Voom's service started out with a hefty (several hundred dollars) investment required in equipment that would not be useful for anything else.
Voom did not carry any local channels; you had to have a separate OTA antenna to tune in local digital (or *shudder* analog) channels.
Voom didn't carry very many of the popular cable/satellite channels. Voom had more HDTV offerings, but in every other respect they were vastly inferior to comparable offerings from other satellite providers.
Voom was not a good choice for people with multiple sets, or for people who have RVs.
When Voom cut their prices, they did so to the extent that clearly indicated desparation and a company going under.
Bottom line: high prices, inferior choices compared to other satellite services, and a company that from the onset didn't look like it was going to survive.
-- Mark --