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Review by rnikischer 
UPDATED: 45 days ago
member for 6.9 years, 279 visits, last login: 43 days ago
 Ottawa,La Salle,IL
 $2 per month (12 month contract)
 Ameritech
 "Cheap"
 "Poor voice quality"
 "Not a substitute for a real VOIP service."
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
UPDATE
October 6, 2009
I have tried to like the MagicJack service. I have used it for over 2 years now. There just isn't anything I can say that is positive about it. I finally unplugged the device from my computer and I am throwing in the towel. Poor call quality is the main reason. Now before you try telling me how it must be my ISP I have to say that I have been using VOIP service for years and have had little to no issues with call quality except for Magicjack. Calls are garbled and many times the person on the other end complains about not being able to hear me properly. I figure that if they don't have a good product by now, they never will. If you aren't looking for top notch reliable service and price is your only concern then I suppose Magicjack is the ticket. Otherwise, go with a reliable VOIP company, you will be better off in the long run. Now I have to sit down and read how to get this crappy software off my computer since there is no uninstall for it!
UPDATE
April 20, 2009
I've had the service for quite some time and from the very beginning I didn't feel comfortable with Magicjack being my primary phone service. Well nearly 2 years later and my thoughts haven't changed one bit. They sure know how to late-night market the hell out of this product and then they leave you hanging. Call quality and reliability is erratic. Service is non-existent. This is best suited as a second line when it does work. My guess is that after 2 years if they haven't got it right by now then chances are they never will. My best advice would be to take your money and buy the Jack Lalane power juicer or the sham wows instead. You probably will get much more use out of them.
UPDATE
11/6/2007
"Soon" seems to be the buzzword with this company. There have been some additional cities added to the list of available numbers but many more are still needed. They have been promising a webportal and other enhancements for months and someone claiming to be Dan Borislaw who posts here said that by the end of October these will take effect. Well it's the first week of November and I am lucky if I can keep my number working. Many times the servers are down and you have no service or no 911 or both.
Anytime anyone posts a negative someone shoots back that the product is in "beta." Well, when the hell does it come out of beta? It's been in beta for over 6 months already. They need to get their act together and start providing what they have promised to provide. Their customers are many times left hanging. They add new numbers and their current customers can't even switch over because the web portal isn't available. The Borislaw poster said that they will provide their beta customers an opportunity to get vanity numbers if they want to switch their number - wana bet that will never happen either?
It's high time for them to "put up or shut up!"
Original Post
I signed up for MagicJack a few weeks ago and received the device within a few days. Opened up the package and plugged into my USB port and within a few minutes I was up and running.
I wasn't too crazy about the phone number selections, absolutely nothing within my area (Metro Chicago) but they promised many new area codes by August 31st.
Now that the date has arrived for the new telephone numbers, nada - zero - zilch from the company. No news and no numbers but a lot of rumors circulating on their forums about extending the time frame.
I don't like the fact that any service or response from the company seems non-existent. They do not answer members in their forums and hardly ever reply to emails. They have no telephone numbers to call them either. They do claim to have a live chat support however for the several times that I visited it (during the hours it is supposed to be staffed) the only people I communicated with were other users looking for help.
Call quality has been good. But their software is a bit buggy. I don't like the fact that every time you start the computer up you have to physically select your 911 location - otherwise you have no 911 service. There are a few other bugs with the softphone but nothing that can't be corrected.
My opinion is that this company isn't ready to be a real VOIP company. I know that the MJ cheerleaders out there will tout the cost - which is pretty inexpensive but it carries with it the uncertanties of reliable service. I would say that for a second outgoing line it is reliable enough, but don't expect it to be a reliable primary service.
Followup comments:  
snailspace
join:2000-11-27
Montevallo, AL | magicJack All features not implemented yet. Still in Beta !!!! | |
| | 
Dan Borislow
@aol.com
| Re: magicJack I am somewhat confused by this post.
