I purchased the MJ about two weeks ago. Installation was simple, I canx my local & long distance. Purchased the 5 year plan plus one year svc come out to $10/yr. So far I'm extremely satisfied.

I would like to get magic jack but what is the cost.

Magic Jack is now blocking their customers from calling certain numbers, primarily conference bridges. So you don't have unlimited calling as they advertise.

So your pending charge of $46.90 AND $1 stays on your account for your "Free" 30 day trial. The customer service person used their customer service logic to explain to me that the money would be "released" once the device was returned or after 30 days. What a great free trail....

I've had the magicjack for 3 months now and overall my experience has been good... but I have one complaint. I have my cordless phone base plugged into it and the handsets have a caller ID displays on them. When you receive an incoming call, there is no caller id info displayed on the phone handset. The incoming call info only displays on the display on the computer the magic jack is plugged into. I contacted their tech support and after 10 minutes of beating around the bush, they finally told me "No, Magic Jack will not display Caller Id info on the phone's display." To me this is a dissapointment. There were some other issues too. In Oregon the local calling areas for regular phone service are pretty small compared to other states I've lived in. When I was given the metro area options for my magic jack number, I couldn't pick my local calling area. For me that doesn't matter, but for my next door neighbor to call me on his landline, its long distance for him.

Overall, I still think it's worth it. I went from spending $85 a month for a landline and DSL to $45 a month for naked DSL at twice the speed plus the magic jack.

I recently switched to Magic Jack and am very happy with it. I had my old land line number ported to my cell phone, so have not trouble keeping in touch. Any problems I have had, such as garbled sound, calls not ringing, etc. have been solved by a reboot of the computer. We also upgraded our DSL speed since some calls were being lost with our former 1MB service. We haven't lost a call since. When we travel, I forward calls to my cell. I'm looking forward to my next trip overseas. I'll carry the MJ and my netbook with me so that I can call back home for free. Many family members are now dumping their landlines to follow my example.

MAGICJACK APAIR RED COLOR AND SAY
ERROR STORAGE BROKEN

I have had magic jack for 2 years now as my home phone love the service never a problem at all Only draw back at this time not all area codes are open but they are adding them quickly. I give it a 10 on the scale of 1 to 10

I recently purchased a magicJack at my local office supply store. I have very few complaints about it; my grandmother could install it. However, I was forced to pick a number that was just far enough away that my parent's landline must dial long distance to reach. Not much of a problem in today's cellular age but still should have been entirely avoidable.

After reading MANY reader reviews about this product, I came to the conclusion that MJ users either loved it - or hated it ~ and not much in between. So, I decided to try it ... and here is what I experienced:

After taking perhaps 15 minutes to setup, I have been using MJ for the past few days ... and here are the DISADVANTAGES:

1) You must keep your computer on 24/7 if you wish to have continuous phone service; turn your computer off, and MJ automatically switches to Voicemail.

2) Don't attempt to download anything from the internet while on the telephone ~ you'll lose your connection.

3) You must (at this time) change your telephone number to a MJ number in one of MANY area codes (YOU ARE UNABLE TO KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL NUMBER - although I read that MJ expects to allow one to port their number later this year).

4) In order to work properly, you must have a high speed internet connection.

NOW - here are my findings in my experience with MJ:

For $20 per year (or as little as $12 per year with 5 years prepaid), THIS IS A NO BRAINER ... a few minor inconveniences to save yourself as much as $600 per year. Incidentally, all phone conversations we've had since installing MJ sound EXACTLY like "normal phone calls" ... no breaking up, delays, etc.

Finally, I forgot to add that MJ also includes VM that triggers an e-mail (with a voice file) to you when a message is left; thus, if you use a Berry or other smartphone, you can receive VM notifications whenever/wherever. MJ also includes Call forwarding, Caller ID, etc.

I HEARTILY RECOMMEND THAT YOU AT LEAST TRY IT OUT - 30 DAYS FOR FREE!!

