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How to Disable AUTO-RENEW on MagicJack


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admin
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Joined: 12 Nov 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:13 pm    Post subject: How to Disable AUTO-RENEW on MagicJack Reply with quote

MagicJack has now set all MagicJacks to Auto-Renew when the subscription expires. Thanks to robatino for bringing this to our attention and laserjobs for the instructions and screen shots.


To disable AUTO-RENEW:

Login to http://my.magicjack.com and click on "Details"


You should now see this on the screen with the Disable Auto-Renew in gray at the bottom right to click.


Now you can disable Auto-Renew on this pop-up screen


You should now see this screen to confirm you do not have auto-renew activated
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Bill Smith
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When did a 5 year renewal increase to $69.95? I renewed last summer for $60. It is still very inexpensive.
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Nobody beats the Whiz!
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill Smith wrote:
When did a 5 year renewal increase to $69.95? I renewed last summer for $60. It is still very inexpensive.


The increase seemed to happen just before Black Friday.
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vnecaxa
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Nobody beats the Whiz!"][quote="Bill Smith"]When did a 5 year renewal increase to $69.95? I renewed last summer for $60. It is still very inexpensive.[/quote]

The increase seemed to happen just before Black Friday.[/quote]

they were selling magicjacks for $29.95 thursday and friday. a hint that prices will start dropping?
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Nobody beats the Whiz!
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vnecaxa wrote:
Nobody beats the Whiz! wrote:
Bill Smith wrote:
When did a 5 year renewal increase to $69.95? I renewed last summer for $60. It is still very inexpensive.


The increase seemed to happen just before Black Friday.


they were selling magicjacks for $29.95 thursday and friday. a hint that prices will start dropping?



Nah. Apparently, they did the Black Friday sale last year, as well.

Perhaps, after the holiday registration frenzy wears off into the late spring, early summer, the 5 year deal will drop in price again. It's a guessing game at this point.

I wouldn't look for sustained low prices for new hardware, such as the $29.95 you mentioned. These are already rock bottom prices, and there has to be a profit point somewhere in the plan.
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robatino
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The http://my.magicjack.com page has been changed again. Now there is a separate "RENEWAL" section with a button. If auto-renew is disabled, it says

To Activate Auto-Renew *Click Here*

and if auto-renew is enabled, there is just a button that says

*Details*

Either way, they don't show the expiration date on the main page. You have to click on the RENEWAL section button for that. However, the main page still has the section for extending your license.

Edit: And they still don't say whether auto-renew is for one year or five. Until that happens, everyone should just disable it.
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lenw
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.
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crackerjack
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lenw wrote:
Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.

Sleazy doesn't come close to describing the abominations that MJ has perpetrated over the years. Let me count the ways.....
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lenw
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I urge others to do the same
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bfksc
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lenw wrote:
Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.

In Canada I believe it is against the law to use negative billing practices. Auto-renew is not illegal unless the client is not advised of the change to their account.
Quote:
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.

I was told that they don't currently have the ability to change to CDN phone numbers with an active account, but that might change in the coming weeks/months. I would like a CDN number too, so hopefully they update their online system.
Quote:
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit.

Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.
Quote:
The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.

You get what you pay for...I'm not overly impressed with the service. But at $4.67/month for the first year (all in with taxes and s&h), I'm not complaining too much about the call quality or consistency. It's a tenth of what a home phone costs.
Smile
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lenw
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit.

Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.


That may be true for the first renewal but what about next year? You would need to give them a card number for the first renewal. Canadian customers should remember the major issues with Rogers a few years back when they introduced this "negative billing" issue. They got hammered.
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robatino
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bfksc wrote:

In Canada I believe it is against the law to use negative billing practices. Auto-renew is not illegal unless the client is not advised of the change to their account.

AFAIK MJ hasn't notified anyone yet. There's also no mention of it yet in their FAQ's/Knowledgebase that I can find.
bfksc wrote:

Auto-renew won't work unless you've given them your credit card. I haven't so they can't renew without my approval.

