Beware of MagicJack!

[onederer]

I've been using MagicJack for a couple of years. During that time, I've had to go through three adapters. They are not robust, and break down very easily. They just don't last. And now, I need a fourth one (this one just went belly up).
I had signed up and prepaid for 5 years. The first two replacements cost me $10.00 each. They refused to replace this last adapter that just broke. My five year service term ends is 2014. They are trying to force me to buy another for the full price. Out of principle, I won't do that. So they are robbing me of my remaining service-time money. They refuse to give me a rebate for the remaining time that I have left 'till 2014, and won't send me a replacement for $10.00, like they did before. They have no respect for their customers, and they sell an anemic product.

Word of warning! DO NOT SUBSCRIBE WITH MJ FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THEY WILL ROB YOU WHEN YOUR ADAPTER BREAKS, AND KEEP YOUR MONEY, NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU STILL HAVE LEFT IN YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TIME. If you want to use their product, stick with the $20.00 yearly plan. If you adapter should break (you better hope it's within the guarantee period), you will not be out of a lot of money by prepaying ahead of time for a long subscription period. If you've already paid for an extended service time, good luck to you! I hope your adapter doesn't break down. Otherwise, you'll end up becoming a victim like me.

THIS IS WHY THEY DON'T PROVIDE A TELEPHONE NUMBER, OR AN EMAIL ADDRESS. THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED. IT IS THEIR POLICY TO KEEP YOUR MONEY, NO MATTER WHAT! And that was a statement from one of their representative on their help line.

I'm now using an OOMA adapter. Hope this one lasts. It is expensive, but has good advantages. It hooks up directly to the router. It is not necessary to keep a PC running all the time to get telephone calls. And also, the long distance calls are free. There is no yearly subscription (unless you take the Premier plan). The unit is mine forever, and all I have to pay are the Federal usage taxes. It is similar to a router-connected Skype adapters (Skype now charges by-the-minute to make calls).

Would you be able to provide me with Daniel Borislow's email address or his telephone number? I'd like my money rebate for the remaining subscription that's left, or a replacement adapter. We need the money. We now both survive on my one Social Security Check. And that money doesn't go very far. I'm a senior citizen, and have been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous MagicJack businessman.

You have been warned. So it's up to you to make your own decision.

[laserjobs]

I am calling an OOMA troll on this story.

I know for a fact OOMA has paid people for reviews, blog and forum posts. This review seems to be another paid OOMA plug by making the competitors look bad. Anyone else think this review sounds fishy?

The strapped for cash does not really add up since OOMA is upwards of $100 for a refurb to $250 for a package deal not including the minimum $3.50 monthly taxes and fees.

[Darkman90808]

(Skype now charges by-the-minute to make calls).

Skype's per-minute-charge is for calls to non-Skype numbers; otherwise, it is still free. Also, ooma is not perfect. None of the VoIP solutions are. I have the ooma Premier service at approximately $14 per month, what with tax, license, and dealer prep.

I also have the Skype unlimited service which provides up to 10,000 minutes a month for approximately $62 per annum.

FWIW, I like the ooma device because it works neatly with my Google Voice and lets me plug in a conventional phone. On the other hand, Skype lets me call using my Samsung Galaxy Tab, so I don't have to be tethered to a computer.

[nailgunner]

Anyone else think this review sounds fishy?

It sounds a little odd. I can't imagine "breaking" that many MJ devices. And you're right, you can buy a couple of new MJ's at $40 a pop for what he is spending on OOMA, and if he's used MJ for a couple of years, he must be comfortable with the MJ set-up. I vote fake.

[sabresfan]

Has this person ever been to the Ooma forum. There are plenty of posts there about upset customers and hardware failures. If your on that much of a budget Nettalk would be a better option.

[onederer]

I am calling an OOMA troll on this story.

I know for a fact OOMA has paid people for reviews, blog and forum posts. This review seems to be another paid OOMA plug by making the competitors look bad. Anyone else think this review sounds fishy?

The strapped for cash does not really add up since OOMA is upwards of $100 for a refurb to $250 for a package deal not including the minimum $3.50 monthly taxes and fees.

I wish I could get paid for something that I do. But I'm not that lucky. I'm just a victim of bad MagicJack service, and bad adapters that can't stay on 24/7. They are too anemic for that. We needed reliable telephone service, and believe me the having to get OOMA represents quite a chunk out of our one SS check. I just got it. I still have to find out if this one will take the rigours of constant usage. It's still too early to determine that. If that one goes bad, or we get bad service, believe me, you will see a report on that one too! I resent of being accused as a troll. You don't know me! And that was an unjust statement! I'm just making people aware of what we have been through this week, so that they won't have to suffer the same
consequences that we have experienced. BTW. we are not subscibed to the "Premier" service, so I don't think that we will be charged FED. access taxes. AFIK, this only applies to people who monthly pay for the Premier service. We are keeping it simple and as inexpensive as possible.