Our 911 is the easiest to use in the Business and you do not have to register each time.
The Area Code availibilty is posted clearly on the site and it says be end of September.
The features will start coming up quickly now
We will have major ,major upgrade most likely end of this week for software.This will include autorun for Vista which was a monster.MAC preview will be available within 30 days.
We expect to come out of BETA in October,and I believe we will be hitting all cylinders then.
Thank you for being a customer and I expect we will meet all your expectations by launch.The hard part was getting the best voice quality in the Biz,the rest of these requirements are much easier to accomplish.
Dan Borislow (founder) | |
| | | rnikischer
join:2002-12-28
Ottawa, IL
 ·magicjack.com
·Vonage
| Let me clear up some of the confucion Mr. Borislow First of all, thank you for responding to my review. I would have been more inclined to give your company a better rating if you paid as much attention to your own user forums.
911 Service
I didn't mean to suggest that you have to register every time, but you DO have to select your 911 location every time you restart the software. This really isn't something that is a new complaint, your customers have been suggesting that you fix it for weeks now.
Area Code Availability
It was clearly posted back in July and August on your website that area codes would be available by September 1. That was your promise to your customers, not my wishful thinking. That promise has already been broken. Please do not try to suggest that I wasn't paying attention. I sincerely hope that you keep your promise this time around.
While I understand that this is a recent start up company who charges its' customers very little I do believe that if you intend to build good relationships you should keep your promises to your customers, or at the very least keep your customers informed. Pay attention to your user forums at your website and you will see what I mean. You should respond to customer requests for support and be available when you say you are on your live chat.
I'm not expecting miracles, I am willing to wait for added features and I don't mind a few hiccups along the way. That's the trade-off for getting such a reasonably priced service. I was one of the first Vonage customers and I still have their service. I take the good with the bad.
I wish you all the success with MagicJack and look forward to a long lasting relationship together! | |
| | | |
Dan Borislow
@aol.com
| Thanks for you insight I remain confused by the 911 part.This should not happen.Please email me at dborislow@aol.com
As far as the customer service issues,please remember we are in Beta.You will see CS format has been changed dramatically this week.This weekend their is a major software upgrade coming out too.
The idea is to do enough things right,that we will not need Customer service.Our resources have been assigned to that goal.In my Last company,where we sold 4 million members on AOL Long Distance,the very first year we started the company in retail,we recieved the JDPowers awards.
The area code availability will be something that happens fast and furious,but will not happen until we build all our redundancy into our systems.It will be soon though.
I demand miracles from my people and you will see them.
Please contact me and I will help in anyway I can.I think you will see dramatic improvement in CS in the coming weeks before launch.
Thanks for being Patient.
Dan | |
|
luisfer
@tbdsl.com | magicjack not conesting I install magingjack and when i dial is giving me a not answer for oo:oo dont know whay ,magigfix says is workig ,but is not conecting ,,please help | |
|
parmley86
@charter.com
|  Very Frustrating!
| |
| | 
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
 ·HughesNet Satellit..
 ·Windstream
| Re: Very Frustrating! said by parmley86 :
I have Vista on my computer. I bought this magicjack because it was advertised to work with vista. Now that I got it, I see the link for the vista upgrade does not work. Great. I also just noticed I can not even get a number with my area code. I can't even get an area code in Wisconsin!!
Personally though not a MJ user, I would blame Microsoft.
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | | |
| PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
·Callcentric
·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
| MagicJack settles with Fla. AG over customer complaints April 15, 2009
MagicJack settles with Fla. AG over customer complaints
[South Florida Business Journal]
Florida’s attorney general said Wednesday he has reached a settlement with MagicJack LP over charges the Palm Beach County company charged customers for a long distance phone service during what was supposed to be a free 30-day trial.
Bill McCollum’s office began investigating the company’s business practices last July after receiving numerous complaints from consumers about the product, which connects a household phone to a computer, allowing customers to make unlimited long-distance calls over the Internet.