OK, I use one of these in addition to a VOIP service through Teleblend. I'm a computer geek but a realist as well. Here's my take.

First off, the setup of the Magic Jack is extremely straightforward. Assuming your computer is up to par, that is. Like any new device or software you install on your system, you need to be sure your system meets the minimum requirements for what you are installing. If you have an old 486 system running Windows 95, it's probably not going to work. If you have a system that was built within the last three to five years or so, you'll have no problem.

After reading several of the comments here I think that many of the installation problems stem from incompatible systems or the user's lack of experience with installing hardware devices. Simply put, if the system is relatively new, meets the requirements and you follow the installation instructions correctly, you should be up and running in no time.

CONTINUED...

All in all, I think it is a worthy device in the VOIP market. The pricing is almost unbelievable. There are still some kinks to be worked out but you have to remember that this is a relatively new product. My guess is that if it takes off in a big way the prices will go up as well.

If you like to try new things or are a gadget freak, this is the device for you. If you are skeptical, keep your old phone service for awhile while you try it. At $40-50 for a year of service, it isn't too much of a gamble. Kick it up to five years and you are into the whole deal for a little over a $100 total. That's six bucks and change each month for full phone service! About the same price as one lunch a month. How can you lose?

I've had MJ for a year now, strictly for Phone, no fax. the Pros are obvious. just wanted to share some Cons:

*sometimes a call just won't go through, dial tone is there, dial and no rings, this can happens 5 times in a row. had to hang up & wait a few (~5-10) minutes. then it worked again

*"no-service" people live up to their namesake

*each jack has a "activation" code. I got 2 MJ. i enabled the 2nd MJ a month later than the 1st, & mistakenly put the code in for the 1st MJ. Viola now my 1st MJ has twice the life and 2nd is still dead. MJ won't fix it. i had to buy 1 more code.

* must include area code for in- & outbound calls

* still cant port #s

I bought my MJ recieved it in 2 days plugged it in went through the set-up a child could do this,it was so simple , plugged in my phone it worked great , I had a little static setting up my voicemail so I downloaded the upgrades and it fixed everything I have no complaints , but I was still skeptical I waited a few weeks still awesome , I cancelled my home phone and have never looked back , I wish I would have bought one a long time ago Great Job Magic Jack !!!!

Did not work for me but it got me looking for alternatives and I found the OOMA system, 40.00 it ain't but for 250.00 no more monthly phone bills and it actually works as is should. Love it!

I had MJ sin the beginning and had no major issue, and I have an old 4 yr laptop, works great all the time even when I am out of town, get email voice from anywhere ( as long as you have a email address ) great deal love it

I tried the Magic Jack and found that when it downloads it ends up corrupting file pages on my hard drive and now my computer locks up when using aps that require a lot of memory. Are others experiencing this?

Bought one magicjack they immediately deducted $94.80 from my credit card.
Despite the Order conformation e-mail I rec'd that said. . . . "Free Trial Jack will not be billed to your credit card until the **30 Day Free Trial expires."
I said ok well if it does what it is suppose to do it wil be well worth it - otherwise I will just return it.
Only 7 days into receiving this. . . Lousy phone system!!!!
-Need USB2... will not work with USB computer can't sense it.
-Poor CUSTOMER SERVICE
-I was told I could TRANSFER CURRENT home Number . . not
-poor phone connectivity
-clicking
-static
-dropped calls
-NO HISTORY OF CALLS PROVIDED
-Will not work with HOUSE ALARM
-The BBB gives the MagicJack people an "F" for service, failure to refund, etc.

Went to magicJack and proceeded with the RMA Process.
I could not figure out why it would not left me return it until I see the small print . . . . "*At least 2 items are required to generate an RMA"

What a rip off I only ordered one item.!!

With the time I have spent just trying to return this "free trial" . . .STILL no refund still and it's been over 4 months now.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT - Too many problems, big waste of time trouble shooting something that is suppose to be sooo SIMPLE and cheap NOT.
It's just not worth all of the time and aggravation

Just got MJ today. Plugged it in and it was working within 5 minutes. Call quality is equal to our traditional land line. Will post again if quality changes. Great price and much better call quality than I expected.

