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Internet Phone is another word for "VoIP" (Voice over Internet Protocol) or "Internet calling". Internet Phone is a great way for people to save money on their monthly phone bill.
magicJack is an extremely cheap VoIP provider that works by using your existing Internet connection to make and receive calls. magicJack provides a plug-and-play device (like a USB drive) that you can connect to your computer or high-speed modem to start making local and long-distance calls. You can use magicJack for as little as $19.95/year per line.
With the newest magicJack Plus system, you don't have to have your computer on at all times in order to receive a call.
Is magicJack worth it?
We recommend that anyone interested in buying a magicJack read the user reviews here first.
When I purchased Magic Jack device, I was promissed "FREE Local & Long Distance Calls". The same is mentioned on the main page of MagicJack.com. In the critical moment, when I tried to call to a clinic in my city with local number (605)-XXX-XXXX, a cheerful man's voice from Magic Jack recommended me to go to my.MagikJack.com and purchase some additional credit to make a call to this local number. I thought, probably it was only single exclusion. But, no. Most of my friends from my city are not available with Magic Jack too. The same reason.
I tried to clarify this question via Magic Jack chat service. I was explained that in fact not all local & long Distance Calls are free. Only SOME of local & long Distance Calls are free. Another part of numbers requires to purchase some additional credit from MagikJack. The assistant recommended me to read Terms and conditions of their service carefully. When I tried to ask, why MagicJacks's advertisement and promisses do not correspond to their service, the online assistant terminanted our chat session...
So, Magic Jack is not kind of company, you can trust in the critical moment.
Cheap.
Not all local numbers are free - some of local numbers require to purchase an addition credit from MagicJack.
No
MAGICJACK IS THE WORST PURCHASE I'VE EVER MADE
jminer
My callers could hear other people's conversations bleeding into ours.
Very often when specific people would call, I would get nothing but dead air but they were able to hear me going, "Hello...Hello...?" Then I would have to call them back.
Once, I had a memorial service at my house, so I had a lot of guests who had never been here, so on the invitations I gave instructions on how to use the call box in the lobby so that I could buzz them in. Half of those callers--including the Minister for the ceremony--called repeatedly and the phone never rang AND never showed on the call log. It happens quite a lot and makes me wonder how many other calls I've missed.
There is no Customer Service phone number, so I've spent hours at a time chatting online while one idiot after another tries to "troubleshoot" my problems. I keep telling them that the only reason I have to have a landline is because there's no cell service out here, but they repeatedly ask me to do things like call my phone number from a different phone, etc.
The MJ is set to EST and I'm on PST, so the timestamp on the calls was always 3 hours off, and the clock on the phone is also.
Certain phone numbers that I have saved into my phone handset's directory and assigned to a speed dial WILL NOT speed dial and require that I look up their number and dial it the old-fashioned way.
Sometimes that person on the other end can barely hear me at all, even though I'm speaking louder and louder. And I have a brand-new high-quality phone.
At times, I've either restarted my computer or the internet has flickered or gone out for a second and I've forgotten to reset the MJ, so I've gone for long periods before realizing that I have not had phone service. Anyone who's tried to call me during that time is not logged, so I have no idea.
Often the voice mail gets a glitch in it where it gives the menu options but will not play the messages.
It's cheap and you don't have a phone bill for a whole year
Nothing
No
Magic Jack - Not a magic carpet ride
Pedrogirl
I'm disabled and have to have 911 service. Now what do I do? If I call from my cell and can't communicate they won't know where I'm located. That means in an emergency that I could possibly die. Thanks MagicJack.
Cheap
Dropped calls, some people I call hear an echo, no 911 service!
No
MagicJack review--Don't Waiste your time and money!
carvin7
I bought an MJ plus, it is the worst piece of garbage I've purchased in as long as I remember. Dropped calls, distortion out of nowhere, inconvienence of local 10 digital dialing. Sometimes you need the 1, error messages, other parties voice will disappear, they call back and your circuits are busy, they can't get thru. Try using this for a job interview, NOT! No call forwarding, Caller Id doesn't show peoples names, just the phone number twice, why do we need that? Customer service if U can find someone to talk to. this is a horrible product! Will not renew at end of my year. I have great internet fast connection, never had a problem with my cable co phone, ever! Charge you to keep your old phone number, and then if U ever drop service there's a charge to port U to new provider! This PRODUCT IS TERRIBLE!
