Magic Jack - Not A Bad Gadget for Free Calling But Forget About Customer Service if a Billing Error is Made
92Incidentally (Notes on Transferring Ownership, Lost or Stolen MagicJack, and Buying a Second-Hand MagicJack
A commenter brought up a situation in which he'd purchased a second-hand MagicJack but didn't have the original password and e.mail account information. Because it was a situation I haven't run into I went to Magic Jack's live chat to ask a few things about how things work if the device is lost or stolen, or if someone buys a second-hand Magic Jack. As it happened, I got a super-quick response when I clicked on live chat, and the person easily answered my questions within a very, very, short time.
Information on "odd" situations like this is below:
Lost or Stolen Magic Jack
If your MagicJack becomes lost or stolen contact the company immediately to block service.
Buying A Second-Hand MagicJack
If you're thinking about buying a second-hand MagicJack you should know that you should know that one thing you should do is get the original password and e.mail account information from the original owner. If you have that information you can change both, and you can also add your own credit card in case you want to buy additional years of service and/or International prepaid minutes. (This is based on my just checking with Keira, on MagicJack's live chat and asking.) A second-hand owner who has changed the password can also change the 911 information MagicJack has on record for the account.
I asked MagicJack's live chat about the password and original e.mail account in the case of a second-hand purchaser, and I was told both can be changed at any time, as long as someone has the original information.
MagicJack can be used on different computers, and it isn't necessary to have the password each time you change the computer on which the device is being used; so a second-hand user (even without the original information) would be able to use the device. Also, a second-hand purchaser (without a password) would be able to get technical assistance through MagicJack's frequently asked questions/search feature and through live chat with a MagicJack customer service rep.
What a potential purchaser of a second-hand device may wanted to double-check with the company, itself (as opposed to taking my word for it here) from the company, is what, exactly, does changing the password and e.mail information mean, in terms of being a second-hand owner (since there's no way to transfer ownership in the company's records). What information, that they keep on any account, can or can't be changed if a device is purchased second-hand (in view that ownership can't be transferred). In other words, a potential second-hand buyer should contact the company's live chat and ask what, exactly, "transferring ownership" means and doesn't mean. From what I gather, "transfer of ownership" seems to means nothing but who the company has on file as the owner. I asked if there's something a potential second-hand purchaser needs to know, and it appears to me there is nothing in particular (other than knowing his name will not be listed in MagicJack's file as the "owner"). I don't know how that matters if I can sell my MagicJack to any Tom, Dick, or Harry; give them the password, and consider (in my "mental records") them "owner". I suppose it could be a problem if someone were to try to claim a MagicJack device with lots of money on the account as part of an insurance claim after, say, a home burglary.
Of course, how important considering these details is depends on how much a potential second-hand purchaser would be spending. If someone can buy a second-hand device with only a year of service on it, that would be one thing. He'd have to measure the price of the device against the time left on it and consider the fact that the need to add more time and/or International prepaid minutes would come sooner on a device with less time/International minutes on it. A device with a lot of time in service left (as in the case of the commenter below) would mean no real need for putting money on a MagicJack account; but it would mean using the device with whatever limitations not able to transfer ownership may pose for a longer period of time. Of course, making certain to get the password and e.mail information from the original owner will eliminate a lot of problems.
The point is, if you're considering buying a second-hand MagicJack these are things you may want to ask before you do, particularly if you're going to be paying for several years of service already on the device. Then again, if someone has a MagicJack they no longer want or need and is willing to sell you the device and a year of service for very little money, go with it.
I can see a scenario where a MagicJack account may have a lot of prepaid International minutes on it already. I don't happen to know how far in advance anyone can pay for the "Gold Preferred" (5-year service) ahead of time. As far as I know, with the exception of International prepaid minutes, the most money involved with any MagicJack device and account would be the original $35 purchase price and any extra years of service, which, as far as I know, would most likely be about $59 for the 5-year service (in other words, not particularly worth worrying about any home burglaries and insurance claims over).
All the Clear Calls You Want - But Little Customer Support on Mistakes They Make in Charges
Don't ask me why I was up at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning, but I was. That's when the infomercial for Magic Jack was aired; and although I've never in my life been tempted by any infomercial, I fell for this one. (Actually, a couple of years ago there was that buy-one-get-one deal on inflatable guest beds, and that was hard to resist. Also, I'm still resisting the swivel-chair exerciser that allows a person to do the sit-down twist while watching television...) In any case, in all my wise-shopper wisdom I ordered the calling device. Once the damage was done I decided to research the product.
While I did find some good reviews, most of them were old. That's why I'm writing this piece.
Magic Jack is a tiny gadget that plugs into the USB port of your PC. Any phone can then be connected to Magic Jack, and - voila - all the free domestic calls you want (and prepaid International calls can be made for .02 a minute). When purchased by calling the number shown in the infomercial Magic Jack, itself, costs $39.99. That price is the purchase price for the gadget and includes a phone number advertised as being yours "for life". System requirements include Apple/Mac, Windows XP or Vista, as well as a high-speed Internet connection.
Magic Jack can be ordered on a free trial basis, so your credit card will not be billed unless you decide to keep the gadget.
The first year of service is offered at no charge, and the second year is offered at $19.99 (which can be paid when/if you decide to keep Magic Jack). The free-trial offer is what got me to make that call; but even with that I wondered if I had ordered something that would not work well.
While the company offering the product offers ways to deal with any difficulties in installing the software, all went super-smoothly and super-quickly with my installation. I've seen others say a similar thing about their installation.
Within minutes of plugging the device into the USB port it is possible to begin making calls with it.
For now, I'm using an inexpensive cordless phone system, so any extremely minor imperfections may be attributed to that (or to the fact that I haven't yet found the right audio settings on 1) the phone, 2) my computer, or 3) the Magic Jack program, itself. I've thought twice about even mentioning the very minor imperfection because it is, in fact, so minor.
The calls are clear, and I've been told that I sound exactly the same as I do when I use my cell phone (which is an almost-land-line-like sound). The person to whom I was spoke came in loud and clear, although that minor imperfection was present: He almost came in too loud, and there was just the hint of "airiness" in the background.
It was so slight it is almost not worth mentioning, because many PC calling systems have far worse (or else they sound as if they've gone dead while you are talking). I've called several automated systems (my bank and a couple of companies), and the quality of the call seemed perfect. When my trial-calling person called me from his home a couple of times I let his calls go to voice mail. Magic Jack sent me e.mails to let me know the voice mails were there and the number from which the sender called.
For now, I'm using a digital phone system, so there's the chance that an analog phone (or another brand or quality of phone) would eradicate the barely perceptable imperfection in the human-to-human call. For the most part, the device offers quality of calling that comes extremely close to land-line phones.
One note about the generally excellent, automated, system used to take phone orders for the product: While the process is well designed customers need to be careful at the very end of the ordering process. Once the order has been placed the system's "lady" asks if you will listen to one more thing. "She" explains how you can order other devices at a discounted price. The system then asks how many more the caller would like, but instructs what button to push if no additional devices are desired.
At this point in the process, however, there is the option to choose faster delivery (3 business days) over the free-shipping, 14-day, time-frame. This is where I accidentally ordered faster shipping, and I still don't quite know how that happened. Since the device can be ordered online (www.magicjack.com) at the same price and on the same free-trial basis, I think I would recommend ordering it that way, rather than over the telephone.
The company does warn that the product should not be relied as the only way to make a 911 call, in view of the possibility that power outages and computer problems can occur. Provided there are no unforeseen power problems, emergency calls can be made; and company offers the provision for the user to list his exact location. Since the product is portable and can be taken on trips and used with any computer and any phone, the company reminds users to remember to change the location they list for emergency calls.
Most of us have probably tried one kind of PC calling program/system or another at one time or another. While good quality calls may be available through these, I haven't really run into one of them. Getting full-service from these usually does require a per-month charge.
I ordered the gadget because I figured I had nothing to lose. If I liked it I could turn my computer into a phone (at least for the next two years) for a very reasonable, one-time, charge.
I think I like it. I think I'll keep it. (The company said I would, but I wasn't sure I could believe them.)
ADDITIONAL NOTE ADDED ONE DAY AFTER THIS WRITING:
Although the above piece could have been re-written, now that I have gotten rid of that "hint of imperfection" in sound quality, I thought that leaving the original piece, which pointed out the original (although minor) issue would be more helpful.
I have resolved that very minor problem by adjusting the sound in my headset to one level lower than it had been. Apparently, it turns out the calls come through TOO loud and clear, which may require turning the earpiece volume down a level.
Post Script: And Now About the Customer Service Problem:
It has been over a month since I've had the device. It works well. Last week I noticed, though, that my Magic Account did not show that I had signed up for the second year of service. My plan was to contact them to ask about that after they took their charges from my credit card, which was delayed until the 30 days had passed since I received the product.
My card was charged for priority shipping that I did not request, and it was charged for the second year of service that does not show up on my account. Magic Jack does not offer any kind of customer support other than online live chat, and my online chat lasted around an hour, with long, long, intervals between my input and getting a reply. In the end, I was told, essentially, that no refund for the priority shipping would occur (because I did, I've now discovered, get priority shipping that I DID NOT request). My request for a refund (in view of the fact that the second year doesn't show up on my account) was ignored. Essentially, I told the customer service rep that since I was being charged for shipping I hadn't requested I wanted to cancel the second year of service (whether or not my records even show that I have it). That request was ignored, and I was told to "give it a week", and the second week should show up in my account.
I asked for an e.mail or US mail address, so I could write to the company (and, yes, complain). That's when I was told there is no customer support other than the long, drawn-out, online chat.
As of today, I have been charged $73.00 (plus change), $19.99 of which is for a second year that isn't showing up in my account, and $13.00 (plus change) for shipping I specifically declined during the phone order process. If the second year shows up in a week, I suppose that's fine; but I don't appreciate having my request to cancel (since it isn't showing up anyway) just not even acknowledged.
I do not recommend ordering the device over their automated phone order-processing. It is too easy to have an error occur at the end, when they ask if you want priority shipping, the second year, and any additional devices. They do have their website, where orders can be placed and where, perhaps, such errors may be less likely to occur (although I don't know about that for sure).
About Voice Mail - When It Works
One question that has come up a few times is whether voice mail works when the computer is off or when the device is not plugged in. Apparently, even though the Magic Jack site says voice mail works whether the device is plugged, computer is off, or Internet connection is down; other resources have provided information that appears to conflict with Magic Jack's site, so people sometimes wonder. Here's the link to the page on the Magic Jack site, regarding voice mail:
http://www.magicjack.com/5/faq/
I've tested, for myself, whether voice mail works when my own PC is off and when the Magic Jack device is not plugged in. I called myself, left a message, and didn't plug the Magic Jack back into the computer until I turned it back on and checked my e.mail. Even without the device plugged in the e.mail (with the attached .wav file was there when I got to my Inbox).
(This question is addressed somewhere down the "row" of comments, but I thought I'd include this note about it here, in case anyone is wondering (and doesn't know about the comment that's quite a ways into the row of comments.)
A Note About Satellite Internet and MagicJack
A reader asked if MagicJack could be used with Satellite Internet, so I checked the MagicJack "knowledgebase" to see if I could find the answer.
In answer to the question about whether MagicJack recommends using the device with Satellite Internet MagicJack put an emphatic (all caps) "NO". They note that even though Satellite Internet is faster than dial-up, it is considerably slower than cable.
Copyright Notice
This page and its content is copyright of Lisa HW, with original publication in February, 2008 and ongoing changes to text found on this page. All rights reserved.
Author's Note: In Feburary 2007 I wrote the above account of my experience with purchasing and installing MagicJack. In the months since, readers have been amazingly helpful in contributing their own experiences.
Since it has been over a year since I first installed MagicJack, I thought I would "sum up" my experience with it now. The first review is the one written in February 2007. My update, as well as a wealth of reader contributions, follows.
16 Months Later - An Update
Since I've had MagicJack for a while now, I thought it may be useful to write an update.
It has been over 16 months since I purchased MagicJack (as a result of an impulse, infomercial, purchase). The software has been installed in my PC (with Vista) since then. The device, itself, has remained plugged into the same machine for the same length of time. My first year of free service has run out, so I'm now on that "extra" year (that I paid $20 for).
Although I'm only one consumer; based on my experience with MagicJack, I'd have to say that no news is good news.
Other than an echo problem; which turned out to be because I had the volume settings on too high, and which I resolved by using MagicJack's "troubleshooting" feature on their site); I've had no problems with the device, the existing installation, or the company. This was not the fault of the device, but there has been a time or two when I've moved my computer desk and made cables push against MagicJack, causing it to "sort of fall out" of the USB port. Because I use the port at the back of the machine, I haven't noticed that the blue light was off until I tried to make a call. Now I know to take a look behind the PC to make sure the light is on. That problem could be eliminated by using a front USB port, but I can't stress enough that it has only occurred twice and didn't happen "for no reason".
In the interest of full disclosure, I don't use the MagicJack phone regularly. It's an extra phone that, to me, just seemed worth the price. There are a few people who have that number, though, so I've had time to get a reading on the quality of calling. On my end, the calls sound exactly the way calls over the land line sound. There have been times when the person to whom I'm talking has reported a slight echo but said it wasn't "anything big".
Although, after the initial encounters I had with customer service (over relatively minor issues, as mentioned in previous writing), I have had no reason to contact MagicJack's live chat for myself; because I have tried to assist readers occasionally, I have had some limited, additional, dealings with the live chat feature. It has been satisfactory. It occurred to me to re-write the MagicJack Hub with a title that didn't send such a negative message about customer service; but the fact is that I, and others who have commented, did have the negative experiences mentioned. Maybe my first impression of customer service was not the best. Maybe I've only had no problems with it because my own issues were eventually resolved. In any case, things are as they are; and having more confidence in customer service today doesn't mean there was no reason not to in the past.
One thing I've had quite a bit of experience with is the MagicJack website. Again, because I've often looked for answers to people's questions by using the MagicJack "knowledgebase", I gotten to know the site much better than I had in the past (or that many casual users may). I've discovered that once a person knows the site better (and it can take some time), it gets easier to know better what kind of words to use when searching.
I've had two automatic upgrades to the software, and they went well and without any "big deals" or problems.
I suspect that if I'd take the time (and I should, in view of the fact that I've found myself writing more about MagicJack than I ever planned to), I think I could probably eliminate the minor echo occasionally reported by others who talk to me. It doesn't happen all that often, though, and even when I do try to use the troubleshooting feature to further adjust volumes, it will be kind of tricky to know whether the problem is solved. It would involve making adjustments and then making a bunch of calls and asking people if there was the hint of echo. I haven't had the inclination to be bothered doing that. For the record, I'm using an inexpensive, cordless phone.
In spite of that (truly) minor imperfection perceived only by the occasional caller, I have to say I kind of love MagicJack. I'll admit part of that "love" could be the "gadget appeal", but I just find it kind of "neat" to have that extra phone number and phone; and the knowledge that if and when I ever do get to go on vacation (and I will - soon), I'll get to tote my phone number with me.
I see lots of complaints (especially on YouTube) about MagicJack, and I'm obviously not in a position to dispute or question them. I do sometimes wonder if some of these people just didn't do something correctly, or if they have the wrong PC or connection. I guess it isn't my business.
In any case, MagicJack is now being sold at a number of retailers (which is very different than when I purchased mine). In view of the guarantee on the device, I, personally, don't see how anyone can go too wrong with it.
About the 911 Icon on the Magic Jack "Soft Phone" (Screen)
A reader asked it's possible to accidentally dial 911 from the Magic Jack "soft phone" (the Magic Jack screen that shows up on your PC's screen when you use Magic Jack for calls). I'd never paid much attention to that icon, which will appear in different colors, depending on whether your location (for 911 purposes ) is on record with Magic Jack and whether Magic Jack 911 service is available in your area.
Green indicates that your location is on file (as you've entered it). Magic Jack urges users to keep their 911 location information up-to-date.
Red indicates Magic Jack cannot identify your location. To fix this click on the red light in http://my.magicjack.com
Yellow indicates that Magic Jack cannot immediately identify your physical location. Verifying your physical location may take a few days.
With regard to whether accidentally pressing that 911 icon on the Magic Jack soft phone could reach 911 operators: YES
One customer-service/tech-service rep with Magic Jack pointed out that the 911 icon is set off from the the numbers and that accidentally hitting it (and reaching 911) is not likely. I don't think the icon is all that far away from the star, the zero, and the pound sign. I can see how if you have a mouse that may stick a little on your desk surface it might be fairly easy to have a slip-up. I don't have a mouse pad on my small computer desk (no room for one, really, because I have a good-sized, egonomic, keyboard). Once in a while the mouse does stick ever so slightly.
Another thought is that small children (either making calls or sitting on a caller's lap) could find the round, green, button (again the otherwise mostly black screen) appealing enough to want to click it.
One reason I never really paid much attention to the 911 icon is that I always dial from my real phone, rather than the screen's soft phone. Another point about the icon is that it never even occurred to me that it could be a "live" icon. Dialing from the real phone eliminates the possibility of a 911 mishap, although I'd think that just being a little careful when clicking the bottom row of the soft phone's keypad ought to be all that's necessary to all but eliminate the possibility of a mishap.
My own plan is that if I ever need 911 I'll reach for a phone other than the Magic Jack phone anyway. Somehow, with all the warnings about limitations of Magic Jack when it comes to 911 service I've just never planned to use it (even though I do have my location information listed just in case).
For more information (and recommended information) about 911 service from your Magic Jack phone:
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Skype offers PC to PC calls free, or you can make PC to phone calls if you add money to an account. Then they have the option of you paying x amount every x number of months, and they give you a "regular" phone number to be used like you use any phone. I believe that when you sign up for that type of service you pay for your monthly subscription to cover unlimited domestic calls, and the phone number is essentially just offered with it. Low rates on International calls are offered separately.
With Skype you download their software, and it's very much like the window that people have with Instant Messenger services. Once you have Skype on your machine you can also chat, talk PC to PC, or do a number of things through their window. You can add a VOIP phone that is compatible with SKype if you want. You can get phones that are "dual telephony" and work with Skype AND your land line. You can also use a headset with a mic to talk with Skype. Some VOIP phones plug into your USB port and are not portable. Others have a base that plugs into the USB port, but are cordless phones (which let you move away from your PC while you're talking over Skype).
For more money than a "plain old" VOIP phone costs, you can, if you want, find a WiFi Skype phone that would allow you to shut down your computer and make Skype calls. This kind of phone would also work whereever there is a "hot spot" away from home.
Skype lets you choose from a few area codes. Mine happened to be available. How much choice you have depends on how many numbers are available in your area, but you may get to choose between a few actual phone numbers too.
The Skype program is in your own computer, so if you have a desktop and are using someone else's away from home I don't believe (unless you have one of the high-priced WiFi phones) you can use your Skype service.
Magic Jack is a little device that, when you hook it up to your USB port, first installs the Magic Jack software. The window you get is pretty much just related to your own phone. You can click to view your voice mails or to get to your Magic Jack account. There's no chatting or anything like that. With Skype, to call a "regular" phone number you need first to first to do something like press 0, wait to see a plus sign, dial 1, and then dial the number as usual. That gets your phone to "know" you're calling outside Skype. It's not a big deal, but it's a bigger deal than just picking and dialing. With a good phone and high-speed internet connection Skype calls sound exactly like land line calls (although there can be ever the slightest delay when you first say "hello".)
Magic Jack works with a regular phone, but instead of plugging the phone into your wall jack you plug it plug it into Magic Jack (and if it's a cordless phone, you have to plug another cord into an outlet to power the charger).
With Magic Jack, once you have the device, phone and installation all set up you can make calls as if the phone was a landline (although a window does pop up on your sceen) if you make a call. (You can minimize it if you want.) You need, I believe, a high-speed connection. The quality is good, although, as with Skype, there can be ever-the-slightest delay when you first pick up the phone.
Quality also depends on the quality of the "regular" phone you plug in.
Magic Jack, like Skype, gives you some area codes from which to choose, and, again, it depends on what's available for your area. I believe you can select from a few phone numbers with them as well, but, again, it depends on availability.
With Magic Jack you pay $35 plus shipping for the device, and they give you a year of service of unlimited domestic calls free. You can sign up for an exrra year or two at $20 a year (as of this writing, June, 2008). The number they give you is yours forever (as long as you keep the device). If you move or travel you can bring the device with you and use it with another computer and phone (but, of course, if you plug it into someone else's computer it will have to first install).
Magic Jack offers low rates on International calls as well. I believe that the US and Canada are considered "domestic", although I'm not positive.
There is voice mail, and they send an e.mail if you get a voice mail. You can give them your address for 911 service, but since power failures mean you have no computer, you shouldn't count on Magic Jack for 911 service. It's there, but only if you make sure they have the correct address, only if your machine is on, and only if they even offer it for your area.
Whether it's the Magic Jack device or a Skype phone, once you buy one it's yours; and the only issue is paying for the service. Both services are low on an annual basis, and both offer unlimited domestic calls. If you buy a Skype phone and use only the free, PC-to-PC, Skype service you pay no more than the cost of the phone; but the only people you can talk to are other Skype users. That means you can't make business calls, etc. from Skype, unless, of course, you choose to buy some credits for that purpose (also very low cost).
I have my regular phone service, but because I work online and sometimes may want to talk state-to-state, I got Magic Jack. Then, because I was working for someone who wanted people to use Skype for calls, I got Skype. Both are good (if you have a recent enough operating system on your computer and a high-speed connection). Both can save a lot of money on cell phone time if you use your cell phone for making long-distance calls.
Thanks for the detailed response to my question. I found it very helpful.
does anyone no a phone number for Magic Jack not the Infomercial one, I hear that calling the area code 518 NY the person u call are being charged for the call. WATCH OUT FOR TAT
If you have a serious issue with MJ you can email Dan (the person who invented the product) at dan@magicjack.com. I tried it when I was having an issue and recieved an immediate response. I was quite impressed. I have been using mine a month now and its great.
Good information, Bill. I haven't checked back yet on my account yet, but two things happened with me. First, when I ordered I ended up getting express shipping (and I don't know how and didn't want it). Since that was recorded at the time of the order there was no getting it fixed. The other thing was my account showed up for x number of year's service but not the extra one I had ordered. I was told during online chat, "It's fine. Even though it looks like it isn't showing in your account, we have it in the records. It should show up in a 7 days."
There was something kind of "unresolved feeling" about how it was handled, and the thing with the express shipping I didn't want and couldnt get a refund for was something i wasn't happy with.
I asked if there was a supervisor or someone, or if I could e.mail the company (in my effort to try to prove my points/side), and I was told there is no phone number or address "at this time". (This was back closer to the beginning of 2008).
I have had a majic jack for a while now and I love it. All free calls what else could you want. Its clear as day. i love it
I ordered the majic jack...sent it back the next day. I found it inconvenient. You can't dial a number, it rings, and someone answers...the call will not go through unless you click "send" from your computer. I don't want to be tied to my computer when I'm making phone calls.
I have Vonage..it works great...has all the bells and whistles...low cost...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
PS...NEVER respond to an infomercial by ordering over the phone, unless you like to listen to someone trying to sell you a million other "related...need to have...fantastic offers for the next 30 minutes. I always order online so I don't have to put up with that aggravation.
Just so other people know, if you use a "regular" phone with Magic Jack you can dial out as if it were a landline. I don't know what phone, Internet hook-up, or other problems would cause problems just dialing as if the phone were a "regular, land-line, phone"; but ordinarily, the calls can be made without having to hit "send".
I have a cordless phone set up with my Magic Jack, so cordless phone works ok too.
Cordless phone works OK too?? Yeah, as long as you aren't using 2.4 GHZ cordless phone AND 2.4GHZ WiFi together.
I ordered the magic jack, very displeased with the service. I ordered it, then saw the SKYPE thing. I tried the SKYPE and liked it, so I canceled my order with magic jack TWICE!! By the way, the only way I found to customer service was through live person, that little chat thing. Anyways, they went ahead and charged my card, though I had a free trial and I was only supposed to be a hold, wait a min, I left out an important part....So, I decided to go for the free trial, but I did not have enough money on my card and I didn't know until the end that they would charge or hold my card. Anyways, once it declined, I figured the order was canceled, I figured wrong. Well over a week later, they ran my card again, and got thier money. So, this is when I canceled the order...THE FIRST TIME. Later that afternoon, I got an email stating that my magic jack was going to be shipped the next morning. So, back to the live chat I go, canceling the order for SECOND time. Now, she was very nice and told me it was canceled, well guess what, I get home today and in my mailbox...you guessed it, the magic jack I canceled TWICE. So, back to live help, operator, whatever it is, she really upset me, I told her breifley what happened, she sends me this link and tells me to print the page, I tell her, I have no printer, finally after I tell her I HAVE NO PRINTER OR ACCESS TO ONE 4 timers,she proceeds to tell me to write down all the information and send back the jack, well if they don't have all this info...they will not credit your charge card. I am so freaking aggravated, and I went through all this without even trying the actual service, how rediculous is this company?
I have the magic jack and I am in Madrid, Spain today with my magic jack that I traveled with from Florida, USA and it works GREAT just like I knew it would. I LOVE MY MAGIC JACK, everyone that has my number has been able to call me here in Madrid, Spain and can not tell I am not at home. WOW !!!!
August 23, 2008: Update on my Hub
Yesterday Magic Jack did an upgrade, so that's good. On the negative side, a couple of months ago I noticed that even though I paid for an additional year (beyond the first free year) of service, it didn't show up when I go to my account. I did an online chat and was assured it is in my record and would show up in my account "in a week". I took their word for that and never went back to check. Yesterday - for the heck of it - I checked and discovered that the additional year of service still does not show up in my account. (I hope they still have it in their "secret" records.) I'll have to do yet another online chat when I'm in the mood.
does the magic jack work on a fax machine thanks just wondering if I should order
I don't really know why it wouldn't, but if you go to their site (under frequently asked questions) you'll see where you can talk to someone online, live, to ask. It probably wouldn't hurt to double-check.
good hub. We have a magic jack and other than a few glitches now and then it is well worth the money.
Wy magic jack when you get it free in this website.I do not understand what the buzz is about this technology has been around for ages.www.bueno.com
I have a question that I thought of while watching this. Can you hook it up to a laptop on a wifi sytem? If so couldn't you just go wardriving and not be charged anything? I'm interested in seen if I could build one/copy their design. Free "mobile" phones LOL
I'm not sure I entirely understand your question, and I'm not sure I have the answer with regard to MagicJack, so maybe someone else can add input here.
With MagicJack, once you buy the device you get one year of domestic service free and super-cheap International calls. You can sign up for additional years at $20. MagicJack works specifically from your PC and recognizes it. MagicJack says the reason the device is portable is that service is not tied to the computer it is originally registered on; and that all you have to do is plug in the device to another computer, wait for the software to appear, and then make calls.
I know that with Skype (which has WiFi phones that are compatible) you can sign up for either Skype-to-Skype calls (free) and use the WiFi phone wherever you can pick up Internet service. With Skype, for only about $3 a month you can have a "regular" phone number for incoming and outgoing calls; and you should be able to take that WiFi phone anywhere there's Internet. You wouldn't even need your laptop. Skype has phones that can used even when your PC is not on.
To the best of my understanding, MagicJack and Skype transmit calls through a different process. Skype uses the Internet, but (I could be wrong about this) I believe MagicJack puts your calls to a phone network. I would ask MagicJack customer service for the purpose of this Hub, but - really - it takes a long time to deal with their online chat. I don't see the answer to your specific question on their site.
I do see that they say you can use MagicJack anywhere you can get Internet service.
Someone else probably can specifically answer your question, or else the "chat with customer service" feature on www.magicjack.com would probably be where to get the answer.
C Thrilla: I just went back to MagicJack's site, and it does say the device works with wireless Internet.
I got my majic jack in only 3 days. this is great. I have a question though: I can call anyone in the us for free but does the person who receives the call (out of stste) have to pay a long distance charge for my calling them via my majic jack if they do not have a majic jack on the receiving call end? Is a majic jack call free to make and receive?
If you are calling someone's cell phone they'll end up pay for the time, no matter who calls them on what, or from where.
Other than that, Magic Jack works essentially like a home phone. You have your service and whatever long distance are covered, and people who receive your calls on a home or business phone (or another MagicJack "situation") would not pay.
That's the good thing about MagicJack. It doesn't "care" who you call. (International call rates and arrangement, however, do have to be set up separately with MagicJack.)
All these voips depend on high speed connection so dial-uppers dont have a participating chance. However, Yahoo voice and Skype offer tremedous services which I find more interesting than Magic Jerk. There is the possibility of sending and receiving text messages or sms from cell phones. For Yahoo which I use, you pay $29.99 for a year and you have the option of calling landlines with a prepaid topup. But it costs 1c per minute. Both Skype and Yahoo voice can work as video calling services if u know how to set them up. Its got voice mail, offline messaging etc. If you need more info on this just holla me don@adesua.com and let me know exactly what kinda support you want.
As much as people think Magic Jack sucks, I find more consolation in the old schoolers Yahoo and Skype they will always let you have your refund if you want it, and you get a professional customer service as well. Dont trust those early dawn infomercials and their scout who go around product review websites to debunk the explicit impressions as moronic. They get paid to make the product look and sound good. A bird in hand is worth more.
Go with the trusted services, like Yahoo & Skype. They will be willing to compensate you more if you file a suit against them, unlike Majic Jack which has no means of reaching them..
Don, good point in reminding people about the high-speed connection. I would not go so far as to say that MagicJack is as bad as you say it is. I do have a high-speed connection, and, for the most part, the phone works fine.
Because I'm signed up as a freelancer with an employment-match company that requires providers to have Skype, I have Skype too. I have to say I'm really, really, pleased with the quality of calls on Skype. I do have a higher quality phone that I use with the Skype service, though.
For some reason, I (a long time ago) hook up a super-cheapy USB phone on Yahoo messenger, and that - amazingly enough - works well. I have no real reason to use it, though.
As for MagicJack, months after I bought it (and even though I'm relatively pleased with it - although not nearly as pleased as I am with the Skype service), the phone just kind of sits there, not being used very often at all. Of course, one can only use so many phones; so that's part of it.
I still say it's "not a bad gadget". For the price, I don't regret purchasing it and just having the extra service. One automatic upgrade has come through since I installed MagicJack, so I guess I'll probably sign up for a third year of service in 2010. At this point, it's kind of a "why not" type of thing.
When I registered on line I was asked if I wanted incoming or outgoing calls, I thought all calls were free. Someone please explain or tell me where to call.
Domestic calls with MagicJack are unlimited when you have a "license" (pay a yearly fee) for the calls. As of this writing, it's, I think, $20 a year (maybe 19.99).
With Skype:
You download the software and get an account. For no charge you can talk with other people who have Skype on their PC and have signed up for a Skype account (gotten a screen name). You can also instant message other Skype members and do a number of things.
If you buy time for calling anyone who doesn't have Skype you get a number (I think they call it a "network" number or something like that.) It's not a regular phone number. You can make calls to non-Skype people, and the prepaid balance goes down as you make more calls. You can call anyone, but if people want to call you they need to get through to that "weird" number. (The only reason it's "weird" is it isn't a standard phone number.) Your incoming and outgoing calls to non-Skype users will all reduce your balance.
You can get prepaid cards or add money to your Skype account with a credit card or through PayPal. $5 will get you quite a bit of time.
Something else you can do with Skype is to pay for a "real" phone number that people can call and from which you make your calls. That means people aren't dealing with the "funny" number, and you're not watching your balance go down. You get unlimited domestic calls for a very low per-month charge (I think I'm paying 2.99 a month. I pay it every three months.) They let you select the area code (if your own is available) for the number.
In other words,
If you have friends and relatives who also have Skype, you can call them free - but you have to use their Skype screen name, rather than dial their phone number.
For a few dollars you can have cheap, prepaid, calls (with the balance going down as the calls use up the minutes)
For 2.99 a month (unless they change that) you can sign up for a "real" phone number and use the phone BOTH to talk to Skype contact and to make and receive calls from anyone.
Other note: I believe if you want the "regular" phone number you have to buy "use" of that number each year; and then you pay for the actual service separately. I believe you can get the unlimited service (2.99/month) without the "good" phone number too. For that you get the unlimited domestic calls with a "funny" network number.
newcustomer: Correction to above: I just checked. Apparently, SkypeCredit (which is what you get when you add money to a basic Skype account, with PayPal or a credit card) can be used for outgoing calls only. Apparently, if you have enough SkypeCredit you could use it to buy a subscription for incoming calls.) (They aren't the best when it comes to putting everything up front, rather than having to click deeper for more information.)
I purchased 2 MagicJacks, installed on my computer (Xp) and installed the other on a friends computer (Vista). My magicJack drive a hardwired phone. My friends drives a wieless phone (6GHz i think). I have made many calls and it has for the most part worke great. My friend's Magicjack has given her trouible. She has moved the USB around and now has it plugged into the back of the system. The voice comes across very chopped up, sometimes on the receiving end and sometimes on the calling end. Any suggestions?
My PC came with Vista (rather than be upgraded to it). MagicJack installed and works fine. MagicJack's site does have a technical issues section under (I believe) FAQ. I'm using a cordless phone set, with a handset on my desk and a handset in another room. From what I understand, a cordless phone could have more problems, related to the frequency (although I believe most cordless phones today are designed to eliminate such issues).
Other than trying a "regular" phone (one that is not cordless) if there's one around the house, your friend could try (if she hasn't already) going to MagicJack.com, selecting the "FAQ" option, and then going to the "technical issues" section. There is a list of different things to try and the order in which they should be tried.
Hi everyone,
I bought magic jack its a life saver i had taken it with me on my trip to Cuba it worked really fine in the hotel i was staying and was able to take care of my business chores from there. I brought it from a store called Alphalinks in Scarborough they are very courteous and they gave all the information required for an easy setup. I first thought to order from US but their response was so poor and turnaround time was too long finally found these guys Alphalinks. People interested in buying magic jack can buy now in Toronto in Alphalinks and to my knowledge they have a huge stocks of it and heard they are reselling it to small computers stores around there. You can buy it online on their website too. Their pricing is reasonable and it includes shipping, Taxes and last but not least in Canadian dollars.
They have their address posted in their website.www.Alphalinks.ca
Great hub!
Nice hub. This is so muhc interesting.
Can you use MagicJack with ubuntu/linux system?
Magic Jack is an excellent product.
Only one problem for me...
I'm on my computer 8-10 hours a day and everytime the phone rings it Magic Jack's softphone pops up interrupting my work. Magic Jack needs a feature that allows the option of the softphone to pop up or just the Caller ID but only on the toolbar and not in the middle of the screen.
Overall great product.
I recommend it!
Magic Jack is an excellent product.
Only one problem for me...
I'm on my computer 8-10 hours a day and everytime the phone rings it Magic Jack's softphone pops up interrupting my work. Magic Jack needs a feature that allows the option of the softphone to pop up or just the Caller ID but only on the toolbar and not in the middle of the screen.
Overall great product.
I recommend it!
I agree about the pop-up situation. It's a minor issue if you don't get many calls on the phone (which I don't), but that thought has "occurred" to me right from the beginning of having MagicJack.
David, I was hoping someone else had the the answer to that question, based on their own personal experience. I'm not comfortable speaking on behalf of Magic Jack on technical matters. If you go to MagicJack.com you can chat online with a customer service person.
If anyone "out there" has had positive/negative experience with this particular question please share.
For $20 dollars a year, mjack lets me efficiently receive & make calls. it already replaced my att landline service. And I have a cell phone that practically replaced my house phone in the first place. So if you dont want to pay a lot monthly but dont want to loose your "house" phone this thing is great.
David: Unfortunately, no. People have tried and failed to get it working under linux. Six months ago, Magic Jack's inventor gave an interview in which he claimed they were working on Linux support, but so far there is no word of progress or whether they are even working on it at all. See
I just ordered MJ online and at the end of the process, I was offered an "additional" 5 years with a handful of features for 59.99. What was the benefit/advantage of accepting this offer? Was it just a discount of future years of service?
Mike
That wasn't being offered when I ordered Magic Jack. It is a good deal. Normally, five years would cost you $100 ($20 a year), if they don't raise their annual charge. I ordered just one extra year, figuring it was worth not having to think about it for a while.
The creator has said that they plan to have it working with linux, but didn't give a solid date.
hello ,i have this system over a month now . instalation was very easy-just remember ,you need high speed connection!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . works very good, no problems so far . i paid about 42 dollars for it including one year of service. now i'm already saving money ( think about regular phone --will cost you just about 35-40 bucks a month ). i will make another post next month . it's a strong buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ah don't forget . works onlt with windows xp or vista ---din't try on linux ,will in the future
I have magicjack for 3 mos. now and had very few problems-I had to have online chats each time but problems were resolved-for instance most of the problems were mj was not responding and I had to unplug from usb port and plug back in many times and sometimes I would be disconnected while on a call and of course if pc went down for any reason so does mj-other than that pricing is great! no extra chgs. were made and 30 day trial was right on time
Hello everyone. Question... So far so good on majic-jack (2) days, but do I always have to enter the area code when making local calls? thanks in advance for your response
US calls always require the area code. You can use MagicJack the way you use a "regular" phone.
Thanks Lisa
Am I understand right that the difference between Magic Jack and the Skypen (when I pay for a local number ) is the Magic Jack can receive calls and dial out when my computer is on, but, the skype can only dial out calls? Do I still get the voice mail on Magic Jack when my computer is off? I have an i-phone, is there anything it can link to any one of the products when I am on the go?
I just want to get an land line number for my office where already has high speed internet, but, I don't want to pay for high monthly land line phone bill as I will not have many phone calls. Any suggestions on which one is better? Thanks in advance for any advice!
I bought it and it worked ok. After a couple of weeks of use I started having trouble with call quality - the sound was breaking up. They have a web-site for support but it is clearly an automated site and it is TERRIBLE. Today, I found that the software was missing. I tried to reinstall the jack and just cannot get the software to start.
The most FRUSTRTING aspect of this whole deal is that you get NO PERSONAL LIVE SUPPORT. There is no one you can ever call - no way - no how!!!
I AM RETURNING IT - IT SIMPLY ISN'T WORTH THE AGGRAVATION.
Xj2008, Both have voice mail.
With Magic Jack you buy the device and get one year of $20 service with that (as of the current promotion). You get a phone number that is yours permanently. With any regular phone (cordless or not) you make calls as you would a "regular" phone. The computer must be on, but you can use Magic Jack anywhere you go (provided you have access to a PC to plug in the device).
I don't happen to know what iPhone's capabilities are; maybe someone else does; but Magic Jack does require the computer it's plugged into to be on (of course).
Skype has a WiFi wireless phone capability (Skype-compatible phones are sold in a lot of places). That lets you use Skype even when your computer is not on, or if you were out somewhere where you could pick up wireless service. Those phones are in the area of $150 to $200 (an up).
With Skype you can sign up for incoming/outgoing calls by signing up to get your own "regular" phone number. You pay for the phone number separately. From there you pay for either unlimited domestic calls (if you want). They have other plans, but that's the one that most resembles a "normal" office set up.
I have never needed to call customer service, at least yet. But I think Magic Jack is a great device and service.
When i first got it for 10 days it didnt work , then after 150 chats i actually got them to call me on the home phone , yes i have their phone number to reach a live person , $10 each request , lol - it all boils down to the PC you have , the older the hardware the worst the call is , the faster the PC and internet the better it works , but then better hope your isp dont sell phone service too becuase they are against the magic jack users and will do whatever to kill your use even if it means to lose your money all together .
I just ordered my MJ on Sunday night 10/26/08. I wish now that I had upgraded the postage to express delivery! I'm very anxious to try and I now realize by not upgrading to express shipping your "free 30 day trial" is really only a 15 day trial (they do say that the free trail starts the day the ORDER is placed). Once the order is placed you’ll get an email in an hour with all of the info. Included in the email is a link to check the status of the delivery. Mine still has not been shipped yet 10/29/08. I also want to say the even when ordering online be careful when you are checking out. They offer all of these extras and some of wording is difficult to understand without re-reading a couple of time. So I can see how easy it would be to order something that you don't really want. I was also wondering (too late now) but if you order more than one device do you only pay the shipping and handling for one device or do you pay it for each device? If I really like it I think that I'll be ordering some for gifts for my family this Christmas!
Good point about the 30-day trial. I had been under the impression it began when the device is installed or at least when it was delivered.
Something else I discovered: I went online the other day because I, too, was thinking about gifts for people. I noticed that if you order online and use a debit card the card will be billed immediately. If you use a credit card it will not be billed until "the 31st day". People actually placing an order online will see this, and I'm assuming there's a chance a similar notification is given if someone orders over the phone, but I found it kind of misleading to have the "pay nothing for 30 days" thing advertised and then discover "but not with a debit card".
Possibly, they have my name and address on file, and that could be the reason for the debit card/credit card difference in billing - but it is something people should pay attention to.
has anyone been successful in buying majic jack thru an onlline retailer?
I ordered the Magic Jack at the recommendation of the installer of my high speed internet. He recommended Magic Jack over Vonage... I have had Vonage for over 4 years without ever a problem, but since Magic Jack came under recommendation, I figured I would try it. By the way, I kept Vonage while waiting for the Magic Jack order to arrive. Well, I checked my billing statement today and found that I have been charged $93.80 twice on two different dates! So, I called my bank and they provided me with the number as listed on the billing charge (281.404.1551). I was advised by my bank to call Magic Jack to have this resolved. I called, spoke with a MJ Representative and she did not appear to understand what I was explaining... All in all, I canceled my order. Now I must call my bank and report fraudulent charges. Vonage may be more expensive than Magic Jack, but it is still cheaper than the phone company... Still, keep in mind, Vonage advertises on commercial television and Magic Jack does not... That must speak something of the company, right?! My vote, Vonage!
I like the Magic Jack purchased from QVC so they are the only people who have my credit information. My problem is that although Magic Jack worked beautifully for the first few weeks, now when I click on the ican to open it, an error message says" ERROR deploying file magicJack.exe. Access denied or file in use. It can be used by applications or system. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN????? glhappy2b@aol.com
I have had the Magic Jack for over 9 months. So far I have been completely satified with it. Every once in a while I get a connection that comes in broken. I tell whomever I am speaking with I will call them back. I redial the number and most of the time I then have a clear static free connection. For $19 a year really it's a deal.
I just purchased the magic jack on Saturday. I was told by the automated seller I would be getting a confirmation e-mail. I have been waiting and never got one so I chatted with nash and he gave me an order number and said to go online and check it. mymajicjack.com/orderstatus.html I went to the website and it was a website for majicians. I tried chatting back with them and got wendel. I told him I was wondering why I did not an email he took all my information and then asked the most bizzar question. What is the password to my email account so they can send me an email. I blew up and told him passwords are my knowledge not anyone else's. be very aware when giving out passwords. no none should require such information. He said they store it in their database. I said I don't care. I never did find out what the orderstatus website is!
Also I recently heard that once you download this product onto your computer it is impossible to uninstall. It is also said to interlink to your computer and enter spyware. It watches what I look at and I get sent advertisements for such things. Can anyone verify or debunk these rumors? I am now thinking twice of purchasing. I have never had anyone ask me for a password to send an email. And over the summer I won a prize on a dr. pepper bottlecap and took the prize it was a screensaver for a movie my husband enjoyed. It was attached to a virus and my 6 month old computer was now a paper weight. So you see my fear. I am not sure if I am doing the right thing, but my normal phone bill is $65 per month. I have cel phones now and am paying $200 per month. It is more accessable and conveinient to contact my family. Help! any one?
what about the spyware that is downloaded to your PC when you plug the device in?, and you have to agree to let them sell your info to third party callers, and them being able to track all your internet use,how about that?
No pranks please I left me address in
Marcia, I've had the MagicJack on my machine since last February, and I have no reason to think there's anything "funny" with it. I have decent spyware/adware software, and nothing strange has been detected. From my own experience, all that has gone on with the MagicJack software is that there was one automatic upgrade, but it was clear that's what it was. Otherwise, no activity from the software seems to show up. I'm wondering if someone has MagicJack confused with other computer phone software.
On the requesting the password thing: I suspect the customer service person may have wanted your MagicJack password. They have your name, address, phone number, 911 location (town if 911 is available from them in your town), e.mail address, and MagicJack account password.
I'm wondering, too, even if there could have been a new customer service person who didn't understand which password s/he was supposed to be asking for.
Lisa how can I remove my address from my blog. I did not realize I had it in there
On the requesting password thing: I specifically asked them and they wanted my personal email they said the one they gave me is not real
The following is a re-posting of Marcia's earlier comment, which I removed at her request because private information was inadvertently included in the original post:
Marcia's Comments:
I tried once again to get some more info and here is the whole chat conversation
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Sharon'
Sharon: Hello, how may I help you?
Marcia B: What is the email I received. I thought I was getting a confirmation email. All it says is password 123456. what is this and what does it mean
Sharon: May I know the exact nature of your problem with full details please?
Marcia B: I chatted with nash and he told me because I bought the majic jack over the phone I wont be getting a confirmation email but the woman on the phone when I ordered it says I will be getting one. I called back and talked to wendel and he asked me for my password to my email account so they can send me a cofirmation I blew up and said it was none of his business. He said fine then sent the confirmation email. but all it is is a series of numbers 123456 what are they and what do they mean?
Sharon: Okay.
Marcia B: I was also wondering what the website was to track my order. Nash gave a website of mymajicjack.com/orderstatus.html I went on the site and all it was, was a majicians website to order majic tricks. How can I keep an eye on my order?
Sharon: Please give me your full name, email address and sales order number.
Marcia Bukowski: Marciab@__________(edited to remove personal info).
Sharon: Thank you for the information.
Sharon: Please hold on while I'll check that for you.
Sharon: Did you used your name when you placed your order?
Marcia B: yes. no one else had a problem looking for my information. They said they were having difficulty verifying my credit card information
Sharon: Okay.
Sharon: One moment please...
Sharon: MARCIA BUKOWSKI
Sharon: (Hub comment edited to remove personal info)
Sharon: (Edited to remove personal info)
Sharon: US
Sharon:
Sharon: Please verify.
Marcia B: yes
Sharon: Okay.
Sharon: Order Number: AI83603916
Marcia B: yes
Sharon: You don't have a correct email address here. Would you like me to help you add your new email address and password here in our end?
Marcia B: I don't know what you mean. I gave my email address I will not give my personal password to my personal email but the email you guys sent me said the password is xxx(edited) is that the password you are looking for??
Sharon: Email: (Hub comment edited/personal info)
Sharon: This is your email address here in our end.
Marcia B: OH! that is the email Nash gave me. I thought that was his personal email if I needed to contact him again. So I use this email with the password provided?
Sharon: So that you will receive an email confirmation from us you need to upodate your email address.
Sharon: Yes, Macia.
Marcia B: Oh!!!! why didn't Wendel tell me that I blew up at him for asking my personal email password my xxxx(edited, personal info) password.
Marcia B: yes xxxx(edited)@majicjack.com
Sharon: Since you order through phone their is a possibility that your information will be incorrect.
Marcia B: how do I get to that email?
Sharon: If you want me to help you add your correct email address address and password here in our end. I will be willing to help you about that.
Marcia B: oh what do yopu need?
Sharon: Please give me your email address and password.
Marcia B: xxxxx(edited)@majicjack.com password (edited, personal info)
Sharon: Are you telling me this your real email address and password?
Marcia B: This is the email address majicjack gave me and the password or are you looking for my personal everyday email to xxxx@xxxx (edited, personal info)
Sharon: Yes, Inorder for you to receive an email confirmation from us regarding your order.
Marcia B: yes to what to xxxxxxxxxxxx (edited to remove address) or yes to the xxxxxx(edited)@majicjack.com???????
Sharon: The email address that was given to you is not real.The reason why the auomated machine apply that email address so that your order will be pushed through.
Marcia B: so you are looking for my personal email xxx@xxx(edited).com and my personal password????
Sharon: Yes, So that you will receive an email confirmation from us.
Sharon: But if you don't want to give me your password.
Sharon: You can enter your correct email address and password by logging in to your account on my.magicjack.com.
