Safelink Wireless Reviews

I would definitely give them zero stars if I could. Their customer service is deplorable. They find excuses not to provide their customers with phones and is being compensated for proving appalling service and it seems like no one cares. Their competition at least provide phones and replacement phones while they are on warranty.

The approval process was easy and phone arrived in a timely manner. However, the phone lasted less than two months and they do not send replacements. I can see many others had phone issues as well.While qlink does not replace phones, either, my phone from them lasted two years or more. Avoid Safelink unless you plan on bringing your own phone and never requiring customer service!

I had a problem with my phone a week ago when I got one 2 that I tried to add to my plan instead of the low quality one I purchased from them. They deactivated my account after they said the first one was actually T-Mobile. I said don't deactivate my account because the second one was in town to be delivered to me and I would call back in an hour or 2 with its IMEI number. They deactivated me. I tried 15-20 times to purchase one from them after that one ended up being Walmart brand that I was forwarded to by one of the 35-40 service reps I had the pleasure of being lied to by, never once was I able to get to a sales person to get a phone purchased and because after 6 or 7 hours of arguing with them because they would take 4 and 5 minutes to fake type to check my address or ask my name and or account number.

These people lie about pending minutes. I buy airtime for my phone. They are stealing minutes, then I'm on WiFi with data off, when I checked my data it's out. Something needs to be done asap. I hate SafeLink phone service. Ok trying to help people. Yeah stealing pending minutes.

I won't recommend them to anyone. Spoke to 8 different people about a service plan issue and never got the problem solved. They kept transferring me to different departments without giving them a heads up what the previous conversation was about. You get what you pay for.

BUNCH OF IDIOTS. They shut my phone off / STOLE my minutes for SPITE. I THINK those people have a sickness and need help. They are all losers. Shut my phone off after I got out of hospital with open heart surgery. I'm 76 disabled and they still shut my services off. I HAD NO PHONE and didn't even realize those creeps shut phone off.. Said I didn't have any minutes. I had 980. Asked about the FREE phone that govt provides, they said "we stopped giving phones out." GUESS WHAT? Its not for them to decide.

I've already had several different phones with Safelink with no success. They do not hold a charge after just a few months even though I'm very careful with the charger. Today was just so sick. I was forced to buy a phone at Target so I could keep my old number. They told me that all target stores sold net 10 phones. Lie 1. No one does except for them so they can make their sales money. Lie number 2 was to keep the phone I bought. I had buy sim kit again. Told to me that was sold all over not. So to Fedex this useless sim kit I had to pay 16.03 plus 20 for a phone plus now 20 dollars in Tracfone plan. I hate safelink. With them you are bankrupt. Go safelink. Go safeless. Metro PCS has 100000000000 times the product and service. I just wish I could afford it again.

It takes forever to get this service. Do not try to rate their service. After talking to service rep they will not hang up. They know when they hang up you will be transfer to rate them and why this company hire people you can understand.

Because of the first of the year, no more 3g phone service, I went to Safelink website to order a new 4g phone. I couldn't decided between 2 phones and they both were cheap enough, so decided to order 2 and see which one worked the best. I ordered one phone and then when I tried to order second one, it said the website was experiencing problems and my order could not go through and try again later, which I did, then got an email that said I ordered 3 phones.

Safelink is awful. I used their plan for almost two years. During this time I would get hit with constant scam and phishing phone calls. It was to the point I couldn't even turn my phone on because the text messages would not stop. Even after calling the company and switching my number, it still continued. The phone they had provided me was a very old model that is not a smartphone, but small, straight non-flip phone (like a Nokia basic phone). You can't block phone numbers on that phone.

My son is eligible for a free phone due to his disabilities. Initially, he had service through Assurance Wireless, but the phone was poor quality and difficult for him to use. So, I transferred his service to Safelink so that he could use a familiar Apple device. From the beginning, the process of transferring service was much more difficult than it needed to be, in part because the customer service reps. are very robotic. They sound intelligent until you ask a question. At that point, they simply repeat what they just said. If you do not understand what they are telling you, they continue to repeat the same response, over and over again. I finally realized that they have a script, and they stick to it. They lack any understanding of how or why the process works. And when they get stuck, they simply transfer you to another department.

