Porting out from Magic Jack

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:05 pm

MJ not only keeps on demanding $ 30.- for porting your number OUT to another provider, they even became slicker than before.
Now, they will send you an email where you have to confirm your port and fill out an information sheet. Part of it is your credit card information. If you do that you WILL be charged the 30 $.
MJ cannot charge you anything for port out.Completely illegal. Ignore this e-mail. They will put your port on hold for a couple of days and then proceed with the port. Just be patient.
BTW, you MJ number which you see when you log on your MJ is not your account number. To get your account number which you will need for your new carrier in order to get the port processed you have to contact MJ customer service. You will also need your account password and the exact address you registered MJ with.

ljsmom · Post by **ljsmom** » Thu May 03, 2012 3:52 pm

Thanks for posting this information. Now I did want to know about porting to GV. I already have a GV #, but I want to port my MJ# over. How can I do this?

redpepper · Post by **redpepper** » Thu May 03, 2012 4:56 pm

If you still have a little time left on your MJ subscription an alternative option would be to login to your MJ account and forward your existing MJ number to your GV number. This gives you a little time to start letting people know your GV number while your existing MJ number finishes expiring.

Once you start actually using Google Voice for your outgoing calls the people you call will also see your Google Voice number appear on their phone displays. Just remind them to store your new number on their phone.

crackerjack · Post by **crackerjack** » Fri May 04, 2012 12:25 am

[quote="ljsmom"]Thanks for posting this information. Now I did want to know about porting to GV. I already have a GV #, but I want to port my MJ# Not possible to port into GV without a cell phone account as intermediary. I would suggest get some type of gsm phone and make a $.99 purchase from tmobile.com of a new sim card which includes an activation code and 30 minutes of talk time. Insert tmobile sim card into phone and call tmobile prepaid to activate your phone. Ask to have your MJ number ported to your new tmobile acct. After this port completes, log onto your GV account and pay $20 to port your tmobile number to a new GV account. Steadfastly ignore any illegitimate demand from MJ to pay $30 bucks 'port out' fee.
Should all be done within 5 days.

crackerjack · Post by **crackerjack** » Fri May 04, 2012 12:26 am

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Fri May 04, 2012 8:51 pm

Should all be done within 5 days.

It should. Unfortunately, in many cases it does not happen . And there is no one on GV side you could talk to. I ended up calling Amex and getting my money back.

black_icon · Post by **black_icon** » Sat May 05, 2012 7:54 pm

It's possible that MJ company is strictly implementing their company's policies and protocols. Just an idea...

firefoxsilver9 · Post by **firefoxsilver9** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:23 pm

im porting my number from MJ to voip.ms and the FOC date is on the 20th, same day my MJ service is set to expire. the voip.ms rep said there shouldnt be any issue as they've done this in the past. i got an email from MJ who sent me to a website to complete the porting and its asking for a credit card. should i ignore it or will it cause issues if i dont pay the port out fee?

Post by **laserjobs** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:41 pm

firefoxsilver9 wrote:im porting my number from MJ to voip.ms and the FOC date is on the 20th, same day my MJ service is set to expire. the voip.ms rep said there shouldnt be any issue as they've done this in the past. i got an email from MJ who sent me to a website to complete the porting and its asking for a credit card. should i ignore it or will it cause issues if i dont pay the port out fee?

IGNORE THE PORT OUT FEE

firefoxsilver9 · Post by **firefoxsilver9** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:42 pm

laserjobs wrote:
firefoxsilver9 wrote:im porting my number from MJ to voip.ms and the FOC date is on the 20th, same day my MJ service is set to expire. the voip.ms rep said there shouldnt be any issue as they've done this in the past. i got an email from MJ who sent me to a website to complete the porting and its asking for a credit card. should i ignore it or will it cause issues if i dont pay the port out fee?
IGNORE THE PORT OUT FEE

will it delay the port date? my concern is that my service will expire before the port gets done and then i lose my number

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:47 am

It will not, at least it did not in my case, however, it's the crooked MJ, so you never know.

firefoxsilver9 · Post by **firefoxsilver9** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:08 pm

well today was the day. The number did port successfully without me paying MJ a dime. Had a hiccup where i could make outbound calls but not inbound ones but that was resolved with a quick change in my voip.ms account settings.

