Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
vnecaxa wrote:they were selling magicjacks for $29.95 thursday and friday. a hint that prices will start dropping?Nobody beats the Whiz! wrote:The increase seemed to happen just before Black Friday.Bill Smith wrote:When did a 5 year renewal increase to $69.95? I renewed last summer for $60. It is still very inexpensive.
Sleazy doesn't come close to describing the abominations that MJ has perpetrated over the years. Let me count the ways.....lenw wrote:Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.
In Canada I believe it is against the law to use negative billing practices. Auto-renew is not illegal unless the client is not advised of the change to their account.lenw wrote:Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
I was told that they don't currently have the ability to change to CDN phone numbers with an active account, but that might change in the coming weeks/months. I would like a CDN number too, so hopefully they update their online system.They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit.
You get what you pay for...I'm not overly impressed with the service. But at $4.67/month for the first year (all in with taxes and s&h), I'm not complaining too much about the call quality or consistency. It's a tenth of what a home phone costs.The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.
That may be true for the first renewal but what about next year? You would need to give them a card number for the first renewal. Canadian customers should remember the major issues with Rogers a few years back when they introduced this "negative billing" issue. They got hammered.Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit.
Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.
AFAIK MJ hasn't notified anyone yet. There's also no mention of it yet in their FAQ's/Knowledgebase that I can find.bfksc wrote: In Canada I believe it is against the law to use negative billing practices. Auto-renew is not illegal unless the client is not advised of the change to their account.
Yes, but anyone who either bought theirs directly from MJ, or manually renewed their license, has given it, and there doesn't appear to be any way to delete existing credit card information, only add it.bfksc wrote: Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.
I don't see an auto renew in my details. BTW the credit card I have on file will expire before my subscription is up. 
See my message from Dec. 1 - click on the "Details" button under "RENEWAL". They've made it inconspicuous so people won't notice.RDHeinz wrote:
Yes.BENNYG wrote:Does majic jack require intel processor on MAC computers?
I sure as hell am going to because I just got auto renewed after they told us that there would be no such thing. Filthy scum!lenw wrote:I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I urge others to do the same
From what I understand, when you purchase the MJ, your card is not registered.hughmbein wrote:Re: Auto Renew I have given MJ's (which were bought with a credit card) to a lot of people in the Islands. What's going to happen at renewal time ?
A. My credit card will be automatically charged ?
B, If they've bought "foreign" calls with their credit card ?
C. Their MJ stops working ?
D. Why the worry RE Auto Renew if you bought your MJ in a store for cash and have not used your credit card to buy foreign long distance on MagicJack ? In this case, Why Worry ?
Does this sound like Alfred E Neuman logic ?
Thanks for the good info
What bothers people is they did this without letting anyone know, they "snuck" in so to speak. So what about the people whose MJ's did not work and now their MJ resides in their desk drawers? They too will be renewed and some may not be, umm, savy enough to check their CC statement and now MJ has "free" money for a device no longer in use. One would imagine getting a refund is not worth the hassle since their tech support is not exactly swift.awg-jr wrote:Very strange to hear the vitriol on this board ... complaints to BBB and so forth. What do people want for $20/year?
I had the opposite concern of most. I wanted to be certain that my MagicJack *did* renew. MagicJack is the only phone in my house. I don't have a cell phone, and rarely Skype, so MagicJack is my only communication link.
With one year anniversary approaching, I preempted the autorenew by selecting the "Renew license for one year" option". It took me through a couple of steps, verifying my name, address. I did have a credit card on file, apparently, from having purchased International minutes recently. After following the steps, I see this message on my account screen:
RENEWAL - Your license is scheduled for auto-renewal on MARCH 28, 2011
My card was charged $19.95. Painless.
the product is a bargain, and it works ... it had issues early on, but they've been ironed out. Customer service is iffy, but what phone company's isn't? (Want to hear my tale of woe with AT&T?) A year of uninterrupted service speaks for itself.
That's cool that Ooma is working for you my concerns with them is their financial situation. They have mainly survived on VC up until now and if telo sales and premiere subscriptions don't pickup they may very well be the next Sunrocket. If you can find an Ooma on sale for less than $200 than if it lasts a year or so then the initial cost is taken care of. One big downside with Ooma is if it takes a dump then you have to buy a new one.Gear-Monkey wrote:I never gave magicjack my card number. I bought the unit from RadioShack. It expires July 21st 2010.
I just bought Ooma Core yesterday and wow... I should never have bought MagicJack to begin with. It's 100x better, more dependable, and as clear as my old landline.
Bad part of Ooma is the new Telo now charge $11.75/yr, while (Core) mine is lifetime free.
That said, MJ was fun. It got me into VOIP.
As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for" and I for one got a good dose of that!lenw wrote:Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.
I'm sorry I never did that. I disabled the auto-renew (and I agree, it is an unscrupulous way of doing business) and I am hoping it is not just there for decoration, if you will.Gear-Monkey wrote:I never gave magicjack my card number. I bought the unit from RadioShack. It expires July 21st 2010.