They create sudden problems in your service line and deactivate your phone. When you call their customer service you will not be able to talk to anyone because your phone needs to be activated. They have a recording that will ask to use debit or credit to activate and be able to use your phone. All their phone number will answer with the same recording and you will not be able to speak to anyone and unless you buy minutes, your phone will be useless. Keep in mind when they disconnect your line it is not because of real legitimate reason. It is just a ploy to suddenly stop your service and make you buy minutes. In my case they disconnected my line suddenly 2 days after I joining and bringing my number to their company. So I wasn't able to use my phone or receive calls in my long time number. They give me fake reasons such as "because I didn't use my phone for 60 days," which wasn't true. I need to reapply for California Lifeline again.

Every single month for well over a year now, I have to spend hours speaking with multiple reps and supervisors to get my service to continue working properly. Whether it's the free minutes kicking in, or getting a paid plan to work properly. I go through no less than three to five different reps who all claim to have fixed the problem, each of them telling me the previous rep didn't fix it correctly. HOURS EVERY MONTH!!! Something is not right with the service they provide. I would NEVER rely on it to be there God forbid I were having a health emergency or were stranded somewhere. The govt needs to look into it, as it's THEIR Lifeline service that Safelink is providing. There has to be a better company that is more reliable.

I have called so many times, I've just about given up. I have a heart condition and can not make or receive calls unless I'm standing with my head against one window in my apt. If I have another heart attack I doubt I will be standing near that window if it happens. This service is appreciated because I need to be able to call for help, that's what it was created for and Safelink, bounces me back and forth from TracFone & Safelink whenever I call. I have gone through all their testing, turning off the phone, using another phone, etc. It remains the same. Does anyone know what government agency you call to get results?

RUN DON'T WALK away from SAFELINK. They don't turn in paperwork to lifeline in timely manner meaning I have been disenrolled several times in the past few months. Regular customer service is so terrible that even if you can understand the algorithm they follow, they still are rarely helpful and the supervisors aren't much better. The only way to get help is to complain to all the companies one complains to (the ones who regulate utilities) which I just did. They have never admitted the reason I was dis-enrolled is that they bungled the paperwork deadline to LIFELINE California.

I agree with all the negative reviews. The experience is so bad that I now believe they are purposely trying to frustrate the customer to the point where you are desperate enough to PAY for a few minutes while waiting for problems to be resolved or your phone to be turned back on or arrive. I have placed approximately 50 calls and talked to that many reps and supervisors over a six month period and I have only had two tell me the same thing. Everyone else said, "They shouldn't have told you that" about the other agents. You give them the info they need and they said it's either not enough or they never received it. Phones don't work - it's your fault; system doesn't work - they don't know why; they don't understand what you're saying - it's your fault, again, even though they are in foreign countries and it's hard to communicate with them; you're rejected - it's Lifeline's fault, not theirs. You call Lifeline, and they say it's Safelink's problem; etc.

Since day one I have not been able to use the plan's data connection service. I at least have voice service and text service but the data connection has never worked. I have has 3 ticket numbers and still I have not been able to get any answers or help. Each agent I speak to says they have to go through the same basic steps for me to speak to someone to check the status of my service. That is a huge waste of time for myself and the company. From a company standpoint, why are you paying your employees money for something that will not work? You're giving money for free away! Haa ha that's so bad business but good for the employees. Thanks for that Safelink Wireless but customers like me will never EVER EVER refer anyone to your service.

