magicJack and MagicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Hacks

dyoung · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:59 am Post subject: Works Great!

Got MJ today after reading the boards here for two days, I decided to give it a try. I have searched out info from other boards and utube. I like the way this board is set up so I am making this my MJ support page Very Happy

There is alot of tech stuff I don't even want to try to figure out from you tech heads. You guys make my brain hurt.

No I have made and recieved several calls and so far everything is as stated on the box. Set up was less than 5 mins test calls out and in went well. Have called all over the country. Had one problem that lasted about 10 seconds the sound was breaking up but it corrected itself quick. Now I have 4 PC running on this network. My two sons where on the net so gamming at the time. Running comcast cable modem. No sure the current speed they up sold my wife a few months ago with faster speed but she didn't remember the speed. Going to get another MJ tomorrow and run it on my son's PC and see how using two of them work on the network.

Look I have seen many people whinning about $40. I know to alot of people that $40 is alot of money. From what I have read people can't follow simple instructions or will not do what is asked of them and thenn bitch about it when it don't work. I figured it this way it is $40 it will be $80 tomorrow. The wost case that can happen is in a week Dan goes belly up and I loose $80. The best case is it works great and I have a phone that works in my home for penny's a day. Also my son will have a phone number that he can use forever.
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Jcadig2 · magicJack Apprentice Joined: 01 Mar 2009 Posts: 22

Some say "You get what you pay for!" Well, I feel that I got way more than $40.00 worth out of my MJ, even with problems because of what it saved me. If you buy a $40.00 product expecting it to be of the same quality and performance as a $350.00 product, then you are unrealistic. But if you don't have unreal expectations, you can be pleasantly surprised. It's how you look at it. Is the glass half full, or half empty??
Yeah - their support chat people who obviously are located in that Mumbai slum, are not at all helpul and even rude. What do some of these people expect for 40 bucks?
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Magsmom

az2008 · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:44 am Post subject: Re: Well said -

hsweiss · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:01 pm Post subject:

And just to add - MJ can work just like Dan's ads if the computer you plug it into is "pristine." The first machine I plugged it into was my company owned laptop which is well maintained. Worked just as stated - I was up and talking in less than 5 min. But as we read on this forum, this isn't the case for LOTS and LOTS of others and I suspect its because the operating system is not in tip-top shape (the case with most home machines). In my case it does not replace my land-line. In fact it does not even save me any money. Its simply a nice thing that I can afford at $1.67/month. I had been using cell phones for all long distance. But I tried to use nights & weekend minutes (which are unlimited) which narrowed my calling time. MJ has allowed me to make LD calls when ever. And the really neat thing was being able to get a number in a area where I don't live allowing family members to call me without paying LD charges.

Kif Kroker · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject:

I do think that many problems people experience with MJ are the result of Windows installations that have become corrupted over time. I maintain my computer system very well, and the systems for my family also, and none of us have experienced any of initial installation problems that some seem to have. I know this is not the case for every problem, but I think some people are finding out about their computer problems by installing the MJ.

MJ definitely has some issues. It is marketed as a home phone replacement, which it is probably not reliable enough for many to serve this purpose. Dan and MJ do not seem to be as concerned with customer service as they should be, thank god for this forum otherwise many would be left with no where to turn. But as many have said, its hard to complain about a $20 piece of hardware and a $20/year service fee, even with the shady marketing and poor customer service. I've been fairly pleased with the MJ service thus far, I've even influenced other friends and family to purchase their own MJ, but I would never give their service a 5-star rating.

Kif

Jcadig2 · magicJack Apprentice Joined: 01 Mar 2009 Posts: 22

Mark:
There is no problem with "my position". I am realistic enough to view any advertisement with skepticism (as anyone should. After all, it is "Advertising" not scientific fact). The fact that many people seem to find it as easy as ABC etc. etc. says that the advertising is not any more false or deceptive than any other advertising.

Personally, I have found that Tylenol does not cure every headache, Pepto Bismol does not cure every stomach ache, and I still get clumps and lumps from that mascara and I still turn into Godzilla once a month in spite of the PMS medicine.

The problem is not the advertising so much. It's the customer support that sucks.
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Magsmom

az2008 · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject: Re: my position

maine-iac · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject:

This is what you see on the official magicJack web page:

To expect any more than that goes beyond what it is billed as. MJ is meant to be an in-house replacement or supplement to your cell phone, not a whole house replacement.

az2008 · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:50 pm Post subject:

mberlant · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:22 pm Post subject:

Thank you for posting the YouTube clip. Living overseas I have mercifully escaped this barrage of advertising. I did catch a couple of comments that bear exposure here.

First, they say, "If after 30 days ... you don't love your magicJack, send it back and you owe nothing." Unfortunately, unless I am mistaken, if you wait until after 30 days, you are out of luck. To become honest (is that possible?) they would need to say "If within 30 days..." Also, you can't just "send it back" without receiving an RMA from them, so that is one more way for MJ to avoid paying out legitimate refunds.

Then they say, "Just as email has eliminated postage stamps, magicJack eliminates your phone bill." This turns out to be a very clever analogy because email has not come close to eliminating the postage stamp. We can therefore expect the same lack of success in MJ's efforts to eliminate the phone bill.

az2008 · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:42 pm Post subject:

mberlant · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:31 pm Post subject:

That is precisely the shame of the MJ marketing technique. I believe they would sell very close to the same amount they sell now if they would just behave honorably. And, by behaving honorably their cost of doing business would go down.

Kif Kroker · Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:26 pm Post subject:

Dan doesn't appear to be a man of extremely high ethical conviction. I too think they could sell just about as many as they do now without using the shady marketing they currently use. The sleaziness of their ad campaign does leave a bad taste in my mouth.

But as Mark says, it is hard to complain about a $20/year service that does for the most part work. If I purchase a sandwich off a 'Dollar Menu' at a fast food restaurant I don't expect to be completely full after eating it. I wouldn't feel I got ripped off because I wasn't full from it.

MJ is not a good solution for everyone, or even most people. I've had some problems, but overall, when I weigh the price vs. quality, I think it was a good purchase for me.

az2008 · Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:05 pm Post subject:

mberlant · Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:44 pm Post subject:

Googling for "Sarah Reedy", the author of the telephonyonline article, shows that she is quite prolific. She churns out dozens of articles each week, so it is not surprising that she has no bandwidth to test the veracity of anything she hears.

The article reads like a press release that caught Ms. Reedy's attention and made her call the contact number at the bottom. I read a couple of other things she wrote, and they all have the same look and feel.

It's a mutually rewarding inflationary spiral for Dan and Sarah. As she wrote flattering fluff for him, he will now quote her review in his promotional material.