Complaint Review: MagicJack phone service - Select State/Province

I tried to call my brother's home phone and realized MagicJack is now charging for local calls despite their claims of offering local calling for free. Here's my chat with their customer service about the issue:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Ayanna'

Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK11153018484525X

Ayanna: Hello, how may I help you?

Ayanna: How are you today?

Dean Chambers: I can calling a local number and when doing so, I get a recording about purchasing minutes

Dean Chambers: terms of service says this

Dean Chambers: If you choose outgoing service, the magicJack and/or magicJack Plus device, magicTalk or magicJack APP allows you to make free outgoing calls to other magicJack/magicJack Plus/magicTalk/magicJack APP users located anywhere in the world, and to subscribers on traditional telephone networks or cellular networks in the United States and Canada.

Dean Chambers: and number I"m calling is a family member in town who has regular land line on a traditional telephone network

Dean Chambers: my number is 276-696-xxxx and I am trying to call 276-431-xxxx

Ayanna: okay i see

Ayanna: One moment please...

Dean Chambers: ok

Ayanna: One moment please...

Dean Chambers: ok

Ayanna: okay here is the thing.. majority of where you can call is free, including certain numbers in countries or areas outside the US. In some instances, you may be required to purchase prepaid minutes to call an International number or a conference line or where a recording is now playing.

Dean Chambers: this is local number on a traditional phone network

Dean Chambers: it is what the Terms of Service refers to here: If you choose outgoing service, the magicJack and/or magicJack Plus device, magicTalk or magicJack APP allows you to make free outgoing calls to other magicJack/magicJack Plus/magicTalk/magicJack APP users located anywhere in the world, and to subscribers on traditional telephone networks or cellular networks in the United States and Canada.

Ayanna: In the Terms of Service: magicjack.com/tos

Ayanna: Agreement Number 4. What Is Free and What is Not:

Ayanna: "We may require prepaid purchase and/or we may charge you for calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls, or any call wherein we incur a cost from another carrier."

Ayanna: magicJack completes calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls in conjunction with large phone carriers and these calls require a prepaid purchase. Please know that these rates are at a substantial discount to Verizon rates and the other largest carriers and are the wholesale rates of the largest carrier.

Ayanna: Terms of Service section 4. What Is Free and What is Not:

Ayanna: We may require prepaid purchase and/or we may charge you for calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls, or any call wherein we incur a cost from another carrier. We may provide for a fee, premium prepaid services, which may be powered by YMAX Communications Corp. (YMAX), and may include some inbound, international, conference, platform and outbound calls that receive a recording and certain calls to non-ILEC areas, and the rates for those services will be governed by listed price lists or tariffs.

Dean Chambers: but this isn't one of those, it's a regular local phone line

Ayanna: majority of where you can call is free, including certain numbers in countries or areas outside the US. In some instances, you may be required to purchase prepaid minutes to call an International number or a conference line or where a recording is now playing.

Ayanna: so once you hear that prompt that will mean you need prepaid minute to call that number

Dean Chambers: but this is a local call

Dean Chambers: it's in error

Dean Chambers: this is not a conference line

Dean Chambers: this is what the terms of service says: If you choose outgoing service, the magicJack and/or magicJack Plus device, magicTalk or magicJack APP allows you to make free outgoing calls to other magicJack/magicJack Plus/magicTalk/magicJack APP users located anywhere in the world, and to subscribers on traditional telephone networks or cellular networks in the United States and Canada.

Dean Chambers: that number is such a local number on a traditional phone network, so there should be no additional charges to call it

Ayanna: Customer Contract

Ayanna: try to read the contract  TOS number 4

Ayanna: please

Dean Chambers: I did

Ayanna: Customer Contract

To view the Terms of Service (TOS) click here or visit http://www.magicjack.com/tos/.

Dean Chambers: tht's what I quoted

Ayanna: but it was stated clearly on number 4

Dean Chambers: the recording I"m getting is in error

Ayanna: but you said it say purchase minute to call right

Ayanna: that means the prompt is correct

Dean Chambers: no it's not, it's wrong and it's in violation of the terms of service

Ayanna: what do you mean?