I've been getting my monthly minutes on the first of each month. This month I haven't received any minutes and I'm unable to make or receive calls. My service end date is in April of 2020, so it's not that. I've called 3 times and I've gotten 3 different replies. The first time I was told it was fixed and the minutes were added. It never happened. I called again and was told it would be fixed and I would have my minutes and be able to use my phone within 2 hours. Twenty-four hours later and still no minutes and still unable to use my phone. I called a third time and was told it sometimes takes 5 or 6 days to receive minutes, so I should be receiving them in a day or two. In the meantime, assuming I do get my minutes, I've been without my phone service for 4 days now. I'm a heart patient and this is totally unacceptable. I'll be looking for a different carrier.

We've been having issues with this Safelink for months now. I do not understand how the phone that has service can take calls, but cannot send out texts. This issue even happens with the phone connected to wifi as well. The person we were talking was rude and did not want to help with the issue. She just had us restart the phone and claimed it was the service. Since she did not understand what was going on with the phone, we told her we wanted to talk to someone else, she placed us on "hold". We could hear everyone talking for over 30 minutes before it went to a computer message that ended the call. Worst customer service we've ever had.

I have been with this company on and off for a few years. At first they seemed great, until more recently. I mean, you get a free phone (assuming you didn't already have an account through them), but even so if you have to buy one through them, the prices aren't that bad. So there's not much to complain about there. What I'm more upset about is the fact that their workers are SO incompetent, and don't even do their job. I accidentally broke my phone a couple months ago, and I've tried countless times buying new phones to replace it.

Short story. I was with Safelink for four years. Then, for the first time ever, I added extra data on a one time basis. That was on the 17th of August. A few minutes after that, they cancelled my service without notification. My service ended on Sept. 1st but they are still billing the government for my September phone time. FRAUDULENT COMPANY. I've talked to twenty people since. First, they said I would have service renewed with a couple of hours....then a couple of days....finally they said my only option was to purchase time with Straight Talk, their other company or start all over by applying for a free phone.

In July, I applied for free wireless service & free cellphone with Safelink Wireless. Shortly thereafter, I was approved and awaited my new cellphone to have it activated only I didn't receive a cellphone, I received a Sim Card to activate in my own cellphone for their BYOP (bring your own phone) program which I did not request. For a couple of days I tried getting in touch with Safelink by phone and by email to clear up any confusion.

I would suggest that no one ever use SafeLink wireless for your mobile service. They are not reliable, they have no good customer service, and they are not effective in resolving issues that you have with them.

Review Safelink. These companies don't offer a free phone and minutes. They have to participate in the universal service fund. They need your name and they want your information. In 2018 I was a Safelink customer for a year. I got cancer so I purchased unlimited minutes and texts so I would have a reliable phone number. Safelink turned off the phone for 5 days. I didn't realize it until the 4th day. It took 2 more days to get the phone back on. Safelink still does not have an answer for why they did this. Being too sick to deal with anything at this point I went back to the monthly "free" plan. In December of 2018 I stopped receiving data. In February of 2019 I stopped receiving minutes and texts. After 4 days of calling I never got a straight answer. This is as close as I got.

I am on the $1,000 a month plan with SafeLink Wireless. I have purchase additional minutes. In September when SafeLink added my minutes to my phone, the additional minutes that I purchase also disappeared. When I call SafeLink Wireless to inquire about the minute that I purchased was gone, they told me to give them 24 hours to investigate the situation. I reach back out to them 24 hours later to see Kenny if they found a resolution to this problem. SafeLink told me the minutes that I purchased is gone and the time was up. I have purchased those minutes two weeks before the date when they added my minutes so how was they gone when I just purchased them. Do not purchase any additional minutes from this company. They are so thirsty and money hungry that they will not give you your minutes that you purchased. From this point on I will just use the minutes that they give me!

I have been dealing with them for almost a month trying to get my phone back on. Supposedly it was shut off because I needed to complete a review. I have done everything they have said and my phone is still off. Every time I call them I am told to do something different. Then supposedly it will be another 7 to 10 days. They need to learn better communication and customer service.

Safelink is NOTHING BUT A FRAUD ON THE GOVERNMENT! If our government continues to use Safelink as the provider of cell phone service for the low income and elderly someone needs to investigate WHY! Someone is benefiting from this company and they are nothing more than a bunch of incompetent foreigners taking our money! Someone needs to answers for this complete waster of resources!!!!