MJsupport · Post by **MJsupport** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:26 pm

There is a $9.95 annual cost for keeping your ported number in addition to the $29.95 annual fee. I am going to NetTalk and requested that my number be ported out of MJ to NetTalk. MJ has sent an email requesting a $30.00 fee to transfer the number out on MJ. THIS IS ILLEGAL according to the FCC. Do not pay the $30.00, you will not see that money again. File a complaint with BBB and FCC. URL for FCC information: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/portability-k ... -providers

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:03 am

MJsupport wrote: MJ has sent an email requesting a $30.00 fee to transfer the number out on MJ. THIS IS ILLEGAL according to the FCC.

I think you're wrong. I didn't see anything in your link about it being illegal to charge a fee for this. In fact it says:

Companies may charge their customers fees to recover the costs that they incur in providing number portability. Fees may vary between companies, and some companies may not charge any fees.

It does say that they can cannot refuse to port because you don't pay the fee. But that is a HUGE difference in it being illegal for them to bill you for it.

The fact that it would be illegal to hold up the port is probably why it has been mentioned MANY times in this forum to ignore the fee request, don't pay it and the port will go through anyway.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:21 pm

It does say that they can cannot refuse to port because you don't pay the fee. But that is a HUGE difference in it being illegal for them to bill you for it.

I believe- and so do IMO most telcos- that it was the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal, although the language is neither clear or strong enough. For this reason IMO most companies do not attempt to charge such port out fees, not even those providers who could easily collect after a completed port.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:18 pm

cell14 wrote:I believe- and so do IMO most telcos- that it was the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal, although the language is neither clear or strong enough. For this reason IMO most companies do not attempt to charge such port out fees, not even those providers who could easily collect after a completed port.

Based on what? After more research on the issue, I think you are wrong as well, but whatever.

I found examples of companies charging and other companies offering to pay the port fee that was being charged on port-out fees.

I would love to see any actual links to sources, where it is anything but forum posts, saying the FCC actually "thinks" it's illegal. If they think something is illegal, they certainly are not shy about putting a stop to it.

And apparently Google doesn't agree either. They are charging a huge $3 fee to port out:

http://support.google.com/voice/bin/ans ... er=1316844

The fee doesn't apply if you ported your mobile number in, but it is a port-out fee nonetheless. And looks like they lock your number down until you pay the $3. You do have to give them credit for being creative. They "lock" your number down to prevent it from being ported without your consent.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:12 pm

I would love to see any actual links to sources, where it is anything but forum posts, saying the FCC actually "thinks" it's illegal. If they think something is illegal, they certainly are not shy about putting a stop to it.

I did not say that they"think" that it is illegal.
The problem here is that if they though that it WAS LEGAL,without regulating the amount to be charged,a company could simply impose a $ 1000 port out fee ( show me something which would make THAT illegal) and by the virtue of that make port OUT effectively impossible. That certainly was NOT the FCC intent.
Google's position is that they are not a telecom company, that they provide a free service and they own the numbers so if you did not port in your number from elsewhere they may try to sell it to you/charge for it. Whether impeding your port out for non payment is something Google in their specific situation can get in troubles with I do not know.I certainly will not sue them if I ever need a port . It is a fully free service which makes it different. What might be more of a problem are some reports that there are issues with former GV numbers after a port out.
Oh, maybe you want to attach the list of companies which charge and effectively collect port out fees.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:27 pm

Ohhhhh....I gotcha. It was the "the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal", but they just don't "think" it's illegal. Explain to me that difference. You should be a politician with the double-speak.

And MagicJack doesn't consider themselves a telecom company either, so what difference does that make? And although Google feels that way, they certainly backed off blocking whole exchanges when the FCC called them on the carpet on it. Something MagicJack continues to do, apparently at will.

