Info needed on Magic Jack...

Magic Jack is a gadget that you connect to your phone and plug into your computer. It supposedly offers lots of extras, and there are no long distance charges etc... The cost is $39.95 for the initial year and $19.95 per year after that. Can anyone tell me:

If this works well
If you sacrifice privacy for the convenience
Anything else you know or have heard about this or similar products.

Many thanks!

Sandi Bowman

Hi Sandi,

Interesting that you bring up Magic Jack...

I posted some similar questions awhile back... Unfortunately, no response so I researched Magic Jack for every possible negative before making a final decision on a mostly Highly recommended product...

Any SowPubbers using Magic Jack? Interesting invention...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...ght=magic+jack

One of the biggest problems I came across was believe it or not the Death possibilities in Emergencies related to using Magic Jack...

For a variety of reasons... Some of the 911 Emergency networks don't work well with Magic Jack... They advertise that it does But research, power failures etc. say that in many cases it doesn't...

As long as you also keep an Active land line phone and/or cell phone for Emergencies you're fine... As long as they continue working too...

But... Don't totally rely on using Magic Jack only... Afterall, there's more in Life to Save besides $$$...

Like with every product, there's always a few problems if you Dig deep enough into things...

I'll let everyone make their own decision...

Some Quick research you might be interested in reviewing...
http://tinyurl.com/6zwy7f

http://blog.laptopmag.com/magicjack-...ice-complaints

http://www.scribd.com/doc/5447043/magicJack-TOS
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ice-35029.html

Interesting thread... 446 Responses to “Magic Jack Feed Back”
http://goinglikesixty.com/2008/01/28...ack-feed-back/

Phil

Wow, Phil....you came through again. Wish I knew your research secrets...now there's an idea for an ebooklet or? Thanks doesn't seem sufficient for possibly saving a life with that 911 info.

Sandi Bowman

Sandy,

I've used MagicJack since May of 2008. I love it!!!

Only ran into a couple glitches since I've had it. Glitches ocurred when they were doing an update.

They have a live chat if you have problems of which I've really had none to speak of other than every once and a while I had to unplug it from the USB port for 40 seconds or so and plug it back in and all worked fine.

I use a Plantronics DSP 500 USB headset for talking ... great for totally hands-free chatting while doing other stuff on the PC. At night I plug in a regular phone line which runs to the phone beside my bed.

It has call waiting, caller ID, 3 way calling and voice mail.

Actually, before I ordered it I found tons of negatives about MJ but tried it anyway and am sure glad I did.

Oh yeah ... since they don't have area codes available for every state yet (like mine ... I have a Coloradro number even though I'm in Wisconsin).

So if someone in my hometown wants to call it's a long distance call for them ... but I figured out a system where I enter them into my MJ Phone Contacts and when they call their name and number pops up on the screen so I know who it is. I told these people to just let it ring twice and hang up and then I call them back.

Another thing ... I can call ANYWHERE in the USA or Canada and it still only costs me $19.95 per year (not per month, per YEAR!). Of course the initial cost is $39.95 plus shipping but after your first year it's just $19.95 "per year" for endless basically free talking.

And yet another thing ... you can take the MJ with you anywhere you go and plug it into any PC and use it as long as the PC has a High Speed Internet connection.

AND ... if you have relatives living outside the US or Canada ... all you do is send them an MJ and then they can call you or you them and there's no charges.

Of course, MJ also offers the option of paying a very small fee for calling people outside of the US or Canada if those people don't also have an MJ.

MJ is one of the BEST investments I ever made.

Not sure about the problem with the 911 that Phil stated.

I save about $150 to $200 a month by not having a regular landline (regular fees plus long distance charges etc.).

Downside? Well ... if your PC is shut off you can't get or make calls ... but anyone calling you can leave a message in you MJ voice mail.

Also ... I have a cell phone ( a non-contract kind by Virgin Mobile) just in case of emergencies.

Hope this helped you Sandy.

Rick

Sandi,

I've not used MagicJack, but a week or two ago one of the local TV stations ran an info piece on it following up on a complaint from a buyer.

Seems that she ordered it off the TV ad, gave the needed Credit Card info, and promptly received the units.

30-Days later, MJ also dunned her credit card for another $340 for "service".

It took 'em 6-weeks to get her money back.

Pete

Thanks for info and links, gentlemen. We've made our decision to keep looking for the right solution for us. Much appreciate the help, however.

Sandi Bowman

Hey Sandi,

I got the Magic Jack about a month ago. It works as advertised. I was surprised to hear an actual dial tone when you plug in a landline into it.

Downsides:
Here in Canada they do not have area codes, so I have not utilized all of the features yet.

Incoming calls would be long distance for my Canadian friends, however if they get a unit I believe it would be free for us to communicate.

Now I have experienced an issue where whenever I dial a number it for whatever reason it does not go through. It has happened on 2 different P.C's so I am not sure where the issue is.


Upsides:
I've used it in hotels with their wifi connection. I was suprised at how good the Quality was considering I had a weak internet connection.

For me it is not a primary solution but a secondary one, that I use whenever I am on the road, or dialing into teleseminars with a U.S number.

Saves a fortune in long distance charges.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sandi Bowman

Magic Jack is a gadget that you connect to your phone and plug into your computer. It supposedly offers lots of extras, and there are no long distance charges etc... The cost is $39.95 for the initial year and $19.95 per year after that. Can anyone tell me:

If this works well
If you sacrifice privacy for the convenience
Anything else you know or have heard about this or similar products.

Many thanks!

Sandi Bowman

Duane,

you said ...

"Here in Canada they do not have area codes"

I'm confused.

I regularly make calls to Canada (Brooks AB especially) and the area code is 403. Medicine Hat has a 403 area code also.

Rick

Hi Ricky,

Thanks for asking.

Let me clarify. I can Make calls to BOTH U.S and Canada. I have no problems here.

However, my actual Magic Jack phone number is a U.S based phone number and I live in Canada.

My ONLY choices I had to choose from, when picking my phone number were from States in the U.S as they had no Canadian phone numbers available at the time.

So basically when I said:

"Here in Canada they do not have area codes"

I could not choose a Canadian based Magic Jack phone number as they had none available to choose at the time.

Hope that clarifies my previous statement.

Originally Posted by Ricky

Duane,

you said ...

"Here in Canada they do not have area codes"

I'm confused.

I regularly make calls to Canada (Brooks AB especially) and the area code is 403. Medicine Hat has a 403 area code also.

Rick

I've used the Magic Jack for over a year. Works just fine. I would *not* use it as my primary phone line. For a secondary phone line it works just fine. Good for teenagers who like to stay on the phone a lot too.

My office has a two line phone. The land line is on one line and the MagicJack on the other. I like being able to plug a normal phone into the MagicJack.

My opinion if you need a phone line for teleconferences and such is to keep a land line in place. It really does sound better and is more reliable. Use Magic Jack, Skype, Gizmo, etc. for secondary phone lines.

~ Dan