A representative of Safelink named Michael ** signed me up for their service. I was given a phone that did not work and lost my previous service as a result of switching to Safelink. The company would not fix the issue and I was told that I would have to wait 30 days to re-apply. In the meantime I have no phone. Horrible treatment of their customers, horrible representatives, just an all around bad company.

I went online and submitted my info for a Safelink sim card including my phone's serial number. I waited and received my sim card to be told my phone wasn't compatible with the sim card I was shipped. I was informed by customer service to purchase a sim card kit from Walmart for $10 which I did. Then after being on hold for 15 minutes and asking to speak to a supervisor I was informed that my phone was not compatible with any Tracfone service. I cannot return the sim card kit so I'm out the $10. I also wasted my time and effort. Customer service refused to do anything to resolve the issue as well. I was told I need to purchase a Tracfone phone. Not going to happen obviously. Terrible customer service!!

Horrible company to deal with. I have emailed my application proofs and application ID number about 20 times. Keeps responding not complete! So worthless all for $10 which would help off my Walmart plan. Giving up!!

I had to purchase the $40 plan with 40 GB of data because the others weren’t enough since I don’t have the internet where I am to use instead. It would work fine for a few days and then my data would go out. I had to call to get them to put it back on. Then it would be fine again for a few days and would have to call in again. The last time my phone went out completely, couldn’t make any calls and was basically stranded since I don’t have a landline to call anyone. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to call and talk to these people from India (I’m presuming). I was sick of talking to them so I had to use someone’s wifi to just buy a Verizon plan. I’m sure I had at least 30 GB worth left but I’ll take the hit to be done with these people.

I've had Safelink for 10 years and 6 months ago I had to reapply. Each month for the last 6 months I've been approved only to find out the next month my minutes weren't added. I usually have to spend 2 hours talking to get my minutes added, only to have to do it again the following month all over. Now the last 3 months they made me apply again because they said I didn't use my phone. I use my phone everyday! In fact I used 600 minutes out of the 1000 they gave me. When I point this out they give you the same answer that the computer says what it says. Well the computer also says I used 600 minutes so common sense... But they don't care. They say they were sending me a new phone 6 months ago, never came, say they couldn't do my application one month over phone system is down, have to send by mail. Takes 7-10 days. 3 weeks later never came. That's happened twice with application.

If anyone needs a phone with Safelink, it's not worth it because the phone that I have I can barely hear the ringtone & since it's working fine, representative stated and I can still use it like that & device can't be replace... so I have to wear a rubber band around my head with the phone, so I can hear it ring... Safelink refuses to replace the phone. I am a man. The representative keep calling me ma'am.

I use to have an account and free minutes. One time I was a way so I didn't use my phone for 50 days. Then I tried to reactivate my account then the drama when I been asked to provide documents which I did by: text messages then by e-mails and later by hard copies. But those people they start playing games. It's like they don't receive it or they ignore my docs.. So I never get my account back.

Called because I had a lost phone. Says they will replace lost phone 1 time at or have your own TracFone which was said after the fact of the whole conversation and could not hardly understand the person I was talking to and they did not know their job very well! Customer service needs people that actually do their job or close down. Simple as that!

I can't believe this company is in business and they are a branch of Tracfone and probably paid for by the US government. They do not know how to help you with anything. I have even had representatives hang up on me while trying to get my minutes added. A waste of time. I have qualified for the minutes, if I could only get the minutes added. When I called to tell them I was not receiving the free minutes, I was told that the account showed that the minutes were added to my account. DUH. If they were added on paper, why are they NOT showing up on my phone. In my opinion this company is a waste of money. Don't rely on them to help you cause they just read a script and you won't get any help. I've been trying for months now.