If the FCC considered port-out fees to be illegal, or intended them to be illegal, it would take them 30 seconds to clarify any confusion with another regulation and put a stop to a $3, $30 or $1,000 port-out fee.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:44 pm

Explain to me that difference

I actually provided the explanation.BTW, check the edit on my previous message.
There is entirely possible that if FCC receives a few hundred complaints about Google impeding the port for non payment that they step up. That's why Google chose the $ 3.- fee instead of a $ 30.- fee. Most people do not think that it is worth the hassle or feel like me that $ 3.- is a damned good deal for all the free service and a DID of their liking.

You should be a politician with the double-speak.

Finance my campaign and I will not forget you.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:55 pm

cell14 wrote:
Explain to me that difference
I actually provided the explanation.

No you didn't. You said that it was your opinion that the FCC intended to make the port out fees illegal. So by definition, you "think" that the FCC "thinks" they are illegal. Whether or how they enforce it, and on who, is an entirely different issue.

Virgin Mobile and CallCentric are others that are charging port-out fees, in differing situations.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:24 pm

No you didn't.

Yes I did. By implication, if FCC considered unlimited and unregulated port out fees acceptable, they would not have mandated the porting availability in the first place. Every company could impede the port by simply charging excessive port out fees.
With port IN it is different, you choose the company and you can decide whether their porting fees are good enough as a part of the deal and take your number to a different provider if you do not like what you see. With port OUT, you were simply stuck and had to give up your number which is exactly what the FCC tried to prevent. Obvious enough.

Virgin Mobile and CallCentric are others that are charging port-out fees, in differing situations

Your list seem to be very short. Please include some of the"others".
Virgin Mobile denies charging port out fees.
Callcentric charges port out exclusively on the free NYC DID's. Most people with exception of NYC residents will have no interest to port those DID's anyway ( I have one of them btw). And same as with Google Voice- Callcentric walks the line here and if a bunch of people seriously complains they may have to adjust their policy.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:32 pm

cell14 wrote: Yes I did. By implication, if FCC considered unlimited and unregulated port out fees acceptable, they would not have mandated the porting availability in the first place. Every company could impede the port by simply charging excessive port out fees.

Ummmm, no you didn't. If they "intended to say it was illegal" they must have thought it was illegal. If they didn't think the fees were illegal they wouldn't go to the effort of intending to say they were. The FCC has made it very clear that the port cannot be impeded by any charged fee being unpaid. They have not said ANYWHERE that charging the fee is illegal.

There is a huge difference between "unlimited and unregulated port out fees", as you are now saying, and your initial statement that I responded to that "it was the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal." There were no qualifications about unlimited and unregulated fees in your statement whatsoever. The fact that you now want to clarify it doesn't change the fact that you did initially say the FCC considers/thinks port out fees are illegal.

In addition, your initial post on this thread said "MJ cannot charge you anything for port out.Completely illegal. Okay, considered illegal by who, if not the FCC? It is very clear that they cannot hold up a port because of an unpaid port fee. It is extremely less obvious that it is illegal to charge the fee and try to collect it.

I never said the list of those charging a port-out fee was long. All I said was it is being done. The stuff I saw earlier on Virgin was either old, or non U.S., because it does seem clear that they don't charge.

But what line is Callcentric walking? I have yet to see anything from you where there is anything but your opinion that "I believe- and so do IMO most telcos- that it was the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal" I would even settle at this point for a reliable source that says their statement actually refers to them being concerned not about the illegality of port-out fees but their unlimited and unregulated usage.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:38 pm

I did find an interesting quote from the FCC Q&A regarding port fees from a few years ago:

Carriers are allowed to recover their costs of implementing wireless LNP by charging fees to customers. They have been allowed to do this in advance of the LNP deadline because they have been incurring costs for LNP upgrades in preparation for the deadline.

Carriers may recover their costs either by including line-item fees for LNP on their customers' monthly bills or by raising the monthly rate. Carriers that have been adding line items to consumer bills to recover LNP costs have typically been charging from a few cents to a little over a dollar.

