them or not. I planned on getting an OBi200 anyway but still it seems like Obihai isn't being forthright.

vtsnaab

Pardon me - but frankly I do not see anything overly attractive about Phone Power, Anveo OR Ring.to - and the business tactics employed in their ASP efforts do not impress me either.

With so many other good providers to choose from I have chosen to completely ignore the 'officially' endorsed ones and thus far I am very glad for that choice.

mushnut

I also have a feeling that they are not being completely forthright.

drgeoff

I'm intrigued to know how Obihai, Ring.to or anyone can determine when an OBi device was purchased. Date of first registration at OBiTALK I could understand.

giqcass

I suspect they will use the Obion number or more likely the serial number to determine purchase date.  I also believe this is an effort to test the waters without overloading support or overloading the system.  If all goes well they might allow older Obi devices to register as well.  The sister company of Ring.to rolled out the Kit Kat update on their phones in a similar fashion to reduce support cost.  I trust the parent company of Ring.to Bandwidth.com since they have yet to steer me wrong.  Right now I consider the ring.to service to be an experiment that will allow them to develop a productive business model.
Long live our new ObiLords!

nitzan

Quote from: giqcass on May 24, 2014, 02:43:10 PMI also believe this is an effort to test the waters without overloading support or overloading the system.
Perhaps. Or more likely this is a business decision to enable Obihai to sell more adapters, lol. Or could be a little bit of both.

QuoteI trust the parent company of Ring.to Bandwidth.com since they have yet to steer me wrong.  Right now I consider the ring.to service to be an experiment that will allow them to develop a productive business model.
See, that's what I don't get - where is the business upside for BW? I can't think of a model where this is significantly profitable, unless they plan to charge for service in the future. If anything- they are taking paying customers and turning them into free customers thereby losing money on this deal/decision. Example: Joe is using VOIPo, so VOIPo is paying BW for Joe's usage. Joe ports his number over to Ring.to and viola - BW no longer gets paid - makes absolutely no business sense.
Nitzan Kon, CEO
Future Nine Corporation
http://www.future-nine.com/

drgeoff

Quote from: giqcass on May 24, 2014, 02:43:10 PM
I suspect they will use the Obion number or more likely the serial number to determine purchase date.
Please explain. Obihai do not supply directly to end-users. They may know the date a particular device was shipped to a wholesaler or retailer but how do they know how long it remained there before purchase by the end-user?

giqcass

Quote from: drgeoff on May 24, 2014, 05:14:49 PM
Quote from: giqcass on May 24, 2014, 02:43:10 PM
I suspect they will use the Obion number or more likely the serial number to determine purchase date.
Please explain. Obihai do not supply directly to end-users. They may know the date a particular device was shipped to a wholesaler or retailer but how do they know how long it remained there before purchase by the end-user?
I was thinking that as well but I suspect the date might be more of an approximation   Another option might be to use the date the Obi first called home.  Unless you lock your Obi down pretty tight it will talk to their servers.

Quote from: nitzan on May 24, 2014, 03:40:08 PM
See, that's what I don't get - where is the business upside for BW? I can't think of a model where this is significantly profitable, unless they plan to charge for service in the future. If anything- they are taking paying customers and turning them into free customers thereby losing money on this deal/decision. Example: Joe is using VOIPo, so VOIPo is paying BW for Joe's usage. Joe ports his number over to Ring.to and viola - BW no longer gets paid - makes absolutely no business sense.
The only upside I see for BW is in the R&D process.  I expect them to eventually start charging.  They have deep pockets so they can lose some money developing a new service.  It will be interesting to see how all of this turns out.
Long live our new ObiLords!

ceg3

I would be tempted to order a new one, but my dang OBi just refuses to die. ;D Not my fault Obihai makes a product that lasts! ::)

zorlac

Quote from: ceg3 on May 24, 2014, 07:55:54 PM
I would be tempted to order a new one, but my dang OBi just refuses to die. ;D Not my fault Obihai makes a product that lasts! ::)
Mine's tied to my house phone wires driving 6 phones, lets see if it makes it through this summer's lightning season.  :o
I did wrap the wire from the wall jack to the obi through a couple of split ferrite beads to hopefully ward off an early demise.