Call about damaged phone. Was told I must return damaged phone first then I will get a replacement phone similar to the phone I have. They didn't send packaging for me to send damage Phone. I still have damaged phone. They sent new phone that is not at all similar to my phone. Font is so small that I need glasses to see letters. Letters on keyboard so small I can't text a letter without touching another. Also they cancelled my service 'cause they say I haven't made a call in a month when I have. Now they say I have to reapply. I can go on with more but I'm getting frustrated just writing this. They are terrible.

I assisted a resident in submitting an application in January, including all of the resident's personal documentation. I contacted the agency after not receiving any type of response six months later. At the time, I spoke with someone that spoke very little English. For each question that I asked, they read me information from what I would assume was an answer chart. The responses did not have anything to do with the questions I was asking. I requested to speak with a manager, but was placed on hold for over thirty minutes before eventually hanging up. I am currently assisting my patient in monitoring their accounts to ensure that there are no additional charges. Any company that will request all of your personal information, but never respond back appears fraudulent to me.

The phones they provide sucks and the service sucks. Customer service sucks too. Government needs to cancel Safelink all over the world. They give your broken phones so you can pay a lot of money for another broke phone. Do not get a phone with these people. Try other government phone service providers. SMH at Safelink.

I had the "honors" of helping someone activate their new phone after their old one died and needed replacing. Easy, right? Not a chance with Safelink. The first call went about as smooth as driving over potholes after a long winter. This was where we found out that the SIM card that came with the phone wasn't the right one and we had to get one for a carrier in our area. New SIM card ordered, a few days later, it arrives. We call again and after several painstaking minutes (it seemed like hours), the phone is activated. Done, right? Not a chance.

My Safelink phone broke and I needed a new one. First time I called they said they couldn't replace it but they can transfer my plan to another phone. Instead of buying a new phone I asked if I could use my old (only 1.5yrs old) MetroPCS phone. They said yes. I called a 2nd time with my old phone in hand after restoring it back to factory settings ready for them only to be told after giving them all the info of my Metro phone that I would have to call up MetroPCS to have them unlock my device from their service before they could continue. Something that they've could've told me that needed to be done the FIRST time I called when I asked about using my Metro phone.

Horrible experience. I've been using Safelink for years. It's always been great and I appreciate having it. Here are my recent frustrations: went online to do my annual renewal. Seemed to go fine, but I couldn't tell if I needed to upload any documents. It said I was "approved" but it also said "pending state of WI certification approval". I don't know if that means I need to send in something. I decide I will call the next day to find out. Meanwhile I look around the site wondering what new phones are offered (it's been years since I've had an upgrade). I fill out some info and I'm texted a pin. The pin is 3 digits with a dash and then the same 3 digits again (like 533-533). 7 spaces total. The space to enter the code is only 6 spaces long. So I delete the dash. It says my code is invalid. I try again and 3 times I'm texted the same code. Could never get it to work. It kept saying invalid code.

My mother mistakenly ordered a sim card rather than a phone and Safelink is refusing to rectify the problem. Told me that she placed the order and now has the service on the card and needs to purchase a phone that is compatible in order to use. Then, even if she cancels the service, she will not be eligible until one year. I find it hard to believe that a company who is promoting this service does not have a protocol for this type of error. We are willing to send the sim card back for a phone but they will not accept it. I am at a lose for the lack of customer service and lack of help this company is providing. On all of my four calls, when I asked to speak to a supervisor/manager they all claim to be one. For a company with so many customer support people they sure do lack in quality service. So now the search goes on to find another avenue to find the service.

Bought a new smartphone to be used with new blood glucose testing meter. It wasn't a compatible phone, so had to return for a refund. Had to call Safelink to get an RMA and they gave it to me and the address to return it to. I returned the phone and waited for a month. No refund so called them and they tell me that I sent it the wrong address and that one of their 3 suppliers was the one that sold me the phone, receipt had Safelink on it & was on their site???? Now they have my phone, "Quality one" has my money and have been on the phone with Safelink for several hours for 2 days now and finally was told they couldn't send the phone to Quality one or back to me and it would be refurbished and resold to some one else & it's not even their phone to do so with! If anybody happens to read this and has a clue as what I can do about this matter, I would be very grateful for your help!!! I'm also switching to Asurion & dropping Safelink...

