How's Your Magicjack?

[jaideeguy]

I've been on magicjack for a year now and the quality of calls seem to be getting worse......clipped words, echos and lots of dropped calls. Can blame some of the problem on our [not so hi speed] internet, but I don't think the internet should get the full 90% of the blame.

Anyone else experiencing same with magicjack??

now, I am being prompted to pay for another years service, but am reluctant to unless they improve.

[Rice_King]

Been using Magic Jack now for almost a year now here in Chiang Mai to call friends and family back in the US. There are instances where it cuts out or drops the call. The cut-outs aren't often and certainly not that bad. The dropped calls are 100% due to my local ISP here and not the fault of the MJ. When it happens, it is because I lost complete internet connectivity.

Most of the time, the sound quality is so great that it sounds like I am connecting to someone living down the street. Some callers are unaware that I am conversing with them from half a world away.

MJ works so well for me that I gave up Vonage after being with them for 5 years. I give MJ a strong 9 on a scale of 10.

I am not affiliated with Magic Jack in any way, other than as a satisfied customer.

(edited for readability.)

[jaideeguy]

Since posting, I googled around and found a couple of quick fixes that may do the trick. Can't confirm untill tomorrow, as all my contacts are asleep now.

What they suggested was to change usb ports and you can adjust volume by the menu on MJ screen. will try it out tomorrow and see if it made any differnce and report.

Agree that lotsofproblems are caused by local internet [i'm in CM also], but I do speed checks and speed is up when call drops oris bad quality.

What really got me was when a mail order firm made a costly mistake on anorder and her excuse was bad connection.

[losworld]

Just get skype. It has the best sound quality and network. Hopefully Google Voice will soon expand beyond the U.S. as it will have a good network and lower costs as well as a free number I believe.

[jaideeguy]

Got skype....had it for years before MJ came in and it still serves as a back-up, but even at 2.5 cents/min, I was constantly refilling my account. MJ is a flat $20/yr and gives you a legit phone number that people can call you on and calls to anywhere in North America are no additional charge.

[Macx]

Had MJ for a year. Was about to buy the 5yr promotion, but the device actually broke down. Something in the wiring/soldering got loose. I travel with it a lot so that could be the problem. I found it to be very good quality, voice wise, but the software was clumsy and often had to reboot the system etc.

So I'm back to Skype

Which is OK, but not so good when I'm calling from the states.

[CDNinKS]

Still very happy with MJ.......although I will admit that every so often I have had the broken, clipped calls.......but they are always only on one side of the conversation.

When it is working, it is flawless, people can not believe it is an internet based call. I will be re-newing for sure.

[gosompoi]

I have Skype and MagicJack, I can say the quality is the local internet problem in thailand. Skype does seems to have better quality than MJ but it is not the MJ fault. I travel with my MagicJack and Thailand's internet is the problem.

[jaideeguy]

Here it is, next day after tweaking my volume controls and changing usb ports and made a couple of calls and same same. Then changed phones as suggested and tried a couple of calls and same same. Then used skype and got a good, loud and clear signal.

what's up??

[retiredusn]

Here it is, next day after tweaking my volume controls and changing usb ports and made a couple of calls and same same. Then changed phones as suggested and tried a couple of calls and same same. Then used skype and got a good, loud and clear signal.

what's up??

Been using mine (MJ) for almost a year now in Chanthaburi with no problems at all, the wife calls the US just about everyday and its loud and clear. There have been a couple of auto updates in the past week or so, you may want to check and see if you have received them or not.

[Rice_King]

Here it is, next day after tweaking my volume controls and changing usb ports and made a couple of calls and same same. Then changed phones as suggested and tried a couple of calls and same same. Then used skype and got a good, loud and clear signal.

what's up??

Just for curiosity, would you mind posting your bandwidth speed from SpeedTest.Net?

As I mentioned, I am getting very satisfactory MJ connections typically with this bandwidth speed.

[jaideeguy]

A quick update..... Went on to MJ chat help and 'stella' prompted me to do speedcheck that you have above RK and then go direct to usb port, bypassing the cable extension and to upgrade. I did all of the above, but it was too late to call my friends in America and wake them up so I had to wait till this morning and tried a couple of calls and IT WORKS!! [sO FAR]

[20member09]

Have you ever read the user agreement for Magicjack, and the terms you are agreeing too? It does many things most people would never want, like reporting all your calls, phone numbers, etc, back to the Magicjack central server. They make their money by selling your information. Also the way the jack installs software on your system is not something I would want, no uninstall program.

Magicjack clones itself to parts of your operating system, even if you stop using it, the program is still within your computer. It also has been know to slow down operating systems. While some may like it, you get what you pay for. Magicjack is not for me.

