When we moved recently, we cancelled our land-line service which was costing us about $45 a month. I heard some friends at the Sierra Club discussing a VOIP product called MagicJack, which has been sold on TV and is now available through CVS Pharmacy.
Well, I got one, and I could not be happier with it. It cost about $40, including a full year of unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S. To connect it, I needed to get a USB hub for my peripherals, because MagicJack has to plug directly into the computer. That cost $15. Then I decided to go ahead and get a new hand’s free telephone, too. Add another $25, so the total outlay was $80 … less than two month’s of phone fees.
I hooked everything up yesterday, and it worked like a charm. There’s an easy-to-remember local number assigned to it, with caller ID, call waiting and voicemail features. The unit was easy to set up; no programming required. I routed my fax machine through it as well, and the dial tone came up just as soon as I plugged it in. No problem.
Because I also want to be able to make international calls, I purchased 200 minutes of call time for just $5 using a prepaid feature that MagicJack offers via the Internet. Last night, I phoned my daughter, who lives in Tokyo. We talked for half an hour, and neither of us noticed any difference in the connection. Excellent quality, no drop out, and just a little echo, which is not uncommon on overseas calls.
To think we were spending over $500 a year for phone service, paying monthly charges, when this is available for just $20 a year (that’s the annual service renewal fee). This is one of the best investments I have made in a while.
Thank you MagicJack! It is great to buy something and have it work exactly the way it’s supposed to the very first time you use it.