I've had the MagicJack since the beta stages. There are times it is great and times it is crappy. I first bought a year of service with the unit like everyone else and then added a year. Recently, I bought five more years. Based on phone company prices I am really not out a penny if it folds tomorrow. If MJ stays around for the whole time I save a bundle. We even use the international feature and it is cheap and works great. Doesn't gig you like a phone card does. Bottom line is I kinda love the MJ and obviously plan to keep it.

I'd never even heard of Magic Jack when my husband suggested we purchase this device from Radio Shack.
We bought it, my husband took less than 5 minutes to hook it up and it's been fine. We are using a computer that it about 6 years old (we both use laptops, so this is a computer, CPU only, that we leave connected all the time) Once I set up the MJ, I removed the monitor and keyboard, due to space issues.
We went to Target and bought an expandable cordless phone system (where you only need one phone back, the other units plug into an AC outlet). I've noticed that if it isn''t used for awhile, there is about a 7-8 second delay until you get dial tone, but after that, it's fine.
My husband and I bought our house 4 1/2 years ago and though our house is wired for telephones, we never had AT&T actually install the "box" outside. We'd just opened a business and moved from another state, so using our cell phones was great for us! We had the need recently to also have a home phone and the MJ has been a God-send! We love it and overall have been pleased.
Sometimes I get an echo, but nothing that makes me want to stop using it!

I can make outgoing calls on my MJ but cannot receive incoming calls. I called the chat support and didn't get any help. I told them if they couldn't fix the problem I would cancel. There repsonse was You may do as you please. That is bad service.

This is great. There is a delay and you must remember to leave your computer on, which I did not know, I am not a computer pro. I am saving about $40/month.

Please tell me the best way to send back the Majic Jack and be sure I am not billed.

This is the least expensive and probably the best telephone service that I have EVER used!

This service ONLY costs $19.95/year and with a 5 year license extension it costs only $12.00/year! That's $1.67/month the 1st year then $1.00/month each year thereafter.

Don't believe any of the BAD PRESS you may hear about the service. I discovered what the "technical" problem was, because it actually happened to me. I was having audio and connection problems until I solved the technical problem of my computer's USB bus drawing over 500 mA, actually 580 mA, with everything plugged into the bus.

My eMachine computer, Model T2882, only has a 250 Watt power supply and that was working at its limits with all the computer cards and USB devices that I had plugged into the machine were demanding current.

The attached links is how I solved the problem for less than $20.00!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLoYFE7Svv8

http://drbray.blogspot.com/2008/12/magicjack-reality.html

Anyone contemplating (or using) a Magic Jack should familiarize themselves with these two excellent resources:

Un-official MJ support forum:
http://www.magicjacksupport.com

DSLReports MJ forum:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/magicjack

Tons of great information on using MJ.

Problems I ran into:
1) Wouldn't work at all on PC#1 - had several extended "live help" sessions and they were unable to resolve. Plugged it into PC#2, worked great, no problems. Went back to PC#1, uninstalled/reinstalled Comodo firewall software, works great now.
2) Choppy voice on incoming calls. From what I've read, this problem is solved by using a router that supports QOS (Quality Of Service). Best one is a Linksys WRT54GL flashed with Tomato (I know, I know, geek stuff, but some of us are willing/able to deal with it). Upping CPU priority of magicjack.exe process only helped slightly. I'm living with it until I can get a new router.
3) Delay - there is about a quarter-second delay in both directions, so conversations can be awkward if you tend to speak over people (like I sometimes do). Learning to pace my conversation (which is probably a good thing anyway) and not be in such a hurry helps a lot. I don't know if this problem is universal (I suspect so) or if there's anything that can be done about it (I suspect not).
4) Echo. I hear my own voice echo back on some calls. Not sure what, if anything, can be done about this. Tried all the stuff I found in the forums to no avail.

