Reviews for Magicjack - Consumers speak out and take action

Ratings

Posted: 10/05/2009

Magic Jack

Reviewed by: davegg (xxx.xxx.207.126)

Ratings

Posted: 10/03/2009

MAGIC JACK

Reviewed by: Humboldt_Gal (xxx.xxx.32.82)

Magic Jack - DO NOT PURCHASE

Bought one, it never worked, contacted tech service, they never were able to get it to function. I have the highest speed DSL and it still would not work. Tech said I needed to send back & they would replace-but they would have to charge my credit card account again. I said no & contacted the BBB and got a response back from the owner of MJ. They sent a new MJ and did not charge my account, while I sent the other one back at my cost. The new one arrived, connected it & it has never worked correctly either. Second one always disconnects after a few minutes and to make another call I have to disconnect it and reconnect every time I want to use it. Phone calls always go to voice mail instead of ringing in my home. I would like to SMASH the thing and send it directly back to the owner, but it would not be worth the shipping.

"SAVE YOUR CASH" USE YAHOO VOICE OR SOME OTHER COMPANY !!! Not worth $20 if it doesn't work !! Yahoo Voice Mail Works Great

Ratings

Posted: 09/24/2009

Survey the Magicjack before You Buy

Reviewed by: Handy_Joy (xxx.xxx.185.74)

Amen to the gentleman who said you get what you pay for. If it sounds too good to be true, take the knowledge and run the other way. I bought the MJ, hook line and sinker, meaning I purchased 2 of them and paid for 5 years of service. Try it for 30 days, he is right about that, you can try it for 90 days. There is no one to complain to, except the virtual tech or operator. I wrote several times by email, and was told they did not refund your money. When I hooked up the MJ it knocked my original phone line out.

This man named Borislow has the nerve to put his little daughter in the info-mercial; instead of naming her pets Magic and Jack, she could call them Big & Liar. I am sure this kid will eventually hear how her dad is swindling people. I wish I had checked out all the negative reviews before I sank my dollars in this mess. If I were close to Mr. Borislow, I probably would blow up all his magicjacks.

The bottom line is if you buy this contraption, You probably will be sorry.

Ratings

Posted: 09/10/2009

MagicJack

Reviewed by: hooked (xxx.xxx.29.210)

BEWARE: This is an actual chat session with MagicJack . Just wanted to give you a taste of what you have to look forward to if you take the plunge. Just remember what MAGIC is. Think about it…be warned!

