BasicTalk: Magic, or Smoke and Mirrors? - Comments Page 1

We've been really pleased with Ooma!

We use Vonage in the UK.

For a little more than 'line rental' (that's what you pay to have a landline even if you don't use it) we have 2 USA phone lines, 1 UK phone line and free calls to landlines in UK and USA 24/7 plus free calls to USA landlines.

With our family in the USA (including kids and grandkids) we were paying at least £30 a month on the cheapest call plans with only one UK phone number.

All the extras from Vonage and we pay just over £13.....

You may knock them in the States but for us Brits they are the best deal.

Jon

I have used MajicJack for several years now and am quite happy with it. After using it for a month I upgraded to the 5 years for $69.99! I have 2 years left on that. So for just over $90.00 I got 5 years of service! Never had a problem.

I suspect the reason Basic Talk is marketed through Walmart is that they feel that the average shopper will just assume they are getting a good deal because Walmart wouldn't cheat them.

We use an Ooma system. We paid about $200 for the box and it costs us $10 month for the premier service. We're very happy with it, but I would not recommend their wireless adapter which cost us $50. It's very unreliable and dropped calls constantly.

Magic Jack Plus is even better, that 19 and change for the first year is included in the 69 and change! Not extra, so just ad tax. At least is was for me here in South Mississippi ( from ChinaMart no less! aka Walmart) Thanks, Bobby

Started out with Magic Jack when it used the computer. Not the best especially if you were using the computer with some CPU intensive applications because it would break up the voice at times.

Got Magic Jack Plus a couple of years ago and have not had any problems since. Good inexpensive phone access for anyone with broadband and the ability to plug the unit into your modem.

Also like that you can also take it with you and use it as you travel if you have need for that process. You will need a usb connection and the ability to access a mike and sound on your computer.

We changed to MagicJack a couple years ago. When I received a special offer to buy the Plus model, I took it. We like that even better. The only significant problem I've had is with one publishing house I work for (I'm a freelance writer): My editor cannot call into the MagicJack number; it is blocked. No one can figure out why. Bob, if you have an answer, I'd sure like to find out!

I have been a magicjack customer for 5 years. I am completely satisfied, although I recently discovered that calls to non-ILEC phone numbers (non-major, non-legacy phone companies, small regional speciality companies) are not covered without a surcharge of 2 cents/minute. I suspect that Basictalk may have the same issue. After a chat session with magicjack clarifying the non-ILEC issue I was offered a 5 year renewal for $80, a $20 discount ($16/year instead of $20/yr). Much better deal than $120 + fees/ year. Where is truth in advertising?

A leading consumer magazine rated all of these services a couple of years ago with Ooma at the top of the ratings chart and I've been happy ever since having purchased Ooma then.

After you buy the unit (discounted at Costco & elsewhere), your monthly cost is basically what they have to collect for the fees & taxes they have to pay monthly to the government (my monthly fee is $3.47 for my area - yours may be higher or lower, but not by much). You don't need the premier features to use the device for basic service as mentioned above in another comment.

I can't understand why someone would pay such a high monthly charge for Vonage or other services which are similar when Ooma is highly rated and provides exactly what one needs -- provided you have a computer and broadband Internet service!

We have used MagicJack for many years all over NorthAmerica and have never had any problems. Bonus...I love that you can choose the area code of your choice. Friends of ours have a Canadian and US one and use it for toll free calling into the line from friends and clients in those area codes.

I purchased a Magic Jack a few years ago & was pleased with the call quality but annoyed with the computer on connection (this was b4 MJ plus). It eventually expired & after some time I decided to reactivate it. I used the online service and when I got to the end (pay now) it would not let me proceed without the designer button checked which was an additional charge. And when I deselected it and continued I was still charged for a designer number. The number remained the same as the one I had been previously assigned when I activated MJ. The 'small print' included a disclaimer stating a time limit to correct errors on credit card orders. I called immediately but there is no one available. I left messages and sent email...several times. Eventually I did receive email stating they could not reverse the charge because I had chosen a designer number and was using it! Remember it is the same number MJ assigned for the first year of service. After several email and call attempts I notified the credit card service and gave explanation for the charge. After they contacted MJ I received credit for the designer number. (I paid the service charge) Immediately following this my MJ service was terminated! The MJ module would no longer work at all, in any computer. And best of all, I can no longer use a credit card, any card, to pay for goods or services online because of the chargeback!! Not all charges are affected by this but many of the services I use are, like my cell charges. I conclude there are no employees of Magic Jack & customer service does not exist. For those touting praises of MJ I suggest you try contacting them with a simple question, try calling. I am truly amazed how a communication company exist with no communication.

I've used NetTALK for almost two years and have been satisfied. I tried Magic Jack but found NetTalk to be more reliable.

Presently a Vonage customer, I am switching to the most reasonable service Google Voice. Ya just can't beat their rates. Nothing to buy all you need is home and or cell phones. And internet service of course.

Been using Magic Jack successfully for years. Recently started using it in Montana and have found many areas in the state where they have an additional charge to complete the call. Not happy about that.

I have Skype and it works very good for about $30 per year, unlimited USA long distance. I purchased the Philips cordless phone for the Skype, think it was about $90. It has very good range, can use it out in the yard. I don't use the Skype for incoming calls. Think only a Skype # can call Skype #.

I have used Magic Jack for over 4 years. It has worked well...no problems except using it for fax transmissions. Spotty results for faxing.
But the price and service are great!

I lost interest as soon as a read "Walmart." They're so-called "low prices" almost always cost more in the long run.

I live on a farm in a motorhome. Can't get cable. Use a Verizon JetPack for my internet connection and have MagicJack Plus which allows me cordless phone use and / or I can converse right thru my laptop speakers. My only oh-oh is when infrequently my internet connection is disturbed; sometimes I have to turn-off everything and reboot.I pay $50.08 total monthly for the JetPack with 4 GB of data usage and MagicJack is less than $20. per year.

Gary... I bought an inexpensive ($12) wired handset from Radio Shack just for that purpose. Works well.

I finally got sick and tired of paying ATT $50/mo for the landline Telco and decided to something about it, last September. I had heard that the Ooma sound quality was really good. I have an ATT DSL (U-Serve) modem service ($33/mo for 12Mbps DL speed) but since I live in a beach community that has older copper Telco lines; Ooma needs a "jitter" spec of 5mS. Our copper Telco lines were tested by ATT technicians to be at around 16mS jitter, Ooma did not work. So, I decided to go for the Vonage at $9.99/mo unlimited US/Canada/Mexico service and has been working well. This package has not extra added pricing and they also provide the purchaser with a 3 Motorola cordless phones (no answering machine). Transferring our old phone# to Vonage is usually about a #35 fee but I was able to get that au gratis with a little bit of sweet talk.
The audio quality is not as good as the Oooma service and if you are attempting to carry on a phone call at the same time as downloading on the DSL service, the audio quality truly suffers and becomes erratic and choppy.
I have been reading that the MagicJack Plus compares favorable to Vonage service but at a much reduced long term price.
If privacy is a concern (especially with the latest news of NSA eaves-dropping issues); the major negative about the Vonage service can be the fact that all incoming and outgoing phone numbers are retained [possibly] for at least a year. A second Vonage phone line on the same VOIP modem w/same kind of unlimited service does cost $19.99/mo for some reason that I don't comprehend. Thus if you really need a second line it may pay to get a GoogleVoice number for incoming calls.