Best way to run it, as far as I can tell, is on an HP Thin Client, available on ebay for about $100. That gives the MJ it's own stripped down Windows machine, so your regular PCs aren't bothered. Again, this is geeky stuff, so not everyone may be up to the task.

Read all the bad press, but purchased it anyway. About a minute to hook up, and in less than 5 minutes it was installed. Works great. Might get a second line.

This is the link on PC Magazine:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2250244,00.asp

Mike was questioning this in the thread below.

I have had MagicJack for about 4 months now. Although occasionally I get a bad connection maybe 1 out of 20 calls it works great. If I get a bad connection - I just call again and 9 out of 10 times it is just fine. I use a corded phone. I reduced my cell phone bill and will never go back to a regular phone company. I had zero issues installing on my 4 year old computer. I also set up international calling - easy easy easy. I just wanted to provide a different viewpoint from all of the negative reviews here. and believe me - I was a skeptic before I tried it.

Clark, I listen to you most days as my job keeps me on the road and in my car. I knew oif majicJack long before you mentioned it. This is no fad I just got mine tonight and I am paid up for the next five years. I LOVE IT. Its my opinion that folks that don't lik MJ may have a challenged HS internet connection. MaH BEll go to !@?&%$

I know Clark recommends Magic Jack, but after reading all of the posted comments, wow - almost a mutiny.
Just an open-ended question:
I looked at the Magic Jack website - it proudly emblazons its page with PC Magazine Editor's Choice 1/17/08 and the PC Magazine logo. I then exhaustively checked the PC Magazine website - there is no mention of Magic Jack on the PC Magazine website. Could Magic Jack be trying to perpetrate a fraud on us?
What do y'all think?

I had every possible issue with my magic jack.
if you have issues like i did:

-computer can't sense the usb magic jack
-poor phone connectivity
-clicking
-static
-dropped calls

with these issues it was the worst phone I've ever had.

I got an ac/dc powered 2.0 usb hub which fixed all of my problems.
Now magic jack is one of the best phones I have!

Love it!

Just wanted to chime in about our experience. We keep one older laptop running during the times we want to use the phone. We even use an old pulse dial phone with a direct cord atttached to the device. Works fine...Clearwire is our net connection....so that means we have a phone wherever we want to take our laptop, and our clearwire modem....if it keeps working as it does today.....we'll be just fine....

If you are somewhat technically aware...and are not always calling customer service to help you blow your nose....you'll most likely get along fine....I hope they stay in business...for us..it works....but then we don't keep a phone to always bn tuch with the world....we use it to make calls we need or want to make....

The Magic Jack was designed brilliantly and its software continues to get better.

If you are having problems, chances are pretty good your computer is causing it.

http://www.magic-jack.info/

The above web site has lots of helpful information about the Magic Jack! If you need any troubleshooting help, the answer is probably waiting on you there.

The packaging Magic Jack comes in says "In a few rare instances, your USB port on your computer may not have enough power." This may not be so rare after all and in fact fairly common! Before giving up, try AC-powered USB hub with Magic Jack. If you have other things plugged into your USB slots, the more likely THIS is the primary problem you are having. I've got a mouse, keyboard and a printer that all use USB myself. The more USB stuff you have plugged in, the more likely a USB power drain is what causes issues with your Magic Jack.

I hope this helps many of you here. I know, for some, this will do the trick.

Wal-Mart has a good AC-powered 4-port USB hub for less than $20 that works!

Find out more tips (like MagicBlock 1.2 - free program to prevent MJ popups) at the site I've listed above. Good Luck!

I purchased the magicJack a few months back. At first, it worked great. I told others, "Hey, we did it! We finally beat those rip-off artists over there at the phone company!" However, to my dismay, around a month after purchasing the product, I noticed that the conversations I was having while using the magicJack started to become broken up and people also told me I sounded 'very far away'. Shortly after that, I noticed that when I was finished dialing a number (including dialing the area code first which is a must when dialing while using the magicJack), it would ask me to "Please dial the area code with the number, even though I had already done so. At other times, when I was finished dialing a number, it would cut off and go right back to a dial tone. As the days and weeks went by, these problems only progressed.