Better than nothing, Nothing won't cause aggrevation.
Unreliable, constantly cutting off calls. no call forwarding, 10 digit local number required, distortion, Cost money to keep your number, cost money to port number to another service, Gives other parties busy signal. Caller ID only shows number, not name. Customer service is terrible, no one to call and talk to.
No
MAGICJACK eventually will CHARGE BY THE MINUTE FOR CALL FORWARDING & $30 TO PORT A NUMBER OUT I PORTED IN!? SCAMMERS!
David Breaux
Customer service is a absolute joke! It will piss of the pope! I don't care who you are it sux the worst!
Now after a year having my ported number forwarded with there service they now say forwarding is not available for my area code!
The web site says it is available for a limited amount of time per month for either $5 or $20 dollars!
And the alloted time wont be enough that easy to see!
Anyway since when is there any drain on a phone provider to forward calls?
That's clearly BS!
They are out to magically jack you with service fees based on the service you may use or come to need!
They suck!
This review website sux what's this 25 word BS?
Put crap like that at the beginning @$$ holes!giles
Initially the start up was good, the price and function all ok, but now second year renew and I learn call forwarding in now not available? FREE, A FEE SO IT LOOKS THAT'S SURE TO RUN SHORT EVERY MONTH, OR JUST STOP WORKING?
If it works at all for you they will be studying your use and start charging you based on how you use it! I forwarded the calls full time. Now they say its not available! But the website says it is for a pay up front charge that covers a by the minute per month use that amounts to no good deal and $5 a month more!
No
magic jack
VoipReview Staff
don't even think to transfer your service to magic jack , I have big problem there are isn't phone # for a customer service at all and my phone is not working I have to reboot the device 5-6 times a day
price is not bad
No
MagickJack - no customer service, only worked for a year
Juanpablosalinaso
It only worked for a year. Then, when I tried to upgrade it, they told me my account was under review, and that they would fix my account soon. That was two years ago. After a two months wait, I bought a new one. One year later, same thing. I bought still a third one, and again, cannot renew it.
I chatted for an hour (the only customer support they have) and solved nothing.
DON'T BUY IT.
Price
Sound
Customer service is abusive
Billing department is abusive
No
Magic Jack's Very Poor Quality
luceyg
Performance worsened after Magic Jack was redesigned to operate without the PC running. I rely upon a cell phone and keep Magic Jack as a house phone only because of the low cost. Quality has become so poor that I may abandon it.
I never miss messages since they are automatically saved in my email.
The ability to use the phone when the computer is not running is important.
The ability to use the router to have extensions in every room is useful.
The low cost is the primary attraction
The reception is sometimes good, but most often it is lousy because I hear clicks and broken sentences, whereas on the other end there are beeps like the pressing of buttons on the keypad. Sentences often have to be repeated because of the beeps.
No
MagicJack extorts $$ from customers trying to leave their service.
Dennis55
You can see I was angry after fighting with them for two days over charging me to port out my number because they suddenly cancelled the call forwarding feature. I need this feature for my business.
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Rodney'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK1115301121147X
Rodney: Hello, how may I help you?
Dennis: Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Benjamin' Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK1115301119737X
Benjamin: Hello, how may I help you?
Dennis: Hi, I just asked for my MJ number to be ported out to another carrier and I received a bill from MJ for $30. What is that for? I just paid for another year's renewal of my account.
Benjamin: I see. I'm glad to assist you with that. Benjamin: May I have your phone number and email registered to magicJack, please?
Dennis: XXX-XXX-XXXX, [email protected]
Benjamin: Thank you. Benjamin: Be informed that magicJack incurs a port-out fee of $30.00, Dennis.
Dennis: Why, when I just paid you $30 for renewing my account just to re-port it?
Benjamin: The $29.95 is for the renewal of your magicJack device subscription, Dennis.
Dennis: Yes, I was forced to do that in order to re-port that number. Now you want another $30?
Benjamin: One moment please... Benjamin: I am transferring you to one of our top 10% agents as rated by our customers. Please hold while I transfer you. Please wait while I transfer the chat to the best suited site operator.
