TracFone

I've been using Tracfone for probably over a decade on various phones, and I currently have 3 smart phones with their service (1 using Verizon and 2 using AT&T for calls). In the decade I've been using them I've only had 2 problems.

The first was when I transferred my minutes from a feature phone to a smart phone and not all of the minutes transferred. Apparently this was due to those minute being bonus minutes (the kind you get when using bonus cards). I believe it did say in their terms of service that bonus minutes don't transfer, so I can't complain too much.

The second problem was when I ordered a nano card but received a micro. Minor problem.

Other than those issues (and the fact that their web site doesn't always work, such as earlier this evening when I was trying to check my balance), I've been very happy with the service. Calls go through as expected, web browsing and texts work fine, and I'm always deducted the amounts I expect to be deducted. When adding time, which I've done countless times via their web site and by adding pins purchased elsewhere, the correct amounts have always been added.

Despite a few hiccups along the way I'm incredibly happy with them overall and will continue using them unless a cheaper alternative comes along.

I ordered one and it seemed OK, but it didn't come with a minutes card. Three phone calls to tech support didn't help. They wouldn't sell me any minutes without the card! The only useful thing I got from them was that I had to pay minutes for tech support if I was using their phone!

I spite of all this, I ordered a second phone for my wife. She didn't like it, so I attempted to return it using their 30 day money back guarantee. The tech support person was completely incompetent and I finally gave up and hung up after he told me it would take 70 business days to refund my money!

I must be a masochist. And these people claim to be the number 1 prepaid phone service?

We had 2 of these phones for a few years. The coverage got more and more ridiculous. I'd hear from friends minutes after calling them and them trying to call me back only to later hear "why did you turn your phone off". I decided to get Google Fi phones (love them) and started the process of transferring my phone numbers off the Tracfones and onto the Google phones. I called Tracfone customer service because I'd just paid for an extra year on both phones and had almost 2000 minutes on them. I asked for the process to change my Tracfone number and transfer it to other phones. They said to port my existing telephone number, just transfer it to Google and then call back and they'd give me a new number. After calling back they'd wiped my account off the face of the earth along with my minutes and informed me that was what happened when a number was ported off the phone. They also informed me after 3 representatives and over 90 minutes of them fuddling around that there was no recourse to turn the phone back on and no recourse for a refund. They said they have no ability to do that in their system and I should dispute the charge with my credit card company as my only recourse.

I just got a new number on our second new google phone and then changed it to a local area code after installation. That was seamless. I didn't touch that Tracfone so it still works as bad as it always did.

I had horrible service when my wife lost her phone a couple years ago. It took them days to restore the service and minutes. After 6 phone calls I finally got someone, actually in another country, from their customer service who accomplished this amazing feat. I was transferred there by accident.

This is not a company you want to do business with. This company is a joke. Their service and coverage is also a joke.

By the way Tracfone will sell your phone number to telemarketers to harass you daily. Forget about putting it on a do not call list. It won't work. I'm now getting rid of the ported number after a month of that.

I ordered a phone to replace one which was unsatisfactory (low volume and poor accessing of call service). To activate this new phone it was necessary that I spend perhaps 1/2 hour on the phone with a rep (somewhere in a foreign country, given the accent), punching in maybe 80 to 100 numbers. The first attempt didn't work and after maybe 4 or 5 lengthy sessions with other reps (each seemed to be in a different country) I gave up and requested a refund of the phone's price. I also cancelled my account, losing over 300 remaining minutes on my account. There has been zero response from this company to my inquiries.

I ordered three cell phones from their website; one more than I would have because it clearly states free overnight shipping on orders over $19.99. Otherwise I would have only ordered two and paid the $4.95 three day shipping. But when I selected the Free FedEx overnight shipping they charged me $14.95. I called a rep who said the charge will come off when it shipped. It didn't. Called another who said it will be refunded in 24 hours. It wasn't. Next one said if not refunded in 48 hours call an 'escalation" number Called the escalation number and they told me the promo had ended (the website clearly stated offer good through 5/12/14 (and I printed a copy of the promo ad for documentation; I ordered 4/23/14) and that they would "reimburse" me with minutes; but not triple minutes allowed; that I specifically bought these phone for. So that's not really much of a reimbursement. When I insisted on either triple minutes or my money back (which had been promised to me 3x's previously) they hung up. Isn't this false advertising? I'm very unhappy with this company

I purchase a phone and 40 minute card for a fathers day gift. He decided on a different phone. I took the phone back with no problems but they would not take back the 40 minute time card. Thank God I didn't purchase a more expensive one.
Here is the response I got from Tracfone.
"Tracfone Wireless does not issue refunds on phones or airtime cards. If you
would like a refund on your Tracfone or airtime card, you will need to go to
the retail store in which the item(s) was purchased. It is the hole
discretion of the retail store as to the decision that is made on the refund
request."