We don't have a regular land-line anymore, it was too expensive. We had to resort to trying other alternatives to save money for now, and on the long-run.
OOMA is expensive, but in the future (with no breakdowns, I hope) the fact that if we don't have to pay anymore yearly fees, and the FED. taxes are much cheaper than access costs, we will have a long cheap ride.

[onederer]

Anyone else think this review sounds fishy?

It sounds a little odd. I can't imagine "breaking" that many MJ devices. And you're right, you can buy a couple of new MJ's at $40 a pop for what he is spending on OOMA, and if he's used MJ for a couple of years, he must be comfortable with the MJ set-up. I vote fake.

I've been around a lot longer than you have, sonny! I didn't build MJ's, I just used them. It isn't my fault if they wear out. We needed them on all the time in case I have to go to the hospital again. It was also a lot of wear and tear on the netbook computer, having to stay on all the time.

If that last MJ would still be working, you'd not be reading this now.
If that last MJ wouldn't have crapped out, you'd not be reading this now.
If MJ's chat service would be acceptable, you'd not be reading this now.
If they'd have sent me a replacement, or a rebate for the remainder of my pre-paid service, your'd not be reading this now.
If they engineered a more robust MJ, you'd not be reading this now.

[nailgunner]

I've been around a lot longer than you have, sonny! I didn't build MJ's, I just used them. It isn't my fault if they wear out. We needed them on all the time in case I have to go to the hospital again. It was also a lot of wear and tear on the netbook computer, having to stay on all the time.

Guess again. You haven't been around that much longer than me.

And leaving your computer on all the time doesn't cause wear and tear. There are many experts who believe that it will actually last longer by not turning it on and off all the time. It will cost more in electricity however.

And there are users in here that have used the same device for 2 years or more so you either have real bad luck or you need to quit spilling your prune juice so much.

[bitstopjoe]

Aug will be 3 years for me and my MJ. I am still on my orig dongle. It stays plugged in 24/7. The ONLY time I need to unplug it is when my PC doesnt see it on a reboot. This happens MAYBE once a month or so. Of course then I get that wonderful MagicTalk screen. I then close that screen, unplug my MJ, plug it back in and I am back in business.
No way is there ANY wear and tear on a MJ dongle if it is left plugged in 24/7. Of course if it is on a laptop and one bangs said laptop into walls, or the like, when carrying it. Well, even steel will break after a while that way.

[onederer]

Has this person ever been to the Ooma forum. There are plenty of posts there about upset customers and hardware failures. If your on that much of a budget Nettalk would be a better option.

YES! I've been to OOMA's web site. Nothing is perfect. I'm aware of it's shortcomings. But like the old saying goes, "three time and yo out!". Three broken MJ's was the limit for my family. We don't want another repeat of our past experiences with MJ. And besides, they screwed us out of the remaining prepaid service. Should I be happy about that? I won't give them another chance!

We can't afford to lose telephone service like that. But now we are able to put the netbook away for a rest. That's an electric savings. We had to find something else. And since OOMA connects directly to the router, that was a plus for us. No more rebooting after MS updates, and the drudge of trying to get MJ to finally run again. Hopefully, OOMA will be more robust than our past MJ experiences. Also, our new purchase comes with a long enough warranty to take care of possible breakdowns. MJ's warranty is a joke. My 1st MJ burned out 2 days after the 30 day period. I had to pay for a replacement, and also paid for other subsequent replacements. That averages out to 1 1/2 MJ's per year! My prepaid subscription ends in 2014. They robbed me! They told that to me two days ago, that this was their policy on the chat line. They don't care who they hurt. And they've done that to many people.

Would you want that to happen to you? They took advantage of a senior citizen.

[nailgunner]

Would you want that to happen to you? They took advantage of a senior citizen.

No one wants it to happen to anyone. But they didn't take advantage of a senior citizen. They took advantage (if you insist on that phrase) of someone who happens to be a senior citizen. There is a difference. They can be accused of a lot of things, but preying on seniors isn't one of them. They do equal opportunity preying.

But lets do some math. MJ with 5 years - $110. 2 replacements at $10 per - $20. Lets add $20 to round it up for a $150 total cost. Not bad for 2 years of phone service. Probably what you have already invested in OOMA.

[cell14]

I am in the third year with my dongle. I know two other people here who use it, both of them in the third year and no problems.
Yes, my service was not reliable. Why ? In those 2 1/4 years, my DSL was totally down for at least 20 days I am just starting at my 3rd DSL gateway and my line quality tests are such that I am surprised that MJ works as well as it does.
I pay yearly and did not consider for a second to sign up for 5 year super saver nonsense.
If you want to have a reliable phone line get a land line for plusminus 600$/year.( And unless you have underground lines in your area., it will not be that reliable either)

[onederer]

One and one-half dongle per year is more than enough for us. No more! Had they replaced it, fine. However, they gave me too much grief. And it's not their policy to treat a customer properly. I found it revolting, and they made up my mind for me, I don't want to deal with them again. I've had it! It was time to look for something more reliable and a better warranty. Math aside, I don't care anymore. Whatever little SS money we may have, it will never go to MJ again!

