I had wondered about this device also. Several readers mentioned it when I wrote about living without a landline and Skype. VOIP is dependent on a computer/cable line and electricity; the reliability with the cable company was so bad that I decided to take my chances with other options, which have worked just as well for me so far.
I'm not opposed to returning gifts, but in practice it's usually too much work. I might keep the gift for awhile, but in the end if I don't like it and I don't return it, I'll usually give it away.
If it is something I do not care for and know where to return it I will do so. However if I don't know where to return it, it eventually always makes its way to the Goodwill pile. I refuse to be held hostage by gifts and I hate people who guilt friends and family into feeling like they can't move on from a gift.
I think another option that people should look at is an ooma system, which I purchased back in October and have used non-stop without problems since then. You purchase the box for $200 and then get unlimited US calling for the lifetime of the box. The box is standalone, so you don't need to leave your computer on at all and you can port your current number to it if you wanted. Voice quality is great and I can only discern a slight delay. The only catch is that they start charging a fee for taxes after the first year ($12/year). I've heard that you can also take the box overseas and continue to make and receive free US calls.
Yesterday as I ate an oatmeal cookie, my husband said to me "That's breakfast, not a cookie."
Well, why not? The standard cookies wouldn't do, but I wanted to try and see if I could make a healthy breakfast cookie. These were great! I didn't have enough bananas, so I sort of fudged the recipe, but they turned out very yummy. I used dried cherries, blueberry applesauce (because that's what I had, but I think it added a nice touch), sunflower seeds, and old fashioned oats. I added almond butter, but not enough to taste, so I'll use more next time.
I'm pregnant and therefore want to eat all the time. These will be a great snack to take to work to stave off the munchies, and convince me that I only need to try ONE of whatever holiday temptation someone has brought in today.
Thanks for this post! We are looking at this right now. My husband is visiting our college aged son right now and bought him one of these yesterday as he is always running out of minutes on his cell phone (a pay-as-you-go since he has no credit). He's in college for computer related stuff so hopefully if he has any problems he can handle it.
I'd love to see a post on the Google voice option another poster mentioned.
I play it by the relationship with the gift giver, for example, if my mother gave me the gift there is absolutely no way I would return it because I know that it would really hurt her feelings. In general, I can't remember the last time I returned a gift, even as a teenager no matter who it was from.
When my husband and I do regift something we make sure that the original gifter and the regiftee have absolutely zero ties!
It depends. If the gift has great sentimental value, I would keep it.
Otherwise, if a gift receipt was given, I would return it; without a gift receipt, I would donate it or discreetly gift it to another friend (from a different social circle).
I would return a gift if I knew that person wouldn't mind. Otherwise I would probably hold onto it for someone who I thought may like it or a white elephant gift exchange. :)
If you are even slightly technical you can get free calls by buying a non-MagicJack ATA[1], getting a free incoming number and SIP account[2], and using Google Voice[3]. -- This setup will let you do what MagicJack does without the special software or the yearly service. You will still have to place calls through Google Voice's website, but you can receive calls without a computer.
Getting this set up is about as hard as setting up a WiFi router.
[1] ATA -- Analog Telephony Adapter
[2] Eg. from http://www.sipgate.com/one
[3] Beta status, but most people seem to be getting an account within a few weeks.
If a gift is something that will sit in a closet and bring guilt every time it is seen, I know the gift giver would be upset if I didn't say anything. (And there have been a few gifts like that!) One gift in particular didn't even leave with me as I knew I would NEVER use it and it was very large and what I considered ugly. Thankfully, the person giving the gift returned it and there wasn't a problem, but I still felt a little bad since the giver liked it so much. This is a problem since this trend continues at times, gifts being given because the giver likes them, but it also makes me much more sensitive to the fact that when I'm getting a gift for another person, I need to make sure it is something that THEY would enjoy, not just me!
I will return an ill-suited/poorly fitting/unwanted gift, if possible. When that's not possible, I will regift, resell or donate something. I've even been known to trade gifts with my sister on Christmas afternoon (nothing major but if Mom forgets that I got the green silly putty last year, I'll swap my sister for the red silly putty...we always get silly putty and chap stick in our stockings). I hate to keep unneeded and unwanted things just on the principal that someone gave it to me.
The key phrase, in my experience, is "when it works." I had a unlimited national/canada phone service through the cable company which was $49.99 per month, and a cell, when I got laid off from my job. I decided to try this Magic Jack thing, and if it worked, turn off the cable phone - a nervous decision since everyone had THAT number. I bought it through Radio Shack, which I recommend because they give good customer service and 30 day returns. After I tested it and it worked for 3 days, I called the cable company and shut off my home phone #. I sent out an email to everyone I knew. And that evening, the Magic Jack software froze up and crashed. I rebooted, made a call, it froze and crashed - and so on, over and over. It was so bad it affected other software and processes on my computer and eventually I uninstalled it (a feat in and of itself) and returned it. Now my home phone # was lost - I had no alternative and had to send another email out - and I had a screwed up computer with lingering after effects. *sigh* Radio Shack employee was snippy and said "We sell 1,300 of these a year and no one returns them." Whatever. That's my story! Highly recommend you buy it at Radio Shack or another store that will at least take a return, since MJ is notorious for not having customer support.