I talked to the magicJack people on that ridiculous 'chat box' for three days and used around seven hours out of my time to try and get the audio problems fixed. (If they had a phone number for these type of technical issues, these audio problems would be much easier to work out. It would enable them to work on the problem with me while listening in on the audio problem. This way, when they fixed the problem, we'd both know right away that the problem was fixed.)

I own a Vtech cordless phone with three handsets. The main is connected in the kitchen and two other cordless handsets for two other rooms in my home. At times, the audio on the kitchen phone will be all 'broken up', yet at the same time, while calling or receiving calls, the other two phones will be crystal clear.

When I 'chatted' with the magicJack people, they advised me to try using a corded phone (like one from 1980) because I may be experiencing interference from something in my home. I tried the corded phone, but still noticed these same problems. They advised me to turn off my firewall and disable my anti virus protection. Even with all these steps taken, the same problems existed.

I have a brand new $2,500.00 Dell computer and a very fast high speed cable connection, but they asked me to run a speed test on it to find out what the results would be on my download and upload speeds. As it turns out, my download speed is very fast, but my upload speed was rather slow. The folks over there at magicJack told me during our 'chat' that the magicJack needs an upload speed of close to 130 bps. Although I do have a slow upload speed, it registers in at over 300 bps so that can't be the problem either.

HELP!

I've had it for about 4 months. It works well about 75% of the time. I use it as a back up for my wireless, when I run low on minutes. It's a great deal, but I wouldn't use it for a primary phone

the voice quality is terrible. I can connect only 1 out of 5 times you try to call. However, it works extremely well in overseas calls.
Total rating 3 out of 10

I installed MajicJack but I cannot make or receive calls.It tells me about a code 400. What is that? Can someone help me?
Thanks!
Fred

I have purchased one and it arrived the next day. Had a little problem getting it set up ( My Fault) contacted on line support they came right on and talked me thru it. My freind and I ( he lives in Baltimnore) talked for over 3 hours and not 1 problem. He liked it so much that while we were on line he ordered 2 of them. He got his in 2 days and both are up and running fine. This is a fantastic deal and thank you . Like anything new there are a few bugs to work out, and those that complain about customer support being not top of the line ( Remember you are only paying 20.00 a years for unlimited phone service. So what would you prefer, the vonage 29,95 per month with lots of phone serve ( which you are paying for) or the 20.00 per year phone service with minimal support. People this is really not that hard to work, follow the instructions. It says to use a max of 6 ft of cord. So use 6. It says if you are having connection problems try turning off your firewall, it say if the phone doesn't dial out but you can with the soft phone (headset and mike) then try a different phone. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!! If you are a complainer about everything that is cheap and is trying to save you money then I suggest that you stay with your local provider or get the tried and true and bugs worked out Vonage, but if you are willing to try something new that is 100 times cheaper, and are willing to work with them during the intailation of a super service then this is the one!!!

I tried to sign up with them back in January. They responded back that it was 4-weeks shipping to get the unit. I called them 8-weeks later (after searching FOREVER to find a phone number) and was told that they just got my order two days ago (in spite of the fact that I had an e-mail confirmation that it had been taken almost two MONTHS prior). They said that I'd have the unit within a week. I never got it, and I gave up!

I tried MagicJack, based on Clark's recommendation. The sound quality on the calls was extremely poor and it sounded like we gagged and talking underwater. Customer service does not exist and there is no way to receive a refund. When I went to the Magicjack website and requested a RMA number for a return, the screen reported that there was no record of my purchase, although I entered the purchase number and tracking number. Avoid MagicJack.

I don't think there's a live human being there. At least I haven't reached one!