site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Reed'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK4...
Reed: Hello, how may I help you?
Reed: Hi Mike.
Reed: May I know the exact nature of your problem with full details please?
Mike: Can you review previous sessions since the problems are the same now as then. I have spent numerous hours with chat sessions to try and resolve to no avail. At one point I was told my dsl speed was a bit slow so yesterday they tripled my speed...no change.
Reed: Thank you for bringing up your concern with us.
Reed: Let me assist you with this.
Mike: Problems: really bad static, dropped calls, dial pad disappears for no apparent reason, etc.
Reed: Okay.
Reed: Is your magicjack plugged in right now?
Mike: Yes
Reed: Is the blue light on?
Mike: yes
Reed: Click the “Start” button then “Settings” then “Control Panel” then go to “Internet Options”, under “Privacy” tab, slide the bar down to “Accept all cookies”. Under “Security” tab, click on “Trusted Sites” then click the “Sites” button.
Mike: Done
Reed: Un-check the box at the bottom left of the window that says “Require Server Verification”.
Reed: Type the following address into the text bar, reg.talk4free.com then click the “Add” button, and also type in the following address, my.magicJack.com and click “Add” then “Close” then “OK”.
Mike: It is not checked
Reed: Just follow the steps and inform me after.
Mike: Both are already there
Mike: It would save us alot of time if you reviewed previous sessions to see all of the things we have already done rather than jumping through all of those hoops again.
Reed: Please click the link to download and run the magicJack upgrade (applicable for both XP & Vista):
Reed: http://upgrades.magicjack.com/upgrade/upgrade.exe
Reed: Please click that and run the upgrade
Mike: I have done this probably 10 already for previous chats. Is there a reason to do it again?
Reed: Please do it again.
Mike: done
Reed: Right click on “My Computer” then select “Properties”. Click “Advanced” tab an you will see something called “Performance” and click on “Settings” button there.
Mike: done
Reed: Now click the “Advanced” tab in there as well and you will see something called “Processor Scheduling” and check the round button called “Background Services” then click “Apply” then “OK”
Mike: That was already done
Reed: Okay.
Reed: Please restart your magicJack by clicking on the “Menu” then “Advance Users” then “Restart”.
Mike: done
Reed: Please try to place a call now.
Mike: No change
Reed: Please wait while I check that for you
Mike: Still static
Reed: 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 'Journey'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK419077574927X
Journey: Hi this is Miss Journey, Please give me a moment to review your previous chat. Thank you
Mike: I just renewed my MJ today, in spite of all the problems I still hope some day it will actually work. I have gone through my first year VERY unsatisfied but I am not a quiter. I hope you can pull the magic bunny out of your hat.
Journey: Thank you for holding, Mike
Mike: Every time I work with the chat line they resolve the conflict, but the fix has never lasted more than a few minutes to maximum a day.
Journey: Please click on start button then click on run then type regedit then hit enter
Mike: donnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Journey: okay, you mean done?
Journey: Now click on + sign beside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Journey: then click on + sign beside system.
Mike: I'm sorry my batteries in my wireless keyboard died so I had to run and get new ones
Journey: it's okay, Mike.
Mike: done
Journey: Okay, please click on + sign beside Current Controlset.
Journey: then click + sign beside control
Journey: click on + sign beside class.
Mike: all done
Journey: Okay, please locate the exact {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Mike: OK
Journey: Please single click on the exact {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}, then on the right pane of the window, please look for upper and lower filters.
Mike: ok
Journey: may I know if you found those Upper and lower filters?
Mike: yes
Journey: Okay, please right click on upper filters then click on delee
Journey: delete*
Journey: then right click on Lower Filters then click on delete
Mike: done
Journey: please close that window
Journey: then click on start button then click on run
Mike: done
Journey: Please type application data then hit enter
Journey: then please unplug your magicjack then right click on mjusbsp folder then click on delete.
Mike: done
Journey: Please delete mjusbsp folder from your recycle bin
Mike: error message came up
Mike: cannot delete mjusbsp: access is denied
Mike: Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and that the file is not currently in use.
Journey: Is your magicJack still unplugged?
Mike: yes
Mike: should I try that procedure over
Journey: Please open the mjusbsp folder/
Mike: done
Journey: pleas right click on each of the files then click on delete.
Mike: Tried the first one and same message
Mike: that file was ar00000
Journey: Please make sure you unplug your magicjack
Mike: I have and it is
Journey: yes, try to delete other files left.
Journey: Okay, please delete other files under mjusbsp.
Mike: all deleted but ar00000
Journey: Yes, it's okay, please delete those files on your recycle bin, delete magicjack icon from your desktop also.
Mike: Delete the MJ upgrade icon as well...it wouldn't let me.
Mike: When I try it says that it is being used by another person or program.
Journey: Okay, please open mjusbsp folder again, then open ar00000 then delete all files in it.
Mike: I deleted all of them...yes it is still unplugged and will be until you say otherwise so please don't keep asking me.
Journey: Okay, please wait for about 2 minutes before plugging your magicjack back in.
Mike: I'm sorry for snapping, but I moved up the chat list to see how to get back to mjusbsp and saw your request to unplug...I thought you were badgering me.
Mike: Even though the ar00000 file is empty the file still seems to exist. Is that going to be a problem?
Journey: it's okay Mike.
Journey: yes, do not worry, that's not going be a problem
Mike: So should I plug MJ back in now?
Journey: Yes, please it back in now.
Mike: done
Mike: no dial pad yet
Journey: Okay,.
Mike: No sign that anything is happening
Journey: Okay, please run this link
Journey: Please click the link to download and run the magicJack upgrade (applicable for both XP & Vista):
Journey: http://upgrades.magicjack.com/upgrade/upgrade.exe
Mike: I got a message...Cannot copy upgrade (1): It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again
Journey: Okay, can you click on the upgrade icon, you have saved on your desktop then run it?
Mike: I double clicked on it and hit run. I don't know if anything happened or not.
Journey: Okay, please click on start button then double click on my computer icon,.
Mike: ok
Mike: done
Mike: Are you still with me?
Journey: yes, may I know what are the magicjack drives listed in there?
Mike: F G
Journey: Okay please right click on drive F: then click on start magicjack option.
Mike: Done...nothing apears to have happened
Mike: Should I try the G drive
Journey: Okay, please click on start button then click on run type diskmgmt.msc then hit enter
Journey: In there please scroll down to bottom then look for healthy drives or unallocated, look for drives F:and G: also.
Mike: I see a G that says healthy but it doesn't show an F
Mike: It shows the F drive in the above section but not below where you scroll down. Only the G
Journey: Okay,would it be okay with you if we format drive G: ? But I am afraid that it may deleted your magicjack contact list.
Mike: I don't even use the contact list so go for it.
Journey: Okay, please right click on drive G; then click on format then click on start
Mike: Where do you want me to do that? In disk management or my computer?
Journey: On disk management.
Mike: done...I hope
Mike: What do we do with F