Sorry but that is totally unaceptable. I should have opened the phone before returning it that way they could eat some of the expense as well. At least I only lost $21.20 for giving them a shot. I know now that I will never use this company. My 40 minute card looks like it is going into the trash.

Update:
After some work getting their attention I was promised a refund for the card. It took about a month but recieved a refund check yesterday.

I'm on my 2 day without service. with a Tracfone no contract cell with airtime on it and no service I can not call 911. FCC said they will call me, I'm waiting and checking my phone you allow me about 5 min. and I was able to make one important call. God help me if I need emergency cause I can not call 911 it will not go through. Other than that Tracfone have been ok for over 15 years. I would give a better review but you put my life on the line and I'm not happy.

Phone purchased was advertised with 200 free minutes which was not applied upon activation. When tracfone was contacted about this, they said it was too late to get the free minutes. They also charged me sales tax even though I live in a state without sales tax. Not pleased with their service.

They deserved to be sued, They stole my units, 7 months of my air time, my phone number. 3 hours of hold time on the phone to customer service, I was called a lier, and after all the time on the phone, just tring to get answers was hung up on, I wish something could be done about this company, I contacted the BBB. maybe they can help people like me..

Since I have a landline, I purchased a simple $15.00 Tracfone a few years ago for texting and when traveling. It served its basic function and adding airtime was easy. Best of all, the coverage was excellent. I had 5 bars at my home in the country and everywhere else. Recently, Tracfone began an advertising campaign, encouraging customers to upgrade to its android phones. After receiving about the 15th email about this, I bought...hook, line and sinker. I purchased an LG Optimus Fuel. When it came, I went through the instructions for activating. These didn't work. I called technical support and got an individual who could barely speak English. Her accent was heavily Indian and I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. After 30 minutes, she told me that she couldn't help me and that I would have to call back during normal business hours. After talking to her, it seemed obvious that I couldn't activate the stupid phone because it has such crappy reception. So, I walked outdoors onto a hill and accomplished in two minutes what she couldn't figure out in 30 minutes. My phone was activated. However, I found that the phone had anywhere from no reception at all to only one bar at my home. When, I bought the phone on the website, I was required to enter my zipcode, which to me created the expectation that they would send me a phone that would work in my area. Silly me. I have now talked twice more to technical support. Two calls were needed because when I call then, their phone system drops the calls. Finally, I was told that my phone doesn't work in my area because it doesn't have a SIM card. The tech support "gentlemen" told me in a condescending tone that "not all Tracfones are created equal." I then indicated that I wanted a refund. I had, of course, to be transferred then to someone else. I began speaking to another individual who was going to give me an address to which I could send the new phone back, but the call was dropped. She called back, but the call was dropped again, and she never called back a second time. I will never, never, never get another Tracfone. I have attempted to contact them on FB and at their website without any resolution. While it may be more expensive, I'll be going with a reputable carrier next time.

I've had a Tracfone for about 10 years. It's a convenience and I usually buy the 1 yr plan in order to avoid messing w/ reactivation. This year I missed my deadline by 61 days: it's an emergency tool I keep in my car. I spent nearly 2 hrs on w/ cust serv trying to get my 453 units + the 60 units on my phone unsuccessfully. I feel like the "units" paid for were stolen and I certainly wouldn't want to give additional money to a disloyal company so I tried to get the 60 unit card refunded HA!
I know all about their policies on units & refunds...what about customer satisfaction. Who will buy units if they keep irritating their clients. DONE with TRACFONE!

Purchased a reconditioned Motorola V170r with 450 minutes (1 yr card) with an additional 200 units for $99.99 as a gift to a young girl that was relocating & needed it for job call backs.

Phone was received. As everyone says, adding minutes is a hassle. We waited for the phone to activate after entering all of the cards, it never did. The girl called customer service (on hold for a long time), they would send out a new phone.

New phone was received, when we tried to enter the minutes, we couldn't because they'd been used on phone 1. Custoner service (on hold a good hour) supposedly took care of this, as far as I knew, the date was reading correctly.

