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Watch out for majicjack

D

dkisdatrump

Lurker
Recent discussion where they wanted to charge me $10 I do not sell car parts, and the local phone book screwed up and published my number as autozone.

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Bernadette'
Your Issue ID for this chat is (mod deleted)
Bernadette: Hello, how may I help you?
Bernadette: How are you Joseph?
joseph: I need to change my number
Bernadette: I will assist you on that.
Bernadette: This is the number (mod deleted) you are using , correct/
joseph: Thank you, I signed up for the 5 year plan, I wanna get my number changed for free, no charge
joseph: (mod deleted) yes
Bernadette: Since you have an existing number, changing of phone number has a $10 charge since the 5 year renewal device plan is different from your phone number.
joseph: I have been with majicjack for 8 years now, I want to change my number for no charge
Bernadette: That is not possible Joseph.
joseph: Anything is possible, either change my number for free, or refund my money
Bernadette: You can change the number but you need to pay the $10 for it.
Bernadette: We cannot refund the 5 year plan since you have already used the it and we can only cancel the 5 year plan and send refund if the plan is untouch,
joseph: I am not the autozone parts place, and I am sick and tired of receiving calls for it. I need a new number
Bernadette: okay, I will assist you on getting a new number,
joseph: I do not sell car parts.
Bernadette: What do you mean?
joseph: Autozone sells car parts, I do not. I need a new number as I am sick and tired of the calls
Bernadette: We can change your number but you need to pay the $10
joseph: No. I am not paying 10 cents. You want to tell the phone book who published my number as an auto parts place to unpublish it? you might be able to sue them, I cannot
Bernadette: One moment please...
Bernadette: I am transferring you to one of our top 10% agents as rated by our customers. Please hold while I transfer you.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to the best suited site operator.
You are now chatting with 'Felyn'
Your Issue ID for this chat is (mod deleted)
joseph: I need a new phone number, I am not autozone
Please wait while I transfer the chat to the best suited site operator.
You are now chatting with 'Pearl'
Your Issue ID for this chat is (mod deleted)
Pearl: Welcome to higher level of support this is Pearl, and i am the one will be assisting you now, please give me a moment to review your previous chats thank you.
joseph: I am not paying for a new phone number, I do not sell car parts
joseph: I am not autozone
Pearl: Just to clarify you would like to change the number?
joseph: Yes. The local phone book published my number as autozone
joseph: I refuse to pay for a new number
joseph: it is not my fault
Pearl: The number will be published , and since we are a private company and this number cannot be seen at any yellow paged
joseph: I am telling you, the local phone book made a error and published my number by mistake, please just change it so I do not get any more calls
joseph: PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Pearl: in changing a number you need to pay the $10 for change number.
joseph: Then refund my 5 year subscriotion, I will not pay for anyone elses mistake. I do not sell car parts, and I am sick and tired of getting calls asking me for them
Pearl: Can i have the number you are calling you please
joseph: You seriously want me to type them all? Do you need psychiatric therapy? Or are you calling me a liar?
Pearl: I need to know that number because i will be reporting this for that number stop calling you , that is why i need those numbers'
Pearl: you would like those number to be block , or you will change the number instead?
joseph: This is ridiculous, all the years I been with you. And you want to charge me to change my number, this is truely pathetic
joseph: I am posting this on some forums I frequent
joseph: Charge me? ROFL
Pearl: One moment please...
Pearl: I understand you that, may i know what really you would like, we will change the number or request those number calling you will be stop?
joseph: I want a new number, and I REFUSE to pay to change it. You can contact yellow book and let them know they published the wrong number. I am not going to deal with it
joseph: I am posting this on android forums
Pearl: i understand you Joseph, but we cannot really change your number once you will not pay the change number fee,
joseph: I am copying and pasting this on all the forums I frequent then

They cut me off, and disabled chat with me. This is after I paid them the 5 year subscription fee, so BEWARE!
 