Marcia B: Well then what we need to do is cancel my whole order. I will never in a million years give out a password to anything I own. I have too much personal information on there. How dare the company ask for infoprmation like that I will be contacting the BBB and anyone else for that matter. You have no right asking for my personal information. Cancel my whole order if I see any charges from this company on any of my bank statements I will file suit. If I recieve anything from the company I would gladly return it by return receipt requested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sharon: But if you don't want to give me your password.
Sharon: You can enter your correct email address and password by logging in to your account on my.magicjack.com.
Marcia B: I don't care at this point. I haven't even received this thing yet and already I am frustrated. I will stick to my $200 phone bill per month. there is less aggrivation. Cancel my order!!
Sharon: Okay.
NOTE TO MARCIA: I "denied" your original comment and re-posted it without the personal information. I believe you can edit comments, although I don't know whether that's true for non-Hub members. In any case, if you prefer to re-submit your own, edited, version of your original comment I can dely the version I edited. If you want the whole thing deleted I can do that. Just let me know if you want to re-submit your own edited version of the comment or want the whole thing deleted. Otherwise, do nothing, and I'll leave things as they are.
hey lisa. i ordered mj last week by phone. I work from home and i need a phone in order to take customers information. I think mj would be perfect for this kind of job. thing is, i never recieeved a email confermation just like marcia. After reading what she went through, Im scared to even have a live chat with them hahahaha. oh yea, what about 3 -way calling and voicemail and caller id. are they all included? thanks lisa. this hud rocks!!
Thank you Lisa. I never realized I left all that info in Thank you for taking it out
Newbie, thanks for the comments. www.magicjack.com shows all the features you don/don't get with MagicJack. I see caller id and free directory assistance, and I use the voice mail that comes with it; but I don't see three-way calling. That's something you should check.
When I signed up to do some work for a job-match company they required providers to sign up for Skype service (which is free for PC to PC calls). I signed up to get the "regular" phone number for x months, and then for their cheap "regular" incoming and outgoing calls; and I have to say that (at least with my PC and the phone I have for the Skype service), I'm super happy with the service and tend to lean toward recommending that for business purposes. (Of course, in fairness to "Jack", maybe the phone I have isn't nearly as high-quality as the one I have for the Skype service.)
With the set-up that I happen to have, I'm far more confident with the Skype service than with MagicJack (but, again, it could be the phones - and, in fact, I kind of think it is.
I have used the magic jack for about 6 months to call from Asia back to the US. It has worked great, but then it stopped working. I have spent countless hours with the useless online chat. The reps for the online chat must get paid by the minute because they have endless things to try, all of which never work. I had two reps request i call them back after rebooting my computer, but when you call back they are never available. They have told me they sent my account to engineering for repair. I really think the online chat is a total lie.
Any advice to fix my magic jack. I really love it and I hate that it does not work.
Bill, I have no idea if this could at all be the problem, but between last Winter and, I think, the Summer, I got an automatic upgrade from Magic Jack. It just showed up on the screen and had a bunch of four-leaf clovers on it. It said, "Lucky You. You're MagaicJack is being upgraded." (Or something like that.) Is there any chance your PC didn't get that upgrade?
Also, is there any chance you did any switching of the sound device you were using with MagicJack?
Other than that, I'm not qualified to make guesses. Maybe someone else has ideas here.
ever sinz i signed up for mjic ass i have had nothing but bad luck. i hav not won the loteri or any mega jackpots in vegus. my truck has broke down and thir online help has nit fixed any of it. think i well stik to my altell sell phone. i get bettr out it hir in arkensws.
Magock jack is a great product, works perfectly well, most of the bad reviews I've found on the internert are from people that did not understand the features well or that had a "one in a million" type of problem, but I am very satisfied with my purchase and would be acquiring more devices for friends and family abroad.
You are right....I bought the device and using web. No problems thus far.
im aN.H. boy. i couldnt get aN.H.area code. magic jack gave me a Maine#.are all my local poor buddies being charged for along distant call?
my local buddies are being charged long distance when they call me from their land line, arnt they??????????????????????
Kevin, that's a good (and interesting) question. According to MagicJack's site, your friends would be charged their phone company's rates for calls to an area code considered "long distance" from their own. You may want to double-check with MagicJack and ask if/when they will be making NH area codes available.
Just saw this magic jack and it looks to be a great little product, but can this thing work with my setup:
MY pc's ethernet card hooks to a linksys router(WRT45G). And then the router connects to the DSL modem
So has anyone ordered one and pluged their entire house into it? Any pros or cons to doing this? I mean if I am going to replace the entire home phone this would do it right?
I may not be the best person to answer on this, but I'll add what I do know...
The phone I hooked up to my PC/MagicJack happens to be a cordless phone (a regular "house phone" type of phone). That phone happens to have a second handset, so I figured I'd put the second handset in my daughter's room (she has lots of long-distance friends, and I thought maybe she could save some cell phone time). It hasn't really worked out because she got fed up with "funny things" happening during calls - so she just uses the regular phone or her cell phone.
Because I'm not too knowledgeable (to say the least) about frequency, there's a chance the digital phone we're using could be at the wrong frequency. Supposedly, it's a phone that has a "good" frequency. It's a GE phone and not an expensive one, by any means, so it could be the phone. Maybe my daughter gave up on using the second handset too soon, but she doesn't use it. I haven't been bothered doing a whole, big, cord-stringing thing to try MagicJack with a cord phone.
I, personally, wouldn't be confident with cordless phones (unless you know for sure they're really high quality and dependable, in which case, a bunch of cordless phones should - in theory - work. I don't think I'd get rid of my home phone unless I knew for sure they did.
As far as corded phones go, the big disadvantage would be running the lines through the house and to the PC. Again, I can't say (probably because of my experience with MagicJack) that I'd feel confident getting rid of my home phone entirely. Another disadvantage is that if you have power failure you wouldn't have a phone.
As with any phone service, it can be difficult to know that you'll get completely reliable service until you've used the phone often enough and for a long enough time to know that. Because I don't really use my MagicJack phone (ever - when it comes down to it), I'm kind of reluctant to say it's all that reliable. My limited experience with it (including the issue of whether it's the GE phone or not, and not really having reason to use it) has included enough "issues" for me to use other phones for calls. I know I should make more calls with MagicJack in order to see if (since I've done some troubleshooting) things go more smoothly; but my business calls aren't calls I want to do trial runs on. I don't make long personal calls, and how long can anyone talk on a trial personal call anyway.
So, part of the reason I don't have confidence in my particular MagicJack phone is that I ran into enough problems with the phones (maybe not MagicJack's service at all) in the beginning; and then kind of not bothering to try different phones with it. (It's an extra phone for me, and I thought I may use for business calls; but I have Skype that works great for business calls because someone I signed up to work for requires Skype.)
My MagicJack and the cordless phone I'm still using (even if my daughter gave up on the second handset) seem to work ok, so it may not be fair for me to say I wouldn't be confident enough in it to get rid of the house phone. I don't use it enough to know for sure if it will always work ok, so now it just kinds of sits on my desk as an extra phone that I never use. To me, it's a great phone to have for college-aged kids who have long-distance friends; or it would be a good phone to call "Grandma" long-distance (and if she says there's an echo you can just call her back from another phone). Again, mine appears to work ok on the trial calls I've made since trouble-shooting, but I am reluctant now to make business calls on it. (In order to determine how reliable something is you have to use it often and for a long time, so that's why I haven't bothered trying a bunch of different phones with it. I can't be bothered giving each different phone a couple of weeks and thinking up calls to make in order to see if a different phone would be better.)
One never knows who has what PC and what phone in what area, but based on some feedback I've seen; I'm under the impression that I'm not the only one who has not had a completely bug-free experience with MagicJack. My impression is that it's a good product in general but not reliable enough to replace a home phone throughout the house.
If you don't mind the issue with power failures (or computer, monitor, or router problems - and I've had them all), I would recommend you leave your house phone as is for a while, try rigging up some extra handsets (or stringing the cords) and see how it goes. You could unplug your house phones if you don't want to invest in a whole bunch of new phones, and the only expense would be any jacks or cords you may need if your phones have cords. If you have a cordless bunch of phones now you could just try using them with MagicJack but leave the house service for a while in case you need it.
Where I am with my purchase of MagicJack is here: I figure, for the price of the jack and the $20 over that, I got an extra phone in case anyone in the house wants to use it. Also, I got the MagicJack, which I can take with me if I want to and have my own phone service wherever I go. I have service until 2010, and I'll probably sign up again once that runs out. After all, $20 a year isn't much at all to have an extra phone service that can brought with me if I want.
is lisa a magicjunk plant trying to do PR for them?
If your charge card shows you were billed the $19.99 for the second year but it was never credited to your account, dispute it with your charge card company! Either MJ will be forced to look into it or you don't pay. Customer wins either way.
sceptic, I'm not - honest. I'm a freelance writer, and I also write online material in my free time. It happens that because MagicJack was a new thing I thought I'd write the original Hub here, and it turns out it gets far more comments and questions than a most of my other writing does. I just keep coming back to respond to comments. If you were to look at my profile, and any of the links to my other writing you'd probably be fairly convinced that I write about a whole lot of different things. If I recall correctly, I've only written, maybe, two "reviews" of products - this one and one for "fake" bacon strips. :) The reason I do online writing in my spare time is that it allows me to "go wild" with writing what I feel like writing. Part of why I was "inspired" to write about MagicJack was my own shock and amazement that I would ever by anything from an Infomercial. :)
I don't know of anything else I could say to completely convince any skeptics, but I do think if anyone were to scan any of my blogs or other writing sites they'd see that may broad range of interests/efforts most likely point to my not spending much time writing product reviews. Oh - I can say, "I swear on my cat's life that I'm not a plant." (I care about the care a whole lot. It's just that I feel creepy swearing on the life of any humans.) :)
I've been objective here, and I do generally like the nifty little MagicJack. It's often occurred to me (now that this Hub has become one that gets me e.mails fairly often) when I'm writing yet more about MagicJack that I do feel like someone who has some financial interest in the product - but, honest, I just don't. :)
I bought the Magic Jack and it hooked up easy and worked great for about 2-3 weeks. All the sudden it just stopped working (I could hear the person calling me but they couldn't hear me on a regular phone). At first I just thought it was an issue with the internet but after 3 days of this I went online and chatted with customer support. I was on there for like and a half hours with them trying everything to get it working. Finally they came to the conclusion my Magic Jack needed to be replaced, so I asked them would they give me another 30 day guarentee and they said no. By the way my card was charged the day I ordered it online. So I told them I'll just send it back for the refund. Now it will be they recieved it on Oct. 25, 2008 and still no refund. I went on a chatted with them again this past Monday Nov. 10, 2008 and they told me the money will be refunded within 72 hours. So do not purchase Majic Jack just because of the 30 day guarantee because if you have a problem and want a refund you might not get it this year.
Good luck.
Has anyone been able to get the COM Add-in working so that you can use the Magic Jack with MS Outlook? I downloaded and ran the program and the COM Add-in shows up in Outlook under: TOOLS > OPTIONS > OTHER > ADVANCED OPTIONS > COM ADD-INS.
If I try to make a call, Outlook tries to use the faxmodem as it always did before MJ was installed.
The README.TXT that came with the Outlook COM Add-in implies that there should be a new toolbar for dialing with MJ, at least that's what I think it implies, I can't find it or figure out how to bring it up though.
-Kevin
I have a question about using MJ while on the computer.
I am about to start a work-at-home job that requires me to have a telephone to talk to customers while on the computer processing their orders etc. They request that the phone service to be just basic.. no call waiting etc.
1 - is it possible to turn off call waiting, caller ID and other not needed services? I looked at the MJ site and do not find the answer in FAQs.
2 - is it possible to use my computer and MJ at the same time without causing one or the other to have negitive issues?
Anyone bogh the 5 years plan?
hello everyone,
i have been useing the majic jack for about a year and a half now let me fill you in on some of my experiances. first if use the jack with a vist operating system you may get chopped up calls from time to time i recommend trying the ( i have vista ) upgrade that you can find on the majic jack website. second if you are useing the product on a wi-fi system i have found some low end routers can produce poor quality calls. third if you are useing a cordless phone in the 2.00 ghz range this will to interfere with your router and can cause poor quality calls. i use my majic jack in lots of differant places and on differant computers in my experiance i have found if you have Xp operating system you will have far less problems. when i use my majic jack at home on my desktop (Vista) sometimes but not often i will have a chopped up call that is hard to hear, but if i use the device on my laptop (Windows Xp) i never have any trouble. you must also make sure you plug the device directly into the Usb port on your computer if you are useing a Usb hub it will not properly support the device and you will have problems i know from experiance. last but not least the customer support is not that great ,but for the price of the product and the quality of the service one it is a outstanding great deal just think if the hired people opened a service center and got phone lines to support a call center they would have to increase the service price to cover those expenses i will say i ordered my product online and did not have any billing issues at all. also the calls you place to people in the us are free no one is charged for a long distance call so if you call lets say your mother in washington and you are in california your mother will not have a charge on her bill for your call to her. you can go directly to the support section of the majic jack web site by www.my.majicjack.com and get all the upgrades and technical downloads you need to resole most any problem. i hope this post has been helpful.
Thanks
Bradley
i i almost forgot i would not recommend using this product for a work at home customer service job because everytime you receive or make a call a little window pops up and interupts your work session it is a small inconveniance but may aggravate you if you are typing and a call comes in.
for the guy who says he has to hit send from his computer everytime he makes a call. i had the same problem what had happened was i went into the advanced settings and messed the settings up after staying on the online chat i was told to restore the default settings and that worked great for me i have not had to ckick send ever since.
I agree that it would be better if there were a way to have some control over when/whether that window pops up. I've never used the screen keypad to do anything with calls. I just use the phone as a regular phone (and then get rid of the annoying window).
The magic jack is what it is, an inexpensive way to have landline-like telephone service at home and on the go when a high speed internet connection is available. If you want top quality signal, responsive customer service, and all the things land lines are that the magic jack is not, then keep paying the price for your land line, the wireline providers need you. I keep my MJ around just because it's cool and costs next to nothing. At home I have a second computer set up kinda like a server/print server/backup, so popups are not an issue. One thing I would add to the things that MJ is not...I can't fax with it. Unless someone has had better luck than me, I think is has something to do with the VOIP not being able to transmit the type signal that faxes use. Too bad, that's the only thing keeping me from discontinuing my landline. That and the fact that my area code is not available yet. Once it it though, that's it for my landline. Alot of the other issues I've heard discussed here are not really MJ issues. They're just everyday computer issues. It shouldn't matter how the computer you plug into gets broadband, the MJ just needs an internet connection. USB hubs are not always the same as plugging directly into your computer. Cordless phone systems conflicting with wireless networks. Etc. etc. As for using MJ as a whole house system. I don't know if there is enough 'juice' in the MJ to support several wired phones in a house, but logistically it would be easy to back wire the MJ, just use a phone extension cord to plug the MJ into any house phone jack, then all other wired phone jacks on that sytem should be active. If you needed a phone at the Magic Jack location, just use a splitter there. One caveat: your house phone wiring must be completely disconnected from the phone company. Even in homes with no landline service. This is because there is often still phone company current residing in those lines. That is so even homes with no service can access 911. This would surely be detrimental to MJ. Many if not most homes have a master disconnect box. This is where you plug in a phone to test if service is interrupted from the phone company or within the house. Bottom line: Magic Jack...me likee
Good comments, Jakester. Just so people know, I was able to send a fax with MJ once. All went well.
It's not clear to me why you recommend people getting their house wiring taken out. Majic Jack doesn't recommend relying on it for 911 service (for the most part), even if it does allow you to list your address. Can't people just tell their phone company to stop service? When one person moves to another house they usually just tell the phone company to stop service to the old house. Then the old, empty, house has the phone wiring there and ready to be used by the next people with the next phone number. When people move into a brand new home that doesn't yet have phone company wiring to it people may have to pay an installation fee. So, I just wasn't clear about why the wires need to be taken down/out.
Thanks, Lisa I will definitely try again. Regarding my previous post, I said disconnected, not removed. That was for the person asking about plugging the whole house into it (the Magic jack). By connecting the MJ into an existing wired house phone jack, you should be making the MJ available to any phone plugged into any other existing wired jack in that house. But only if there was no conflicting current/signal coming from the phone company. Even if there is no active service, the existing phone wires within a house will still be energized. I said before it was so 911 service would still be available. That is mostly the phone companys spin on it. It is because in the modern day of electronic and computerized phone switching, coming out and physically disconnecting the house is no longer necessary. This saves man hours ($$$) for the phone company. The MJ would be acting like an independent phone company within the house so it would not work while another phone companys signal/current was still active. The phone company usually provides a special box outside or maybe inside if an apartment. Inside this box there are one or two little loops that look like phone extension cord with one end plugged into a jack much like what is in the house. Just disconnect the jack and presto. If being able to dial 911 is a necessity. it can be done. Most homes have two (land)line capability, a simple wiring change and a two line phone can make both things possible. Again, I don't know if the MJ has the power to support several regular type house phones being plugged into it. A DIY site sould be able to instruct the lay person on how that would be accomplished. The other solution talked about is a mulit extension wireless phone system. This just needs the base to be plugged in and all the extensions connect wirelessly to the base. Obviously, if your wireless phone conflicts with other wireless devices such as your wireless network/router, those are not issues with the MJ.
I order a magcjack in July and recieved it several days later. I returned it within 10 days of the order. My account was still charged which resulted in a fee as I had used the money elsewhere. I have tried since then to get a refund and as of yet still haven't seen it. I have given them all the info on the PO receipt, account charge date, fee amount and all I heard is we will research and send you a refund. Today is the 5th time I have been on live chat and told refund in 3-5 days. Yeah we'll see. Terrible customer service. They should be upfront and tell you customer service is by live chat only and we don't like to give refunds.
Wow, i have read most of the comments above and noticed a few things. Most of the people (but not all) who are complaining that "me darn majick thingama jak dont aint a workin" probably have issues tieing their own shoes. Also most of the positive reviews seem like they are comming from people who have at least a little damn sense. My Magic Jack works fine. I think the 5% rule is the real issue.
For those who are not familiar with the 5% rule it is this: You must be at least 5% smarter than the piece of equipment you are trying to use. :-)
I call home from Iraq every day and have had next to no issues.
Robert, Greetings to you in Iraq. I can imagine how you (being in Iraq) must appreciate having a MagicJack. I don't happen to agree that even some people who have had difficulties with MJ are, themselves, at fault. Computers, electronics in general, carriers, and telephone networks all have a way of having their little bugs and creating issues sometimes. If you throw them all together the odds are at least some people will run into some issues that have nothing to do with the user's intelligence. When people have run into problems they're often more likely to want to make comments on a site like this.
Keep calling home. Take care of your MagicJack. Most of all, take care of yourself there.
Thanks!
Yea I was just in a bad mood and felt like taking it out on people I will never meet lol. It's a petty thing to do but such is life. HaHa
no one ever answerd that one perons queston about about the ethenet and router i have att dsl high speed will it work with that.and if i call att to shut off mlandline will the dsl still work i thought they some how connected togather am i wrong.? can some one answer my question
MagicJack tells people they need to have the high speed connection for it to work properly, so your high speed is fine. Someone else may be able to tell you whether your house phone lines are at all tied in with your high speed connection (or the people at MagicJack could). I have Verizon FIOS and Comcast high speed connections to the house, and then there's a "regular" phone line. Whether any of them ever "meet" I don't know, but I do know that I can call any of the different service providers and tell them to shut off their service. When I had the Verizon FIOS installed the guy did have to run a cable in from outside the house, so I'm not under the impression it has anything to do with the phone line. (I suppose I should one day make it a point to learn a little something about the non-electric-company wires to the house; but for now, I figured I'd offered what I do know in case nobody else answers. A call to either your phone company or Internet service provider would get you the correct answer on that, though.
I have a question. I just ordered the 30-day trial and am wondering if anyone knows if I HAVE to change my number? Is it possible to use a magic jack with an existing phone number?
I have a question. I just ordered the 30-day trial and am wondering if anyone knows if I HAVE to change my number? Is it possible to use a magic jack with an existing phone number?
I have a question. I just ordered the 30-day trial and am wondering if anyone knows if I HAVE to change my number? Is it possible to use a magic jack with an existing phone number?
Sophie, I don't happen to know how it would work as far as your present number goes, although I do know that these days people are supposed to be allowed to keep their number between some phone services. You may be able to keep your number, but I think it depends on what kind of service you now have. When I ordered MagicJack they gave me choices of area codes (within limitations of what was available), but then they offered a small selection of numbers from which I could choose (beyond the area code). So, I got my own area and a "strange" number (not really "strange" - but it doesn't look like a number from my area).
We have a DellDimension L667r where does the magic jack plug in on this
Phillip, maybe someone else who has the same Dell model will have a better answer to your question (because maybe there's something about it I don't know). Generally, though, the MagicJack plugs into one of the USB ports on a PC or laptop.
I am really intrigued by the Magic Jack, but concerned about the customer service issues. I'm thinking about purchasing one, but also want to be sure I can get a number with my current area code. I have, however, figured a way around the 911 service issue. At worst, you can buy a prepaid cell phone rather cheaply. In many areas you don't even have to have service on it, just have it charged, and it can still be used to dial 911. That way you can be sure to have 911 when you need it. I have a daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law in Korea, and currently talk to then via SKYPE, which is great. I can talk to them with video, which is wonderful for being able to see and talk to my granddaughter who is only 10 months old. Still, it would be nice, too, to be able to call them wherever they might be, or to call my sister in Virginia. Can anyone out there ease my mind about purchasing the MJ, or should I wait til more of the bugs are worked out? I'm sure eventually the company will improve their customer service and technical issues, but I don't want to end up paying for something I don't want and not getting a refund, if necessary. I'm so up in the air about this!
I tend to suspect that it isn't so much that MagicJack has bugs to work out, but that there are so many variables when it comes to which customer uses which phone in what area around what stuff (and things like that). My approach would be to take the chance, order the thing, go with the 30-day trial, and see if it works well for you. You do have to pay attention to the exact dates you have for starting your trial and for saying you don't want the service, but I think it only takes a few days to figure out how bug-free calls with MJ would be with your particular PC and phone.
They say if you don't want the device they won't charge your credit card, so the law is on your side (even if there's the remote chance some error could occur that could take extra time to correct - but that's only a chance. I imagine for everyone who has had a problem like that there must be many more who haven't).
Of course, you're aware, too, that you could get (if you don't already have this) a "real" phone number from Skype, and then you can use that as a "regular" phone as well? There are also WiFi phones that let you talk on Skype when your computer is off and/or if you're near a hot spot outside your house.
Whichever service you were to use (MagicJack or Skype subscription) you should check to see what the International calling rates are. With either you could call your sister in Virginia, and with either there are low International rates (although not free).
Phillip, sorry to say but, I think it is way past time for an upgrade. If my knowledge serves me correctly you do not even have enogh RAM in the l667r dinosaur to support windows XP or vista, which is required for use with Magic Jack. You can get some very decent computers from walmart fairly cheaply these days.
As for the question of sending faxes with Magic Jack....as with the digital phone interfence, etc., it depends on the type of fax maching you are using, most newer fax machines transmit with a signal that is compatible with magic jack as well as some VOIP systems, some require an adapter that translates the text data to voice data, ( don't ask me how, it just does).
As for plugging your Magic Jack into an exsisting wal outlet and powering other outlets throughout the house, this depends on how many outlets you have. If you only have a couple others then yes it will work, otherwise there are a couple different companies who make powered phone line couplers for this purpous, you simply plug the coupler into the phone outlet in the wall, then the cord that is also on the coupler into a power outlet then plug your line from the MJ into this coupler and you can power as many rooms as you like. Also, as the gentleman stated above, you have to find your "customer accessable" junction box and disconnect your line from the box to your house as any exsisting signal from the phone company will interfere with this.
Remember, just because a product like magic jack will not do what you are trying to get it to do as a stand alone product does not mean that it will not work, you just have to have a little common sense and do some research of your own, they do have google and ask.com, etc. I do agree that the customer service issues with MJ suck, plain and simple, but as said by someone before, if they had better Customer service that would mean paying people to do it which would mean raising the price of their product. To keep this from happening we must do some of our own servicing. Some Radio Shacks are now selling MJ and if you can get lucy and get a competant person working there they can help with some of the technical points I mentioned. Search for blogs of other users like this and see if there are others with your same problem who got it resolved, ask them how. Not that hard, just takes a tiny bit of effort. After all, you just sat and read all of my babble, you could have already found the answer to your problem by now. Good Luck
By the way, I am running on Vista, I send multiple faxes daily, and have 6 rooms total wired from one MJ. I have had absolutely no problems with any of this in the year I have had it. Magic Jack For Life !
Well, I think I'll jump in and try the Magic Jack. I planned on getting one from ebay, since I don't have a credit card to take advantage of the 30 day trial. I figure it's a small price to take the chance. I'd thought about SKYPE and other alternatives, but I just hate having to buy minutes, and so on. That's more than I want to deal with. At least if MJ works, I can talk to my sister and kids no matter where they are for free. I like that idea! Of course, we can all download SKYPE and talk that way, but for everyday calling, this would be great. As I mentioned before, I can just make sure my old prepaid cell phone is charged in case I need to use 911. It would also be a great assett if I have to make a call requiring inputting numbers for those automated calls we all have to make from time to time. I've been reading that that is a big problem. I just really want to get my monthly bills down, and the phone bill is a big one. I have a bundled plan with Comcast...and they charge way too much, in my opinion. I live in a rural town, so there are few options. Another thing...I have a daughter who gets calls all day, and I'm so tired of answering the phone for her. No one ever calls me :) I've thought if my first MJ works well, then I can get her one. That way SHE can answer her calls. I REALLY like that idea! She's 16, so you know how that is! I will take the plunge and buy my Magic Jack today and will update you guys on how it's going once I receive it. This is a great forum to bounce thoughts and ideas, gripes and possible resolutions. Thanks for making it available!
MJ has worked very well for me. However, they did charge my credit card before the 30 day trial period was up (charged at about 2 weeks). A few issues I've seen here: port your own number? No. At the moment, MJ only will give you a phone number that they own. Porting a non MJ number isn't allowed yet. Customer Service? Non-existent. Don't bother. Return my MJ? I wouldn't bother. Where do I plug it? MJ requires a USB2 port on your laptop/desktop. The older USB1 doesn't supply MJ enough power to work. Make sure you're using a newer computer with USB2. If you don't know what USB2 is, don't buy MJ until you do. Router? I've used MJ in various homes without changing anything in the router. Most newer routers recognize the SIP protocol that MJ uses. Older routers may not work well with MJ. Skype uses it's own secret protocol. Jerky calls? Your computer may have background software running that is slowing down your computer and your MJ calls. If you have plenty of memory & a fast internet connection and still have "jerky" calls, you likely have a ton of software running in the background in your computer. A friend who knows how to turn the crap off might be needed or a trip to a computer repair shop to eliminate background software like Office, Java update, Works Calendar, and some anti-virus software that tends to slow down a computer and ruin an MJ call. Also, unless your computer is modern and fast, downloading software like uTorrent or eMule will also affect your MJ calls. If you know how to start taskmanager in Windows, you can give MJ a higher "priority" and it will work better. I love MJ! Dependable and very inexpensive.
Use Majic Jack in my business for long distance call backs. Works great and
saves over $200 per month.
can u use majic jack on the computer only, and if so, how do you talk
To ejc...I haven't gotten my Magic Jack yet, but you plug it into your computer's USB port, then plug a phone into the Magic Jack on the other end. You can dial from the phone or, I think you can dial from the computer, too. Hopefully my MJ will arrive in the mail tomorrow and I can then speak from experience soon :)
Trish, you're right with your reply to EJC's question. There MagicJack device has a short cord that plugs into the USB port. Then a longer cord connects the device to any regular phone. You make the calls as if you were using a "house" phone, but you could - if you wanted - use the keypad on the screen too. You do need a phone. MagicJack isn't the same as VOIP phones that you use to talk over the computer.
It is so obvious, wake up sheeple! Everything out of her is a postive spin for anything negative about MagicJerk. What person stays on the same thread for a cheap product for 6 months(and counting)? Some of her advise is good in that they want her to be hear to lessen the horrible complaints they receive; she is probably a buffer for the company. Whenever anyone says they had a bad billing experience, technical problem etc, she is right there to defend the company. You get what you paid for; a cheap device. Most infomercials have cheap decent products, but it is usually the customer service, technical support, ordering logistics, sales pitches, fraudulent billing etc, that should make you steer clear of this company, and most other infomercial companies.
Yes, many consumers are pretty stupid and don't understand or research what they're buying. This product needs a fast PC with a fast broadband connection. I agree with Smugmug regarding the technical part of your PC and the background software. If Lisa HW has no connection with MagicJerk, then I will apologize in advance, but reading anyone's online profile means nothing. I have so much to say about the misleading infomercial and this horrible company without phone support , but I will cut it short now. LOL, a company selling phone devices that itself doesn't have a phone??!! Wake up, and keep waiting for your refunds. You may never get them. But just tell your credit card company to dispute/cancel it and problem resolved. There are too many negative comments on this site and many other sites to rely on such an important communication device like a MagicJerk that it isn't worth the trouble or aggravation they give their customers.
Whoa, whoa, whoa - to the individual who believes I work for, or am otherwise associated with, the MagicJack company. Comments are welcome here, and I don't want or need apologies from anyone who makes "negative" comments (even about me); but what you believe is "obvious" is not "obvious" because it is simply not true. I have absolutely no association with MagicJack other than the fact that I ordered a MagicJack last Winter and thought I'd share my experience. I, myself, have had negative comments to make about customer service and MagicJack.
With any product there will always be customers who have a problem with it, either because they get a "lemon" product or because of some circumstances/situation that has nothing to do with the product, itself. (The wrong PC connection, an old phone, etc.) Every company will have some customers who have had a bad experience with customer service. Some companies are better with customer service than others, and that's what online pages like this are for. It's a way to get a reading on who has had "good luck" or "bad luck" with any product/company.
I'm an objective person. Whether I'm the one who has a problem (or "good luck") with a product, company, or customer service or not; I realize that an isolated problem does not mean a company or product is "no good". Some people know about one problem with a product or company and automatically say that company or product is "no good". I'm more objective than that.
If someone on here writes a glowingly positive comment about MagicJack I assume it's because they (like I when I wrote this hub) want to share their positive experience with anyone wondering if MagicJack is a good product. While all comments are always welcome, I don't particularly feel the need to add anything to a glowingly positive remark about MagicJack because I think those speak for themselves.
With some of the less than glowingly positive remarks I do feel it is appropriate to add a "Devil's Advocate" type of comment; and that is probably for exactly the reason you would not think it is: Because I do not work for MagicJack, nobody at MagicJack ever requested that I write about their product. I took it upon myself to write about their product without anyone ever asking me. To me, if I write about someone's product or service because I think it may be helpful to others, I have something of a responsibility to try to make sure it is as fair as possible to the product/company. Besides being by nature a fair, objective, and ethical person, I am aware that when one puts into writing opinions about any product or company, one should exercise some caution that the material is fair. The comments of others on my hub may not be my responsibility, but the hub is mine; and my aim has always been to try to offer objective information.
If one person got a MagicJack that didn't work well and says something like, "It's no good" - that's not objective. "Objective" would be if they said, "My MagicJack did not work, and I had to return it." So, yes, on some negative comments on the hub I have contributed my own comment in an attempt to inject a little more objectivity into the mix. I wanted the hub to offer whatever the original hub offered (in terms of my own experience) and a wide range of comments that would help readers draw their own conclusions. I didn't want it to be a list of positive and negative comments, which can always be taken at face value but which may not always offer sufficient, additional, objective perspective to give readers a true picture of the quality of the product.
I've said earlier in this hub that I have a MagicJack and that I like it. I've also said how I had a problem with customer service, how I've had some minor issues with calls, how I wouldn't feel comfortable using MagicJack as a "home phone", but how I'm glad I have the product and didn't return it. I've already said how I had a few problems with an echo but how the MagicJack online troubleshooting feature probably solved that. I've said how I think the phone I've got hooked up may not be the ideal phone to use. I've sent a fax usisng a fax machine and MagicJack, and all went well. So, even with experiencing a few minor problems, I've found that the call quality with MagicJack can be excellent, and I think it's - without a doubt - a good product. Can any PC-related product that requires a phone, a certain type of connection, Windows XP or later, etc., ever be perfect for everyone? Not likely. Still, my own GENERALLY positive experience with the product has caused me to believe (on my own and without getting money from MagicJack or anyone else) that the product deserves a fair, objective, hub. Some people may view my positive leaning toward a product I've experienced as a good one as "bias" - and that would be fair enough, I suppose. Still, I maintain that I have no bias in favor of a product with which I have no connection other than having purchased it. Really, any "bias" I have is more associated with a bias toward trying to offer the most objective information possible.
Don't forget, either, that when anyone writes anything about anyone else (or their product) there are always issues of defammation and slander. Yes, people are free to say what they want about products online; but a responsible writer (or something like a product review) will always try to present truthful, objective, information (not just in an effort to be an objective writer, but with an eye for not producing slanderous material that could create problems for the writer and/or anyone or any company with whom that writer is associated).
I, personally, don't give a "rat's bottom" about whether MagicJack is a successful product or not. I don't care how positive or negative anyone's comments on the hub are. All I care about is the quality of my writing and of the hub, which means (as far as I'm concerned) stepping back from any one, negative, comment/experience and looking at "the other possible side".
The fact is there are times in life when things are not as "obvious" as some people think they are. One customer's MagicJack that doesn't work doesn't mean the product is "obviously" a bad one. One writer's attempt to offer objective, balanced, input does not mean it's "obvious" that writer must be working for the company who makes the product. Some people, more than others, need to be very careful about having a low threshold of information needed before assuming something is "obvious".
I am an honest person. I'll tell you this: If I had some association with MagjcJack and saw the above comment, I would simply leave the comment without a response from me, allowing readers to consider it for themselves. I'm a writer who writes online, so if I saw a comment that called me a name, I'd do the same thing. That's part of the deal when a person writes online. Also, if someone wrote a comment that they, personally, had experience with several MagicJacks that didn't work well I would consider that information far more informative than any information I've been able to offer.
Although I am fine with whatever comments get made here, and although I don't want or need apologies from anyone for anything; I'm not willing to let sit a comment that questions my honesty about whether or not I have any association with the MagicJack people (or anyone with whom they're even remotely affiliated).
Without having feedback from thousands of people who have had experience with MagicJack, no hub like this can ever achieve the aim of offering "perfect guidance" with regard to whether or not to purchase a MagicJack. The hub gets the comments of people willing to make their comments, and I can't guarantee any particular balance. Still, the hub has been maintained, to the best of my efforts, in a way that is aimed at be
A little more from Lisa HW: (My response to an earlier comment was too long to fit in one comment box.)
Readers and people who have been generous enough to take the time to post their MagicJack experience comments here can rest assured that there is no "waking up" to be done. I am not now, and never have been, affiliated/associated with MagicJack or anyone even remotely associated/affiliated with that company.
Amen. You cetainly DO like to write. And bore us at the same time. But why spend so much of your online time devoted to a cheap $20 per year product? Don't you have a life? Maybe you need to get a boyfriend, eh? Or at least have 'relations' once in a while to get all your frustrations out.
Yes, you DO know you your way around the MagicJunk, but why keep trying to convince everyone? And, finally, you put all your thoughts, negative and positive , into one long post; just because someone said your were associated with a company. It was a very long dissertation Lisa HW, but you should be commended for all your efforts. Now go chill out with your favorite booze.
PS- Will the MagicJunk work with my wireless router?
Here's some more "boring" (but first, MagicJack is supposed to work with any computer that has a high speed connection; you may want to check their site on the FAQ questions section for any more detailed specifics)... (The following comment is not related to MagicJack, so anyone looking for more MagicJack comments shouldn't bother reading beyond here.)
The length of any posts I write shouldn't be associated with the degree of importance the subject has to me. It isn't so much that I like to write. I write fast, type fast, and think fast - so coming up with a lot of words isn't the effort it may appear to be.
Bore people? I'm sure the writing does bore people, but they don't have to read it. In any thing people do (write, make movies, paint, etc.) there will always be some stuff that bores some people. That's no surprise and no insult.
I have a very nice and full life, thank you. Writing online (as a living but also in my spare time) is a small part of it.
Why bother returning to reply to comments about the $35 MagicJack? Again, because it's my hub. Also, however, there's a "no skin of my nose" kind of thing to it.
Why "try to convince" people? I'm not. Part of objectivity is not trying to convince anyone about anything. If it happens that there are plenty of "balancing out" comments that's just how it happens. If my MagicJack does something horrible tomorrow I'll come back and post it. There's only so much positive or negative to say about that "cheap" product. It isn't a complicated thing.
Why write the long answer to someone who said they believed I worked for/with MagicJack? First, because any honest grown-up will not just let go remarks that question their honesty. People (including me) are willing to let a stuff go, but most will not have their honesty or character "attacked".
Second, because you used the phrase, "Wake up, Sheepie." That is an insult to anyone who has taken the comments on this hub seriously. If people have taken the time to read anything posted here, and if they've taken any of it seriously, 1) I appreciate that simply because all writers appreciate all readers and 2) they don't deserve to have insults directed at them. As "administrator" of my own little hub, I wanted to make it clear to other readers (not particularly you) that I am not a MagicJack "plant". I don't care who thinks the writing is a boring or otherwise bad. I do care who knows that it is honest.
Third, it was the day after a very demanding Thanksgiving week; and I was taking that day and even this one to kind of rest and "do nothing". It's pretty demanding to put together a nice Thanksgiving for a whole family and work too. For anyone who hasn't "created" a Thanksgiving, it takes shopping, early food preparation, baking, dragging out every "dressy" dish in the house, dragging out the big pots, doing curtains, etc. etc. and then major clean-up afterward. Yesterday and today I have been kind of "crashing", which for me means just kind of doing little foolishness online and staying away from any real work. Some people watch television when they want to take a little break. I do the "hobby" writing and dabbling - and sometimes clean out my computer files.
Fourth, I do have a life; and that life (like the lives of other people these days) is occurring at a time when there's a lot of negative things going on in the world. When I write on assignment I write about some of those negative things; so for me, my "hobby" writing is my way of doing something that's just entertaining for me. It's my version of watching television, and it's a break from all the more serious things of life.
Fifth (and finally), I do enjoy a "verbal challenge". Some people do crossword puzzles to challenge their brain. My way of enjoying a little challenge to my own brain is to take on a "verbal challenge". That's the thing about "writer types" - they work with words and play with words and generally enjoy words. There's not much of a challenge in going to a site and posting whatever insulting comments one can think up; but, for some reason, some people enjoy doing that. That's not my thing, but taking on the challenge of responding to accusations against me (or to remarks about not having a life) does offer just a hint of enjoyment for me.
Besides, one of the reasons I enjoy writing (whether it's serious stuff, light stuff, or stupid stuff) is that I have lived a long enough and full enough life to believe I may possibly have something to offer someone; and I like people in general enough to bother trying. I truly don't care about the occasional negative or snide comment people post here or elsewhere. I kind of get a kick of them. I will admit, however, to getting an even bigger "little kick" out of replying to them if I have nothing better to do at the time.
People who don't want to bother reading what I write don't need to read it. I enjoy writing it. It's a win/win situation. :)
You go girl.. I bought an Magic Jack last night and was a little upset that we did not recieve an email. I need to find out more about this phone and found your hub. I have read everything people had to say and found very valuable information. By reading I found out about them taking the monies out before the 30 day, and sure enough I check my bank account and they did it the same day. A little upset about that, (So in reality it is not a 30 day free trail) I did get a phone # and going to call first thing Monday morning to find out why (That is if I get a real person). I just hope I have a good experence with it. I will keep your hub on my favorites and check in once in a while and let you know how it works for me..
I was kind of surprised a couple of months ago when I was planning to order a couple of MagicJacks for my two sons and discovered online that a debit card is charged immediately, while a credit card is not charged until the 30 days is up (or close to it). Prior to seeing someone else's comments on here, I was under the impression, too, that the 30 days didn't begin until the device is installed. Apparently, that may not be the case (which is something to double-check).
When I had my two separate (and relatively minor) issues that required customer service I did not find any phone number and was told that there is no e.mail for writing any complaints or follow-up to the online live chat. You do get a live person online (although I found the whole process took an awfully, awfully, long time online). My two incidents were that they shipped the device express delivery when I didn't want that (and that problem just went unresolved or acknowledged) and that my account didn't reflect that I signed up for an additional year (which was eventually resolved but which I took my time about trying to deal with as well).
This hub gets a lot of readers, so apparently people interested in getting MagicJack are looking for feedback. Your experiences will, I'm sure, be appreciated by people looking for others' experiences. Thanks for taking the time to contribute, Aurora.
(I wonder if the e.mail will come tomorrow morning, once the business week has started again. Maybe they didn't have anyone sending out e.mails last night. One thing I have to say about e.mails from them is that, at least in my case, they were very good about them.)
Is anyone having a problem using a fax maching to fax long distance with the majic jack?
Hopefully others will add input on your question, Tracy. So far, I've only sent one fax (to a different state but within the US, where I live); and I sent it using a fax machine. It went through without any problems.
HEllo im new to the magicjack system and i was wondering how is it that you pay for international calling do they bill you or how does it work?
The Magicjack.com site has a FAQ/Knowledge base section, and you can find a chart of International rates there. The pop-up MagicJack window that shows up when you pick up your phone should have a section that you can click to get more information about International calling. To the best of my understanding (and based on what I've seen on their site) International minutes are added on a prepaid basis once you have the basic account.
Hey Lisa and to all... I have not had the time to call them this week, working is taking me past the eastern time but I will give out the phone # I did get. When I saw that they were taking out my payment on my debit card they had the # with it so I called and got a voice mail (of course) but they did give me a # to call. I am hoping to be able to call some time in the end of this week (which is soon) hmmm time does fly when your busy.. anyway I will let you all know something when I do.
Am I not allowed to give out phone #s????? .. this is the first time I ever joined a hub chat and not sure what the rules are. If I did something against the rules sorry....
Aurora, I just looked at the terms for HubPages again, and I see nothing about not posting phone number that is directly related to the Hub. (They don't want to links to stuff that isn't related to the Hub, but they say nothing about something like a customer service phone number.)
Thanks for taking the time to offer your experience. Good luck with the call. (When I had the issue with not seeing my extra year of service show up on the account it did take a little while, but it was eventually ironed out by a pleasant customer service person and a couple of e.mails that showed they were doing something with it.)
I cannot make call swith MJ and wroy=te to dan of MJ the following:
Hello Dan,found your address on a website. I have had MJ for over a year and just paid for my second year. Now I cannot make calls. I called customer service and talked for about 4 hours with them and I still cannot make calls. On top of it they hung up on my after this extended try to resolve my problem even with a supervisor. He told me to restart my laptop and if a would loose him just call again and ask for him. I did and could not get through to him and another agent said he was busy and I had to do everything I did with ETON? again. Stiil no go with my MJ. I was really pissed when the agent hung up on me as I had to go to the bathroom. I needed a few days to calm down and today I found your address so here is my problem as described above.Can you help so I can use the MJ ?My MJ number is Pleased advise,
gernottrolf@gmail.com
Gernott, I know just what you mean about the frustrations of dealing with (in my case, the live chat representative) at MJ. I told a whole, big, long, story and went through the whole "hold on pleases" all through it. It took about 45 minutes, and then I was switched to someone else and had to tell the whole story and have more "hold pleases" for another half hour or so. My problem wasn't a minor record-keeping type of thing that had nothing to do with how the device worked.
Now to the real matter of your question: I'm under the impression, if I understood you correctly, that "Dan" works for MagicJack?
I'm just someone who bought MagicJack several months ago; and because buying anything from an infomercial is so uncharacteristic of me, I kind of got a kick of the fact that device worked as well as it did. Knowing that people are often looking for other people's reviews of products (especially for infomercial stuff), I thought I'd write the hub. It has turned out to have a lot of traffic and a lot of comments - and maybe with your problem posted here someone else "out there" can offer you some helpful information.
Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to be able to help; I'm neither an "electronics person" nor someone who knows anything about MagicJack other than my own experience and what people have posted here. I use my MagicJack with a desktop PC, so that's yet another thing that makes me less able to make too many guesses.
I do know that somewhere around Summer, MagicJack sent an automatic upgrade to my PC, which means that some change was made between late last Winter and somewhere in Summer. I wonder if there's any possibility you did not get that automatic upgrade (which was a pop up MagicJack that had shamrocks on it and said, "Lucky You. You are being upgraded." (or something like that)
Also, I'm wondering if there's a chance that you need some driver update on any of the things used to in the process of making/receiving calls. I don't know specifically what the problem in making calls you have is, but sometimes you may need an audio upgrade, for example.
I'm assuming you've already looked at MagicJack's Troubleshooting site?
Do you have a way to try MagicJack in another computer with a high speed connection? Have you tried a different phone? Do you get their "dial tone" if you pick up your phone but just can't make calls - or do you get no "dial tone" (it's not a real dial tone - hence the quotation marks).
Not that you haven't gone through all the processes of elimination; but just thought I'd add whatever I can think of. Are you getting that piercing "other" tone that lets you know your the PC is off or that your connection is down?
I could be wrong, but I would tend to think if you get the dial tone but calls don't go through it should mean the phone has the connection, but that maybe it's more likely something is wrong with the configuration you have on your laptop, or else there could be a driver in need of update. Have you double-checked to make sure both incoming and outgoing audio devices are set on what they need to be set on for MagicJack? (I've occasionally accidentally messed up those settings when I'm doing things with other audio applications.) Have you changed the USB port you use for MagicJack without changing the audio device settings?
Does your MagicJack account (when you go to it from the window) show that you're all paid up? That was my problem. They had it in their records that I was paid for a second year, but it didn't show up in my account. I imagine a reverse such error could occur.
Readers: Does anyone have any ideas to offer Gernott?
I have had my Jack for about a week and love it. I ordered one for my Son and one for a Daughter also. Good deal for little bucks.
I am a little dissapointed with the software used to run the MagicJack.
If I am using the computer and someone starts trying to dial out from the phone, then my typing screws up the dialing for that person.
Also, if someone calls, there is no setting to make the window NOT pop up.
Also, it is constantly making a clicking noise each time the 'ad window' changes!
Ben, that pop up MagicJack window is something that irks a lot of people.
I also get annoyed with having to dial the area code for local calls
They just need to make a few software tweaks, and it would be a much more user friendly product.
ok day 2 w/MJ
fax machine works and even credit card machine, I dont belive it
I think MagicJack just charges your credit card as they see fit. I was charged $99 after the trial period and twice chatted on line to get this resolved and both time was told my account would be credited. They ended up giving me a credit of $30 something.
i have been thinking of getting a MJ for a while. i got rid of my landline phone and use a cell phone for everything else. well except for my Tivo service. It wants to call out twice a month. but with no landline it cant. so i get a message every day saying that it hasn't made a call in over a year and a half but now my Tivo is losing data. so i guess i need to allow it to make that call. So im hoping the Magic Jack will do that. Seeing that people have been able to use fax machines with it gives me hope. i have herd but havn't been able to get to the store to find out but have been told that Bestbuy now carries magic jack ( i dont like waiting on mailings) if they do i will let you know. Also i live in the DFW metroplex (Dallas TX) and because of there being so many cell phones and fax machines and pagers (remember those??) we have had to dial 10 digits for local calls for at least the last 4 years. So its coming to a town near you. I look forward to the long chats just to get my tivo its bi weekly phone fix!!
In Atl,GA. I know for at least for 15 years we have had to dial 10 digets for local calling. I ordered my MJ on a Friday and it was in my mail box on the following Monday.
First, I would like to thank Lisa HW for setting this up, after reading all the previous posts, this has been very informitive and helpful.
I currently have been using Vonage for several years and I am very happy with my service. i have it back wired in my home to two cordless systems and two standard phones. To know if a phone device can drive multiple handsets you have to know the ringer equivalence number (REN) a device supports, and the REN of all devices connected. Many are 0.1 so if one old style phone which are REN 1 works, you can in theroy plug in ten with a REN of 0.1. A search of MagicJack & REN gives lots of information on this, should not be a problem for most.
First, I would like to thank Lisa HW for setting this up, after reading all the previous posts, this has been very informitive and helpful.