Carriers are also allowed to charge a fee to customers at the time their number is ported. However, there are no rules preventing a new carrier from paying an old carrier's porting costs for the benefit of the new customer. You should ask the new carrier whether it has a policy of paying or reimbursing such charges.

The link given took me to the current Q&A where the wording has been changed and shortened. But it's clear that they allowed port-out fees at one time. I find it extremely hard to believe that what was once allowed is now not allowed without a specific regulation/notice from the FCC on the issue.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:24 pm

Nailgunner, the wording of my original posting was indeed incorrect in that sense that companies can attempt to charge for port out , they just cannot impede the port if you do not pay.

I cannot find anything what currently specifically allows port out fees. Context indicates that the accepted fees are for port in.
In my experience, big telcos charge whenever and whatever they can charge. If they do not do that there has to be a reason.
The problem that Callcentric may get down the road would be a complaint from a customer who refused to pay the porting fee and did not get his free DID ported, even more so because the $25 charge could be hardly considered "just and reasonable". Their free DIDs are a pretty new service so they probably did not run into those problems yet.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:06 pm

cell14 wrote:Nailgunner, the wording of my original posting was indeed incorrect in that sense that companies can attempt to charge for port out , they just cannot impede the port if you do not pay.

I cannot find anything what currently specifically allows port out fees. Context indicates that the accepted fees are for port in.
In my experience, big telcos charge whenever and whatever they can charge. If they do not do that there has to be a reason.

What? You need to swear off the eggnog. Now, you agree they can attempt to charge to port-out, just not hold it up for nonpayment. But context says it's port-in only especially since big telcos would charge it if they could. Making less sense with each new post.

I'm not interested in you finding something that allows port-out fees. I already found something where they were allowing it a few years ago. I would love to see something where they don't allow the fees to back-up what I think is still your view.

It's possible that the big telcos aren't doing it because they don't want the hassle of messing with a small revenue stream knowing that most people will find out they don't have to pay it. Or they can't justify charging another porting fee when they have their in-house porting costs already covered by the monthly LPN fees most of them are charging.

And Callcentric needs to worry about justifying a $25 one-time fee being just and reasonable? Any freshman student taking Cost Accounting 101 could give them the data they needed after 1 week of class. I can see the big FCC investigation now. No guys, $25 is not just, we think $18.50 is much more reasonable.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:30 pm

Some update here : Calcentric currently does not allow port out of the free NY DID's at all. As a matter of fact, you cannot even convert them into regular paid DID's, if you get a paid DID you can keep both and use them simultaneously.
Further Google is not a telecom carrier or interconnected VOIP provider according the FCC rules, so FCC or state regulation do not apply to them as i was told. So apparently they can do whatever they choose to do.
Not posted with the intent to revive discussion.

SteveHC · Post by **SteveHC** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:25 am

To chime in (just noticed this interesting thread, & I've got nothing better to do at the moment anyway):

You are correct, cell14 - Because of the limitations inherent in the way it's set up and operates, Google Voice is considered to be a data service, not a telco-type VOIP service. (MJ, on the other hand, is considered to be a unique hybrid service - part data service offered in connection within a retail consumer hardware product (the "MagicJack" product), and, on a very limited telecom regulatory basis - part telco (the YMAX telecom service)).

As far as number porting goes, the laws and relevant regs are so complicated, convoluted, and laden with a zillion loopholes and limitations that for all practical purposes any company can practically do whatever the heck it wants if it REALLY wanted to. The only thing that truly stops them from doing whatever they please is their not wanting to be constantly tied up dealing with consumer and FCC annoyances - thus the situation with MJ wherein they charge a $30 port-out fee but don't necessarily block the port-out if they don't receive it (as far as *I* can tell, failure to pay the $30 seems to delay the port-out longer than it would take if the $30 was paid).