I lost my Safelink phone a couple weeks before I was sent new paperwork to redo a new application online. Once I did it they approved my application and I was given a new enrollment ID. Weeks passed and I call Safelink to see where the phone was and was told by one representative that I would receive the phone in 21 days from the day I called. I wait, weeks go by, no phone. So today, I called about the same issue. Now they tell me that my new account was added to an old account and since I don’t have the old phone they no longer send replacement phones.

Someone stole my phone and Safelink TracFone let the person Who stole my phone call in and swap numbers and my benefits to my phone that was stolen that was bought on May 3. May 10 it was stolen. They let them access my account without my password. I swap phone numbers then I called them. I can’t do nothing with my account because I don’t have the serial number to my phone that the person stole. My other phone I bought on May 3 My husband lost it in a get run over. I called them to swap my stamp card to another phone. They tell me they can’t do it that day. Phone it was no good and assumes was nugget that I could try but it won’t work after 10 days. I have to go buy all new stuff. This is the worst company ever. They don’t ever resolve anything that you can offer and they let anybody do anything. I don’t recommend into nobody.

I am 70 years old lady, not speaking, writing or understand English, taking help of my known person. I had applied for Government free phone in February 2018 but facing different types of requirements company had asked for at different times. Recently the Company asked for proof of DOB which I provided sending copy of my PassPort along with copy of Social security Card. After having sent this, Again company asks for SS Number which is already provided, thus leaving me without phone for more than a year. My application enrollment Number **.

When you call Safelink, the person answering the phone, literally, makes you repeat your name, birth date, and last 4 of social, eight or more times (Yes, I recorded all of this, ). Then they tell you that they can*not* get a certain address to work, in San Jose, California. They say "call California lifeline, and get them to unblock the address". Called California lifeline, and California lifeline does *not* have the address blocked. They also pretend to not understand ship it to this post office "general delivery", (which California lifeline allows). Yes, the calls with California lifeline were recorded too.

I've had Safelink service since 2016. And in the past 2 months, they've deactivated my phone TWICE (once each month). When I call, I can barely understand the people in India - or wherever - that I'm dealing with. When I can finally translate them, they tell me my phone was deactivated because of a lack of activity. I use my phone several times a month to call my bank and receive texts! Yet, their system says my phone is inactive! WHAT is wrong with them?! I'm going to look into either getting my TracFone re-started with a new SIM card or just using the phone for 911 if needed. This SUCKS because the ONLY way I can get into my bank account online is by receiving a text from them! Safelink is a horrible service because they are so incompetent!!

When you try to get any kind of help you are connected to a person that is not fluent in ENGLISH and less in understanding! If this is a federal program, why is it being run by foreigners? East Indians or whatever! Where do you go to, to talk to a English speaking person and why isn’t it here in the USA? One disgusted senior citizen!

I have been a Safelink Subscriber since 9-2018. At first, everything was wonderful. My phone is great, enrollment was easy on their website. Everything was fine as a matter of fact, until January, when for no discernable reason, my service was terminated by Safelink. When I called to see what to do to rectify it, they told me it was an address verification issue, and that is where my nightmare began. Rather than correct my original account, they had me reapply. Since then, I have made numerous calls and now have 4 separate enrollment accounts with Safelink, and I haven't gotten any minutes added since February 1st. As a result, I am having to "add minutes" via Tracfone, which wouldn't be bad if I could afford such things, but then why bother getting Lifeline services if that were the case. My recommendation is to opt for a different carrier for Lifeline services.

I've been trying to sign up for this no cost service, but it's been a NIGHTMARE from the start. Nothing but foreigners that don't understand basic English, they constantly pass you on to a different department. I submitted the requirement documentation that was rejected and all I get are excuses, like my EBT not being valid???? I use that same card EVERY month for food. I've been on the phone with them off and on for FOUR HOURS today. It asks for copies of my card, front and back...which I did, now they want letters. The website says EITHER ONE. This company is a SCAM, plain and simple! They even tried CHARGING me for a FEE SIM card. The government needs to intervene, because I AM entitled to this program at no cost to me!