I've had magicJack for about 4 months. Before I bought it, I checked out their website and contacted their live chat, so I knew I wouldn't have much help from them. Still, for the money, I decided to buy. It wasn't a simple plug & play, but it still only took about 10 minutes to get it running. Quality is an issue, and I seem to have problems trying to get through on certain numbers - my doctor, my friend - I get Arrowsmith every time I try to call him, then it disconnects! I've found it gives me the best results when:
1 - I use the 6 inch cord that came with it
2 - I do a cold boot (2 min off) twice a day
3 - I rerun the magicJack upgradge every time I reboot
4 - I adjust my sound levels every time I reboot
I'm disabled, on a fixed $637 a month income. I just couldn't afford to pay $10.50 a month for local landline service. magicJack IS NOT problem free, but it not only means I can still have a phone, but it also means I can call my best friend who lives 400 miles away...as well as many businesses that my former landline company wanted to charge me 10 cents a minute to reach.

bought 2 both work fine on one computer except for having to unplug to re-boot computer but none will complete down loading one second computer,,, and a phone service provider that has no phone to talk with customer no service should say something also

All of you with problems returning the MagicJack to get a refund is easy. Just visit the website and click the chat online button to chat with a customer rep. I ordered 2, and only needed 1. I used the chat button, and the friendly chat rep. gave me an RMA Number to send only one back. I was only charged for one MJ once they received it. Remember all of you, you have to get an RMA number or go to the MJ website and click on the return button. It's not hard at all if you just read instead of crying about your problems. Oh, by the way, mine works great!

1. It is a very tempting technology with promise.
2. It does have technical glitches.
3. The "no-help" that they provide is really NO HELP ... so none of the glitches could be isolated, fixed or overcome ... we have copy of their on-line conversations.
4. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT IS THAT THEY MISREPRESENT THEIR 30-DAY FREE TRIAL, CHARGING OUR ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY WAY BEFORE THE TRIAL PERIOD IS UP.
5. They got their money, they don't care about your problems.
6. Unfortunately, I did not do my homework and google this company ... also, I finally Better Business Bureau checked them ... WOW ... if I had done this first, never would have done it. (Basically, I took Clark Howard's otherwise very wise advice and bought it. I do not blame Clark, who I raptly listen to religiously ... I blame me for rushing into it without complete research). My bad.

is there a phone # for Magic customer service

My sympathy to anyone who tried to return this, it did not work in our area, and emails to customer service were ridiculous, you really can't return it, they make it impossible, it is a rip off, and the 30 days start from when it is shipped not when you register or try it, we were on vacation, then told to upgrade, then told sorry you are past 30 days, we made 3 unsatisfactory calls, sounded like you were talking under water, the customer service at Majic Jack is nil, be fore warned it doesn't work everywhere, try at your own risk, becasue once your order, it is yours. Good luck everyone, this is a major rip off!

I use MJ to make long distant calls to my mom. Ocassionally, the connnection is bad and I will hang up and try again. Normally, the second time I don't have problems. I think it's a cheap alternative to regular long distance service with the phone company. If you don't have high speed internet then that might cause problems too. Overall, I'm happy with the product.

Magic Jack is the biggest rip off I have ever run across, not to mention the fact that the site uses false advertising to lure in customers. The site claims to have a 30 day risk-free trial ending that day, but changes the date daily so customers think they need to act fast. Don't believe this scam!
My Magic Jack didn't arrive in time to try it and return it before the 30 day trial ended. At the time we purchased, the site said 30 days before your card is charge, but the TOS said you also had 30 days after your card was charged to return it. When we tried loading it and ran across several difficulties, then found it wouldn't work properly, we contacted the site to return it. They had changed their TOS after the date we purchased, and given their site a major makeover. They refused to refund until after I contacted the BBB about their business practices. I sent it back today, so we'll see if the refund really happens.

The equipment wont last you a year. I am on my 3rd box. You need a high speed connection or you will have a terrible reception. Anyway it is cheaper than paying 40 or 50 a month.