I currently have been using Vonage for several years and I am very happy with my service. i have it back wired in my home to two cordless systems and two standard phones. To know if a phone device can drive multiple handsets you have to know the ringer equivalence number (REN) a device supports, and the REN of all devices connected. Many are 0.1 so if one old style phone which are REN 1 works, you can in theroy plug in ten with a REN of 0.1. A search of MagicJack & REN gives lots of information on this, should not be a problem for most.
Sorry about the multiple posts, one of my keystrokes did that.
Second comment is, I read in one of MagicJack reviews that either now or in the future costs were to be kept down by doing advertising in the pop-up dialing window, this is why they want it to always pop-up over what you are doing to get some screen time in front of their customers. Giving users a way to defeat this would defeat their goals. This was the way some past products were paid for in the past,
At this time after getting the information on MagicJack, I think I will stick with Vonage for the features it offers that MagicJack does not offer. MagicJack's price and ability to take it with you on trips does offer some great possibilities that may make it worth the purchase price and subscription fee as Vonage requires a second account to use their V-Phone to give me this ability, with a rate of $24.99/month.
How to save money and pay for MagicJack® Service with interest earned after one year!
The average cost of land line telephone service (Verizon, AT&T, Cavalier, or Sprint) with all federal, state, and local taxes and fees is $60.00 per month
Deposit $720.00 [12 months of land line payments saved] in an online account (ING or HSBC linked to you Debit Card Account) earning at least 2.8% interest per year at the time you initiate magicJack® Service
After one (1) year you will have earned enough money in interest to pay for the coming yearly magicJack® payment
Transfer the interest earned to your Debit Card Account and pay your magicJack® service fee
This account will allow you to use [OPM] “Other People's Money” to pay for your magicJack® service for each year you chose to maintain it
Damario, I went to the www.magicjack.com site to check, and I found no list of countries offered. They did make reference to calling Canada and the Carribean (so we know that much). I'm under the impression you can call any country, the way you would with an ordinary phone.
You may want to go to their site and look for "live customer service chat" to double-check on any one, individual, country.
After reading through these posts and others I have seen on the internet I was concerned about even purchasing a MagicJack. First, there is no possible valid excuse for MagicJack to ever overcharge anyone for a purchase or to delay refunding their money. For those concerned about being ripped off, you can purchase a MagicJack at Radio Shack and a few other places as I did yesterday. Even if you intend to purchase it online I would still consider checking the product out at a store. Radio Shack offers a 30 day money back guarantee, and they will refund your moeny. Secondly, MagicJack's website does not tell you everything you need to know, at least not in an obvious manner, such as system requirements.
At this time, according to the package, you must be using a PC running Windows XP or Vista, or a Mac, both of which need an Intel chip, again, according to the package. If they have listed the system requirements online I sure didn't see them, and I looked all over the place. For those of you that have had problems and are using a PC or Mac with a different chip this might be source of your frustration. Also, if you are using Vista that may as well be the culprit as well. It is unfortunate that MagicJack is not compatible with Win 2000 or Linux. The package makes no mention of any other system requirements such as RAM or anything else, such as a USB port, or possibly a USB adapter.
As for your internet connection, the package says you need one of the following: Broadband, High-Speed Internet, Cable Internet, DSL, Wi-Fi, Wireless, WiMax, or FiOS. Does it actually work with all of those? I have no idea. But again, if it doesn't Radio Shack will give you your money back no problem. And if they get enough returns they will discontinue selling the product.
I plan on giving the product a try for the first time after installing a few new programs. Personally I believe Robert is correct, the 5% Rule applies. Keep in mind when you see something on TV they are paying for air time and are trying to get the most suckers while spending the least amount of money. They are far less concerned with your happiness than they are with getting your money. Even if it turns out that MagicJack has a Pi$$-P00r product and goes out of buisness they will still have your money. Always do your homework first. Then again, look who I am talking to. You don't even do your homework before you vote, why should purchases be any different?
Also, for those of you that are technology impared, any phone line coming into your home is "powered". In other words, it has it's own power source. Or, if that is still too complicated for you, if the electricity goes out, your phone line will still have juice unless the phone lines have gone down as well. If you have an old rotary phone and plug it in you will still have a means of getting help when you dial 911. Please keep in mind, this is the only number that you will be able to reach by doing this. Further, no one said anything about removing the phone lines from your homes. I do not recall who brought this up, but they were correct.
Anyway, for those of you that want to give MJ a try, buy it at Radio Shack and save yourself the hassle.
After trying for a couple of months to "speak" to a live tech support person, I'm giving up. I've been using the MJ for several months now; and everyone is always asking me why they hear "beeping" while we speak. When they hear the "beep", I see an additional digit appear in the "address line" for the number dialed. I'm becoming somewhat paranoid wondering if either 1) the call is being recorded or 2) the numbers are captured by either spyware/adware or whatever.
I've already done everything suggested in the written downloads from the "help" site, i.e. changed phones, USB ports, reloads, MagcFix downloads, etc. I'm about to give it up and go back to calling cards. I may yet try getting to a live voice through a # provided in one of the blogs. As a disabled senior citizen, I was just hoping to cut expenses. However.....it ain't worth the aggravation!!!
Baffled, thanks for the comment. It isn't, of course, my business; but I think - even if it's a pain in the neck - it's probably worth trying to get someone at their "screen chat" service to help with figuring out what the beep is. Maybe it's something really simple. Maybe, too, someone on here has had a similar experience and can offer information.
If you already paid for the device and have the service, it does seem worth trying to get it to work properly.
I wonder if you just got a flawed device, and if they might be willing to send you a new one.
Hey Lisa,
Thank you for this very thorough explanation of Magic Jack. I'm like you and rarely get taken in by these infomercials, but MJ caught my interest. Although I think after reading these posts that I will hold off on making a purchase. Customer service is an important part of doing business and if MJ doesn't have the support after the sale they are failing to fulfill their commitment to their customers. Thank you again for this valuable information from you and your readers. Much appreciated.
Best,
Joe
Hey All,
I have had my magic jack for about two months! It has some quirks (my pc is an old 750 mgz processor) but otherwise works great! I had the chance to try the online support chat, and had a great response! I had ordered the five year plan and it did not show up on my account, I spoke with tracey and she not only assured me it was active but she also gave the activation code to input in my magic jack account. When you log into mymagicjack.com you have a list of things you can look at including license agreement I pressed extend my agreement and it gave me the option to input my code which worked great! I have nothing but great things to say about magic jack! When you are working on your computer and the window pops up for a call you can still minimize the window and keep working ( I have done this a few times already ) I also had no problem getting an area code from my area!! I also have a cell phone which is my back up! Also if you are concerned about 911 remember that ANY cell phone (even without service) that has a signal can at the least dial 911!!!
Just a note, and for what it's worth: Last evening my PC received the second automatic upgrade for Magic Jack, which means it has received two automatic upgrades in the first (approximately) ten months since I purchased it.
I'm a new MJ person-so far so good (really!) except for an echo-I hear my voice-when I call a land line. Not when I call a cell. Any reason? Thanks everyone. R
I had the "part-time" echo, and I went to the MagicJack trouble-shooting page. In my case, as I went through the "try this/try that" steps on trouble-shooting, I learned that my volume settings (on the MagicJack window) were not correct. There are volume settings there and in the phone, and I had messed them up when trying different volume settings.
Hi Lisa
Any changes that you have noticed with the new update?
KK, I haven't really used the phone since the upgrade. :) The update came right before Christmas; so I had no business calls to make, and (happily) all my family members were at my house for a few days, so no need to call anyone. :) I'll post in a few days. (I did check voice mail, and that came through loud and clear.
so, i have read this whole thing from the start. i don't know jack about magic jack, but i'm going to buy one. if it does'nt work out, i will request a refund (which i will most likeley get, based on what i have read). either way it's 40 bucks i've been known to spend more than that on lottery tickets (and i have never won), i have never gotten a refund for these defective tickets either. don't care. so if my magic jack does'nt work, i'll be out $40 it's not the end of the world. i have to wonder how many folks complaining about it realized later that they were doing something wrong or using the wrong equipment or type of service etc.,but will never come back here and admit it.
as far as our nice friend lisa being a "plant" for magic jack...i don't think so. many times i have bought things and found myself plugging the product without even realizing i was doing it. for example, i'm a musician and people would swear that i work for vox amplifiers, some folks hate them. i love mine.
thanks lisa, for keeping us up to date on your knowledge of magic jack, because of this hub; i will be making as informed a decision as i can on something i saw on an infomercial. and for those sour apples out there.....i hope this long message bores you!
Is it possible to transfer a number to MJ? I have this number for long long time and I went from Bell to voip.com and they were able to transfer the number. I wonder if the MJ will transfer the same number from voip.com?
Whatever, thanks for the comments and the back-up on the "accusation" that I work for MagicJack. When I ordered it, the infomercial was new; and since I decided to take a chance on it, I figured I may as well write a "review" type of thing on it (since I didn't really find any "first-person" reviews on it - only news articles - online). It has been the comments people have added that, I think, have made the hub a little more useful. It has actually surprised me that so many people have been willing to take the time to share their experiences/opinions; and I do appreciate them all (except, maybe, for that person who accused me of working for MagicJack :) ).
Sidney, when I got my MagicJack phone number I had to first find out if I could even get my area code (which I could), and then was offered a few numbers to choose from. That was a year ago,
Apparently (based on their "FAQ/knowledge base") it will be possible to switch an existing phone number to Magic Jack "sometime in 2009" and "for a nominal fee".
The live chat people at their site could give you more information about any dates and "nominal fees".
Well, folks, I'm finally back. I received two Magic Jacks, one I bought for my daughter who is going into the Air Force in March. Initially, my MJ could make calls, but not receive them. I bought a new set of high quality phones and called customer tech support with MJ. It appears that when I tried calling the MJ from my house phone, I got the message "The number cannot be completed as dialed". I think because my phone is part of my cable bundle, it just wouldn't work. I finally had two people from outside my home to call and we were successful. Now I have my phones set up and the sound is great. I'm about to get rid of my home phone for good. After hearing all the negative things about customer support with MJ, I have to say that my experience with them today was very positive. I talked to one tech who then transferred me to another higher up to help solve my problem. We did lots of troubleshooting and I didn't feel rushed or unimportant. Maybe my experience isn't the norm, but I'm happy to report that it was very good. Ok, the funny thing is that the tech's names were hard to swallow. I talked to "Cesar", (that's how it was spelled), then "Hero". I just had to share that with you :). I do have a question for anyone who can answer this: I'm trying to find a phone one can take traveling to plug into the MJ, but all I can find are phones with a USB end. I just want a simple handset for my daughter to take with her that won't be so cumbersome. Is there such a thing, one with a regular phone jack plug-in? Or is there a way to plug a phone with a USB end into the MJ? I'd appreciate any info on this. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on how my MJ is working and will check back to see how you all are doing. I'm really excited about getting rid of my home phone and saving some $$$, Happy New Year to you all!
Trish, I'm not sure I really understand your question about the phone; but I do know that the Magic Jack is not designed to have a USB phone plugged into it. An ordinary phone has the cord with the little "cube-like" plug on both ends. One end is to go into the base of the phone. The other end is either to go into a wall/house phone plate - or else into the Magic Jack device. Any basic "regular" phone will work, although you may be safest (and get away with it cheapest) if you buy one that is NOT cordless. Cordless phones do work, but some can have interference if they're not at the right frequency.
This isn't cheap, but I have a Linksys "Dual Telephony" phone that is hooked up to both Skype and Magic Jack these days. (I had to unplug my separate Magic Jack phone for the Christmas tree, so I plugged it into the "house phone" side of the "Dual Telephony" base (because the house phone is separate and not tied in with any of the computer phones).
I have a cheapy USB phone plugged into my PC in case anyone wants to talk to me over Yahoo Messenger or AIM, but I'm fairly sure that particular phone would not work with either a landline jack or a Magic Jack, even if there were such a thing as some kind of "adapter cable" that would allow me to convert the USB-plug side into a "phone jack" instead.
Even that Linksys phone I mentioned doesn't have a USB plug. Instead, it has the "regular" jack that goes into the PC and a regular plugs on both ends of the cords. In the case of using a phone with Skype you also have to make sure the phone is "Skype compatible", even if you get a straight little USB phone that will only work through the computer.
My daughter had a tiny little cord phone (a "house" phone) that was lightweight and super cheap. It had a super-long cord on it, so she could walk around with it. I, on the other hand, do use the cordless phone with Magic Jack. I think the main thing is that you need a cheapy "regular" phone.
Maybe someone else knows about other phones or adapters etc. that would do what you asked, but I don't; and "regular" phones are pretty cheap and even small these days. The cordless phone I have for Magic Jack is so light I don't even like it. It feels like a gumball machine toy. It's a little bigger than the old, bigger, cell phones but doesn't weigh much at all.
Happy New Year to you, too. :)
Hi, Lisa, after searching with every kind of key word on ebay, I found what I was looking for. There are a couple of phones that can be used with the Magic Jack that fit what I'm looking for, and others might be interested in knowing about them. I found one that is just the handset, no base, with a regular curly phone cord that plugs into the handset and then directly into the MJ. It has regular ends you would use with a phone jack. I wanted to find something like this for my daughter to use with her laptop that wouldn't require a bulky corded phone or a cordless phone with a base. With this one, you just plug the handset into the Magic Jack and you're set to go. There's also a mini phone, but I question the quality of that particular one. So, anyway, now I know what's available. This one that I'm thinking about getting is listed on ebay for $27.95 with free shipping, so that's a good deal. Even for me, if I plan to be somewhere else overnight (which is not likely to happen in the near future as I have NO life), I could take my Magic Jack with me, take my laptop, and with such a portable phone, be all set to get calls I would normally miss if I weren't home. A phone like the one I've mentioned would be perfect because it's compact and only a handset. So, for those who travel alot, you might want to check it out. This particular listing has a sleeve to keep the phone in, as well as one for the Magic Jack, so that's a nice plus. I appreciate your input, Lisa. I just had to do some tenacious searching to find what I was looking for! :)
Hi, Lisa, after searching with every kind of key word on ebay, I found what I was looking for. There are a couple of phones that can be used with the Magic Jack that fit what I'm looking for, and others might be interested in knowing about them. I found one that is just the handset, no base, with a regular curly phone cord that plugs into the handset and then directly into the MJ. It has regular ends you would use with a phone jack. I wanted to find something like this for my daughter to use with her laptop that wouldn't require a bulky corded phone or a cordless phone with a base. With this one, you just plug the handset into the Magic Jack and you're set to go. There's also a mini phone, but I question the quality of that particular one. So, anyway, now I know what's available. This one that I'm thinking about getting is listed on ebay for $27.95 with free shipping, so that's a good deal. Even for me, if I plan to be somewhere else overnight (which is not likely to happen in the near future as I have NO life), I could take my Magic Jack with me, take my laptop, and with such a portable phone, be all set to get calls I would normally miss if I weren't home. A phone like the one I've mentioned would be perfect because it's compact and only a handset. So, for those who travel alot, you might want to check it out. This particular listing has a sleeve to keep the phone in, as well as one for the Magic Jack, so that's a nice plus. I appreciate your input, Lisa. I just had to do some tenacious searching to find what I was looking for! :)
saw the device on an informercial at 0500; decided to look it up on the internet and found this site; seems iffy and there are too many problems listed; also, I work 911 and I don't see any trade off for picking up my phone and dialing 911 in an emergency, as opposed to wondering if the address that MJ has is current, or if I used it while away from home; in the future it may hold more promise; time will tell; I ALSO think that Lisa is involved with MJ, as opposed to writing "wild"-spy talk
Steve, I'm not affiliated with MagicJack whatsoever. I don't even quite know what you mean by "opposed to writing 'wild'-spy talk". ??? I guess I can't worry about who thinks what when it comes to this accusation, but it is really frustrating (and aggravating) to me to have it keep coming up. I'd like to tell people to contact MagicJack and ask them; but, of course, nobody would believe them either.
I find it kind of amazing to think there are people who just can't possibly believe someone (who writes about a number of things anyway) would write this hub (and, by the way, make more than one negative comment), respond to a lot of the comments posted by others, and try to helpful to anyone who asks a question. None of those things is all that "mysterious" or "odd". This hub and one on "how to figure out percents" (written on request) are my two biggest hubs as far as comments go. Really - if I were being paid by (or in any other way affiliated with them or anyone else connected to them), I could just delete those accusatory comments and be done them all. Or, an alternative might be to kind of hedge around the accusation without out-and-out stating that I am not affiliated with that company. I would not just out-and-out say this has been something I did completely on my own, and without connection to MJ, if it weren't true.
Pardon what may seem like self-righteousness, but I don't have it in me to have people make comments on here in good faith and respond back to them in some deceitful way. Sales people may be able to lie all the time, but I am not a sales person or any version of one. I'm just someone who ordered the bloody Magic Jack and thought it would be a good thing to review because it was new at the time!
My thing is writing. I write articles on assignment and sell articles that I didn't write on assignment. When I'm not "working for real work" I write as a hobby. Yes, I've sold some of those articles; and, yes, I have things like my 13 blogs that have Google ads on them (why not - I don't have to do anything but let them sit there and earn me a few dollars a month). I'm not above having ads on my sites if I don't have to do anything much with them, but I am very much above being bothered trying to market someone else's product (particularly in view of the fact that I don't even market my own writing as well as some people who had a shred of marketing/selling would). And, I'm way, way, above being able to lie to people who have taken the time to share their own experiences and post comments on this hub in good faith.
I don't care what people think of me (although, again, being wrongly accused of something is aggravating), but I want anyone who has been generous enough to share their experiences here to know they have not been misled in any way at all.
Ah - I have one that may convince someone: I have over 5000 (many of them long, long) answers on Yahoo Answers (where there are no ads and no earnings). When I'm feeling over-worked and frazzled I go to sites like that and try to think up helpful things to say to people who ask for opinions, because I find it helps me get my mind off my own "frazzle-ment" to try to be helpful to someone else. Sometimes I answer silly questions, but I usually aim for the ones that seem to call for a mature, sensible, adult because someone is either in a very difficult situation or else some parent is at wits end with a child. I'm actually foolish enough (and caring enough) to think that a carefully thought out answer may help some child or some person struggling with grief. Again, I'm not being self-righteous. I don't want a medal for all the "caring about being helpful" to people. The world is full of people who actually just do stuff that they think may be helpful to someone.
Of all the hubs I have, I have one where everyone apparently hates me, one where everyone seems to like me, one where people keep saying I'm crazy, and this one (where people think I'm a spy or a plant or whatever). :) It's kind of funny, actually.
I'm guilty of being horrendously long-winded, of having way too much to say about everything in the world, of boring people to death, of arguing to the point of wearing out my opponent, of being way to sentimental for a lot of people's tastes, and of making big Federal cases out of small "attacks" on me. One thing I'm not guilty of, however, is lying or being deceitful.
Hello, My comments on M-Jack: 1. Customer service does leave a lot to be desired and I have been on with them for hours at a time (and this is during my free trial period) trying to get the M-Jack to work for me and 2. I'm very discouraged: I can't get my M-Jack to work. I have a Dell Dimension 3000, At&T land line service (real cheap, believe it or not); Time Warner Road Runner ISP using Internt Explorer and a panasonic handheld portable phone (model KX-TGA236S); I have Windows XP with Svc Pk 3. Downloading the M-jack program was easy. However, whenever I call thru M-Jack either on screen or by handheld, I get dial tone; I hear dialing; then M-Jack jumps back to dial tone and I can't get thru. This has been going on for a few weeks now; I have been on the interminable customer service chat line for hours following their instructions, but no luck. I can't get this device to work for me. I am seriously thinking of returning the device, and after reading the comments above about refunds, I'm concerned that I'll be able to get my money back. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get this device to work for me? Thanks,
Shirley, I don't know enough about the technical aspects to be able to offer anything. Maybe someone else reading your comment does.
I know this may be a foolish question, but have you tried going to the MagicJack FAQ/Knowledgebase and going to Troubleshooting? I'm wondering if your problem has something to do with your firewall. Two interesting sections on Troubleshooting are about firewalls and "no service available".
Also, under "no service available" I noticed they offer a place to click for an upgrade. I got a very recent upgrade (days ago), so I'm wondering if there's a chance your device was shipped just before the upgrades of older installations went out.
Again, maybe someone else on here will have ideas to offer.
(The FAQ/Knowledgeable/Troubleshooting section is strange, because you search with your question and a get a handful of things back. Of course, you have to scroll way down to find them; but also, once you get to that handful of "level 1" options, it is easy to overlook that you may get brought to yet more options. The page there is poorly designed, and all the little blue letters kind of look alike. Anyway, it may be worth double-checking on that troubleshooting page to see if you may have overlooked something that could apply to you.
As with all such pages, you have to think of the right questions to search for; but even then, if it's just easy to overlook the second level of possibilities they offer.)
Lisa: Reference my comment about "wild", please look back to:
Lisa HW says:2 months ago
The reason I do online writing in my spare time is that it allows me to "go wild" with writing what I feel like writing.
So, what I meant was, that instead of you just writing, you are slanting towards MJ. While being objective is great, sincerely poor customer service, poor customer handling, having your computer on all the time, wondering about losing electricity, and having 911 in an EMERGENCY (which cannot be traded for anything) are ALL concerns. If you already have a backup, don't get sick or do dangerous things, travel a little, and MJ works for you, then FINE. However, for the other 95% of the population, I think that it is risky. Until the day exists where MJ has worked out more of the bugs, having MJ seems like more of a problem waiting to happen.
And, Happy New Year!
Steve, I have said (somewhere) that, based on my own experience with Magic Jack, I wouldn't particularly recommend anyone have their house phone pulled out. Although I ended up eventually getting ok customer service after a second situation, I had no luck with the first at all. I don't dispute the concerns that exist (or have been raised) with the product. In fact, I raised some of them myself.
The reason my contributions on this hub may appear slanted is this: I know my own experience with the product, and I know that I have presented a very accurate, objective, account of how well the product generally works; and also the inconveniences, frustrations, but eventually (in one case) ok customer service resolution of a problem.
I don't worry that I, myself, have presented anything unfair or inaccurate because I know I have not. What I don't know is when someone else says they're having serious problems, whether there's something about their system or their phone or their installation that has caused those problems. If that's the case, it isn't fair to blame the product. Also, my experience with Magic Jack is that it works pretty well. Maybe I just lucked out and got one of the good ones, and other people have gotten devices that weren't built as well (I doubt that). The point is, that based on my own experience that the product works pretty well, I have wanted to try to add a little "objectivity" to some of the negative comments, because I think a hub like this is only useful if it is truly objective.
Some people have essentially said that they love the device (and I have nothing to add to that, and my previous remarks show I, personally, wouldn't write quite that glowing a review). I figure my original hub and the negative comments others have added help balance out those glowing comments. With the negative experiences (which may not necessarily be related to whether the device, itself, is one that generally works) I do think a certain amount of "caveat" ought to be added, just in case the problem is with someone's own set-up, rather than the device. (I've seen some really horrible reviews on YouTube. One guy has a bad video and just kind screams what a piece of "junk" Magic Jack. Well, mine hasn't been "junk"; and I can't help but question a video that's such bad quality and a guy who seems to have "issues".)
The point is that if I have thrown in my "caveats" (or apparent "slants") it's just a matter of wanting to be careful that what's on my hub isn't too slanted toward the negative, in view of the fact that people's problems could be related to their set-up. I don't care who thinks what about Magic Jack or what happens to the company. It's just that I want I'm responsible for putting online to be fair, because the reputation I want to have as a writer is at stake.
If someone loves the product because they've had a great experience with it, that speaks for itself, and there isn't any concern that something unspoken/undiscovered is surrounding the comment. With negative comments, there is the chance that all is not quite as obvious as it may seem. I could just leave comments without my responses, and let the chips fall where they may; but I've taken a little bit of a "moderator" role for the reasons I stated above.
I called the hub, "...Not A Bad Gadget But Forget About Customer Service" because that's my experience, and that was the original message I wanted to share from that experience. I suppose, since that has been my experience and is what I've found to be true, that could account for any tendency I have to think a little "benefit-of-doubt-before-jumping-to-conclusions" has sometimes seemed appropriate.
Happy New Year to You and All, As Well.
Lisa, Thanks for replying to my inquiry. I understand that you are not a t "Techy."
I will try the FAQ's again to see if I missed something that I can try.
Also, whenever I was told to restart or when the M-jack CSR refreshed my connection "from their end," I was given an upgrade, as recently as yesterday, Tues. 12/30.
I do intend to keep on trying for a little while longer. However, if not successful, I will have to make a decision about returning the device until, hopefully, another time.
Unfortunately, M-Jack has already charged my account, even though it has not even been close to 30 days yet; so, I may have to deal with this problem as well.
Thanks for your help. p & b, alhtth.
This is for Steve...I know your biggest concern seems to be the 911 service with Magic Jack. I don't blame you a bit and that's when I realized that in most places if you have a cell phone, even if it's not activated, you can access 911 as long as the phone is charged, obviously. I don't have an active cell phone but do have an old one lying around. That's my back-up in case of an emergency. I've only had my MJ a short time, and I may have problems to deal with in the future, hopefully not, but I'm looking for every way possible to cut my monthly expenses (single mom, teenagers, you know the drill!). Even with the home service I have now and plan to end, if the internet is down, so is my phone. Therefore, it's not that big a deal for me knowing I may have the same issues with Magic Jack. The only downside is that you can't receive calls if the computer is off. I imagine in the future that will change, but for now, I don't care. No one calls me anyway, especially late at night when I don't WANT anyone calling, lol. My youngest daughter gets calls all the time, and so if one of her idiot friends thinks it's a good idea to call in the middle of the night, I won't have to hear it because the computer will be off :). Anyway, I seriously want to cut my monthly expenses, and I think this is a great way for me to do that by eliminating my home phone. I guess for each person one has to weigh the good with the bad and decide for their own personal needs what's best for them. I'll keep everyone posted about how my MJ is working for me...so far, so good! Happy New Year everyone!
Trish, just in case you're not aware of this (and it relates to Skype)... There are phones you can get to go with Skype. They're fairly expensive, but they work with your router; so when your computer is off the Skype phone service still works. You do have to pay for the subscription and "regular" phone number, Some are WiFi phones. I think some are not, but are just designed to plug into the router so you can turn off your computer.
I just thought people who want to be able to turn off their computers and still have phone service may be interested in that. (Of course, if the router doesn't have power these phones won't work; so the issue of power failures to the house isn't resolved with these phones.)
OK, so the Magic Jack will not work if we have two laptops in our household and a wireless router? The magic jack must be plugged into a PC?
The MagicJack device does need to plugged into the USB port, but it does work with a laptop. Two use it with two laptops you would have to plug it first into one, get the installation into your laptop; and then take it out, plug it into the second laptop, and get an installation on that one. After that you would be able to transfer the device, itself, from one laptop to the other. (The installation only occurs once, and then it's there permanently.)
For more than one person to use the MagicJack service another option is to install it in one machine but have "extension" phones (like a cordless phone system that has (or lets you get) extra handsets for that system).
Unlike the WiFi phones (for Skype) that I mentioned above, there does, of course, always need to be power to your router in order for calls to get in and out.
What I don't happen to know at this time is whether there are WiFi-type phone systems that could also work with MagicJack. MagicJack is sold with the statement, "works with any regular phone" (which is true). I do know, though, that some "fancier" phones will also work with it, provided you can plug the base into the Magic Jack device with a "regular phone" jack. As I mentioned earlier, I had to use the outlet I was using for MagicJack, so I changed phones from my "regular" cordless phone to the dual-telephony Skype-compatible cordless set; and Magic Jack actually seems to work better (I think).
Maybe the only reason they stress "with a regular phone" is to point out that you don't NEED a "fancy" phone or to talk through your computer's audio; and to point out, too, that you don't need a phone that plugs into the USB port. The thing with the "fancier" phones is that they tend to start at around $80 and go up past $200, and I'm not sure spending that much on a phone intended to work with the money-saving-aimed MagicJack would make sense. (Also, you would have to be careful to hold off on expensive phones until you were good and sure that the MagicJack worked well enough to make an expensive phone worth it.)
What I don't know right now (maybe someone else does, and I'll check into some time) is whether the WiFi phones intended to use "Skype-like" software also come in a dual-telephony type of thing that would allow that "land line" (or Magic Jack) and separate type of phone set-up. (They probably do have such a thing, but I'm guessing it would not be any bargain to purchase it.)
Greetings! Has anyone used the Magic jack for international calls? To Mexico, maybe. It sounds like one could have some headaches with international billing... Thinking out loud.
Hi, Lisa, yes, I checked into some skype phones, which are pretty expensive. For me, just having the Magic Jack system is perfect because if I really want to be sure I don't miss any calls, I can always leave my computer on overnight. Also, I just want to keep from acquiring any new monthly bills, no matter how reasonable they may be. My cable and internet is already ridiculously high. Otherwise, since MJ can take messages when the computer is off, that works for me. As I mentioned before, I did find a couple of different phones on ebay that are just handsets you plug directly into the MJ. They have a "regular" connection. What I like about these is that if you have a laptop and especially if you travel, you won't have to mess with a bulky phone. You just plug the handset in and you're ready to go. I do have one question that I'd forgotten to ask before. Do you know if you can put more than one Magic Jack on one computer? I've thought about this because I may get a separate one for my 16 yr. old daughter so she can have her own number. I would like to just plug it into the desktop computer where my current MJ is. Then my daughter can have her own phone in her room, as well as the main one at the computer. I know having more than one phone plugged into the same computer can be a bit crowded, but my desktop basically sits unused most of the time. My daughter is the only one to use it most days, and I have my laptop. It's just something I've been thinking about. Actually, as I've said before, no one calls ME :), and I don't call anyone, so I'm not in a constant battle with my daughter to use the phone. Maybe all that will change with the new year. I've been mostly a homebody the last year or so and working hard to build my ebay sales so I don't have to go to my part-time job anymore. Hopefully once I'm at that point, I can get back into life and may actually get and make phonecalls again! So, if it's possible to have two Magic Jacks plugged into one computer, that would be great. So, do you or anyone else know if this is possible? Thanks a bunch!
rharper, other than the person in "comments" about (who is in Iraq and uses MagicJack), the only other person I've heard of (and don't know first-hand) is someone who works with one my family members. My family member was talking to this person, and he said he commented that he thought the guy was planning to be out of the country for a while. The guy said he was, and that he had a MagicJack. My family member was laughing a little because I'm the only one he had known to have MagicJack; but he said the call quality was fine from his end of the conversation.
Trish, Apparently, you can use (and register) as many MagicJacks as you want on one computer, but you can only use one at a time.
Q&A Portion:
so i could just plug the MJ on any PC and it's ready to use with any phone?
i mean, if i move from 1 place to another, i can use it with any other PC nit just my own PC?
thanx..
You can plug it into any PC, but each time you plug it into a new PC you would have to wait while the installation to the PC takes place. It's quick, and you could uninstall it afterward if you wanted; but if it were someone else's PC you'd have to know they didn't mind the installation, that they had XP or later, and that they had high-speed connection.
thanx Lisa!!
inasmuch as i wanted to read through all the entries of this thread, i think i can only do so much. sorry, i dont have that super long attention span when it comes to reading long texts while doing something else on my PC
anyway, i read the first few Q&As and some comments above befroe i asked you my query last night. now, i have my own MJ. thanx Lisa.
i just have 1 more question (for now): how can i make my MJ acount (or however you call it) to be more than a year?
thanx again!!!
You would do that by bringing up your MagicJack window, selecting "advanced users", and then going to "My MagicJack". That brings you to where you sign into your account and where you can - somewhere there - select different plans.
Has any one tried the magic Jack with a USB Broadband internet connection?
( Hey Guy's I Thought This Would Be Interesting For You Guy's To See.)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- How would you like a total phone bill of 20 bucks a year? Sound like magic? They call it Magic Jack.The company claims it's easy. Just plug the Magic Jack device into your computer, insert your phone line and dial.But Contact 5 found, not all customers are pleased with this discount phone company.It's a little device that promises big savings. The company’s ads call it After a one time fee for the simple plug, Magic Jack claims your phone bill, will only cost you about 19 bucks a year for unlimited calling throughout the U.S. and Canada.But Contact Five found some Magic Jack customers say they don’t even want to test the product, "I have no idea if it works...I don't care if it works," said Penny Goldberg from Boca Raton.Goldberg ordered the product but refused to try it once it arrived in the mail."They got me hook, line and sinker," said Goldberg.She's angry because of promises in the company's ads that guarantee a free 30-day trial."They say we don't take money out for thirty days. Well guess what, they took money out that next day," Goldberg said.Penny claims Magic Jack debited too much money from her bank account--$205."I have no idea where they arrived at that number. I had just paid all of my bills, so the spiral effect started. I got 14 overdrafts at 32 dollars an overdraft," Goldberg said. "I can't afford to pay this."Magic Jack company officials said they refunded Goldberg all of her money quickly, but Goldberg said the refund process was very confusing.Contact Five tracked Magic Jack back to a warehouse in West Palm Beach. Company owner Dan Borislow wouldn't talk to us on camera, but in a series of emails told us:"There was not a mistake made on our part." (Customers are) "told that there will be a hold on their cards. I presume they did not know that the hold would appear similar to a charge when using a debit card, although we told them a few times," said Borislow. (Customers) "had the opportunity to cancel or change the order two times before we mailed it."But Contact Five found Penny Goldberg isn’t the only one complaining about customer service issues with the company.We found more angry Magic Jack customers at the Better Business Bureau."Within the last six months, we've had over 280 complaints," said Brodie White, President of the Southeast Florida Better Business Bureau.White said he’s getting complaints from across the country. Some angry users said Magic Jack simply didn't work for them. Others claimed it was too difficult to install and the directions were insufficient. Consumers complaints also revealed difficulty getting refunds, despite the company’s 30-day money back guarantee."I would say the common theme among all 280 complaints here is the frustration in doing business with this company," White said.But Dan Borislow told Contact Five,"The amount of complaints (at the BBB) on 600,000 Jacks sold, is very very little, and the percentage of complaints is reducing dramatically."Contact Five conducted it’s own tests on Magic Jack. With help from our engineering teaming, we set up two computers. On one computer, we left our company's firewalls in place. On the second computer, we removed Channel Five's firewalls.After downloading the software and answering a series of questions, the device worked and we placed a series of calls out of state. Our reception was not clear on the first call out, but the reception improved with subsequent calls. Keep in mind, our engineering team explained that our T.V. station’s internet lines are probably busier than most homes and offices.In the end, both computers were able to dial out long distance and the calls were connected.
I located the contact information for this company on the Better Business Bureau website ...
Magic Jack LPPO Box 6846West Palm Beach, FL 33405Phone: (561) 594-2140Contact: Peter Russo - CFOBusiness Start Date: 4/13/2007Company ID: 92003333
can you take out the email i forgot to take out then put it back as my first comment? the comments kind of need to be in order for the full effect of what i'm saying.
The next few comments are from jack210. An e.mail address was inadvertently left in one of the original comments; and my only options were to either remove one of the whole comments or else copy and paste them (which means, however, that show up as LisaHW comments). I will mark jack's name across the top of his comments to differentiate them from those are my own.
jack210, I took the liberty of copying and pasting your comments; because that's the only way I am able to edit the comments of someone else on HubPages.
Ok, here goes - the next three posts are from jack210
thank you very much LisaHW
Note: If it appears words were cut off jack's comments, they were already cut off when I copied them. I didn't leave any words out.
SUBMITTED BY jack210 (but edited by Lisa)
my live chat with live support just after i got my MJ You are now chatting with 'Avril'Avril: Hello, how may I help you?jack: site says i have option to select a number, but i'm only given one number to choose from? and that number is a thiensville and i'm in racine wi.Avril: May I have your area code please?jack: 262Avril: Please wait while I check that for youAvril: Thank you for waiting.Avril: Yes you can choose 262 area code Jack that is available in magicjack.jack: some areas of 262 are local long distance, so it would be long distance for them to call me.jack: i,m in racine wi not theinsville wi. thiensville is about 45 minutes away.Avril: Okay,Avril: other prefix number is 262 is out of slot, may I have your prefix number jack so that i can give it to our higher department so that they can work for your prefix number to be available.Avril: Hellojack: the prefix that is being offered is 834 i need a racine prefix #so my friends and family are not charged a long distance call when they call me. site also said i can choose my number but i'm not being given the option.Avril: I understand that Jack, I will forward your prefix number to our higher department so that they can be aware and work for your prefix number.Avril: We will send you email confirmation once it is available.Avril: May I have your email address please?jack: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxjack: so i have to wait to hook up my phone? cuz it's my understanding my year already startedAvril: yes Jack.Avril: Or you can choose any available number to start use magicjack and once your prefix number is available you can change your number 2nd time for free.jack: is their a number i can call to talk to someone?Avril: I'm sorry jack we do support over this chat, phone number is not available in magicjack.jack: ok so far i am not happy with this. your site says my area code is available it does not say it's a long distance number from where i live. your site also says i can choose my number but thats not the case either. now you want me to waste part of my year that i already paid for or my 2nd change of phone number. not to mention there is no number for me to talk to anybody.Avril: You can only see to the site the area code but not the prefix number.Avril: the prefix number is base on the area code Jack., even in our end we don't have list of prefix number only customer can choose for there prefix number base to there area code.Avril: I understand you Jack.jack: thats right, i think the site should be alittle more specific cuz if i had known it would be long distance for my neighbor to call me i wouldn't have gotten magicjackjack: how long would i have to waitAvril: I'm not sure but I will formard your prefix number in our higher department so that they can work for it as soon as possiblejack: i think the least magicjack could do is waive the first number change so i could still change it down the road for free if i needed toAvril: yes, I understand that Jack.jack: so what can you do for meAvril: Jack, all I can do is forward your prefix number to our higher department and you can wait for it to be available.jack: so who do i talk to about getting credit for the time i can't use magicjack? while i'm waiting?Avril: Chat us back John.Avril: Okay Jack, here is the option that I can give to you.Avril: You can return the magicjack and wait for your prefix number to be available or you can continue this magicjack to use with different prefix number while we are working for your number.jack: so i would end up paying shipping twicejack: do you have a superviser i can talk toAvril: Thank you for your patience. I will transfer you to a higher level of support. Please hold while I transfer you.Please wait while I transfer the chat to the best suited site operator.You are now chatting with 'Lewis'Lewis: Hi, Jack.jack: hi, lewisLewis: The prefix of your area code is not yet available, Jack?jack: thats what i was toldLewis: I will check it for you.jack: shall i copy and drag the conversation so far so you can be caught up on where we are so farLewis: Your local area code is 262, right?jack: yesLewis: I can check it for you.jack: thank youLewis: The available prefix for area code 262 is only 834 Thiensvile.jack: i know but i'm in racine and that one would be a local long distance for my neighbor to call mejack: Thiensvile is about 45 min. awayLewis: I apologize, it will be a long distance for them calling you.Lewis: Once your prefix will be available, you can change your number once for Free.jack: so i have to use my free number change for that when your your site says my area code is available it does not say it's a long distance number from where i livejack: i think the least magicjack could do is waive the first number change so i could still change it down the road for free if i needed toLewis: Yes, once your prefix will be availabe.jack: when will that beLewis: Our engineers are working on releasing the new codes at this time. We don't have a set date yet but we will update our website as soon as we know.jack: ok so far i am not happy with this. i think the site should be alittle more specific cuz if i had known it would be long distance for my neighbor to call me i wouldn't have gotten magicjackLewis: I apologize for that, Jack.jack: your site also says i can pick my number but thats not the case eitherLewis: As of the moment, you can choose any prefix available and you still have 30 days and not satisfied you can return the magicJack.Lewis: I will personally notify you once your prefix will be available and you can also check it on your account at the my.magicJack.comjack: your site says "Once you have received your magicJack device and plugged it into your computer, you are given the option to select a number from one of our many area codes." i'm kind of feeling misled.jack: i think the least magicjack could do is waive the first number change so i could still change it down the road for free if i needed toLewis: Again, my apologies. Yes, you can choose any area code available.jack: but i'm talking about a local prefix in my area code. why would i want one out of my area?Lewis: Yes, and you can choose any area code and prefix as of the moment.jack: your site said nothing about my area code only being in one city not all of them in that area codejack: i want a prefix that is a racine prefix in the 262 area codeLewis: The most that I can do is to submit this concern to our admins in a form of survey to make sure this will be given high importance by them. And since we are continuing to work in upgrading our system to give you the best service with our product.jack: so as if my neighbor calls me it's not long distance for themjack: how does that help meLewis: To release your prefix immediately.jack: is their anyone i c
SUBMITTED BY jack210 (edited by LisaHW)
s their anyone i can talk to about getting first number change waived when my prefix is available so i could still change it down the road for free if i needed toLewis: Did you register your magicJack, Jack?jack: no i got to the prefix part a stopped to talk to youLewis: Please choose prefix available as of the moment and you can change your number once for Free if your prefix is avaialable.jack: not to mention it was my understanding i could choose my whole number not just the prefixLewis: Yes, you can choose your whole number once for Free.jack: ok, do you know about how long it will be before my area prefix should be available? and by whole number do you mean the 10 digit number? or just the area code and prefix?Lewis: You can change your area code and prefix but the last four digit is randomly selected.jack: so it's not the whole number i get to pick?Lewis: Yes, you can choose the area code and prefix only.jack: why should i have to waste my one free number change on getting the prefix when it's available? i think magic jack should waive that one and allow me a free one after thatLewis: After you have your number right now. You can still change your number once for Free.jack: if i ordered magic jack at a later time when my prefix was available i wouldn't have had to waste my free number change on it. why should i have to waste it because i ordered magic jack when i did?Lewis: You can also purchase the magicJack if your prefix will be available, Jack.Lewis: later*Lewis: It would be your choice.jack: i already bought magic jack, but was not told my prefix was not available at this time. had i known it was not available at this time i would not have gotten magic jack when i did. because your site was not clear as to my prefix not being available i should not have to waste my free number change on that when my prefix becomes availableLewis: We only have the link for available area code but for the prefix, you can ask from us or check it through your account.jack: why wont you people at magic jack work with me? i keep asking why i should have to waste my free number change upon my prefix becoming available and no one so far has answered itLewis: What do you want me to do right now?Lewis: I suggest to choose any prefix available and once it was available, you can change it for me.Lewis: Free*jack: ok but then if down the road i want to change my number i would have already used my free change of numberLewis: You are not yet using your Free service.Lewis: The registration is Free.Lewis: And after that if you prefix is available, you can change it later for Free then/Lewis: The free service I am referring is the changing of number once for free.jack: what i'm saying is - after i register i get a number - then my prefix becomes available so i use my free change of number for that - then down the road i want change my number but i already used my free change of number. thats where my problem comes in. i should be able to change my number when i want to not just because my prefix was not available when i ordered magic jackLewis: Yes, I understand. But you can only change it once for Free and after that you will pay $10.jack: i need a number so i can talk to a person because your really not understanding what i'm sayingLewis: I understand what you are trying to say but we don't have nothing to do about it if ever you want to change your number after the first free of charge. Our system will charge you automatically if you will change your number twice for example.jack: point is if i had known my prefix was not available at the time i ordered magic jack i would have waited to order it therefore i would be able to use my free number change when i wanted, not waste my free number change on getting a prefix that would allow my neighbor to call me without being charged a long distance call what your telling me is i'm going to get shorted out of a free number change because your site was not clear as to the prefix not being available in my areaLewis: Yes, I understand your point.jack: but what --> oh well --> sorry for my luck cuz thats what it sound like to meLewis: And what do you want to do now? Register your magicjack with different prefix?jack: i wanted and thought i would be able to register my magic jack with a prefix that was in my area the first time not waste my free change when it becomes availableLewis: But it is not yet available, Jack.Lewis: You only have one prefix available for your area code 262.jack: i think it would have been a little more fair if your web site would have said just cuz your area code is available does not mean your prefix isLewis: Yes, and we are working on it right now. I mean, our engineers are still working on it right now.Lewis: As of the moment, you can ask for us for the prefix available or login to your account.jack: i know the prefix thats how i know it's not a racine prefixjack: i need to talk to someone that can waive the number change for when my prefix becomes available so i still have a free number change to use at a later dateLewis: I apologize, we only handle chat support as of the moment. We tried to fix as many issues as we can through chat.jack: ok but this is not workingLewis: Do you want to return the magicjack for a refund or register your magicJack?jack: i can't believe their is nobody else i can talk to that can help me, i also can't believe their is no phone number for customers to talk to anybody. you sell phone service.Lewis: We use Tech Chat to better assist you. By using Tech Chat, we can send you instant upgrade links and run several diagnostic tests, that cannot be done over the telephone. We are also able to see where you are located, what OS and Internet browser you are using. Lastly we can see that your Internet connection is working too.This will provide the best Customer care experience and keep you most satified.jack: but it does not work for every problemLewis: But since you receive your magicJack, I suggest to use it and if not satisfied how it works you can return it under trial period. Please be informed that to return, you will need a RMA number.jack: i don't like being misled at my expense cuz now if i return it i get to pay shipping cost all for nothing. but if your website was clear that i could not get my prefix i would have waited until i was available then we wouldn't have this problemjack: i don't think how it works will be an issuejack: the issue is my prefix not being available and me not being told about it until i received the magic jackjack: then being told to waste my free number change when it becomes availablejack: i'm sorry if it becomes availablejack: and not being able to talk to a person on the phone about itLewis: Do you want to return the magicJack instead since you will not register it with different prefix.jack: all i'm getting is oh well deal with it or send it back ---> i thought customers being happy was importantLewis: Yes but all I can suggest is wait for the prefix to be available but the same issue still occurs regarding changing of numbers.Lewis: And you register your magicJack as of the moment with different prefix.jack: is there anybody i can talk to that can help me? i have a problem with being misled to the point that i have to take out of my pocket to return something that was sold to me by false pretense?Lewis: I also submit your concern to our admins and as of the moment, we will for their updates.Lewis: Again, we only handle chat support as of the moment. WeLewis: Is there anything else I may help you with today?jack: there has to be someone else i can talk to i can't believe this is the only way magic jack deals with it's customersLewis: I'm sorry, this is the only to communicate with us. We do have email address too.jack: is there anyone higher then you i can talk toLewis: We are the only higher technical support.part 2 of live chat ----->Lewis: Are we still connected?jack: yesLewis: Okay.jack: i thinking i needed to do a little more checking ou
SUBMITTED BY jack210 (edited by Lisa)
I'm thinking i needed to do a little more checking out of this company because this it the first company i've every had to deal with that has no way to talk to a person on the phone when there is a problem that can't be solved in chat. it seams like bad business practice, not to mention customer satisfaction does not seam that important
.Lewis: Okay. Please don't hesitate to chat us anytime and you can visit our site for more information and updates. Just click the FAQ/Knowledgebase.
Lewis: Is there anything else I may help you with today?Lewis: Once again, my apologiesLewis: Happy New Year and have a great night, Jack. You still have 30 days trial period to try our product.jack: you never helped me with the problem i asked about, so i guess anything else would just be a waste of my time
Lewis: The most that I can do is to submit this concern to our admins in a form of survey to make sure this will be given high importance by them. And since we are continuing to work in upgrading our system to give you the best service with our product. Thank you.Lewis: Goodbye.
Lewis: Take care.Chat InformationChat session has been terminated by the site operator.2and1/2hrs. later and still no results!!!
just thought people might want to see how the live chat people treat the customers and to point out how this company will mislead you to get your money. make sure they have your prefix along with your area code first or it will be long distance for your neighbor to call you. this company only cares about taking your money,even if they have to mislead you to get it. they don't care if your satisfied!!! they do everything they can to go around the ? asked... cuz what real recourse do we really have? i know send it back *oh good now i get to loose all the s+h $ both ways (all because they misled me)!!! what a deal :-( thank you Dan Borislow owner of magicjack, for stealing (in this hard economic time) my hard earned money, cuz without misleading crooks like you this would be a better country and we can't have that now can we...
but this response is mine (Lisa's):
I agree, jack210. I was kind of taken aback when I complained that they sent the device express mail even when I was very careful NOT to sign up for express shipping; and the response was kind of, "Oh, sorry - but there's nothing we can do." I didn't think I should have to pay for something I didn't ask for, but that's not how it worked.:)
jack210, I noticed the formatting disappeared in the "translation". Your original text and format are still in the system and could be restored if you ever want. I went back and added spacing in the third comment, but the system only gives people about a minute to edit their comment before that option disappears (which means I couldn't edit the first two).