With a little bit different tact you would have been able to change your number without paying the fee.

It was not there fault and they are/were under no obligation to do it for free, but if you would have clearly and slowly explained the situation and not talked to them like it was there problem to fix, you would have gotten better results.
 
MLSS said:
With a little bit different tact you would have been able to change your number without paying the fee.

It was not there fault and they are/were under no obligation to do it for free, but if you would have clearly and slowly explained the situation and not talked to them like it was there problem to fix, you would have gotten better results.
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I agree. It's NOT their fault the local phone book screwed up. They may have been sympathetic once the problem was clearly explained to them. Also, long-time customers are usually given a certain amount of latitude when it comes to rules.

The OP is definitely correct that ANYTHING is possible. I've personally seen that many times. Last year I had a problem with Bank of America. I had called [for some reason I can't think of right now] and when we were done the rep asked if there was anything else he could do. I said that I *HATE* red, and when I received my most recent debit card it was red. My previous ones had been a lovely blue and platinum. Blue is my favorite color. Red is not. :mad: So he transferred me to another department, the woman and I looked at various designs, I picked one, and she said they'd be in the mail shortly. She also said that until I received them I couldn't use my existing cards. :confused: I said that wasn't acceptable. She did something to make it work. Fine. Case closed. Nope. When the new cards came they had a new number. :eek: I immediately called BofA and said I didn't WANT a new number, that I'd memorized my current one decades ago and didn't want it changed. They said it was impossible. They said my old number was due to be purged from the system on such-and-such date. I reached a roadblock and couldn't get any further. So I wrote to their CEO. :D I was very polite, very tactful, but very direct--I included the fact that as a multi-decade programmer, I KNEW the purge that was 'impossible' to undo could, in fact, be undone, and I stressed that I had been a good customer since 1991. A few days later his office called me. They undid the purge, I cut up the new cards, and I still have my original card number. :)

@dkisdatrump, I highly recommend that you try writing--an actual snail mail letter, not e-mail--to their corporate office and explain, clearly and without emotion toward THEM, what happened with your local phone book, and how it's inconvenienced and bothered you. Point out that you're a good, long-time customer and would hate to sever ties with them over $10. Explain that, on principle--since it's not YOUR fault the phone book printed your number for AutoZone--you don't feel you should have to pay for a number change. Ask them if they'd "kindly consider doing this for free as a favor" considering your long relationship with them. The only emotion you should display is toward the phone book and the random people calling your number because of the phone book's error. Keep in mind THEY didn't cause this. You want them to be your friend on this issue, so they'll feel your agony and want to help.
 
Don't forget to make mention of this on twitter. Comcast, of all companies, lead the way with customer service monitoring of twitter. Might be heard by the right person at MagicJack if you do.
 
When I worked at Radioshack I had many times where I had to try to hassle with their customer service. It's literally the worst customer service.

Another big complaint I had was they said no computer but the elderly would get angry at them because they would fail to mention that you need Internet access. I hate their company.
 
I'd suspect that "Bernadette" and "Pearl" are actually in Hyderabad, India and NOT the United States. And as such they don't really care and just move onto the next angry Magicjack customer(or whatever other company the Indian support agent has a contract with), and that's what they do all day long. They're just following a script which presumably says you have to pay $10 to change your number, and anything else that's not in the script, they won't know anything about it.
 
ss1992 said:
When I worked at Radioshack I had many times where I had to try to hassle with their customer service. It's literally the worst customer service.

Another big complaint I had was they said no computer but the elderly would get angry at them because they would fail to mention that you need Internet access. I hate their company.
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I've seen the instruction video for the Magicjack Plus, and you do need a computer to initially set it up.

I get the idea that this thing is an "As Seen On TV" product. Usually these have misleading and inaccurate advertising, and often the product itself is crap, like the Instant Fishermen thing or Ronco and Ktel products.
 
