Anyone Here Have Magic Jack?

[Orrex]

7. One (possibly major) and one (minor) thing to consider

First off, we've had Magic Jack for about 16 months and have had close to zero complaints about it, but we would have liked to know a few things about it before we bought it:

1. The volume on your handset will be tied to your computer's volume, so that when you mute the volume it also knocks the handset volume way down, almost to the point of inaudibility. Not a big deal after you're aware of it, but it still takes like five or six steps to correct each time, and according to the good people at Magic Jack's tech support, there's no way (as of today) to avoid this.

2. Calls to 911 will be handled by an intermediary service. When you call, you'll be prompted for your name and address and a brief overview of the situation. The operator will then say something like "I'm going to put you on hold for a moment while I connect to 911." A few seconds later you'll be put in touch with your local 911 service, and they'll again confirm all of your info, etc.

Seems like an unnecessary extra step, and it can add a full minute to putting the call through, which can be insupportable if you're facing a real-time urgent crisis. Also, if you're trying to teach a young child how to use 911, this extra step can be very confusing.


Despite all of that, we've been very happy with Magic Jack, and it's certainly saved us a ton of money.