The investigation also found that the product had limitations that were not properly disclosed, and that the company did not have enough customer service agents to deal with consumer complaints, according to a news release from McCollum’s office.
As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to implement various new practices to assist its customers, including a guarantee that all inquires will be responded to within 24 business hours and a disclaimer on the first page of its Web site, clarifying the eligibility requirements to participate in a free trial offer.
The company, which has resolved the 500 customer complaints, also will reimburse the state for the costs associated with the investigation. | |
| redpepper
join:2009-09-05
| magicJack Users Can Now Skype PCPhoneSoft announced the release of its new Skype dual mode calling software plugin "SkyjackPlugin" for magicJack users.
To place Skype calls just dial * before the number you want to call. Speed dial numbers are available for dialing other Skype users. Regular magicJack calls are placed as normal. For incoming calls, just answer the phone when it rings.
Users of the magicJack can now enjoy the added benefits of Skype including video calling, conference calling and free Skype to Skype user calls worldwide.
Users of the magicJack can check it out and try it free at »www.pcphonesoft.com | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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 Review by cameronsfx
UPDATED: 73 days ago
member for 317 days, 296 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Pensacola,Escambia,FL
Contract price not specified.
"Got it for $39.95"
"Tries to takeover sound system on computer, allows viruses"
"No Magic except for the Owners of the POS"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
AOL refugees designed it. BIG HINT!
Plugged it into a USB port and watched as it tried to take over sound system on computer. Software is crappy. NO UNINSTALLER!
Website: Good Lord. Did that make millions with ads guy write it? Don LaPre would be proud of an informercial website.
Device: Feels kinda cheap. I bet it breaks easy.
Sound: Call quality sucks. Echoes, tunnel sound, etc.
Price: Cheap like the device itself.
I think you need an IT degree to make it work right, but, hey, what do you expect for $39.95. Only AOL software is worse garbage to install on your computer.
Since they sell this on informercials, that should be the warning.
Yahoo and GV is free computer to computer and way better sound.
I bet MagicJack will not be around once nontechies like me get frustrated with it and put up YouTube videos of us burning them at a bonfire.
If you like it, fine. I don't care. XP Pro system by the way. I did use Vonage once and it was way better.
MagicJack proves price isn't everything.
Followup comments: vvhiteknight
join:2002-12-01
Pioneer, CA | Poor baby!!! Magic Jack rocks... Saves me hundreds. Works great and I'm on an old athlon system. | |
| Lenagainster
join:2005-01-07
Silver Spring, MD | Not a fan of MJ Agreed. It truly is a POS. Don't want my computer on 24/7 just to have cheap, unreliable phone service. | |
| sneumann55
join:2002-07-27
Yonkers, NY
| Return It Dont Like it return in within 30 days, No i dont work for MJ and yes it has its issues, But to be Honest it works fine for me as a home line and a Business line.,I do have a great Fios 20/20 Connection, that may help , but to be honest i would recommend with caution to friends, I am overall Happy with it.Good Luck!
--
SNeumann, Southern NYS,Fios 20/20,,Sprint Mobile Broadband, MagicJack X 4 | |
| | | | | gothealth
join:2004-05-10
Pompano Beach, FL
| Re: Return It Cameronsfx,
I do not understand your negativity towards the Magicjack. If you have trouble with it, your frustration is understandable. But, most people use it (without FIOS) with no problem.
Try to be a little more balanced in your criticisms and people will take them more seriously | |
| | | gothealth
join:2004-05-10
Pompano Beach, FL
| Cameronsfx,
I do not understand your negativity towards the Magic jack. If you have trouble with it, your frustration is understandable. But, most people use it (without FIOS) with no problem.
Try to be a little more balanced in your criticisms and people will take them more seriously | |
|
jukado1
@mchsi.com
| magic jack I just got off the line (computer chat) with magic jack, I could not get through to a business teleconference, It seems magic jack is starting their own teleconference system, When I tried to talk to them this was their answer.
