And the DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE sucks too

[TheFonz]

What a joke

[stealthbob]

I have been reading bitch post after bitch post and it makes me laugh...

The cost of this unit is about the average cost for a land line for 1 month. The angst and anxiety caused by such a small monetary outlay really amazes me.

OK the 411 sucks...so what. You have broadband right? Ever hear of on-line directories?

The problem is it is hard to mass market any device which utilizes a computer due to the complexities of everyones setup and hardware.

Trust me, if it doesn't work right for you the problem is between the keyboard and chair. Do you really think that you are personally targeted for hardship and the rest of us are lucky?

No some of us take responsibility for our selves and figure things out...in the end it's only the cost of a night out anyways.

Sorry for the rant....had to speak my mind.

[Darkman90808]

stealthbob... I'm with you. I forget how much Verizon Wireless charges for a 411 call; or even on a land line for that matter. I just know that I would bite on a rock than open up a vein for those ba$tard$ for a lousy directory assistance call.

Since MJ is tied to a computer with broadband anyway, just look the silly thing up. Sheesh!

[TheFonz]

NEWSFLASH for both of you - Internet data is not up to date, and more often, directory assistance information is.

It might not be important to either of you, but to me it is...and is in fact one of the reasons I am exploring this little device.

If you got a good unit; great for you. But if you get a bad one, or your unit goes bad - then I'm sure you would be all over the same bandwagon.

And if you are tired of reading all the bitching and complaining, the solution is simple - IGNORE IT.

[stealthbob]

Then don't drop your land line provider...problem solved.

What do you want for $40?

Lower your expectation and you satisfaction will rise

You are not entitled to free communication tech....want a problem free experience (which is a fallacy btw) pay big bucks for a major provider service and bitch there.

Want a neat cheap way to call long distance try MJ and work the issues out with grace.

If you got a good unit; great for you. But if you get a bad one, or your unit goes bad - then I'm sure you would be all over the same bandwagon.
[

As I said in my post earlier...there are no "Bad Units"...only circumstantial setups and user error.

All it is is pre-flashed eeprom. No moving parts or things to go bad.

[TheFonz]

Then don't drop your land line provider...problem solved.

What do you want for $40?

Lower your expectation and you satisfaction will rise

You are not entitled to free communication tech....want a problem free experience (which is a fallacy btw) pay big bucks for a major provider service and bitch there.

Want a neat cheap way to call long distance try MJ and work the issues out with grace.

Again, if you feel sostrongly about it - why not start your own thread. Your own RAVE. Until then, if you don't like my factual experience, then don't comment on it.

[stealthbob]

Then don't drop your land line provider...problem solved.

What do you want for $40?

Lower your expectation and you satisfaction will rise

You are not entitled to free communication tech....want a problem free experience (which is a fallacy btw) pay big bucks for a major provider service and bitch there.

Want a neat cheap way to call long distance try MJ and work the issues out with grace.

Again, if you feel sostrongly about it - why not start your own thread. Your own RAVE. Until then, if you don't like my factual experience, then don't comment on it.

You started with it sucks...I diss-agreed with valid points.

What is the problem?

If you wanted no response why post yourself?

[TheFonz]

People sign up for different reasons and purposes. Some like the free calls, others VM, and yet other for the spoofing. Since I make many 411 calls a day, and free 411 is advertised as one of the features, I signed up. BTW, i signed up for the 5 yr plan, so it's not the $40 you keep talking about.

The 411 is useless - and I'm sure you haven't even tried it beacause if you did - then you'll know what I'm talking about.
It's automated voice recognition only, no opportunity to correct the spelling. So if the automated system cannot interpret the name correctly - then you're outta luck. No backup operator, nothing.

Just the same as if somebody who signed up did so for the VM or spoofing - and it didn't work, I think I have a good gripe.

I'm glad yours works fine. Obviously you have not had any problems, because AGAIN, you know not what you speak of. Had you "chatted" with customer service, you would agree it sucks.

So you start popping off with an uninformed opinion? I think you hit the nail on the head in your first post with your reference to the problem starting betweem the keyboard and the chair

My post was to give a heads up to anybody else who might actually use the directory assistance.

So THANKS for helping perpetuate it. It worked

[stealthbob]

I certainly do not want to belittle your frustrating experiences with MJ.

I have also have had some bad experiences with services and want to get my pound of flesh as well.

That being said this is obviously not a main stream product and is exceptionally cheap. It is also a "front end" type purchase.

This type of transaction requires a lot of risk on the buyer.

All I can say is I'm sorry you locked into 5 yrs without trying it first.