[Pooklook]

Have you ever read the user agreement for Magicjack, and the terms you are agreeing too? It does many things most people would never want, like reporting all your calls, phone numbers, etc, back to the Magicjack central server. They make their money by selling your information. Also the way the jack installs software on your system is not something I would want, no uninstall program.

Magicjack clones itself to parts of your operating system, even if you stop using it, the program is still within your computer. It also has been know to slow down operating systems. While some may like it, you get what you pay for. Magicjack is not for me.

In the Terms of Service you agree for them to know about every web site, email, and phone number you use. You agree to have all of your information resold to third parties. There is no Uninstall for this program. To uninstall the software requires multiple Windows Registry edits and the removal of several folders on the Windows system. If you just stop using MJ it will continue to gather your information. If you want to attempt to improve call quality it is possible to change servers in the softphone by making the default one unavailable. As it becomes oversold and overloaded due to mass marketing this is about the only option to improve quality since customer service is so poor.

[Rice_King]

Have you ever read the user agreement for Magicjack, and the terms you are agreeing too? It does many things most people would never want, like reporting all your calls, phone numbers, etc, back to the Magicjack central server. They make their money by selling your information. Also the way the jack installs software on your system is not something I would want, no uninstall program.

Magicjack clones itself to parts of your operating system, even if you stop using it, the program is still within your computer. It also has been know to slow down operating systems. While some may like it, you get what you pay for. Magicjack is not for me.

In the Terms of Service you agree for them to know about every web site, email, and phone number you use. You agree to have all of your information resold to third parties. There is no Uninstall for this program. To uninstall the software requires multiple Windows Registry edits and the removal of several folders on the Windows system. If you just stop using MJ it will continue to gather your information. If you want to attempt to improve call quality it is possible to change servers in the softphone by making the default one unavailable. As it becomes oversold and overloaded due to mass marketing this is about the only option to improve quality since customer service is so poor.

And here is a rebuttal of many of these claims.

http://askbobrankin.com/magic_jack_good_or_evil.html

Some excerpts plus a link to the MagicJack TOS:

In the TOS you agree that everything in your computer is fair game for them to know about, all web sites, email, and numbers called are their info.

But that's just wrong. The TOS says "Your registration data and certain other information about you are subject to this Terms of Service." Nowhere does it say that MJ software will snoop around on your hard drive, looking through your personal documents, reading your emails, or checking out what websites you've visited. And there's no evidence this is happening. Your "registration data" is your name, address, and other info you provided when you signed up. It's a big stretch of the imagination to assume that the "certain other information" includes "everything in your computer."

It's important to remember that ANY piece of software on your computer has the ability to access ANY file on that system. Your web browser, word processor, email program, even your anti-virus program -- they all have carte blanche to read, write, change, delete or transmit anything on your computer. But that doesn't mean they will.

It is true that the MJ TOS says they "may analyze the phone numbers you call and your registration information in order to improve the relevance of the ads." Okay, so they know your name, address, and who you call. I don't think most people would be concerned about that, because they're NOT listening to your conversations -- they're just looking at the numbers you dial. Let's make up a scenario... Suppose MJ determines that you are calling an auto insurance company, what's the worst that could happen? An ad for another insurance company might pop up on your screen? Horrors! Oh, and by the way... do you think that maybe your phone company ALSO knows who you are and who you call? Of course they do, and that doesn't make them evil.

You agree to have all of your information resold to third parties.

Wrong again. The MJ TOS clearly states: "We do not provide any personal information to our advertisers or third parties." This is either an oversight or an intentionally inflammatory remark on the part of the author.

Their TOS spells out their intent -- the intent to feed context sensitive advertising, which requires manipulation of information from your brain through their software into their processors.

Yes, the MJ software MAY serve up context sensitive ads. And hooray for context-sensitive ads! If their business model includes advertising, wouldn't you rather that the ads be relevant? Google does that with Gmail. If you're reading an email from your friend in Miami about her dog, you might see ads for dog food, or Miami hotels on the side of the screen. Yahoo and Microsoft do the same type of things when serving up ads based on the content of a web page.

This does not mean that your personal information has been compromised or shared with any third party. It means only that a computer examined the information on the screen, and served up ads that were related to the content. Oh, and from what I've heard, they aren't even serving ads yet. One friend who loves his Magic Jack told me he's not seeing any ads from Magic Jack, and I've read the same comments from other users.

(more...)

[Pooklook]

I stand by my post and respectfully disagree with you Rice_King

Once your data???? and certain other information ( what could that mean??) is provided (sold) to a third party in another country(wow!!)

Below are MJ own words; the highlighted parts are open-ended to say the least.

