I’ve mentioned before that I was getting ready to get Magic Jack to replace our home phone service. It’s phone service that you run through your internet, and it is ONLY $20 A YEAR! The first year is $40, because you have to pay $20 for the equipment that they send you. But each following year is only $20!
Before I get into my review of Magic Jack, I have to share a funny story. We called AT&T to cancel our home phone service. When they asked us why we wanted to cancel, we told them we were going to be getting a better deal elsewhere. The phone agent proceeded to tell us she could reduce our bill to $23 a month if we wanted. This just goes to show that you can get your bills reduced if you will call and negotiate with companies. “Walk Away Power” is the biggest key to getting the best deal (Dave Ramsey principle).
Of course, AT&T still couldn’t compete with $20 for a year, so it was really quite humorous hearing the agent’s reaction when we told her the deal we were getting.
So onto my review of Magic Jack…
Likes:
Easy and quick to install.
Inexpensive.
It can go anywhere with me around the world, and I can use it with just a computer and internet connection. Any calls I make home will count as local still, because I’ll be using my own local phone and phone number.
Includes things like call waiting, long distance, caller ID, voice mail, directory assistance, free phone number, emergency 911 service, and more!
No extra state and federal fees are added to my phone bill (you all know those extra fees I am talking about).
Reception is very clear. It doesn’t seem any different from the reception I had with AT&T.
Dislikes:
There is a slight delay when I make a call, because the phone has the send the information to the computer and the computer dials the number.
You have to have a computer with an internet connection in order to use it.
With these few exceptions of things I don’t like, I will easily put up with them in order to save as much money as I am. My phone bill was around $40/mo (not including all the fees added on). Even if I had gotten my AT&T bill down to $23/mo (not including all the fees), my savings by using Magic Jack is still $236 for the first year ($276-$40).
I honestly hope that you all will give Magic Jack a try. A lot of people will hesitate seeing the price, because they think it will end up being cheap/junky equipment or poor service. I’m telling you that I am so happy since I have gotten Magic Jack! It’s saving us so much money, and the quality of service is just as good if not better than AT&T! And the equipment is great and easy to install!
Magic Jack also offers a 30-day trial, so if you are not happy you can send it back in for a full refund. So even if you try it and don’t like it, you will not have wasted your initial $40 for equipment and the first year. I hope you all will give it a try, and I’d love to hear any feedback if you have tried Magic Jack!
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Hello! I have thought about magic jack, but my husband works for AT&T and my conscience doesn’t let me do it (the change), seen all those reps like my husband getting laid off horrifies me , i rather pay more for the service when i know that’s going to keep more families like mine from going to the welfare office to get food stamps. I’ll keep saving money by clipping my coupons.
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Crystal, I know this is an old post, but you referenced it recently so thought it was relevant. Your links now take you to some random website and not to Magic Jack
I sent the link to your post to my husband and he commented ;D
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Crystal Collins Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Thanks Lauren! I fixed it!
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Crystal,
Are you still “feeling the Love” for the Magic Jack? I only have a home number through AT&T for my high speed DSL internet service, also through AT&T, therefore when my computer is not in use I don’t need the home number. If I am understanding this I can leave the DSL internet service and cancel the 40.00+ home phone and capture a major savings for 2010 and forward.
Thank you for all you do on this site! The story on your brother yesterday was so great!
Becca
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Crystal Collins Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hey Becca,
We are still using Magic Jack, and are very happy. It is an adjustment, because your computer must be left on for it to work. There is also that initial delay that I talked about in my post. But, those small inconveniences are worth saving hundreds of dollars a year. Everyone just has to decide if they want to pay for convenience or not. I suggest everyone at least tries it. What do you have to lose? Only $40, but if it works, think of how much you will be saving. That was kinda my thinking on it when I first signed up.
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can you keep your same phone number or do you have to get a new one?
KeriLyn@SheSaved´s last blog ..FREE Romantic Recipes from Quality Health…
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I LOVE my MagicJack! I actually ported my home # to a cell phone and use the cell mostly. However, with 4 kids, I needed the unlimited home line for them to use when talking with friends, etc. It is great! The only thing I regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.
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Jayna Reply:
January 20th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
I have the same question as KeriLyn. Can you keep your same home number?
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Jayna Reply:
January 20th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Mary, How long have you had the magic jack? I’ve seen some bad reviews…and most say the service goes south after a few months.
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I think you can keep your # in some areas. I did not even try b/c I did not need to. I have had it since July. At first it didn’t work great, but then I figured out it was my computer, not the Magic Jack. I plugged it into another computer and it is awesome. And honestly, even when it was not working as well, it still beat the land line phone bill!
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I just rcvd’ mine as well, yesterday as a matter of fact. I am so excited about he amount of money this will save! It was simple to install & works just fine at this point. I did come across the is site calle pi$$ed off consumer & they said something about MJ not really being unlimted & they put a restriction on his phone! Does anyone know anyone about this or did he just really abuse it by setting auto-calling service for telemarketing LOL only thing I can think that would be ‘
abusive. Day II I love it!
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Thanks for the information, Mary.
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We’ve had nothing but problems with the magic jack. It rings when it wants to. Frustrating for people who are trying to get a hold of us. The voice mail doesn’t always work. Sometimes I have to put in my password a few times before it will recognize it. ALSO, people can hear me clearly, but I can’t hear them very well. They sound choppy and I have to constantly have them repeat what they are trying to say to me. So frustrating!