====+++++===
Ermin: 13. Modification
Ermin: magic Jack reserves the right to modify or discontinue the magic Jack device and Software, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice to you. YMAX reserves the right to modify or discontinue its services, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice to you. We will not be liable to you or anyone else in the event that we exercise our right to modify or discontinue the magicJack device or Software and/or YMAX
I think that their answer tells all.
thank you for your time
Bob Rosenbaum/jukado1
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. | |
| SlowFreddy
join:2009-07-10
| MagicJack  ..Had MagicJack for seven months and haven't had any problems yet. My system stays on most of the time, so it's a lot better than recieving those Monthly "padded" bills. NO virus content on mine. I like MagicJack. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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Review by lineman5516
Posted: 225 days ago
member for 262 days, 13 visits, last login: 223 days ago
Saint Louis,Saint Louis,MO
Contract price not specified.
"cheap"
"allows backdoors and trojans in"
"save yourself and you pc don't do it"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I work in the telecommunications industry and purchased magicjack to try it out (sounded to good to be true) I installed it on a standalone pc (1 of five in my home) that is only loaded with xp pro ,no extra programs etc,I have never had a problem with this pc as I rarely use it.I put the magicjack on it and was very impressed for the first 30 days (worked well) well after that many mysterious spyware programs started appearing on it and within 10 day was infected with a keylogger ,sheur and ppo6 virus which was rendered unremovable (destroyed system files) I reloaded the os with firewall and anti virus did the same thing a few weeks later. tried it on another rarely used machine in the home with same results the 3 other pc's in my home are still running fine and tha magicjack is going in the garbage ,I do not recommend this ,i know its cheap and seems to work great for a couple of weeks but save yourself the agony
Followup comments: cookeemama
join:2009-04-13
| MagicJack I have had MagicJack since last July. From the beginning, I've had problems. But they were minor and I decided that, for the price, I would live with my contact list disappearing when I reboot, calls dropped in the middle of a conversation. The worst was having to use the Update every day to be sure it called/answered.
Last week, the whole program disappeared from my computer. Not to be found by any search. I tried everything listed under Troubleshooting on their web site to no avail. I would be told to open My Computer and look for 2 files. But it wouldn't open unless I unplugged the MagicJack unit. Of course, the files would show up when the unit wasn't in place.
Today, I made time to do Live Chat with their techs. They ran me through the same stuff. I was kicked up to the next level. Same old, same old. Finally, as I was nearing the end of my rope, the tech said there was a program on my computer that wouldn't let MagicJack work. Mind you, it was working 1 week ago and I have not d/l nor installed anything new during that time. Why do techs always blame the customer?
There is no way to get in touch with them by an 800#. Service stinks. I have read bad reviews elsewhere on customer service. So, I am giving up and will try another voip to see how that goes.
I am disgusted by MagicJack and it's practices. | |
|
m arbour
@rr.com | magicjack save yourself some greif, keep away from magicjack, nothing but problems | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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 Review by Comspastic
Posted: 279 days ago
member for 2 years, 16 visits, last login: 110 days ago
Seattle,King,WA
Contract price not specified.
 about 1 days
"Doesn't work"
"Don't Buy this......."
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
I bought this for my dad, hoping he could have a cheap line of Comm. It failed horribly, luckily we were only into the service 50 bucks, this is a Cheap as seen on tv gimmick.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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Review by Lenagainster
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 4.8 years, 1404 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
Silver Spring,Montgomery,MD
$2 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Cheap, good voice quality, unlimited calls to U.S & Canada"
"Computer must be on (Power $$), co. startup problems, outages"
"Inadequate as primary line, cheap secondary line"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update 9/10/08 Cancelled the MJ service yesterday. Since it is unacceptable for incoming calls (caller gets 30 seconds of nothing before VM picks up) and a full minute to boot up to make an outgoing call (don't use it often enough to want the software running all the time), I found that I just don't use MJ any more. Didn't want the cordless phone I was using for MJ sitting on the desk, taking up space and sucking up more power. Had to bump my cellphone minutes up for other reasons and I have minutes to spare. Will use the cell rather than MJ for those rare occasions when the house phone is busy or is out of service. Had to chat with 'LivePerson' to get the account terminated; no way to do it through 'My Account'. MJ was an interesting experiment but the problems with the service make it impractical for me at any price.
