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Magic Jack - Porting Number
Magic Jack Plus - Complaint
Review by darrickestes on 2012-08-16
Rating: 
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA -- Chat with Customer Service is below in addition to a registered informal complaint with FCC. Any one else who may have the same issue of being charged over $30 to return your personal number back from Magic Jack should register a complaint as well through FCC. They are the only company in the US charging for a return porting of a persons number.
Chat on August 14, 2012
Magic Jack
You are now chatting with 'Marykate'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK554080677073X
Marykate: Hello, how may I help you?
Customer: I have placed a porting of my number from you to another carrier and you wish to bill me $ 30 to port a number that was mine that I ported to you. That sounds little illegal since it was not your number to start with and I paid the $ 10 to port it over to you last December. Please explain or eliminate that fee.
Marykate: Please allow me to inform you that Phone Number - (410) xxx-xxxx technically belongs to magicJack after you ported the number last 12/28/2011.
Marykate: The $30 fee is for porting out a magicJack number to other phone carriers and it is part of the porting process.
Customer: I have a telecommunication company and your response is not accurate. Clients do not lose their number when it is ported it is only used by the new carrier and subject to its return provided the client does not owe any outstanding debt to the Carrier currently using the clients number.
Marykate: I understand however the $30 fee is part of the port out process and it is not possible to waive this fee.
Customer: You may want to take this up to a supervisor. I do not want to take this to the FCC for a violation
Marykate: I am a supervisor. I respect and appreciate your sentiments because I would feel the same way if I was on your shoes. However, please understand that a company policy is a policy that we need to follow at all times.
Customer: Company Policy does not super cede FCC guidelines. You will be hearing from me.
Marykate: Okay, Customer.
Chat on August 14, 2012
Magic Jack
You are now chatting with 'Marykate'
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK554080677073X
Marykate: Hello, how may I help you?
Customer: I have placed a porting of my number from you to another carrier and you wish to bill me $ 30 to port a number that was mine that I ported to you. That sounds little illegal since it was not your number to start with and I paid the $ 10 to port it over to you last December. Please explain or eliminate that fee.
Marykate: Please allow me to inform you that Phone Number - (410) xxx-xxxx technically belongs to magicJack after you ported the number last 12/28/2011.
Marykate: The $30 fee is for porting out a magicJack number to other phone carriers and it is part of the porting process.
Customer: I have a telecommunication company and your response is not accurate. Clients do not lose their number when it is ported it is only used by the new carrier and subject to its return provided the client does not owe any outstanding debt to the Carrier currently using the clients number.
Marykate: I understand however the $30 fee is part of the port out process and it is not possible to waive this fee.
Customer: You may want to take this up to a supervisor. I do not want to take this to the FCC for a violation
Marykate: I am a supervisor. I respect and appreciate your sentiments because I would feel the same way if I was on your shoes. However, please understand that a company policy is a policy that we need to follow at all times.
Customer: Company Policy does not super cede FCC guidelines. You will be hearing from me.
Marykate: Okay, Customer.
Comments:
Posted by Kris10 on 2012-08-16:
That does sound very illegal. I wonder how many people they have nailed with that fee before. Hopefully the FCC will be able to help you.
Posted by trmn8r on 2012-08-16:
In this day and age of moving services and phone numbers from one provider to another, maybe this is legal. I don't know if it is or not - please stop back and let us know. I note that the FCC website indicates companies can charge for portability, which possibly pertains to both porting in and porting out:
"•Companies may charge their customers fees to recover the costs that they incur in providing number portability. Fees may vary between companies, and some companies may not charge any fees."
"•Companies may charge their customers fees to recover the costs that they incur in providing number portability. Fees may vary between companies, and some companies may not charge any fees."
Posted by leet60 on 2012-08-17:
Some information from FCC.GOV on number portability:
Fees and Charges
•Companies may charge their customers fees to recover the costs that they incur in providing number portability. Fees may vary between companies, and some companies may not charge any fees.
•Companies may not refuse to port a number because a consumer has not paid for porting.
Fees and Charges
•Companies may charge their customers fees to recover the costs that they incur in providing number portability. Fees may vary between companies, and some companies may not charge any fees.
•Companies may not refuse to port a number because a consumer has not paid for porting.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2012-08-17:
I'm on the Library computer now because MagicJackPlus screwed me big time. Now, I have no MagicJack, no Landline and no Internet because their rep gave me the wrong info. I just got off the chat with them and told them I didn't want charged for the number transfer and they said they no longer refund that. I told them I will be disputing it with my credit card company because I kept a copy of my chat with the rep that gave me all the wrong information. It is now costing me close to $200 to get everything back the way I had it before MJplus...and it will still be until then end of next week before I get my Internet back and I'm without a Landline until next weeks well. I've been without all week. I had to end up getting an entire new phone number for my landline throught ATT because MajicJack couldn't even get it transfered back right!
Yeah...there's gonna be a nice long review on that when I get my Internet service back up again.
Yeah...there's gonna be a nice long review on that when I get my Internet service back up again.
Posted by 1_positive_guy on 2012-12-10:
URL for the FCC site mentioned by leet60 on 2012-08-17:
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/portability-keeping-your-phone-number-when-changing-service-providers
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/portability-keeping-your-phone-number-when-changing-service-providers
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2012-12-10:
Thanks for the info, Positive Guy!
As an update to my above comment. I disputed the fee for transferring my phone number, with my credit card company. My credit card company didn't even bother sending the usual forms to fill out, within TWO days of my dispute online with them, they had already approved it for me and within a week, it was credited back on my credit card. So, it looks like some credit card companies must get a lot of disputes about their porting fees and are willing to reverse it on our credit card. BTW, I have PNC credit....KUDOS to them for knowing we're being ripped off!
As an update to my above comment. I disputed the fee for transferring my phone number, with my credit card company. My credit card company didn't even bother sending the usual forms to fill out, within TWO days of my dispute online with them, they had already approved it for me and within a week, it was credited back on my credit card. So, it looks like some credit card companies must get a lot of disputes about their porting fees and are willing to reverse it on our credit card. BTW, I have PNC credit....KUDOS to them for knowing we're being ripped off!
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