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TracFone

TracFone • Missing minutes • Activation problems • Can't get local number • Defective phone • Network problems • Lost the phone • Advertising, promotions • Rebate problems • Inside Trac --- News • TracFone Pays $50,000 for Violating Missouri's Do Not Call Law

It sounds simple enough. TracFone advertises itself as an easy-to-use prepaid cellular service. Just buy the minutes in advance and order more when you need them. But some customers say it's not that easy. Read a few of their reports and AT&T, Verizon and other big bullies don't look quite so fearsome.

Oh, and here's Tracfone's response:

Hello Tracfone customer my name is Elston and I am a Tracfone Employee and I am her to assist anyone that is having a problem with their phones. you can contact me at 1.800.626.4883 ext 6107 or by email elombillo@tracfone.com.

Katie of Hallsville, MO August 14, 2009

When I signed into "my" account with my email and password, someone else's name popped up, and I noticed the site wasn't secure. They want you to put all your payment information with someone else's name on the account on an unsecured site for airtime. I think I'd better change phones and phone companies. Its a bit scary. I'm afraid my identity may have been compromised.

Shirley of Harned, KY August 13, 2009

cut off first time gave all info took over hr. time I waited listening to music play then 2nd time same info sure same japanese man...he was nice to me but same info again..its been 3 days still no activation dialed the code he told me says not activated yet, get on line still says not activated.. read online says trac phone line out of order??? good grief i had my old min. added to my new one to be activated had troubel calling in northern ky. as said blue grass when visited..this is for my emergencies and I am 72 plus yrs. depend on this... i am wondering about this trac phone business thought be thing for me but beginning to doubt not good if out away from home depending on it driving etc. ...hey whats the answer ..how come sooooo long activating this new phone, had I known this I would kept the old and added just few min. at time or quit it completely. I was told phones bought and cards from WAlmart, Target are...blue grass some say not good idea.. just my opinions..sure like to get better service on here or I am thru pretty soon,got 2 phones no more cards bought if this is the way with it..sorry but disgusted.

rebecca of raleigh, NC August 5, 2009

This months minutes have not yet been activated as well as i had my mother to purchase some minutes and my phone won't access them eitherl. It says that the system is not available so what am i now to do?

Donna of Smithtown, NY August 1, 2009

I called to reactivate 2 tracfone cell phones. After 30 minutes of questioning I was told I needed a new SIM card. The new SIM cards came and I installed them. I then called to reactivate the phones and add minutes now that the card was installed. Well, 40 minutes later after putting code upon code into the phone she finally added the minutes. I was told to wait 1 hour for the phone to activate. It never happened and I called back again. Once again 35/40 minutes of putting in 16 digit number after 16 digit number trying to activate. Then I was told that my phone could not be activated and that I needed to buy a new phone!!! Why didn't they know that from the beginning!!! Then another 30 minutes on the phone putting codes in to get my refund. OMG!!!! NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER BUY A TRACFONE!!!!!! My children had to take my Virgin Mobile prepaid with them on vacation. Virgin mobile by contrast is excellent and so easy to use. I never make complaints but this was just outrageous and the customer service representatives are totally oblivious.

Randolph of Dallas, TX July 30, 2009

I have had tracfone for about three years,here recently got a new phone and tried to transfer my number to the new phone and was unsuccessful,so I called customer servive but was told to wait 72 hours, which turned into one week,and after being without a phone for that week they decide to send me a new SIM card by FedEx which worked a little while until today that they decided to turn my phone off. It would'nt be so bad but I have a daughter that suffers from seizures and I am cancer patient so I do need my phone service. I will never recommend this pre-paid service to anyone.

Richard of Lyndonville, NY July 16, 2009

Had a Tracfone for five years worked fine. Bought a new reconditioned W376R it did not work. They have sent three more non of them work. They said could't reactivate my old phone. So stuped me buys a new LG600G try to activate it don't work they said the sim card is bad. I have 70.00 into the phones they said could not refund my money, I also have 490 min that I'll lose if this new phone don't work. I have spent over 20 hours on the phone with Tracfone 8 hr, in one day and lost my phone #. Please do not make the same mistake I made.

Dionyssios of Malden, MA July 15, 2009

In 2006 I purchased a Tracfone from Target, to be used with family and family friends visiting me or as an alternate, prepaid (pay-as-you-go) number. The phone hadn't been used and was deactivated. On July 2009 I wished to reactivate the phone for use with family friends visiting us. July 7th 2009 I went to the online Tracfone store and followed their instructions to purchase air time and reactivate the phone. However, re-activation failed. I called their 800 number and was told that reactivation failed because my sim card had expired and that I needed a new sim card. The customer care technician created a case number.

I received the new sim card in the mail July 14th 2009. I then called the Tracfone 800 number again (customer/tech support), approximately 8pm ET. I gave them the phone serial number and the new sim card number, and was told that their computer system would need about an hour to process the activation codes. At that time (1hr later) I would see a new "service due date" and the phone would be ready to use following a test call which would specifically be comprised of my 4-digit zip code followed by a 10-digit phone number (the number I'd be calling). However, no automatic update happened and when I tried to call later, I discovered the customer support center was closed for the day.