10. Privacy Policy

Your registration data and certain other information about you are subject to this Terms of Service. You understand that by using the magicJack device you consent to magicJack's collection and use as set forth in these Terms of Service, including the transfer of this information to and from the United States and/or other countries for storage, processing and use by magicJack, its affiliates and business partners to provide you with information about communications-related service.

[Pooklook]

I've been on magicjack for a year now and the quality of calls seem to be getting worse......clipped words, echos and lots of dropped calls. Can blame some of the problem on our [not so hi speed] internet, but I don't think the internet should get the full 90% of the blame.

Anyone else experiencing same with magicjack??

now, I am being prompted to pay for another years service, but am reluctant to unless they improve.

Since posting, I googled around and found a couple of quick fixes that may do the trick. Can't confirm untill tomorrow, as all my contacts are asleep now.

What they suggested was to change usb ports and you can adjust volume by the menu on MJ screen. will try it out tomorrow and see if it made any differnce and report.

Agree that lotsofproblems are caused by local internet [i'm in CM also], but I do speed checks and speed is up when call drops oris bad quality.

What really got me was when a mail order firm made a costly mistake on anorder and her excuse was bad connection.

Here it is, next day after tweaking my volume controls and changing usb ports and made a couple of calls and same same. Then changed phones as suggested and tried a couple of calls and same same. Then used skype and got a good, loud and clear signal.

what's up??

I understand jaideeguy. In the states I have a 10mbps connection and had the same voice clipping

quality problems I had to strain to hear the caller and repeat myself often. So many of my calls

ended when the recipient just gave up and said call me back on a real line. All you have to do is

Google magicjack problems………Many people (not everyone} are having the same problems.

So you me and many others spend hours trying to get this thing to work as advertized

and finally one day we give up try and uninstall and there is ………NO UNINSTALL…………

Google uninstall magic jack and you’ll begin to see everything they do to you computer and what it

takes to completely remove it and all the changes it makes to your registry…..

[lomatopo]

I've had a mJ for ~ 11 months. In general I get ~ 50% call completion and ~ 25% of those (so ~ 12.5% of total inititiated calls) are acceptable. I have access to two (2) excellent DSL providers here, and always check speeds before making a call. I also test my set-up by calling my mobile number in the U.S. and listen to my voice-mail. I've had all the updates and have done a lot of research/trouble-shooting trying to improve call completion and quality. I (tryu to) use the unit on two different PC's.

Having said all that it has still proven to be highly-cost effective, especially when grinding through 8xx menues and long wait times for a CSR for my various requirements. When it works it is great.

I'd like to renew, but just for one year. I honestly haven't been able to locate that option on the mJ website; it seems like I am forced to the 5 year option only. Does anyone have a link to the one year option?

[Pooklook]

I've had a mJ for ~ 11 months. In general I get ~ 50% call completion and ~ 25% of those (so ~ 12.5% of total inititiated calls) are acceptable. I have access to two (2) excellent DSL providers here, and always check speeds before making a call. I also test my set-up by calling my mobile number in the U.S. and listen to my voice-mail. I've had all the updates and have done a lot of research/trouble-shooting trying to improve call completion and quality. I (tryu to) use the unit on two different PC's.

Having said all that it has still proven to be highly-cost effective, especially when grinding through 8xx menues and long wait times for a CSR for my various requirements. When it works it is great.

I'd like to renew, but just for one year. I honestly haven't been able to locate that option on the mJ website; it seems like I am forced to the 5 year option only. Does anyone have a link to the one year option?

lamatopo, found this surfing yesterday never tried it dont know if it works.

"Complaints that Magic Jack hides the 1 year renewal option.

Most people get frustrated and take their 5 year option thinking there is no way (and no link) to renew for only one year (as promised when they purchased the device).

We found the hidden link to the 1 year renewal and want to share it with you.

Step 1: Go to the magicJack Free Trial page and logon with your phone number and password.

Step 2: Go to Customer Care/Live Agent and click the Member Features button.

Step 3: Ignore the offers that predominate the page and click the gray my.magicJack button.

Step 4: Under Account Information, you'll find a button for Extend Your License. Click it.

Step 5: On the displayed page, you'll see the one year option. Complete your renewal for $19.95.

About the Gold Plan

You may receive an email confirmation after renewing which says:

"Thank you for choosing the Gold Plan. After activating your magicjack (simply plug it in), please click here or enter the following url into your browser."

The Truth: You didn't sign up for the Gold Plan and their website does not describe what you would get if you opted in.

Our guess is that you would be opting in for a longer renewal at an additional cost.

Simply ignore the email. Your renewed magicJack will work just fine."