When I have a chance I may see if it isn't too late to re-do the whole process again; but if other people's comments come in and make that too "weird", it's probably better not to do that. Maybe readers just need to understand they'll have to do a little decyphering. That's better than having your e.mail posted, I think.
i agree Lisa and again thanks ------------------------------------------------- in case people stopped reading cuz it was to long of a chat i understand, so to sum it all up ---> 2and1/2hrs. later and still no results!!! just thought people might want to see how the live chat people treat the customers and to point out how this company will mislead you to get your money. make sure they have your prefix along with your area code first or it will be long distance for your neighbor to call you. this company only cares about taking your money,even if they have to mislead you to get it. they don't care if your satisfied!!! they do everything they can to go around the ? asked... cuz what real recourse do we really have? i know send it back *oh good now i get to loose all the s+h $ both ways (all because they misled me)!!! what a deal :-( thank you Dan Borislow owner of magicjack, for stealing (in this hard economic time) my hard earned money, cuz without misleading crooks like you this would be a better country and we can't have that now can we...
Magic jack is a fraud, only criminal activities have to hide their location, only criminal activities hide their phone number ( a comunnication company that does not allow communication?) and now LISA HW is allowed to RUIN all use of this site. Of course LISA HW is being paid by magic jack, take a look, all you can see is her ceaseless drival. It is a sad state of affairs that the criminal element is protected and the consumer cant even find these low life creeps to get a refund. We need a district attorney knocking on their door. J. Erb
james erb, your opinion about the MagicJack company is your own, and is welcomed on this site. It should be made clear (as the comments above make it) that MagicJack does allow for communication through thei "live chat" site. Many customers have had frustrating experiences with that live chat situation (and I am one of them).
Call my comments "drivel" if you like. As I said to someone else who "accused" me of working for MagicJack, I respond to comments because this is my hub. I get e.mails that say, "you have a comment" - and I can choose to leave them or respond to them. When people ask a question, I have often responded as best as I can (mostly in case nobody else offers a better response).
I'm not going back over any attempts to convince yet some other suspicious person that I'm not being paid by, or otherwise affiliated with, MagicJack. It's in comments above, and there's only so much a person can think up to say when s/he has been "accused" falsely of something. Believe what you want. I'm getting sick of it and don't care who thinks what. One more time: I do not work for MagicJack. End of story.
I don't even know what you mean by "being allowed to RUIN all use of this site". What "site"? All of HubPages? I hardly think my one little hub about MagicJack does little to "ruin" HubPages whole site. As for this particular hub - it's MINE! I can do what I want with it and say what I want on it!! It isn't "ruined" because it's exactly what I want it to be - a hub about what was a fairly new device last year, that has lots of people's reviews/comments on the product.
If by "ruining" this site you mean that I respond to comments people take the time to make - then so be it. I happen to think, as "host" of my own hub, it's courteous to respond to comments that seem to call for a response (especially, for example, the ones that say things along the lines of, "Lisa, do you know if......").
If you have had a problem with MagicJack, and if you have had no luck trying to get your money back; why not contact the Better Business Bureau or your state's Attorney General's office, and file a complaint. If you, yourself, have not bought the product and/or have not had a problem with not getting a refund you think you get, why are you spinning your wheels over this hub?
If you've had a problem with MagicJack, why not post exactly what the details of that problem are, so that other people looking for information about the product or company can see what happened in your case?
By the way, did you notice that the title of my hub includes the words, "not a bad gadget but forget about customer service"?? Does that sound like something someone working for MagicJack would put in the title of their review??
hey lisa don't get so fired up over stupid people that don't know whatthey are saying. they can't imagine that someone has the time or passion necessary to reply to all messages.
now what do u know about ooma? check ooma.com and let me know. i bought one from best buy and so far is working fine. and people why don't u getyour magic jack from best buy. u don't likeit simply return it tobest buy. hassle free !!!
i also use skype and i love it. the only thing i hate about it is that i have to have my computer on in order to make phone calls ( that's the case for magic jack too) . i bought a wireless phone from skype and even though it's cool gadget i ended up returning it. it is prety small and cool but i wanted something to use as a house phone and did not like the idea of having to charge it so often. so for extra $ 80 i bought an ooma device that i have connected to my MODEM and to my cordless phone base and works just fine. i don't know if i'll find this site again to check for replys so if people have questions or they have anything interesting to tell me about ooma please reply at danbta@yahoo.com
or get it from RadioShack
Christian, thanks for the comment. I've never (until now) heard of ooma.
(I wouldn't go so far as to say I get "fired up" - but being called (essentially) a "liar" by those people who, as you said, don't know what they're talking about, does irk me. :)
Okay this is a funny thread. I get confused when people don't use the proper terms I guess. I'm a little confused with the Jack210 problem. Granted I don't know where he lives. But I live in a pretty big city. In Fact we have two area codes. In some instances one of those area codes bridges to another county and in such is considered long distance. Other than that the Area code is what determines if it is long distance and not the prefix.
Other than that the short side of the situation answer would be to use the magic jack with the prefix that is available and try it. If by some strange reason that it was a long distance call for your neighbor to call. Let him call you..let it ring two, three times and then hang up (There is no fee for non connection).
Then you could look on your screen and see who called and click a button and call them right back. For $40 bucks for the first year I think that would be a little inconvience For such a neat little device.
I have had my MJ for alittle less than a year and have had ZERO problems. I'm running a old P3 at 2G that's not a intel chip with broadband at 15Mb and am quite impressed. My wife can call me on my cell phone and it's crystal clear. I also jumped from the back of the MJ right to a House phone outlet and now the phone is available in every room with a jack. Seems pretty straight forward, the installation is a snap. For the most part I would suggest people do as was said buy the thing from a retailer..if there is a problem return it first for a replacement and try again..if that doesn't work then take the darn thing back and stick with another service. Just my thoughts. Take care all and best of luck. BTW as was mentioned they make great gifts for family outta state or country...FREE CALLS over seas...That's awesome.
hello Lisa HW!!
i hope you can help me with my situation here (or at least lead me to whoever can):
i just arrived here in Philippines with my MJ i bought there last week. my problem is that when i make a call to my sister in US, her phone (tried both lndline and mobile) i dont hear any ringing sound or any body on the other line while the call is connecting or is on progress even if the MJ timer on screen is counting.
on the other end, my sister's phone (both landline and moblie- one at each time) rings but when she picks it up, she hears nothing.
i only encounter this probelem when i make outgoing calls. but if it is them who dial my MJ number, my phone rings and we then have the normal conversation with very good audio quality.
i already tried reseting my PC, moving the MJ to another USB slot.. still the problem occur. i didnt have this problem when i tried this while i was in US.
thanx so much LISA, May the force be with you..
bre_ambungan,
I'm sorry to say that the problem you're having isn't what I have the expertise to answer. (Since you can talk when someone calls you that lets out the possibility your audio devices need adjusting.)
If you go to http://www.magicjack.com and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see two options: FAQ/knowledgebase and "Live Chat". Within the knowledgeabase section there is a troubleshooting section, so you may want to click on that first. It can take a couple of tries at guessing how best to word your question in a search, but I did have luck using the troubleshooting feature.
If you can't find anything there, you should probably try the "live chat" feature (but, as others have noted here, that can take a while - so put on a put of coffee, and get ready to (maybe) settle in at your PC chat window for a while. :) )
I wish I could be of more help. Maybe someone else on who happens to read your comment could be more helpful than I'm able to be. In the meantime, good luck. Who knows - maybe it won't take all that long to get to the root of the problem.
I have never tried Skype or MagicJack, but I love the idea. I am at my computer all day so I think it might be helpful to have. Do you know if there is a cost associated with either of these? Thanks. Great Hub...
Magic Jack costs in the $30's for the device, and when I got it, I got the first year free. Then a person can select whether they want any extra years. Apparently, they're recently been giving a break on a five-year service. You can sign up for just the first, free, year, though; and then sign up for another (I think) $20 the next year. There's always the chance they're annual rate could change, I suppose.
Skype is free for PC to PC calls (but the other people you talk to have to have Skype, as well). You can make calls out if you sign up for "Skype out". You have to put a few dollars into your Skype account, and then they deduct each time you make a call to a regular phone. It's very cheap, though.
Also, you can sign up to have a "regular" phone number (that's something like $30 a year; although it has changed from time to time; and checking their site would get you the most recent charge). Then, for about $3 or so a month, you can have service that is like a "regular" phone. In other words, you pay for the cheap service; but you also have to pay to have the "regular" phone number.
I believe you can pay for just the service and not the number, but then (I think) you have a "computer number" on which to make and receive calls - and it's a little weird to use that kind of number (at least I think it is).
Again, though, they've changed their plans even in the short time since I've had Skype service (and the phone number), so the best thing is to look at their site, where they show the different types of subscriptions.
People, do yourselves and favor and only buy this service one year at a time. There is little information about how well capitalized or finacially viable/profitable this venture is. If you buy one year at a time you minimize your risk in the event they fail. Please don't buy 5 years up front, if they go out of business you'll be left with a useless piece of hardware. At $19.95 a year, one year worth of risk is not that bad.
I have magic jack but dissapointed in the product.Customer service isn't the best when you have trouble with something you might as well forget it.The only thing I can say is I have saved alot of money and I call out more then I have calls come in.
Lisa, Do you know if you can transfer or port your current phone number over to magic jack. I recently switched to Vonage from a regular phone company and Vonage allowed me to bring my phone # with me because it was not being used by any other vonage user. It seems like it would be a HUGE hassle to contact everyone to let them know you have a new phone # after 30 years. By the way my Vonage service is HORRENDOUS !!!! The sound quality is so very poor. I get echos on almost all calls so I am hearing myself talk. It has dead spots where I can't hear what they are saying for a couple of seconds and vice versa. They say it only costs $24.99 a month but my taxes and service fees on the bill are an additional $15.00 per month. So it's $40.00 a month for my $24.99 phone service !! I am not a math person but thats more than 50% of the cost in state and local taxes and service fees !! SUCH A DEAL ! Thanks for your help.
bigmac, apparently you'd be able to switch your existing number sometime in 2009 "for a nominal fee" (according to their faq/knowledgebase). They don't say when, exactly, in 2009 or what the fee will be.
I think this may be a neat device for a second line. It sounds like the computer must alway be turned on in order to have phone service. So whenever the puter is in sleep mode or reset, etc, the phone service goes down. Although many people do it, it is unhealthy for the computer to be left on at ALL times.
Has anyone tried ReplayTV or a TIVO type device with Magic Jack? I am a former Sunrocket customer and now a Teleblend customer. teleblend is a wonderful phone service for voice and fax but lately I am having trouble connecting with ReplayTV. I thought I might give Magic Jack a try. price is right.
I am thinking about getting the magicjack. The main use for me would be to stay in touch with my family overseas. So far I have been using phone cards that allow me to talk for about 1 to 2 hours. But it is a hassle to find the one that actually gives this amount of time, and I am tired of have to drive to get one everytime I feel like talking to my family. So it sounds like this magicjack would be a good solution. Now, do I buy 2 devices and send one to my family in Peru to install in their computer and install the other in my computer and then would be ready and able to call each other unimited for just the annual fees plus the one time cost of the devices????? So, 35 or 40 dollars per device, plus 19.99 per year for me and 19.99 per year for my family in Peru, and unlimited calls to each other??? Did I get this right????...... If so, I have a mac laptop and my family has a windows xp desktop, would that be a problem as far as calling each other????...... How do we call each other???? Do they assign a number to me and a number to my family and we just dial those numbers to call each other????..... How would they assign a number to my family in Peru??? Do they give them an american number????..... They would buy a separate phone for this purpose and keep their regular landline phone for their regular domestic calls, or at least that is our idea of how we would do it, but is it possible????...... Can I take the magicjack with me to trips to other states or countries and use it in other computers and still be able to call my family???? Would it be the same number???...... Do I have to take a phone set with me when i travel if I plan on using the device????...... I know these are a lot of questions, but like I mentioned earlier, the main and probably only use I would give to this magicjack would be if I can talk to my family in Peru unlimited for a flat yearly fee. I would just need to know exactly what do I have to do to set this up for both my family and me. If it is possible, it would sure beat the heck out of having to buy 5 dollar cards every week or more. Thanks sooooo much to anyone that answers these questions and help me.
I just went to Magic.com to double-check about using it with a Mac. On their FAQ/knowledgebase it says MagicJack is compatible with "Intel based Macs" (so that's something to keep in mind).
The unlimited calling service included in MagicJack's 19.99 a year includes domestic (and, I believe, Canada and maybe Mexico) calls. International calling rates are low, but are not in the 19.99. So, the best thing to do would be to check www.magicjack.com to see exactly how international call rates are.
Because the device is portable (and can be used with any PC that has Windows XP, Vista or later) AND a high-speed connection, I would think you could send for the two devices and just send one of them to your family in Peru. The numbers would be different.
Again, it would be best to check with MagicJack's site (or with their live-chat people) to ask about International calls, numbers, etc. (and which way you should handle those details).
If you travel you would need to take your MagicJack with you and be able to install it in another compatible computer. If there were a "regular" phone where you travel you could just plug that into MagicJack. Otherwise, you would have to bring a phone along.
Something you may want to check MagicJack's site about is whether they could order their device (or you could have it shipped to them but billed to you), and get a local Peru phone number. I think the main reason to ask about that would be to let them use their MagicJack for local calls.
Since, in GENERAL, MagicJack charges based on area code; something to double-check on is whether your calls back and forth between Peru would be considered "local" (if you get two devices with your area code assigned to both); or whether the process of getting calls to and from Peru is simply different and wouldn't fall under that "area code rule".
Something else you may want to look into (if you haven't done this already) may be Skype's service. Both parties would have to download the Skype software (free). With that, you can talk Skype to Skype (I don't know if PC to Mac would work the same way) free, but you don't have a regular phone number. They let you talk PC to phone pretty cheaply.
Skype also, however, offers you the option to pay for a "regular" phone number and pay a small monthly fee (I pay 2.99 a month) to make and receive unlimited domestic calls and cheap International calls.
If you haven't done so already, you may want to look at their site to see what they offer in terms of International calling rates.
With Skype you can talk over your computer's headset and mic or speakers and mic; but if prefer, you can use a Skype-compatible phone. I hooked up a decent Linksys "dual telephony" phone, which lets me either talk Skype to Skype or make and receive calls "the regular way", and the quality is super good.
On the other hand, I also got a super-cheap ($7.00) USB phone that's compatible with Skype and Yahoo Messenger, and the sound on that is great too.
Other things to look into (if you haven't already) might be talking over Yahoo Messenger or AOL instant messaging. I don't make International calls, so I don't know how things like Yahoo messenger's "talk" feature work, but a cheap USB phone and contacting each other over one of the messenger's voice options may be something to consider. (Although I've found Yahoo Messenger calls to be high quality, I don't know how YM works as far as any limits go; and any trial talking I've done has just been domestic.)
Thanks so much for your response. Yeah, I have been using skipe video chat for about a week now and i really like it. I can see my family and talk to them and viceversa. I was just thinking on having an actual phone to dial their number or any assigned number to them for this purpose, and I thought magicjack could do that. I guess I would go to their livechat whenever i get a chance, I just would much mor rather talk to someone over the phone about it. It is a shame they dont have a phone number.
I will also find out about phones for skype, since I am already using that, maybe that will be the way to go. I just liked the one payment a year and forget about it option.
Oh well!!.... thanks so much anyway.
I've been using Magic Jack for a year now - it's fine except for the annoying ads. I found a free software to block or disable the pop up advertisements, check out Magic Block at Download.com or just Google it
Maria, send me and e-mail on this address danbta@yahoo.com with the title Skype- Magic jack and I'll try to answer ur questions. I also have family in europe and I use magic jack and skype. Include ur phone no for ease of communication or I'll reply to your e-mail with my phone no. i just don't like to write as much as Lisa does :)
I haven't read ALL the comments so I may be repeating some stuff.
My mom's neighbor bought a MJ and loves it. My mom has been complaining about her long distance phone bill and since my mom has high speed internet I talked her into getting one. It has now become her long distance phone; she still kept her land line. When she signed up she found out she could pick any area code as her phone number. Since my brother and I live out of state in the same town she choice our area code for her phone number. Now when we call her MJ phone number it is a local call not long distance for us. So we get the free long distance even though we don't have a MJ.
Well, I bought a house and did not get a landline since I have my cell phone. Sometimes I'm without my cell phone and decided today I'll get a MagicJack for my home. I didn't want to hassle with all that ordering online stuff so I went to Radio Shack. I paid the $39.99 plus tax and walked out with a MJ. No shipping/ handling fees. I now have to set it up.
So, buy MJ from Radio Shack instead of online. (Maybe it will be easier to return?)
Also, if you have friends and family out of state in the same area code, use their area code as your MJ phone number. Then when they call you, it will be a local call for them. (MJ allows you to change your phone number one time. Just change the area code.)
REFUND INFORMATION
I loved my MagicJack and intended to cancel my phone service once I knew it worked well. Unfortunately, I live in a very rural area and we only have one option when it comes to a phone company. Because it is so small, they (supposedly) send the DSL connection through the phone line and I was unable to cancel my phone. As a result I decided to return the Magic Jack so as not to pay for both. I contacted them by email and received my return instructions, mailed it via USPS with delivery confirmation. It wasa delivered in 2 days and my refund posted to my account within FOUR days. Before buying I read EVERYTHING I could find on Magic Jack and the only negative thing I read (besides complaints from people who didn't research their purchase first) was that refunds took forever.
I am posting to say THANK YOU MAGIC JACK for the quick refund. I'm sorry we couldn't make our relationship last longer.
Be VERY cautious buying this product. There is absolutly NO customer support via a phone (kind of ironic isn't it). Nobody on their "chat line" was able to offer any type of help reguarding my order or the mis-stated "free" trial peroid. By the way.... The 30 day "Free" trial starts form the day you order not when you receive the product and activate it. Like I said.... use caution!!!
Is it true that you have to have the computer on to use MJ?
The funniest thing ever is that Magic Jack has now taken to lurking on Ripoff Report and responding to customer complaints posing as fellow customers with nothing but praise to heap on the product/service. It's a scam. Oh, the product allegedly works for some, but they engage in deceptive business practices and there's absolutely no phone support. You'll get in touch with someone who barely speaks English and who is rude and obnoxious, and who will bounce you to another agent who will promptlly end the chat session if you dare express disappointment with either the product itself, or the sub-basement treatment you'll recieve from these clowns. Avoid it at all cost.
By the way, while Magic Jack will try and cover its ass by saying that they are transparent about the fact that they will put a hold on your card for the full amount of the product before you've even received the product, it still wouldn't absolve them from engaging in the misleading practice of advertising a free trail that is in effect not free, even where it true.
While things may have changed since I ordered this product, I wasn't made aware of any possible hold until after I had already submitted my order, and could not opt out without great difficulty. And the text itself was small and buried under myriad terms and conditions, ensuring that all but the most astute would be likely to miss it among all the mumbo-jumbo. And why would your average consumer have a reason to poke through all the small print anyway? Isn’t it a free trial? I’m willing to bet that they’re banking on that.
Even if Magic Jack has since taken measures to make the process more transparent, and to give consumers the option to opt out if their definition of “free-trail” doesn’t match up with the Magic Jacks’, Magic Jack’s man in charge seems to have trouble understanding that when his company dips its hands into a customer's account and puts a hold on his funds, that action is functionally the same as if it were to charge the customer for the item immediately. Given that the trail is advertized as free, how can this be legal? If the BBB reports are anything to go by, it's not. They're catching a lot of flack for engaging in deceptive business practices, and even if the service works as advertized, that doesn't bode well for the company's future. Reputation goes a long way, and Magic Jack has done quite a bit to ensure that its reputation is at the bottom of the barrel.
Every other company I've dealt with that offers a free trial period will put a hold on my account, and in that regard Magic Jack is no different. However, the amount is never more than a dollar or two at most, and the holds always disappear within a day. They are meant to verify that the account in question is legitimate, and once it is verified as such, the hold is supposed to be released. Why should Magic Jack deviate from an established standard, especially when in doing so, it puts the customer at risk for overdraft fees?
In my case, ordering the Magic Jack put my bank account in the red, and it was after much fighting with several members of their inept customer service force that I finally got my MJ account cancelled and a promise that they'd release the hold that they fraudulently put on my funds. I say fraudulently, because while they never withdrew the funds, the hold negated their promise of a free-trail. Luckily my bank didn't charge me an overdraft fee and I was able to cover the difference, but my story is the exception rather than the rule. A quick trip to Google will reveal stories far worse than my own.
Now in trying to get this issue resolved, Magic Jack's piss-poor customer service representatives had the gall to tell me that they do this in order to make sure that you don't spend the money (!) before the end of the trail. Yes, they actually tried to pass that excuse off as legitimate! Besides being mistrustful and presumptuous, since when is it their business to manage a potential customer's spending habits? Given that they clearly have access to our accounts, it shouldn't be too difficult to withdraw the funds at the end of the trail, right? And yet they insist on dipping into our accounts and cutting us off from our funds immediately. It's insane.
It's clear that this practice is meant to ensure that Magic Jack will get your money regardless of whether or not you're satisfied with the product. In putting a hold on your funds, they have ensured that they will be able to withdraw them at their discretion. And the thing about the hold is that most banks won’t reverse it until it posts, and by then Magic Jack has your money. When you factor in that your trial starts the moment you place your order, that Magic Jack will routinely delay shipping to its customers to as close to the end of the thirty-day trial as possible, and that getting an RMA from them in the case that you're unsatisfied is tantamount to pulling teeth even if you're within the trial period, it becomes all the more apparent what their goal is. They are out to rip us off. I for one am not going to stand for it.
I’m happy that some of you have had decent experiences with the product itself, but I implore anyone interested in it to buy it locally if it is available, and to do a fair bit of research. If you can, get testimonial from people in your area. Don’t get suckered in by the promise of a free trail. And if you decide to go ahead with the service, watch your bank account like a hawk. Be aware of the possibility that they may charge you more for the service than advertized, and be prepared to endure a long, drawn-out dispute process should they do so. In other words, remember the old axiom, “Buyer beware”.
One last thing. If you feel compelled to go through with this, heed George's words. Do not buy it because of the free trail. Otherwise who knows? Maybe all the problems people have had with the company have just been one long series of unfortunate flukes? Sure...
why does magic have your credit card info or bank account dont they accept paypal
why dont they have video if its that cheap and other companys out there are like 30 dollars a month and has 3-way calling something is behind the scenes somewere there is a CATCH in the fine print somewere there has to be all in all i here its good so good for u make a mill +
Well well I have had an the joy of dealing with customer service at vonage and they are so rude. I tried to cancel my service during the 30 days because I dicovered magic jack.Every time I tried to cancel vonage the system was down but conveniently after the 30 day trial I got ahold of them. The guy I spoke with tried to talk me out of canceling which is his job but the way he went about it I will never do business with them again. He was so rude and sarcastic. He questioned my decisions. I told him I did not appreciate the way he was talking to me and he got even more sarcastic told me I would be charged fees and hung up on me. I called back to find out about fees and discovered they took 90.00 out of my account without authorization. Of course they could not give me his name and there are no supervisors to talk to. I will tell people how horrible their customer service is and I hope you do the same. Oh and Magic Jack is awesome!!!! I paid 95.00 which paid for the Magic Jack and 5 years of service. It works great and you can take it anywhere with you.
How many majic jacks can you hook up to one comeputer?
Lisa - this hub is awesome! Thank you so much. I am getting the magic jack and was wondering how they determine your home phone number. Can they use the number you already have? If not and they "give" you a number, is it going to be a local number? Also, someone else mentioned the probability that my ISP, which I currently have phone service through, may have a problem with my use of magic jack. Is there a way they can detect that I am using it and is there anything they can do to stop me from using it?
Chris, when I signed up about a year ago, they let me select my area code, but then, if I remember correctly, they offered two or three local extensions to choose from. At the time, they said they had a limited number of local extensions; so I had to choose one that is generally associated with a town that's a couple of miles away. They said they were making more and more local-type numbers available.
As far as your ISP goes, I don't know. Maybe someone else on here does. Also, maybe someone on MagicJack's live chat would know if that's ever an issue, and whether they can detect your use of the device.
I don't know if this information offers any insight, but: MagicJack plugs into the USB port. The first time you plug it in it downloads to your machine, so you have the window that pops up with use. What goes on between that and the ISP, I'm not knowledgeable enough to know. It's portable, though, so you can use the same device/phone number on any PC. This makes me wonder whether it's likely that service providers (with phone service) could have a problem every time someone moves a MagicJack from one PC to another.
Since you have to have high-speed service to use the device, and since it sold based on that requirement; I can't help but suspect that at least some service providers either don't care or can't tell. Of course, since you have phone service with them, I can see how there's the chance it could be against some terms and conditions.
I think I'd just call the individual service provider and ask. Then, if there's some provision that says they don't want you using something like MagicJack, I'd call MagicJack and ask if technical people know whether it can be detected or not.
I just logged onto Radio Shack website and they sell the Magic jack online. I called my local store here in CT and they sell it right there so I am thinking I will pop over tomorrow and pick one up. I have a Macmini computer. i am guessing i would have no problem using a Magic jack with that. Good guess or not? I am wondering about COX DSL and phone service provider now that you mentioned it
MagicJack says you have to a high-speed connection; and they say you need either Windows XP or Vista, or else an "Intel based" Mac.
They list the following: " Broadband, high-speed internet, cable internet, DSL, WiFi or WiMax. magicJack does not work over Dial-up or satellite internet."
The "compatibility" section of their FAQ/knowledgebase (at magicjack.com) answers quite a few specific questions, and they do have a comment on whether service providers of phone service would have an "issues". (Basically, they say it depends on the provider.)
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for all your work. I have been looking for information on Magic Jack regarding international calls and came across your page. I purchased my Magic Jack last week at Best Buy and was so impressed that I cancelled my long distance portion of my AT&T service.
Unfortunately, the international calling was the thing I need most at present. My husband is working overseas and has no access to the Internet where he is, so I have to purchase international minutes. What Magic Jack doesn't tell you is that you are limited to 5 purchases of minutes a month. They had a 'glitch' and showed my credit card denied (I was still charged) and when I tried to re-submit, was only allowed a $10.00 purchase of minutes. Although their rates are lower than AT&T's or Sprint's, that still goes fast. I talk to my husband everyday and am now with no way to call without re-doing home service.
To compound problems, I have been through their chat service twice (escalated to someone else both times) which took over 1/2 hour a piece; finally given a customer service number. That number was a recording that gave me another number. After holding for more than 30 minutes first day, had to disconnect. Today, I called and after holding again for more than 30 minutes, explained my problem, was on hold for more than 15 minutes waiting, and when the rep. came back, she told me that was their policy - period. I would have to wait 30 days to purchase more minutes. I can't wait 30 days to talk to my husband and told her that. She put me on hold without a word. I have left it on speaker to see if she ever came back. An hour has passed since I was put on hold and I was just disconnected. If that is their way of handling people - leave you on hold til they disconnect you, they don't deserve to be a viable business. I am now overcharged $20.00 and have no way to add international minutes. I will be reporting them to the BBB and the Atty. General of our state.
International callers, beware! They should let customers know up front what their limitations are. 5 purchases of minutes a month won't handle it for some callers. Another warning - you will be cut off in the middle of your international call without any warning. The phone just goes dead while you're talking when you run out of minutes.
Thanks again for your time and space for users of Magic Jack, Lisa.
Lauri
Lisa, Thanks for all of your continuous responses. Also thanks to those who have posted their thoughts about the magicJack. I am new to this product. I purchased the MJ a week an half ago. My husband and I installed a week ago yesterday(Saturday). We were both also very hesitant about purchasing this item!!! I will say however to date I am not disappointed. We did have a couple of problems at first but we figured out workarounds.
Issue 1) It took us almost 6 hours to get the MJ installed and 3 chat sessions. It turns out I needed to turn my Firewall off to get the MJ installed.
Issue 2) The ISP firewall we use with our carrier needs to be turned off when receiving a call. However we discovered that if we use just the Windows firewall it can remain "ON" at all times and we can receive and make calls without a problem.
Other than those 2 issues it has been great. The customer service chat I have had with them has been very helpful. They were patient and very kind with me especially during the time I was trying to install the MJ. My only issue with the Chat session is sometimes it takes then a while to respond. My thought is it is probably people working from another country and they need to translate the chat session from English to their language and vice verse..... Not a big problem to me though as long as they are helpful and answer my issues. The other benefit to having chat sessions is you can print and/or save the chat session for reference and documentation.
As for those who have complained about being charged right away that only happens if you use your Debit Card. It clearly states when purchasing that if you use a Debit Card vs a Credit Card they will debit your account immediately and they indicate in the email they send with the date they intend to debit your account. I then received a follow up email informing me they would be debiting my account in two increments because the charge was over $100.00. And they did just that, they charged my account for the first amount they indicated and then the second amount they indicated.
I think that the people who have had problems with their connection may not have a fast enough DSL,Broadband, Cable connection. One of the chat techs told me it is best to have a connection higher the 1.0 Kbps. I have less and I do notice a slight breakup as if I was on a cell phone, but I am in the process of increasing that with my carrier when I call to cancel my $75.00 a month phone service. Yes you read that correctly. I currently pay $75.00 for 1) basic phone service 2) Caller ID, Call Waiting and 3) Call Forwarding. And I do not use the Long Distance and am charged for not using that service. That is what I pay every month until the middle of this month when I cancel them.
I have already been talking to my Family and friends about this and one of my family members is seriously considering making the switch too. As my husband and I state this company does not promise the MOON. It has to be better than nothing at all and for what little the fee is you can not beat it.
I will be checking in for more updates from others and will also update as I continue to use the MJ.
this lisa person sounds like a salesperson for magicjack. good try!
georges, I've already addressed this accusation above. One more time - I'm not.
Teresa, thanks for your contributions.
I do not know Lisa but from reading every single comment on this page, there is just absolutely NOT A CHANCE LISA IS AFFILIATED WITH MJ.......It is IMPOSSIBLE......she also stated her dislikes with the service. Why would in the **** would MJ have someone on a blog page and comment on others who are upset about the product and including herself who identifies the cons.
To Lauri, if your husband has access to a computer with high speed internet, you could send him the magic jack and he could call you with it and it would be at no charge.
I'm happy with mine so far but only had it a week. I'm probably going to move it to my server like one writer did. I do not have a landline line or long distance on my cell phone so this is a great deal for me. I just hope it doesn't die, I did buy the 5 year plan.
I HAVE ONE OF THE NEW MINI COMPUTERS WITH NO CD DRIVE IN IT CAN I STLL USE MAJIC JACK OR NO? I KNOW I COULD USE AN EXTERNAL ONE BUT DON'T HAVE ONE OR CAN I DOWNLOAD THE INSTALLATION SOFTWARE FROM THEIR SITE? THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, THRESA
Thresa, there's no CD involved in installing MagicJack. All that comes in the MagicJack package is the device, itself. You just plug it in, and the installation occurs automatically. So do any updates.
MagicJack's site (and commercials) say it will work with any computer that has Windows XP or higher; or any Intel-based Mac, with a high-speed connection. Still, I suppose it may always be a good idea to double check on their site.
Also, maybe others on here who have experience with the kind of computer you have and MagicJack could offer input.
For the people who weren't seeing the extra years of service that they ordered, I had to activate the extra years of service. Check your email and you should have received an "activation code" with a "plan claim code." Type the letters and numbers in your account setting and you should see that your account credited the extra years. Hope this helps.
Thanks, Charles. I wish that were an option. It would be cheaper and we wouldn't have this aggravation of not being able to purchase more international minutes for 30 days. However, Internet is not readily available where my husband is - hard to imagine I know, but it is the case still in many parts of the world depending on one's circumstances.
I think the Magic Jack is great for long distance within the U.S. and Canada, and would work for international callers that do have Internet access. They do need to change their advertising to reflect their limitations and need to inform customers when they're purchasing international minutes about their limitations.
The incident with the customer rep. placing me on hold and not coming back (eventually disconnected) was inexcusable. She was very rude and I still haven't received any help with this situation. After 2 lengthy chat sessions and 2 very long phone calls, I felt that this should have been resolved. I've also e-mailed the owner of Magic Jack, but still have had no response. It is very frustrating for a company to 'take your money and run' without showing any responsibility or concern about problems customers are having with their product.
Hopefully you will continue to have a good experience. I think you will be happy with it if you don't have international needs or you don't need customer service for any reason. If you do, prepare to be treated poorly.
Good luck,
Lauri
I have been using MagicJack for three months and I give it a grade of A-. It's not perfect but for 20 bucks per year it is definitely worth it. I have bought three units and given two to friend and family overseas. This saves hundreds of dollars on overseas calls. This is definitely where you save big bucks.
I have no landline phone at home but I do have a cellphone for a backup.
You can send faxes from MagicJack and I have done this several times. Instead of plugging the phone in to the MagicJack plug in your fax machine. Alternatively, plug a phone cord in to the MagicJack and plug the other end in to the fax modem of your computer, then you are ready to use the fax software in your computer. My fax software is Snappy Fax which you can download from the Internet at a reasonable cost. I don't normally receive faxes so I cannot personally speak about that.
Most of the audio problems are really due to the vagaries of the Internet. Any VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) will have similar problems. Most times the audio is good but occasionally there is reverberation or clanging sounds or one party does not hear the other. When this occurs hang up the phone and redial. If the problem persists plug the MagicJack in to a different USB port.
I was skeptical when I first saw the Infomercial but I am a satisfied customer.
Another tip: Buy your MagicJack at Best Buy or Radio Shack. You will be up and running in minutes instead of waiting for UPS or Post Office delivery.
I have had MJ for a month now and love, love it. I use it for long distance calls only and my regular phone for all others. I purchased it at Best Buy and have not had a problem with it. I live in FL and a lot of my friends are snowbirds and use their cell phones with long distance numbers on them so it has saved me tons of money already. Never would I use anything connected to the internet for 911 so that was never a problem for me. The phone I am using on it is a very cheap and very old cordless phone and it is as clear as a bell. From past experience I have learned that most people who write to these groups are mostly the unhappy customers. You don't usually hear from the happy ones because they have no reason to write. I would recommend the Magic Jack.
Diana
I got magicJack yesterday at Radio Shack. It's works as advertised. It installs on OS X 10.5.6 in less than 3 minutes. It took a bit longer on Vista, but that is to be expected. I use a cordless phone, and calls are clear. Friends were like, WOW!!
This is not to be used on a slow computer, because the call quality will be choppy.
I say that it would be best to have an extra computer around just for magicJack, so there will be no issues with processor interference. I love the voicemail/email feature. Is it me or is there no indicator, in the program, that you have received voicemail?
I did have one minor problem. I was talking to my friend, and all of a sudden I got a dial tone. 4 seconds late I was back talking to my friend. It's almost like it lost the call then got it back....strange. I can lok past this for the price.
Also, you can email dan@magicjack.com, and you'll get an actual reply from someone.
Any questions, just ask.
This should stir things up a little. I work for the "phone-company", no not a big Bell, but a small rural carrier. We also saw the ads/infomercials and we decided that we would buy an account/device to track its validity. By the way, I also wanted to mention we are the local ISP also. So we get the magic jack very quickly, and yes they do put a hold on the funds in your account, this was not mentioned. Getting it to work really was no issue - we are in the business of IP so do not assume it will be easy for everyone.
Call Clarity: No it is not a landline, it should not even be compared to a hard-wired service. Do not expect the same quality
Reliability: No it is not a landline, do not compare it with a landline service that provides 5 9's of reliability (up-time of 99.999%)
Price: Wow...its not a landline and does not cost near as much as a landline. By the way, most of the reason that landlines cost so much is taxes and government fees, the phone company only keeps about $10 of all that you pay each month...yeah, we think the taxes and surcharges are also a rip...but the government requires us to add them on, so we do it.
911 - Okay, this pisses me off. It does not work over the magic jack worth a crap. If you don't think you will ever need 911, then this should work for you. I guess you are invincible and will live forever. Also, did I mention we are a cellular company also...and if you think e-911 via cellular service works that great and can triangulate your position correctly every time, I've got some property next to the magic jack warehouse I will sell you....cheap!
Customer support: It is the pits. We tried it just so we could make our own determination. What kind of company sells phone service, yet does not provide a live phone support number? I guess they cannot afford $19 per year for their own Magic Jack.
Computer/DSL: You need to have a newer PC, with a minimum of 2-gigs of RAM. We tried it on XP, have not tried it on Vista, so we cannot say on how it works on Windows Vista. You may have to disable the firewall.
Customer information: Wow....they can obtain and sell your personal data and surfing habits to 3rd parties. I guess if you don't mind your privacy being invaded, then again, this is for you. If you don't care that others are selling your data for a profit to SPAM and telemarketing companies, get you some Magic Jack.
Overall, it’s a VoIP connection and has the inherent issues that most VoIP carriers have. We sell SIP lines and we have issues with them time to time. The technology WILL get better, and companies like Skype are doing a better job....we also have a Vonage account, our opinion is they suck almost as bad as Magic Jack. The ones we have had decent luck with is Skype, and the now defunct Sun Rocket (other than Sun Rocket had a hellva time porting a number).
I see the magic jack applications being for people that call internationally and as a second line replacement. For a second line in the house, for $19 per year, the issues are well worth looking over. For a main line – I would stick to a landline or a cellular line. However, to me the bottom line is the privacy issue. Not being able to call support, not being able to remove the application from your PC, and not getting a refund in time are all secondary items that can be lived with. Selling customer information for a profit so they can SPAM is something that is just simply wrong.
KR, since I have MagicJack I thought I'd go to their site and see what they say about any privacy policy. On their site, under the FAQ/knowledgebase, I typed in the word, "privacy" in the search block. The question of whether they sell your number to anyone else is there (but it is not specified as to whether they sell any other information to a third party). They claim, "No. Your number is not shared with or sold to telemarketers. This is private information and is protected by us."
What I'd like to know (and may one day see what kind of answer I get on "live chat") is whether my name and address has been sold to anyone.
Also what I'd like to know (or have someone with more knowledge about this explain) is the degree to which the device is "involved" with tracking of computer activities and whether that's something MagicJack actively monitors electronically or whether it just kind of ends up "blended" with all the activity that is kind of "passively" (I don't know if that's the right word) tracked whenever we do anything on the computer.
We all know how if we do something like search for an article on blue polka dot umbrellas we start getting ads for umbrellas in about a half hour. What I'd like to know is how much, within the context of that kind of automatic tracking that goes with computer activity, is any tracking directly attributable to the MagicJack device/account, itself.
What I'd also like to know is whether it is the existence of a MagicJack account, the plugging in of the device, use of the phone, or a combination of any of these that allows for any tracking that may occur.
People who have more knowledge about this type of thing may have the answers to such questions. If they do, it would be great if they'd take the time to post here.
I'm was considering buying a Magic Jack but before jumping into it decided to see if I could find any reviews as it sounds too good to be true. I came upon this interesting critique, see link below, which has me a bit apprehensive. It would appear that there's a bit of a loop hole in the Magic Jack TOS which states free calls are NOT unlimited.
I've been a customer of majic jack for a year and love it. I use it for my home business http://greatcareerplan.com/?anthonyjmartin. I make hundreds of calls and never receive a bill. My only drawback is you can't initiate a 3 way. You may accept an incoming call while on a call and make that a 3 way call.
Matt, thanks for taking the time to try to get the whole contribution posted. I use Firefox all the time, so that's not the problem. The only thing I can think of is that your post may be longer than space allows? When I cut and paste I do usually have to then go through and add paragraphs directly in the comment box.
If you want to be bothered you could either enter the post in two blocks; or, if you want, e.mail me the post and I'll include it in a separate text box on the hub and just call it something like, "A Reader's Comments on....." (you choose the the subject - bad customer service, phone services and customer service, etc.)
I'm not going to delete any of your earlier posts for now. I'll wait until the whole post shows up. (If, by any chance, you just get too frustrated to be bothered, at least some of what you've said will be here.)
Additional comments below.
Lisa,
Thanks for reposting my original, fully formatted post. I was having a terrible time trying to get it to go through even when trying in steps, as you saw. LOL
Well, I'm off to see if I can get this darned magicJack thing working now. Surely there is a fix that I'm simply overlooking.
I have recently purchased a Magic Jack. Before doing so, however, I read through this entire column, for lack of a better term. At some point, I remember seeing the email address of the inventor. I've tried to skim through and locate it again, but am unable to find it. I am in desperate need assistance with an issue I'm having, and need to contact someone who can assist. Does anyone happen to have the inventor's email address? I've already attempted replying to the confirmation email I received from Magic Jack, but have yet to receive a response. I greatly appreciate any help that anyone has to offer.
The inventor isn't necessarily readily available for helping customers. The place to get help is to go to http://www.magicjack.com. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you'll see "FAQ/knowledgebase" and "Customer Care/Live Agent".
If you click on "knowledgebase" you will see that there are a bunch of categories there, depending on what you're looking for. You'll see they have "troubleshooting" category, so you could try clicking on that first. (I had an echo problem, and I was able to solve it by just going to "troubleshooting" and following each step.
If you need to talk to customer service you can click the "Live Chat". If you have a billing problem "Live Chat" are the people you would need to talk to.
Usually, when a company sends out a confirmation e.mail it is generated automatically, and many confirmation e.mails do not even accept replies. I don't know if the one you got was an automated one, but that could be one reason you haven't received any response.
great hub and full of rich text conten...its really great information....i would love to go for majic jack seems like its worth buying.thanx anyway...
Thanks for the response, Lisa. What I'm in need of is something comparable to a billing statement. The lady I chatted with stated that they only send a confirmation email, but I'm in need of something a little more detailed. Basically, an email with my Magic Jack phone number, address, and name. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Mommy2Lena, I don't make long distance calls (or even very many local ones) over MagicJack; so I don't have much information that needs to be kept somewhere (like a statement).
I think there was a time when I was able to see my account (money details) online by clicking on "MyMagicJack" (from "Advanced" on the MagicJack window menu). I just went to look at that to see what to say here, and I see things have changed. (It's been 2 years, so I may not quite be recalling correctly.) Anyway...
If you click on the MagicJack window menu you will see "Advanced". From there you can select, "My MagicJack". When you get to that, though, you'll see a page with a selection of services to buy. At the bottom of that page is "My MagicJack".
If you click that you will get to a page that lets you see any credit you've added for International calling. You can also see when your "license" expires (how long you have for service, based on what you've paid them already). You can change your phone number there too. That's also where you can change your call forwarding setting, report a lost/stolen device, enter your 911 location info, or change your e.mail you have on file with them.
Essentially, one you've paid your $20 (or whatever it is) for a year of service you should see your expiration date on that page (and I guess they figure the only other thing to show record of is credit you've applied toward International calls).
They say that your confirmation e.mail is the record of when service started, what you paid, etc.; and they say they do send an e.mail before your "license" expires, as a reminder.
Your name and MagicJack phone number show up on the page I mentioned. If you have set up your 911 information for a home computer, I'm assuming that may be the only place your address shows up.
If you have not yet received a MagicJack you ordered, one problem is that you won't have access to "My MagicJack" until the device arrives, and you plug it into your computer. The second you plug it in, it starts to install itself; and when it does you will be guided to the next steps (for example, to go and enter some information). Also, you get to choose a phone number from a handful of available numbers for your area code.
When the device arrives it arrives in a very simple package with no specific information on it and without any books or anything like that. Essentially, it's once you install the device and have the window on your computer when you gain access to your account information.
(I don't know if I've answered what you're asking. Maybe I've misinterpreted what you really need to know.)
I am just wondering if anyone knows at this time, if you can keep your current number with Magic Jack? I haven't been able to find out on their site. I really don't want to change my number, if at all possible.
Thank in advance for the information
As far as I know, as of today (02/18/09) you may not be able to switch your landline number; but MagicJack's "knowledgebase/FAQ" section (on their site) says that you will be able to do that "sometime in 2009" for a "nominal fee".
To see where I found that, you can go to their site, scroll way down to "FAQ/Knowledgebase", and then search "all" (categories") with "switch landline number to MagicJack". I'm not sure if the following URL will get you there or not.
http://www.magicjack.com/7/faq/
This is only my one, opinion; and as I've said previously on here, I've generally found MagicJack to work well; but I have to say that I'd still think a very long time before even considering getting rid of a primary landline and switching to just MagicJack. On the other hand, I wouldn't think twice about removing all "fancy" service from a landline and leaving only the cheapest, most basic, service on it - and then using MagicJack for long-distance or long-duration calls.
Hi Lisa. It's been awhile since I posted on here about my Magic Jack. I just want to say that so far I've had no real problems. I've also talked to two friends in Alaska (I'm in Missouri) with no trouble. There has only been a time or two when there was an echo on the line or we were unable to connect. In those cases, I believe it had to do with problems my cable company was having. There is often something that goes haywire with my cable company as I live in a rural town. I'm happy to be able to tell the cable company to shut off my home phone which will save me significant $$$ each month. My income is very limited, so every dollar I can save is great. As I've mentioned before, for those concerned about the 911 service, just be sure to have a charged cell phone readily available. In most areas, even if you do not have service on your cell phone (I don't) you can still make 911 calls. Another nice feature of MJ is that I can see when my 16 yr. old is on the phone. I purchased a great cordless phone system with 4 handsets so there would be one in each bedroom. This way no one has to go running through the house to answer the phone. Usually that would be me, and most of the calls are for one of my girls. Now I don't even bother to reach for the phone if they're home...I KNOW it's for them, lol. Though I don't always know if my youngest is on the phone, my system lets me know if the line is in use, and I can check calls on the MJ pop-up to see what calls have been made, what time they were made, and how long the calls lasted. Now I can be sure my 16 yr. old isn't on the phone all hours of the night. Before I got MJ, that was a problem. My daughter would sneak the one phone we had at the time into her room and be on the phone all night. Now I can just check the MJ window to see the call activity. It's great!
I am sure there are still many bugs to be worked out with Magic Jack to bring it up to par in customer service and to improve on certain issues people are having from time to time. For me, however, it's been a great asset and I've had no notable problems. My 19 yr. old daughter is about to go to boot camp in the Air Force next month, so the second MJ I got is for her. Once she's able to have her laptop and make calls, she'll be able to keep in touch with me and her friends without worrying about long distance charges. Her friends, too, won't have to worry about that, either. This will be a wonderful way for her to keep in touch with all those closest to her. Fortunately, I can talk to her through Skype, but some of her friends do not have that option. Also, my laptop is not always on, so if she can't contact me that way, she can call on the MJ which is connected to my desktop computer. We've got all the angles covered :)
So, so far all is good and I'm a happy customer. I hope it will stay that way!
Trish, thanks for taking the time to update readers with your experience. One of the reasons I got MagicJack was that I have a college-age daughter who has friends "all over the place". Cell phones are fine, but there is the number-of-minutes-left factor.
Best wishes while waiting out that Boot Camp time.
Does the Call Forwarding option use my cell phones minutes up?
TheWitte1, I believe, since the calls eventually end up on your phone, that it would use up the cell phone minutes as if the calls were directly made.
Why not just go and purchase the Majic Jack at Radio Shack like I did and avoid all of the priority shipping charges. It's easy to install and you dont have to put your credit card info on there. That way you can see if you like it first.
Hi... some general info... maybe of some interest, maybe not. If you don't want to have your computer on all the time, you could purchase a thin client. Depends on your situation. A person sells these things on ebay and answers alot of questions, also. Note: Not for everyone, it's techish.
Ebay search: WYSE XPe Thin Client Pre-Configured MagicJack
P.S. Couldn't post link, it's too long.
Thank you all for the huge amount of information here. I have been looking into getting a VOIP solution ever since I dropped my landline and went strictly cell.
Giving up the landline seemed like a good idea at the time, but sometimes my kids get home from school a few minutes before I get home from work, and I want to be able to call them when they get home so I can yell at them to get their homework started, and no, you cannot wash the cat in the kitchen sink, etc.