I applied online 2 days ago to use Safelink again since 2015. I am disabled and can't afford a no contract $35 a month phone service with me moving out on my own soon. I sent a picture of my ID and SNAP cards and they emailed me back saying they wanted the pictures again because they did not get them and then I would be "approved". Which is what happened, however I have called them because I have not been given any tracking info yet but they say I should get the phone anyways. I am not always home so I like to be able to know when exactly I am getting my phone. I also want to port my current number to the phone too but I am tired of reaching out to them and being put on hold just do simple tasks. I am also hearing impaired, do they have anyone who speaks with normal American accents? I am tired of asking them to repeat themselves!

They offer you to be able to upgrade your smartphone online at shopsafelink.com where I made the purchase and received a defective product. I was given the wrong address to make the return so they get to keep my money by claiming to have no information.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Back in 2017 I had a Safelink phone. This is when they were still in PA. I reported the phone stolen because I was robbed. I have since then got my own phone, move to New York and now have lost my job and become homeless. I now live in a shelter. It is now 2019. I called customer support to see If I still have an account with Safelink. On the phone I explain all of this and was asked for the code, pin and number of the phone. Which I do not remember, it was 2 year ago. I was told "sorry can't help you but you can get a new" in a sarcastic tone.

I'm on Medical right now and can't afford $40/mo. on Metro PCS so I decided to try this free govt. phone (Safelink). On 16th and Mission San Francisco a woman agent help me out, I don't need a new phone, I want my Metro number transfer to my unlocked Pixel 3.. She put a new sim and activate (T-Mobile sim). Gave me a number to call for transfer, I call them and provide Metro acct. no., PIN and the IMEI on the new sim, waited for about 10 minutes and my Metro number was transfer, wow... I test the speed, I get 60 mb.

The service was low. They transfer you everywhere. I was in the phone for 1 hr and half. WORST thing. They give info to other third paties and then you start getting phone calls. I received a debit card from NetSpend with the same name I used to sign up with Safelink. I called NetSpend. They said a government agency gave out my info (Safelink). SAFELINK has another phone number I used to sign up and I'm receiving marketing calls there too. All this a couple of days after signing up.

I took my disable customer to one of the Safelink places located on 7th street, Modesto California at a flea market. The first thing she ask for was his ID and medical card. My 76 year old client give it to her and she said she was going to check for his eligibility for the free phone. She said he was entitle to receive the phone for a fee of $40 dollars. While she was doing the process she ask how he was going to pay card or cash. He said cash. While we were waiting other people was paying $40, $50. It didn't look right to me cause it was for the same type of phone. I call the company and told me that there is no fees or charges for the phone.. That is TOTALLY FREE. I went back to the place and took a picture of the car plates she was driving and I want to report her.

I am disabled and was offered a free Safelink phone. Money is tight so I took the offer. I received a SIM card in the mail. It didn't seem to work with my current TracFone. I called for assistance. Got hung up on, spoken rudely to and then hung up on again. This is a phone the government says I'm entitled to. These people don't like that I guess. 3 call for absolutely nothing other than to be upset. What a waste of time filling out the application in the first place, I'm surprised I got the SIM card in the mail. That must be automated. I want want to reload my TracFone but since they are together hand in hand I'll do without. Thank you Safelink/TracFone. We're through.

I called this company five times - four of them I got a foreigner who sent me to different service altogether. Finally I spoke to someone who speaks decent English. He put me on hold for 13 mins then hangs up on me. Worst customer service I ever experienced in my life I'd suggest to anyone wanting to use this service never do so.

I am appalled at the service quality! I have people constantly telling me they have been calling me but it either rings and goes to voicemail or straight to voicemail...but I’m not getting any of these phone calls! I’ve tested it countless times and 9 out of 10 phone calls never ring thru to my phone! I have my own smartphone and have replaced it a few times, so it’s not a phone issue, it’s a service issue.