Update 8/1/08 Tried calling my MJ number when I had computer shut down. Get an excruciating long wait of nothing but dead air before the voicemail picked up. Most callers would have hung up before VM activated, thinking they mis-dialed or the phone was not working. Totally unacceptable. Proves again to me that I cannot use MJ for incoming calls. For use as an outgoing line when the home phone is tied up, it takes a full minute to get MJ up and running, and for a quick call, that time makes MJ less than desireable. I'd rather burn a few minutes off my cell phone than sit at the computer waiting for MJ to boot up. I'll keep MJ around for the year that I've already paid for, but it's not worth it to me to pay the $20 for the next year of "service". An interesting experiment with MJ, but not worth the frustration.
Update 4/12/08. I kept the device past the 30 day trial period and paid the full $47. Now I'm stuck with it for better or worse. And it has gotten worse, so I downgraded my ratings. Voicemail has been anything but reliable, and currently it is not working. Worse yet, if MagicJack is not running on the computer, the caller to your number gets NOTHING, but if they wait long enough will eventually get a busy. (If MJ is set up on the computer, the call will go through). This means that this POS is definitely not to be depended upon as a primary phone. It still serves my purpose to be used as a secondary outgoing line, and for making LD calls. Just don't give your MJ number to anyone, or they will be laughing at you for being so foolish for signing up with this phone service.
Original review:
I'll admit I succumbed to the hype, and the price. Without the normal caution and research I usually take before purchasing anything online, I submitted my order for one MagicJack just about two weeks ago.
I had no intention from the start to use this service as my primary phone line. That's because I have VoicePulse, one of the most reliable and full featured VoIPs on the market. I'd never give them up. But MJ looked like a great deal for an initial outlay of $47 ($20 for the device, $20 for a YEAR of service, $7 shipping), with the subsequent cost of $20 per year for unlimited calling throughout the U.S. and Canada. It was worth it to me at that price to have a second line for the few times the primary line is busy, or we wanted to keep it open for an expected call, or on the rare occasion when our primary service is having problems. While my VoicePulse "local" plan give me 200 minutes of long distance free, which I never exceed, I could always use MJ for long distance, and if the occasion ever arose that I had to call Canada.
My MJ arrived within five days and I plugged it in and started using it. My first mistake was not thoroughly checking the MagicJack website for the available numbers and checking the exchanges against a reliable source to determine the name of the town associated with the exchange. The information on the MagicJack website was WRONG regarding the exchange and the town. I picked a number based on the MJ information and it turned out to be a long distance call for my neighbors. I contacted tech support via their text messaging help line and was told that I was allowed to change the number ONCE. I picked another exchange, based on the MJ information, and that turned out to be wrong as well. But the second town was a local call for most of my neighbors. If it was an extremely important issue, I guess I could return the MagicJack under my 30 day "free" trial, pay shipping and return shipping, and then order another MagicJack. But at this point, I don't even intend to give out my MJ number and I plan to use the service for outgoing calls only. One of the first things I learned after setting up my MagicJack is that this service is not ready for prime time. It was noisy at first, but somehow it cleared up and calls have gotten better. Sometimes voicemail worked, sometimes it didn't. On the fifth day I had the service, MagicJack was down for most of the day, and getting through to tech support was impossible. The next day, an apology appeared on the MagicJack window, stating that they were aware that a "few" customers had problems.