A few weeks go by, the phone is out of minutes. I get the phone back and find only 200 used. I contacted Tracfone, they tell me they can't give me the original 450 minutes back.

I am now going to try to recover the units, but don't feel I will be successful. Tracfone was neglegant that it did not send new cards with the new phone.

I feel the offer is fraudulent, as they can recover money by sending out defective phones; ones that customers activate minutes makingt them worthless. No where in the directions does it say not to active all cards at the same time due to this.

Buyer beware

My wife has had a cell phone from another company for a number of years and it just about drives her nuts. The hassles she has had with it are beyond words. Therefore, a cell phone was one of those things I thought I would never want. But. about a year ago my son purchased a Tracfone for me and I have since found it to be completely enjoyable. I recently purchased another Tracfone for my wife and I'm sure she will love the simplicity of the whole process.

As a first timer, I had some problems setting up voice mail. When I called tech support it was straightened out in a matter of minutes. The girl was so overly understanding and apologetic that I started to feel sorry for her, she must have apologized 10 times during our conversation. If you are having problems with tech support, try contacting them via email. I prefer this method and have always received a response within a day. Their email page can be found here.......http://www.tracfone.com/contact.jsp?task=contact

The roaming charge has been eliminated and the cost per call is the same nationwide. This happened last fall (2007), oddly enough while I was roaming for the first time. I made a call and got charged double minutes, later I made another call and was charged single minutes. You can get by for a little less than 10 cents per minute, with the "double minutes" add on. Plus, we have always received at least 60 bonus minutes when we add time.

A couple of tips: You can access your voice mail from a land line by dialing your cell number. When you connect, press the "star" key and it will ask for your password. Also, if you set up your contact list with the names and numbers of the people you want to hear from, the phone will display the name of who is calling. This allows you to ignore someone who has dialed your number by mistake.

There may be better deals out there that I'm not aware of, but I don't spend a lot of time talking on the phone so this one works great for me.

We have had a tracfone for about 5 years. The first 4.5 years I was very satisfied. However this summer they stated that due to technical changes we needed a new phone. They sent one free of charge - the transition seemed flawless. However the new phone was roaming all the time - even in our local calling area. After 6 months of customer service calls, 5+ hours on the phone (at least 45 minutes each call), 3 phones, and numerous swearing about their customer service the roaming seemed to be fixed (seemed somewhat by mistake by them). Aahh life was better. Until our friend tried to call and call and call. It seems that our number of 5+ years has been changed without our knowledge. I highly recommend not doing business with tracfone. Find another pay as you go program.

August 1, 2017

IF I HAVE COMPLAINTS BEFORE EVEN OPENING THE BOX, BELIEVE I WILL HAVE COMPLAINS AFTER OPENING THE BOX, TRACFONE.. THIS IS A BAD SIGN..

So, I got a Tracfone and a plan the other day for $13.86, cool right? I agreed to $13 DOLLARS AND 86 CENTS! So when I check my account WHY IN THE WORLD does it show that I agreed to $14.23 from Tracfone? This is a bad sign.. I have the receipt and all.. I DID NOT AGREE TO $14.23 BUT $13.86! THAT'S FRAUD! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THESE COMPLAINTS ON CONSUMERAFFAIRS . COM BUT SOMETHING IN ME WANTED TO GIVE TRACFONE A CHANCE... LAST TIME I FOLLOW MY HEAD AND NOT MY GUT! Needless to say, the day/second I saw they charged me 30-something cents over was the day I shut down my debit card and got reimbursed from my bank. IF THEY ARE SHADY/DISHONEST ABOUT A CHARGE NOW (EVEN FOR 30-SOMETHING CENTS) WHO KNOWS THEY WON'T DEBIT MY ACCOUNT LATER FOR SOME OTHER STUFF I DIDN'T AGREE TO? Not to mention, the people on here say that their customer service ****/is non-existent so how would I know I could get in touch with them if they did charge me later?

I SAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY.. DO NOT GET TRACFONE! (PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THIS) IF THEY ARE DISHONEST BEFORE I OPEN THE BOX, IMAGINE WHAT KIND OF JUNK IS IN THE BOX? WHO KNOWS, I MAY NOT EVEN HAVE MINUTES. WHO KNOWS, IT MAY BE AN APPLE IN THE BOX.. WHO KNOWS?

DISHONEST, SHADY, MONEY-HUNGRY COMPANY.. DO NOT BUY FROM TRACFONE.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.. AND HAVE A NICE DAY!

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