As an American expatriate living in Ukraine, when I visit the States again next year, I will be getting one of these. I know a number of people like myself who either use them themselves, have relatives abroad using them, or both--and most of them are very happy with the device. It would certainly save me a huge amount of money calling family and friends in the U.S.
As you say, it may not be for everyone--it requires a computer connected to the Internet, preferably by broadband. For those with computers, though, it certainly doesn't seem all that complicated.
Oh yes, I will return a gift or two this year....I don't have enough space to keep a well-stocked regifting closet, and when I receive impersonal items (fleece blankets, scented candles, picture frames) I'm happy to return them or exchange them whenever possible.
I've been using it for about 2 years now and it definitely isn't a scam. But it has it's quirks, your computer has to be on and the software seems buggy - I regularly have to restart the software in order to make a call... But when all is said and done I have saved hundreds of dollars on long-distance with it, so I am happy...
I wrote a more thorough review of it, for those interested...
I found it hard to find a cordless phone that I could plug into it and have it work. It worked fine with the $8 corded phones from wal-mart, but who uses a corded phone? I had all sorts of problems with a corded phone, from it not ringing to it not being able to detect the dial tone at all.
Returning a gift leaves a bad taste in my mouth. No matter how sincere you are to the gifter, they still feel some “sting” knowing that the gift they chose for you was not right. Then again, I have not had the experience of, say, receiving clothing or shoes that did not fit, a situation in which exchanging the item would make sense.
I'll return something if I get duplicates and don't have any other way to use it (re-gift, donate, etc). If I can't return it, or its not worth enough to return, I try to donate it.
I had wondered about this device also. Several readers mentioned it when I wrote about living without a landline and Skype. VOIP is dependent on a computer/cable line and electricity; the reliability with the cable company was so bad that I decided to take my chances with other options, which have worked just as well for me so far.
I'm not opposed to returning gifts, but in practice it's usually too much work. I might keep the gift for awhile, but in the end if I don't like it and I don't return it, I'll usually give it away.
Thanks Stacey -- I'll check it out. The theme of my son's outing was something like "survivorman" and I wondered if there was a tie-in to something.
Very interesting blog, bookmarked for the future referrence, what template do you use ?
If it is something I do not care for and know where to return it I will do so. However if I don't know where to return it, it eventually always makes its way to the Goodwill pile. I refuse to be held hostage by gifts and I hate people who guilt friends and family into feeling like they can't move on from a gift.
I think another option that people should look at is an ooma system, which I purchased back in October and have used non-stop without problems since then. You purchase the box for $200 and then get unlimited US calling for the lifetime of the box. The box is standalone, so you don't need to leave your computer on at all and you can port your current number to it if you wanted. Voice quality is great and I can only discern a slight delay. The only catch is that they start charging a fee for taxes after the first year ($12/year). I've heard that you can also take the box overseas and continue to make and receive free US calls.
If the item doesn't fit, I will usually return it. Otherwise, I am a notorious regifter (although not in a scary hoarder way).
Yesterday as I ate an oatmeal cookie, my husband said to me "That's breakfast, not a cookie."
Well, why not? The standard cookies wouldn't do, but I wanted to try and see if I could make a healthy breakfast cookie. These were great! I didn't have enough bananas, so I sort of fudged the recipe, but they turned out very yummy. I used dried cherries, blueberry applesauce (because that's what I had, but I think it added a nice touch), sunflower seeds, and old fashioned oats. I added almond butter, but not enough to taste, so I'll use more next time.
I'm pregnant and therefore want to eat all the time. These will be a great snack to take to work to stave off the munchies, and convince me that I only need to try ONE of whatever holiday temptation someone has brought in today.
Thank you for the lovely recipe!
I don't return gifts, usually.
Thanks for this post! We are looking at this right now. My husband is visiting our college aged son right now and bought him one of these yesterday as he is always running out of minutes on his cell phone (a pay-as-you-go since he has no credit). He's in college for computer related stuff so hopefully if he has any problems he can handle it.
I'd love to see a post on the Google voice option another poster mentioned.
I play it by the relationship with the gift giver, for example, if my mother gave me the gift there is absolutely no way I would return it because I know that it would really hurt her feelings. In general, I can't remember the last time I returned a gift, even as a teenager no matter who it was from.