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I was talking to my husband about this and he told me not to do it. (He is in law enforcement) He said that using this opens your computers up and there are hackers that can get right into your computer with this. Just FYI.
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Tammy Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Ah-Oh…. did not even think of that. How is that exactly? Please explain? Thanks.
Tammy
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April Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Honestly I do not know but I trust him since he is the head of the computer crimes task force. He told me they have had many cases with phone over the internet companies. This is not the only one. I was so bummed because I thought this was a great savings per year.
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The only thing that keeps me from canceling my landline is that every year we have at least 2 power outages, due to storms so I like having a reliable landline phone in case of emergenies. I have a cell phone, but during storms, my reception is terrible and I have problems getting a clear signal, call drops etc. Last year during one big storm, we were out of power for about 2 weeks, and without power you can’t exactly charge up your cell phone. This year I did downgrade my landline phone plan to very basic services (since we don’t really make calls on this phone), and it has saved me quite a bit of money. Magic jack sounds like a great deal if you want to make long distance calls. I have AT&T and my long distance is about $10/month flat rate. So I would definately consider dropping my long distance plan and try magic jack for outside local calls and long distance.
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I’ve had MJ for two years, saved a ton of money, and am very happy! I was paying $33/mo prior to that with Qwest. I have an occasional problem but for a $376 annual savings, I can roll with the occasional dropped call or fuzzy connection, it’s comparable to cell problem issues and everyone’s fine with those. To those having problems, try installing the TigerJet drivers; you can find them in Wndows Update under the optional section. If you’re on a Mac, do a search for TigerJet drivers.
Not buying MJ because AT&T people will get laid off, that’s like not buying expensive jewelry because LaRog employees will get laid off. Just spend that money elsewhere and you’re still supporting the economy! The whole point of capitalism is to make good products and services at good prices survive and weed out the rabble. If a company can’t stand the competition, they need to get out of the market or improve and we as consumers have the privilege of assuring this based on where we spend our money. Of course, if you mean you’re worried not about the company per se but your husband’s friends getting fired, I can understand that.
April, MJ does require an open port to work but a lot of things require that, Outlook and Windows Live Messenger require that too, it’s no more dangerous than being on a network or using the internet. I’d recommend having a firewall whether or not you have MJ.
Karla, 9-1-1 works whether or not you have phone service; just keep a phone plugged directly into the wall for 9-1-1 use if you like, I do that in case there’s an emergency in the middle of the night and I don’t want to wait for my computer to boot. (MJ has 9-1-1 service too and it’s preprogrammed with your contact info, but of course that’s useless if the power goes out.)
Tammy: I’ve never had a restriction placed on mine and I use it for plenty of very long calls.
KeriLyn: Keeping your same home #…not yet but they say it’s coming. (But they’ve been saying that for awhile so don’t hold your breath.) The wording from FAQs on magicjack.com:
“NOT YET. You will be able to transfer or “port” your existing local phone number to magicJack, for a nominal fee, sometime in 2009.”
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Tammy Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
hey thanks Angelique!
I now have a new concern… after only a week I have been getting disconnected during a call? This has happend two times. Anyone else? Angelique?
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Carolyn Allen Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Try deleting your call history and defragging the computer. Deleting the call history every few days seems necessary to keep it running smoothly, at least for me. I will say that it works SOOOO much better on my new superfast PC than it did on my older PC.
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angelique Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
What Carolyn recommended sounds like a great idea. You could also try deleting your temp stuff by right-clicking on C drive, going to Properties, and Disk Cleanup. I’ve gotten some great advice various times from the unofficial MJ forum at http://www.magicjacksupport.com/search.php although I’d say look at several people’s solutions before acting on something, get a consensus going. Do a search for “dropped”, I notice several people in there mention having calls drop at the 5 minute mark.
I am convinced that there are always going to be some problems because MJ charges too little so it must be nearly impossible for them to afford decent support or hardware. I think most people would be happier if the device was more expensive but had fewer problems and better support.
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We bought Ooma which is like Magic Jack except the computer does not need to be on. Ooma’s initial cost is a little more, but you can port your number over. You also have the choice of purchasing their Premier service for 9.99 a month which gives you several more features. A work colleague of my husband has both MJ which he uses for travel and Ooma for his home.
My reason for eliminating the traditional telephone company was their total indifference to a problem we kept having on our line. The final time we had the issue after emailing and calling numerous times, it lasted an entire month. They gave us a whole 3.00 credit for it even though our phone was unusable for the whole month. I wrote and called them and they could have cared less. I look forward to making my call to them in a few weeks once the number is ported over and giving them the heave-ho!
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angelique Reply:
January 31st, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Keep us updated as to how Ooma works out for you! Yeah, I don’t think MagicJack cares any more than Qwest did, but at $20/yr instead of $33/mo, I can roll with it!
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This is a good idea in theory. However, you will end up wearing out your computer faster. I have a computer that cost at least $1,000 to replace, probably more, and if you leave your computer on all the time to receive calls, then you will cut off about half its useful life. Computers need to be shut off and rebooted every now and then. Granted, it will still probably last 4 or 5 years, but it is probably cutting off about $100 in savings per year. When you factor that in and the fact that my basic phone service in Alaska only costs me about $15 per month, it seems that it is not worth it to switch as it is less convenient. Still would save me about $55 per year, maybe even $100 over a year, but that is not worth the convenience of having a phone that is not tied to a computer and that does not have a delay, at least not to me. A few bucks a month is no biggie. I rarely use long distance, but if I do I can call from my cell phone or from my calling card which is less than 3 cents per minute.
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