You are now chatting with 'Nigel' Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK1115301119737X
Nigel: Hello. My name is Nigel. To better assist you, let me put you on hold while I read your previous chat/s. Thank you.
Nigel: Thank you for waiting.
Nigel: You need to pay for that, Dennis to complete the port out request.
Dennis: Why? The reason I am re-porting is because MJ took away the call forwarding feature which I paid for in the first place. Now I have to find another carrier that will do call forwarding. This is not a fair way to treat your customers. Looks like extortion to me!
Nigel: I apologize Dennis but that is how the magicJack system was set-up. In as much as I would love to help you on this matter, however my resources are also limited.
Dennis: Well, I will have to pay it just to get away from you guys, but it looks like extortion. I was a long standing customer of MJ but no more, and I won't be recommending MJ to anyone who asks, that is sure!
Nigel: I know where you're coming from and I know that this is really frustrating. However, my resources are also limited. Rest assured that I will personally escalate your queries to the right department.
Dennis: Is Nigel saying that I should hold off and not pay until this is resolved?
Rodney: Please wait while I check that for you
Rodney: Thank you for waiting, Dennis.
Rodney: May I ask when did this problem start?
Dennis: I went to renew my subscription with MJ and suddenly my call forwarding no longer worked. So I checked on it and the feature had disappeared from the MJ control panel. When I inquired about it I was told that it is no longer available. The only way I can now get this number to call forward is to port it out to another carrier. But now it looks like MJ is going to penalize me for that when I would not have been trying to leave MJ in the first place if they had not cancelled the key feature that I signed up for.
Dennis: This is patently unfair and not the right way to treat loyal customers.
Rodney: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
Rodney: Thank you for that infomration.
Rodney: Let me assist you with that,
Rodney: ?Can you provide me with your magicJack phone number
Dennis: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Rodney: Thank you, Dennis.
Rodney: Please wait while I check that for you
Rodney: Thank you for waiting.
Rodney: We understand how important the magicJack call forwarding feature is. However, the feature is unavailable at this time. We don't presently have any further details about this matter. We do expect the feature to be available again in the near future. Please check our website periodically for updates.
Dennis: Are you going to charge me for re-porting because you can no longer give me the service that I paid for?
Rodney: Is that for porting from magicJack to magicJack Plus or from a non magicJack to magicJack device?
Dennis: No it is to another carrier that offers that feature.
Rodney: I see.
Rodney: You will be charged for $19.99 plus a 7.8% regulatory fee if you wish to port your number.
Dennis: Read the script above. This is actually the 4th time I have been talking to y'all about this.
Rodney: One moment please...
Rodney: I am transferring you to one of our top 10% agents as rated by our customers. Please hold while I transfer you.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to the best suited site operator.
You are now chatting with 'Felyn'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK1115301121147X
Dennis: That is not what the email that I received from you said. It said that I have to pay a $30 fee to re-port.
Felyn: Hello. My name is Marykate. To better assist you, let me put you on hold while I read your previous chat/s. Thank you.
Felyn: Thank you for waiting, Dennis.
Dennis: Rodney, Nigel, Benjamin, Feylyn, now who?
Felyn: If you want to "port out" a magicJack number to other phone carriers, there will be a $30 port out fee.
Felyn:
We have received a request that you would like to Port your number to another carrier. We are sorry to lose you as a customer. Please click here ( http://my.magicjack.com/portoutrequest.html?accountid=14306463&rsubscrib... ) to complete the port out process.
Dennis: Can you please read the previous transcript?!!! Do I have to go through all this again? The reason I am re-porting is because YOU have taken away the call forwarding feature. It was nothing I did! I have to move to another carrier to get this feature. This is extortion!!!
Dennis: I paid for that feature, now you have removed it, and now you want to charge me to go somewhere else! This is unbelievable.
Dennis: I was a loyal customer, but no more. I will not ever use MJ again, the way I was treated, and I will tell everyone I know about this!
Felyn:
We understand how important the magicJack call forwarding feature is. However, the feature is unavailable at this time. We don't presently have any further details about this matter. We do expect the feature to be available again in the near future. Please check our website periodically for updates.
You may download the magicJack app for your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android phones. You can use the same phone number and it that way, you will still receive calls even if you are not located in the same location with your magicJack device.