Yes, but anyone who either bought theirs directly from MJ, or manually renewed their license, has given it, and there doesn't appear to be any way to delete existing credit card information, only add it.
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lymon
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Isn't this what 1 use card numbers are for?
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RDHeinz
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:31 pm    Post subject: No Auto renew Reply with quote

Question I don't see an auto renew in my details. BTW the credit card I have on file will expire before my subscription is up. Idea
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robatino
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:35 pm    Post subject: Re: No Auto renew Reply with quote

RDHeinz wrote:
Question I don't see an auto renew in my details. BTW the credit card I have on file will expire before my subscription is up. Idea


See my message from Dec. 1 - click on the "Details" button under "RENEWAL". They've made it inconspicuous so people won't notice.
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RDHeinz
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:49 pm    Post subject: oops Reply with quote

Embarassed Found it! It sure is inconspicuous.
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Mark
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had the same thing occur with my Webroot Spy Sweeper software. I was notified that the subscription would renew automatically and was also given instructions on how to opt-out of automatic renewal--I opted out.

I don't like it! It's offensive to me that companies are taking it upon themselves to charge for something I didn't ask for unless I opt-out. Maybe I'm over reacting but I feel it's intrusive to presume that I'm going to want to renew a subscription. If I want to renew then I will take the appropriate steps to do so. Otherwise, if auto-renew is an option then simply provide instructions for opting in--Don't opt me in automatically.
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veganmarcos
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just noticed it. Thanks for the tip. Yes, it is very inconspicuous. My question is though, would they renew me for another five years or start charging me year to year. I wouldn't mind it if they renewed me for another five years but there isn't any option under the auto-renewal for this that I could find. Hmm. Also, even if they raised the five year fee to $69.99 it's still very cheap. The annual cost is $19.99. That comes out to $60 every three years. You're still saving $30.00 every five years unless the five year option increases again. Then I would probably renew yearly rather than every five years.

Mark
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macrat
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:41 pm    Post subject: Yabbut will they nag me now? Reply with quote

I don't know if disabling the auto-renew feature will cause nags to pop up earlier than 3 months before the expiration date?

I use MJ, but I have it on an unattended Pentium 2 with XP SP3, 2 GB hard drive, and nothing else. I took out the CD rom drive after installing, and took out the monitor (I think I recycled it, but I have a KVM to check on it now.) I'm trying to find a power supply lower than 50 watts for it, any ideas where I can get one? It's running at 100 watts now.
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SpamBox
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah I saw this option when I renewed last month.
Looked pretty easy for me to find but then again I'm always careful to read the fine print.

Thanks though to pointing it out to all
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eljefino
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Macrat your cpu, motherboard, and hard drive use the power they use. Changing the power supply won't effect efficiency. (can probably get SLIGHTLY better with a "green" PS that puts more out with less in)

Though rated at 100 watt max, you'll find the headless computer probably only uses about 60 watts. A "Kill-a-watt" meter will tell you for sure. Local libraries have them on loan or they're only $20 new.

Put a 50 watt in (if you can find it) and you'll probably start having wierd system issues.
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BENNYG
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:31 am    Post subject: magic jack Reply with quote

Does majic jack require intel processor on MAC computers?
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Nobody beats the Whiz!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:31 pm    Post subject: Re: magic jack Reply with quote

BENNYG wrote:
Does majic jack require intel processor on MAC computers?


Yes.
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F3DRIVR
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recently paid for a year of service and noticed a note in my account that it was set to be automatically renewed in a year but I didn't realize that it was possible to disable it. I don't trust MagicJack with my credit card number so I paid them through paypal virtual debit card. You can generate a Mastercard number through an add-on in your paypal account that can be set to expire after one use. Very useful for online purchases.
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degarb
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That sucks because if you disable recurring charges, like any intelligent cardholder will do, then, these people likely will not be able to renew at all.

Some card lines, totally disallow this.
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hughmbein
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:58 am    Post subject: Auto Renew Question Reply with quote

First, Thank You to MagicJack & for this forum. If it weren't for MJ & Skype a lot of families, in the Caribbean & elsewhere with high rates, would loose touch.
Re: Auto Renew I have given MJ's (which were bought with a credit card) to a lot of people in the Islands. What's going to happen at renewal time ?
A. My credit card will be automatically charged ?
B, If they've bought "foreign" calls with their credit card ?
C. Their MJ stops working ?
Thanks for the good info
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ubern000b
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

After some thought here's my concern,

You're on manual renewal.

MJ nags you to renew as the date approaches. You ignore the nags.

MJ suspends your service the day after your payment was due. Hell, maybe they even release your number to the pool and someone else snags it.

All of this was avoidable, none of it was the fault of MJ.

Yet, IMO, everyone will want to burn MJ to the ground.

FTR, I don't work for or have any interest in MJ.

All just IMO
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hughmbein
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:58 am    Post subject: Auto Renew Reply with quote

Oh Yes, something more to the questions above.