The Wikipedia entry is interesting -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagicJack

Anyway, it's just VoIP, something that we all used to do for free from PCs in the dot com days.

I think one of my buddies had it included with his AOL services, I remember how happy he was calling home from his laptop at one point. Lmao

Still, the problem described by the OP hasn't much to do with the Ronco Pocket Fisherman.

More like what happens when you rant instead of explaining a problem and asking for help.
 
EarlyMon said:
The Wikipedia entry is interesting -

magicJack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyway, it's just VoIP, something that we all used to do for free from PCs in the dot com days.

I think one of my buddies had it included with his AOL services, I remember how happy he was calling home from his laptop at one point. Lmao

Still, the problem described by the OP hasn't much to do with the Ronco Pocket Fisherman.

More like what happens when you rant instead of explaining a problem and asking for help.
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See I'm thinking with this thing, given that support most likely is in India, it wouldn't much any difference how one approached it. "Bernadette" or "Pearl" might not even know what "autozone" is if it's not in their script.

Might have more luck as Moody suggested, by writing nicely to the CEO. May not get an answer from the CEO directly, but all these companies have a PR departments that can make things happen.

This is a product sold by dubious tactics, like telling you that you don't need a computer or internet, when in fact you do. That's why I thought Ronco. :)
 
Everything in the USA is supported from India, it's inescapable.

And some of that supports sucks and some of it is very good.

Much like anything else.

I don't care if you call Bangalore, Bangkok or Baltimore, you'll get nowhere ranting.

Not sure about dubious sales tactics being an issue either - if you don't expect that here, you will get taken.

Ask anyone with a cell phone.
 
EarlyMon said:
Everything in the USA is supported from India, it's inescapable.

And some of that supports sucks and some of it is very good.

Much like anything else.

I don't care if you call Bangalore, Bangkok or Baltimore, you'll get nowhere ranting.

Not sure about dubious sales tactics being an issue either - if you don't expect that here, you will get taken.

Ask anyone with a cell phone.
Click to expand...

Before I decide to purchase any service i check their customer service ranking. If it's bad most likely their service itself is too.
 
mikedt said:
See I'm thinking with this thing, given that support most likely is in India, it wouldn't much any difference how one approached it. "Bernadette" or "Pearl" might not even know what "autozone" is if it's not in their script.
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Exactly--and, besides, they're not high up enough to be able to do certain things. In the OP's case, even though it's a trivial amount, $10, if they're not allowed to do it, that's that.

Might have more luck as Moody suggested, by writing nicely to the CEO.
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Yes, exactly. CALMLY explaining the issue and asking for help is the way to go--but you have to ask the correct people for help, not some call center workers who don't have authority to do what you're asking.

May not get an answer from the CEO directly, but all these companies have a PR departments that can make things happen.
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Absolutely.
 
I can totally sympathize with being frustrated.

Here is another idea, fwiw, how about contacting the phone company, explain the inconvenience they have caused you by listing your number as autozone, and ask them if they could help you out by giving you 10 bucks?

Seems like it would be worth a try, and they could easily confirm your story, just by calling you. Be nice, and keep asking for supervisors. Keep being nice... :)
 
dustwun77 said:
I can totally sympathize with being frustrated.

Here is another idea, fwiw, how about contacting the phone company, explain the inconvenience they have caused you by listing your number as autozone, and ask them if they could help you out by giving you 10 bucks?

Seems like it would be worth a try, and they could easily confirm your story, just by calling you. Be nice, and keep asking for supervisors. Keep being nice... :)
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That's some good "out of the box" thinking there. :)

The OP may get better results to try to work out the problem with the ones that actually caused it in the first place.
 
My wife was in customer service and I work in customer service, I know how to relate with CSR's to get results. First, never come across like you are entitled to something, 9/10 times, you're not, get over it. Second, be polite without being condescending, please and thank you go far. Third state your problem clearly without attacking the CSR. Fourth take notes of whenever you call for assistance. Fifth, know that certain things cannot be done by the first tier CSR's, if that's the case, politely ask for a supervisor.