Dennis: Don't give me that standard answer. Look at what Nigel said and respond to that please.
Dennis: I have a Blackberry. We went through all this yesterday.
Felyn: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Felyn: I fully understand how you feel. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for it as this kind of process is system generated.
Dennis: You can escalate this to a decision maker. This is really unfair, and the way I feel about it right now after two days of fighting with you guys, is that I will not keep silent about this. I will make this public. I really feel like MJ is extorting this money from me and has treated a longstanding loyal customer very unfairly!
Felyn: I will be right with you.
Felyn: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
Felyn: Customer Contract
To view the Terms of Service (TOS) click here or visit http://www.magicjack.com/tos/.
Dennis: Ok, that confirms that Magic Jack is a company that does not care about their loyal customers. You have just put the nail in the coffin on this issue. I will follow through with my reviews of your service and it will not be complimentary!
Felyn: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Felyn: I respect and appreciate your sentiments because I would feel the same way if I was on your shoes. However, please understand that a company policy is a policy that we need to follow at all times.
Dennis: I will be posting this transcript online.
Felyn: I will be right with you.
Felyn: Alright.
Innovative product
Company does not value their customers.
No
Magic JACK Deceitful
Dennis_Brother
I can say for the most part I was happy with the original magic with all it's shortcomings. I bought a HP Thin-client to keep service running 24/7 without having to keep my full-blown computer running. Have had problems with the HP TC crashing at times and having to nurse the system back up. Don't know if the MJ is causing it. I was pleased enough at the onset, that I bought 5 yrs extra when it was $69.95 for the full 5 yrs. The reason I did not buy the MJ-Plus was because they would not transfer my extra years to the new device and it sounded like they'd even charge me extra to "port" my original MJ number to the MJ plus on top of losing all my prepaid years. That was the first stench that emanated from Magic Jack as being a sleazy business.
The next foul air came from them blocking certain numbers. When I ported my Tmobile number to NetTalk (similar to MJ but run by an ethical company) MagicJack blocked calls to my NetTalk (same number that worked when it rang my cell phone.) So my terminally ill brother could no longer call me on the number I had been using for decades (originally Qwest wireless, then Tmobile and now NetTalk). SO I had to get a monthly cell plan for my brother so he could call me when he wanted.(Had I realized it earlier I could have set up a Google Voice number to forward the calls via a number that MJ wouldn't be blocking, but it's too late now.) Plus they can't tell you how much each minute would cost, if you bought prepaid minutes (which I refused to do on principle), even thought obviously their system must "know" the cost to be able to debit your prepaid balance. Another SLEAZY business practice.
The next (and probably penultimate straw) was when their CALL FORWARDING option disappeared off their website. For a while there was a "work around" web page you could go to if you were lucky enough to find out how to reach it. The work around has since disappeared. Well luckily we were able to set up CF to his cell phone because he was in and out of the hospital so much. Then I learned that forwarding to a non-MJ number for more than two weeks violated their TOS and could result in his number being cancelled with no recourse (as no problems ever get solved by their abysmal excuse for customer service which consists of people who can barely communicate in English "chatting with you" giving you endless vague non-answers and eventually offering to send you over to "one of our top 10%" agents who is probably just another peon like the one you just got fed up with. For all I know their "agents" are merely bots posing as humans.
If you do decide to port a number from MJ, you will have to find out your "MJ account number" so you will have to go to online chat to get it. (It was pretty easy to get, which surprised me.) Then your "PIN" is your login password but they converted all letters to uppercase, which is why my original port request failed. Luckily I was able to talk to a TMobile porting agent who helped me get the stalled port moving. When we finally got the porting data correctly submitted to MJ, the TM rep said OK it should be completed in 24 hours. Then he said "That's strange, they have put a 3 day delay on the port completion date." So I knew it would be completed by the 3rd day.
Meanwhile, Magic Jack sends me an URGENT email telling me I have to pay $30 plus "fees" of another $2 to 3 to "complete" my porting out. Well I already knew the date of completion, so I ignored the email and didn't pay the $30 bucks. My port went fine but too late from my brother, thanks to the 3 day sleaze-ball attempt to extort 30 bucks from the fed up customer. And once Magic Jack has your money, you'll never get it back.
