My Review, thumbs down

[Rollinthunder]

I'd like to make one observation about MagicJack.

First, without this forum, I would have returned MJ long ago. There are several tips/tweaks/hacks to improve the quality.

I never had to perform any of these tweaks/hacks with Vonage. Vonage worked great for 6 years, only a few minor issues.

Like everyone else, I switched to MJ to save some money, because we mostly use cellular, and it is nice to have a home phone.

Anyhow, my point is this, I consider myself a very technical MJ user, who is capable of doing all the stuff listed on this site. I still feel, while much improved, my service is 'OK' at best.

What happens to all the people that are buying this thing, and are not technically savvy?

Anyhow, my 2 cents. If they stop allowing the tweaks/hacks, then they officially will have no customer base, and will therefore fail.

[mberlant]

You've read it here before, but it bears repeating. One of the ways that prices are kept low is that MJ's cost model expects many subscribers to abandon the service after the return window and before the expiration of the term. They also expect that most people who abandon the service will judge that it would cost more than $40 worth of effort to chase after a $40 refund after the return month has passed, so they don't push for the refund.

As for allowing or not allowing tweaks and hacks, I truly believe that our band of merry men and women is almost lost in the noise to MJ. Just as in any other actuarial exercise, they have estimated that a certain [large] percentage of the customer base will have no problems, that another percentage will abandon the product, that some smaller percentage will have problems that can be solved by chat, and that some percentage will do what we are doing.

As long as we don't grow as a group or do something outrageous to upset the balance, I believe they will continue to let us play.

I also believe that MJ people lurk here in the hopes of learning something that will help them earn more money or reduce their costs. For example, I believe that they modified the FAQ entry on intra-Area Code call pricing due to discussions on this forum.

[Rollinthunder]

Agreed, and well put!

Thanks for the reply.

[hsweiss]

What happens to all the people that are buying this thing, and are not technically savvy?

I can't agree with you more! I have had MJ for a year and I've experienced lots of ups and downs with service. Horrible echo, noise, dropped calls, low volume, stutter ringing, stutter audio, drop-outs (hey, why the heck did I keep this thing??). But most of these problems have gone away - if not 100% of the time, then about 95% of the time. Of course, being able to make changes to the system setup, changing proxy servers, etc has helped make this a usable device.

In the past I have recommended MJ to other 'geeks.' But I have NOT recommended it to anyone who barely understands where the PC power switch is (e.g., my brother-in-law). For the 'common' pc users this is not a viable product unless they have a 'geek' they can call on to help sort out the rot. And of course magicJack/YMAX has been less than forthcoming and less than open about anything with respect to the product. They hide behind a "Ronco" like web site with scripted customer service chat reps in the Philippines. The only thing that keeps customers is the price. If Sprint would drop their price to MJ prices I suspect that they would not have lost 1.3M subscribers last quarter. People will put up with crap as long as its cheap enough.

[mberlant]

People will put up with crap as long as its cheap enough.

MJ is very close to the bottom of the "price vs. crap" economic curve. My threshold for crap is rather large at this price.

[dgo1369]

I'm NOT a computer geek, although I can get around one without too much trouble. I've had my MJ for about three months without any problems and have been very happy with it. I'm not really sure what difference it makes how computer "smart" one must be to use MJ or what it matters anyway. All I care is that it works and mine does.

I bought mine to replace the landline, but had already decided that if it doesn't work as well as I wanted I would simply use my cell phone. That is still my fall back position, but for now all is good.

[bass420]

the magicjack is so bad i got a diff one and i was having the same problem. right off the bat. so i'm getting my money back, because i got it at radio shack. and i've singed up for vonage. so good luck to all of u. i wont be back here again.

[mberlant]

I'm NOT a computer geek, although I can get around one without too much trouble. I've had my MJ for about three months without any problems and have been very happy with it. I'm not really sure what difference it makes how computer "smart" one must be to use MJ or what it matters anyway. All I care is that it works and mine does.

My guess is that you are the exact demographic that MJ is marketing to. I believe that the vast majority of MJ customers are just like you. They have enough familiarity with a PC to successfully install; they have a PC unencumbered with "stuff" that might "stuff up" the installation; and they have an ISP delivering enough bandwidth.

As you have no doubt realized, people who are generally satisfied (like you) rarely find their way to this kind of a forum.

[dgo1369]

I'm NOT a computer geek, although I can get around one without too much trouble. I've had my MJ for about three months without any problems and have been very happy with it. I'm not really sure what difference it makes how computer "smart" one must be to use MJ or what it matters anyway. All I care is that it works and mine does.

My guess is that you are the exact demographic that MJ is marketing to. I believe that the vast majority of MJ customers are just like you. They have enough familiarity with a PC to successfully install; they have a PC unencumbered with "stuff" that might "stuff up" the installation; and they have an ISP delivering enough bandwidth.

As you have no doubt realized, people who are generally satisfied (like you) rarely find their way to this kind of a forum.

I agree that I'm the demographic that MJ is seeking. That is good, smart marketing.

Your last sentence seems extremely elitist and snobbish. I found this forum originally because I wanted to get info, pros/cons, about MJ. I did my fair share of due diligence, tried to separate the wheat from the chaff regarding to those who liked and those who disliked MJ and then decided to go for it, knowing that the probability of me staying with it was probably 50/50 at best. One thing I discovered very quickly was the self-proclaimed geeks (descriptions by those on this forum, not me) were nearly unanimously opposed to MJ for primarily technical reasons. Since I wasn't concerned with the technical workings of MJ (is anyone worried about the same for their landline - I think not), again I'm fine with it.