D. Why the worry RE Auto Renew if you bought your MJ in a store for cash and have not used your credit card to buy foreign long distance on MagicJack ? In this case, Why Worry ?
Does this sound like Alfred E Neuman logic ?
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couch-potato
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

F3DRIVR wrote:
You can generate a Mastercard number through an add-on in your paypal account that can be set to expire after one use. Very useful for online purchases.


Would you please explain how to do that? I can't find anything on my paypal accout for that.
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tjnamtiw
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lenw wrote:
I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I urge others to do the same


I sure as hell am going to because I just got auto renewed after they told us that there would be no such thing. Filthy scum!
I replaced their POS with an ooma system a year ago and absolutely love it compared to the crappy performance of the not-so-magic jack. I'm also refusing the charge since they told us that we would have to manually renew and that is what I was counting on to end the service.
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couch-potato
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:31 am    Post subject: Re: Auto Renew Question Reply with quote

hughmbein wrote:
Re: Auto Renew I have given MJ's (which were bought with a credit card) to a lot of people in the Islands. What's going to happen at renewal time ?
A. My credit card will be automatically charged ?
B, If they've bought "foreign" calls with their credit card ?
C. Their MJ stops working ?
D. Why the worry RE Auto Renew if you bought your MJ in a store for cash and have not used your credit card to buy foreign long distance on MagicJack ? In this case, Why Worry ?
Does this sound like Alfred E Neuman logic ?
Thanks for the good info


From what I understand, when you purchase the MJ, your card is not registered.

After the MJ is activated, if a credit card is added to the users account on the website (my.magicjack.com), then that credit card will be billed at renewal time.

Therefore...in answer to your questions...
A. Your credit card will not be charged if you only used it to purchase the MJ initally

B. If they have used a credit card to add credits to their account, then the credit card info is saved by MJ, and their credit card will be charged at renewal time.

C. Their MJ will stop working if there is not a credit card on the account.

D. Your are correct, if you do not have a credit card on the account, there is nothing to worry about. However, if the MJ was purchased in 2008. And if one additional year license was purchased in 2009 then it had to be paid for by a credit card because MJ does not accept any other form of payment. And MJ automatically saves the credit card information, without the customers knowledge. Therefore, in 2010, the credit card will be automatically charged, without the customers knowledge or consent. It is only the third year of service that Auto-Renew becomes an issue.
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awg-jr
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:00 pm    Post subject: Renewing/extending MagicJack license with credit card Reply with quote

Very strange to hear the vitriol on this board ... complaints to BBB and so forth. What do people want for $20/year?

I had the opposite concern of most. I wanted to be certain that my MagicJack *did* renew. MagicJack is the only phone in my house. I don't have a cell phone, and rarely Skype, so MagicJack is my only communication link.

With one year anniversary approaching, I preempted the autorenew by selecting the "Renew license for one year" option". It took me through a couple of steps, verifying my name, address. I did have a credit card on file, apparently, from having purchased International minutes recently. After following the steps, I see this message on my account screen:

RENEWAL - Your license is scheduled for auto-renewal on MARCH 28, 2011

My card was charged $19.95. Painless.

the product is a bargain, and it works ... it had issues early on, but they've been ironed out. Customer service is iffy, but what phone company's isn't? (Want to hear my tale of woe with AT&T?) A year of uninterrupted service speaks for itself.
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bitstopjoe
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Renewing/extending MagicJack license with credit card Reply with quote

awg-jr wrote:
Very strange to hear the vitriol on this board ... complaints to BBB and so forth. What do people want for $20/year?

I had the opposite concern of most. I wanted to be certain that my MagicJack *did* renew. MagicJack is the only phone in my house. I don't have a cell phone, and rarely Skype, so MagicJack is my only communication link.

With one year anniversary approaching, I preempted the autorenew by selecting the "Renew license for one year" option". It took me through a couple of steps, verifying my name, address. I did have a credit card on file, apparently, from having purchased International minutes recently. After following the steps, I see this message on my account screen:

RENEWAL - Your license is scheduled for auto-renewal on MARCH 28, 2011

My card was charged $19.95. Painless.

the product is a bargain, and it works ... it had issues early on, but they've been ironed out. Customer service is iffy, but what phone company's isn't? (Want to hear my tale of woe with AT&T?) A year of uninterrupted service speaks for itself.