- Just my 2 cents, FWIW.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:31 pm

As far as number porting goes, the laws and relevant regs are so complicated, convoluted, and laden with a zillion loopholes and limitations that for all practical purposes any company can practically do whatever the heck it wants if it REALLY wanted to. The only thing that truly stops them from doing whatever they please is their not wanting to be constantly tied up dealing with consumer and FCC annoyances

Unfortunately, you are right on this.

nailgunner · Post by **nailgunner** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:17 pm

The porting regulations may be complicated. But if it was illegal to charge a port-out fee, one would think the FCC would simply state so. It would be a fairly easy thing to do.

But by clearly stating that the port-out cannot be help up for non-payment of a porting fee, it seems very obvious that they do not consider the charging of the fee to be illegal, just the holding up of the port for non-payment of the fee. I'm not sure how it could be much simpler than that.

rhino · Post by **rhino** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 5:30 pm

cell14 wrote:MJ not only keeps on demanding $ 30.- for porting your number OUT to another provider, they even became slicker than before.
Now, they will send you an email where you have to confirm your port and fill out an information sheet. Part of it is your credit card information. If you do that you WILL be charged the 30 $.
MJ cannot charge you anything for port out.Completely illegal. Ignore this e-mail. They will put your port on hold for a couple of days and then proceed with the port. Just be patient.
BTW, you MJ number which you see when you log on your MJ is not your account number. To get your account number which you will need for your new carrier in order to get the port processed you have to contact MJ customer service. You will also need your account password and the exact address you registered MJ with.

which I'd known before I paid the port fee: I used the #'s for advertising etc. to weed out spam and email addicts. they both worked for strictly that purpose (didnt ever use it much for outgoing calls wifi was too sketchy, which i believe is my problem with the mj+ not working off the compter, ie plugged in wall) one worked for an addit 4mo and the other one 8mo when I was deciding to buy the MJ+ they wanted $30 to renew the reg mj's and you only got the months remaining had you done it when it expired, so I'd be curious. I use my first MJ+ to replace the land line # that was @ the house for 40yrs. just got the 2nd one. biggest bitch i have is problems logging on the the mj site....pain in the ass

kevin8629 · Post by **kevin8629** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:57 pm

rhino wrote:
cell14 wrote:MJ not only keeps on demanding $ 30.- for porting your number OUT to another provider, they even became slicker than before.
Now, they will send you an email where you have to confirm your port and fill out an information sheet. Part of it is your credit card information. If you do that you WILL be charged the 30 $.
MJ cannot charge you anything for port out.Completely illegal. Ignore this e-mail. They will put your port on hold for a couple of days and then proceed with the port. Just be patient.
BTW, you MJ number which you see when you log on your MJ is not your account number. To get your account number which you will need for your new carrier in order to get the port processed you have to contact MJ customer service. You will also need your account password and the exact address you registered MJ with.
I just ignored the email. It took about a week for my port to complete, but I DID NOT pay the $30.00 fee

which I'd known before I paid the port fee: I used the #'s for advertising etc. to weed out spam and email addicts. they both worked for strictly that purpose (didnt ever use it much for outgoing calls wifi was too sketchy, which i believe is my problem with the mj+ not working off the compter, ie plugged in wall) one worked for an addit 4mo and the other one 8mo when I was deciding to buy the MJ+ they wanted $30 to renew the reg mj's and you only got the months remaining had you done it when it expired, so I'd be curious. I use my first MJ+ to replace the land line # that was @ the house for 40yrs. just got the 2nd one. biggest bitch i have is problems logging on the the mj site....pain in the ass

jpdigby · Post by **jpdigby** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:42 pm

I do believe that a number that you port into magicjack belongs to you...so when you are to change providers, that number should be transferred without any additional port out fee. I can understand MJ charging the port out fee if you were going to use a "magicjack" number with the new service, but I can't see the charge as being legitimate for a number that originally belongs to the subscriber...you do not give up the entitlement to Magicjack just because you ported your number into their service.

JeffWest · Post by **JeffWest** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:36 am

I don't know federal or state statute or regulations or case law on the matter of local number portability. But, MJ does charge you $10 per year to keep your phone number for local number portability. IMHO, any attempt to impede your porting of the number or collect even more money is simply a breach of contract and that should be fairly clear to solve in small claims or arbitration.

mmagic · Post by **mmagic** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:17 pm

So after porting my main number out of MagicJack, can I assign another number to the device and continue to use MJ for the remainder of the term?