If you - and others - feel that MJ/computer neophytes should not be on this forum, there should be a warning prior to actually entering a thread that we are not welcome. Hopefully, I've misinterpreted your meaning. It makes no difference to me one way or the other as I'll be back as often as I want and contribute - or not - as I see appropriate.

[Matt9876]

This morning all calls dialed out revert back to a dial tone,incoming calls not working also. I can see how some could be very upset with MJ service.

Good thing I also have a cell phone.

[mberlant]

If you - and others - feel that MJ/computer neophytes should not be on this forum, there should be a warning prior to actually entering a thread that we are not welcome.

That was not my attitude at all, and I am sorry if it could be taken that way. The statistical fact is that most people find their way to a forum like this because they have a problem that cannot be solved by mainstream methods.

In the case of MJ, being at the very bottom of the "price vs. crap" curve and having very limited Customer Service, most of the people here arrived with a problem that needed a solution. Some left once having gotten their solution, some stayed to explore and expand, some to help the next guy, and some for the camaraderie.

The fact that you got here despite not having a particular problem is simply proof that there are no tautologies in statistics. Enjoy the ride.

[dgo1369]

If you - and others - feel that MJ/computer neophytes should not be on this forum, there should be a warning prior to actually entering a thread that we are not welcome.

That was not my attitude at all, and I am sorry if it could be taken that way. The statistical fact is that most people find their way to a forum like this because they have a problem that cannot be solved by mainstream methods.

In the case of MJ, being at the very bottom of the "price vs. crap" curve and having very limited Customer Service, most of the people here arrived with a problem that needed a solution. Some left once having gotten their solution, some stayed to explore and expand, some to help the next guy, and some for the camaraderie.

The fact that you got here despite not having a particular problem is simply proof that there are no tautologies in statistics. Enjoy the ride.

I'm glad that I misinterpreted your statement and I appreciate your clearing it up for me.

I'm one of those who came here to learn, to help others like myself and just to enjoy others. I belong to several other forums not at all related to MJ and enjoy them all.

It's been a zillion years since I had to refer to the dictionary for the definition of a word (tautology), thanks for making me use my mind for a change. Statistics was never one of my favorite subjects!

[2088bob]

It sucks for Canada

[VaHam]

I have noticed drastic differences in performance of MJ when used on different computers even on the same home network. Desktops and laptops where other tasks and software are being used usually require some tweaking to get satisfactory results and since things change on them so does the performance of MJ which leads to more tweaks.

On the other hand the MJ's I run on their own dedicated Thin Clients seem to just work as solid as my regular old POTS line does.

I think the message here is it doesn't require a high end computer to run MJ but if you want consistent results then running it on a quasi static computer without other tasks is the way to go.

[cdwaldron]

2088bob,

As you are someone who hasn't bought an MJ, your opinions need to be taken with a grain of salt. It is difficult to take your post in the "Reviews" section any more seriously than your babbling in the "Rants & Raves" section. May I respectfully suggest that you keep your posts to the "Rants and Raves" until you actually own an MJ and have some real basis for a "Review".

[aaronwt]

I've run MJ on several PCs(two winxP, two Vista 32bit, and three Vista 64bit). I've never had any problems. I just plugged it in and in a few minutes I could make calls. It doesn't get any easier than that.
It has been worth every Penny.

[Anne]

So far so good with my MJ as well; I hope if a problem occurs, someone will help me and keep any remedies in simple terms.

I am happy to have access to this forum, too.

Thanks to everyone -

Anne

[mlportersr]

Right now I am temporarily living in a basement apartment and the cell coverage is basically non-existent. A while back I was watching yet anther one of MagicJack's hokey TV commercials and thought $40 bucks - how much could I lose? So I logged on and got one and danged if the commercial wasn't right: You just plug the sucker in and it works...

Oh there have been teething problems, like I typically used to connect to the Internet through my wireless connection - not good. Plug a wire in and 99% of the problems go away. In short, it has been way more than I expected for $40 bucks! Another issue was that at times it seemed like calls weren't going through. I would call one number and it wouldn't work, try a different number and no problems - then I discovered that the MagicJack doesn't return call-progress tones - like busy signals. Rather than getting a busy signal, the connection simple times out after 15 sec or so and drops back to a dialtone. Fine, I can live with that...

Concerning the tech support, I can't believe all the whining! At least they HAVE tech support. Ever try getting hold of Microsoft? Good luck and I have given them WAY more than $40. Actually I find chatting with their tech support fun, you get to talk to someone in a far-away land and help them learn English... javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

Mike...

[maine-iac]

Actually I find chatting with their tech support fun, you get to talk to someone in a far-away land and help them learn English... javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

That's the spirit!

[Anne]

I agree, that's the spirit.

Working as tech support for MJ has to be an act of desperation considering the abuse that's dished out on line to them; it wouldn't be tolerated in a brick and mortar.

Anne

[hsweiss]

Concerning the tech support, I can't believe all the whining! At least they HAVE tech support. Ever try getting hold of Microsoft? Good luck and I have given them WAY more than $40. Actually I find chatting with their tech support fun, you get to talk to someone in a far-away land and help them learn English... javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

Mike...

Actually, off-topic - I had a Microsoft problem a few months ago with Automatic Updates vs. Windows Update website. One said there were no updates needed whereas the other said I needed a ton of updates. I sent email to Microsoft tech support and I couldn't have had a better customer support experience, albeit via email. They assigned a specific person for me to exchange info with and when I didn't try something quick enough, he actually sent me email to check up on me! I was truly shocked. He was even helpful but I decided to not take his advice and just bite the bullet and apply service pack 3 rather than fool around anymore with SP2 updates that had gotten out of sync somehow.