Sometimes voicemail works, sometimes it doesn't. The voicemail indicator on the MJ window has not worked from day one. No stutter tone. I will get an email notifying me of voicemail. But again, if I only intend to use the service for outgoing calls, voicemail is not an issue for me.
My biggest frustration with MagicJack is that it wants to control my computer and prevents me from using my computer the way I want to. It puts a startup program in the startup folder that seems to interfere with other startup programs and makes the boot up process excruciatingly long. It won't let me put my computer in the "sleep" mode (standby) and I either have to shut down or turn the monitor off and live with the computer running full time. After fretting over this issue for a while, I found that I could disable the MJ startup program and use the desktop icon to start MagicJack when I wanted. I realized that I could use Ctrl/Alt/Delete to bring up the Task Manager and hit "End Task" to turn off MagicJack. Then I could put my computer in the sleep mode.
It was pointed out in many discussions regarding MagicJack the added cost for this service due to the requirement to keep the computer running. If one were to use a desktop computer and leave it on 24/7 in order to use MagicJack as a primary line, it would cost anywhere from $10 to $25 per month in electricity, to say nothing of the wear and tear on the compter itself. (These amounts can be verified if one assumes about 14 cents per KWH (that's what it is in my area) and a desktop burning 100 to 250 watts with an LCD about 40 watts or CRT about 90 watts). These costs confirmed the decision for me that I would only turn my MagicJack on when I wanted to make an outgoing call.
I still have a couple of weeks left to decide if MagicJack is a keeper. As long as the voice quality remains as good as it is now, I feel that the $47 initial outlay for having a second line with unlimited calling for a whole year is worthwhile ($4/mo), and if MagicJack survives another year without substantial rate increases, $2/mo for that second line will be gravy. But I'd never give up VoicePulse.
Followup comments:
mitt
@rogers.com | hmmmmmmmm read your blog, seems like an ad for your current service, does this thing work or not....tim  | |
| |
Captain Dave
@comcast.net
| Re: hmmmmmmmm Impulseively ordered MagicJack, went online after placcing order and found NUMEROUS complaints, went back to MJ web and could not find a way to cancel order. Then when I got an email asking me to confirm the MJ order, instead, I asked to cancel. To my amazement, my MJ order was cancelled with an email confirming this action. Whew! Dodged that bullet. Morale of this story - cancel when you get the confirmatin email from MJ because that will be the ONLY time you might get your $$$ back. MJ is probably as close to a scam as one can get without actjually losing all one's clothjing. | |
| | | mistah kurtz
join:2008-02-29
| magicjack Had mine for a few months and except for some brief blips in conversation the voice quality is better than my Verizon cell and clearer. I tried disabling on startup and it keeps coming back each time it starts, so forget the msconfig thing. I found a small, cheap powered USB 2.0 hub from ThinkGeek that, as suggested, makes it work better overall.
Get echo sometimes briefly, if it persists, I just call them back, conversations with family last forever with good reception on both ends.. I use a cordless Panasonic 5,8 ghz fone although I doubt that makes any difference. I have had good luck with the Voicemail, so I don't understand people having problems with the device(?) What can I say. | |
| 
mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28 | Power and $$$ One of my "24/7" PCs might cost me as much as $2/mo, if that--barely more than a light bulb actually. Of course, it isn't my primary desktop (not anymore, that is--it was back in 2002). | |
| | Lenagainster
join:2005-01-07
Silver Spring, MD
·VoicePulse
·DIRECTV
·magicjack.com
| Re: Power and $$$ Working backwards; at $2 per month and lets say the cost in your area is ten cents per KWH rather than the 14 cents per KWH in the DC area. $2 buys you 20 KWH of electricity. Given that there are (30 X 24) 720 hours in a month, your computer burns 20/720 = .0277778 KW or 28 watts of electricity.
