How much MAGIC can you get for $39?

February 24, 2009 by admin.

A while back I stumbled upon the Magicjack device and I was in awe. I thought “these guys are going to take over the world of VOIP”. At the very least I thought they would get insanely rich and become a household  word.

Let me begin at the beginning. The ad on the Internet said that I could use Magicjack with my broadband connection and any PC to make and receive calls. The concept was cool. I could carry Magicjack around in my pocket and plug it into any broadband PC taking my “land-line” anywhere I went. No per minute charges, no monthly bills or taxes. If I was at home, Magicjack would plug in to my home PC and when someone called my Magicjack provided phone number it would ring and I could answer. Then if I wanted to make outbound call I could just unplug it and take it with me.

Then if I went somewhere else that also had a broadband connected PC I would just plug it in, with the same convenient results. My calls would come to me anywhere and I could dial out for free as well. If someone called me in-between destinations, Magicjack’s voicemail would take my message and I would get voicemail when I plugged Magicjack back in.

The features looked really really good. They even had a way to make emergency 911 work. The price was amazing. $39.95 for the device and one year of free service. I opted for the extended 5-year plan at an additional $59.95 (locking in the low price).

So, you may ask… why write a review? Why not just write “buy a Magicjack right now and start saving”.  Well, actually I can’t get mine to work properly. Sounds stupid right? Not only did I buy this gizmo that I can’t make work, but I bought 5 years of additional service. Here’s how the deal went for me: I ordered the  Magicjack online with my credit card and it arrived in a few weeks. I plugged it in and like “magic” it loaded the software. Then I was asked to select my new Magicjack phone number. What? My area code is not available? That means people calling my new Magicjack phone number would have to call long distance! THAT SUCKS!

OK, well, the Magicjack is guaranteed so if I decide not to keep it they will refund my money. So I try it any way. I think to myself, where would be a good place to have a fake “satellite office”? Miami is the biggest city near me and some of my in-laws live in Miami. Having a Miami number would let them call me for free and it would make me seem like one of those big “Miami based” production companies. Maybe it would increase my out-of-town business. I can add it t my website and business cards for that “big time” look. But wait! I could get a number in Los Angeles or Hollywood! I could have a New York number and it would seem I was a huge multi-city company. All good ideas. I’ll start with Miami and add the others later, I thought…

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