When my husband and I do regift something we make sure that the original gifter and the regiftee have absolutely zero ties!
~Heather
It depends. If the gift has great sentimental value, I would keep it.
Otherwise, if a gift receipt was given, I would return it; without a gift receipt, I would donate it or discreetly gift it to another friend (from a different social circle).
I would return a gift if I knew that person wouldn't mind. Otherwise I would probably hold onto it for someone who I thought may like it or a white elephant gift exchange. :)
You can have the MagicJack experience for free!
If you are even slightly technical you can get free calls by buying a non-MagicJack ATA[1], getting a free incoming number and SIP account[2], and using Google Voice[3]. -- This setup will let you do what MagicJack does without the special software or the yearly service. You will still have to place calls through Google Voice's website, but you can receive calls without a computer.
Getting this set up is about as hard as setting up a WiFi router.
[1] ATA -- Analog Telephony Adapter
[2] Eg. from http://www.sipgate.com/one
[3] Beta status, but most people seem to be getting an account within a few weeks.
If a gift is something that will sit in a closet and bring guilt every time it is seen, I know the gift giver would be upset if I didn't say anything. (And there have been a few gifts like that!) One gift in particular didn't even leave with me as I knew I would NEVER use it and it was very large and what I considered ugly. Thankfully, the person giving the gift returned it and there wasn't a problem, but I still felt a little bad since the giver liked it so much. This is a problem since this trend continues at times, gifts being given because the giver likes them, but it also makes me much more sensitive to the fact that when I'm getting a gift for another person, I need to make sure it is something that THEY would enjoy, not just me!
I will return an ill-suited/poorly fitting/unwanted gift, if possible. When that's not possible, I will regift, resell or donate something. I've even been known to trade gifts with my sister on Christmas afternoon (nothing major but if Mom forgets that I got the green silly putty last year, I'll swap my sister for the red silly putty...we always get silly putty and chap stick in our stockings). I hate to keep unneeded and unwanted things just on the principal that someone gave it to me.
The key phrase, in my experience, is "when it works." I had a unlimited national/canada phone service through the cable company which was $49.99 per month, and a cell, when I got laid off from my job. I decided to try this Magic Jack thing, and if it worked, turn off the cable phone - a nervous decision since everyone had THAT number. I bought it through Radio Shack, which I recommend because they give good customer service and 30 day returns. After I tested it and it worked for 3 days, I called the cable company and shut off my home phone #. I sent out an email to everyone I knew. And that evening, the Magic Jack software froze up and crashed. I rebooted, made a call, it froze and crashed - and so on, over and over. It was so bad it affected other software and processes on my computer and eventually I uninstalled it (a feat in and of itself) and returned it. Now my home phone # was lost - I had no alternative and had to send another email out - and I had a screwed up computer with lingering after effects. *sigh* Radio Shack employee was snippy and said "We sell 1,300 of these a year and no one returns them." Whatever. That's my story! Highly recommend you buy it at Radio Shack or another store that will at least take a return, since MJ is notorious for not having customer support.
As an American expatriate living in Ukraine, when I visit the States again next year, I will be getting one of these. I know a number of people like myself who either use them themselves, have relatives abroad using them, or both--and most of them are very happy with the device. It would certainly save me a huge amount of money calling family and friends in the U.S.
As you say, it may not be for everyone--it requires a computer connected to the Internet, preferably by broadband. For those with computers, though, it certainly doesn't seem all that complicated.
Oh yes, I will return a gift or two this year....I don't have enough space to keep a well-stocked regifting closet, and when I receive impersonal items (fleece blankets, scented candles, picture frames) I'm happy to return them or exchange them whenever possible.
I've been using it for about 2 years now and it definitely isn't a scam. But it has it's quirks, your computer has to be on and the software seems buggy - I regularly have to restart the software in order to make a call... But when all is said and done I have saved hundreds of dollars on long-distance with it, so I am happy...
I wrote a more thorough review of it, for those interested...
I found it hard to find a cordless phone that I could plug into it and have it work. It worked fine with the $8 corded phones from wal-mart, but who uses a corded phone? I had all sorts of problems with a corded phone, from it not ringing to it not being able to detect the dial tone at all.
Returning a gift leaves a bad taste in my mouth. No matter how sincere you are to the gifter, they still feel some “sting” knowing that the gift they chose for you was not right. Then again, I have not had the experience of, say, receiving clothing or shoes that did not fit, a situation in which exchanging the item would make sense.
I'll return something if I get duplicates and don't have any other way to use it (re-gift, donate, etc). If I can't return it, or its not worth enough to return, I try to donate it.
Thanks for the honest review. I have to say it seemed liked a light night infomercial to me, so it is good to have a more balanced view.
I never hesitate to return a gift or re-gift.