Does the answer to that question depend on whether I pay the $30 port fee?

I see in their TOS that "if you transfer or port out your phone number your service is terminated and you relinquish all claims for a refund of your initial licensing period as well as any renewal licensing purchased." But I don't get how this works if I have multiple MJ numbers and services linked to one MJ account.

mmagic · Post by **mmagic** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:27 pm

To answer my own questions (in case someone else has the same):

mmagic wrote:So after porting my main number out of MagicJack, can I assign another number to the device and continue to use MJ for the remainder of the term?

Apparently yes. After the port completed, I successfully assigned another number to my MJ Plus and to my Android app. I just used the number that MJ originally created, the one I had used before I ported _in_ the number that I just ported _out_.

mmagic wrote:Does the answer to that question depend on whether I pay the $30 port fee?

Apparently no. I did not pay the $30 fee and they let the port complete after 5 days. I did file an FCC complaint yesterday, as the $30 seems excessive especially since this was my number that I paid to port in.

mmagic wrote:I see in their TOS that "if you transfer or port out your phone number your service is terminated and you relinquish all claims for a refund of your initial licensing period as well as any renewal licensing purchased." But I don't get how this works if I have multiple MJ numbers and services linked to one MJ account.

This paragraph in the TOS doesn't seem to coincide with the reality of the current service. Maybe it used to be one dongle = one number, but now it's multiple dongles + multiple numbers.

I'm porting to Google Voice (via an intermediate port to an AT&T GoPhone). I'm thinking I'll use up my MJ term, then move to using an Obihai gizmo directly with Google Voice.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:08 pm

I did file an FCC complaint yesterday, as the $30 seems excessive especially since this was my number that I paid to port in.

Waste of time AND you are wrong.The FCC rules do not say that MJ cannot charge the fee, they just say that MJ cannot impede the port if you do not pay it.
It has also nothing to do with the fact that it was your number previously imported ( The situation with GV is slightly different, you do not own the number, GV simply allows you to use it for free.)

I'm thinking I'll use up my MJ term, then move to using an Obihai gizmo directly with Google Voice.

Why ? It costs you nothing to use Google voice and the quality is better.And you can sign up for another SIP provider as well.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:15 pm

JeffWest wrote:. IMHO, any attempt to impede your porting of the number or collect even more money is simply a breach of contract and that should be fairly clear to solve in small claims or arbitration.

You really want to go to court or arbitration for $ 30.- ? Check the parking fees at the court house...

mmagic · Post by **mmagic** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:32 pm

cell14 wrote:
I did file an FCC complaint yesterday, as the $30 seems excessive especially since this was my number that I paid to port in.
Waste of time AND you are wrong.The FCC rules do not say that MJ cannot charge the fee, they just say that MJ cannot impede the port if you do not pay it.
It has also nothing to do with the fact that it was your number previously imported ( The situation with GV is slightly different, you do not own the number, GV simply allows you to use it for free.)

Even if I hadn't ported in, $30 seems excessive for a port out.

AT&T charged me $0 to port out to MagicJack.

AT&T charged me $0 to port in from MJ to a $10 GoPhone account and then again $0 to port out to Google Voice.

Google Voice is $20 to port in and $0 to port out if you ported in.

Not really knowledgeable enough to debate FCC rules, but I thought I saw somewhere that the fee should be reasonable, and I didn't think it was, so I filed a complaint. It probably took less time than posting this reply

.

cell14 wrote:
I'm thinking I'll use up my MJ term, then move to using an Obihai gizmo directly with Google Voice.
Why ? It costs you nothing to use Google voice and the quality is better.And you can sign up for another SIP provider as well.

Because I have the MJ already and it connects to my analog phones.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:01 pm

and it connects to my analog phones

nuihc · Post by **nuihc** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:15 am

mmagic wrote:
AT&T charged me $0 to port in from MJ to a $10 GoPhone account and then again $0 to port out to Google Voice.

