The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsHas anyone used Magic Jack? Your thoughts?
I can't figure out why I'm paying $30 a month for something I rarely use - which is my home phone number. However, I don't want to give up my home phone number. I have all my credit cards and accounts plugged intot using that phone number and if I get rid of it I'd have to use my cell phone. And since 99% of the calls I get on my home phone number are junk - I'd rather keep the number somehow.
I read where Magic Jack is something like $20 a year, which if it works would be a savings of about $340 each year for me.
Here's the thing - I do NOT care about the quality of call since the last time I used my home phone was to find my cell phone. If I give someone my home phone number it's because I don't want you ever to call me.
So - anyone have thoughts?
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)
but never as a "permanent" solution. Got it in case we traveled overseas or to make calls to Europe from the states. IMHO, I don't think it would work unless you are planning on keeping your computer on all day and night.
The quality of the calls was very good. We stopped using it because we didn't use it often and when it came time to renew, they were asking much more money than when we started. Since we didn't use it, we got rid of it.
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)a computer at all. It just plugs into the wall.
http://magicjack.com/plus-v05/
MagicJack Plus.
My husband says it would have the same quality issues as the one plugged directly into the computer.
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)The quality of the call isn't the greatest but that's what you get for cheap.
If there's a lot going on with the computer at the time of the call the voice quality is garbled or broken up. For 19.95 a year VOIP isn't too bad a way to go.
I use it for long distance calls to Canada and I make sure that I don't have a lot going on so it doesn't 'lose packets' ...
All in all it's not a bad deal.
aA
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Not kidding
I really just want to keep my home phone number. If I cancel my home phone in a few years my number will be reassigned to someone else. Then I also have to go thru every single credit card and shopper bonus card and anything else and swap my old phone number out to my cell phone. And I have good credit so it's not like I'm hiding from the bill collectors, but I still would rather not give out my cell phone else that number will get on 2 trillion calling lists.
I really just want the right to keep my home phone number even if I never actually use it. So right now I'm paying about $350 a year to keep a number I never use. I'd like to get that down to about $50 a year or less.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)to a magic jack account?
My little brother has been on magic jack only for years. And now with that thing upstream a nbit that doesn;t need a computer, it seems like a pretty good deal. Especially since you don't care about the call quality on that...
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)Every time I speak with her, there are echoes on the line. She is happy with it though.
Lucinda
(31,164 posts)No problems, works great.
Editing to say there are no quality issues. Excellent, clear, stable.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)and I'm assuming you have no other landline other than the magic jack - correct?
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)You can take your old phone number to the New magicJackPLUS by setting up our porting procedure. So easy, but so valuable too. If you want to get a new Phone Number anywhere in the country, you can do that and even get a vanity number too. So many options, no wonder 8 million people have gotten a magicJack.
*we got our phone number from them. We didn't use an existing one*
Lucinda
(31,164 posts)We can't get cable, though I can see the lines at our neighbors house down the hill, so our broadband is via dsl.
The MJ is our only phone system in the house, and we keep our computers online all the time. If we are offline, or don't pick up, the incoming calls go to our email.
Arkansas Granny
(31,476 posts)Like you, the last time I used my home phone was to find my cell phone. The people I want to talk to have my cell #. Anyone else gets my home phone. I haven't answered my home phone in months.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Arkansas Granny
(31,476 posts)Corgigal
(9,291 posts)had the hard line for awhile but Magic Jack works about 95 percent of the time so that is good enough for us. We also have cell phones which the family has anyway. I see no quality issue, when its working the sound is fine. I guess alot of it will depend on how good the computer is that will house the units. If you have a really old computer then the quality will suffer. Of course you now can get around it by not using a computer. Save the 340 year and try it. If you hate it you can always turn on the hard line again, but like me you probably won't.
yellowcanine
(35,690 posts)MiddleFingerMom
(25,163 posts).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
dr.strangelove
(4,851 posts)I've used it for almost 4 years. We used to have the one hooked up to the PC, but now we use the new product that does not need the PC. The reception is standard compared to other VOIP units. It works great. The only drawback, you cannot call fee based phone services. While its good because you can not call 900 pay calls on your phone, it might be bad because you can't call these pay services.
amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)It's true your computer must be on but that was ok with me because it made me in control of it's use
My year is about to run out and I'm switching over to the plus which doesn't need to be plugged in to the computer
Their service is going up and the plus is more expensive anyway. You can find a deal on the plus. I got mine for half price. I think $35.00 and that includes the first year service. It will be more after that, but buying multiple years gives a deep discount. I think the current discount is $99.00 for 5 years
It's cheap enough, so give it a try. Plus it sends voicemail to your email and has a bunch of other perks. Go to their website for the latest information. And they give you a 30 day no risk money back guarantee