Journey: Okay, please go back to my computer then right click on drive F: then click on start
Mike: Nothing apears to have happened
Mike: G no longer says magicjack...it now says phone
Journey: Okay, please unplug your magicjack then please plug it back into different USB port
Mike: Got a message stating...USB device not recognized
Journey: Okay, Mike. may I know when did you purchased that magicjack device?
Mike: I just renewed it today so it must have been a year ago
Journey: Okay, Mike. We will now issue a replacement magicjack for you, but please be informed that once the Replacement has been issued, you will receive a Confirmation E-mail with an RMA number and return information for the original magicJack you have. The original magicJack must be in our hands within two (2) weeks, in order for you not to be charged for the replacement magicJack. Please make sure to include the email with your RMA number when returning the original magicJack. Please be informed also that we need to Pre-Authorized $39.95 on your account in order for the replacement to go through. We will drop the hold amount back to your account once we receive the defective magicJack. Please take note that this is Not a Charge.
Journey: By the way, if you still want to keep your old MJ number please chat us back for us to help you to transfer your old MJ number to your new one.
Mike: My only fear is that when I originally ordered MJ a year ago I read many reports of individuals who claimed that they were billed, they sent the old unit in and no refund ever took place.
Mike: It appears as if I have had a defective device for a whole year of which was always my assumption and probably 20-30 hours of chat time later I am told that I a $40 hold is being placed on my CC. I paid $40 last year and today another $20 to renew something that never worked right. Does that seem just to you?
Journey: Do not be afraid, Mike, those who did not got their refunds are the one who did not return the device within the 2 weeks time frame we have given and we think it's enough days to return the defective item,also there some situations that we may consider and sent a free magicjack gift to those who returned mj beyond the 2 weeks deadline we have given. Do not worry, Mike we can guarantee that you'll be credited, just make sure that the device will be return within 2 weeks.
Journey: The $$46.90 was for that magicjack device you purchased last year and the $19.95 was for the additional year of service you have just purchased. The $39.95 is just actually a hold for the replacement device will issue for you and it will be release back into your account once we received your defective magicjack you return.
Journey: hello Mike. would the hold, fine with you?
Mike: My point is that I did not get a years service out of this magicjack. Most of the time it didn't work and when it did both parties could barely understand each other. In good faith I signed up for another year but in reality I don't believe I ever received my first year since the service failed to work because I was sent a defective device. I am not looking for compensation for the 20-30 hours I have wasted on the phone to finally find out a year later that my problems all along was because of a defective item. There must be a faster way for MJ to detect such an issue. I do not believe it is just to even ask me to pack up this defective device and send it back. It should be thrown away but in the least MJ should send out a new one with a return shipment label. This should be done totally at MJ's expense and not my own. This is a reputable, ethical business practice.
Journey: I understand your part, Mike that is why decided to send a new magicjack device to replace the old magicjack you have, we send the replacement with free shipping cost and also it's free of charge, this replacement MJ, is in exchange with your defective magicjack, and you should be the one to shoulder the shipping cost for your defective magicjack then since the replacement mj will issued is fre.
Journey: I have not heard from you in a while. Do you wish to continue this chat session?
Mike: I guess I missed something in your logic. I was sent a defective item from your company, I spent 1 year trying to get a defective product to work, I spent 66.85 for something that has provided no effective service for me, I have spent days of my life with tech support to only find out what I always suspected and now you tell me that I should shoulder the shipping cost and have a $40 charge put on my CC. I was in distribution sales for years and if I placed such expectations on my customers, they would no longer have been my customers. Word would have gotten out about such practices and my companies business would have suffered serious repercussions. Let me share with you what I believe is just and fair. MJ provide refund my for the subscription I paid for this year, send me out a working device and pick up shipping expense for the return if they want it back.
Mike: I paid for a service I did not receive. I would like a full refund for all moneys paid or to have MajicJack honor the above agreement. I do believe in a small claims court, based on my previous experience and understanding of the laws of performance, these are the only reasonable alternatives.
Mike: I am not the one in this situation who has failed to perform according to contractual agreements, MJ has. I think it is rediculous to even have to have this conversation. Just do the right thing and enjoy the rewards that follow ethical business practices.
Journey: No, Mike.You been able to register the magicjack we have issued for you, and still able to use it, we have also given your 30 days trial for the refund and return mj with money back guarantee also we have offered you 1 year free of service or license for your magicjack device since that is your prerogative as our customer, and now we offer you free replaceement magicjack with free shipping cost, but the shipping of your old mj will no longer be our expense, since we already offer free jack to replace the device you purchased with 1 year free of service.
Mike: Why don't we just make this simple since either you are not able or allowed to do what is reasonable and ethical. If you refund my $19.99 renewal for this year, I will throw away this $50 defective item I bought from your company and we will go our seperate ways. I have had enough of the faux magic jack. Magic is a slight of hands, trickery, and illusion. I guess the name says it all. Let me know if the refund is going to be processed immediately or not.
Journey: Okay, Michael I can cancel the additional service you purchased if that's what you want and there will be no charges that will be taken out from your account since the order is still on pendinh.
Journey: pending*
Mike: I am not sure what pending means.
Journey: It means that the additional year of service you placed, is still not yet being fully process, the charge transaction is still being process and the charge of $19.95 is still not yet been take out from your account but the year of service was already been generated to your account, once we have canceled the order, the charges will no longer be process and the 1 year of service will be taken out from your account.
Mike: So the 1 year renewal that I placed this morning has been canceled
Journey: yes,
Journey: The 1 year license you purchased has been canceled.
Mike: I guess all I can say then is enjoy the $50 I have been swindled out of. I guess the old saying "If something sounds too good to be true it usually is." is true with magicjack. The trickery that I refer to is the 30 free trial. My MJ has never worked right and all along the chat support made it seem like there was something defective with my computer, dsl service, etc. but not MJ. By the time you find out that you are sent a defective item, you are long past the 30 day period. SLICK unethical, but slick. Just so you know I have made a copy of this chat and will be posting it on the internet to try and give others a heads up to what they are in store for if they put their faith and hard earned cash in the hands of MagicJack!