A very efficient computer indeed. Do you have a monitor with that? | |
| | |
mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28 | Re: Power and $$$ Yeah--an LCD, but it's usually off (obviously); old Celeron with a small, low-wattage PSU; cooling fans typically don't run--not hot enough.
OK, maybe it'll hit $2.50/mo. ;D | |
| | | | Feculent
join:2002-08-09
Rockville, MD | Blh, blah, blah The review that doesn't end.... | |
|
scotty34
@suddenlink.net
| Using MagicJack I keep my system on 24/7. The cost is probably $30.00 per month. I come from the old school that says don't turn your equipment off because most failures occur on power up. Oh, I also have a UPS.
Upon installing my MagicJack I made a couple of calls and had no problem. I did notice that on a reboot I had trouble getting my system to come up. After unplugging the MagicJack I had no difficulty.
Here are the idiosyncrasies that I have observed.
1. Does not work with Roxio running. If I have to reboot the first thing I do after the reboot is terminate Roxio. If I have to use Roxio I terminate MagicJack.
2. I had difficulty getting the system to boot up initially after installing MagicJack. I now unplug the device until I have everything up. I then terminate Roxio and plug in MagicJack.
3. With MagicJack running I cannot use a flashdrive. I must terminate MagicJack first.
4. If I start MagicJack first I don't seem to have any errors, but if I bring up a webpage first, at some point MagicJack begins to give me an error.
Even with the idiosyncrasies that I have mentioned I still think it is a bargain. I only use it for outbound calls to family and friends. The voice quality is good and the telephone that my computer is calling through is a cellphone located about 500 miles from me. But that's o.k.
Because I have spare computer parts, I will build a small machine with one disk drive just to handle the MagicJack. That way I won't have to reboot or terminate some program that I might want to keep resident. | |
|
decalgal
@comcast.net
|  Voicemail, sound quality issues
As an outgoing only line, for office use when my computer is on anyhow, it is perfect. I have kept my regular local phone service, as well as a low cost long distance service, just in case. Using on XP with cable internet service. | |
| | | |
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Review by fivestard
UPDATED: 1.2 years ago
member for 5.8 years, 34 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago
Tempe,Maricopa,AZ
$3 per month
"price"
"inconsistant call quality, tech support, software"
"not ready for prime time"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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I've had a magicjack for about 4 months and during that time I've drawn several conclusions. The most obvious thing about the magicjack is that you get what you pay for. The first year is only $40 which is extremely low. Unfortunately it's simply not up to the same quality level that I am used to from other providers. It does work but my biggest complaint is with the inconsistent call quality. One call will be perfect, as good as any land line, but the next several call will be muffled. Callers on the other end are constantly asking me to repeat myself because they can't understand me. Using the magicjack has become frustrating, embarrassing and annoying.
Forget about calling tech support because they only accept on line chat messaging. In my experience the tech support is only able to help with the most basic issues. For anything else you're on you own and have to turn to on line forums. I suspect that if tech support had more training and tools available they might be able to diagnose some of these quality issues but that is not the case.
In conclusion, for us magicjack is barely usable and only as a last resort.
Followup comments: Lenagainster
join:2005-01-07
Silver Spring, MD | I agree My feelings exactly. Four months is a good test and your conclusions concur with mine. I only use my MJ for outgoing calls when the other line is tied up. I don't even think I will renew for another $20 when my 1st year is up. | |
| erikthebean
join:2007-06-25
Manchester, NH | I also agree While magicjack isnt the worst voip ive used their tech support isnt what it should be and the stability of their software is non existent...not a bad product, but still needs improvement | |
|
Love MagicJack
@sbcglobal.net | I used MamgicJack everydays without problem Make sure you don't have a lot of application running in the background.
I used MagicJack everydays without any problem.