HDFLucky

Quote from: giqcass on May 24, 2014, 02:43:10 PM
I also believe this is an effort to test the waters without overloading support or overloading the system.  If all goes well they might allow older Obi devices to register as well.  The sister company of Ring.to rolled out the Kit Kat update on their phones in a similar fashion to reduce support cost.  I trust the parent company of Ring.to Bandwidth.com since they have yet to steer me wrong.  Right now I consider the ring.to service to be an experiment that will allow them to develop a productive business model.
I tend to agree. Another consideration is that as of May 15, GrooVe IP switched from Google Voice to ring.to as their sp. This has probably resulted in a massive uptick in new accounts and service requests. Once things settle down, we'll see.

drgeoff

Quote from: zorlac on May 25, 2014, 06:51:10 PM
Quote from: ceg3 on May 24, 2014, 07:55:54 PM
I would be tempted to order a new one, but my dang OBi just refuses to die. ;D Not my fault Obihai makes a product that lasts! ::)
Mine's tied to my house phone wires driving 6 phones, lets see if it makes it through this summer's lightening season.  :o
I did wrap the wire from the wall jack to the obi through a couple of split ferrite beads to hopefully ward off an early demise.
Your ferrite beads give absolutely no added protection against lightning. (Nor against lightening.)

zorlac

Quote from: drgeoff on May 26, 2014, 12:51:22 AM
Quote from: zorlac on May 25, 2014, 06:51:10 PM
Quote from: ceg3 on May 24, 2014, 07:55:54 PM
I would be tempted to order a new one, but my dang OBi just refuses to die. ;D Not my fault Obihai makes a product that lasts! ::)
Mine's tied to my house phone wires driving 6 phones, lets see if it makes it through this summer's lightening season.  :o
I did wrap the wire from the wall jack to the obi through a couple of split ferrite beads to hopefully ward off an early demise.
Your ferrite beads give absolutely no added protection against lightning. (Nor against lightening.)
Nah, I've been at this crap for decades so I respectfully disagree.

drgeoff

Quote from: zorlac on May 26, 2014, 06:47:21 AMNah, I've been at this crap for decades so I respectfully disagree.
I respect your right to disagree but you are wrong.  :)

The telcos have been at it even longer than you and they don't and never have used ferrite beads in their lightning protection devices.

The only sure way to protect an OBi (or any other) device from lightning is to disconnect it during thunderstorms.  ;D

zorlac

In effect what you are actually saying is that a series inductance will offer absolutely no attenuation to the common mode AC current induced into my house wiring that's traveling toward the obi box?
It may not be enough, but it's certainly better than absolutely nothing.
If you are talking about protecting against a direct strike well of course there's no protection against that!

I have deer whistles on two of my motorcycles & haven't hit a deer with either of them but I've bounced multiple deer off two automobiles that didn't have the whistles.
Doesn't that prove that the deer whistles work?  ;D



YASH

Purchased after May 1, 14  ONLY ::

This also complicates the issue, since,.. say for example,...

If they started selling after the May 1, 14 some particular OBIs-pieces  with their Id nos. suggesting in  a particular way, that reveals that, they were made and sold after May 1, 2014,
But still,.... so many e-bay dealers, neweggs, buy.com and many such net dealers have either a big chunk/load been already bought before that, and hence, even as a customer, if someone bought from them , say,..after May 1, 2014,..... it will be very hard to justify it,.... Unless,.. "ring.to" asks for the actual receipt of having bought that piece.

Or, perhaps,....
in this case,.. Obi may give all ID numbers that were already registered with them before May 1, 2014 and that's how "ring.to" can reject them to make them, eligible them,.. under the free offer.

Now,..
For GV, I think,.. they will stop the service by this May ending or say June or July ending, as May 15, 2014 was not such  a hard n' fast date, but just a guideline,.. for somewhere around the mid of the year 2014.

What I doubt one more thing, that  " ring.to " could also be just a pie in the sky, to tempt the  new customers to not to completely stop, buying these obi pieces, and  once after a period of one year when more customers are used to with them, they also will "pull a  Cat underneath the hat" ( after  a year ) by saying that, we have to also pay the taxes to the Govt, that we are paying uptil now, but now we will charge you, per your state taxes, and hence 4 dollars per month, and again the same story.

Nettalk who started with TK6000 and later nettalk duo
OOMA who stared with ooma classic and later Telo,..
had done the same, of charging you  a later, once you are used to with their products and its services,..

Alyson



Nettalk who started with TK6000 and later nettalk duo
OOMA who stared with ooma classic and later Telo,..
had done the same, of charging you  a later, once you are used to with their products and its services,..

[/quote]
Probably why the requirement to obtain e911 separately to keep the service free.