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.
Will of Tunkhannock, PA June 24, 2009
My daughter gave me a Tracfone LG200 for Fathers Day and activated it 6/21 and added 90 minutes. It will receive calls but all cannot make calls. We get a Verizon Wireless message "sorry we cannot authenticate your phone". My daughter spent over an hour in a fruitless attempt to get their customer service to solve the problem, passed from one person to another and repeating the same assurances over and over.
I sent a complaint via email will all relevant information and received a phone call from a non-English speaker who clearly could not cope and tried to get me to duplicate the exercises my daughter was subjected to. I am 74 and hard of hearing and cannot cope with Tracfone's refusal to provide the promised service.
Jackie of Gulfport, MS June 17, 2009
My Mom who has never put time on her phone before wanted to do it and accidentally pressed enter before she could enter the airtime card code.
I had to call back a 2nd time about 30 minutes after the first time because the first person I spoke to was so rude and abrasive. Now you want a faxed copy of the 60 minute card that came with the W376 refurb bundle I purchased my Mom last month. I don't have a copier or a fax machine and don't have a Kinko's or UPS Store to go to do anything like this like Alberto was telling me to do to.
If it had been my Mom calling she wouldn't have had any idea what you were asking her to do when it comes to all the faxing and copying particular things.
Your policies make no sense and just like every other business now as long as you've already gotten our money you don't really care. You are holding the minutes I already paid for my Mom's phone hostage. The only thing you all could find out of sort was that one bonus code going through. You could at least let let the phone be used until the minutes run out and then kill it.
Lorraine of Roxboro, NC June 5, 2009
I tried on 3 different occasions to get through to customer service. As a result I was not able to purchase additional minutes during an emergency when I need to speak extensively with relatives
Each time after waiting over 1 hour and still no response I gave up. I am stuck temporarily with them but advise no one to adeopt this service.
Jil of Newland, NC May 2, 2009
From the moment we got the Tracfone, it was nothing but aggrevation. But the final straw was when I purchased additional minutes that would not register. Inspite of many calls (7) to get the issue squared away, I was always told to wait and see if they registered. In the meantime, I couldn't use my phone because I had only a few minutes left. This has been going on for days. Still no resolution. I have spent hours calling and dealing with computers and people. Always the answer is the same, check later. Also, it is always in roaming mode. I don't even want to try to get that squared away. This is the end of my relationship with this company!
Carrie of Spring Lake, NC April 14, 2009
when I purchased this Tracphone, they charge me units to set up my phone.I talked with them about that problem, because they used up almost half of the units. Problem #2 Locally, 7 miles I have to pay for long distance. I have to dial 1, area code, the number, which cost me twice as much. When I talk to them about that, I get a nasty rep, and she overtalk you. She hangs up constant.
When I turn the phone on, look up old #, it eats up my units.I have been using Tracphone for years, and never had this problem. It never cost me double, per minute. This phone is a Motorola #W175g. I have brought, promoted, gave many of these phones to a lot of people over the years, but not anymore if they have raised a rates that high. The back on the phone is very very hard to get off.
There is a malfunction in this phone, if, just turning it on, it uses minutes.
Brenda of Bath, IL April 14, 2009
I had a Tracfone and wanted to replace it with a new model Tracfone. I wanted to keep the old Tracfone number and called in to have it activated and the old number put on the new Tracfone. After over an hour, it was supposed to be done. However, the new Tracfone had a different phone number than the one from my old Tracfone.
I called to get it corrected and was put on hold for hours! Then I called back several times more and the same thing happened, every few minutes someone came on the phone and told me just a few more minutes while they talked to a supervisor....nothing was done and I had to keep calling them back. Finally, someone told me after I gave them the serial numbers to my new phone that I had just bought in the store, they told me that phone had been reported stolen!
Now the phone will not work and has been deactivated. I tried calling Tracfone back again and get a recording that the office is now closed. I also had extra minutes put on the new phone and I think that they too will not be able to be used. I want to make a formal complaint against this company!
Robin of Hayward, WI April 1, 2009
I had gotten a new phone, having my ole minutes and number transfered. 3 wks after i had thuis phone activated it was shut off. when I called the company it took me forever to get thru and once I did was was put on hold 13 times while tests were done on my phone. No one spoke english. I was told the phone wasn't properly working and had been shut off by them. I was also told that I couldn't have this number transfered to a new phone, and I would loose the 200 plus minutes I had on this phone. I was given the runaround for over 55 minutes and no satisfaction.
This was a phone number I had been uing on resumes for over 3 years. NOw the number and all the contacts are lost due to the company refusing to reactivate the number-let alone the phone
Mike of Wichita, KS March 14, 2009
I bought a trac phone from their web site when it arrived tried to activate it on line. Did it so I could save my # from verizon. which I switched back to. After getting the phone working after speaking with various people that could not understand got phone working. But You have to dial the area code plug the number to make local calls. Spent over 2 hours on and off of hold to be told this was a new feature for their upgraded system. Makes you want to know how good it was before it was upgraded. Their lying because if you buy one from a local retailer you do not have to dial an area code first. AVOID TRACFONEiy
Called to get a authorization to send phone back have not been able to stay on hold long enough to get it yet. 30 day return policy will expire before they get it.
Raymond of Brunswick, OH March 2, 2009
I had service with them. I bought a new Moto W460g and called them on the phone to activate it to my existing tel#. That was on the 19th of Feb 2009. Today is Mar 2nd and I still have no service. I have been calling almost every other day and all I get is give us another 24hrs. I asked the girl where she was located, she said in South America. Fortunately I do not need this phone every day or I would definitely be in trouble.
Mike of Orleans, MA February 23, 2009
Do Not do business with this company. They go out of their way to make it impossible to activate or add airtime. You can never reach them, nor does their web site support inquiries.
Service was terminated while purchased airtime remained. Loss of over 300
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