What bothers people is they did this without letting anyone know, they "snuck" in so to speak. So what about the people whose MJ's did not work and now their MJ resides in their desk drawers? They too will be renewed and some may not be, umm, savy enough to check their CC statement and now MJ has "free" money for a device no longer in use. One would imagine getting a refund is not worth the hassle since their tech support is not exactly swift.
It just comes across as sneaky tactic and not very business like.

Joe Sica
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robatino
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And there's STILL no mention of auto-renew in MJ's FAQ's/Knowledgebase (try searching for "renew"). I don't think they intend to notify anyone until there's a class action suit.
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gunrunnerjohn
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks to the folks that uncovered this, I have disabled it in my account. Smile
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City Builder
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the information. Unless I missed an email from MJ telling me that they were converting my account to auto renewal I consider this very underhanded and sneaky business practice. One that borders on needing to inform our states attorney general to see what they have to say about the situation. It really irks me because I don't "auto renew" any accounts that I might have, be them gaming or otherwise, I prefer to pay monthly and know exactly what I am paying for WHEN i choose to renew an account, whatever that account might be.

I am hoping that it registered my disable of the auto renew, it pops up a new windows with the warning that I may lose my MJ number if I don't auto renew, and I chose to cancel the auto renew, however back on the main MJ page, the page is unchanged, it still shows an empty checkbox for cancelling the auto renew feature (if you can call it that).

I've had nothing but problems with MJ and am not pleased at this latest trickery. I've only kept them around since I found out that MJ actually works fine with old analog (think princess wall phone) style phones, but fails misreably with any digital style phone we have tried. I've surely wasted more money in buying phones trying to find one decent digital phone that works where I can hear the other party and they can hear me than I would have to have had regular pac bell or verizon home phone service now. Phooey on MJ for this latest crock of rotten apples.
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Gear-Monkey
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I never gave magicjack my card number. I bought the unit from RadioShack. It expires July 21st 2010.

I just bought Ooma Core yesterday and wow... I should never have bought MagicJack to begin with. It's 100x better, more dependable, and as clear as my old landline.

Bad part of Ooma is the new Telo now charge $11.75/yr, while (Core) mine is lifetime free.

That said, MJ was fun. It got me into VOIP.
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sabresfan
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 8:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gear-Monkey wrote:
I never gave magicjack my card number. I bought the unit from RadioShack. It expires July 21st 2010.

I just bought Ooma Core yesterday and wow... I should never have bought MagicJack to begin with. It's 100x better, more dependable, and as clear as my old landline.

Bad part of Ooma is the new Telo now charge $11.75/yr, while (Core) mine is lifetime free.

That said, MJ was fun. It got me into VOIP.
That's cool that Ooma is working for you my concerns with them is their financial situation. They have mainly survived on VC up until now and if telo sales and premiere subscriptions don't pickup they may very well be the next Sunrocket. If you can find an Ooma on sale for less than $200 than if it lasts a year or so then the initial cost is taken care of. One big downside with Ooma is if it takes a dump then you have to buy a new one.
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imma imac
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lenw wrote:
Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.


As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for" and I for one got a good dose of that! Rolling Eyes
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imma imac
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gear-Monkey wrote:
I never gave magicjack my card number. I bought the unit from RadioShack. It expires July 21st 2010.

I just bought Ooma Core yesterday and wow... I should never have bought MagicJack to begin with. It's 100x better, more dependable, and as clear as my old landline.

Bad part of Ooma is the new Telo now charge $11.75/yr, while (Core) mine is lifetime free.

That said, MJ was fun. It got me into VOIP.


I'm sorry I never did that. I disabled the auto-renew (and I agree, it is an unscrupulous way of doing business) and I am hoping it is not just there for decoration, if you will.
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imma imac
magicJack Apprentice


Joined: 13 Jun 2010
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:02 am    Post subject: Re: Renewing/extending MagicJack license with credit card Reply with quote

bitstopjoe wrote:
awg-jr wrote:
Very strange to hear the vitriol on this board ... complaints to BBB and so forth. What do people want for $20/year?

I had the opposite concern of most. I wanted to be certain that my MagicJack *did* renew. MagicJack is the only phone in my house. I don't have a cell phone, and rarely Skype, so MagicJack is my only communication link.

With one year anniversary approaching, I preempted the autorenew by selecting the "Renew license for one year" option". It took me through a couple of steps, verifying my name, address. I did have a credit card on file, apparently, from having purchased International minutes recently. After following the steps, I see this message on my account screen:

RENEWAL - Your license is scheduled for auto-renewal on MARCH 28, 2011

My card was charged $19.95. Painless.

the product is a bargain, and it works ... it had issues early on, but they've been ironed out. Customer service is iffy, but what phone company's isn't? (Want to hear my tale of woe with AT&T?) A year of uninterrupted service speaks for itself.