Dean Chambers: I want the error corrected so I can call that number

Ayanna: yes to be able call that is to get prepaid minutes

Dean Chambers: nope not paying more to make a local call

Dean Chambers: not going to happen

Dean Chambers: If you choose outgoing service, the magicJack and/or magicJack Plus device, magicTalk or magicJack APP allows you to make free outgoing calls to other magicJack/magicJack Plus/magicTalk/magicJack APP users located anywhere in the world, and to subscribers on traditional telephone networks or cellular networks in the United States and Canada.

Dean Chambers: the number I"m calling is on a traditional phone network

Ayanna: are you sure you read number 4 in the TOS?

Dean Chambers: I just pasted from it

Dean Chambers: are you sure you have read it?

Ayanna: In the Terms of Service: magicjack.com/tos

Ayanna: Agreement Number 4. What Is Free and What is Not:

Ayanna: "We may require prepaid purchase and/or we may charge you for calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls, or any call wherein we incur a cost from another carrier."

Ayanna: magicJack completes calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls in conjunction with large phone carriers and these calls require a prepaid purchase. Please know that these rates are at a substantial discount to Verizon rates and the other largest carriers and are the wholesale rates of the largest carrier.

Ayanna: Terms of Service section 4. What Is Free and What is Not:

Ayanna: We may require prepaid purchase and/or we may charge you for calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls, or any call wherein we incur a cost from another carrier. We may provide for a fee, premium prepaid services, which may be powered by YMAX Communications Corp. (YMAX), and may include some inbound, international, conference, platform and outbound calls that receive a recording and certain calls to non-ILEC areas, and the rates for those services will be governed by listed price lists or tariffs.

Dean Chambers: and that is a free number, it's on a local "traditional phone network"

Ayanna: please read above first

Dean Chambers: have you ever heard the expression "the customer is always right"?

Ayanna: yes we did but customer already know this thing since they agree on magicjack terms of service

Dean Chambers: I cited the terms of service

Dean Chambers: the number I"m calling is just such a phone line as the TOS describes

Ayanna: yes but you did not cited the one i keep on giving you

Dean Chambers: same section I cited that which appllies to this number, again, a phone line on a "traditional phone network"

Dean Chambers: I"m asking the error be corrected

Ayanna: can you complete the message

Ayanna: ?

Dean Chambers: it shouldn't give me any message, it should complete the call

Ayanna: please give me teh messae

Ayanna: message

Dean Chambers: the number is 276-431-xxxx try calling that from your magicjack phone and you'll hear the message

Ayanna: pelase

Ayanna: try it again dean

Dean Chambers: "please go to my magic jack slash prepaid..." same bogus message

Ayanna: thats it

Dean Chambers: error is not yet fixed

Ayanna: you need to get prepaid minute to call that numebr

Dean Chambers: nope

Dean Chambers: it is a local number

Ayanna: yes

Dean Chambers: denying me calling that number is in violation of...If you choose outgoing service, the magicJack and/or magicJack Plus device, magicTalk or magicJack APP allows you to make free outgoing calls to other magicJack/magicJack Plus/magicTalk/magicJack APP users located anywhere in the world, and to subscribers on traditional telephone networks or cellular networks in the United States and Canada.

Ayanna: as long as you hear the mesage

Ayanna: please

Ayanna: i read it already

Ayanna: please do purchase the minute

Dean Chambers: I"m asking for the error to be fixed

Ayanna: yes it will when you pay for minute

Dean Chambers: wrong

Dean Chambers: it's in error now

Dean Chambers: this is a local call I have already paid for

Dean Chambers: I'm not paying extra for a free call

Dean Chambers: I"ve already paid for it, it's not free, so I"m asking the service that I've alrady pre-paid is honored under the Terms of Service

Ayanna: okay  but you may call it only i fthere is prepaid minute

Dean Chambers: wrong it's a local number on a "traditional phone network"

Dean Chambers: do you have a list of which phone networks incur charges?

Ayanna: yes

Ayanna: I believe that I have already provided you all the information needed; I would like to ask permission to end this conversation with you. Thank you.

Dean Chambers: do you have such a list?

Since we haven't heard from you, we must release this chat. Please click here should you need further assistance: www.magicJack.com/techchat