Google Voice is $20 to port in and $0 to port out if you ported in.

Hi - I am looking to port my MJ number to GV too. I do not have anything other than MJ and GV forwarded into a cell phone number I need to also keep.

I was wondering if I can just buy some type of "plan" from ATT without having to actually have the phone itself? If so, I am thinking maybe I can just port my MJ number to that, then port it out to GV afterwards. If this is possible what would be the cheapest type of plan to buy at ATT? Any help or advice is very much appreciated.

Nuihc

mmagic · Post by **mmagic** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 12:25 pm

nuihc wrote: Hi - I am looking to port my MJ number to GV too. I do not have anything other than MJ and GV forwarded into a cell phone number I need to also keep.

I was wondering if I can just buy some type of "plan" from ATT without having to actually have the phone itself? If so, I am thinking maybe I can just port my MJ number to that, then port it out to GV afterwards. If this is possible what would be the cheapest type of plan to buy at ATT? Any help or advice is very much appreciated.

I loosely followed this post, but instead of getting a T-Mobile SIM, I used an old AT&T phone with an unused AT&T SIM that I had lying around. Then I activated it as a Go Phone. Because the phone was a smart phone, the only plans offered for online activation were monthly plans. So I had to call their online activation department, try and fail to activate with their automated system, and finally get transferred to a very helpful representative who set me up on the 10-cent-per-minute plan and directed me to the site where I could add $10 to the account. With that, I had a working Go Phone cell phone. One tip: ask this rep for the 12-digit Go Phone account number; you will need that to port out to GV and it isn't displayed anywhere. (I had to call 611 later to get it.) You will only need to make and receive a couple calls, then when you port out, you'll lose the $9.80 in credit on that SIM.

I would have been nervous to add the Go Phone account to my main cell phone because the phones' IMEI numbers get linked to the account. I don't know if the systems are smart enough to detect the same IMEI on two accounts but it could be a risk. If you don't have an old phone, you can buy a Go Phone for $20 at an AT&T store or online. The available pre-paid cards start at $25 so make sure the phone has an empty SIM so you can add just $10. In fact if you do this in a store, they could probably set it all up for you.

All in all, a slow process that requires a lot of research and patience, but it works. Getting a pre-configured disposable phone from AT&T or T-Mobile would probably make things easier.

bluejoewho · Post by **bluejoewho** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 6:48 pm

DO NOT PAY PORTING FEE!!! The port will go through regardless.

My number was ported to AT&T in about 10 minutes today. When I got home from the AT&T store today I noticed I had a email message from MJ demanding I pay 30 dollars.

After doing some research, I found out you do not have to pay this fee. It's these kind of dishonest business practices that I left MJ in the first place.

diamondjoker5 · Post by **diamondjoker5** » Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:04 pm

Just ported my mj+ to t-mobile sim. It was never going to go through until i manually called tmobile customer care and gave them the right address and zipcode as there was a 11111 zipcode in my acccount for some reason by deafult. Automated system wounlnt accept it and generated an error. Anyway I got the ridiculous pay up $30 port out fee from mj and I just ignored it. Cell phone finally got an sms saying that the number has been succesfully ported. However, when i ring it it still goes to mj voicemail since my mj doesnt work. And calling out from the cell phone reaches customer care as well. Do I simply give the port process more time? I remember have concurrent services on both provides in previous porting situations for some time.

mmagic · Post by **mmagic** » Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:20 pm

Not sure but I would start by contacting T-Mobile. I know with AT&T the port didn't complete until I talked with someone at AT&T--like they had to do one final thing manually.

cell14 · Post by **cell14** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 11:33 pm

diamondjoker5 wrote:Just ported my mj+ to t-mobile sim. It was never going to go through until i manually called tmobile customer care and gave them the right address and zipcode as there was a 11111 zipcode in my acccount for some reason by deafult. Automated system wounlnt accept it and generated an error. Anyway I got the ridiculous pay up $30 port out fee from mj and I just ignored it. Cell phone finally got an sms saying that the number has been succesfully ported. However, when i ring it it still goes to mj voicemail since my mj doesnt work. And calling out from the cell phone reaches customer care as well. Do I simply give the port process more time? I remember have concurrent services on both provides in previous porting situations for some time.