What bothers people is they did this without letting anyone know, they "snuck" in so to speak. So what about the people whose MJ's did not work and now their MJ resides in their desk drawers? They too will be renewed and some may not be, umm, savy enough to check their CC statement and now MJ has "free" money for a device no longer in use. One would imagine getting a refund is not worth the hassle since their tech support is not exactly swift.
It just comes across as sneaky tactic and not very business like.

Joe Sica


I agree with Joe... it's not so 'cheap' or "painless" if you are paying for something you're not getting. There are a lot of questionable issues with this device/program. What I don't like is the fact that you cannot SPEAK to a tech. Some clearly do not have a full command of the language as I have had to c/p several times before I got a response - the best being in chat with them for two hrs and they freeze up or you somehow disconnect them. I also don't like that they send you 'upgrades' or tell you to do things with your computer without explaining what their intentions are. Something isn't right. Too many red flags with this.
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bitstopjoe
Future magicJack CEO


Joined: 13 Sep 2008
Posts: 2844
Location: North East Pennsylvania

PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't get me wrong I lOVE my MJ.. 2 years and counting.
Also if they choose to use online chat for their support, so be it as it keeps the cost to $20 a year. This is one of the reasons this forum exists..

I was only commenting on the fact the auto renew was handled very sneaky, that's all. Other than that I am VERY VERY happy with my MJ.


Joe Sica
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Greek2U
MagicJack Newbie


Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 11:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

crackerjack wrote:
lenw wrote:
Auto renew borders on the unscrupulous. Thanks for this information - I have disabled the auto part.
It should be against the law to auto renew without explicit instructions from the customer.
They have been unscrupulous in other ways as well. Before I bought mine, I was promised one free phone number switch and that Canadian area codes were "on the way". Canadian area codes are now somewhat available but now I am told the only way for me to get one is to buy a NEW Magic Jack. I am told existing customers (like me) don't have the right to make the promised change.
Not a nice way to do business. Just as auto renew is a sleazy thing to do. I really don't trust them one little bit. The only thing good about them is the low price. Yes it is cheap.

Sleazy doesn't come close to describing the abominations that MJ has perpetrated over the years. Let me count the ways.....


------------------------
Ok, so I expect most of you on this thread will not be surprised when I tell you what happened when I followed your directions for disabling auto-renew after signing up for a brand new MJ device today.
This borders on the extremely suspicious.

After selecting Disable Auto-Renew, it took me back to the my MJ page settings and LO AND BEHOLD my new setting was NEVER saved. I could tell something wasn't right because the option to Disable Auto-Renew was still the same as before. I actually had to go back a 2nd time to Disable Auto-Renew, after which I could confirm a successful attempt since I could now see an option to Activate Auto-Renew.

So..if I had just closed the page the first time and assumed that all had worked as I had hoped, my account would have been renewed without my permission, all because of some intentionally bad programming. Talk about unscrupulous!!

The moral of this story: DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR SETTINGS ARE SAVED CORRECTLY OR YOU'LL FALL VICTIM TO MONEY-HUNGRY SCAMMERS!
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fujifilm99
MagicJack Contributor


Joined: 27 Jul 2010
Posts: 52
Location: Missouri, USA

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:52 am    Post subject: Report your credit card lost Reply with quote

A friend of mine switched from Dish Network to DirecTV due to a price he was quoted (I would guess by a telemarketer).

When he got his first credit card statement, the amount charged to his credit card was considerably more than the price he was told (like double).

He called them and after quite a discussion, the finally removed some installation fees and promised him he would be charged the right amount next month. In the next bill, he got the credit adjustment for the first months charges, but the new charge for the second month - although lower - was still not correct.

He called again and was told there was no package or combination that would be near the prince that was "the" price to him.

He told him that he wasn't paying anything other than they price he'd be promised. He told them he didn't want it and they could come pick their "sh_t" up. They said he'd still be charged because there was a certain commitment period for the dear that was more than he'd been quoted.

He called the credit card issuer and reported the card "lost". He got a replacement with a new number in a few days, and said let's see them charge him now.

He's back with Dish Network now. I don't know if DirecTV picked their er - "sh_t:" up or not, but he didn't get charged anymore...

