Magic-Jack - Just say NO!

[earl colby pottinger]

This happened yesterday morning.

I am down in Florida helping my mom with some of her business. She has a friend come over, so I had my computer out showing pictures mom's garden to her friend.

Out of the blue - "I have a Magic-Jack at home that is not working, can you come and JUST look at it?".

I asked if they have working internet, she claims yes.

Then I tell her "No, I will not look at it. I have NEVER installed a Magic-Jack, I have NEVER used a Magic-Jack, I have NEVER even touch a Magic-Jack in it's packaging." I know nothing about servicing a Magic-Jack.

Then started the barrage from mom and her friend to "JUST LOOK AT IT", with me repeating "NO".

Now my mom is anger at me for not helping her friend and very interestingly the so-called friend who had claimed to come to see my mom quickly left when it was clear I would not give her free service.

Please note, the demand was given to me about 8-10 times with each and every time I replied "NO", and I pointed out I don't want to be blamed for anything else that goes wrong with her machine. She of-course said she would never do such a thing but her behaviour in demanding my services sends up a red flag for me.

[Nurian]

Honestly, you did the right thing. Magic Jack is trash and if you give in once, you'll be snared in each time something went wrong.

[PepperElf]

Honestly, you did the right thing. Magic Jack is trash and if you give in once, you'll be snared in each time something went wrong.

I worked at a store that sold them. from what i could see they were pieces of shit.

[Arcus]

I tried one for awhile (company wanted to see if they could be used for our stores.) They are junk. Even when they work, they seem like something is wrong with them. Their 'tech support' may as well be a bot. All they do is use the same script for every problem (unplug magic jack, restart computer, re-download software.) And then there was the thing that made me laugh the most. Everything is done by chat. No phones, just chat. Goes to show what kind of phone company they are when you don't have a way to call them.

I almost feel sorry for your moms friend. It's going to be at least 3 months of fighting with MJ before they will send her a new dongle.

[Captain Trips]

I will never use one, because of the monitoring software they don't tell you it installs onto your computer. Almost as bad as a root-kit.

[Pedersen]

You wouldn't just be blamed for the failures of Magic Jack. She have a printer? Well, you touched something on the computer that caused the printer to fritz out. No, it doesn't matter that you were her 8 years ago, and it's worked fine since, and the printer is even brand new as of yesterday. You still did it.

Pick an electronic device, and you would be at fault. Scanner, printer, cd/dvd drive, smart phone, wireless router, cable modem, it just does not matter. You would be at fault, and expected to fix her problems. After all, you're the only one who touches her computer, so therefore it had to be you.

Been there, done that, way too often. Anymore, I simply tell people that I'm a maid, and don't do Windows. It's amazing how few calls I get for any kind of support anymore. I don't know it, and am unable to do anything. I'm sorry. Go with something I know, and I'll be happy to help. Until then, you're going to have to call the manufacturer.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I take this approach when Mom asks me for help with her iPhone.

I have a Droid X phone, it is the first smartphone I had any experience with. For a while, Mom had a Droid phone as well (not a Droid X) that I could assist with.

Then she got an iPhone and will periodically ask what she's doing wrong. I always have to tell her "I don't know about iPhones, I can't help you." Fortunately, Mom is understanding and doesn't get pissy about it.

[earl colby pottinger]

Thanks for all who agreed with me.

I have been making a living as a computer programmer, custom hardware designer/builder and as a computer tech for the last 35 years of my life. And I was into computers at-least five years earlier than that.

I am well aware of how bad people who use the word 'just' and make no mention of payment/cash can be.

But it pains me that my mom will side with the person who wants free tech support rather than her own son, ex-specially when I explained I have the experience that she does not have to know where this probably will go.

Worse, she says I was rude for saying 'No!' to her friend, but sees nothing in the friend repeatily trying the same demand over and over even after I each time make it perfectly clear that I would not look at her hardware.

PS. Thanks for letting me blow-off some steam.

[Mriswith]

Out of the blue - "I have a Magic-Jack at home that is not working, can you come and JUST look at it?".

My response: Ok. *goes to friends house, looks* Yes, that does appear to be a Majic Jack. Well, my work here is done. Seeya!


Also, when the inevitably ask you to fix it "$75 per hour for this and anything else you want fixed. I do not work weekends, or over the phone."

[Jay 2K Winger]

My response: Ok. *goes to friends house, looks* Yes, that does appear to be a Majic Jack. Well, my work here is done. Seeya!


Also, when the inevitably ask you to fix it "$75 per hour for this and anything else you want fixed. I do not work weekends, or over the phone."

Don't forget to include "1 hour minimum" -- because if it's a five-minute fix, they'll try to claim that they only owe you $6.50.

[Hanzoku]

No, if it's a five minute fix they whine and say that they shouldn't have to pay you anything since it was such an easy fix.

[lordlundar]

My response: Ok. *goes to friends house, looks* Yes, that does appear to be a Majic Jack. Well, my work here is done. Seeya!


Also, when the inevitably ask you to fix it "$75 per hour for this and anything else you want fixed. I do not work weekends, or over the phone."

Too low in my books. $200/hour, 3 hour minimum up front. After all, you don't have insurance for this.

[thehuckster]

Goes to show what kind of phone company they are when you don't have a way to call them.

This is true, to a certain extent, but at the same time, I'd be pretty pissed if I had phone problems, and the only way to contact them is by phone.

[Merriweather]

No, if it's a five minute fix they whine and say that they shouldn't have to pay you anything since it was such an easy fix.

Of course, that's when you give them the old punchline about "you're not paying me for pushing that button - you're paying me for knowing what button to push"

[Kristev]

Reminds me of an old commerical about a handy-dandy computer repair self-help website as a company's solution to computer breakdowns. The problem, of course, is that handy-dandy self-help websites are utterly useless if one's computer isn't working to begin with.