Ratings

Posted: 08/26/2009

magicJack - lacks the magic

Reviewed by: lsmccoco (xxx.xxx.121.236)

After having been an AT&T Callvantage user for several years, I purchased the magicJack a couple of months ago when AT&T decided to discontinue that service. The magicJack was easy to set up but I have experienced a number of quality of service issues and have finally decided to switch to another VOIP.

The call quality has been unreliable. Many times the person I am speaking to hears repeated beeping sounds. Working with the tech support people at magicJack failed to resolve that issue.

And on many occasions when I had placed or received a call it was disconnected and I had to dial back using my cell phone.

Their software is incredibly annoying. I use my computer virtually full time as I work from home. Whenever a call is received or placed (or the talk button is even pressed on a handset), focus is switched to their application. When the software is loading it places the magicJack logo in the middle of the screen and it cannot be moved. This takes a couple of minutes. Good software that runs as a background service should not do this.

The magicJack could be useful for someone who travels and had a laptop and an internet connection available to them. (But why wouldn't a cell phone be a better way to go?) But as a reliable home or home office device I wouldn't recommend it.

Ratings

Posted: 08/25/2009

don't use it

Reviewed by: daphne (xxx.xxx.254.93)

Before I order a service from magicjack, I didn't expect too much because of the price it offered. For my order, one year service is about $40 something. But to my surprise it didn't work at all. For the first time that I made a call, It spent me a whole night kept on calling a number, hanging up and calling again. I couldn't hear clearly what my relatives was talking about. It just wasted my time and made me so angry. Besides, I can't imagine how can the inventor designed the device in this way. It is funny that you have to always keep your computer on, otherwise the device is going to be shut off and the phone will not have any signal. I can't always keep my laptop on. I don't know how many messages I will miss if I continue to use the service.

By the way, even if you are in 30 days grace period, you still have to pay the shipment to send the device back; plus many days were wasted to wait for the device to come. Anyway, I will never recommend magicjack to any of my friends. It is the worst service I have ever seen. If you think their price is cheap, simply download a chat software from the internet and it will work. Magicjack also has to depend on a high speed internet. Recommend to find some other reliable phone service.

