3 Month Review - Quality Good, Support Bad

[truthmaker]

I signed up for service in November 2009. If things don't improve on the support side I will not be renewing when my free year ends.

First about me:
I dropped my land line in Nov 2008 and went cell phone only. About six months later I moved from a personal cell phone to a company cell with the ability to make personal calls. This was fine for general use, but I wanted a separate line where friends and family could get a hold of me without using the company phone. After a few months of looking I settled on a MJ to supplement the cell. It seemed adequate for my limited needs (a few calls a week averaging 15-45min each).

The good:
The phone service is at least as good as POTS. I've had a few calls with noise/cut-outs/etc but generally hanging up and calling back clears it up. I've had the same problems with pots lines before so I consider this completely acceptable. I have used a variety of phones with the MJ (one corded and two different cordless) and had no problems.

The bad:
No where on MJ's site does it list a contact number, address, or physical location. This alone caused me to spend an additional month researching before I made my purchase. In the end I was swayed by my local retailer (where I purchased the MJ). Up to this point I had not needed tech support (it worked out of the box, so to speak) and only went looking today due to a mysterious update installing itself(without permission) on the computer the MJ is attached to.

I was led to believe by the MJ site that there was service in my area code. While technically correct this was so misleading as to be borderline fraudulent. There definition of coverage was some blink-and-you'll-miss-it town 200 miles away from the largest city in the area code and all the way on the other side of the state. This wouldn't have been so bad if I had known up front but there was no way I could find to get this information without activating service (at which point you're stuck with it till your contract runs out). Worse, even though MJ claims to be adding new exchanges "all the time" there is nowhere I have been able to find where I can be notified as to where these new exchanges are, if they even exist.

[truthmaker]

Just in case anyone wants to keep from making the same mistake I did. Here's is the MJ coverage in Minnesota.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8& ... 876709&z=7

[newtoncd]

Worse, even though MJ claims to be adding new exchanges "all the time" there is nowhere I have been able to find where I can be notified as to where these new exchanges are, if they even exist.

Log into my.magicjack.com and click on change phone number ... it will show all of the available exchanges. I don't know that they ever notify, but you can check occasionally.

[truthmaker]

Yes, I have found that and I do check occasionally. No improvement so far on the exchange front.

I do find it, though, disingenuous that in order to find out if they deem you worthy for local service you first have to give them money. I feel like I was asked to play the exchange lotto and came up with a losing ticket.