The icing on the cake was when the founder of MagicJack was quoted calling his prime competitor NetTalk "a piece of Sh*t". That's got to be the epitome of sleaze!
it's cheap and as longs as it works OK from the start, you only call large cities and NEVER need customer service you'll probably rave about
Porting your number will cost you $20 + "fees" plus $10 extra a year to keep it and they'll try to extort another $30 + fees to port your number out of their system (They can't make you pay it, your port will proceed without paying the $30) they exclude certain numbers from your "free calling" which will require "prepaid" minutes... their customer service is a complete joke, they arbitrarily cancel your service for violating their TOS, but can't tell you why. Their website is a circus and looks like it was designed by a seven-year-old
A magicJack is a small device that allows you to make Internet phone calls for cheap prices.
As of 2016, magicJack Express costs $39.95 plus shipping and handling. You get 3 months of free unlimited calling to the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Additional years cost $35.
How does magicJack work?
One of magicJack's top selling points is its ease of installation.
Plug your phone into the magicJack
Plug the magicJack into your computer
Start making calls
Is there a special magicJack phone?
Nope! The magicJack device is what's known in the industry as an analog telephone adapter (ATA). You won't need a special phone in order to use magicJack.
What do you think of magicJack?
Many users have had a variety of issues with magicJack (as evidenced by the reviews). However, here are a couple of advantages of magicJack:
1. Lowest Monthly Rates
Setting aside the fact that the first 6 months of phone service with magicJack are absolutely free, monthly rates are available for as little as $3.00 per month. Prices like that are extremely hard to complain about, and even some of our most scathing magicJack reviews still rate magicJack with 5 stars in the price category.
2. Cheap Equipment
Any way you slice it, $39.95 is a great price to pay for the complete setup of a VoIP phone service that uses your existing phones. Other VoIP companies require specialized IP phones that can cost over $100, and an ATA adapter alone is often more than $50.
Even if the device runs into a problem and needs to be replaced, the low cost takes most of the sting out of a new purchase. In fact, with the money you'll save with magicJack's low monthly rate, the device practically pays for itself.
3. Easy to Use
MagicJack is designed for people who have never heard of VoIP in the first place, and want a simple plug-and-play device that works right away. That's exactly what magicJack offers, and the new magicJack PLUS offers even more options. The old device required a constant connection to a computer to work, but the new one only needs to do so once to register. After that, just plug it into the wall and feel free to shut the computer off. The video below outlines how to use magicJack without a computer.
Previously the magicJack software was been reported by some as very difficult to remove. MagicJack software now comes with an easier to access uninstall option, so this point is no longer valid.
MagicJack Customer Service
Unfortunately, magicJack does not have a customer service hotline. That means that the only way to resolve a service issue is through a high-traffic chat room, which occasionally has a slow response time as a result. Fortunately, the device is easy to install, so you'll likely never need the support. If you run into trouble, our best advice is to be patient with the chat, and see if the issue lies with your router configuration or Internet speed in the meantime.
If everything checks out and the chat system seems frustrating, just try doing something else for a while and wait for the chat system to get back to you. You can watch one of the many fan-made YouTube videos for magicJack support, try one of the links below to see if your issue is answered there, or even take care of checking your email while you wait. Sometimes, the best option is to simply wait a few hours for the peak traffic to die down, so that the support team has more time to dedicate to your needs. Either way, spending an hour or two researching and fixing any issues with the magicJack adapter is definitely worth the amount of money that you're saving with .
Third-party magicJack Support
There are also some helpful blogs out there on the web that cover how to use magicJack if you still encounter trouble.
Overall Analysis
In the end, and despite the issues that customers raise about magicJack service, we feel that magicJack offers a very low priced Residential VoIP service, especially for someone new to VoIP. However, there are a lot of negative customer reviews you should take into consideration. The extremely low monthly rate for unlimited phone calls is impossible to ignore, and the ease of installation further makes the case that magicJack's barebones VoIP service is one of the best in the industry.!
Don't take our word for it. We've got over 100 magicJack reviews for real magicJack customers. See what magicJack users have to say.
If you have used magicJack, here's you should do: Write a review. We could use your voice on our website.
Have something to say? Leave a comment about magicJack.
Have you used magicJack's service? Write a review. You can help other prospective customers make a good decision.
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