Their actions don't encourage anyone's confidence in them. And their blatant policy of robbing peoples money when there's a lot left in a prepaid account, is indeed criminal! They pushed us to look elsewhere for something more reliable, and we think that we found it. They treat their customers like they were their enemy.

I've wanted a device that plugs into the router, and I found it. No more losing telephone service, and struggling at restarting MJ after Windows did an update/reboot. Now I can get rid of Windows in the netbook, and install Linux into it. I don't need to use Windows anymore. And I have more confidence that OOMA will be a better choice with a one year warranty. I also like to talk with a live person for clearing problems. It's a lot faster than pounding on a "chat" keyboard. Never mind that 30 day (and go-to-hell) policy crap!

Another advantage. My wife is a technophobic. She hates to deal with computers, and technology. She can now pick up any house phone and not worry about losing a conversation because Windows hickupped.

I wish you all good luck, and wish that MJ would have kept on working. It would have saved me some money. But it was not meant to be. So now, I'm turning the page, and hope to have a better telephone future in this new chapter.

Cheers!

[sabresfan]

Has this person ever been to the Ooma forum. There are plenty of posts there about upset customers and hardware failures. If your on that much of a budget Nettalk would be a better option.

YES! I've been to OOMA's web site. Nothing is perfect. I'm aware of it's shortcomings. But like the old saying goes, "three time and yo out!". Three broken MJ's was the limit for my family. We don't want another repeat of our past experiences with MJ. And besides, they screwed us out of the remaining prepaid service. Should I be happy about that? I won't give them another chance!

We can't afford to lose telephone service like that. But now we are able to put the netbook away for a rest. That's an electric savings. We had to find something else. And since OOMA connects directly to the router, that was a plus for us. No more rebooting after MS updates, and the drudge of trying to get MJ to finally run again. Hopefully, OOMA will be more robust than our past MJ experiences. Also, our new purchase comes with a long enough warranty to take care of possible breakdowns. MJ's warranty is a joke. My 1st MJ burned out 2 days after the 30 day period. I had to pay for a replacement, and also paid for other subsequent replacements. That averages out to 1 1/2 MJ's per year! My prepaid subscription ends in 2014. They robbed me! They told that to me two days ago, that this was their policy on the chat line. They don't care who they hurt. And they've done that to many people.

Would you want that to happen to you? They took advantage of a senior citizen.

The biggest problem to me with Ooma is that after a year if I'm correct the warranty is gone and it fails it costs way more than MJ, Nettalk or just getting your own ata and using a reliable provider. Also Ooma's business model is a concern. They are very likely going to end up like Sunrocket as they have to get new subscribers to subsidize the older ones. You can make the same argument for MJ at the cheap price they offer their service but it is only about the cost of a tank of gas for a new MJ and a year of service compared to a car payment for Ooma. I would recommend Voipo or Phone Power if you want a service that is plug and play and reliable. Also if the device fails they will send a replacement. The monthly costs may be $6 or $7 more but they have reliable business models and are likely to be in business for years to come. Also do you really want to trust calls to 911 or other emergencies to a device/service that is compared to MJ and other cheap voip services. I hope you have a cell phone as a backup if not I highly recommend it.

[sabresfan]

This may help explain my concerns over Ooma's business model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ooma The fact they have just borrowed another 3 million http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 939454.DTL for marketing and operations earlier this year is another red flag to me.

[onederer]

Thanks for the tips on those other products. I'll check into them.

You have to understand that I'm not product-centric. I don't care what name the product bears. I'm not a focused fan of any one product. I'm performance-centric. If it does the job, and the service is good, then I'll be happy. And BTW, I do have a cell phone, mostly used for emergencies, like when we lose power in this region, or when I'm out in the woods hunting. Again, we don't use our cell phones full time because of financial reasons. We have pre-paid, and don't have to worry about high monthly bills for that. It is just a basic cell without all the expensive fluff.

I no longer want to keep on maintaining a full time alive computer to get my telephone services. Using a device that's router connected, is not OS dependent. I've been itching to dump Windows, and install Linux in that netbook and now, I have the chance. I don't need that PC anymore, or Windows to support MJ.

If you want to use MJ, that's fine with me. I don't begrudge you for that. That is your choice. As for me, I've reached my boiling point with the customer hostility that I've met. And the dongles that didn't hold up. I had enough! Especially when they told me that they were going to steal my money for the remainder of my prepaid telephone service. My service ends in 2014! Out of principle, I will not comply to their demands that I pay the full price for a service that I've already paid for. Denying me a replacement dongle, denies me the usage of the rest of my MJ service. I was willing to pay for that dongle. The customer service bitch turned into a mean witch! She was treating me as her enemy. I don't need that attitude!

Oh, I also have a Skype with a wireless phone, attached to the router. I stopped using it when Skype changed into the pay-by-the-minute mode. I just feed a regular telephone line into it now, so I can use the wireless phone for regular telephone calls.

Well, it's time to check on my email.

Cheers!