I say something like, "I understand your position only allows you so much flexibility, you've been very helpful and I appreciate that. May I please speak to your manager?"

Step five prevents the CSR from saying to their manager, "I got this crazy person on the line."
 
I lost this thread for quite sometime, just forgot about it until I stumbled upon it today. I read my whole original post, and you all are completely right, I could have handled it differently.

I failed to point out however that was the 3rd conversation I had with them, so I was quite perturbed to say the least. Finally I just paid the fee and gave in.

I do however have better patience with people like them as I took a phone sales job for Toro selling lawn mower and maintenance equipment to golf courses. Now I know what it can be like to deal with unhappy customers, it's harder than it looks.

I still do believe under the circumstances they should have just changed my number for free. Especially the fact that I signed up for the 5 year plan, and had already been with them for 8.

6 0f 1 half a dozen of the other.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
mikedt said:
I'd suspect that "Bernadette" and "Pearl" are actually in Hyderabad, India and NOT the United States. And as such they don't really care and just move onto the next angry Magicjack customer(or whatever other company the Indian support agent has a contract with), and that's what they do all day long. They're just following a script which presumably says you have to pay $10 to change your number, and anything else that's not in the script, they won't know anything about it.
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So when I chatted with AT&T about my PadFone last month, it wasn't really Nicholas Sparks I was talking to?! (Seriously. That was his listed name.)
 
Didn't realize this was an old thread until I got the necro-post.

You'll close a lot of doors by talking to people like you did in that chat. That representative was not at fault for any prior negative experiences you had.

Granted, I'm no fan of cheap third world customer service either, but it's the price of cheap products and services in our society.

I'm glad to see you've since learned what it's like to be in that agent's position. The time I spent as a cashier as a teenager has helped me tremendously, and I always try to be friendly and polite to cashiers, even when they make mistakes.
 
dibblebill said:
So when I chatted with AT&T about my PadFone last month, it wasn't really Nicholas Sparks I was talking to?! (Seriously. That was his listed name.)
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"Nicholas Sparks" could very well have been in India. My UK bank outsourced to Indian call centres for a while, but then returned doing their own UK based customer service, because of customer complaints and dissatisfaction.

AFAIK most people who work in the Hyderabad and Mumbai call centres are university graduates with a high level of English. And they actually get them watching popular sports, soap operas etc, for whatever country they're pretending to be in. So if the customer makes a bit of small talk, and comments about football, Eastenders or General Hospital etc., and maybe the rep in India can respond with something useful, instead of going blank. Also they're living and sleeping in the time-zone for the country they're outsourced to.

BTW there's often English teachers from India here in China, but many schools, colleges and unis. just don't want and won't employ them. And they'll actually state, US, Canadian, UK or Irish nationals only.
 
mikedt said:
"Nicholas Sparks" could very well have been in India. My UK bank outsourced to Indian call centres for a while, but then returned doing their own UK based customer service, because of customer complaints and dissatisfaction.

AFAIK most people who work in the Hyderabad and Mumbai call centres are university graduates with a high level of English. And they actually get them watching popular sports, soap operas etc, for whatever country they're pretending to be in. So if the customer makes a bit of small talk, and comments about football, Eastenders or General Hospital etc., and maybe the rep in India can respond with something useful, instead of going blank. Also they're living and sleeping in the time-zone for the country they're outsourced to.

BTW there's often English teachers from India here in China, but many schools, colleges and unis. just don't want and won't employ them. And they'll actually state, US, Canadian, UK or Irish nationals only.
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I once had an AT&T rep ask me for ROM advice on the m7.
 
I've never given a rep technical advice, but I have spoken to one in his native language. Shocked the hell out of him.
 
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