I plan on purchasing a Majic Jack from RadioShack tomorrow. When I turn my computer off at night, I will forward the number to my cell phone (free nights and weekends) so I don't miss any calls. While I'm at RadioShack, I'll probably get a wireless phone with 3 handsets to spread around the house.
Again, thank you all for helping me make this decision.
Wuxxler, glad you found information that may have been a little helpful. I know you didn't ask for my opinion on your plan to buy phones for around the house; but I think if you plan to do that you may want to first just try MagicJack with a regular corded phone first. (Maybe that's your plan anyway.) Or, you could buy a cordless phone for which extra handsets are available, try out the one "main" cordless phone, and if all goes well; buy the extra handsets. It isn't that I, personally, have a particular reason to think the cordless phones may not work well; but I know some people experience difficulties with MagicJack and think you may want to try it with a minimum investment in phones first.
I have a cordless phone for my MagicJack, and I got my daughter an extension for her room. All is fine, but I know other people have run into problems at times.
Yesterday (March 3, 2009), after almost 4 months investigating (much of it at this web site), I "bit the bullet" and gambled on purchasing a Magic Jack from my local Radio Shack.
I brought it home, plugged it into my computer, and started to make calls (local and long distance in both the U.S. and Canada. Seems to work exactly as advertised. Too good to be true? I will find out, or will I?
To explain, (as my sister-in-law calls me), I am "an old fart" who has learned to be cautious, from experience. When I first saw the commercial and called the number, I realised I could not get an address or telephone number to send my check or money order, and since I had observed that expiry of the special offer advertised on TV and on-line, was always "TOMORROW", I was a little suspicious of the integrity of the add and the company that placed it. I know better than to give my credit card number to such companies, and started reading on-line comments and evaluations. It was yesterday that I made the gamble.
The Radio Shack manager verbally assured me that I had 30 days to return my Majic Jack, and now less than 24 hours later, that is what I have to do.
Not because my magic jack does not SEEM to be working exactly as advertised, but because I "FEAR" that it might not be and seem to have no way of varifying or resolving my fear. I can't find out how to reach customer service even by a tedious e-mail "dialogue". I followed Lisas instructions where it says I can get a person to respond to my concern, but I can't make it work.
I suspect that my concern has nothing to do with the Magic Jack company. From the ease of installation, and then the ultimate review of the "CALLS" list, and the impossibility of registering the Magic Jack, I have concluded that the Magic Jack was previously used and registered, and since I do not have the password, nor can I access anyone to tell me if it is even possible to reregister the Magic Jack, I have no choice but to either waste my gamble, or return the device to Radio Shack. The Magic Jack that was sold to me as being "brand new" has 7 (local and long distance) calls listed as being made on February 8 and 9 of this year. How do I find out if someone else did register for the telephone number provided, or whether or not I actually have a 30 day trial if that registration was more than 30 days ago. Who can tell me? And, how much of my time am I willing to gamble along with my $40.
Can I (emotionally) afford to live with the doubt of the possibility of other unpleasant surprises somewhere down the line. By the reviews, a lot of people "ARN'T". I understand why.
Magic Jack is a good idea at a very good price, and mine seems to work fine, but emotionally I am not sure I can live with the doubt, no matter how inexpensive.
Mack, I'm wondering if there's a chance Radio Shack registered the thing (the way some cell phone providers send out prepaid cell phones already activated). I ordered one of my kids a prepaid cell phone, got it, followed the instructions to activate it, and kept having problems. It turned out the company sent it activated (while also sending a notice, "Warning. Activate First.")
If you have a device you believe is used, and you were told by Radio Shack that it's new, Radio Shack should replace it with a new one. That may solve your concerns in that department.
I know what you mean about the "fear" that something will go wrong. In the more than one years since I've had MagicJack on my PC, the only things I had go wrong were those two original (and relatively minor) customer service matters (Ending up having to pay for high-speed shipping I didn't order and not getting the refund I thought I should get for the shipping - because MagicJack said since I got what I paid for they there wouldn't be a refund, although I thought it would have been a "nice customer courtesy" for them to essentially say, "Oops - sorry. We won't charge you, since you didn't order it."
The other relatively minor thing was it took a long time and more than one live-chat to eventually see the additional year I'd pay for show up in my account. On the one hand, I believed them when they said, "We have it in our files. It just doesn't show up on your account yet." On the other, I wasn't all that comfortable until I saw it show up.
Then there was the echo problem, which seems to have been a problem with my volume settings - so that wasn't the fault of the device. Trouble-shooting online resolved that. One reason the echo problem may have been so "emotionally damaging" (hyperbole, of course) was that I didn't hear the echo. The person with whom I spoke did. That made me worry that even after thinking I fixed it, there may be some call one day on which the other person hears and echo and doesn't say anything. "Paranoia", I know.
Even so, and even though I've had no serious problems with either the company or the device or my computer, I'm not confident enough to just really count on the reliability of the calls made with the device. The upgrades have shown up automatically and gone without hitch. All is fine. The computer shows no problems or complications related to the installation (for example upon start up - all starts up well, including Magic Jack).
So now, I make sure I don't make business calls using MagicJack (one of the reasons I got it was that I do a lot of online work and needed a phone for long-distance business calls). Family members and I do use it for long-distance personal calls, because we figure that friends and family members will always just there's an echo. I don't have that many long-distance personal calls, though, so that means not really giving MagicJack the chance to "show me" that I can truly count on it. Calls I have made, however, give me no reason to think the it's not reliable.
Once the device has been purchased and however many years you want have been paid for; provided you don't sign up for any automatic renewal arrangement that would bill your card (and I don't even know if they have that), I can't really see problems arising with payment-related matters. I can imagine how, if the device suddenly seems to develop problems, it could potentially open up possibilities for running into a new kind of problem. Still, if Radio Shack is the place you can return it for the 30-day period.
Since MagicJack's site says to check with your retailer about other return policies, I don't what, if anything, Radio Shack offers beyond MagicJack's own 30-day guarantee.
When I bought mine, I was worried about the initial dealings with an "infomercial company" and the fact that "zillions" of people were probably ordering and muddling things up in terms of customer service. I figured, though, I'd just get the thing, and if it worked "at all", it would be one more way for my kids (and me) to make long-distance calls. If I ever start to use that phone more I may start to take-for-granted that it works as well as it seems to. (I have a "zillion" phones of one sort or another, though, so there's only so much use of any of them I can do.) For now, and to the best of my knowledge, the device, itself, and the installation and automatic upgrades, have been a "breeze" in terms of my PC. That part of it has my ultimate confidence. The calls come through, the voice mail works, and I can make calls - which means the device works. Whether or not that echo situation I once had has "scarred me for life" is a separate issue, because - when all is said and done - cell phones have been known to cut out once in a while, and we all keep using them (unless they're really horrible).
As I've mentioned before, I would never pull out my land line because I have MagicJack (or any number of other extra phone services). Land line long-distance calls are expensive, though; and for people who don't have their own land line, MagicJack (if it works well with their Internet connection and computer) is better than nothing (usually a lot better), and may be almost as good as land line.
I sort of wish as confident with MagicJack as I am a land line; but I'm not. Maybe nobody should be. Still, the device works in my machine and isn't causing problems, and it works well "phone-call-wise". I'm glad I decided to buy it (although, like others, I would recommend not ordering over the telephone).
If I "knew then what I know now" - would I have ordered MagicJack? Sure. It's a "neat", purse-sized, portable, device that works well (at least with the VISTA I have on the PC). If the device stops working before I think is a reasonable time I wouldn't, of course, buy another one (and I'd probably imagine how the company builds in a short life in order to sell more devices). If it keeps working for as long as most electronic products generally seem to work, I'd probably buy another one if anything happens to the one I have.
Very interesting reading about this product - hang in there, Lisa - I believe you are sincere and unfortunately have had to put up with a lot of negative comments...but this is the best hub I've seen about this product.
Matt - very interesting reading - thanks for the post.
I remain undecided about purchasing the Magic Jack - think I'll just wait to see if the product improves with time.
Thanks!
Thanks, Bonnie. I'm actually (sort of) fine with the "accusations" - although they can be kind of frustrating when the tone is so "sure" as to say, "wake up, people". :)
It's probably never a bad idea to hold off and see what else develops with a new gadget. I've been tempted by the deal they offer with 5 years of service "locked in" at about 59.99, but in this day and age (and with the relative newness of the company), I'd be a little reluctant to sign up for 5 years beyond my present 2011 expiration date. I'm sticking with the $20 a year (and taking my chances that that could go up).
Hey Lisa, I've got a few questions about the magic jack. A few friends asked me to, discuss this product, its advertisements and consumer issues in the context of professional engineering practice and ethics. Do you have any insite to these questions?
Thanks
Frank, beyond my own experience (which I've pretty much described above), and what people say on this Hub, there's not much new I could add. I'm not qualified to offer input on professional engineering practice and ethics.
Based on what I've seen on this Hub and elsewhere in my "travels", I think what's here pretty much indicates the general varieties of customer service issues.
I, personally, found no problem with the infomercial (and, believe it or not, I haven't looked at any online ads beyond just noticing that they exist!). For me, installation was as quick and easy as the tv says. All went well and quickly. For others, apparently, the ad could appear to be misleading when difficulties arise with installation or generally getting to the point where one can make calls without issues. I suppose, conventional sales wisdom aside, if I were creating the ads I may ad a statement like, "In the unlikely event you run into minor technical difficulties, MagicJack technical assistance is readily available to assist." (and then I'd make sure someone was).
I'm under the impression a lot of complaints come from people who have run into relatively minor technical problems (that nonetheless make the device not work well), and then believe the ad that said how easy and quick it all is was misleading.
I have no way to know what percentage of complaints about MagicJack (the company or the device) are the fault of MagicJack or the result of a technical matter, but I do know that a lot of people who have had someone else set up their computer, and even who use it all the time, may not know about something like making sure the audio devices are set correctly for any USB port.
Personally, I like what I can see of the design (but know nothing about what I can't see). It's lightweight (good for a pocket or purse) and unobtrusive (good for the person who likes a neat desk area). The blue light lets users know it's plugged in. The edges are smooth (also good for a pocket or purse). And - here's the "girl" in me - it's cute. Technological gadgets are not always cute. Some are. This one is. :)
Based on the view of the MagicJack website that I get on my browsers (Firefox and IE), I think the website does a disservice to the company. The big expanse of white that runs between the minimal information across the top and the options to click on FAQ/knowledgebase at the bottom create the impression that the site is not yet finished. On my monitor (which shows color very well), the orange and blue look like water color (sort of), which ads to the impression that the site is "half-baked".
I think a lot of people probably never even notice those helpful options at the bottom, and I think it's easy, too, not to realize that clicking on each question searched (and then click again on that) will eventually lead to helpful information. The site could do a better job of letting people know ahead of time how it will work. In other words, I think MagicJack offers a lot of help on their site that a lot of people don't ever find. (I've had experience in this department, because I've tried to find answers for people who ask questions here; so now I kind of know how the site works. ) Even after someone clicks on a question, there's a whole lot white and the teeny-tiny words toward the bottom of the page. Bigger words, higher up, and in a darker color would help people feel less like the site is (again) "half-baked".
The "cute" little device and its nice, short, cable arrive in attractive, efficient, glossy, packaging that "says" "quality" - but then the website "says" "new company with a half-baked website, maybe just for now". I think there may be a psychological aspect (as well as the practical use problems) to finding oneself at the site, after the ad and the packaging and the device, itself, create the impression of being "polished". For me, the site has always functioned well enough once a person has figured out what to look for and click on, and once someone muddles their way long enough to discover things he had no idea he'd eventually run into (almost by accident).
Well, I got my magicjack a month ago and it works for what I want it to do.
I have 2 prepaid cell phones one AT&T and one T-Mobile. I was using them with the with the $1.00 on the day you use them and then unlimited calls to respective mobile users. Then using T-Mobile for the unlimited calls between 7pm to 659am to any US number.
Example: On days I called AT&T cell numbers I used the AT&T cell phone costing me $1.00. On days I called T-Mobile cell numbers and any other number between 7pm and 659am I used the T-Mobile cell phone costing me $1.00.
This worked fine execpt that on days I need to make calls to numbers during normal business hours I would have to pay $0.10 per minute and the $1.00 charge if it was to be the first call of the day. I usually opted for the T-Mobile in this case since I would get as a bonus the 7pm to 659am unlimited calls. Of course, If I was going to call a AT&T cell numbers before 7pm for more then a 10 minute total I would use the AT&T cell.
I pretty much alternated as best as possible from AT&T and T-Mobile and didn't really use them everyday. I tried to limit the use as best as I could by planning out my calls on certain days.
Now with magicjack I can check voice mails on my cell phones without costing me anything and then call people back on the magicjack. The cost of $48.00 for the one year is just $4.00 per month is saved quickly verses my previous plan.
The biggest bonus is that I can make calls with no regard for cell phone carrier and time of day or length of call. I will be changing my cell phone plans to the pay as you go one that does not charge the $1.00 a day. Now AT&T will be $0.25 per minute anytime any number and T-Mobile $0.10 per minute anytime any number.
I was averaging $35.00 per month prior to magicjack now based on my current plan I will be hard pressed to use up the $100.00 Credit on either cell phone to have it active for 365 days.
can i call forward my cell or landline to magic jack number? thanks you
You can forward to and from the MagicJack number. Apparently (based on http://www.magicjack.com/7/faq/), if your PC is not on forwarding will still work. Of course, if you forward to or from your cell phone that still means that while the cell phone was connected in the call you will be charged.
I tried it and I have to say it works. But the negatives outway the positives, you might as well just use Skype as you have to have a computer anyway. I have been with Our Digital Voice www.ourdigitalvoice.com for 4+ years and for the monthly fees I have to say that the mobility to use it is just as easy. I do a lot of traveling and I don't own a laptop so when I am in a Hotel I just plug my Phone Adapter in their ethernet jack and my phone works without a computer. Good luck to you if you decide to go the Magic Jack route.
trapperx, thanks. Your comment stands on its own, and at first I wasn't going to attempt to add more. Then I thought it may be useful to kind of play Devil's Advocate (in a way).
I have both Skype and MagicJack (for reasons probably mentioned somewhere above). I love Skype, but I have to say that there's something to be said for the fact that, with MagicJack, it's just about the simple thing of making/getting calls. There's the MagicJack window with a few options and not a lot of extra stuff. With Skype (and some people would find this a positive) there's all the extra stuff (chat with contacts, chat with strangers, turn cameras on, history, etc. etc. While Skype is certainly easy enough, it does have "all that extra stuff" that (if I had the choice) I don't particularly want. There is also the thing that if you don't block anyone who isn't a contact you'll start hearing from all the "Bambi's" and "Blue Eyes 82's" of the world, inviting you to go to their site or chat or whatever. MagicJack is more "straight phone". I listed my number with the Do Not Call List, so even those few auto warranty telemarketing calls have stopped.
Based on other VoIP services I've seen (although I certainly haven't done any "comprehensive study"), MagicJack's cheap service is what makes it attractive to a lot of people. I'm paying about $60 a year for my Skype phone number (that "turns Skype into a regular phone, rather than just a PC-to-PC phone and/or rather than having a "strange" set-up for making calls). MagicJack has been offering 5 years of service for $59 and change. At the $20 a year rate, you get 2 years for $40. For the people for whom MagicJack works well (or even just well enough) that can make it pretty attractive.
Does anyone know if you can send a fax or hookup a fax machine to the magic jack, and does it have a dial tone?
I used it to send one fax, hooking up a fax machine. It went through first-time and without problems. It was hearing the dial tone that let me know the machine was set to go.
(Someone mentioned to me that the dial tone heard when you pick up the MagicJack phone is "not really a dial tone" - it's a simulated type of thing created to sound like a "regular" dial tone. Either way, when I sent the fax there was a dial tone that sounded like a "regular" one.)
i just talked to magic jack ..check this i copied and pasted conversation
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Elayne'
Elayne: Hello, how may I help you?
walter: can i keep a phone plugged into land line one plugged into magic jack at the same time
Elayne: Thank you for bringing up your concern.
Elayne: Could you please be more specific about the issue?
walter: ok i have land line with my present phone ... if i buy a magic jack can i keep my phone plugged in land line and plug into magic jack with another and use magic jack
Elayne: Okay. Thank you for that information.
Elayne: Please wait while I check that for you
walter: thank you
Elayne: You are welcome.
Elayne: MagicJack has its own number and you can use the magicJack and keep your landline at the time.
walter: i can keep my land line phone plugged in it will work and plug into magic jack with another and use it so if i get a call on land line my land line phone will work
walter: is this correct
Elayne: I am not sure exactly what you mean but if I understand you correctly, you mean the phone jack that is connected in your house from your service provider or the phone handset itself that is not connected to anything?
Elayne: Which one do you mean or want to be connected to the magicJack?
walter: my phone right now is connected to land i can make and recieve calls ...if i get magic jack and i plug another phne into it can i keep my land line with phone still plugged in and will it work while i use magic jack
walter: i will plug magic jack into pc
Elayne: Here is the set up. Connect the RJ-11 plug of any corded or cordless phone to the magicJack then plug the magicJack into the computer.
Elayne: Yes, your current landline phone will still work, magicJack won't interfere with it.
Elayne: You can keep your current home phone or cancel it. MagicJack only utilize the internet connection.
walter: so in actuallity i can talk on magic jack and if i get a call on regular land line ...land line phone will ring
walter: and i can answer while on magic jack
Elayne: Yes, you can use the magicJack just like a telephone. MagicJack also has a 10 digit number.
Elayne: Of course if someone will dial your current landline phone it will not ring on the phone that is connected to the magicJack because it is not the magicjack number they are dialing.
walter: ..ok you ought to advertise this ..complants i heard was you miss calls while using magic jack
walter: in effect you have two phones with two different numbers
walter: independant of one another
Elayne: You can still use your home phone. Magicjack will not interfere with that. You will be having two different numbers if you keep your current home phone number.
Elayne: Yes.
Elayne: MagicJack has its number.
walter: cool...advertise it u will get more people to buy ... iam placing an order today
Elayne: You will be having two numbers at home. One is the number from your current service provider and one for magicjack the only difference is all your calls with magicJack is free.
Elayne: Is there anything else I may help you with today?
walter: no i thank you sincerely ..have a great day
Elayne: You are welcome.
Elayne: Thank you for stopping by to chat, I hope I did a good job at addressing your concerns. Please take a second to answer a one question survey about the service I provided. Please click the "close" button on the top right of this screen and the survey will appear. Thanks again!
Walter, thanks.
To clarify, for anyone still not completely sure of the answer to your question:
Any phone that is a "regular" phone can be used with MagicJack, including cordless phones and phones with extra handets. If you have a "regular" phone connected to a landline jack, you can unplug the landline jack and connect the phone to the "phone jack end" of the MagicJack cable.
Generally, with just a phone and the standard cords/jack that come with the phone and MagicJack, you cannot hook them both up at the same time. If there is some kind of adapter or cable "out there" that would allow you to do that, that's a different thing. Without some "special thing", however, you can only use one phone with one of the lines at any time. You can, of course, unplug the phone from one line and switch back, if you want to do that. Technically, you would "using the two lines at the same time", with the context that they are two active lines. You would not have two active phone services simultaneously, of course.
There is such a thing a "dual telephony" phone designed to let you use two lines. I have a cordless one, and the base has the places for connecting two separate lines. If you have a phone that is designed to be used with more than one line then, of course, that phone "doesn't know" if the second line goes to MagicJack. If you were to have that type of hook up, neither line interferes with the other.
As your chat window showed, you can have both a landline and a MagicJack without either interfering with the other. If you want them both active at all times you generally need two phones (unless, again, your get a phone designed for two lines or any adapters/cables that would allow you to do that).
Do i get a call in number with magic jack? like anyone can callme from any landline or cell phone?
You get a regular telephone number with an area, just as if you had second landline. You just use the MagicJack phone as if you were using a landline phone.
i got mine abot a month ago so far im not c/o the service cuz i used the magic jack when im on the internet, my question: is there a cell phone servive by magic jack cuz i heard from my wife that one of her co worker has cell phone service tru magic jack, so is it tru magic jack have cell phone service?
To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing. (I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.) Maybe the person at your wife's work has assumed that MagicJack is like Skype (or some other VOIP) services, and doesn't realize that MagicJack is different. There are WiFi phones that can essentially act like cell phones (for the person away from their computer) if the phone can pick up a "hot spot" somewhere outside the home. There are also Skype phones that allow users to turn off their PC but still make and receive calls (through the wireless router).
Whether or not there is some WiFi type phone that can be used with MagicJack, I don't know. I'm going to check their site and will add a comment later.
I am looking to purchase the MajicJack from a local retailer in the next 2 days.
Is there anything I have to worry about since it will not be directly from the MJ website?
The other question I have is whether anyone has a list of the available Area Codes since I am from Toronto, Canada.
I haver a 2-line cordless phone with 4 handsets. I have magicJack as line 1 and my Verizon landline as line 2. They both work perfectly. I can place the magicJack call on hold and answer the landline from the same handset.
I bought the MJ last week and it has worked flawlessly. I have also purchased a FitPC (small 5 watt all ways on micro PC) that is running windows XP SP3 with 2 megs of memory. The MJ is connected to it, always on, in my data closet and is connected to Line 2 of my 5.8 Mz Cordless phone. Line 1 is my 'land' line. This has only basic service ie. local dialing, toll free dialing, 911 calling...
My ISP is a cable company with 10 meg DL speed and 1 meg UL speed.
The popup is a non issue as this micro PC is only used as a 'server' for phone and USB drives.
Only times its down is when the ISP has hiccuped.
my 2 pesos...
Lisa, what bothers me about the negative comments regarding you as a Magic Jack "pusher" is that no one has mentioned how this affects the phone companies. Maybe those that are accusing you of being a "pusher" are, in fact, phone company "pushers" trying to persuade others to not purchase the Magic Jack. Has anyone considered this?? I, unfortunately, cannot use the Magic Jack (yet) because I am stuck in the dark ages of dial-up. I live in, and love, the mountains of southern PA and nothing else is available. There are too many trees around for satellite so, poor me! :-) I want to thank you for all of your input about the Magic Jack. As soon as I am able, I will purchase one locally!
trielles, thanks Years ago I had inlaws who lived in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area; and when we went to visit them, I found the cable tv service very unique. (At the time, cable wasn't really "out there" for everyone everwhere. It was just a "weird, special, set-up) for the people who couldn't get reception.
It's an interesting point about the those comments suggesting that I work for MagicJack. I suppose that could be it. I've always just kind of assumed they're people who know that a lot of phony marketing stuff goes on online, and who think they're smart enough to "recognize" such stuff when they see it (or think they see it). It's understandable, for the most part. In fact, the only thing I can really guarantee about anything on this Hub is the stuff I've written, myself.
Has anyone been able to recieve faxs with the magic jack ? I can't. Any tips?
danny, I have not received any (or tried to). I've only sent one, but it did go through without trouble. That's not much help to you, I know - just thought I'd confirm that faxes can be done with MagicJack.
Have you tried going to Magicjack.com, scrolling down to their knowledgebase/FAQ section; and searched for either "receiving fax" or "troubleshooting"?
Radio Shack sells Magic Jack for the same price. No waiting for mail orders. Purchase, plug in and go!
When you first set it up you will then also have the offer of buying 5 years additional for around $60.00.
Sure beats $50.00 per month phone bills.
Quality might suffer a bit but hey the price is right!
Wow - I had never heard of this before reading this.
Thunbs up!
Just thought I'd pop in and add that I've had MJ since November 2008, and it's probably one of the most genious gadgets I've ever owned.
See, I have a long distance relationship with my husband at the moment. I live in Denmark and he's in the US. So with this little thing, paying $20 a year for unlimited calls to the one you love, even though he's across the Atlantic... well worth it!
And it's just so cool when I take my WiFi laptop with me on the run. I can call my family in the US from anywhere in the world, and they can call me, without being charged for international calls (since it's a US number).
Best. Internet. Purchase. I've ever made. Haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. And thruth be told... I'd feel like I lost an important connection in my life if it stopped working.
So if you have friends, family and loved ones outside the US. Sending them a MJ could be an awesome gift =) (you'd have to have it shipped to a US address and then re-ship it yourself because MJ doesn't ship internationally).
If I get a Florida area code, will my friends from New England be billed for a long distance call (NH to FL call) if they call me--even if I am in NH at the time? (MJ does not offer NH area codes)...
Dane, I believe they would be charged for a long distance call. You, on the other hand, would not be charged for calling them. You may want to double-check with their site (www.magicjack.com); but if I recall correctly, I've asked that before and learned that people calling a long distance area code will be charged.
Kofi,
In answer to your e.mail: "....what I need to know is, does it display the caller ID information and beep if you're on the phone when someone calls in?"
As far as your phone, itself, goes:
I don't know exactly what shows up where when you're on the phone and get another call in. Maybe someone else on here knows the answer to your question (above), or it may be best to go to www.magicjack.com and select "live chat".
As far as the MagicJack Window goes: Yes, all the caller id info shows up there, even when you're on the phone.
Back to the matter of the phone, itself:
My MagicJack phone is a back-up type phone, so I haven't really had a time when I had any calling-waiting situation at all. In general, the number of the person calling you shows up in the MagicJack window on your PC screen. I just called my MagicJack phone from another phone, and the caller id info showed up on the MagicJack window (on the PC screen). While those two phones were connected to each other I called my MagicJack number from a third phone, and that showed up in a separate little "mini" window over the "regular" MagicJack window.
Whether or not the incoming call information shows up on your phone, itself, may depend on what features your phone has and/or whether you set the phone to do that. (When I just called my MagicJack phone from my cell phone, and I got "no information" showing up on my phone's screen - but then, too, I've never bothered to pay much attention to what the settings on that phone are.)
MagicJack's site says the caller id and call waiting features are the traditional caller id and call waiting.
I came here about months ago and read the good and the bad about majicjack. i decided that even if it was junk, it was worth the risk at $40.00. i have had my majicjack for about a month now and the only problem i have had is that sometimes the calls are kind of "choppy" (cutting out). overall it has been a good little gadget. it seems to work better now than it did when i bought it, probably due to the updates that have come. it works well on my desktop and my laptop. if it turns bad for me, i will definately come back here and tell you all about it. so far my $40.00 gamble has been well worth the risk. my old phone service was more than that for a month.
peace all!!!
I meant to say i first came here 3 months ago, thanks.
Whatever, thanks. I thought the same as you did - that the price of it was worth giving it a shot. As far as the choppy issue goes, have you gone to their trouble-shooting site to see if, maybe, you can fix it? I had an echo and was blaming it on the MagicJack calls, until I went to the trouble-shooting site and saw that I had messed up the volume settings on both the MagicJack window and my phone handset.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience with others. Hopefully (for your sake, not mine or anyone else's, of course) you won't have any problems to report.
Works great for me! Good-bye Ma Bell! Anybody tried to hook up (or hardwire rather) their majicjack phone out into their house? Currently I am running a 50ft extention from the out on the MJ to two cordless phones with no problems. I am going to hook my dsl modem and my wireless router up at the phone line comming into my house and isolate the rest of the wiring in hopes that I can plug my MJ into the house wiring (phone lines) allowing me to use any phone in the house? Any thoughts?
Works great for me! Good-bye Ma Bell! Anybody tried to hook up (or hardwire rather) their majicjack phone out into their house? Currently I am running a 50ft extention from the out on the MJ to two cordless phones with no problems. I am going to hook my dsl modem and my wireless router up at the phone line comming into my house and isolate the rest of the wiring in hopes that I can plug my MJ into the house wiring (phone lines) allowing me to use any phone in the house? Any thoughts?
opps! Future reference> push "post comment" button only once. [sorry]
weatherjack, maybe someone else on here has thoughts on the approach you want to try. For me, the cordless phone system I use with MagicJack had two handsets with it; so I put one in one of the bedrooms and have one on the computer desk. If I wanted to I could by a few additional handsets for other rooms. The extra handset sits in a charger, which is, of course, plugged into an outlet. The main phone has the MagicJack cable to it.
I've heard of other people doing some version of what you're apparently doing with the 50 ft cable.
Maybe this is my ignorance, or else misunderstanding what you want to do; but the MagicJack device needs to be plugged into your PC on one end, and then the cable runs from the MJ to the phone you're using (which essentially "establishes" your "main" MagicJack service).
A "regular" house phone plugs into the jack/wiring that is the house's phone line (to "establish" that service). Extension phones all go to that wiring as well (with the service already "established" to the house).
If you're going to cut off/remove the end of the wiring that goes to the line that goes to outside the house, you'd be aiming to instead hook that up to your MagicJack phone/Magic Jack "duo"? Instead, would you be aiming to hook the "extension-linked" wire to your modem?
I would think, theoretically, a wire that links all the extensions in the house would just need to be hooked up to the Magic Jack phone/device combo. Are there adapters that allow for plugging in additional cables to a phone?
Having posed those (again, possibly ignorant) questions, here's what I got at the MagicJack site, with regard to using MagicJack with several corded phones in the house:
http://www.magicjack.com/1/faq/
(Essentially, they say you need a phone splitter; and possibly a USB powered hub if several phones are going to be used.)
They also recommend my approach with the cordless base and extensions.
Yes essentially I would, in theory, cut off the main phone line coming into the house. Then I would run an extension from the MJ to a phone outlet on the wall. Just wondering if this would power the phones in the entire house that are plugged into a phone outlet?
There is something caller ring power that comes into your house on your old copper land line wires when someone calls you. The magic jack will not have enough power to ring multiple phones without some kind of amplifier to boost the ring power that comes out of it. You can ring two phones with mine but three will not work.
Hey, I had a question. I was looking into this magic jack and I wanna get this thing as I usually make a lot of international calls. So, i was wondering if you could provide me with more information on their international calling policy. Is it free after the 39.99? Thanks for your help!
[ro91] Check their website! International calling is billed by "credit card" that you have to register for but it is a whole lot cheaper than "ma bell"] I for one expected their website to be more mature! This device will be in the history books as forever changing the "telecom industry"! If the company took it a few steps farther and upped their CSR dept. and developed a more professional website it would be a make or break decision for the company. I know keeping cost low for companies right now is crucial but even if I had to pay a few more dollars per YEAR it would still be worth it! I would love to hear how much families are saving per year! I think someone should forward this page to MJ! I would love to run their CSR dept and their R+D dept, I would switch careers to do that; the company and their product says that much to me! Name one company that has invented a product and a service then sold it in the toughest of markets at a savings to everyone (if I will) and sold so many units and saved so many pockets ~ Since McDonald's! OK I'll stop! I just wish there were more companies out there that would push to save the consumers money instead of trying to make another penny. [OK Tech2321] Amplified lines on a phone system. I did a little research and the only thing I came up with was individual phone amplification for audio? I know for cable/sat. lines there are amps for "longer runs of line" than your average installs. Do you know of any for telecom lines?
ro1, Some International calls require paying for prepaid minutes. Here's their link:
http://www.magicjack.com/4/faq/
Some are free. This is from their site:
Call from your magicJack from any country to the U.S. and Canada and the call is free. Call from a magicJack to a magicJack in any country and the call is free. Call from the U.S. or Canada to the U.S. or Canada and the call is free. Call from your magicJack to another country, other than the U.S. or Canada, and you must prepay for international minutes."
weatherjack, I agree with points about their website. I know it must be a challenge for them to need to provide so much information in some way; and I think the faq should stay; but it would be good if someone could just go and get a good picture of a lot of that information by just reading from one section to another (without having to guess which "department" and then guess how to word their question). I've learned , sort of, but it should take months and frequent visits to figure out how a website "mayh work" (but even then, you're still not all that sure). It looks to me like the developers of the product left everything up to marketing people (or else left some things up to marketing people and decided to design the customer-questions part of the website on their own). It looks like someone tried to copy the way, say, ATT wireless has their website; but that site is a more professional version of the same kind of problems.
Calling attention back to your Tech2321 reply about amplified lines on a phone system, that's a question for people more familiar with the "phone wiring/phone amplification" end of things than I am. (I just thought it was worth responding to the website issue. Over time, a person can mostly figure it out; but that's not how most professional websites work. And, it doesn't look all that professional either. :) )
Thanks for your article. I purchased a magic jack the other day and should be getting it in the mail soon. Right now I am paying comcast $50/mo for phone service and it doesn't even work half the time. As long as I can hear them and they can hear me without really any delay I will be very happy.
you2pointzero, thanks for commenting. I think there's something to be said for the "as long as I can hear them" kind of thinking (considering the price of MagicJack service). Then, if at turns out your calls are far better than you expected - even better. :)
To Drive By Visitor (who left a comment I've decided to edit):
I'm taking the liberty of editing your post (whether or not that's the conventional thing to do on a site like this), because I'm not comfortable seeing other readers insulted quite so blatantly.
Here's the edited comment: "I just read _________posts. S/he appears to be the problem, not Magic Jack. I work customer service and was able to decipher his/her ramblings. My god, s/he's _______." The point is that you think someone on here was the problem, not Magic Jack.
Note: I wasn't sure if you wanted to say "I was not able to decipher", but since that's not what you typed I didn't add in the "not".
I appreciate anyone's opinion/input and am not very comfortable taking the liberty of editing anyone's comments (especially one that may well be correct); but in view of that person's not showing anyone on here any hostility, I thought it was fair to edit out the insult aimed at him/her. I don't mean to come across like "Mother Superior" - just trying to keep the Hub civil. :) (unless, of course, two people were end up in a two-sided insult session, in which case I wouldn't care)
i live in a rural community and have never bothered to get a regular land line service, since pretty much anybody that i call that isn't within a few miles of us is would be charged as long distance (and the long distance rates are ridiculous). but only having one cell phone for the family/household was inadequate. tracfone service is lousy and the customer service is a joke (to put it politely). we had tried skype in the past, but it didn't seem to work well for us. magicjack is an outstanding solution to my problem. we've only been using it a couple of weeks, but so far we like it. it's a great way to have a second phone line for FAR less than just about any other option that is available.
Well, i said I would be the first to admit it if my magic jack didn't work out for me...And it didn't. My problem of choppy calls seemed to get better for a while, but then got terrible. i went through all the steps and updates and all the troubleshooting with no luck. since i tried it on 3 different computers, 2 desktops and 1 laptop, I'm pretty sure it was not my equipment. my computers are all only a few months old. there is good news however, and that is that I purchased it with cash at radio shack and had a few days left on the trial. the cashier was friendly and refunded my money. even after my "not so great experience", i will probably buy one next year in hopes that they will have more problems worked out by then. It wasn't the worst experience in the world, just a pain to have to call people back sometimes more than 10 times to get a good connection. And sometimes it was great. good luck to all and maybe i'll be back again to try my luck. I do have to say that this product is NOT a ripoff or a scam, it does work and I got my money back when i was not completely satisfied. thanks for reading!!! and thanks Lisa!
whatever, thanks for taking the time to come back to update readers.
Hi Lisa, I am happy to hear all of the post regarding magic jack. What does it matter whether or not you work for magic jack? I purchased the magic jack in December 08, and yes I have had a few problems but it was due to my Internet speed, my children knocking the magic jack out of the USB, or my computer restarting during the night due to an upgrade. Sometimes my phone won't ring but that is because I know I need to buy a different phone, but I just haven't done it. Once I heard an echo, I went to the FAQ and found out what to do. I tried to fax once, but it didn't work and I just didn't try it anymore. Now that I have read these post, I understand from one of the post what I was doing wrong. I appreciate your help and concern and everyone that has posted. I encourage you to continue to keep up the good work on informing us about the magic jack. And NO I DO NOT WORK FOR MAGIC JACK!!! I am a childcare provider working from home. So for those of you who do not like the magic jack and think that you have been ripped off get over it. It could be worst. You could've been one of those that invested their money and lost their life savings.....
Kim, thanks for taking the time to come back and update readers with your experiences. I don't I can take any credit for informing the readers about MagicJack because it's the comments of readers that have made this page more than just "one writer's experience with MagicJack".
I still sum up the relatively minor "investment" as you seem to: Considering the price of the device and annual service, while there is that room for the few minor issues to occur, I still the it's kind of neat gadget. People who have other phone service(s) but who travel, or maybe have teenage kids who makes lots of calls, will probably find MagicJack a handy thing to have. For people who don't have other ways to make "toll" calls it helps. For people who don't have, or don't want to have, a landline (often college students relying on cell phones) it's better than no phone service at all (even if there's the occasional issue). Because of the nature of the device (and how much equipment and other things can affect quality of calls), I think there's a lot of room for a lot of imperfections (and worse) to occur; but then, too, a lot of people have no problems whatsoever. To me, though, imperfections in use (or attempt to use) and customer service that could stand some improvement don't qualify as "rip off" by any means. Yes, there's room for far more imperfections/problems with MagicJack than with a landline, corded, phone; but for an awful lot of people, MagicJack works as promised. For another whole bunch of people, it works better than having nothing. For yet another bunch, it may not work for one reason or another, but they can return without experiencing problems getting their money back. That leaves yet another group of people who experience problems getting their money back when they've tried to return the product. I have no idea what percentage they make up of all purchasers.
I've had MagicJack plugged into one of the back USB ports for more than a year now, and it's hanging by the little cable they send with the device (because that leaves room for plugging other things into the other USB ports next to it). It's just kind of been hanging back there, working fine since I got it. A few weeks ago I was using the PC and started to hear some "weird, distant" phone ringing. I didn't know where it was coming from.
I don't keep the MagicJack window open when I'm not using it. (It pops up if a call comes in, or if I start to make a call.) So, the mysterious ringing was occurring. Naturally, my investigation began with opening the MagicJack window. I saw that I had just missed a call, which, of course, made me double-check to see if the blue light on the device was on. It wasn't. The cable had slipped just enough to disrupt the connection at the USB. (I've been doing a lot of moving of the computer desk in recent months, only because I've knocked a few things on the floor in back of it.)
So, I re-plugged-in the MagicJack, the light came on, and I had learned that if that happens the phone will ring from "who knows where" in the computer itself, apparently. :)
The thought did occur to me that I didn't know how long it wasn't plugged in correctly, but the MagicJack window showed that I hadn't missed any important calls.
It didn't matter much for me anyway, because I got the service as an extra service. Even though I know the connection was gradually loosened because of desk-moving somewhere along the way (it didn't happen from one move); I would recommend that anyone who relies more on the service than I do plug the device in where they can see if its blue light goes off. Or else, just take a look or pick up the phone and check once in a while.
Of course, people who rely a lot on a MagicJack phone/connection are going to notice their service is off a lot sooner than those who don't.
I was dissapointed when I purchased a magicjack (at Radio Shack) and brought it home to learn that it will not work on my PowerPC based macs. I had hoped to use it with an older emac (running the must up-to-date mac OS.) That way I could enjoy the always-on ability of that desktop mac. Unfortunately, my laptop is intel based, but I'm not sure I want to have it tied down to one location in order to make phone calls.
That's what I understood - that MagicJack will operate with "intel-based" Mac's. If your laptop is Intel based, I'm not sure what you mean by having it "tied down". I know you would have to keep the MagicJack device with it for use (you could put that in your pocket); and I know you'd have to have some kind of phone to plug in before making calls. Taking the device in and out of the machine isn't a big deal, so I'm wondering if you might just plug it in when the laptop is home and near a phone. Just a thought (that I'm guessing you already thought yourself :) )
A Reader ("D."), asks the following question(s); and I was wondering if any readers may have any ideas about what he may try next:"I appreciate your comments Lisa HW and everyone else. The main reason I bougth MJ--save money, ...........info edited out".
Since the unfortuate brain damage, it's easier for me to communicate by ph./online. SO, when I read comments online, both neg. and positive (prefer positive) it's very useful,cause I'm relearning ways of functioning normally.
Now to the point, 'I don't have a way with words like Lisa'.
My MJ is connected to a labtop with Verizon Broadband and G.E. 6.0 GHz cordless Ph. MJ problems: 50% of the time it works good, the other times, echo, breaking up, and cannot make/recieve calls.
Tried the following: asked questions on the tech. (MJ web), try all possiblities, works for that day, next day same problems.From all the comments, I tried alot. LIKE: Paid more for the cord less PH. ,better freqancies,laptop far away from Micro wave, Refrigerator, Rebooted laptop.The only thing left is not fast enough wireless broadband(Verzion).
I cannot handle a live chat, not cause I don't have time, it's cause it's not easy to understand live words, so please response, asap.
Lisa HW's reply:
D., My Best Guesses (from Lisa) (although they're nothing more than guesses/suggestions, and I have no idea whether they're worth following up on:
Do you have a plain old corded phone you could try? There's a chance that may work better, if the cordless thing is factor.Is there any chance your phone battery is getting lower faster than you think? You're leaving the handset in the cradle most of the time, rather than leaving it off?
Is there any chance the phone batteries were damaged?
I know you said you went to MagicJack's site, but did you go to "knowledgebase/FAQ" and then select "troubleshooting". From there you should be able to see (or search for "echo problem") and follow those directions.
You could do the same with the "cutting out" problem, if you have not done that already.I had an echo problem and it turned out I had the volume settings wrong both on the MagicJack window and the phone handset.
MagicJack does need a high-speed connection, but isn't "broadband" high speed? (In other words, that should be fine, as far as I know.)
MagicJack tells people to shut off their router once a month. For lack of the technical expertise to describe the reason better, I guess it's a matter of kind of "getting a fresh start".
Have you told the MagicJack online chat people that you have disability and need to talk to them over the phone? Can you put your computer speaker on, and talk to them that way (rather than trying to read and type the conversation)?
Might you be able to go back to their chat and tell them something like this:
"The device isn't working, and I have a disability that prevents me from being able to use chat to talk. Could I return the device for a replacement?"
While waiting to see if anyone else on here has more knowledgeable suggestions, have you looked into making calls with Skype or Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, or Google Voice? (You probably know this, but just in case) if you have a headset and speakers you can make calls using any of those, with free calls to other users. You do have to load in a little prepaid money before you can make other calls. Just a thought.When I first signed up for Skype I ordered myself a 7.00 VOIP phone online, on some clearance site. I just made sure it was compatible with Skype. It looks like it came out of a bubble gum machine (cheap plastic exterior), but it works great. It is not cordless.
D., one other thing: I took the liberty of contacting MagicJack's live chat to see if they would call you to talk over the phone. They said they don't do that because being connected online helps them figure out stuff about your connection (etc.).
So I took the liberty of giving them your e.mail address and asked if they will contact you that way, because you have difficulty with the live chat. They said they would. I know it isn't perfect, but may with the slower process of e.mail you can figure out what's wrong with your phone.
(Just a note, D., I, too, had a head injury once - and it left me unable to read anything AT ALL for months. It was years and years ago, but I know very well how difficult it can be.)
I have not purchased it yet. I have only a cell. My marriage is breaking up and he is not going to pay the cell bill - I cannot afford it. I work for a place (at home) that I have to be on call many nights and weekends - I have to have phone service. I am moving and will have cable internet and have a new Dell PC (1 year old). I cannot afford the local phone service, but I am nervous about this one - good and bad. I wonder how it will work. I guess it is best to get it at Radio Shack and not the freebie on the net due to the hassels? I have been reading through this all morning - I have no one to advise me. I have a small child and absolutely will need a phone. Any advice? tx
P Finke, as you can see from this site, my personal opinion is based on only one person's experience. Other people on here have had great experiences, some have not. I, personally, would probably not want to rely on MagicJack as my only phone service, but I figured (as others on here have) that the price of the device was well worth giving it a shot (and there is always returning it if doesn't work well for some reason). It may be simpler to buy it at Radio Shack, but the company offers the 30-day money back guarantee. The trouble with that seems to be that, at least in the past, the 30 days starts when the order is place - not when the device arrives.
There's one company that does job/project matching with "service providers" who sign up to work. It's "ODesk", and they were covered on my local news as one of the "legitimate places" people find work from home. ODesk requires people who want to sign up to work for them to sign up for Skype. That could just be that it offers a "universal" everyone free calls to everyone else, but it shows that this company trusts Skype service to be relied on for business calling. It also may show that PC's can generally be relied on when it comes to phone calls. It's usually always that high-speed connection that is needed for reliability.
I guess my advice would be to try MagicJack (but maybe don't buy it until you know you can bring it home, install it in the "set-up" you'll have at our residence, and be able to tell right away if it works. Since it wouldn't cost anything, you could also sign up for free Skype (or any of the other free calling services) in addition to having your own MagicJack (and "regular" phone number). Any of these would take care of longer calls, or long distance calls.
The trouble with any Internet calling is if you lose your power (or even if something like a router wears out and stops working), you have no phone service.
Options to cover that emergency problem might be:
You could check with the land-line phone people to see if they have super cheap, basic, service with "measured calling". That used to be offered by the company in my area. I don't know who still offers it. You pay for the emergencies calls, but otherwise the bill is very low.
An emergency, $15 a month-type, prepaid cell phone service is good. There's also the kind that let you buy something like six months or a year of service for one "big" amount (like $100), but it stays until the year is up.
Also, if, by any chance, you will be in a situation where you receive any type of assistance from the government (food stamps, health insurance, or other assistance); and if your state offers it, you may be eligible for free cell phone from Safe Link Wireless (dot com). It looks like a pretty easy application process, and they send people a free phone with "x amount" of monthly minutes, based on whatever any state that is participating offers. It's a program aimed at making sure low-income people have at least a basic, emergency, cell phone service.
thanks so much for all the great advice. I heard of a cell service called Boost that is cheaper and no limits to the amount of calls you can make, so I am going to look into that as a back up, probably. I do think the magicjack sounds very good and I want to try it, but will most likely buy it at radio shack in case it does not work for me (I have that happen a lot !!). Thanks again!!
P Finke, good luck with the changes in your life.
I have researched Magic Jack as well - great information here as I decide to make my purchase.. I will be sure to come back to this hub after I have used it for awhile to give some feedback
Customer service certainly play its role. And I always check for this before having any service.
UK, I agree that customer service plays a role; but these days, and based on experience with a number of different phone service providers, I have to say that there's the potential for horrendous problems with all of them. (I have far more horror stories with AT&T and Sprint than I have with MagicJack. :) ) That doesn't make MagicJack's "issues" any less of a problem if/when someone runs into them; but in fairness to the company, and based only on my own experience with them (as well as taking into consideration the bargain price for service), I don't find the customer service issues a "huge deal". I do think, though, people should be aware that if they have any problems that aren't "run of the mill" (or even if they are) there may be a higher chance of running into frustration with MagicJack customer service overall.
I think the two main problems are 1) Even though they offer lots and lots of "self-service" help in their FAQ/knowledgebase/troubleshooting section online, people have to really get to know it, and know what to ask, before finding their answers; and 2) the live chat online can be frustrating; both because of waiting inbetween remarks and because of the typing factor. I've been typing for decades and type about as fast most humans can type, but it's still less aggravating to just explain things by talking. One advantage of writing (in something like an e.mail) is getting everything down, rather than forgetting things. E.mail is e.mail, though; and having a conversation is having a conversation. To me, online chat is the worst of both worlds.
MagicJack says it works better because you're connected to them over your PC, and they say that helps them figure out problems.
so lets say im in Indiana and i use the magic jack and i call someone in Gorgia is it free?
Yes, MagicJack offers free calling from the US to other US states, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
My husband is in Iraq and I was wondering if I could send this to him and us call each other for that same $20 a year
L-kat, you would need two Magic Jack devices for the calls to be free, and you have to call from one Magic Jack to another Magic Jack. Other than that, International calls (except for a couple of places) placed to/from one Magic Jack to a non-Magic-Jack phone would require prepaid minutes on the Magic Jack account.
Here's Magic Jack's link (with the same information):
Hot discussion! Thanks for hub - it is really awesome!
I order yester day I was billed $93.30 but I only ordered one for the 30 day free trial. I be charged was told after the 30 days is over I would only get billed $46 and some change. I wanted to know if I can fax with magic jack?
I have sent one fax using my MagicJack and a fax machine. It went through without any problems at all.
As far as the billing thing goes, although I have no idea what they must have billed you for, it sounds really wrong. To the best of my understanding, if you order with a credit card and keep the MagicJack, they bill you when the 30-day trial is up. If you order with a debit card, though, they will bill you upon ordering (again, to the best of my knowledge).