I just bought Ooma Core yesterday and wow... I should never have bought MagicJack to begin with. It's 100x better, more dependable, and as clear as my old landline.
Bad part of Ooma is the new Telo now charge $11.75/yr, while (Core) mine is lifetime free.
That said, MJ was fun. It got me into VOIP.
I agree with Joe... it's not so 'cheap' or "painless" if you are paying for something you're not getting. There are a lot of questionable issues with this device/program. What I don't like is the fact that you cannot SPEAK to a tech. Some clearly do not have a full command of the language as I have had to c/p several times before I got a response - the best being in chat with them for two hrs and they freeze up or you somehow disconnect them. I also don't like that they send you 'upgrades' or tell you to do things with your computer without explaining what their intentions are. Something isn't right. Too many red flags with this.bitstopjoe wrote:What bothers people is they did this without letting anyone know, they "snuck" in so to speak. So what about the people whose MJ's did not work and now their MJ resides in their desk drawers? They too will be renewed and some may not be, umm, savy enough to check their CC statement and now MJ has "free" money for a device no longer in use. One would imagine getting a refund is not worth the hassle since their tech support is not exactly swift.awg-jr wrote:Very strange to hear the vitriol on this board ... complaints to BBB and so forth. What do people want for $20/year?
I had the opposite concern of most. I wanted to be certain that my MagicJack *did* renew. MagicJack is the only phone in my house. I don't have a cell phone, and rarely Skype, so MagicJack is my only communication link.
With one year anniversary approaching, I preempted the autorenew by selecting the "Renew license for one year" option". It took me through a couple of steps, verifying my name, address. I did have a credit card on file, apparently, from having purchased International minutes recently. After following the steps, I see this message on my account screen:
RENEWAL - Your license is scheduled for auto-renewal on MARCH 28, 2011
My card was charged $19.95. Painless.
the product is a bargain, and it works ... it had issues early on, but they've been ironed out. Customer service is iffy, but what phone company's isn't? (Want to hear my tale of woe with AT&T?) A year of uninterrupted service speaks for itself.
It just comes across as sneaky tactic and not very business like.
Joe Sica
------------------------crackerjack wrote:Sleazy doesn't come close to describing the abominations that MJ has perpetrated over the years. Let me count the ways.....lenw wrote:Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.
Isn't this what every phone company does? They bill you indefinitely for their service. I have never seen a phone company ask you if you want to renew your service for the next month. They automatically renew and bill you. Why would people expect differently of MJ? I don't see how this is deceptive when it is and has been the norm for phone companies for decades.Davidchsw wrote: I am sure people are being billed for service when they are not using it and are unaware about the charges. This is pretty deceptive.
David
It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.Diggs wrote:Isn't this what every phone company does? They bill you indefinitely for their service. I have never seen a phone company ask you if you want to renew your service for the next month. They automatically renew and bill you. Why would people expect differently of MJ? I don't see how this is deceptive when it is and has been the norm for phone companies for decades.Davidchsw wrote: I am sure people are being billed for service when they are not using it and are unaware about the charges. This is pretty deceptive.
David
Where would you like them to tell everyone? It is plainly written in their TOCs which by far exceeds the knowledge base with can dos and can't dos. (It is a legal document unlike the knowledge base.) Why would you think they would delay updating as long as possible? Do you really think this is a deal breaker and someone won't purchase a MJ because the default is auto-renew? I don't understand the issue here. All phone companies auto-renew. I would be upset if my phone expired and got shut off because it didn't renew. Besides, they give you the option to turn off auto-renew. Guess change just won't work for some people.robatino wrote: It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.
The problem is not with new customers, but existing ones. AFAIK MJ only provides a copy of the TOS once, at signup, but not later, even if it changes. (I never got a copy of the revised TOS when auto-renew started. The only place I could find a copy is on a third party site, by googling.) YOU would be upset if your MJ didn't renew, but many people bought a MJ before auto-renew existed, stopped using it, and were never notified of auto-renew, a new TOS mentioning it, or that they were enrolled by default. They expected never to be charged again, since that was implied by the original TOS (the only one MJ ever sent them). It's not asking too much for MJ to contact customers when the TOS changes. All reputable companies do this. MJ has customer's email addresses so they could just use that at no cost to themselves.Diggs wrote:Where would you like them to tell everyone? It is plainly written in their TOCs which by far exceeds the knowledge base with can dos and can't dos. (It is a legal document unlike the knowledge base.) Why would you think they would delay updating as long as possible? Do you really think this is a deal breaker and someone won't purchase a MJ because the default is auto-renew? I don't understand the issue here. All phone companies auto-renew. I would be upset if my phone expired and got shut off because it didn't renew. Besides, they give you the option to turn off auto-renew. Guess change just won't work for some people.robatino wrote: It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.
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Found it! It sure is inconspicuous.
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The problem, Diggs, is that you are oversimplifying. You are looking at a single instance and basing your entire argument only on that one instance.Diggs wrote: I don't see how this is deceptive