I love it I use it all the time and it is very cheap to use and very simple to setup

Clark your credibility has gone way down over this one.

The BBB gives the MagicJack people an "F" for service, failure to refund, etc. I'm surprised Clark would recommend this.

I bought one and before I set it up I downloaded critical service service pak 3, It won't load with 3 only 2 and below. I am fit to be tied! There is no way to talk with any one !! LOOKS TO ME LIKE THEY TOOK THE MONEY AND RAN! (:()- jok1561@windstream.net HELP

Clark, you are so right about Majic Jack. Could it get any easier?
The transmission is clear also.
What a product !

Not totally understanding the technology of MagicJack. Can it receive and send faxes?

Can you transfer your present phone number to this?
Will it work on all the phones in your house or only the one attached to your computer?

What's the deal with Grand Central? Can't get a number -

Yes it is cheap. but I Accidently ordered two and trid to cancel one but I couldn't. There was no phone number to call and no where in the home page to get a hold of a person to cancel. I now have two of them and don't need one. I thought I could send it back but there wasn't a return label to do that. I'm not sure what to do.

Clark, there seems to be a worm, Windows XP Anti-virus, that creeps in when downloading the Magicjack software.

This sounds great, but I assume it only works when your computer is turned on. Personally, I don't have any available USB ports open. Has anyone figured the cost of keeping the computer turned on for a year, compared to the power cost of a traditional phone???

I am an AT&T customer. Will Magicjack work for me? At Clark's suggestion I did away with my land line but kept phone connection for computer, and have cingular wireless cell phone.

I did use magic fix. It fix itself right into my speaker drive ( I can hear my computer speaker throught the phone speaker ). had to pay some guy from craigslist to fix it. ( put my speaker back to the correct drive)

bought two days back.Used it since then for long distance calls in US & Canada.Worked perfect till now.
I do not know how to start other features emergency phone, voice mail etc.I am pleased with it. My wife called all her friends and talked for hours.
Thanks Clark for the tip.

very good need local number in my town.

Durham, N.C.

I have a friend who has a son stationed in Korea. Apparently Magicjack does not have services there yet. Is there another company that does with cheap rates?

I love the Magic Jack and I will save over $600 this year! It was easy to setup.

Hi,

I shut my pc down when we have thunderstorms and tornado warnings/watches. Therefore, the only phone connection that I will have is my cell phone. That's something that majicjack did not take into consideration. Living in tornado alley, there are a lot of storms frequently. Just something to consider before purchasing majicjack.

My MJ has poor audio quality. The sound breaks up and I can't hear. I had similar problems with Vonage. But my father likes his MJ and does not have voice quality issues. Not sure what is causing the difference.

This is a great way for me to make FREE calls back to the USA when I'm abroad (granted, I do need an internet broadband connection). Call quality is fair, nor great. Well worth it for me.

Have any of you morons ever thought that if you have a piece of junk computer that maby the Majic Jack wont work as well as advertised. I've had mine for about a year with zero issues. It is hooked up through a computer with good speed and memory. As far as customer service issues, it's $20 a year get over it.

To those of you wondering about the why you'd pay for this when you would need a phone service to get DSL in the first place- the short answer is you Don't need to have the phone service to get DSL in some instances. It's called Naked DSL. You'll have to check with your service provider if they offer it.

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i found out about MJ on Clark Howard's web site over a year ago. My husband bought 4 since then. We used it in France, Russia, Peru... Also, we use it for calls within USA and Canada which allows us to have lower minute plan with Congular now :). So far, Magic Jack was great, but sometimes you do get poor connection or computer gives a mistake and can't find MJ on your computer and you have to restart both. Its great for travelling, as long as you have Fast internet connection and as long as MJ communicates well with the computer :)

Do you know if it can be used on cruise ships? Upon the advice of a friend, I purchased a phone and minutes last year for $39.95 that I was able to use once we were out at sea. I used it to make calls from Spain, Greece and Italy. However, my friend who bought it was unable to use it from his ship. I don't know the technical reason but it has something to do with the type of radar (?) equipment on the ship.

