I apolgize if this is a redundant post but I get tired of digging through forums all day, I do have another life. Here's the deal.....
I spend 9 months of the year in the Bahamas. I've used Vonage and Magic Jack. Both work fine to call to/from the Bahamas. No international charges. Although they all say it's for calls within the US and Canada it doesn't make a difference. I can call to/from the Bahamas to/from the states. Maybe I'm supposed pay additional charges but so far I haven't. One caveat, I'm talking about calls to/from the Vonage/Magic Jack regardess of geographics. I've never tried to call a Bahamian number with either unit....probably wouldn't work.
I punted Vonage because, regardless of what they advertise, it's $35/40 a month. I just punted Magic Jack because they jacked the yearly rate 50% and more importantly.....A lot of carriers in the states have figured out what calls are from a Magic Jack and classify them as conference calls and block them. Magic Jack wants you to prepay to dial these numbers, usually to rural areas.....where my parents live. Magic Jack told me that ALL calls in the states are free....except the ones that aren't.
Are the carriers onto all the VOIP services and starting to block them all or just Magic Jack?
Based on what I wrote above, who should I try next?
I'm sure there are several here with the same question. Thanks in advance....much appreciated.
Has anyone sorted through all this garbage?
Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
Has anyone sorted through all this garbage?
Last edited by NotHappy on Sun Dec 16, 2012 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
As you already have a magicJack, try the GVJack App + Google Voice's subscription free phone service. You can download and try it free for 7 days to see if Google Voice's free phone services work out better for you.
If you ultimately decide to stop using your magicJack dongle for whatever reason, please consider selling it on Ebay as the demand continues to be fairly high for expired/used ones.
If you ultimately decide to stop using your magicJack dongle for whatever reason, please consider selling it on Ebay as the demand continues to be fairly high for expired/used ones.
Wow! Digging through your tirade is tiring. Perhaps if you would read previous forum postings prior to creating new ones you would already have the answers you are being spoon-fed here.
1. There are no international charges because your US-based VoIP device remains logically inside the US no matter where in the world you happen to plug it in. Both Vonage and MJ can call Bahamian phone numbers upon payment of an extra charge.
2. Receiving telephone companies are not blocking incoming calls because they are from MagicJack callers. MagicJack is blocking the outbound call because it is trying to terminate in a phone company that has a settlement rate higher than MagicJack's bargain basement budget can afford. This is not something your parents' phone company is foisting upon them; it's what MJ is foisting upon you.
3. Carriers make money from whatever phone company is presenting a call to them. There is absolutely no incentive for a receiving phone company to block any paid (not collect) incoming call based upon its originating network.
Therefore, based upon your interpretation of what's going on in the VoIP world, I recommend that you switch to BaTelCo.
1. There are no international charges because your US-based VoIP device remains logically inside the US no matter where in the world you happen to plug it in. Both Vonage and MJ can call Bahamian phone numbers upon payment of an extra charge.
2. Receiving telephone companies are not blocking incoming calls because they are from MagicJack callers. MagicJack is blocking the outbound call because it is trying to terminate in a phone company that has a settlement rate higher than MagicJack's bargain basement budget can afford. This is not something your parents' phone company is foisting upon them; it's what MJ is foisting upon you.
3. Carriers make money from whatever phone company is presenting a call to them. There is absolutely no incentive for a receiving phone company to block any paid (not collect) incoming call based upon its originating network.
Therefore, based upon your interpretation of what's going on in the VoIP world, I recommend that you switch to BaTelCo.