On July 15th I called again. At that time it was 11:30 and I called from work. I was connected to tech support where I went through a series of inputing 10 numerical codes of approximately 15-20 digits per code to the phone. After that process, I could see the purchased air time but there was no service and when I tried to make a test call it failed. Following that, we went through a second series of code-input which again resulted in failure to activate the phone. At that point I had been on the phone with tracfone customer care for 37 minutes. The technician told me the problem was that the phone still showed the original phone-number whereas in their system they showed a new number.

I then requested to know what more was necessary to activate the phone, but all the customer care tecnhician could tell me was to stay on the phone and continue inputing codes to try and activate the phone, or to call later, or to create a new case number and wait for a few days before I call again. I explained that I had been on the phone for about 40 minutes during work time and that I needed to know exactly what more to do on my end and how much more time this would take. The customer care technician couldn't tell me that information, at which point I asked for a refund of my airtime minutes which I had paid for but had not been able to use. The customer care tecnhician transferred me to sales.

The sales person (Eder; no more information or identifying number, and no further record of conversation could be provided by Tracfone) told me that no refund is possible because that is not the company policy. He then proceeded to tell me to try a news set of numbers. I tried that, but the phone still didn't work. I went through the process a second time, and the phone still didn't work. At this point I demanded again a refund and to speak with a supervisor, only to be told that refund is not the company policy and that we should enter one more code. The conversation went for a few minutes along these lines:

(me) How many more codes do I want to put? How much more time do I need to spend? I am calling from work and I cannot be wasting work time like this (Eder) Sir, I am trying to help you with this process (me) But this is unhelpful. I have been on the phone for nearly an hour, inputing codes on the phone. So please explain to me how much effort is necessary to activate the sim card. Do we need 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours? How many more codes? (Eder) Sir I am trying to help you if you want to continue this process

I did try one more code at which time the phone still didn't work. Again, the sales/support person, Eder, could not provide me with an end to when the whole process of activation might end and as to how many more codes were necessary. By that time I was on the phone for a little over one hour, and again I said that I couldn't continue with this process in this manner and that I wanted a refund for my purchase of air time. I was again told that no refund was possible and I had the choice to continue with the process (of entering 15-20 digit numerical codes) in order to activate the phone. I then declined and ended the conversation.

Michelle of Jacksonville, FL July 10, 2009

April 2009 I purchased a TracFone to save money and attempted to have an existing nujmber transferred to our new phone. After 10 days, I called TracFone only to be told wait another 72 hours. 3 times I was told to wait another 72 hours. We called the current provider Sprint who indicated TracFone made no attempt to port the number. After 3 weeks, I received a call from TracFone that they had closed my case. Meanwhile, the existing Sprint number had been cancelled. We were advised by Sprint that TracFone cannot port numbers from an account in a Business Name. After hearing this, I activated the phone with a new number. This happened April 24. I purchased 800 minutes and had been using the phone until July 2 when we discovered the phone had been deactivated.

The first individual I spoke to advised the SIM card was not compatible with our Zip Code. When I supposedly spoke to a supervisor, I was advised that the number had been deactivated in April and they could not tell me how or why? They sent me a new SIM card which took a full week. This is where the fun began, I spoke to 13 different people and was advised TracFone did nothing wrong and it was my problem. They advised my compensation for all the hassels was them giving me back the minutes we still had. I was lucky they did this. This took over 1 1/2 hours to only get a new number. Meanwhile, my husband being a small business owner has to get new business cards again. After we use the minutes we purchased, we will go back to AT & T.

Rayma of Tulsa, OK July 6, 2009

On June 19, I ordered a tracphone in error (as my daughter wanted T-mobile). I called back 2 hours later and they said it was already shipped and to just refuse it and upon return, they would credit my acct. I refused the item on June 19 and it was returned to tracphone on 6-23 by Fed X.

I have been e-mailing daily and calling and getting passed around and kept on hold on 7-1 and again on 7-6 (for 30 minutes, my entire lunch break. They are now saying it will be 30 days before I can get a refund after several e-mails back and forth and phone calls stating they would not do the refund if I did not call and talk to rep and given my original card # which I did on three occasiona.

Basically, they have foreign, non-English speaking customer reps who do not know what they are doing. I am out the 29.37 and still had to buy my daughter a T-mobile phone. It would seem like a simple request for a credit since the package was refused, never opened and returned to them by Fed X intact.

Gerald of Canton, OH July 6, 2009

I purchased on line a new tracfone and called in to activate. I asked if I could have my old cell phone number transferred and my minutes from my old phone transferred.They told me within 72 hours. I waited 84 hours with no results, so I called tracfone. I spoke to two supervisors,six sales people, and their final answer was to wait another 48 hours! They've got you over a barrel because there is no way you can get in touch with anyone higher, only on line with people that don't care. I finally called them back and relented from receiving my old number for a new one so I could start using my cell phone now. The same old answer, I'll have to wait longer anyhow. At the time of this writing, I'm still without a phone.

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