The audio is good and very consistent. | |
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 Review by jchambers28
UPDATED: 1.3 years ago
member for 2.5 years, 1277 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Alma,Crawford,AR
Contract price not specified.
about 4 days
"got it working for 2 days"
"call quality sucks sucks phone is NOT usable"
"I am going to cancle my service ASAP going to stick with vonage"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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ordered service got the device call quality went to hell does not like my pc
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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Review by areeve
Posted: 1.3 years ago
member for 3.3 years, 42 visits, last login: 283 days ago
Geneva,Kane,IL
Contract price not specified. (12 month contract)
"The software installed"
"It doesn't work"
"magicJack is a magicJoke"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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With magicJack.com's recent promotion and having seen all of the glorious online reviews (which I now that were ads) I decided to give this a try. After all, the savings over my current Vonage line would be substantial. I plugged it in... it did the autorun and I clicked on the magicJack app and went through the registration and phone # assignment. It then displayed an error and told me to restart magicJack. I didn't know if there was a restart option (as with a Windows Service like IIS) so I looked through the interfact and could not find one. I then unplugged it, plugged it back in, and it said all was well. At least until I tried to make a call. Call quality was HORRIBLE, ABYSSMAL, TERRIBLE, and NON-EXISTANT. If I was lucky I could hear about 2 ms worth of voice broken up by a half second of silence an another 2 ms of voice. Needless to say I have a trip to the post office to make to return this in my near future.
Followup comments: sneumann55
join:2002-07-27
Yonkers, NY
1 edit | dont give up try going to the web page, there are many fix's, i have had 2 issues and all resolved via live chat including re download the firmware, by giving up so easy, you will be missing the savings. i have had it since beta, love it.
--
SNeumann, Southern NYS,Fios 20/20,,Sprint Mobile Broadband.Via Talk, MagicJack | |
| | areeve
join:2006-07-03
Geneva, IL
·AT&T Midwest
·magicjack.com
| Re: dont give up That may be true and I may invest 10 minutes into checking their site out for a fix, but I don't have a lot of time to mess with this.
On the inside of the package (and in all of their promos) it says... 1) Plug a phone in, 2) plug magicjack in, and 3) pick up your phone and talk for free with a banner of "here's how easy it is". That's hardly the case here. | |
| | | areeve
join:2006-07-03
Geneva, IL
·AT&T Midwest
·magicjack.com
| Re: dont give up Alrighty... went to their website and ran their little Java based fix program and I was able to make a successful test call. I'll monitor this tomorrow to see if this had anything to do with the time of day.
I'm still abit irritated with the "plug it in and it works" advertising as they should make this step part of the install if it solves 95% if the problems. After all, it wouldn't hurt a thing (I presume?) and could help many. | |
| | | | BuzzDar
join:2006-01-28
West Frankfort, IL | Re: dont give up from what i have see its 99.999% of the time its a computer problem that causes people problems. | |
| | | | | areeve
join:2006-07-03
Geneva, IL
·AT&T Midwest
·magicjack.com
| Re: dont give up Well, I've been testing this thing out and admittedly it's a lot better that my first impression from plugging it in and it delivering unusable voice quality, BUT it's still not up to par. People that I call would indicate my voice would fade in and out, occasional dropped words, and the general syncronization of a conversation just wasn't there as if they'd hear me late and so forth (hard to explain).
To the previous poster: Ok, fine... it's a computer problem... that doesn't really help. And being an IT professional I like to think I know what I'm doing.
In the end this just doesn't work well enough for me. | |
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Review by gworkman7
Posted: 1.3 years ago
member for 4 years, 802 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Vail,Pima,AZ
Contract price not specified.
"Cheap"
"Terrible Audio Quality and Awful Tech Support"
"Wasted $40"
| Web-site:
Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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Strange, but I can call and be heard in the area I selected. I live in Tucson and selected a Sacramento number. I can be heard fine on calls to Sacto, but if I call folks in Las Vegas, I cannot be heard. I spent 8 hours over three days of Tech Support and was told that their Engineers would look into it.
Still waiting.........
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of magicjack.com |
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