Whether or not you got billed immediately or once the 30-days is up, you should have only been charged for the device, how-ever many years of service you may have had to pay for, and the shipping charges.
I think you should keep any confirmation numbers/order numbers you may have (from the confirmation e.mail) handy, and contact MagicJack's online chat about the billing issues.
I'm wondering if what happened is this: If your card was charged there's the chance the company put a "hold" on the amount of $46 (plus change);until the process of the bank's actually paying MagicJack that amount was completed (at which time the "hold" would removed, and that usually happens within a day or two after the actual money is transferred). (In other words, your card may show the "hold", which is a common practice, and the actual amount to be paid. $46 times 2 is, of course, $92; and the "plus change" would account for the extra dollar and change.) Just a thought that that could be what happened.
Lisa HW. I am currently a satisfied Vonage customer considering purchasing a MagicJack. I just chanced upon on this discussion page which I found very informative from reading your reviews and other posts. I believe I have all the info I need and I would like to thank you for it. Of course, it occured to me that you might be a PR plant, but then so what, if you are answering the questions and giving people the information they need to make an informed choice. Having said that MJ ought to give you shares for a job well done!! LOL. I wl be buying the unit but wl also keep my Vonage because in addition to Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, it gives me free calls to Europe where I have a lot of family and friends.
Finally, MagicJack ought to give you shares in the comany because you do a good job. Again, thanks.
zooloo24, thanks. (The thought has occurred to me that MagicJack ought to give me a few shares - but then, I suppose, I've made a few too many negative comments about their customer service to expect such a thing :) ).
I'd be the first to recommend keeping your Vonage in addition to having MagicJack (just in case). I' wouldn't get rid of my regular phone and rely solely on MagicJack. (Honest - I'm not a "plant".)
I have been considering purchasing a MagicJack , but now am skepitical because it is evident that the company is 'scamming' customers through the billing department ! People are human and humans make mistakes, but to blantantly charge customers for 'non-service' is not reputable, in my view.
The other question is, Do you get a phone number with an area code for your state or is it a random draw ?
Thank you.
Paul S, when I got my MagicJack I was given the choice of a couple of area codes in my state, if I recall correctly. I have the area code associated with my own area. I was also offered a few phone numbers from which to choose. This was over a year ago, and the company said it would be offering more numbers or area codes as time went on. Apparently, too, if they don't have this yet, they are planning to allow people to transfer other phone numbers to their MagicJack phone. The exact details are on their site, under FAQ/knowledgebase.
I have a couple of issues with Magic Jack. Are there other people having the same issue?
1. If you are talking on the phone that is connected to the Magic Jack, you can't do anything on the computer. The sound quality will be terrible or the caller is dropped. Therefore, once you are on the phone, you can't use your computer.
2. I have to uninstall and reinstall my printer driver to my HP All-In-One printer because I am unable to scan a document through my printer. Somehow everytime I plug in the Magic Jack, it must overwrite one of the files that is used for the print driver. It takes time to uninstall and reinstall the software.
Are the calls to Mexico free?
Helen, apparently, unless you called another MagicJack phone in Mexico (from a MagicJack phone in the US), you would have to sign up for prepaid International calling. (The rates aren't bad.) This is what MagicJack lists as far as making out-of-the-country calls goes:
Call from your magicJack from any country to the U.S. and Canada and the call is free. Call from a magicJack to a magicJack in any country and the call is free. Call from the U.S. or Canada to the U.S. or Canada and the call is free. Call from your magicJack to another country, other than the U.S. or Canada, and you must prepay for international minutes.
I've never tried to use my computer while on a MagicJack call. (I'll have to try that some time, and see what happens.)
As far as the driver problem goes, that sounds very odd. I'm not knowledgeable enough to be able to suggest anything. I'm wondering if you've tried MagicJack's troubleshooting section on their site? If you can't find anything on that you should be able to get some kind of assistance from their (dreaded) live chat. (I shouldn't have added the "dreaded". They've actually been quite helpful at times. :)
Maybe someone on here knows if you have some setting causing that to happen. (I have Vista, and plugged and unplugged MagicJack several times, and it doesn't seem to do anything.) I do know you shouldn't have to be doing all that installing and uninstalling, and I'm guessing it could be something as a setting.
Again, maybe someone else on here knows something more than I do about that kind of problem.
Thanks for the input .....well appreciated ..
Note to Mahmood: I received your e.mail, saying you want to buy MagicJack and requesting I call you. If you want to purchase MagicJack you can purchase it through their website (www.magicjack.com) or at Best Buy, Radio Shack, or Amazon. I believe these days, too, additional retailers have begun selling it.
I'm not affiliated with MagicJack, so I have nothing to do with sales of it.
tom meleney.....anyone successfully using a crediot card processing terminal over magic jack? I cannot get mine to work although phones work fine.
come on. Lisa is being paid to write positive things
jackjohnston, I've address the same "accusations" a few times above. Think what you like, but it's kind of ridiculous that people can't believe someone would just write a Hub about something they happen to have purchased - end of story.
Daniel E., I'm responding to your e.mail here, rather through e.mailing directly, You asked about a string of numbers and a beeping sound with your MagicJack/"cheapie GE phone" set-up. I've never seen anything like on my MagicJack window. As I may have mentioned to you in the past, I have the "cheapie GE cordless phone" too. In fairness to the phone, I never bothered to read the book about all features/programming, etc., so I kind of (unfairly) hate the phone because it often "does weird things" when I push some button. All I wanted to do was be able to make phone calls, so I don't care about "room monitor" and whatever other things the phone does. In any case, I'm leaning toward wondering if you may be right about it being the phone. The one I have may seem "cheapie", but it actually has a lot of features/programming that a more basic phone doesn't.
I do know this phone I have (again, because I don't really know what I'm doing with it) does have a tendency to show a string of numbers in the display. If your phone is "dialing" those numbers that would account for the beeps. (On top of it all, the phone has no lighted dial, so half the time I just kind of blindly do stuff and I have no idea what I've done.) I kind of hate the phone, even though it looks good.
Of course, the fact that I haven't had the string of numbers/beeping problem on my MagicJack window doesn't mean it isn't something going on with MagicJack. That's why I'm posting my response to you here. Maybe someone else has experienced the same thing. Daniel, tomorrow I may see if I can find out anything about this at MagicJack's site - just out of curiosity, and to the answer the question.
For other readers, Daniel has experienced seeing a string of numbers (not related to the phone number to which he's talking) on his MagicJack window, and there is a corresponding beeping people he's talking to can hear.
I have been a Magicjack user for over a year.. have NEVER had a problem.. works great for fax, was mainly acquired just for the fax machine.. but it has transformed into a FULL service phone line.
Calls are clear.. neither end of the phone call is charged unles you call someone's cellphone and their service charges for incoming calls.. works with AT&T DSL/U-Verse, Roadrunner, and many others.
Magicjack user has no charges for anything after you pay your small annual fee, I bought the 5 year plan when I got mine, so still have 4 free years left.. I plan to enjoy!!
I feel per this hub that many have spent much time and extra $s on other phone systems, while trying to down a product that could have saved them $s.. in fact a product that they would have been glad to have owned.. just takes a smart move, to be smart!
P.S. Thanks Lisa, you are doing a great service for people like me!! Penny
Penny, thanks for taking time to share your experience. To be honest, I didn't want to sign up for the 5-year plan because I was afraid they may go out of business (back when I ordered mine). :) Now that MagicJack is starting to show up in more and more retail stores I may think about a five-year plan when whatever I have now expires.
I've had the MagicJack for a year and a half, and must say its great. I stripped down an older unused PC and dedicated it solely to the MagicJack. I then rerouted my phone box to my PC and now all the jacks in my apartment run off the MagicJack ... it even provides service to my lobby intercom and my DVR. I would recommend this to everyone!!!
Anthony, thanks for sharing your clever set-up with readers (and on top of it, you've found a use for the unused PC). :)
Hi Lisa, I have had the Magic Jack now for three months. I started with a combo IP phone and Magic Jack, and have moved off the IP phone...to Magic Jack totally. I too have only one problem. The unit will beep during a call, and it will sound like a button was pushed, when neither side pushes one. The other side will experience dead air space for a second or so. I have noticed that the Magic Jack seems to click, which leads me to believe that maybe it is talking back to central during some of the calls. This is not bad enough for either side to stop using the Magic Jack, but it is definately a noted problem.
Ken, thanks for contributing your "issue" here. Someone else reported a beeping (above). I just took a quick look at MagicJack's website and searched (both "within site" and "within troubleshooting") for "beeping during call". Troubleshooting mentioned firewalls, but I don't know if that just showed up "for no good reason" (other than offering something in response to the search). It was the only thing that did show up. They said that in some cases you have to disable the firewall until the registration is complete.
I've never had any beeping on the MagicJack. (I do get a beep when my Skype "regular calls" phone is connecting - every time.) I'm wondering if you've tried chatting with MagicJack people online about it. It seems to me if you've got the equipment and connection they recommend you shouldn't be having beeping.
I consistently have a beep or two during a call, but it may be at the start of the call or 20 to 30 minutes on some longer calls. The setup I have is I purchased a Eee PC 8 inch, added another GB memory, and an 8 Gb SSD drive. At first I did not have this netbook directly hooked up to my internet router, but had it going into it wireless. Not recommended. I could not get over three to five minutes in a call without a line drop. Connected the laptop directly to the router, slid it under my TV, closed lid, and let Magic Jack do it's thing. Very reliable as to receiving and calling out. The connection I have been told is just like I am standing next to the person I am calling. I also feel that the connection on my end is superb. Other than that beep, there are no other issues. I do have a firewall, but that is not the issue, since I set it up to allow the Magic Jack passthrough without any restrictions. I do not have a virus protection program on the PC, since I am not actively going to the internet other than telephone. Sometimes the beep will sound from the Magic Jack phone, and the other side will hear it. Other times it will come from the other person, and I hear it on my Magic Jack. I am a tech by trade, and have worked in telecommunications for several larger companies. I still believe that this is a problem that is inherent with the setup I have. It could be Windows reporting to Mama, or something else wierd, although I do not see any PC activity during the short lived beep. I purchased the 5 year plan and just activated. I think the product is not perfect, but for the price, very reliable. Also, for those that speak of the ability to call out and receive calls during a power outage, if you can not get to the internet, no phone. Think of this though, if you have either an IP phone or a base set phone with satellite phones you will NOT be able to dial out either. You will need an old phone that is powered from the phone line to make a dial out. Without that, no power, no service.
I stumbled on your site several months ago, and you helped me make a decision to try the service. THANK YOU so much.
Ken, thanks again for taking the time to share your experience with readers. My MagicJack is on the desktop PC, so maybe that explains why I haven't had any beeps. (Just trying to contribute pieces of information to the mystery.)
Well, I have (for my Magic Jack at least) found a solution to the beeping.
I went into my netbook and did the following. (I am running XP home) I opened control panel, went to Sound, and turned all sound for the speakers off (I did not have any connected, so I did not need the service. I then went to the tab for microphone, and turned that off (both the sound and microphone controls were under an Advanced button under the respective pages).
I made those changes last evening about 4:00 CDT, and made test calls.....no beeps. We have called several people today...and STILL no beeps. I will keep you informed.
I started with the MJ on a Vista Ultimate powerhouse laptop...and had NO problems. When I moved to the netbook, it has taken me longer to work out the kinks. BTW, I have a 12 Mbps connection down and a 1.5 mbps up line, so I knew that the line speed was not the problem.
Ken, thanks again for contributing. I suspect your information may help others who have the "beep problem". (It's not the same thing, but I had an echo problem and immediately assumed it was bad quality calls on MagicJack. After doing troubleshooting I learned it was the volume settings on either the MagicJack window, my phone, or both. I think a lot of little bugs are associated with settings of one sort or another.)
efrem, this is in response to your e.mail: MagicJack should not be relied on for 911. On the one hand, they do allow you to enter your location into your account; and as long as your computer is on and has power 911 calls can be made. The trouble is that things can go wrong (power to the house can go out, or simple computer "issues" can occur); and you can't count on it 100%.
There are other options for 911. Some alert buttons will contact emergency help directly. Also, even cell phones with no service will reach 911 (provided their battery is charged). In several states these days there is also free cell phone service to people who are eligible for programs like subsidized health insurance, food stamps, etc.. It's from a program called, "SafeLink Wireless", and the states offering it are limited but increasing all the time.
Does the power to the compter always have to be on?
TC, yes it does. The computer has to be on as well.
There is a Skype WiFi phone that would, of course, be used with Skype service (rather than MagicJack); and that would allow you to turn off your computer. In that case, there would still have to be power to the router for the phone to work; but you could at least turn off the computer and still have phone service.
With MagicJack, the device and installed software work together and require your computer be on.
Carol M, in reply to your e.mail, I don't have the answer to that.
Joanne, I'm posting your question here in case anyone else has had this experience and can offer suggestions. I haven't had that experience; although, if you read Ken's comments (not too far above this one) they may offer you your answer. Other than Ken's contribution, I can only suggest going to MagicJack's site and running the troubleshooting process. If that doesn't work their online chat people may be able to help.
For anyone else, this is Joanne's question:
"Hi Lisa. I have been reading your hub about the magic jack. I like mine, & want to keep it, but people i call tell me there is a beeping about every 4 or 5 words, that keeps them from hearing my full conversation. i have done the "chat" thing a number of times, to no avail. have you heard of any one else having this problem? and if so, how has it been resolved? any help would surely be appreciated. my pc is a desktop HP w/XP, and I have cordless phones 6.0 dect. i also have a maagic jack in my laptop, same thing. beeping during calls."
I've been reading the blog, but not all of it. Forgive me if the answer is above. Can I just use the microphone on my Mac instead of an actual phone? I'm getting ready to take a trip around the world and would like to avoid carrying the phone.
Kathy, I believe you need the phone, although I just looked at their "knowledgebase" on their site; and I see something about switching between the phone and a headset. (It's a file to download, so I couldn't download it; because I was afraid it would do something to my own MagicJack set-up that I don't want done.) I would suggest you go to their site, scroll down to "Customer Care/Live Agent", and click that. Someone live will answer your question.
After much reading of this site yesterday, I have decided that this is the gadget for me. Other than it taking a few tries to get the device to be read then the registration page to come up, I'm able to make and receive calls.
My main question is whether there's a way to add contacts from an address book, like Hotmail Contacts, etc. The Outlook program on my computer isn't working, so that add-in won't do.
Thanks!
Surf City Michelle, thanks for sharing your experience with readers. I'm not aware of a way to get contacts in that way, although I have no expertise in that kind of thing.
Maybe other readers can answer your question. Otherwise, maybe you could go to MagicJack's online chat and ask one of their representatives. I wish I had a better answer than that and apologize that I don't.
After my own trial period of several months, I began using magic jack as my office phone at the beginning of the year, handling roughly 20 calls per day to/from a half-dozen different countries. Works fine, but the customers are complaining about too frequent "all circuits are busy" messages. Magic jack needs to get this problem cleaned up. If they can sell 25MM units, they can pay for the circuits to run them.
Fred, thanks for sharing your experience. I've never heard of the "all circuits are busy" problem before, but I don't use MagicJack for an extremely large number of calls or for International calls.
Can you transfer your existing number to a Magic Jack?
Hi Ive had the MJ for about 11/2 yrs now, it works ok sometimes it sounds like a tin can & sometimes it echos but for the most part all is well a few things I would like to add to the thread is I really dont think that I would drop my landline for it (if I had one) dont really like the idea that you would have to keep your pc on 24/7, but I did see on ebay under magicjack some people were selling preconfigured thin clients for it, just plug the thin client into you modem/router and you can shut your pc down when you want and still have MJ work 24/7, saves the ware on your pc plus saves on elec. ONE big thing I did read in a few reviews is that some people have had their sevice cut off for over useage ? and if you read the terms on the MJ website they can do just that, I think that it pretty crappie, it says the can shut you down if you use your magic jack 20 times more the the average mj user since not to many people use it and surely not all the time that cant be to hard to go over, we all have cell phone's here and if you really wanted to save on cell minutes I guess it would work, I use it more just as a neat toy if anything but if there still around in another yr I will renew....thanks
Ryan, As of today (July 31, 09) MagicJack's site says you will be able to do that "sometime in 2009" "for a nominal fee".
GlenG, thanks for sharing your experience with readers. I agree that I'd think long and hard before ever getting rid of a landline phone and relying on only MagicJack. I don't think it would be too bad, though, to have the rock-bottom, minimal, service on the landline phone and use MagicJack for all but the most critical calls.
I had an echo for a while, and using the troubleshooting feature at MagicJack's site got rid of it. It turned out I didn't have the correct volume settings on my phone and on MagicJack's screen menu.
This has nothing to do with anyone's recent comment, but last night I got the third automatic upgrade from MagicJack. The little MagicJack picture showed up with "Lucky You..." (You're getting an upgrade), and within a few minutes apparently the software was updated. My main point for mentioning this is to note that upgrades have apparently been coming through without problem or fanfare.
Two questions 1-Does your computer have to be on to make and receive calls,I only have a laptop and it overheating would be a problem. 2-Does your MJ phone number appear in the white pages directory or is it considered unlisted ?
Phil R, the computer does have to be on. MagicJack works with a laptop as long as the laptop has Windows XP or later.
Your phone number would not be listed in the "regular" white pages.
As far as your question about over-heating I goes, I don't know what conditions you have in mind that might cause over-heating. I believe if using a laptop would result in over-heating MagicJack would not be sold for use with laptops. If you have particular circumstances in mind that lead you to think over-heating might be a problem the best thing for you to do is go to MagicJack's site and talk with a technical person over their LiveChat.
If other readers know of circumstances where using a laptop with MagicJack may cause over-heating, it would be great if you'd be willing to share.
Thanks for the reply.Someone a few months ago mentioned that the MJ will only work with an Intel chip,I have an AMD in my laptop so is this person full of crap ?
Phil R, their site says MagicJack works with:
"magicJack may be used on any Windows XP, Windows Vista or Intel-based MACs"
I don't have sufficient knowledge to even attempt to answer your question beyond checking their site.
I was already on the verge of giving up my land line, which I rarely use because of my cell phone. Now that I have MJ, it pushed me over the line, and I gave up my land line with no regrets.
It's all worked out. I'd give MJ a 98% score. Once in a great while I'll get a connection where the sound is not perfect. In one such case I was blaming the MJ, and it turned out that the problem was that the guy on the other end was on a cell phone in a car, and he was driving in and out of the good signal area.
I have noticed that in those few cases where the sound was jittery, the calls were local calls. Most other calls are actually better than my land line was.
Dear Lisa
Very nice write up on Majic Jack. I think you have helped me decide to get this product since I was truly undecided and skeptical of its worth. It's now available thru Walmart so I wont need to purchase this online. This will generates considerable savings compared to a Lan line at $37 per month (including caller id). A regular lan line has over $19 in taxes that I want to get rid of and I think the $19 per year is great price. Thanks again!
Hilly, thanks for sharing your experience with readers.
Mike, thanks. The potential savings are substantial, although (not that my single, personal, opinion should count for much of anything) I don't think I'd get rid of a land line myself. I might more opt for the absolutely most basic, cheapest, landline service; but then use MagicJack for most calls. I still have the "thing" that if I lose power or the network goes out there's no phone service. (Of course, a cell phone would solve that problem.)
haven't yet seen a confirmation on the use of fax machines(the main reason for getting one). I purchased mine @ walgreen's. If you have any experience w/ it and a fax machine , please leave a message here.
many thanks.
Rebecca, I've sent one fax using a fax machine, and all went very smoothly. That one time may not be enough to provide a complete enough "reading" on using fax machines with MagicJack, but I do know that, with that once time, it was effortless and without any problems. The dial tone came through immediately, and the fax went through first time out.
Just had a major drawback to magic jack. Outside of the fact that they will just drop calls from time to time. IF YOU USE A CONFERENCING CALLING SERVICE magic jack will now block that number from connecting. Instead they will make you try to use there conferencing calling service instead. VERY POOR BUSINESS DECISION. I won't renew over this.
tad, thank you for sharing your experience. I've never tried conferencing calling with MagicJack.
I've read almost all of this hub. Am convinced to give it a try. Am going to try to connect to an unused line on a multi-line phone. Wonder if any have tried this and if so their experience.
I am wondering about transferring my landline phone number over, evidently this isn't available yet. I'm mentioning this so a poster can correct me if I'm wrong and it is now available.
I've ran into some other newer electronic devices that don't have a live body available on a phone and all communications have to be done on the computer. It seems to be a thing of the future. It's no worse than some of the on line outsourced call centers we have to deal with.
Larry, for a while I had my multi-line Linksys phone (only two lines on it, by the way) hooked up with my Skype number (makes calls to all phones, not just PC's) and MagicJack. It was fine.
The last time I checked MagicJack's site said people would be able to transfer their existing phones "sometime in 2009". I haven't looked recently, but the information is in their "knowledgebase" if someone asks the question. I'd do it now; but since this is September 2009 there's chance that what I post here would become obsolete soon.
In fairness to the MagicJack people, they claim that online chat helps them help customers better because the device is used through their PC. I can understand that, and I don't doubt it. My only complaint with their customer service, though, was that it took so long; but also that I had to "tell whole stories" over and over again to different people. Maybe I just got a customer service person who didn't know how to save what's I'd typed in to pass it along to the next person.
I do have to say that while I'm satisfied with MagicJack I would think a long time before replacing my landline phone with it.
PHONE NUMBER FOR MAGIC JACK - FOR ALL INTERESTED IN GETTING AWAY FROM LIVE CHAT - IS 281-404-1551
i ordered it because it sounded like an interesting concept, and review that i read mostly were positive... i read matt's comments (below), and while i will readily admit to human error on my part - if that was the case - the bottom line is that when i tried the chat, no one responded. i found a number and called, and the customer service lady - Denise - kept cutting me off and was not friendly at all. she said the manager was in on a conference call and to call back tomorrow. i insisted that the call couldn't possibly take all day and that there had to be more than one manager. she said she would get someone for me and left me on hold for 20+ minutes before i hung up.
what the heck kind of customer service is that? if their business practices are any indication of the kind of product they provide, then i don't even know if i care to waste my time trying it. i'd prefer to just have a refund...
PHONE NUMBER FOR MAGIC JACK - FOR ALL INTERESTED IN GETTING AWAY FROM LIVE CHAT - IS 281-404-1551
i ordered it because it sounded like an interesting concept, and review that i read mostly were positive... i read matt's comments (below), and while i will readily admit to human error on my part - if that was the case - the bottom line is that when i tried the chat, no one responded. i found a number and called, and the customer service lady - Denise - kept cutting me off and was not friendly at all. she said the manager was in on a conference call and to call back tomorrow. i insisted that the call couldn't possibly take all day and that there had to be more than one manager. she said she would get someone for me and left me on hold for 20+ minutes before i hung up.
what the heck kind of customer service is that? if their business practices are any indication of the kind of product they provide, then i don't even know if i care to waste my time trying it. i'd prefer to just have a refund...
Veronica, thanks for taking the time to share you experiences.
Great site.
Helped me make the decision to purchase one and give it a try.
Thanks to all
oltom, thanks. Good luck with it. Maybe once you've used it for a while you could stop back and give a quick "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" from your experience? (Just a thought.)
Could you have a Magic Jack with just the AT&T DSL service? I think it's called a dry DSL line with the phone company.
Linduh, it will work with a minimum bandwidth speed of 28 kb/s, and speed can be tested at http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/.
MagicJack says you need at least one of the following connections:
Broadband
High-Speed Internet
Cable Internet
DSL
WiFi
Wireless
WiMax
FiOS
For more information you could check with MagicJack's "FAQ/knowledgebase" by going to http://www.magicjack.com and finding that at the bottom of the home page. Also, you could connect with live-chat at their site.
I have just bought magic jack after doing much research. I decided best to purchase at a local walgreens (pharmacy) so the company wouldn't have my credit card information and I can't be charged inadvertently. (paid with cash!) No credit card required on sign up either.
Also it is so great it took about 2 min to set up and 2 min to register and get my number and set up voicemail. It took longer to get my cordless phone out of the box and plugged in than it took to set up magic jack.
So glad I bought this item i've cut down my cell phone bills and can already see my new lower bill coming in next month. I have a cordless phones and have my computer on no sleep mode, (only screensaver) and can make calls without even being near my computer. Their is no need to, I can check voicemail and recent calls from my phone.
I would definitely recommend this to friends and already have to family living overseas who call to the us frequently and pay outrageous amounts in long distance. NOT ANYMORE!!
Great product, Great price....
update! I just read a question if you can use with att dsl, Yes that's what I have. Mine is ATT high speed dsl service. Also my cordless phone is hooked up to my iMAC (INTEL) that is using a wireless service off of a central hub in the living room.
ughhh i just thought I better not have to ever move because everything works great now would hate to mess it up, lol
alex, thank you for taking time to share you experience with your new MagicJack device. I know what you mean about getting things set up and working well and then not wanting to make any changes. I think it makes sense that purchasing from a retail store is a good idea.
A month or so I needed a new router, but it took a while to figure out that was the problem. In my attempts to correct horrible slowness, I updated my browser and another thing or two that were said to need updating after I did the browser; and somewhere along the way I discovered that my phone had been switched to a different sound device. When the phone sound started coming out of my music headset, of course, it wasn't hard to figure out the problem. LOL I have three different phones (with the MagicJack one also having an extension in my daughter's room) and the headset "hooked up" at all times; and the occasional other "item" hooked up as needed. Needless to say, there's that risk of sound-device "issues" with any changes that get made.
After reading this whole hub as far as 12 months back, I feel I must submit my exeriences. I bought the MajicJack several months ago at Radio Shack. The sales clerk actually answered many of my questions and what he didn't know he got on the phone to the number that only dealers are allowed to call since I believe the phone number for customer service is no longer available and proceeded to ask questions. What we didn't get answers to there, he asked for me on the chat service and so I went home with my new product. The problem was getting AT&T to understand what I wanted to do, that is have high speed internet, cheaper phone service and no more high phone bill for a basic land line I seldoom use. I ordered something called DSL provisioned line where your phone line becomes dedicated solely to high-speed internet. The majority of reps are rude incompetent liars or simply poorly trained but once in a while someone helpful will crop up after speaking for many hours to many different reps in all three call centers across the US and managers and supervisors. After over a month and literally dozens of hours in calls, being on hold, credits promised and hair-pulling confusion, at last a technician was sent (a day later than scheduled) and I had a free phone jack put in separate from the phone lines in existance in a really old rental. I finally got on-line to register my majicJack and went through the hoops as if I were buying it on-line. It seems you couldn't change the address easily until after registration/activation. The first few chats seemed friendly and helpful without nearly the pain of ATT's system. (Seems MJ has been hiring some of their cast-offs lately from the posts!!) I haven't used it too many times for phone calls. I chose my number for a fee of $3. Now I'm wondering how often that fee will be charged? I had intentions of cutting the land-line back to the least service possible but find once again I was mis-quoted for both the price of the DSL and the land line services. This is ATT's fault, not MJ's. The point is to try to save money. It seems that MJ was beating around the bush just this evening and couldn't even comprehend my questions.
The first issue I mentioned was when they would be able to port my phone number over (so I can drop the land-line).
I even cut and pasted their own answer from the board "sometime in '09" and supervisor Cherry, who couldn't transfer me to anyone else she claimged, having been transferred to her already, she answered that they would announce it as soon as their technicians had it available. There was a mention it might not be available until 10 and I instisted on a simple Yes or No answer as to whether it would be possible by '09 since there isn't even a "few months" (another possibility of the time frame given) left in '09. I said that their answer board should be changed to reflect an honest answer, whatever that was so that I might make the decision whether or not to keep paying a bill just to keep my number. I also have the # on my checks and need to know so I can order more instead of continuing to pay prices that are misrepresented every single time I talk to ATT.
My second issue was why I keep getting a white screen warning come up about "Active Desktop Recovery" and wanted to know if it was in anyway connected to the MJ. It isn't a problem I had previously and this computer hasn't been on-line before the MJ was installed but was clean. This search led me to this site. Cherry overlooked this question. I repeated it in our chat. I became frustrated and said I wanted to talk to a supervisor. She said she was it. I informed her she didn't even understand the questions therefore couldn't give me any answers and nevermind but I would ask somewhere else. So, I don't have billing or performance issues YET! Customer service is mixed baggage but after being on the phone with ATT for HOURS at a time, the chat seems to be better than waiting on hold, being transferred constantly, repeating yourself (I had to today with Crystal and Cherry from MJ but think some days you get luckier with any customer service). It's like voting and they are by far the lesser evil in comparison to ATT. So, the jury isn't completely in for me as to how well it will work. One call was fuzzy and I called back on my cell phone and it was quite clear so I would say it does as well or better than my cell phone regardless of whether I am calling a land-line or cell phone.
I am concerned about the privacy issues. I thank everyone for all the information here. I just wish I could have accessed only the posts concerning my issues in question to save a lot of reading time. The petty posts need to be deleted as a waste of time and space (personal attacks from immature folks)out of respect for others. Many of the questions can be answered simply by shopping for the product on their site or at a store.
The long distance is an added bonus as it was long distance for me to call anyhow to places within 8 or 10 miles so between my cell phone, MJ and most people having unlimited long distance one way or another, I think I will be happy with it if this company can keep up with their growth and keep some honest well trained employees hired. It's great to use with my home phone/answering system base that per MJ instructions I put on less than 4 rings so it would pick up instead of their voicemail option. I have one extra handset to this base. The landline is on a separate jack on the back porch. Most phones from Sam's, etc. can be purchased cheaply with up to six handsets operating off the main base and it is optional to keep the land-line according to a person's needs/budget. My cell phone was kept charged during the last ice-storm here through my vehicle charger and everyone was using their cells the same way for business and personal calls. While my cell phone is charging or to limit day-time minute usage I now use the MJ.
Ronette, thank you for taking the time to share your experience after buying MagicJack. You're right about about the posts. They've crept up on me, and I've been recently thinking of trying to sort them out and organize them. I haven't wanted to do delete any, because some have a combination of "input", and I've wanted to readers to get unedited feedback. I do feel like I've going through "the jungle" these days when I come back to respond to new posts. I do think it's time to figure a way to sort them, while still leaving up the less than "all-business" ones.
I certainly agree about ATT (and some other phone companies). Dealing with any of them can be horrendous. I'm stuck with a $5 text messaging plan they put on my phone when my daughter tried to get it added to hers; and no matter what I've done the plan remains on an extra cell phone I have. I have a friend who has had several "horror stories" in recent months. So, you do have a point about MagicJack's live-chat. Other than their not showing my extra year of service when I first got MagicJack, I haven't had much reason to deal with them for myself. I've occasionally gone on LiveChat because someone associated with a comment here has had a problem and asked on here, and they've been fine. On the other hand, people on here have their complaints about them.
Again, thanks for your sharing your experience, your perspective, and the suggestion about sorting the comments.
Yes the Magic Jack crew off shore in India /phillipines is absolutely terrible and lie quite a bit as well. I dislike liars myself.you will get a different story each time and of course many will say that they are the supervisor and they can not escalate the call to anyone else. So much rubbish
Lisa, I have not even connected my M.J. yet...but I did take the time to read your responses to the threads posted here. If you do not represent M.J. ; you should ; and be well paid for it. You continuously deny any affiliation with the C.O. ; but vigorously defend any negative comment....; your writing skills are to be commended...but if your purpose in life is to advocate M.J. then perhaps you should be well compensated for your effort..and not "retort" as a follower with vast experience; with no monetary nor literary compensation. My best wishes... for happy holidays to come.
My Regards.
Dave, thanks for commenting. Your post makes me smile a little because it has often occurred to me that the MagicJack people ought to pay me for some of the questions I've answered on here, just by way of trying to offer my own form of "customer service" to anyone reading the Hub. (It's actually kind of frustrating to me to think I bought the product under my full name, and the company is never going to know if someone buys the product as a result of things they read here. :) ) My "purpose in life" is far from advocating for MagicJack. It happens that I've had a pretty good experience with (not perfect), and that I like it enough to have wanted to get one for my sons, just as a handy thing to have to supplement their cell phones. I've tried to be objective and fair when it comes to other people's negative remarks, only because I know that while they may be valid complaints, any one person's experience (including my own) is just that. Without much negative experience with MagicJack, myself, I'm pretty cautious with my own contributions here. I respond to people's comments because it's polite, or because (as you've noticed) they've occasionally accused me of being something I'm just not. It doesn't take much of my time, but all the comments do add up over the course of a year and a half or so. :)
I don't care about MagicJack one way or the other. The Hub just happened to be "quick thing" I whipped up one day that turned out to have a lot of interest.
Online writers do receive compensation. Sometimes it's being paid directly for writing. Sometimes it's indirectly, through building a following (sometimes a "cross-site" following) as a result of building a reputation for offering good information. In fact, there are a number of different ways in which online writers can receive compensation that don't necessarily involve being paid by the company that markets any particular product. This Hub, or any other piece of online writing, is a "puzzle piece" in a larger picture when it comes to being an online writer.
If the MagicJack I have connected to my PC ever acts up I'll be on here, telling everyone about it. :) In the meantime, it doesn't take much effort for me to sometimes find someone an answer on MagicJack's "FAQ/knowledgebase" (which is easier to use when the user is more familiar with it). It's all just part of my own wish to be responsive to people who read what I've written and who may not get an answer to their question on here if I don't answer it.
Again, thanks for your comments, and best wishes for happy holidays for you, as well. (Maybe one of these days I'll contact the MagicJack people and say, "Hey, I have a whole, mini, MagicJack, customer-service type of thing I'm running on my HubPages site. How about paying me?" LOL
Didn't make it threw all the post's so if somebody already talked about this srry....
But a common issue seems to be the pop up window that shows everytime a call comes in well i found a program that stops that little annoyance heard about it on another site figured some of you might like to know it's out there
it's called magicHide and get's rid of those stupid incoming call pop-ups...
David, thanks. You're right. Many people don't like the fact that the window pops up whenever a call comes in, or when the user starts to make a call. It doesn't really bother me, but I don't get so many calls that it would be bothersome; and most calls are mine anyway. I can see how if someone's kids were getting all kinds of calls over a parent's PC it could wear thin.
Tamara emailed: "I bought a magic jack but it won't install on my computer running XP professional on my home computer. This is a regular home computer not using any special company software. I have plugged it into the USB port and an image of a magic jack will appear saying that it is downloading software into the computer, but then it disappears. Nothing else happens. Thank you for any help you can give me as I no longer have a land line."
Tamara, the best thing is to go to www.magicjack.com and go to their "online chat"/customer service feature. If there's some problem occurred during downloading they're the people who can help you identify it, and fix it.
One simple thing to try first is: Plug in the telephone, pick it up, check for dial tone, and see if the window pop up. If that happens it would seem to just mean you don't have a shortcut created on your desktop.
My own limted experience with the technical side of MagicJack is with downloading the software to my own PC (which happens to have Vista). If I recall correctly, with mine, I connected the new MagicJack device, the software was installed (really quickly), and a shortcut appeared on the desktop. On mine, the .exe file for MagicJack is located in "application" files.
Although I don't recall having to do this with my machine, with a most .exe files you have to open that file (by right-clicking on "open"), and then follow instructions for installing. I don't know this for sure (because I've never used Windows XP), but there's a chance what you downloaded was only the .exe file; and you may need to open that to finish the installation.
As I said, when I installed mine the shortcut showed up automatically on the desktop. If, for some reason, the software downloaded but no shortcut appeared on your desktop (which is, I think, unlikely, but which, I suppose, is a possibility) you would need to find the MagicJack file and right-click to "create shortcut". MagicJack files could be located under "applications" or "application data". On mine it installed there, within "roaming" (rather than "local"). If you search your PC by using "find" you should be able to see where any MagicJack files were installed. Since it's a USB application, it may be in a file that indicates that too (within "application data", perhaps).
Either the software really completed downloaded or didn't. If it did the files should show up somewhere in your machine. If you have to complete the process by right-clicking a MagicJack .exe file that would mean all that downloaded is "the means by which you would finish the installation". DON'T TRY DOING THAT WITHOUT FIRST SEARCHING YOUR COMPUTER FOR MAGICJACK FILES.
If all you have on your PC is that .exe file it might show up in your "recent downloads" list.
From my experience, installing MagicJack was a super-quick process, but I don't recall exactly what showed up immediately afterward other than something like, "downloaded successfully". On my PC the only indication I have that MagicJack is installed is that shortcut I have on the desktop (and the fact that the blue light on MagicJack is on, and there's a dial tone if I pick up the phone). The only time the MagicJack window comes up is if I pick up the phone, get a call, or click on the shortcut to make it come up. Clicking minimize (-) makes the window completely go away, rather than just minimizing it.
Accessing your account is done through the window, so once you have a shortcut created that's how you do things like add any money or get your 911 information on record.
One quick way to see if the software is up and running without your knowing it is to go to "change start-up programs" and see if it shows up there. If it doesn't that doesn't, I don't think, mean the software wasn't installed; but on mine, that's one place it does show up. I don't recall if I did that or if it just occurred automatically with the software download.
I don't know if any of these thoughts will help, but I thought if they do it may save you some time on online chat.
Link to MagicJack's site. To get to "Customer Service/Live Chat" scroll to the bottom of the page.
Sounds like Tamara has a firewall issue. I had to "allow" mine to run or it would just refuse to connect - no window would open. Also, as far as stealing focus (when the window keeps popping up) I think you can download MS Tweak UI, and set under the General tab "don't allow programs to steal focus," which should work for all programs. The window might appear in the bar but won't pop up. And, yes, people ARE calling long distance, at least to me, because I couldn't get a local number. So someone across the street is paying (local) long distance to call me. I couldn't even test the magic jack from the landline because sprint had suspended our long distance. And while it IS a pain to dial the area code every time, so what, you have to do it on your cell phone (if you have AT&T) which is even MORE of a pain. Just save contacts and then click on them. I don't like how it's sucking info from my computer, like "favorites" I might not want everyone in the house to see, and I read that they share your personal details with other customers in their database. Not sure how that works. ok gotta go~
I just found out that you cant have any modem near your tower as this will cause the phone to loose every third word,interfearance from the magnetic useage in the cable modem was the cause. I moved it away and all is fine now. this took 3 mos. and four techs to find out. now it works fine and has been good for 18 mos.
in try to sign in and they keep telling me my id's are not valid ihave been useing it sence 2008 and now they say it isn't valid
otto, have you tried going to their site (www.magicjack.com), scrolling down to their customer service/online chat feature, and getting someone live online?
If you bought it in 2008 and had the first year they give you with the device, might that year have expired?
One of the constant comments here involves having to use the area code. Well the last two locations I've lived both requiered me to use the area code when I dialed, and one was in rural KS. We all have to use area codes when calling cell phones so for me this isn't an issue.
My parents recently got MagicJack and someone told me I will be charged every time I call them, even though they got a number in our normal area code. Is this true?
If you share the same area code you will not be charged.
If you live in an area where your area code would be considered long-distance from theirs, you would be charged to call them. They would not be charged for calling you.
If, by any chance, you and your parents live within a local area but their MagicJack has a long-distance area code then both you and they would be charged.
Umm, I recently purchased the magic jack. I was wondering. I'm from california, and if i call my friend from canada (she does not have a magic jack). Does it charge her if I call her cell phone or house phone? And does it charge me? =)I really want to know thanks!
I wish the computer interface program it comes with was easier to use and why can't you enter more than one phone number for a contact (e.g. office, mobile, home)? It would be nice if this was an option and also if when receiving voicemails it would tell you the callerID name of the person not just the number that it comes from. Also why not offer the googlevoice-like feature of taking the voicemails and transcribing them to text.
I don't know if anyone else has had issues with the MagicJack doing this but sometimes I would be calling someone and I could hear them fine but my voice signal would be cut out so they couldn't hear me anymore (this was very frustrating after being on hold 5 minutes with a company only to have the customer service rep hang up because he couldn't hear me). This might be an issue with my internet connection and I'm willing to accept that but I wish there was an indicator in the program showing how good your connection to the internet / phone call is (both (outgoing) voice and (incoming) audio).
James, have you gone to www.magicjack.com and tried using their trouble-shooting feature?
Does anyone out there have a Fax machine hooked up to there magic jack.....i know about what they say,at the counter....but i,m looking for someone ,that has it...and what fax machine they have....thanks Phil
Phil, I don't have one hooked up; but I once (only once) sent a fax using a family's member fax machine, which I hooked up by connecting the cable from the machine to the MagicJack phone I have (if I remember correctly). That once fax did go through without any problems. I don't happen to know what kind of machine it was, because the family member just brought it, set it up long enough to send the fax, and the only thing I dealt with was connecting the cable to the phone.
12-4-2009 I've had a magic Jack now for about a week and a half...no problems - yet - I did go to the on line chat to find out how to change the phone number "it" gave me. That went quickly and without any problems. I got a local area code for free - she did advise me that any other number changes would be at a $10.00 charge. I'm satisfied at the moment with the number I got, so will keep it for now. As far as using MJ as a primary, I don't recomend it - at least at this point in time. I just retired from the phone company after 38 years. I intend to cancel all the "extra" stuff I pay for & drop my service to the bare basic package, using MJ for all long distance calls.
As far as wiring the MJ to all your phones, this would require some rewiring of your house. To just plug the MJ into an existing jack would work, but it would be a 100% requirement to disconnect your home from any outside phone service at the "Nid". If your Internet service is provided by your phone company, that will kill it. Any extra jacks you would like tied to the MJ must be totally separate from your existing telephone service. I am using cordless phones at this point & this seems to be the simplest solution without re-wiring. Some cordless units come with up to 4 extra handsets & in my case, are more than enough. I got my MJ from Radio Shack, so there was no extra push for "other features". I am going to find one for my laptop so I can use it on the road. The initial setup asks if this is a new install, or an additional MJ - that should install without the first year charges. I will find out when I get the second unit.
Ironwolf58, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with others here. When I picked up the phone I was going to use with MagicJack I got a "cordless phone system" one that, as you mentioned, can have up to three other handsets. I just got one extra one for my kids, so it works out well.
I've had the MagicJack since that first infomercial over 2 years ago - at $19.95 a year how can you go wrong. Use it extensively for all my conference calls at work (saves me a TON of money on cell phone charges).
We travel to Europe every year. I bring my laptop (for work) and the MagicJack for my conference calls and also allows us to call all our family and friends back in the U.S. - FOR FREE. The sound quality while using the MagicJack in Europe is the same as being in the U.S. When they person receiving your call sees a U.S. area code they freak when we tell them we're in Paris, France - they can't believe the clarity of the sound.
I've also sent 6 MagicJack devices to the Philippines so that they can call the U.S. and Canada for free.
If you're reading this and on the fence whether you should get MagicJack I can tell you that it's money well spent.
The article about customer service is right on money.. I would give F- to thier customer service.. The best you can get for cutomer service is online chat. And honestly, I think they have a monkey on the other side.. They ask one question over 20 times. "So you had no connection". I am talking about international option. They actually charge you from the time you press "Send". they charge you minutes for ringing. If you hold the phone for 3 minutes without any connection, they charge you for that.. Some countries, they charge dearly per minute and every ring counts.. I contacted customer service and, 1- she kept me online for over 45 minutes to chek your account. They ask for your name, email address, MJ number at least 5 times. YOu have to explain the problem at least 10 times. they ask when you called, what number you called and how many times you called. You think they have some sort of record tracking.I guess not. And FYI, they don't refund your money at all. I am not sure if I get refund on those lost minutes with no connection............. Finally............ Don't pay fo Internationl minutes.............it is a scam.................. Good luck
i am in srilanka and about to buy a magic jack .but i would love to know ow the charges are for middle east and european countrys if im to make calls from here
thank you:)
sheyk27, I believe the best place to learn about charges related to calls from those countries would be to go to www.magicjack.com and either search their faq/knowledgebase for International calling rates; or go to their live customer chat.
Here's the page on their site that discusses non-US/Canada calling: http://www.magicjack.com/7/faq/
"Call from a MagicJack to a MagicJack in any country, and the call is free."
"Call from your MagicJack to another country, other than the U.S. or Canada, and you must prepay for International minutes."
They have their International calling rates on their sites.
TANX HEAPS LISA...=)
I have had my MJ installed a little over a year and do all my long distance calls on it. I have no problems but my wife calls her cousin each Sunday in Atlanta and talks with her about 2 hours. About 3 months after she started calling her she began getting cut off after 1 hour, then about 4 months later the cutoff time went to 45 minutes. Today she was talking with her and got cutoff at 20 minutes. In order to get back to her we have to bring down the MJ program and restart it. I was wondering if this happens to other users and how do they handle it.
cruising, Thanks for sharing your experience with readers here. I haven't happened to have that problem, but I don't make long calls either. Maybe someone who has had the problem can comment here. Since it's something that has happened to you more than once I think, if you haven't done this already, it might be good to go to their site (www.magicjack.com) and talk with someone on live chat. I know there are a lot of other comments offering users' experience here, but I don't happen to recall anyone mentioning regularly being cut-off. I'm just wondering if there's some little thing "off" that the Magic Jack people might be able to help you iron out. They do have a troubleshooting feature on their site, and it doesn't require talking to anyone; but it's a thing where you look for your problem, try some solutions, and then they ask, "Did that help?" You wouldn't know if it helped or not unless you can try a few long calls. That's why I think their Live Chat would be best.
Thanks for such a fast response. Will try their live chat tomorrow. Hopefully there will be a fix for the problem.
Hello Lisa, thank you for the hub and all the great info, both good and the bad! for as long as I can recall I have wanted to buy one of these gadgets and plug it in for use as a dedicated Fax line. if all goes well maybe a second one for the home line? I have found comments and posts on here to be very insightful, anyone thinking of buying one I would suggest reading this hub all the way back as I just did?? in liu of that you may wish to hit these posters, Irritated, Robert Iraq, James, Smug Mug, AZ Laura, Bradley, Jakester 59, and Alex in San Antonio, I also copied this last post as I felt he had some great advice? I plan to use this method as it will keep the MJ on a totally seperate system from my other PC's, possibly bleed out all posible interference from competing programs and devices running background noise or etc..also it fee's up my working units for my work, and not to run the phones as Anthony's copied post described below? though after reading all the posts I do say I have some serious pause regarding the almost non-existent customer service, and the very evil bad business practices of not making requested refunds at all, or in a timely manner. yes its just a 20.00 dollar gadet and service per year, so one should not expect the moon and the stars, but stories such as that lead one to question the honesty and integrity of the developer and owner of this business, which if done right could be a really great business plan not only in the USA, but a world wide venture...I am not saying Microsoft, or Google, but pretty darn good business this guy developed?? we can only hope he will read these comments and try a little harder to structure his idea better and provide a consistent and honest C/S dept, as well as a better R&D, IT dept's?? thanks for the info, Jay Love
Anthony says: I've had the MagicJack for a year and a half, and must say its great. I stripped down an older unused PC and dedicated it solely to the MagicJack. I then rerouted my phone box to my PC and now all the jacks in my apartment run off the MagicJack ... it even provides service to my lobby intercom and my DVR. I would recommend this to everyone!!!
Hello again Lisa, I wanted to offer this link to another hub I found very helpful, though not as full as yours with contributors and info, this fellow does have some good info on his own experience's trouble shooting many of the same issues discussed by you and others here? he also had some insights on the customer service issue's, I hope it might help someone out? Jay
Jay, thanks for your contribution here. Somewhere, way far back in the above comments, I expressed that I think they should have a website that's designed better. In the year-plus since this Hub has been online I've occasionally gone to their site to see if I could find an answer for someone (just out of the "standard" good business practice of trying to offer one's readers/"customers", if you will) a little "customer service". In that time I've gotten to know their site better, and there's no doubt that their site offers a whole lot of what people will be looking for - but it took me a long time to end up getting to know the site and kind of know the approach/wording to use in their "search faq" feature. Not that a lot of the basics aren't there for someone not familiar with the site, but with the "fancier" stuff it took me longer to get to know the site better. I don't think people should have to "get to know" a site before finding their answers to even the "fancier" (more complicated) questions. They've explained that the online chat approach helps them get to the root of technical problems when the customer is online, but when a customer has one of those more complicated issues it can almost just feel, to him, as if it's "foreign" to be communicating in some way other than a phone conversation (which is, after all, the way humans generally feel most natural and comfortable).