This is sold as an econo service and econo is what we get.....the extras can be weak.

I guess what I am saying is we all need to have a cynical mind set when entering into these deals and understand that it may not be as touted.

Is this acceptable business practise?...no but we all have eyes and a sense of reality.

Any offer past a year should not be offered IMHO

[TheFonz]

Fair enough.

And hopefully I won't cancel, I'm still willing to work it out.

The try it free sounds as though it might not be the case - but time will tell.

[teddy_b]

There are several free 411 services. I wouldn't know if they all suck though as I never had a need to use 411 - information available online is usually enough for me.

The one that MJ is using is 1-800-FREE-411 (www.free411.com).
You can also try Google 411 - 1-800-GOOG-411.
Or 1-800-411-SAVE - that one claims to have live operators, and is also free.

[Matt9876]

Thanks for all the 411 numbers..Cool


Running mine on a low powered 650Mhz celeron XP/sp2 machine and cable 7MB internet "It works good "

Get a bad incoming call once in awhile,but for $20 a year I can live with it."I have a cell phone as a backup"


FYI: It seems to me if you grab the phone on the first ring instead of waiting on the caller ID info to come up,read it then pick up the phone the calls connect much better. "In other words it seems the calls go too quickly to voice mail or get lost if you let it keep ringing"

This is just an observation, I know it goes to voicemail after four rings I suspect that some users like me are not getting the first two rings in the first place.

[Darkman90808]

NEWSFLASH for both of you - Internet data is not up to date, and more often, directory assistance information is.

It might not be important to either of you, but to me it is...and is in fact one of the reasons I am exploring this little device.

If you got a good unit; great for you. But if you get a bad one, or your unit goes bad - then I'm sure you would be all over the same bandwagon.

And if you are tired of reading all the bitching and complaining, the solution is simple - IGNORE IT.

ARE YOU NUTS??? What's your authority that directory assistance is more up-to-date than Internet data? If I had a nickel for every wasted call I've made to the lame, automated, Verizon 411 system with bum information, I'd have a jar full of nickels. And if you don't the responses to your bitchey, whiney comments, I would suggest taking your own advice and move on.

[TheFonz]

........

[TheFonz]

NEWSFLASH for both of you - Internet data is not up to date, and more often, directory assistance information is.

It might not be important to either of you, but to me it is...and is in fact one of the reasons I am exploring this little device.

If you got a good unit; great for you. But if you get a bad one, or your unit goes bad - then I'm sure you would be all over the same bandwagon.

And if you are tired of reading all the bitching and complaining, the solution is simple - IGNORE IT.

ARE YOU NUTS??? What's your authority that directory assistance is more up-to-date than Internet data? If I had a nickel for every wasted call I've made to the lame, automated, Verizon 411 system with bum information, I'd have a jar full of nickels. And if you don't the responses to your bitchey, whiney comments, I would suggest taking your own advice and move on.

Nice try Darkman, but my authority is...working in the "information" business for the past 20 years.

And since you seem to lack basic reading comprehension skills, the post was put up as a heads up to anybody else who might be considering using the service for "directory assistance" as an advertised feature. The post was not intended as a topic of debate, thus posting it in the Rants and Raves section, and not in general discussion.

[Darkman90808]

NEWSFLASH for both of you - Internet data is not up to date, and more often, directory assistance information is.

It might not be important to either of you, but to me it is...and is in fact one of the reasons I am exploring this little device.

If you got a good unit; great for you. But if you get a bad one, or your unit goes bad - then I'm sure you would be all over the same bandwagon.

And if you are tired of reading all the bitching and complaining, the solution is simple - IGNORE IT.

ARE YOU NUTS??? What's your authority that directory assistance is more up-to-date than Internet data? If I had a nickel for every wasted call I've made to the lame, automated, Verizon 411 system with bum information, I'd have a jar full of nickels. And if you don't the responses to your bitchey, whiney comments, I would suggest taking your own advice and move on.

Nice try Darkman, but my authority is...working in the "information" business for the past 20 years.

And since you seem to lack basic reading comprehension skills, the post was put up as a heads up to anybody else who might be considering using the service for "directory assistance" as an advertised feature. The post was not intended as a topic of debate, thus posting it in the Rants and Raves section, and not in general discussion.

You've worked in the "information" business for the past 20 years??! Could you be any more vague? Since you have no argument and have to resort to ad hominem attacks, I'll let you have the last word.

[TheFonz]

As an update to my problems - I received a new unit today and everything works great.

So it seems my bitchey, whiney comments were not unfounded.

And yes, the 411 still sux