give iot a couple of days.

boatboy63 · Post by **boatboy63** » Sat Oct 12, 2013 4:12 pm

You can read my post toward the end of this page. I am leaving MJ as they have prevented me from getting some calls and I made them aware of it. They were supposed to resolve the problem but never did. When I renewed last year, they charge me an additional $9.95 to keep my ported number that they never told me when I signed up. Now they want $30 to port out. I hope you guys are right because I am going to put in for a port to a new provider and not pay MJ either. I have had it with these money sucking liars. http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/magi ... 08-30.html

tc1uscg · Post by **tc1uscg** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:31 pm

nailgunner wrote:Ohhhhh....I gotcha. It was the "the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal", but they just don't "think" it's illegal. Explain to me that difference. You should be a politician with the double-speak.

And MagicJack doesn't consider themselves a telecom company either, so what difference does that make? And although Google feels that way, they certainly backed off blocking whole exchanges when the FCC called them on the carpet on it. Something MagicJack continues to do, apparently at will.

If the FCC considered port-out fees to be illegal, or intended them to be illegal, it would take them 30 seconds to clarify any confusion with another regulation and put a stop to a $3, $30 or $1,000 port-out fee.

I know this is late to the game but seems to me from my telco days that the original owner of the number (the telco who issues it) holds the rights to recover said number if it's ever released into the wild. Otherwise, Magic Crack doesn't OWN the number and would have to release it back to the orig owner of that number. When I got MJ, I ported my number from ComCast, now, I'm about to port it back but MJ is asking for 30 bucks to do so. I already pay them 10 for keeping it every year but I've never paid any service (sunrocket, AT&T, Sprint, Comcast) to port my numbers. Legal or not, thanks for cell phones, I will just let my number play itself out and they can keep it.

And.... since I'm paid up till 2017, I think that pretty much covers my "contract". They can keep my money for that and call it even.

crackerjack · Post by **crackerjack** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:14 pm

tc1uscg wrote:
nailgunner wrote:Ohhhhh....I gotcha. It was the "the intention of the FCC to consider port out fees illegal", but they just don't "think" it's illegal. Explain to me that difference. You should be a politician with the double-speak.

And MagicJack doesn't consider themselves a telecom company either, so what difference does that make? And although Google feels that way, they certainly backed off blocking whole exchanges when the FCC called them on the carpet on it. Something MagicJack continues to do, apparently at will.

If the FCC considered port-out fees to be illegal, or intended them to be illegal, it would take them 30 seconds to clarify any confusion with another regulation and put a stop to a $3, $30 or $1,000 port-out fee.
I know this is late to the game but seems to me from my telco days that the original owner of the number (the telco who issues it) holds the rights to recover said number if it's ever released into the wild. Otherwise, Magic Crack doesn't OWN the number and would have to release it back to the orig owner of that number. When I got MJ, I ported my number from ComCast, now, I'm about to port it back but MJ is asking for 30 bucks to do so. I already pay them 10 for keeping it every year but I've never paid any service (sunrocket, AT&T, Sprint, Comcast) to port my numbers. Legal or not, thanks for cell phones, I will just let my number play itself out and they can keep it.

And.... since I'm paid up till 2017, I think that pretty much covers my "contract". They can keep my money for that and call it even.

Your failure to pay the $30 fee will have ZERO effect on your porting action. Just ignore the naked attempt at extortion.

magicJack and magicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Tricks

Porting out from Magic Jack

Porting out from Magic Jack

Porting to GV

Re: Porting to GV

Re: Porting to GV

URL for FCC ported number transfer; cost for MJ to transfer

Re: URL for FCC ported number transfer; cost for MJ to trans

Re: Porting out from Magic Jack

Re: Porting out from Magic Jack

magicjack port out fee...illegal

About paying porting fee to move number away from MJ...

I have had it with MJ