By virtue of the fact that MagicJack is a product that doesn't function independent of things like people's computers, hook-ups, Internet connection, phone, etc. etc., it has the added complication/potential reason for needing customer service than other products (that just work or don't work, independent of all that other stuff) have. It's almost as if MagicJack (the company) sees their product as "any other product"/"just a simple device", knows it works, knows they'll take it back if it doesn't, and overlooks all those "inbetween factors" that are just built into the matter of going from purchase to up-and-running without problems.
I can see how they (MagicJack people) may think, "We have a product that works, and we tell people system requirements for making it work. It doesn't require more customer service than we already offer." With all the variables involved in making every single device sold work, though, I do think (based on some of the comments I've seen here and elsewhere, as well as on my own exposure to them) they might improve their reputation if customers had a way to call and/or e.mail. (That online chat thing pretty much forces customers to sit online as long as it takes, while being able to send an e.mail with the problem all outlined, and maybe let go on and do the chat thing as a follow-up. Besides, more than one person has been known to have to type in their whole story more than once.)
I think the whole thing with the overall impression of "odd" customer service unlike what most companies at least try to offer is unfortunate, because I think the product is a generally fine one. I think they could create a better impression of themselves, particularly since they're as new as they are. Of course, I'm not the one holding the MagicJack patent or reaping the profits from it, so maybe I'm not one to have an opinion about what they ought to do. LOL
We are thinking about getting this for our company. However, due to this blog, we are not sure if we should. We do not have the need to make any long distance calls as well only serve customers in our area.
Also, does this company have where we can use two greetings? We have a normal greeting (played during business hours) and we have an after hours greeting (played after the close of the day).
With our current company we just create an extended absence greeting and then delete it when we open.
Also, does anyone have a magic jack phone we can call just to hear what the voicemail system sounds like?
Thank you to everyone for helping us to know all we can about this company before switching.
-Miranda Lewis
Cuddle Corner Pet Sitting CEO
Broomfield, Colorado
(720) 891 5392
Miranda, I'm sorry I don't know how they work their voicemail messages. It's been quite a while since I got the MagicJack, so I don't recall even setting any voicemail thing up. I guess I've always kind of assumed they just have one message. Maybe someone else on here knows better than I do.
Something I'm wondering about is whether you could set up your own answering machine to get the calls (the same way you would with a land line).
People should be WARNED that ALL credit card information is stored my magicJack and one CANNOT DELETE a credit card from their system! In other words, once you enter a vcalid credit card (as you would to extend your subscription past the first year) that credit remains on file with mJ FOREVER.
You can neither update NOR can you DELETE a credit card from their system EVEN after your subscription expires! Your credit card info remains with mJ forever. Be aware!
MJ User, thank you for sharing that information with others here. It's not something I was aware of.
Hi Lisa and everyone here, I must say Pheeew...what a READ! I am very thankful that you made this blog although I don't see why so many make remarks of you working for MJ as I do see quite a few times here of your disappointment with Customer service and so forth so it looks like you can go on either side of the fence. Although for me it is quite aggravating while trying to give respect to the writer and posters...I have read just about every inch of this Blog only to find Lisa constantly repeating her ill experience when she got the Magic Jack..(sorry Lisa but for me it was aggravating). Nevertheless I find you quite helpful and appreciate your Efforts. I would like to point out that I believe Matt hit it on the Dot with double TT's. ha, ha..
I myself had suspected that the Majority of the Users having issues or problems with this Simple gadget is Due to being too much in a Rush to try out the Magic Jack (that or a system failure such as their Pc or pc softwares). We all have the Tendency of doing this many times when we find opportunities too Good to be True. In this Case it is an Exceptional product..I wish I could Bold and Underline this Statement but forgive me if I do not side with all the Mopers and I mean this with no Disrespect as I'm sure that at the moment you are simply Frustrated but hear me out for a minute if you will. Picture yourself on the other end of say At&t, we all know how EXPENSIVE these people can get and how often times even when you do Buy the most advanced services you still get gliches and gaps that seem like a Neverending fixer upper Deal. My point is that as Matt stated people are Human and we are bound to run into inperfections at any given moment. So for me and as a person who has experienced many not so much Brain power customer service moments not too mention those times when you Simply just loose it and Forget that the Rep on the other end may have just recently started working and or have no Fault in what one is experiencing at the moment..So yes I have experienced poor customer service and I have latched out at Reps who don't deserve it. But hey at the time there's no stopping right (smile), by the way I do wind up feeling sorry for them and apologizing in the End as I realize how Frantic I've become and left feeling completely Embarrassed at my Outburst...it's never acceptable, even if you do have Unsatisfactory service on the other end. My advice is to do as Matt said, hang up and dial again or in this case End session and begin a new one or simply wait until you have Calmed down and become "Human Again". (Smile). Now back to the Beginning, the reason I made the earlier comment about Mopers is simply this.."If you could put up with Mobile Giants for 10-20 times more money, then I say a little patience goes a long way. Oh wohoooooooo, did you say Magic Jack has Unlimited Long distance calls if I don't "Over do it"? Woohoooo..........no I'm not a Nut "I'm just a happy MJ user". No more Monthly phone Bills, Love Ya..
P.S. Lisa, hope your New year started out right and Thank you so much for your time and dedication...we appreciate you and I also would like to Thank everyone who has contributed as well. "HAPPY NEW YEAR", ( I know Belated but Still, much Love)
Ivonne, thank you for taking time to share you own experience with MagicJack and your thoughts on customer service. I agree that after this Hub has been up, collecting comments, for so long making one's way through them all (particularly some of them) can be tedious and aggravating. I wish HubPages offered a feature that allowed us to organize the comments somehow. I've thought of taking a few of them off the page, but - to be honest - I'm concerned the Google search engines may "think" I'm shutting down the page (or something like that). Also, when people have taken the town to offer substantial comments I wouldn't want to take their contribution down; and if their comments are quickies they're what people who prefer to quick to "substance" want to read. I'll probably get rid of a couple of those that accuse me of working for MagicJack (and maybe just leave one up in case anyone who suspects that could trust what's here if s/he saw it addressed).
This Hub's been up for about two years now, so over time it's collected all the comments. For those of us who write Hubs comments are appreciated because they add other viewpoints and make a Hub more well rounded.
I agree that most phone companies (and a lot of other companies as well) are pretty much "horror shows" when it comes to customer service.
Happy New Year to you, too, Again, thank you for sharing your own positive experience with how your MagicJack works (just from the standpoint that it's always nice to know someone is pleased with something they purchased).
I have tried to read everything but I still have a question. I live in the country and have a verizon internet card....can I still use a MJ? I did the test and I had 1339 kbps
deb,
On their site it says that a minimum bandwidth UPLOAD (they have "UPLOAD" in caps) speed of 128 kb/s is required.
They list the following types of Internet connections:
* Broadband
* High-Speed Internet
* Cable Internet
* DSL
* WiFi
* Wireless
* WiMax
* FiOS
They also show that MagicJack does NOT work over dial-up or satellite Internet.
It DOES work with wireless Internet (WiFi)
I'm including a link to the Verizon page on wireless PC cards in case anyone here isn't sure what a "Verizon Internet card" is:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband
I'm assuming the above may answer the question, although there's the chance there's something I don't know about your Verizon Internet card, only because I've never dealt with one. If I've missed something about the question, you may want to look at this page on MagicJack's site:
http://www.magicjack.com/7/faq/
Not that you asked this, but you can make international calls from a cell phone through MagicJack by registering any North American cell phone and purchasing International prepaid minutes.
Great information here!! i had so many questions and had almost all answer. I want to try MJ, and only try things from others experience, yet your own its what really counts. I think MJ is getting better, i've consider this for a year now, and can honestly say the reviews get better, and soon i will be in need of a phone that can save me money and I'm glad i can see the reviews do get better compared to the ones i've read when MJ first came out!!! I am set though with this in mind ..that if i do purchase the magic jack (thru a retailer of course) its money i wont ever see again, and if i do encounter any problems, i will only try an exchange and do anything and everything in my power to fix the issue from reading post like this, and using the knowledge i have with computers.
Miranda, the way the $35 thing works is this: If you order MagicJack from the company (rather than buy it from a retailer), and if you give them your credit card, you won't be charged the $35 until the trial period is up (although people on here have said the company begins the trial period from the day they ship the product. I didn't happen to want to return my MagicJack, so it wasn't an issue for me. If you were to order it on the free trial basis it would be worth looking at their site for clarification of what days constitute the "30-day" trial period (or at least know that it starts the day you order it and make sure you return it well before 30 days is up (in order to allow for shipping) (to eliminate any "iffiness" as far as the ending of the trial period goes,
You would be charged for shipping. They have regular shipping and express shipping, and when I got mine I ordered over the phone and somehow (not intentionally) ended up paying for the express shipping - so watch out for that. Ordering online probably makes less opportunity for such mistakes as can be made when ordering over the phone.
The $35 included that first year, as they said; and when I ordered I did order the second year, which meant I paid $35 plus $14 for shipping plus $20 for the second year. After the second year was used up I paid, through my existing account, for yet another year of service.
Having said all that, if you order on the 30-day-trial basis your credit card will not be charged until the 30 trial period is over. Again, watch the dates. This applies to up to two Magic Jacks and includes standard shipping. If you wanted expedited shipping your credit card will be charged for the extra, and it will be charged (If I understand correctly) for extra years of service beyond the one, first, free year of service for each device (which is included in the $35). Debit card: With a debit card it's different: With a Debit card they charge your card immediately when you order. If you return the MagicJack within 30 days your debit card account will be credited within 3 - 10 days after they receive the returned device. You would not be credited for any rush or expedited shipping charges.
Here's the page on their site:
http://www.magicjack.com/8/faq/
With regard to whether you need your Internet working/on and your computer on in order to use MagicJack phone service: YES
I don't feel comfortable mentioning this; because I'm not entirely sure of your plans for whatever service you get; but there is a way to use Skype service with a paid-for phone number (which allows you to to call any number or get calls the same as you would on a land-line phone; and if you have that (the phone number subscription is cheap but the phone for doing what I'm about to mention is not) there are WiFi phones that will work even when your computer is not on. To learn more about those look up, "WiFi phone for Skype"). I have not tried a WiFi phone with my Skype service, but I'm planning to get one.
So back to MagicJack: I, personally, am not able to say I feel so confident with MagicJack that I'd plan to use it for, say, my only phone or my business' only phone. I need to clarify, though, that I really believe, in my case, any "insecurity" I have is related to the particular telephone I'm using. I tried my higher quality Skype phone with MagicJack, and the calls sounded every bit as much like a land-line call with that phone as it does when I use the same phone with Skype. As it happened, though, the person I made the experimental calls with was nearby in my house, and he said he got an ever-so-slight echo over our trial calls. I never tried the same kind of experimental calls over MagicJack, using the same, higher-quality, phone to call someone outside my house. For this reason, I can't fairly say I'm 100% confident enough to recommend MagicJack for your business, but, again, I think it's more that I haven't tried really using it with the better quality phone. I'm using a GE cordless phone (with extra handsets) with MagicJack, and the calls are really decent quality. Still, I just feel better and more confident when I use the higher quality phone (which happens to be my Skype phone). One of these days I'm going to hook up a better phone with MagicJack, so I can give people on here a better/surer recommendation on the product. In any case, if you were to order MagicJack for the trial period I would recommend trying more than one telephone with it, because - if nothing else - I have seen that the quality of phone you use with it does make a difference, even if a minor one.
With regard to the other Internet services you mentioned, I haven't heard of Cricket or Quest, and I'm not sure what you mean by "standard Comcast". Here's a link to MagicJack's site page that addresses which Internet services it works with, what they mean by "high speed", and which operating system your computer would have to have:
Rebecca, thanks for commenting. I think you're right that each person's own experience can be different. I do know that a person doesn't need a lot of computer knowledge to get MagicJack up and running. As I said somewhere way back in this string of comments, I just figured the price of the device and first year of service was worth the gamble. As long as it worked, I was fine. It was an extra thing for me, and I thought it would be good to have the ability to have the portable MagicJack phone number.
Stan, thanks for commenting (although I couldn't leave the comment up because it had a couple of "R-rated" words that I don't think HubPages would approve of. (LOL) Whether or not you decide to take your MagicJack out of the box, I'll never know; but I do know that once it's up and running it doesn't take more "new-fangled" knowledge to use than any other phone would take to use. When I got mine I just plugged it into the USB port, and within a very few minutes the whole business installed; and I got back the message that the software had installed successfully.
MagicJack's site (www.magicjack.com) does have a troubleshooting feature, if you have any problems such as needing to adjust the volume on your phone or on the screen "phone" that shows up when you make a call using MagicJack. Good luck (and I don't want to be the one who recommends you take it out of the box, but I do think it's a pretty good gadget).
If you have any problems getting MagicJack set up they really do have lots of features on their site that would most likely help you; and - although I'm not the biggest technical expert in the world, if you have any questions you could always ask on here, and maybe it would be something I could either answer or help you get the answer to. I don't pretend I want to make a career out of MagicJack (and I don't work for them - honest), but I don't mind answering whatever questions I can answer on here (as long as people know I'm only a user and not a MagicJack technical person).
I bought a MagicJack for $100.00 because he had 5 years going. How can I change the name and password. I have lost his password. Many thanks and a good year 2010
Sam I am
Dr Sam Sussman, I can only assume you'd have to get the original password from the person who sold you the device, go into the account, and change it through the account. Other than that, I would guess you need to talk to someone at MagicJack's Live Chat online and ask them. If there's another way for you to change the password I don't know what it would be, but maybe there's someone else on here who has bought one second-hand and knows.
Dr Sam Sussman, I just saw the e.mail you sent with your predicament (after already commenting above). I'm sorry. I don't know what you might be able to do if the previous owner of your MagicJack is not someone you can get in touch with.
If anyone reading here is considering buying a second-hand MagicJack your problem is one they should be aware of.
As someone who is nothing more than a MagicJack user (rather than someone with knowledge beyond just experience using the product), I think if I had a MagicJack that I'd bought second-hand (and didn't have the password), I'd use it in my PC without the password, let the first year free year and any additional years run out; and then just buy a new device. As it is now, the $35 to buy the device includes a free year of service. It's $20 for each additional year and, if it hasn't changed, it was $59 (and maybe change) a five-year package.
Based on this page on MagicJack's site, you should not need a password to use the device on a different computer from the one it was originally installed in:
http://www.magicjack.com/8/faq/
If you were to contact MagicJack to try to change the password, they'd request the e.mail it was originally registered with. Here's more on that:
http://www.magicjack.com/8/faq/
I'm not necessarily recommending you do what I'd do if I were in the same situation; because, as I said, I don't know any more than you do. I've looked on their site (that, at this point, I'm fairly familiar with) and can't find anything about what they would do if someone without original information wanted to change a password.
I assume if the device had been reported lost or stolen they'd shut off service. If a person just bought one second-hand and told the company that, I would think there must be a way (if the person were to persist) for them to ask you for identifying information (a verifiable name, address, phone number, etc.) as a way of proving you are who you say you are and that you aren't concerned if they know who/where you are. I can't help but wonder if they've already got something in place for such a situation, because people sell things they buy all the time.
If they don't have anything in place for this type of situation, and if the device as not reported lost or stolen (and I'm assuming it wasn't, of course), I wouldn't think they'd shut off service (but, again, I'm not someone you ought to just listen to because I don't know). Worst case, maybe they wouldn't let you change the password. If you have technical problems with the device they don't require a password for you to use their troubleshooting system. If you use their live chat there's a chance they may ask for e.mail address (either to get in touch with you or, maybe, to get the records - if it were a money-related issue with the account, which it shouldn't be).
In the approximate two years since I've had MagicJack the only time I've needed to use the password was to add my third year to it.
Again, don't just listen to me; but if it were me, I'd live without the password unless the situation called for my producing it; and then I'd take my chances, based on the fact that I could tell the company the name of the person I'd bought the device from.
Dr Sam Sussman, a follow-up to your question/e.mail: I just went to MagicJack's live chat to ask about second-hand purchasers. The company doesn't have anything against someone buying a second-hand device; but there is no way to transfer ownership in their files. If you don't have the original password/e.mail information you can't change the password; but you can get technical help. If a MagicJack is lost or stolen the person who they have on record can block service; but that's one instance in which a second-hand purchaser without the password and who loses his MagicJack would be in trouble. Essentially, who finds your lost, second-hand, MagicJack could use the device for the remainder of time on the account; and you'd be out of luck.
Irene, regarding your e.mail as follows: "Lisa, I have friends who do not have Magic Jack. They call me on their landlines. We are all in the same phone area codes,but different prefixs, yet, they are charged for calling me on my Majic Jack. Any idea why? Thanks! ~~ Irene"
The only thing I can guess (and it is a guess only) is that even if you have the same area codes your town exchanges would be considered toll calls. I don't know which phone company in which area of the country offers what kind of local calling these days; but to the best of my knowledge (at least for some areas/companies providing local service) towns within the same area code may still be geographically far enough apart to be considered "toll calls". Some people (at least where I am) can get a special plan within a geographic area to make what would otherwise be toll calls "local calls"; but maybe your friends don't have such a plan. Again- I'm only guessing.
bre_ambungan, you have three months to get your service up and running again before the number is "de-activated" (after the three months). After that, you can get service again, and on the same device, but you'd have a new phone number.
YEHEY! thanx LISA!
my magicjack is back and running again!!
i was just so worried considering that i have to wait till i have the money. i have another question: HOW AND WHERE can i check/verify the status of my MajicJack ..like details on my next expiration or maybe list of my other subscription on other MJ features.. thanx again LISA!
How can i check if they charged me TWICE since the first attempt failed and so i tried again but suddenly the THANK YOU meassage appeared on the other page.. thanx so much LISA..
Just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I've using Magicjack for 2 years now. for the past 6 months as my only phone.
I have had all of the normal problems with poor quality and echo that most have and that has been solved by better phones. I also have a Logitech USB headset that I use sometimes (when I forget to recharge the phones) that works fantastic with the Magicjack.
When I finally switched completely to the Magicjack I decided to dedicate an old laptop that I have had since 2000 for the phone service. This was a perfect solution to leaving the computer on all the time. I did a fresh install off XP and only use it for the phone. I also close the screen. If I need to see the screen I remote desktop into the computer from another computer. I also have the cable modem, laptop and phones hooked to a battery backup. This is enough to keep the phone system operating for hours without power plus all items can be operated from a car battery if needed. I'm in Florida with hurricanes, we think of losing power for weeks in the summer.
One other note, I just got a new Brother Fax machine during Black Friday that ended up being $10 after rebate and it also works great with the magicjack.
In the past I had the magicjack connected to a computer through a wireless router. This was a disaster as the router would poll the wireless computers on the network every so often. Not all routers do this the same way but it can cause the computer to delay data to a program for a split second. Surfing the internet is not a problem. Streaming video or audio is not a problem as they buffer the data streams for seconds in advance. For voice over IP(Magicjack) this is a problem as the service will see this as a dropped call and hangup. The latest updates seem to help this but if possible a computer with a wired network connection will always give superior performance.
Just thought I'd speak up. Great Blog, Great information.
bre_ambungan, to the best of the my knowledge they send an e.mail before expiration (although you could double-check with their Live Chat people on their site (http:www.magicjack.com). If you have questions about your payment/billing that's where to go. Not that I'm suggesting ignoring the fact that it appears you've been charged twice, but there is that thing where merchants often place a "hold" on the amount of a new transaction and then remove it once the money has actually been transferred to them. I'm wondering if there's a chance that's what happened in your case (but, again, the people at Live Chat could explain that to you if that's the procedure - and if a mistake happened they're the ones who need to fix it.)
Mike, thank you for contributing here.
Hi Lisa, I just bought a mj online. I've read most of the hub. I liked what I've read. All the way I've been intrigue by why you are so concerned with this ? What are you doing for a living ? Not that I think or care that you could be an insider, I just found you profesional and cheerful. It's a lot of work to keep this link alive.
cheers;-D
Patrick, I'm a freelance/contract writer, and what I write on HubPages is just free-time writing that I do on the side. Thanks for saying I come across as "professional", because I try to bring some level of professionalism to even my free-time writing. My roots are in the "corporate world", where being professional is just what people are expected to be. I guess I'm "scarred for life" LOL As you can see, this Hub has attracted a lot of comments, often with people asking questions about MagicJack. I could ignore them and just hope someone reading will answer them, but since I'm sitting at my PC just about all the time anyway, it isn't a big deal to either answer a question I can already answer or just check on MagicJack's site if I don't have the answer. I've discovered that since I've been going there to look up other people's questions I know the site better, so sometimes I just think I can find the answer a little easier than someone who doesn't know the "tricks" to searching their faq quite as well as I do.
Your question is one that gives me the chance to address something others have wondered about as well, as far as the impression that I may be awfully "concerned" with MagicJack. I'm not really "concerned" with it beyond the fact that I happened to write about it and get comments on the Hub.
It doesn't matter which Hub/article gets comments or questions. If I think I can be a little helpful to a reader I just do. On a Hub like this one it's good for my reputation as a writer (even if it's free-time writing). On other Hubs about serious, life, issues it is, I think, the only right thing to do to be responsive.
I'm not an "insider" (honest). It actually doesn't take much work at all for me to keep this link alive, because readers do that (so I appreciate them for it). I get a few comments a week, if that; and answer them if it seems called for. It makes no difference to me which comments I answer on which sites. I'm at the PC anyway, and articles like this one are far less "heavy" than trying to think of how to respond to comments on articles or Hubs about things like dealing with grief.
Good luck with your MagicJack. We just gave our son one for his birthday. He hasn't had it long enough to know if all will work out well with it or not. So far, apparently, so good.
Just was reading and FYI any phone with or without paid service is able to dial 911.
Michael H, thanks. I do think, though, there may be some difference (unless they've changed since I first got mine). First, in order to give them my address so emergency people would know where the call was coming from (if necessary) they had to check to see if that kind of emergency service was available in my area. They said, too, that if you move your Magic Jack from one location to another you should make sure you enter your location if you want 911 to know where you are. I suppose it may be a matter of, say, having a 3-year-old child dial 911 if a parent passes out on the floor; and having that child not be able to give the address. Equally bad, if a home invader were attacking someone there may not be time to give out the address.
I do know that 911 can be dialed from any cell phone even if it has no service (as long, of course, as it has a charged battery).
I spent about 4 hours and read thru this entire blog before I went out and bought my first magic jack. I like my magic jack and think it works great! Been using it for about a week for my home office, probably run 20-30 calls a day on it and have had very little problems. Sure I may hear an occasional beep, and when your getting a call back in I dont see my caller ID, BUT, it has alot of really cool features too that work perfect for me. Like the VOICEMAIL!!!! Being a small business owner, I love the fact that when I am away from my office, if someone calls and leaves a message it will email me the voicemail in a .wav format. I use an Iphone for my cell, so all I do is check my emails AND Voila! there is my voicemail and I can listen to it! How cool is that! Come on!
Others will gripe and moan, I think most of the problems that people have with magic jack are not magic jack problems BUT that the people do not have a computer/FAST Internet Service that can support magic jack. The better your computer and faster your Internet, the better magic jack will perform. I personally am running it thru an Intel Based IMac and LOVE IT! I have it plugged right into the back of my IMAc and it works great. I would recommend magic jack to anyone.
I'll try to check back in a couple months to give an update as to how it is working then!
Lisa- Keep it up and good job on all the great information.
Another Magic Jack Supporter
Joe
Joe, thank you for sharing your own experience here. I agree about the voice mail thing. It's so easy to just download the attached message and put it on your PC to keep (if you want to). I don't know - it's just simpler, somehow, than dialing and listening to the whole recorded thing about voice mail.
I am about to get a magic jack, but have two more questions:
Does the computer have to be on and on line in order for the phone be able to receive cals? Or will the sleep mode be enough?
Can I forward calls to a cell phone with a pre paid phone card (no contract)?
I am getting ready to order the MagicJack, but the one issue that's still holding back is the porting of my home phne number. I want to use the MJ to eliminate the home phone, but we've had this number for 20+ years so it's like part of our identity. I've seen posts and comments on the web as far back as Feb. 2009 saying they were 60 days from having porting, but as of last week the MJ FAQ's say porting is coming...?
Adam, thanks for sharing your concern/update with other readers. I wonder if their Live Chat people may have the same thing to say about porting or whether they've just overlooked updating their FAQ.
Thanks for creating this site, the responses are very helpful. I am currently deciding whether to buy a magic jack for my business and have a question concerning voicemail. When traveling on the road, I would plan to take the magic jack with me and use through my laptop on the motel/hotel wireless system. While the magic jack is in my briefcase, could someone leave me a voicemail? The Best Buy website says that voicemails are stored on the magic jack while the magic jack website states that the computer does not have to be on or the magic jack plugged in to receive voicemails. I the latter is true, then the voicemails must be stored on the magic jack network. Since these two sources kind of contradict each other, I was wondering if anyone has any experience concerning this.
TS, I don't know the answer to your question; and usually if I try to find an answer for someone on here, if I don't know the answer I get it from MagicJack's site.
Maybe someone else knows the answer.
I get very few voice mails, and my computer is almost always on. I don't think I've gotten any when it wasn't on. What I do know is that I get an e.mail from Magic Jack, with an attached wav file, which I then download and store on my computer. Around Christmas I unplugged the phone I use with MagicJack because I needed the outlets for Christmas lights. The last couple of messages I got came when the phone was not in service (because it wasn't plugged in). Because of the e.mail, I'd guess (but it's ONLY a GUESS) that if calls can't get through the voice mail is generated "at MagicJack" (in the user's account) (or whatever service they have set up).
I know you've been to their site, but here's the page in case anyone else on here is interested:
http://www.magicjack.com/5/faq/ (They pretty much say voicemail works no matter what's off (your Internet connection, Magic Jack is unplugged, your computer is off, etc.). In my own case, voicemail worked with the phone off. I don't know if that "backs up" what their site says or not If I get the chance I'll unplug MagicJack, turn off my computer, call myself, and see what happens. I'll be back soon.
TS, regarding whether voicemail works when the machine is off and when Magic Jack is not plugged in: I just tested by turning off my computer and taking out the MagicJack. I called myself, left a message, and left the MagicJack out of the machine until I checked my e.mail (after turning the PC back on, of course). The voicemail e.mail with my attached wav file was there. So, that confirms that the MagicJack site is accurate when it says it works whether the machine or Internet are on or whether the device is plugged in.
Excellent, thanks for taking the time to run the test :-)
I just checked MJ FAQ's and the last updated answer on "porting" was 12/18/09 and it was still unavailable. I did contact the live agent and got the same response. It's a service they are working on, but no real time frame for availability. Alas, I'll get a cellphone line for now and buy the MJ when it can be ported later. Thanks for your help and this site.
Adam, thanks for updating people here.
I was extremely happy when I left ATT and their $70 a month landline charge for Vonage at $30 plus change every month. Then when I found MagicJack for $20 a year I about got hurt when I fell off my chair. I purchased online without any problems, did not add extra years or faster delivery, made sure I understood the immediate billing when using a debit card and have never looked back. I initially had dialing problems and voice quality problems but within about 4 weeks, these problems resolved themselves somehow without intervention on my part and I now have excellent voice quality, can dial with either the phone or a mouse click online and am extremely satisfied. I'm especially stoked about not having a monthly fee come out of my bank account for phone service. The voice mail feature is awesome...maybe I just got lucky but I'm not having nor have I had any of the problems that others have posted about.
Jay, thank you for sharing your own experience with others here. I do like the voice mail/e.mail feature because for those of us more inclined to check e.mail than answering machines/voice mail over the phone, it's less likely to forget and not know about a voice mail. I also like keeping it on my PC until I'm sure I'm through with it.
Hey Lisa great site you got here. My question was what kind of number do you get? Is it like any number I would get or is it something funky?
Jeremy C, the one I have has my "regular" area code. If I recall correctly, when I was first getting my account set up I had a choice of a handful of numbers within my own area code. It was over two years ago, and they said they'd be getting more numbers over time. The exchange (within my own area code) isn't one I've seen used in my own town before; but it's a town that has grown so fast people are getting all kind of exchanges these days (so I don't know if it's a "weird" exchange or one that others in my town have). So, mine looks like a cell phone number, I guess.
The MagicJack site has had it up that in the "near future" people will be able to transport their present phone number to MagicJack (for a small fee). I don't know if they have that yet or not. The last I saw they didn't. The latest information about that can be found under their "knowledgebase/FAQ" on their site.
Hello Lisa,
First I just wanted to say that you have probably compiled the best resource on Magic Jack for consumers. There are many grateful people out there :) I'm impressed with your writing and what you've been able to accomplish on Hubpages. I read an interview you did with Ryan Hupfur on the Hubpage blog and think it's great you've been able to make extra money doing something you love.
I also share a passion for writing and technology. I have been working on my tech blog http://thecoffeedesk.com for two years with a couple friends but often find it difficult to spend as much time as I would like on the site.
Next, I thought I'd point out you have a couple dead links in your listing of other resources at the bottom of this page. For example magicjack.wordpress.com no longer is live. Also, you have this site listed twice http://www.whtsnews.com/2007/05/magic-jack.html. I feel like I have written a very fair article on the magic jack covering both the pros and cons. Perhaps you could check it out and replace the dead link with a link to my article if you think it would be helpful to your readers. Here is the article if you have a chance to check it out. http://thecoffeedesk.com/news/index.php/2009/05/29
I hope to some day have the reach you have with your readers.
Yours Truly,
Jenna Williams
Jenna, thanks for pointing out the dead links, the double, and your own article. I'd be glad to post a link to your article, and I'll be fixing those "issues" you noticed. It's 3:45 a.m. here, though, so I'll be back to do those things soon (within the next day or so). Again, thanks for noticing those things. Good luck with your site.
will magic jack work on laptop with wireless internet?
sorry if the answer is already here
James, it will work on a laptop.
I have caller ID on my land line phone. Will this still work if I buy a Magic Jack?
Caller ID works with Magic Jack. You'll see the number of anyone calling you. When you call someone else, they will see the number (but if they haven't saved your number/name as a contact in their phone, they won't see your name).
Thank you Lisa for writing this page and then maintaining it.It is Feb. 19, 2010, and I am in MI. My best friend 1st told me about magic jack 2 years ago, i was half listening to her because I was happy with my phone service.Now I really need to cut some corners and decided I would look up the device and any feedback "out there". I clicked on your site first, because it seemed so straight forward. I am glad I did. It saved me alot of time. ALL of the questions I had on my list to be answered, were answered here. I also, want to thank you for your level of patience and integrity. Reading some of the posts; and I read everything from the begining to the very, very end; made me want to smack the computer at the constantly redundant questions and remarks. But then my brother says" In your world, stupidity is a sin!". I have decided to buy a device. I am taking your advice and waiting to try it before I cancel my land line; which I only kept to keep the cost of my DSL line down. Now the company offers the same product without a lan line at the same price- they only want a 1 year commit- no biggie since I don't really use my lan line anyway.
THANK YOU AGAIN. ICAN'T EXPRESS HOW THANKFUL I AM TO YOU FOR THIS SITE.
usward4, thank you for your kind words. My brother, who works from home most days and does a lot of phone-talking, just got a Magic Jack. The last I heard it was working well. (He works in a very computer-related area, so I imagine he's someone who won't run into some of the "technical difficulties" some people who are completely new to some "technology things" may sometimes run into.)
I do think you're wise to make sure the Magic Jack works as well as it should before getting rid of the land line. If, by any chance, you get a slight echo here or there their troubleshooting feature should be able to help you eliminate it. On mine it had to do with the volume settings on the phone and on the Magic Jack screen, itself. I had them all messed up. Where I save my money is on the day-time cell phone minutes.
Again, thank you for your nice comment here. It's nice to think this Hub may be useful to someone here or there. :)
Hello Lisa,
I just bought ($39 CAD) my magick jack after a year of just letting other people try it first and basically waiting for a canadian local number. Installed it to my netbook, waited for a minute or two, got the software upgrade instantly, paid an extra $10 by credit card for my canadian number and voila, I got to start calling and the voice quality was pretty much the same as a landline phone. Called in the states, Philippines(magick jack to magick jack) and I no problem at all. Having said that, with the price I paid I do expect to have some problem with it like choppy signals and software problems in the future and it remains to be seen if it can replace my home phone. I have a cable internet, netbook(obvious specs) and so far it runs pretty well. I think it's a good tool to have while on trips and for my business as long as I don't overuse it( after all it's still an electronic device that could malfunction anytime like a computer). Nevertheless, the rest still remains to be seen as to how this gadget will function for me.
Hey Lisa,
Sorry for the late reply. I always find it helpful when people point out dead links or small issues on my site so I figured I would return the favor. :) Thanks again for taking the time to look at my article and the kind offer to add it to your list of magic jack resources. :)
If you need to email me for any reason you can reach me at thecoffeedesk@gmail.com
ps. No need to post this comment. It was just intended for you :)
Have a great weekend!
-Jenna
Wow, spend a hour of my youth reading your HUB. If "Dan" the Magicjack inventor haven't send you a big fat check, he really needs to. Thanks for your vision of creating this hub to inform us all. Keep up the great work!
LC, having used up my youth decades ago, I hate to admit that in the years since this Hub has been up I've spent several hours of my precious middle years on it too. LOL
I'm not sure the inventor of Magic Jack would particularly appreciate a lot of what's on this Hub; but if he'd like to send me that "big, fat, check" - it would certainly be welcomed. LOL I have a feeling I'd better not waste yet more of my middle years waiting for that to happen. :)
All that aside, readers are always appreciated.
dear lisa, i just finish reading your hub. the whole thing. alpha to omega. i think i have a crush on you. i'm going to try MJ, with a lot to gain and very close to nothing to loose from what i read. what the heck. i do have a couple of suggestions regarding having an emergency back-up service to the MJ. some of the earlier posts expressed concerns on this issue.
i currently pay $75 a month for landline verizon (vz) unlimited local and unlimited long distance plans (including all the taxes and fees, 911, etc., not including vz dsl ip service). for folks out there who want to keep a landline backup there are some relativley cheap alternatives. i'm certain it will vary some by location and provider, but i can buy a LOCAL calling plan from vz for as little as $2 (two dollars) per month (+ taxes and fees) plus 15 cents a minute for all outgoing LOCAL calls. they have other LOCAL plans for more $ per month and less ¢ per minute. incoming calls are free and unlimited for local and long distance. if you want to have a long distance carrier, which is not a requirement for local service, vz has long distance plans for as little as $5.50 per month (+ taxes and fees) plus a variable (peak-offpeak) ¢ per minute for usage. if you don't want a long distance carrier, i.e. use prepaid carding calls OR MJ, vz in the distant past charged a $5.00 per month fee for NOT repeat NOT having a long distance carrier for your phone service...(figure that one out!! greed??). i haven't checked that fee lately but i have no reason to think it is not still that or more now. again, costs/fees will vary depending on your location, local carrier and long distance carrier being considered. so you need to do some research for your particular situation and location. for something under $10 per month (+ taxes and fees) you should be able to keep your existing landline service and phone number, have free incoming local and long-d calls, and emergency or other outgoing calls are available if needed at a per minute cost. i think 911 calls are free if that matters. if you think you need to keep a backup landline, this is the least costly alternative i can find in my particular circumstance. it does allow young'ins to use 911 without having to remember an address or to say anything for that matter.
another consideration: i have vz 750kbps dsl ip service for $15 per month, bundled with vz phone service. if i completely terminate all vz phone service, the vz ip increases from $15 to $27 because i no longer have a "bundle". at $27 comcast cable ip becomes competitive and at a much faster speed.
my second option for your hubbers is a prepaid cell phone. NO CREDIT CARDS NO CONTRACTS!!!! for example, i've seen tracfones at local retailers on sale for as little as $10 including phone (cheap, sometimes refurbished), charger, 20 minutes talk time and 30 days of service. i'll skip talk time costs as we are considering emergency back up use only. suffice to say they have recharge cards with low $ per month + high ¢ per minute talk and viceversa. the least cost to maintain service is their 60 talk minuites + 90 days service recharge card for about $20+sales tax, also available at retailers. so for less than $7 per month you can have an active tracfone with minimum prepaid talk minutes. other brands are similar. again, for this amount, talk time would not be a lot, but would be there if you need it. the $20 includes all cell phone taxes and fees, even 911 fees, so $20 is it. don't ask me how they do that but they do. the 60/90 recharge card can be purchased on ebay for under $20 and no sales tax. i have a tracfone. i chose it because, according to my research, they have the best coverage over any other cell service available, prepaid or otherwise. i don't dispute this statement. it is really good. and I DON'T WORK FOR TRACFONE!!
the absolute cheapest is an inactive cell phone which, as discussed in previous comments, will call out to 911 but do nothing else. it won't automatically tell 911 where the call is coming from, and 911 can't call back if the call is disconnected.
i am going to try MJ for a while, see how it works, and then consider what reductions i want to make in other areas, if any. if i don't like it, no big loss.
thanks for doing the hub. it is facinating. i hope you find my comments suitable to post.
regards, papa B
papa B, thank you for sharing with other readers here. I ordered the Magic Jack with that "how much is there to lose" kind of thinking too, and I've kept it (and a couple of phone services for the same reason, whether related to business, personal, or my kids' calling needs).
I've clicked on the increasing Tracfone ads that seem to be showing up in my e.mail, and I now see that they have a refurbished $20 phone that comes with double minutes for life. That's not a bad way to have an emergency phone if the power goes out or the router goes bad (as mine has more than once).
I do think it's a good idea to get the Magic Jack from a retailer, just because, as you said, it eliminates some of the concerns with the 30-day/mailing-back thing (and any other "misunderstandings" that come with an automated ordering service).
We had storm damage that made our outside phone line "dip and swing" before it was fixed; so a family member who works mostly from home picked up a MagicJack "just in case". The last I heard it worked well, but he's not using it as his primary line now that the phone wires are fixed (so I don't know how much experience he's really had using the Magic Jack).
I do think a lot of people just kind of figure, "For the money, why not."
I do think it's important for people to have some back-up phone service for things like power outages, etc., but, as you say, that can be had for pretty reasonable money.
Thanks again for sharing with other readers here.
I've had MJ for about a year and never use it anymore. The last time that I used it, i got disconected and the person that I was talking to tried to call me back and could not get through to me. I also tried to call him back and the MJ line would not work. I finally gave up and called him using the land line. I think that I want to discontinue the MJ service. Do they notify you when the Year is up or do they just chargeit to your credit card?
Jamie, they did notify me when the year was about to be up. I had my account set up so they would not automatically renew it (and I don't even recall if there was an option for that when I first signed up). Either way, I made a point of making sure they wouldn't automatically renew it, mostly because I wanted to decide if or whether I wanted to, and how much I may want to sign on for.
I'm guessing the reason you were disconnected (other than a "fluke thing") may have been related to your not using Magic Jack and maybe not getting the automatic updates? Maybe you had the program up and running, but if you didn't that would explain not getting updates anyway. Whether that was the problem, I don't know, of course.
I think if it were me, I'd try going to their online chat and discussing the problem. If I couldn't get to that I'd probably uninstall it, unplug the device, and re-plug it in, and re-install it. I'd think that should at least get you to online chat.
As far as discontinuing it goes, I don't know how much money you have in the account or if you want some back; or whether you just want to get rid of the software and not use the jack. Their live chat would answer questions about any refunds or partial refunds, although that's probably somewhere in the FAQ/knowledgebase section of their site.
If you just let your present year run out and don't renew, I know that they'd you'd no longer have your present number associated with your account. What they do or don't do with an account (on their end) that has no money and no phone number, I don't know. If you want to make sure they get rid all information associated with your account, I guess live chat would answer questions on that.
If you're not concerned about their having some "dead" account with your name and address "attached to it" in their files; all you really need to do is unplug the device and uninstall the software. Just make sure you can get to your account, in whatever section has payment/credit card information, and make sure it's not set for automatic renewal.
Can someone help me. I have tried hours on end with support people with no luck. I cannot receive calls on my MJ HELP PLEASE!!!!
Dorothy, I wish I were qualified to help, but - sorry to say this - I think the customer-service people are your best bet. Maybe someone else on here has some experience to offer. If it were a matter of not hearing who calls or them not hearing you it might be more related to your audio settings (which, as you may know, need to be set for any device/program).
Before I make some fairly uneducated guesses, one question is whether you've tried the troubleshooting section of their "FAQ/knowledgebase" feature. If you search for "troubleshooting" (if it's not right there) you'll find it. From there, there are questions about the problem and things you can try to fix it.
If it was your phone that isn't working your calls would come through and show up on the Magic Jack window (as missed calls, but they'd show up).
Off the top, I'm wondering if you may not have your firewall settings on "allow" for the Magic Jack software. If you don't know how to check your firewall settings you should go to the control panel (at least on Windows - Vista in my case) and go to security. From there you should "allow a program through Windows" (if you're using Windows anyway). If Magic Jack's customer-service people have already addressed the whole firewall issue, then what I've just said won't, of course, be of any help whatsoever.
Sometimes you have to disable the firewall before installing the software, and enable it after the installation is done. From there you can select your settings again.
If it were me (and if you've already checked to make sure any firewalls you have are allowing MagicJack) (and I have no idea if this will work, or if you've already done it), I'd unplug the MagicJack, uninstall the software, and shut down the computer. Then I'd re-start it, re-plug in the jack, and let it re-install the software. From there, I'd double check the firewall(s). If you don't know about firewall settings you could look into your Windows "help" section or else do a search online for something like, "help with firewall settings".
Something else is that firewalls can be involved with your Internet service/connection itself (particularly if someone else has the service and may have arranged for one type of firewall or another). You may want to try contacting your Internet service provider to double-check about anything set up when the service was first put in (or ask whoever in the house is "administrator"). I don't happen to know if this particular kind of firewall is only for wireless connections; so forgive my ignorance. (Someone else in my house has the Internet service I use.)
If you're using Windows go to Windows "help" and search for "service provider firewalls". There's a bunch of stuff there about firewalls, including "test for multiple firewalls".
The fact that you say you can't receive calls leads me to suspect there's some firewall issue; but, as I said, I'm not qualified to be able to give much of an answer here.
Maybe someone else will see this and add some better information. Other than that, I guess I'd just keep contacting their chat people until you get some answer. One reason they require customers to use the chat window is that customers are online, and MagicJack claims that's the best way for them to identify problems.
I wish I could be more help.
I've been using magic jack for 2 years now, and it's AWESOME. I don't know why anyone would give this a bad review. Especially if they are smart enough to use it properly. It's saved me more money than anything ever has, and it works great.
I wont to know if i sent a majic jack to pilepeen can they use it ther or no
sami alayian,
Below is the link to the MagicJack site page about sending MJ overseas. (The company only ships to the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, but their site notes that people can send the device to friends or relatives just about anywhere.)
http://www.magicjack.com/6/faq/
For International calls are made with prepaid International minutes. The International calling rates are shown on their site.
I am in Canada and bought a Magicjack at a store and paid in cash to avoid worrying about extra charges caused by ordering with a credit card online or by phone. I'd recommend going this route as it is available at several major retailers and you don't have to wait for shipping :)
Question:
I am absolutely terrified that my Magicjack will call 911 by accident. When I registered I picked a 646 area code (NY area because I have friends and family there, and for them it would be a local call to call me) but when it asked for my address I provided my correct Canadian address. On the Magicjack window that shows up on my screen, the 911 icon is black/grey and says beside it ">>Non US address, 911 disabled" but when I log in on my.magicjack.com, it shows a green icon and says that my location has been verified and everything is good. I contacted the online support about possibly changing my registered address to a "dummy" address such as listing a "00000" zip code and street address called something like "disable 911 access" etc. but the rep just asked me to add a new location (which my account will not let me do). I suppose I have to be content that my info is saved somewhere on the account (which I guess probably won't be an issue unless Magicjack extends 911 support into Canada).
However, I guess right now I am wondering if there is any way that Magicjack might accidentally dial 911? I know that I won't dial it from my phone, but on the window that pops up on the screen, is that 911 icon also a link to dial? I worry that I may click the icon by accident and if it is a "panic" button of sorts that dials 911 for you, then that would be bad. Can anyone confirm or deny this from personal experience? I clearly don't want to test it out. Also, if 911 was dialed accidentally, it would show up in the on screen call log, right?
KA, it seems to me as if a lot of people have opted to buy MagicJack from a retailer (now that it's available) for the same reason you mentioned. It seems like a good idea to me, particularly since my call to the infomercial line (to order) resulted in some misunderstanding about express shipping.
Based on a live-chat with the MagicJack people, that 911 icon is apparently a live one. Accidentally hitting it on the screen will apparently reach a 911 operator.
It was pointed out that the icon is below all the numbers (although I, personally, think it's a little close to the zero), so hitting it by accident shouldn't be a big risk.
I don't use the screen for the making calls, so I didn't even realize that icon is even there. I did read that green indicates they have the location.
As far as whether it would show up on the call log goes, I don't know. Maybe someone else reading here knows that. I think I'll check with the MagicJack live-chat Monday.
I am looking for a way to redial as fast as possible. I have a very fast redial machine connected to my land line phone and it does a good job but it would be much better if my phone connection would get a dial tone faster. My land line takes about 2 seconds to get a dial tone. So my question is how long does it take MJ to get a dial tone? I have DSL and Vista.
John B, because your question related to something so "precise", I think your best bet would be contact the Live Chat people at http://www.magicjack.com
Of course, maybe someone who reads here may have the exact answer to your question, but I'm not sure the "right" person will see your question soon enough to suit you.
Out of curiosity, I just tried to find out how long it takes on my MagicJack phone. It's probably worth mentioning that if the MagicJack soft phone is not already on the screen (in other words, if you have to open it), there's whatever time is involved in first getting the MJ screen open. On my PC it appears to be close to immediate when I open it, but I can see how it could vary (if even by a fraction of a second) from machine to machine.
(I have high-speed Internet and Vista.)
Having already opened the MagicJack soft phone/screen, I started there, trying to get an exact time to get a dial tone. At first I tried the "one-thousand-and-one" counting approach to seconds. Using that, it's pretty clear to me that my particular phone takes less than 2 seconds.
Then I tried using my cell phone's stop watch. Keep in mind that it's 2 a.m. where I am, so I may not be at my quickest (as far as getting both hands to start the cell phone stop-watch and the phone dial tone at absolutely the precise fraction-of-a-second goes - and also as far as making my phone ear/brain work at the same time as I was watching the fraction-of-a-second numbers fly by go LOL).
Keeping that in mind, what I've gotten (and again, this is only one PC, one MagicJack, and one phone) is under 2 seconds. It's impossible for me to make the ear, brain, and eyes all work fast enough to get the fraction-of-a-second measure. Again, keep in mind that I had already opened the MagicJack screen on my monitor.
In view of the fact that your question relates to the redial machine and requires precision, I'm thinking someone who can give you technical information at MagicJack may be the person to ask.
(By the way, and in case it matters at all, I was using a Linksys CIT 300 (which I find to be a great phone compared to a lot of other phones) dual telephony phone with one line hooked in to Skype and the other line connected to Magic Jack.
Lisa HW Thanks for your effort. I am encouraged, based on your test, that MJ MIGHT get a dial tone in under 2 seconds. Even a little improvement makes a big difference. I will try it under the 30 day free trial and see if my redial machine can get a higher redial rate. If it does not I will return it because I will have no other use for it. Am I better off ordering it on-line or via phone if I decide to return it within the 30 day trial period? How do I return it so that I am not charged?
John B, a lot of people seem to feel most comfortable getting it at a retailer. My problem was I ordered over the phone, which left a little "iffiness" when it came to knowing exactly which number to press to avoid express delivery. I've been to their site often enough that I don't think there would be any particular issue ordering online, where you have the time to look and read and see what you're opting for.
The one thing to pay attention to is the date the device is shipped. Based on what others have said here, apparently they start counting the 30 days from the day it's shipped, rather than the day you install it. (That may have changed, but it's something to watch out for.) Then, too, there's making sure which date they expect to have it back by in order for the 30-day refund.
I'm not entirely positive about where it gets returned to a store. It seems to me I've heard it can be returned to the store, but I'd double-check with whatever store you're considering buying it from. Based on my own experience returning things (unrelated to Magic Jack), I'm not sure each store doesn't have a different "deal" when it comes to returning Magic Jack. (I have two family members who bought Magic Jack at stores, but both have kept theirs.)