Ratings

Posted: 08/19/2009

MAJIC JACK

Reviewed by: mrholmes19 (xxx.xxx.9.146)

MAJIC JACK IS A TOTAL RIP OFF!!!! DONT GET IT!!! ITS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY! ITS A TOTAL FRAUD!!!!! NO RECEPTION, OUT OF TOWN AREA CODE, VERY DIFFICULT SOFTWARE TO USE AND ITS WORTHLESS. THEY ARE BEING PURSUED IN SEVERAL STATES FOR FRAUDULENT BUSINESS PRACTICES!!

Ratings

Posted: 08/10/2009

Reviewed by: leorah (xxx.xxx.98.88)

I purchased MagicJack a few months ago and at first it worked great as long as I rebooted my modem weekly. In the last two months, the quality has degraded significantly. I could hear the people on the line okay, but they could not hear me that well, or not hear me at all after about 30 minutes into the conversation. Now when I make a phone call, they can't hear me at all. I did all of MagicJack's recommendations to fix audio and nothing worked. I tried to connect to their 'Live' chat line, which was more of a goose chase. Getting a hold of someone is near impossible and to the point where that small little plug in is going into the gargage. I am just happy that I purchased it for only one year.

Ratings

Posted: 05/29/2009

Reviewed by: FlaLawLib (xxx.xxx.203.73)

I purchased a Magic Jack this morning because I was looking for an alternative to relying solely on my cell phone or more expensive VOIP services or even more expensive landlines. I had read the other reviews on this site before I bought it and knew that there had been some negative reviews, but because of the price, I decided to try it. The instructions were clearly written and it was very easy to install. It took me longer to open the package than to install it. I have a dry loop DSL line with the slowest spped DSL service offered in my area and a basic DSL modem (no router). I have it plugged into a simple corded princess style phone, not a cordless phone. I'm sure that connection speed, wireless routers, and cordless phones can all cause interference which can affect the performance of the Magic Jack. So far, the quality of the connection on calls that I have made have been very good and it seems to be working exactly as advertised.

I haven't needed technical support, and yes, if I do have a problem at some point, limited technical support will be a disadvantage, but the limited technical support provided by Magic Jack is no different from other companies that I have encountered that offer computer software or services at very low cost. It doesn't make them deceptive or dishonest. Let's get real here; you get what you pay for and you have to be realistic in your expectations. Its a trade off. If they made technical support more readily available, they would have to raise the cost of the product and the cost of their service would be more like what other VOIP providers charge.

For the price, I think Magic Jack is a bargain. And no, I'm not employed by Magic Jack or otherwise affiliated with the company, don't have any friends or family members who are, and don't own stock or otherwise have a financial interest in the company. I just thought that out of fairness (and in an effort to assist others who might be having problems with their Magic Jacks), I should let everyone know that so far, at least, my experience has been positive. If I do have problems at a later time, I will post an update, but for right now, I'm a happy customer.

Ratings

Posted: 04/28/2009

Magicjack: Not for everyone

Reviewed by: Voip48396 (xxx.xxx.57.18)

I have had Magicjack for about one month and I am happy with it. I am fortunate to be tech-savvy and to have a good broadband connection, but I can see how people who expect it to work perfectly day-in/day-out, out-of-the-box, are going to be disappointed. I never had to call customer service, so I cannot rate that particular aspect. First, you need a very good Internet connection; many have momentary glitches that go unnoticed during ordinary surfing, but that can kill VoIP calls. Second, you need a service provider that does not block VoIP traffic. A Service Provider that also offers its own VoIP phone bundle has no interest in supporting VoIP service offered by a competitor: there are countless reports out there of ISP's intentionally degrading VoIP traffic from third parties; so an intensive 30-day trial is certainly in order. Third, some routers and firewalls will need tweaking, especially if you expect to receive calls with Magicjack. Finally, your Internet connection needs to have small lag times in addition to bandwidth and reliabilty, or you'll experience noticeable transmission delays. The voice quality has been excellent in my case, but be advised that the sound quality is set based upon the quality of your Internet connection. I view Magicjack as a perfect supplement to my cell phone: I use it only to make outgoing calls, when I expect these calls to be long ones. I tell people to call me on my cell phone, not my Magicjack number, as I do not want my XP computer to be on all the time. I have lowered my cell phone service to the cheapest plan and gotten rid of my POTS line. Thus, as a whole, I am saving a good deal of money.