The Magic Jack User Experience

Reader Mindy May has this to say about Magic Jack:

I received my MJ yesterday and have been considering installing it. My first question was “How do I port my current phone number onto MJ”? After reading a goodly portion of the remarks stated previously – I guess the answer is that I don’t – can’t – no way be able to use my old phone number. So that pretty much settles what I will be doing. MJ goes back (all three of them).

My first indication that I probably wasn’t going to get along with MJ was that my account password wouldn’t work. Neither did the next two that were sent to me. And I wasn’t readily able to find a contact number. The number listed for MJ says “This number has not been activated.”

I am in Alberta. I had made a trip to the US on business. Used my Visa in the US and had the Visa fraud squad in a tizzy because I had not notified them of my travels. They blocked my Visa until I spoke with them and confirmed my US purchases. Knowing that it is possible to BLOCK a credit card is useful. It stops anyone who has the number (i.e. MJ) from putting charges on it (including me). Sometimes it is also useful to cut it in half and report it lost. You will be without a credit card for a week or so but when the new one comes, it will be a different number. So if you need to stop payments – those are two suggestions.

My MJs are going back and hopefully I will get a communication saying that they have been received and “Sorry that you were not happy with them” – also will need a credit or a payment reversal statement. To date, no charges have gone onto my credit card – so, for me, MJ has been as good as their word – first 30 days free. I will not reactivate my credit card until this is cleared up. And if it does not get resolved, I guess the puppy will get to chew on the credit card . . . . or something. I will try to stay in MJs “good books” because I may just want to use the product on a limited basis some time in the future.

I could see that a one year MJ contract would be good if you were going on holiday and wanted to call home on a daily basis – it would pay for itself after a few days. So I will compose a polite “thanks but no thanks” note to add to the parcel and stop by the post office.

Thanks for this site – it has helped me make up my mind about what to do. I suggest that right-up-front you set out additional findings on the known facts, i.e. if your phone exchange is full, you can’t get a number with your own (old) area code. I happen to know that the one that I am in is full so I would get a local number BUT it would have the new area code. Second – THEY assign you a new phone number. et cetera.

This has been an experience on a steep-learning-curve.

Mindy.