Jon
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Davidchsw
magicJack Apprentice


Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I looked up my account and sure enough it was set to auto renew. I prefer to be asked first for my money rather than just take it. Other than the voice mail magic jack works well for me and at a good price. As has already been said, I am sure people are being billed for service when they are not using it and are unaware about the charges. This is pretty deceptive.

David
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Diggs
Dan isn't smart enough to hire me


Joined: 14 May 2010
Posts: 268

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Davidchsw wrote:
I am sure people are being billed for service when they are not using it and are unaware about the charges. This is pretty deceptive.

David


Isn't this what every phone company does? They bill you indefinitely for their service. I have never seen a phone company ask you if you want to renew your service for the next month. They automatically renew and bill you. Why would people expect differently of MJ? I don't see how this is deceptive when it is and has been the norm for phone companies for decades.
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robatino
MagicJack Expert


Joined: 29 Aug 2008
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:
Davidchsw wrote:
I am sure people are being billed for service when they are not using it and are unaware about the charges. This is pretty deceptive.

David


Isn't this what every phone company does? They bill you indefinitely for their service. I have never seen a phone company ask you if you want to renew your service for the next month. They automatically renew and bill you. Why would people expect differently of MJ? I don't see how this is deceptive when it is and has been the norm for phone companies for decades.


It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.
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Diggs
Dan isn't smart enough to hire me


Joined: 14 May 2010
Posts: 268

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

robatino wrote:

It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.


Where would you like them to tell everyone? It is plainly written in their TOCs which by far exceeds the knowledge base with can dos and can't dos. (It is a legal document unlike the knowledge base.) Why would you think they would delay updating as long as possible? Do you really think this is a deal breaker and someone won't purchase a MJ because the default is auto-renew? I don't understand the issue here. All phone companies auto-renew. I would be upset if my phone expired and got shut off because it didn't renew. Besides, they give you the option to turn off auto-renew. Guess change just won't work for some people.
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robatino
MagicJack Expert


Joined: 29 Aug 2008
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:
robatino wrote:

It's deceptive because previously MJ did NOT do this - you had to pay manually each year. They introduced auto-renew and put everyone on it, without telling anyone. The MJ Knowledgebase on their web site still has no mention of auto-renew - in fact, it appears not to have been updated since before auto-renew started. My guess is that they'll delay updating it as long as possible.


Where would you like them to tell everyone? It is plainly written in their TOCs which by far exceeds the knowledge base with can dos and can't dos. (It is a legal document unlike the knowledge base.) Why would you think they would delay updating as long as possible? Do you really think this is a deal breaker and someone won't purchase a MJ because the default is auto-renew? I don't understand the issue here. All phone companies auto-renew. I would be upset if my phone expired and got shut off because it didn't renew. Besides, they give you the option to turn off auto-renew. Guess change just won't work for some people.


The problem is not with new customers, but existing ones. AFAIK MJ only provides a copy of the TOS once, at signup, but not later, even if it changes. (I never got a copy of the revised TOS when auto-renew started. The only place I could find a copy is on a third party site, by googling.) YOU would be upset if your MJ didn't renew, but many people bought a MJ before auto-renew existed, stopped using it, and were never notified of auto-renew, a new TOS mentioning it, or that they were enrolled by default. They expected never to be charged again, since that was implied by the original TOS (the only one MJ ever sent them). It's not asking too much for MJ to contact customers when the TOS changes. All reputable companies do this. MJ has customer's email addresses so they could just use that at no cost to themselves.

Edit: In the TOS itself, there is a link to the current TOS, which still works:

http://www.magicjack.com/tos/

However, it's very hard to find a link to it from the MJ home page. I had to go to the Knowledgebase (good thing at least part of it had accurate information), search for "terms of service", then one of the matches is "Customer Contract", which gives the link.

Of course, you still don't get notified when it changes, so you'd have to save copies periodically and do diffs to find them. The average person wouldn't know how, so they'd have to carefully read the entire thing each time. (The current TOS does say "Although we may choose to notify you when changes are made to these Terms of Service", but in reality they never do that.)

The source of the TOS page contains the following code:
Code:

<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">

which explains why a Google search doesn't find it - MJ wants it to be difficult, which isn't exactly a surprise.
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davrow
Dan isn't smart enough to hire me


Joined: 15 Oct 2008
Posts: 179

PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:
I don't see how this is deceptive
The problem, Diggs, is that you are oversimplifying. You are looking at a single instance and basing your entire argument only on that one instance.

What the rest of us are saying is that Dan is unethical, MJ is unethical, and this is merely one more piece of substantiating evidence.
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