This has been the most informative place for magic jack information.
The only reason I'd like a landline is so that I can "buzz" people into my apartment building, as I have to let 20 people in every Sunday night for a meeting, and I live on an upper level floor.
The system to let people in goes through landlines.
Will Magic Jack work for this purpose? Has anyone else used it for this amongst their other phone calls?
Dathena, thank you.
The people at Magic Jack DON'T recommend trying to use Magic Jack with alarm systems and that type of thing. Apparently, it would work if Magic Jack were working properly. I'm guessing that a landline, which isn't affected by power failures, is more reliable. I don't know if there are other factors that go into their not recommending using it this way. Magic Jack recommends people discuss this with their alarm company.
If you have other questions about it you could go try going to the Magic Jack live chat at http://www.magicjack.com.
Can you use it in Europe???
Donna, if you brought it to Europe after buying it in the US, or if you were to have someone send you one from the US, yes. It would have a "US-based" number, and, to the best of my understanding, would require International calling minutes to cover calls to countries outside the US, Canada, and Dominican Republic that would then be "free" (minutes already paid for). Magic Jack to Magic Jacks calls are always free.
For the person who lives in Europe and is considering using Magic Jack for domestic ("domestic" for Europe, not "domestic" in terms of US/Canada calls) calls - it wouldn't be a service/device that person could use the way he needed to.
Hi,when I use magic jack to call a cell phone in another country ,is free for both or the cell phone recieving the call have to pay for the minutes?
nelson, to the best of my knowledge all cell phones have to pay for all calls. It's the person making the call from MagicJack who benefits (unless he calls another MagicJack). Of course, I'm not familiar with cell phone providers in countries other than the US. Maybe someone here will correct me if I'm wrong.
I have read quite a few reviews about MJ. One I read was from someone using a laptop. They reported the power source (I am not computer savy, so my terms may not be right)burned out and HP said the MJ was too powerful for the power source and the mother board would have to be replaced. Can you sort this out for me? I only have a wireless laptop.
Bonnie, that's not something I've heard of; and I'm all that tech-savvy either. Maybe someone else here has something to offer. Other than that, I'll do some research and see what I find. It may take until after the weekend, though.
Interesting matter. Thank you for raising it.
Bonnie -
From what I can tell, that would make sense, because the magicJack does power itself from the USB. Although, that's kind of lame of HP to not supply enough power from their motherboard for it. I wonder if there is some type of plug-in or update you can get out there? I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but I believe this site has something about the USB problem on it: http://www.magicjackspoker.com/
It might be a good idea to put a call into your support team for the laptop you have, if you're thinking of running it on there.. just to see if they've heard of anyone having problems. I've burned motherboards out before and it's definitely a pain in the ... you know! Good luck though, I've had my magic jack for almost a year now, on my main desktop, so far so good!
I was looking for news on the femto jack (majic jack for cell phones) and I came with this site.
First I would like to ask if anyone has heard on a hard date on when that is going to be available?
BTW it will only work with GSM phones so Verizon/ATT users will be out of luck.
Now let me share my MJ experience as my contribution to this hub.
I have my MJ since the begining (before it was available everywhere) we did sign up for the 6 year plan (no phone-bill for 6 years!!!!) and it's been about 2 years ago that we first got it.
So these are the problems we experienced and our work arounds answers for them.
P) Every now and then, the quality degrades. voice gets choppy and sometimes garbled.
A) Our computer was old, on reboot MJ was back with clear voice. So what we did is reboot our computer every-morning and the problem was solved.
A2) We do need to get a better computer with more memory. as soon as many applications are running and the computer has to go to the disk drive to swap programs memory in and out of the harddrive the voice quality of the MJ goes down the tube. Getting more memory if posible for your system will help incredibly, specially if you have Vista, you shouldn't run it with less than 4GB for Vista or 2GB for XP. And that depends what kind of programs you usually run and how much memory they require. i.e. photoshop, video editing software etc require a lot of memory so you MJ will degrade.
P) The pop-up drove my wife crazy, also there are reports of spyware and malware, or at least MJ seems to collect where you been around on the internet (only trends, no personal information) so that they can sell that to companies that need to know consumer trends.
A) We don't go to weird sites so i'm fine with MJ knowing our trends, but the pop-up had to be alivieated, so we created a majic jack account and once MJ is up and running on that account, we do a switch-user so that pop-up window never appears.
A2) Also at one time I did setup the MJ software as a service so it will start up even without logging in. how to do that is a bit technical and i didn't write down the procedure, but it's doable, maybe you can google "setting magic jack as a service windows xp" or "vista" or "windows 7" for that matter will give you a step by step instructions on how.
I've also heard about people worried about what MJ will do with the phones # you call using the MJ, are those numbers stored on a database and sold?.
One thing is clear, since we got that number we haven't got a single telemarketing call on that line. So they seem to care a lot about privacy and I do believe they are very trust worthy on not selling numbers called to others, or your specific buying trends with your MJ phone number.
The selling only of browsing trends not associated with your actual name or MJ number seems to be the only thing they do. But if you create a 2nd user account just for MJ then no trends will be recorded. (And no pop-up neither)
I hope this helps others :)
Peace!
Miguel, thank you for sharing your own "take" on Magic Jack. (I'm interested in knowing more about the "cell-phone-Magic Jack" too.) I'd like to read your comment more carefully when I have a little more time, so I'll be back with any responses later.)
Hi Lisa I am from Amsterdam and I have a question for you cause I have seen that you are very nice with everybody...I have ordered magic Jack from america and I want to use it here in my country.My question is I have choose the 5 year way with 70 dolars..do I have to pay more for international calls or in this money I have all calls unlimited?
Emma, the best people to really answer your questions on International use would be the Live-Chat people at the MagicJack site (http://www.magicjack.com). If you scroll up a few comments, you'll see "Donna's" question about using MagicJack in Europe, as a resident of Europe.
From what I've been told, all MagicJack to MagicJack calls are always free. Any MagicJack that isn't "associated with" an address in the US, Canada, or the Dominican Republic would require using prepaid International minutes (which are very reasonable, but which are separate from the "standard", per-year/per-five-years domestic account.
I think you need to do the online chat with the people at Magic Jack and discuss your plans for using it with them. There's a difference between the person who lives here and sends his family in Europe a MagicJack, so they can talk to him (on theirs); and a person who lives in Europe and will use the device in Europe only. I'd try to double-check or find out for sure for you, but I'm just starting my work-day here.
Recently, they've been fairly quick with their Live Chat feature, so I do think you go to their site and first find out whether you'd even have to pay either the annual or "five-year" plan fee at all, on top of the prepaid International minutes (that you would need). I do know that calls to non-MagicJack phones in Europe would be made with prepaid International minutes.
I'd urge you to contact MagicJack as soon as possible, in case anything needs to be straightened out. Have your order number and any e.mails between you and MagicJack ready when you contact them.
I've read Matt's critique below and he's spot on about outsourced customer service and Magic Jack. I've had MJ for about three months now as my primary phone (setup: iMac, 802.11n WiFi, cable modem with 15mps down, 2 mbps up). Works fine for me. I cancelled my optimum voice and use MJ along with my iPhone. But, read Matt's review below. I had to rely on the MJ FAQ to resolve two minor mistakes I made during setup.
Do not buy this. My mother bought it for me as a gift, and after not even 6 months using it, the soder INSIDE broke. Outside was in great condition, but they didnt mold it right when putting it together and it came loose. She had paid for the 5 year plan, and it is now useless unless I want to pay $20 for shipping to get antoher one that will just fall apart on me. When I questioned the price of shipping (since my mom only paid $6.95) they said that I was buying a whole new device. That is expensive to me for something that is going to break that easily/soon. They wont do a refund since it has been activated, and there is no one other that 'support' that you can talk to. USELESS
Got a 3rd Magic Jack last week, and I love this nifty device. Mind you, I'm a computer tech, and run each line on a separate system. One system is connected to the big TV; It's running windows 7 and works fabulously with my New MJ. Yes, the MJ dialpad does pop up from time to time. I waited to get rid of my Voip.com service once MJ became more reliable. Early on calls were quite choppy. Another problem that occurs is an occasional beeping sound (on my end during a conversation, which is not a call waiting), but that doesn't bother me much. Another thing that will make a big difference is your broadband bandwidth. Note that you have a decent upload speed. A lot of broadband services seem to have great download speeds, but insufficient upload speeds. Also, a wired connection is generally better than a wireless one, though Magic will work with either. Also, if you use your main PC for your MJ phone line, there may be software conflicts. Once the version of Nero I used conflicted with MJ.
I don't believe, as one poster cited, the speed of the computer matters as much, unless of course, it's an ancient dinosaur. My son has his own MJ phone which runs flawlessly off an old 800 mhz Celeron with 300 megs of ram. That said, only a home web server and MJ run off of that computer. I only use XP Pro with MJ, so I cannot comment on how it performs with earlier Windows systems.
One clear advantage over SKYPE, IMV, is the ability to plug MJ directly into a phone jack (use a splitter, if you need to plug in a phone there as well), and power up all the phone jacks in your house, meaning you can use it just like you would AT&T, and ring in any room of your choosing. Another limitation I've found is the number of phones that can ring at once. You'll have to experiment here because some ringer need more juice to ring than others.
Presently all 3 of my MJ phone lines work great. My son talks to his GF all the time on it without issue. With the 5 year plan I bought at about 60 buck, the cost comes to a dollar per month (plus the cost of electricity to run my computers, both of which are relatively old slow ones.
With all these benefits, and the ease of acquiring a MJ device, what do you have to lose by trying it? Just make sure you have a decent broadband connection.
I said that I use XP Pro with all my lines, except one that runs off of Windows 7. There is a special update at the Magic Jack site for those who are using Win 7. So far, I have now issues with the service using that operating system.
Two other tidbits of advice might help. If you plug into your house wiring make sure to:
1) Disconnect the lines coming into your house at the phone box outside (don't know how? Google it). Generally, it only involves unplugging two RJ11 plugs.
2) Make sure to surge protect the line running from your MJ Dongle to the wall jack.
Kevin,
aggervated,
Chessgames,
Thank you for sharing your experience/tips here.
I just installed MJ yesterday and within 1 minute of making a phone call the call was dropped. I cant make any calls without MJ dropping them. I have DSL without phone (Dry Loop. I have the MJ plugged into a laptop with WinXP. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about this problem?
Susan B, I think your best bet would be to contact their "online chat"/customer service; and see if they can identify the problem and/or help you. With your computer connected to their live-chat they're able to run a few checks on some of the "connection-type" things. I wish I could be more help, but maybe someone else who reads here will have had experience with the kind "set-up" you've described.
Dear Lisa, As a follow-up to a previous post, I dropped a few hints and got one for Fathers' Day. I am please to say everything worked as advertised, with a couple glitches in registration and getting a phone number. I am making calls to beat the band. Excellent call quality and no drops yet.
Now my COMPLAINT and ADVICE to those considering a purchase.
Try to find out if a LOCAL exchange telephone number is available where you are, and good luck. I live in Huntington WV (the 2nd largest city in WV). A local MJ number is not available. This means any local friends or relatives wanting to call me on my magic jack number must make and pay for a LONG DISTANCE CALL!!!???. It is in the same area code but still long distance. Magic Jack doesn't include this tidbit of information in their advertising. Nor are they willing to part with the info on their "live chat" website. They gladly say what area codes are available but NOT what cities/exchanges are available within the area code. This information only becomes available when you "register" the MJ and get your phone number. So if you are expecting to replace your existing phone service with a MJ, it may not happen as you expect. The largest city in WV, Charleston, also does not have MJ local numbers.
Good thing they have that 30 day money back deal.
Regards, Papa B.
Papa B, thank you for sharing your own experience (and a late "Happy Father's Day"). Good point about the local-phone exchange issue. I agree that it's a point they "may want to bring up" in their ads, particularly when using the "replace-your-phone-company" approach.
I don't really use my Magic Jack number for friends and family. I use is it mostly for business-type calls (with other people's usually having an 800/866 number and my not worrying about whether it costs them to call me LOL). I actually do think I should find out the details about who might be charged for calling me.
Thanks for giving others a "heads up" on that one. (It's nice that your Magic Jack works OK, though. A Father's Day gift that didn't work well would have been kind of crummy. :) )
Ive used Magic Jack for the past year and a half and for the price you cant go wrong with it. I use mine mainly for a fax line ( had problems at first with it not faxing more then 2 pages but replaced my router and works great now ), the call quality is good. Now my only complaints about Magic Jack is having to dial 1 and the area code to make a call even if your dialing in the same area code as yourself. sometimes I have to dial the number multiple times to get the call to go through. The other complaint I have is if you have a phone that has the voicemail indicator on the base, the indicator dont work. so if you dont check your email you wont know you have a voicemail. Wish they would get that to work or atleast make your dialtone beep when you have a voicemail.
Does connecting with a magicjack lead to unwanted phonecalls or e-mails from advertisers?
Klaus
Klaus, I can't speak for anyone else here; but I leave the MagicJack connected at all times. I'm on my third year now. and I've only had, maybe, 4-6 calls (those recording trying to sell car warranties)in all that time. That was awhile back, and I put the number on the Do Not Call List. I haven't gotten any calls like that now in ages.
Does using MJ allow the company acces to my internet accounts??? I am thinking about purchasing a Magic Jack, but am unaware of exactly how it works. Also does the fact of MJ being a private company affect anything?
Brandi, as far as MagicJack's being a private company goes, I don't think it's any different from anything else you may connect to your PC. The Internet providers don't "care" (at least I don't think) if you plug in a MagicJack or a Skype phone, or whatever else you may connect to your PC.
As far as what information the MagicJack may have about customers, they say they don't share or sell information.
http://www.magicjack.com/5/faq/
I'm not under the impression, though, that MagicJack has any access to your individual, high-speed Internet account. Internet accounts require a password.
The way MagicJack works is you can plug it into any computer you use, once the software has been downloaded into the PC. You could use it on several people's PC's with different Internet service. It's "its own separate thing" as far as phone service goes. If, for example, you have phone service from your Internet service provider, you'd have whatever that number is; and then you'd have a different number and account for MagicJack.
Another example might be if someone didn't pay his Internet service and was using someone else's computer. The MagicJack company isn't going to do anything, like shut off service because of some unpaid Internet bill. On the other hand, if you decided to let your first year's service run out and not renew it (by paying for a second year), MagicJack just won't provide their particular service any longer. They're pretty much a pre-paid type of arrangement, so you pay for x number of years; and when it runs out you either renew or don't.
I'm not sure if this answered your question. Feel free to clarify if I missed what you're asking. :)
I bought my magicjack at CVS because I needed it quick! No where does it say anything about any limits on any calls until you start to install it-then say you can't make more than 50 outbound calls a day-what, that is exactly what I bought it for! And when I did accidently go over they suspend the service. Customer service sucks!! Only way to ever get outbound calling again is to buy a new device-heck no. so now have a useless $40 Device and service that is supposed to be good for a year. Oh and the chat room is very scripted-no matter what I asked-they gave the same response and when I said I wanted to speak to someone higher up, they ended the chat session.
madgramma, thanks for sharing your experience here. I know that I was unaware of any limit of outgoing calls a day until someone else something about it. If I recall the package correctly (and I ordered it online awhile back), I don't recall there was much by way of that kind of information at all on the package either.
Thanks again for posting this information. I think I'll come back later and post a note about it higher on the page, to call it to the attention of anyone considering buying a MagicJack.
I also had my magicJack suspended for going over the call volume customer service sucks I asked was in the chat for over an hour trying to find out what it was that was wrong they just kept referring me back to paragraph 6 in the terms of service. Checked my call log 17 calls in one day thats both incoming and out going call together when I advised them of this they told me I was not truthful. I told them look for yourself they refused said it was my problem and they terminated the chat had it for 2 years but never again would not recommend this to anyone after this experience Lousy customer service and very rude no way to complain
Wenzel, thank you for taking time to share here.
Been using MJ about 6 months with no complaints, except, starting about mid July, when I call a 724 area code number, I get a fast busy. I have not experienced this with any other area code number. Anyone have a problem like this or know a solution. Thanks
Our Magic jack does not work from China to the USA to anything except Cellular phones.
Why do your incoming calls have to go through Magic Jack? Why can't people just call your regular land line phone number. I don't get charged for incoming calls. Thank you!
Wendy, the person who buys the Magic Jack gets the device for the price of the device, and then pays the annual charge for domestic calls. Domestic calls are all calls within the US, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. Calls to any domestic phone are free (although I guess there's a top limit for number of calls if someone does something like use an automatic phone-dialer to make tons of calls, as for business purposes). Under normal use, the calls are free once the annual charge is paid.
Who may end up paying something would be people calling the Magic Jack user, if they're calling from an area code that would be a toll call to the area code assigned to the receiving party's Magic Jack device.
All calls (incoming or outgoing) from one Magic Jack to another are free.
If a person buys a Magic Jack the device is assigned a phone number, based on the area it will be used. (I got to pick from a handful of numbers.) Magic Jack has said that it will be possible for people to "transport" their home phone number to Magic Jack "for a small free". To the best of my knowledge, that's still not something people can do. (I could be wrong.)
If you had a Magic Jack, and you still had your land-line number, people could still call that. Or, they could call the Magic Jack's number. They're two different ways to receive calls.
So, you wouldn't be charged for incoming calls with Magic Jack. The only one who may may be charged would be someone calling you. In fact, if someone who calls you now without being charged can call your landline because it's within their area, there's the chance a difference area code with the Magic Jack might end up resulting in their getting toll charges if they call your Magic Jack.
Having a Magic Jack doesn't mean anything will change with your land-line number (unless you were to decide to get rid of it). Your land-line could still be used as always if you want. What happens with Magic Jack is you can plug in a separate phone (but a "regular" one, no different from the kind you'd buy to use with a land-line). What makes that different from some VOIP ("computer") phones/calling services is that with those you need a VOIP phone. With Magic Jack you just use a "regular" phone. Or, you could temporarily use your land-line phone with Magic Jack (but if you did that you wouldn't have a phone to make or receive calls through the land-line, of course). Still, if you had someone you wanted to talk to long-distance, it wouldn't be a big deal to temporarily unplug your land-line phone just to save the long-distance charges by using Magic Jack. (I just bought a second "regular" phone, with additional handsets, so I could leave the Magic Jack set up as a second phone service.)
GregM, thank you for sharing that with others here.
i had bought my magicjack recently.......
now its showing to fill a form which as email & password
since i did nt create any them ......
sai prasad, I'm not clear on what your situation is. It looks like your comment may have been cut off; so I'll just kind of guess about the form you mention:
When you first get a MagicJack you have to first connect it to your PC. The first thing that happens is that software starts to download. After that you can set up your account with the MagicJack company, the way you set up an account with any company. There's the form and the request for an e.mail address (so they can contact you if they need to, or if you contact their customer service). You establish a password just for your MagicJack account, and then if you wanted to do something like add International minutes or pay for another year's subscription (etc.) you'd sign in to your account and do whatever you want to do. I've had the MagicJack for a couple/fews years now. I think I've only needed to sign in to my account, maybe, three times (to do something like add another year of service).
If you bought your MagicJack second-hand you could run into a problem trying to get into the account. I wrote about it above.
I've just purchased my MJ and love the ease of plugging it in and using the phone. I am curious though why I can't access my existing conference lines. I do not want to use the conference lines available through MJ. Is there a way around this? Also, is there 3-way calling available if I initiate the calls. I've tried but it doesn't seem to work.
thenana, thanks for sharing here. I'm not at all familiar with using (or trying to "mix") conference lines. I think your best bet would be to use MagicJack's life-chat line to ask. I wish I could be helpful here, but since I don't exactly know what you're trying to do I'd be afraid to try being a "middle man" by going to their Live-Chat, myself.
Someone else who reads here may know, but there's no way to know that someone will see your post soon enough to get you a quick enough response.
Apparently Matt is as full of BS as Magic Jack's chat room people are full of not knowing what they are talking about.
Why will my computer not go into power savings mode when magic jack is on? It did when I first started using the magic jack.
I'd like to share my experience with this indeed magical device. I cannot believe how great it is, I really can't. I've had my magicJack since June and it is my main phone line which I use every day and it is beyond incredible. $20 a YEAR! Before buying my magicJack, I had my iPhone on T-Mobile unlocked, which was my primary phone line. I payed almost $100 a month and then, I found out two of my friends had owned magicJacks for a couple of months and loved them. That's how I found out. I ordered one and I admit, I couldn't stand having to keep my laptop (MacBook) on all the time just to use the magicJack, but the quality and service was so good that I decided to replace my T-Mobile service with it. So, what I did was go on eBay and buy on old Toshiba Tecra laptop with Windows 98 on it for $40, upgrade it to Windows XP and hook my magicJack up to it, then close the lid and pop it in the closet and run a phone cord to my Uniden cordless phone. The Tecra uses very little power since it's a laptop and the screen is always off, and I always have a 100% reliable high quality phone line to use, my magicJack. The call quality is actually BETTER then my T-Mobile service! I still have the T-Mobile service but I downgraded it to prepaid and only use it when I'm not home, I've set my magicJack line as my main phone number and use it every single day and love it. I HIGHLY recommend this incredible device to anyone who calls people! This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.
Justin, thank you for sharing your experience with readers. Just last weekend (I don't know why I waited months to try this), I put the MagicJack from my PC on the my mini-laptop, just to see how it was. The mini has XP (my "real" computer has Vista). It was fine. In fact, as soon as I installed the MagicJack software the upgrade happened. I have no real plans to use the MagicJack on that little laptop, but it's good to know that if, for some reason, I ever did, I could.
I have read through all of the posts here and there is not much related to MJ use on a laptop, other than "yes, it will work." My question is this: does anyone know what happens when the laptop is sleeping/hibernating/whatever? It seems that anytime I open the lid on my laptop (which is currently connected to my cable modem via a wireless router), the internet isn't connected immediately (though it does reconnect again within seconds). Which makes me think that if it's not connected to the internet when the lid is shut, it wouldn't be able to receive calls and they would go straight to voicemail. This, of course, defeats the point of having a phone number so people can call you! I have read a few comments about people using old laptops and attaching MJ and then sticking them in the closet and never using them, so maybe my concern is unjustified. I might just have to go get one and do my own experiment, but wanted to see if any readers (or Lisa) had any insight before I run out and buy. Thanks!
Undecided, it's odd that you should bring this up, because just last week I decided to install my MagicJack on a netbook. I didn't try a phone with it, though, because the phone battery wasn't charged. So, all I did was connect the MagicJack, watch the software download (easily and successfully to the Window XP netbook, and then see an immediate upgrade come through).
Of course, I was using my netbook with a Blackberry as a tethered modem (so hooking up the MagicJack for phones calls seemed kind of ridiculous at the time - but I just wanted to know the software was in, in case we ever have a power failure).
Anyway, later today I'll hook up a phone and do a little more experimenting with what happens when. I do know you do need the Internet connection. I don't have access to a wireless router when I use the laptop (so that may be different than what you have in mind). (We have a bunch of security on the wireless "situation" because of working for companies from home; which is why, when I'm home, I use the Blackberry (if I use the laptop at all).
Anyway, I'll do a little playing around with it (such as it is) later and come back to report any "findings". I don't know if it will be too late for you to want to bother waiting for the answer or not (or if not using the wireless router makes a difference for you). If you don't want to wait for an answer, maybe someone else will benefit from it. (I have to work outside the house today, so I won't be back to "play around with it" until after dinner or later.)
Thanks Lisa. I'm not in a huge hurry, so if you get around to experimenting soon I'd be interested in hearing what you find out!
You have to go into your power settings on the laptop. Hibernate; never. Sleep; never.
when it works it works well but the design of the product is bad.. just hanging out of computer for cat or kid to pull and break..very bad customer support that are trained to say "no" no matter what you request and always have the same solution no matter what your problem is. but for 20 bucks a year you just get over the flaws...but NEVER depend on it always have a cell or a landline because its good service but does not work 100% of the time and if you got kids you need it to work 100% of the time.
Majic Jack - Magic Jack LP
5700 Georgia Avenue
west Palm Beach Florida 33405
United States of America
Phone: 561-594-2140
Web Address: Magicjack.com
Category: Telephone Companies
Submitted: Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Posted: Tuesday, August 03, 2010
I spent 5 months dealing with magic jack and get lied to over and over again to get my money back.
i then contacted the BBB in florida and i got my refund $$ in 2 days - YEAH - Full refund
the BBB in florida had problems with web site so i downloaded a form and filled it out and faxed it and mailed it to them. I never even talked to anyone at the BBB.
they are located at: www.seflorida.bbb.org
BBB of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean
4411 Beacon Circle, Suite 4
West Palm Beach, Fl 33407
Phone : 561-842-1918
they have recieved thousands of complaints on:
Magic Jack LP
5700 Georgia Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
561-594-2140
I hope anyone that wants there money back gets it from the company.... GOOD LUCK
Fax : 561-845-7234
After reading the info here, I still decided to try MJ. I don't make lots of phone calls and am tired of paying ATT 45 a month for basic service. Seems like most people that don't like MJ, feel that for 20 a year the service should be same as 45 a month. I have had same problems with regular phone companies. At least with the savings, I can have a prepaid cell handy and still save money. Thrilled....or maybe just stupid....
barknfour, thanks for sharing here. I have a family member who is planning to change her "top of the line" landline service to a far cheaper landline service; and then she's going to use MagicJack for all her long-distance calls. She says she's sick of paying "top of the line" money for a service she doesn't use often anyway. She's keeping a prepaid cell phone too.
I think a lot of people are doing that kind of thing. A prepaid cell phone that has "roll over" minutes (which most do, as long as someone adds money before x number of days expires) means a person can add $15 or $20 a month, let some minutes build up, and have a pretty good cell phone for emergency, or at least "conservative" use.
I, personally, lean toward keeping a minimal landline service because a long power failure can mean no MagicJack and eventually no cell phone charging. I did install MagicJack on my laptop (besides my desktop), which can get online using a smart phone. Smart phone batteries do run down, though; so do laptop batteries.
I just kind of like the idea of having as many emergency phone options as possible. If a storm knocks out the power, there's the landline and cell phones (for awhile). If trees knock out the phone line, there's cell phones and MagicJack. If some major storm knocks out both the landline and power, a laptop with MagicJack and a smart phone might offer another few hours' worth of emergency phone calls. ("Paranoid" and "OCD", I suppose, but I just like all the back-ups. LOL )
Lisa,
I appreciate your site with the good info. Have used MJ for the past nine months with excellent results but am starting to run into the following two aggravations:
1) some outgoing called numbers now return a fast busy and no connection. (three busy tones then silence) When this happens I have used GoogleVoice on my MJ phone to connect successfully.
2) on some incoming calls to the MJ number, they can hear me but I cannot hear them.
MJ tech support would be a total waste of time IMO. Since I use the MJ number as the main business contact, these two situations are rather embarrasing. Have you or anyone on the site, heard or experienced this problem? Any ideas or resolutions would be appreciated.
i got a magic jack nov2010
I had it a week and love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im sure its a newer version than older years. This is very very cool. i give it AAA+ But its not perfect. But if you want a cheap phone or an extra lines its a great deal. I figure ill save $2500 in just a few yrs.
jokeapptv, I agree with what you said. I recently switched my MagicJack phone from a cordless phone (with an extra handset for my grown kids' convenience if they want to use it) to a cheap, corded, phone. I think I was having some frequency issues once in awhile. Anyway, now with the corded phone it sounds like I'm using the landline when I talk on it.
I'm not saving any money with MagicJack because I have other phones. I just figured it seemed like a nifty device when I bought it, the price was reasonable, and the yearly subscription rate was too. Mostly, I liked the portability of the number business contacts have for me (even if I don't travel all that often).
I bought magic jack about 5 months ago and I do love it however, I found out two months ago that gmail has a set up for free calling. So I kinda wasted my money on magic jack since I could have had free calls oposed to hceap calls. I have used gmail calling before when im out on the go and it works great! Everyone should have a gmail account!
i have had mj for a year and a half love it got gold 5 year plan i have high speed Ethernet no problems at all but just in the last moth been having problems when calling i cant hear them they cant hear me busies single call number not available now not able to call any phone numbers in my home town note local provider is quest/century link it is nice to see im not the only one with this problem
went to mj chat line they are saying they are having problems with quest/century link phone company they are blocking mj from accessioning their phone numbers and want to charge mj to access them
called quest/century link they say they are not doing that
don't know who to believe but dealing with big companies im leaning towards mj
i hope the courts get involved quickly cause it is illegal for the to block phone numbers
Posted 12/05/2010 - I have had MJ for 2 months now and once I got everything adjusted, works ok. But I am discusted that all my friends & neighbors have to pay for a LONG DISTANCE call every time they want to call me, even tho we are in the same city!!! Can't get a local number with MagicJack!!!
Oh well, I will finish the year out, then junk the MJ, as TOO many people report that they go thru the 'Renewal of Service' process and MJ takes their money but terminates their service!
David, get a free Google Voice number with a local number and forward it to your magic jack number. Then it will be a local call. Good luck!
On the way to Mexico for 2 weeks in January. We're taking the mini laptop, an old cordless telephone and the MJ. This set-up has worked flawlessly for the last 18 months at home...will give a full report when we get home. I predict will work just as well there as here.
Harry, thanks. It will be good for others to "get a reading" on calls from Mexico.
Wow, have never seen a long hub with such a loooooog list of comments, with a heavy "bomb" as a cushion. I came here because of your new hub about magic jack, something I have never heard of. This is a lot of information to absorb. I haven't read your new hub yet, but I wonder if something new has come out to compete? I'm using italkbb, $15/mo., free international calls besides domestic, so I'm not sure if magic jack still gives people special advantages?
When calling some numbers in my area code, I get three harsh beeps, then nothing. This happens more often than not. No problem with numbers outside my area code.
Here's my report on MJ functionality in Mexico. I could go into a long dissertation, but to make it simple...it works like a charm in Mexico. The hotel where we stayed had high speed internet. I plugged in the 'puter, MJ and an old cordless phone...within moments was calling family in Canada as clear as you'd please. I made about 25 calls in 14 nights, had one call drop out...the rest of the calls sounded like a normal corded service. I've had MJ for 1 1/2 years and had next to zero problems. As long as high speed internet connect is available, this thing works totally as advertised. I'm not a techie, so you gotta know this is user-friendly...and CHEEEEP !I don't know of a cheaper long distance phone plan that can match free from MJ. PS; I don't work for MJ or anything like that...just impressed with their gadget.
Harry, thank you for taking the time to share your Mexico-MagicJack experience with readers.
Hi.. I just started using magic jack. Can you help me one problem :
i am unable to ignore/End incoming call (Call Ring) using my telephone handset...
i can ignore a call using computer magic gate software but unable to do that from handset.
Rest once i recieve a call, i can end it using button.. But not when i am recieving a call and want to igonore that call.
Please help and let me know if this something known issue.
In response to comment by David 2 months ago - does this mean that anyone who lives local to me has to call "long distance" to reach me on my new magic jack number?
DC, if the person lives local but has an area code that "isn't local with" your Magic Jack area code, you can call that person but the call will be a non-local call for him.
Depending on anyone's individual, local, calling service; there's also the potential scenario where two people who have the same area code (one person with a regular phone with it; and the other person with a Magic Jack number with the same area code) could face a similar problem with exchanges within the area code. That would be another case of the Magic Jack user having to make the call in order to avoid a toll call. (Again, though, that would depend on what someone's local service.)
Had always thought about checking out Magic Jack, and finally did three days ago. Bought it at a local Radio Shack, to avoid potential billing problems, installed it in less than 5 minutes, and it works perfectly! It's installed on a Vista system, and connected to a 4-handset Dect 6 phone system, so we can still wander around the house and outside when talking. love it
I, like several others have calls I cannot make within my area code. Many I can make but the numbers I would call most often I just get a short "busy" signal for 3 rings then nothing. I've used the customer service and then was referred to the engineering department. I haven't received an answer from them yet. I don't understand why I can make some calls but not others.
3 SHORT BEEPS
when you dial a number & get a short "busy" signal for 3 rings then nothing. try adding area code. if that does not work try 1+area code. Have had that problem with land lines & Magic Jack. All the calls were in my area code.
Well,first off i must say that I have had my magicjack for over 2 years. It has been a great product offering cheaper rates than everyone available. I travel all over the world and was able to remain in contact with family and friends. Currently my only issue with the magicjack is that it stop working thru my phone. I am no longer able to utilize the unit with a telephone. I have checked the website for various updates, patches or whatever may help. The online only support has assisted me several times in attempting to correct the issue. However through repeated tedious steps I found myself uninstalling then reinstalling magicjack software in order to have continuous service with a telephone. If I do not repeat this process at least once a week then I usually drop or miss phone calls altogether. Not sure if I really want to try the plus version or not.
L2T, thank you for sharing that here. I haven't yet seen anyone else mention the particular problem that you do, although it does make me wonder if it has something to do with the updating process (not that that's not more than just "theorizing", of course).
I'm heading on my fourth year with MagicJack, and so far the updates have come through automatically and OK ("knock on wood"). Based on a form e.mail I've gotten from a list I got myself on with MagicJack, "bugs" are far from a rare complaint they get.
MJ for the iPhone 4....got mine and it works great. Now you don't even have to subscribe to MJ as there's a totally free option. Don't know how long that will last, but give it a try while it's available. Mine works flawlessly for 90% of my calls. Only down side to the free option is that nobody can call you back...you'll have to pay to get a new MJ subscription($40)if you want to be able to receive calls too.
we got 4 mj and reg them all in san Antonio TX then sent them to the Philippians an free call cuz its like local.
I just upgraded from my older version, one year plan MagicJack, to the latest and greatest MagicJack Plus! It's claim to fame is, being able to be used with or without a computer! It has a built-in IC chip that takes the place of a computer. I started using it December 8th, 2011, without the use of a computer, hooked to my broadband cable, 12 MB speed ISP connection, and then to a Uniden cordless telephone. I had some initial, minor setbacks, at first, but now that I have the bugs worked out, IT WORKS FANTASTIC! I also opted for the 5 year, extended plan, so, for roughly a $150 one time fee, I have unlimited local and long distance calls to anywhere in the USA and Canada! Not too shabby! I realize that it just came out, but I can't find any posts or comments relevant to the MJ Plus, and was wondering if there were any other folks out there in cyberspace that have the new MJ Plus and what they think of it? I would especially like to learn more about how I would go about hooking it up to my existing Ma Bell in the wall phone wires, to be able to have multiple phone extensions on the upstairs, main, and basement floors, and possibly one in the garage, as well! Do I need to get some kind of distribution amplifier, that will have enough voltage to ring all those individual phone ringers? If so, what do I ask for, and where do I purchase such a devise? Thanks for any input!
Phonefreak, I just saw your comment and posted it in case anyone else who sees it has the answers you're looking for. I'd like to look into the issue(s) you raised here a little more because although I'm under the impression nothing in particular is needed for extra handsets (I was using them with "plain old" Magic Jack (as opposed to "Plus"), I've run into people who have said that even with "plain-old" the extra handsets need some help.
I know this won't be the quickest reply to a comment in the world (and apologize - tonight's New Years' Eve and Monday's my daughter's birthday :) ), but I'll be back Tuesday evening or Wednesday with a better answer (hopefully) than this one.
In the meantime, if you haven't yet done this (and I'm assuming you probably have), you may want to check with Magic Jack's online-chat people. I just tried a quick check on their FAQ section, but I'm not confident enough in what I found with such a quick check to post it here). The "knowledgebase", self-help, info section on their site is reached through http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/ (which is the Magic Jack Plus site) and by scrolling down the link at the very bottom of the page. It's the same "knowledgeabase" page as with "plain old" Magic Jack.
I don't know if any of this is at all helpful to you. I'll be back Tuesday evening or Wednesday if I can the kind of information I'm confident enough to post here. (Wish I could be offer that right now, but it will take a little more "investigating". :) )
Matt (A Reader) Comments -
The following comments/contributions were made by Matt, who is a reader. Because of formatting issues associated with longer posts, I've included Matt's post in a separate text box.
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I came across your site while researching the magicJack and have found
your "hub" to be quite useful. Or at least attempting to be. One thing
I've noticed (since I've read everything here) is that it seems the
majority of people don't even bother to read the ToS and just
unknowingly "Accept" everything in it when they hook up their
magicJack. Then they turn around and complain about what they just
agreed to.
Wake up people! READ the TOS BEFORE you finish the install process.
You have to agree to it as you go through the installation, so you
might as well know what the hell you are agreeing to.
But to break it down in laymens terms....
You do NOT get Unlimited Free Long Distance. You get somewhat
restricted access. If you use your magicJack 20x as much as a "normal"
user, you are considered to be an excessive user and will end up
having to purchase minutes (at a very low rate) to make outgoing
calls. They don't define how much talk time a "normal" user uses. So
they leave it wide open to terminate your account at any time w/o
notice at their discretion.
Don't be too alarmed though, as most VOIP, Telecommunications and ISP
ToS agreements use verbage like this to cover their own asses. In most
cases, your accounts aren't really monitored unless extremely
excessive activity is detected. In other words, there are No SET Usage
CAPS but they reserve the right to implement them at any time and w/o
notice to you. Some ISPs are starting to do so now and charge for
"extra" bandwidth. Much like a hosting company does.
People need to get over thinking that they can make Unlimited Long
Distance, reliable phone calls for a measly $40/yr. At least not if
you plan to abuse the system like the idiot (that filed a report with
the BBB) was trying to do, running a telemarketing scam from her
magicJack line (linked to somewhere on this site unless I found it on
another site this site links to. LOL) My guess is that the majority of
the people that had their accounts "terminated" were abusing the
system in some way or another. I quote the word "terminated" because
most accounts weren't really "terminated" but limited to incoming
calls and blocked from outgoing calls (until minutes were purchased).
As for the most of the people that complained to the BBB that their
credit cards were charged well before the 30 day "free trial" period
was over.....
Well, for the most part what's really going on is that people aren't
using REAL credit cards. They are using Debit Cards, Bank Cards, Check
Cards. These cards work differently than REAL Credit Cards (I found
out the hard way myself). What happens is when you make an online
"Free Trial" purchase with your Debit Card, the funds are put into a
"hold" status by your bank immediately. Meaning you cannot use those
funds (in case you decide to go ahead and keep your magicJack) until
you either cancel the free trial or keep the device. At which time
your funds are either released back to your main account (if you
cancel) or released to magicJack (if you keep the service).
This is NOT magicJack's fault. This is due to your banking
institutions policies.
As for the majority of overcharged complaints.... i.e. ordered 5 years
and only got 4 years in your account. Or were charged twice, etc. Part
of this depends on how you ordered. If ordering over the phone there
is huge room for human error. The fact is, that it's very easy to
accidentally click the wrong button (as a phone sales rep) when you
are rushed to take as many orders as possible, etc. Or even submit the
order twice on accident (thinking the first click didn't take, etc.).
I've worked for many telemarketing firms, both outgoing and incoming
sales and some of the scripted screens can be a bit confusing at
times, especially when you are rushed to make the sale (and upsells)
and move on to the next call. This is just a fact of life.
If ordering online... well, there's so much room for error that any
number of things could have happened to generate an "extra" charge. In
this case, it still boils down to human error one way or the other.
Either you as a customer accidentally did something during the
ordering process or there's a bug in the script. If it's a buggy
script, it boils down to a human programmer that made a buggy script
with sloppy code. From the looks of the site, I would say this is at
least partly the case for many people with problems of things ordered
but not showing up in their my.magicjack.com account. Pretty much
everything about their site is poorly designed. Aside from the
marketing itself, the site really sucks bad.
For an example look at their Canadian site for comparison:
http://www.themagicjack.ca/index.php
This is a MUCH better designed site and lucky for Canadians, they even
have a phone support number for their customers clearly printed on the
FRONT page of their site. This is obviously run by a Canadian Partner
and not the same morons running the USA site which is seriously
lacking in quality.
So the bottom line is out of over 1.5 million units sold there are
less than 500 complaints to the BBC. Most of which are probably due to
the users not understanding the magicJack device, not reading the TOS,
not reading the FAQ and feeling sorry for themselves because they
expected to plug the magicJack into their computers and become super
heros instantly (with free unlimited long distance to boot).
And don't get me started with the idiots over at RipOffReport.com
(which itself isn't a very reliable source). I'm surprised that some
of these people can even figure out how to plug in their computers and
sign on to the internet. It seems most of these reports are from the
technically challenged hot heads out there that get upset extremely
easy. These are the same kind of people that expect phone support from
freeware developers. LOL
Speaking of support.....
I personally think that their chat support is just as good if not
better than most Ma-Belle companies phone support. I see people saying
things like "if you want premium support pay for premium services".
But the fact is, even then you are unlikely to get support that is
much better than the magicJack support. For example, I had Verizon for
a number of years and absolutely DREADED having to call their tech
support people (which I had to do at least once every other month, but
usually once a month or more). I had to talk to non-english speaking
people that were apparently required to avoid solving problems even at
the higher tech levels. I could never get anything done w/o talking to
a supervisor and even then usually I would have to talk to several
supervisors before my problems were addressed.
I'm assuming that much is the same at magicJack support. Let me let
you all in on a fairly well known "secret"....keep trying until you
get someone competent. If you find yourself talking to an idiot, leave
the chat session and start a new session. I can't even count how many
times I've done this with various utility companies in order to get a
billing issue resolved. If the person trying to "help" me continually
comes up with excuses and avoids solving my problems, I do one of two
things..I ask to speak to a supervisor or I simply hang up and call
back.
Funny thing is that in some cases I've found that even after a
supervisor supposedly cannot help with something, I can hang up and
call back and get a regular customer support rep to solve my problem
for me. It simply depends on who is on the other end of the phone
and/or PC. Some people don't have any desire to help others and they
only show up for a paycheck. Other people actually enjoy helping
people (like Lisa) and will jump through hoops to solve your problems
for you.
I used to do tech support for Ameritech Phone Company (are they even
around anymore) and I did everything I could to make the customer
happy. If they had some charge they didn't understand, I would explain
it in detail. If there was some service added w/o their consent, I
would remove it and credit their account, etc., etc., etc.
My supervisors apparently didn't like the fact that I was making the
Ameritech customers happy cuz they transfered me to sales of a
completely different product after monitoring some of my most helpful
calls. Fact is, the customers were happy but the Client (Ameritech)
was not because I was circumventing their little scam of adding
unauthorized services with extra fess to their customers phone bills.
For those of you that do NOT know.....Customer service is almost
always outsourced. That means when you call Verizon Tech Support, you
are talking to people that know absolutely nothing about Verizon
and/or their services. You are talking to people that are reading a
script on the PC in front of them. They can only go through the
screens the way their admin has set it up for them (usually with a
series of canned replies). That's why they very rarely address your
actually problems/questions, they can't. In fact, they aren't allowed
to if they want to keep their job. They HAVE to read the screens in
front of them. If they deviate from the scripted responses that is
grounds for termination.
That's why they always start with a series of questions about your
account, name, address, phone number and whatever is required of them
to ask you. Then, once you finally get a chance to tell them what is
wrong, they have to try to find an appropriate response(good luck) or
at least one that seems close to what your problem is.
Now obviously not ALL support is like this, but the vast majority of
it is. That's why a dozen different companies can use the same call
center to handle all of their support. The telemarketing/call center
helps their clients setup the canned replies and whatnot that the
support/telemarketing people can use to sell/support you.
So try not to get so upset at the person on the other end. It's
usually NOT their fault that they aren't allowed to help you, it's
their job to avoid solving your problems if it means losing the client
money. We are trained to make it as aggravating as possible to credit
your account or send any kind of refunds or accept any returns. That's
why most of them have different levels of support. All that really
means is that the higher level tech you talk to the more access to
your account information and/or access to change your account
information. However, on the flip side; the higher level support is
also trained more to avoid losing any money for the client. In other
words, they have more excuses to tell you why they cannot fix your
problem when really the fix is right in front of them on screen.
It takes determination to get through to the right people at times,
but it can almost always be done if you have the patience and
determination to spend the hours it takes arguing with "apparent"
morons. Most of them aren't really morons, they are just doing their
job as they were told to.
Obviously there are also just simply rude, arrogant and incompetent
support people but that is more the minority than majority. Most of
them just seem incompetent because their job requires them to act like
they are. So keep that in mind next time you feel like venting on any
customer support people.
As for magicJack chat support, I've talked to one of the support
people who was extremely polite and tried her best to be helpful
(within the limits of her job) for 2 - 3 hours. Her responses were
much the same as others I've seen pasted here and on the unofficial
support forum at: http://www.magicjacksupport.com
Which leads me to believe they are using scripted/canned responses as
required by whoever signs their paycheck. Fact is, I had already done
almost everything she had me do well before I even went to the chat
for support because I actually researched my problem before bothering
them.
Was my problem solved? Nope. Not even a little bit. So far, the
magicJack has been next to useless to me. The longest call I've been
able to make was 15 minutes, then dead silence. Most calls are cutoff
well before 15 minutes, usually more like 5 minutes. When some people
ring me, it says my number has been disconnected or is no longer in
service. Also, I have to reboot my PC after EACH phone call in order
to get magicJack to connect again. Restarting magicJack doesn't work
for me. This is reguardless of whether I make the call or recieve the
call. Once the call is cut off, I have to reboot.
I've only been able to make more than one call w/o rebooting once. I
was able to make several very short calls (which for once weren't
disconnected by magicJack) within an hours time or so. After which
magicJack went back to the "No network connection [error 9]" as usual.
I get error 3 and error 9 constantly. I'm lucky to stay connected for
more than 5 - 10 minutes at a time and that's only IF I don't make any
calls. If I DO make a call, then magicJack almost always loses
connection. Like I said, only one time have I been able to make more
than ONE call w/o rebooting my PC.
In fact, I haven't been able to stay connected long enough to even
setup my voice mail. Which still apparently works for some and doesn't
for others. My brother says he left a voice mail for me, but I never
got it in my email. Sometimes the number never goes to voicemail and
just rings and rings and rings (but not here just for the person
trying to call).
I'm trying to be patient, but it's starting to get on my nerves.
Especially when I hear of all the success stories of plugging it in
and it working right away. Then I got all excited thinking I would
have a similar experience when really, all I've gotten so far is
several sleepless nights, tons of frustration and a huge headache
trying to get this damn thing to work. I'm hesitant to take it back to
Radio Shack for an exchange though, cuz I have a feeling that it's NOT
the magicJack Dongel that's causing the problem. I'm guessing it's a
software issue of some sort. Something is blocking magicJack or is
simply incompatible and causing a conflict of some sort. I just don't
know what it is or where to start.
Anyway, this post isn't really asking for help unless someone can
offer some as I plan to seek help at the unofficial support forum
where I will provide much more detailed info on my specific setup and
problem, and again through the tech chat. I'm confident that
eventually, I will find someone that can and actually WILL help.
Thanks for maintaining the magicJack HUB Lisa.
[sarcasm] Now go collect your magicJack paycheck. We ALL KNOW you
REALLY work for them RIGHT? ;-) [/sarcasm]
Don't you just love how some people assume that just because you have
a positive attitude and try to help people troubleshoot their problems
that you MUST have a hidden agenda and are working directly for
magicJack?
I must be too. Because even with my aggravation, I'm hopeful that I'll
get mine working and have no intentions of getting a rufund for my
magicJack. If I do take it back it will be for an exchange for one
that does work. It's entirely possible that I just ended up with a
defective unit, but I don't think so. Even so, I'm sure Radio Shack
will exchange it if needed.
My advice to those worrying about credit card and/or debit card fraud,
etc. simply go to Radio Shack or Best Buy or similar, pay cash and
keep your packaging and reciept just in case. The main reason I went
to Radio Shack to get mine was because I didn't wanna wait for it to
arrive in the mail when there is a Radio Shack about a mile from the
house. :o)
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quotations Level 3 Commenter 3 years ago
Thanks for the hub. I had not heard of this product. How does it compare to Skype.com?
Also, does using this product mean that you can only receive calls on the phone number that they gove you? Is it a real phone number with an area code? When someone calls you, are they calling long distance?
Thanks