how can Clark use this product in Scandinavia when it advertises that it is for US and Canada only?

have been using magic jack for about a month. Get better saoun quality than lingo. ready to switch permanently.
...enjoy your radio program...thanks

After using magicjack flawlessly for 4 days, we began experiencing audio problems. After 6 hrs of customer no service and 9 techs, magicjack equals magicjunk. I was on the 30 day trial and sent it back. I am just waiting to see what shows up on my credit card bill before I contest the charges. For Clark to be so adamant about customer service, how can he continue to recommend a product with virtually no customer service and such questionable business practices. I put them in with the "pay day" lenders when it comes to poor treatment of consumers. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT. If you are lucky enough to have been using it successfully, keep hoping that nothing goes wrong. Don't cancel your landline or cut your cell minutes thinking this is the end all. It's not. Clark, do a segment on this subject. You owe it to your listeners.

Since adding my magic jack to my computer my internet explorer does not come up, but my favorites show up on the magic jack menu. How do I get my internet explorer and my favorites back from the magic jack menu?
Nancy

This thing is unbelievable. My husband has family that lives in Morocco, and he has spent tons of money on phone cards. He sent them a Magic Jack, and now he can dial a local US number, and it rings on their Magic Jack phone in Morocco. They can call him or anywhere else in the US for $20/yr! You can't beat the price.

While I like Magic Jack very much it has one major flaw. If users have Xp Service Pack 3 installed Magic Jack will not work. Since XP Service Pack 3 is required to avoid security issues and will soon be downloaded by all XP computer Magic will eventually be unusable if XP is used.

NOT A SERIOUS REPLACEMENT FOR PHONE CO OR VONAGE:
Need USB2... WILL NOT WORK WITH USB
NO CUSTOMER SERVICE
NO HISTORY OF CALLS PROVIDED
WILL NOT WORK WITH HOUSE ALARM
CANNOT TRANSFER CURRENT NUMBER

I have found that if you are not running any other programs when calling, the Magicjack works great. I sent one to my honey in the Phillipines and it works GREAT. Sure beats the heck out of the discount calling cards and tel3advantage. It is saving me $100's a month. Try it. It is petty change compared to the savings.

I've had my MagicJack for a year now and I'm quite pleaed with it. My friend recently bought one after she turned off her long distance service. It saves a lot of money every month, all year.

MJ won't work on pc with LINUX operating system, not compatible.

To me it seems the down fall of these services is that you need internet service. Now follow me, If your internet comes from your phone line then you need to keep it active and to do so in most areas you need phone service. So keeping a phoneline and paying for it and the connection seems redundent,unless you go thru cable. But, cable internet services are pricey and depending on how much you use long distence it might seem a unvalue to do so. Show me I'm wrong and we'll talk

MJ has it's own network that is how they can do it so cheap. See; http://telephonyonline.com/voip/news/magicjack-attacks-0502/

I've had a Magic Jack for 4 months now. I use it for long distance calls only and it's great. I do have a problem using a cordless phone; So, I dial from the computer. At $40/yr it's worth the hassle.

The price is certainly reasonable and their service people do try to help. It doesn't seem to work as well with Vista even with their update and it tends to echo or skip when there is another program running at the same time. I think if they are selling 9000 a day, sooner or later they will work out the bugs with Vista. The other problem could be related to the ISP or memory. I am not ready to toss it yet.

I checked it out today, June 19, 2008, and they had an offer for 5 years of service for an additional 59.95 TOTAL. Which means that for around $100.00, you get 6 years of service...is this really true? We're trying the 30 day trial...after that it's 39.95 plus state tax (Fl tax was 2.95) for one year. We'll see! Crazy if this is real.

I am so glad you have this page! Trying to find Nolo. com, didn't know the correct spelling until I saw TODAY'sSHOW Notes. Thank you!