"I was trying to activate my wife’s SIM card that’s through Straight Talk Wireless. I bought my SIM card activation kit at Walmart for $37.68 all together. It came with two SIM cards and an activation PIN number that’s worth $35 dollars.
I called in the first time at 5:18pm CST and got hung up on while on hold. Then I called in at 5:27pm CST and the lady on the phone yelled at me for using SIM card B that is apparently for AT&T and I was suppose to use Sim Card A. We got into it and then she hung up on me. Then after that I spoke to 9 other representatives on the phone and they all hung up midway through when trying to activate my wife’s phone.
I was told conflicting information the entire time. A list of some of the things I was told.

- I can’t use the SIM cards provided to me, I need to buy new ones again.

- My wife’s IPhone 13 is not able to use a SIM card and they would need to use a ESIM.

- The SIM card has been activated and it should work in 30 minutes.

- We will give you a call back (Which Never Happened).

- Sim Card B is for AT&T and Sim Card A is Verizon.
"

"After being a loyal customer for a couple of years, they switched to the Verizon network. I ordered my new SIM card, installed it, and nothing happened. I spent an hour on the store phone at Best Buy trying to get it to work. They tried so many codes it locked out my SIM card. Bought another one and nearly locked that one out, too, but I managed to get it to work with a 10 year old Tracfone I had laying around. Because suddenly my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone wasn't compatible. This took another two and a half hours. Then they cancelled my service because I didn't pay, even though I've been on autopay since day one. Got the number reinstated. Will keep it long enough to move it to Mint Mobile. I couldn't understand tech support half the time, the other half they didn't know what they were doing. Tried the website today. It took them five minutes to ask me for my name and number after I stated my problem. After I gave it to them with no response, they said they were still waiting for it. Told them I already gave it to them. No more communication after that. 20 minutes of my day wasted. Worst experience ever."

"Because I don't live in my cell phone, I don't want a monthly fee, and I only use it sometimes, Tracfone provides the cell service I prefer. So, that's a good thing. However....
Tracfone doesn't train employees to be honest in dealing with the consumer. They lie, obfuscate, repeat. The odds of getting a helpful customer service rep is 1 out of 100. I have been fortunate on occasion to get someone to actually help. Also, when I travel outside the US, Tracfone is worthless as they don't/can't provide a signal, whereas other providers for that. Not good.

Love the cost; hate the customer service. "

"-I agree 100%. Tracfone is absolutely the worst. I was their customer for about 10 years and put up with their absolutely abysmal customer service. My last attempt to deal with the lasted 7 days and I spoke to at least 20 service representatives and my phone is still not right. Nineteen of them did not speak comprehensible English or did not understand English and/or were totally incompetent. I highly recommend that Tracfone be avoided at all costs."

"More than 3 hours, 9 transfers and 3 disconnects and they can't get the new phone that came from them to work.
It appears they automagically assigned me a new phone number with my new device and can't figure out how to fix it.
They are absolutely incompetent and seem to have no escalation path.
I'd imagine they offshore their support so it is only accessible by cruise missile which is what they deserve and I'm not allowed to send them one."

"Absolutely terrible. Scammers
"

"I tried to activate a new tracfone online.

When I was asked for a phone number, I made the mistake of entering the phone number from an old tracfone that was lost. Initially, it didn't accept the number so I assumed that it would give me a new number. I continued, and entered the pin for the new phone and the pin from a $20 phone card. The process completed successfully. Unfortunately, the phone card was somehow added to the old phone.

I tried using online chat but it went nowhere. They kept asking me for a four digit pin number on my account, but I don't have an account because I'm using a pay-as-you-go phone.

I tried calling the customer service number but all I got was an automated service. I could NOT get an actual human being that I could explain my problem to.

I've essentially wasted $20 for nothing."

"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."

"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!"

"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."

"AVOID LIKE A PLAGUE!!!

I've been using Tracfone prepaid for the last 2 years and amassed 2,400 saved minutes. About 2 weeks ago I decided to switch from a simple feature phone to a smartphone via BYOP program. I paid $13 to receive a SIM card from Tracfone and, once received, called them and initiated the transfer of number/minutes/time. However the SIM card didn't work in 2 different phones I tried (both unlocked GSM, both working well with any other provider I tried). Moreover, on the website my account was showing the new SIM card in permanent "activation in progress" state, whereas the old phone got deactivated right away.

Over the next 3 days I spent about 5.5 hours on the phone talking to Tracfone customer service and this was easily the most frustrating experience I had in the last 10 years! Each and every one of reps was completely inept and unable to even identify what the problem was. On several occasions I was told that the problem "was fixed" and I had to wait for 4 hours, restart the phone and everything would work. Of course, nothing did. At the end, I insisted on talking to a superior, who offered to send another SIM card because the one I bought was seemingly "having problems." The new SIM card arrived in 3 days - I called Tracfone to activate it and finish the transfer. Surprise surprise - the rep told me the new SIM card number was "not found in the system" and needless to say it didn't work either. I was offered to talk to "management" but since it was off hours "management" was not available so I would have to call them during daytime (instead of doing MY work) and probably go through the same circles of Hell all over again. At this point I've basically given up.

Net result:
- 2,400 minutes lost
- Old phone number lost
- 5 hours 45 minutes of my life lost
"

"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."

"POOR!
I needed a number ported to Tracfone and it still hasn't been done, started 11/6/2014, this is 12/3/2014.
Called 4 times already, 4 times they tried to weasel out of porting my number."

"This phone was purchased as a gift to my husband & me a few years ago. It was supposed to be for emergencies. The phone was activated, and we didn't even use all the free minutes (60) that came with the phone. I charged up the phone every six months. We are older than dirt, not tech saavy, and don't consider ourselves 'phone' people.
I recently had an emergency. I ordered $25.83 worth of minutes online on 5/8/14, but the phone wouldn't work. It took them TWO WEEKS to inform me that the phone # now belonged to someone else, and I had purchased $25.83 worth of minutes for a stranger. OK, then just refund my money please, I said. They said NO. In fact, a dozen people, including 2 supervisors at Corporate said NO.

Where I grew up, that is called stealing. Even banks, as bad as they can be, won't even try to get away with that nonsense. When people deposit money, in error, to an account that is one digit off from theirs, the bank doesn't ignore you and say 'NO'. The bank goes into the other account and gets your money and returns it to you. It happened more frequenly before computers, when people filled out paper deposit slips.

Funnily enough, the customer who got the extra minutes never called customer service to find out where the minutes came from. Just your average lowlife American who figures that Tracfone made a mistake and he/she got away with something-for-nothing.

In the meantime, I am out the money. It may sound like a small amount, and, believe me, I have eaten my share of sheet in life and just moved on. But this is different. It is not even in a grey area. I WILL get my money back and Tracfone will get another black mark against their name. But they don't really care, or they would have returned my money.

Tracfone isn't the best or most affordable out there. There are alot of other options. Go get an unlocked phone of YOUR choice, then shop for a SIM card, with the features you want. Most have much better pay-as-you-go prices. No one has to rely on Tracfone...they are a dinosaur. Eventually, they will say NO to you, too, and steal your money.

Oh, and the phone? I tossed it into the wood chipper yesterday, after the final word from the last supervisor I spoke with, which was NO! Then I filed my claim against this shady company with Michael Finney of '7 on Your Side', KGO TV & Radio in San Francisco."

"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"