Received my first SafeLink device and decide to discontinue the cheapest service I found prior and bring my number over to my SafeLink device. OMG! If I only knew the nightmare that would come. The process of porting removed my minutes from a brand new phone and I have called 9 TIMES to resolve. One of the single biggest issues is the language barrier. Speaking English does not constitute comprehending English. I have had to repeat myself over and over. Each of the 9 calls consisted of two persons so do the math. I am told the issue is resolved simply to get me off the phone. It is not resolved and I am receiving the same level service from "corporate headquarters". Going back to Total Wireless!

I re-enrolled for my phone in January. I tried to use the phone today. They said that I didn't place a call that month. I did and I can prove it. I was trying to give that info. They don't care. They told me I had to re-enroll. I told them I already re-enrolled in January over the phone with them. He told me that I last re-enrolled in 2018. They lie, they pretend to do work, and it's painfully obvious they don't care. PRO TIP: Only re-enroll with a hard copy. DO NOT enroll over the phone. A lot of the time they don't even do the work. Ask them to send a hard copy enrollment mailed to you. Fill it out. Make copies, and mail it. Mail it in every month. That's apparently the only way they will help you.

I am disabled but Safelink cancelled my phone because they cannot find my new address in their database. All my government and utility mail has successfully reached my new address. I called Safelink several times to update my phone eligibility without success. I put in a FCC complaint but Safelink will not respond. When I called today, Safelink refused to even try to process my application and hung up on me even though I am eligible under federal rules. If I don't have that phone, I can't call emergency services and will be injured as a result. Safelink gets taxpayer money.

Horrible service, full of incompetent call center individuals in Philippines. I sent in my verification documents three times and keep getting letters to resubmit the same documents. Philippines said service was approved on March 1 and I still have not received a phone as of April 2nd. Phones provided to low-income customers are the worst phones, they are mostly banned in the US because they come pre-hacked.

This is the worst customer service that I have ever had. They sent me the wrong phone to start (it only works in another county which are 30-45 minutes away) and refused to help rectify the situation. Safelink gave me wrong advice every time. I asked about where to get the Bring your own phone sim card kit; the customer service rep was not having it and show he could care less. Next, when I finally got a phone that would work, I called numerous time to get them to transfer my benefits. The customer service reps said that they would, but never did. This crap has been going on for almost 4 months, if not 4 months.

I am homeless and filled out an application for a free lifeline service though Safelink. Being homeless leaves me with no physical address. I listed my Brother address (W/his permission) to his physical, and also his PO box for mailing purposes. They have a checkbox [ ] if this is a temporary .address for which I checked. I was asked to show proof of residency, my name and a bill with that address on it. I said I can't because I don't live there. I am homeless. They told me to get my brother to write a letter saying that I live there.

Very frustrating company but not a scam as some people are asking online, they just have a tendency to send you around in circles, ask for the same thing several times and repeat themselves on the phone like a broken record and if you ask a question their robot brains can't compute... crickets lol.

I phoned on Thursday of the previous week to request a new phone (old one was over 2 years old and not working well). The agent never said that she would deactivate my service. The phone worked fine until Friday afternoon when the service cut out and I was unreachable. I phoned Sunday evening to ask them why and they said that the new phone would be delivered Monday with the old phone number associated with it.

I have been on the Lifeline wireless phone plan for 18 months. The plan started with 250 minutes and 500 GB of data for free. It is now up to 1000 minutes of talk and 1GB of data for free. If you bring your own ATT, T-Mobile phone or unlocked phone then you get an extra 1 GB of data for the first month. To access your account online you need to find your enrollment number. Customer service is fine but not perfect. You really get a lot for a free plan, especially if you get a quality Android compatible phone to use it on. The main advantage of Safelink is that you can use any compatible phone. Other companies limit you to cheap dedicated smartphones that lack a lot of features. Just by qualifying you get service equivalent to about $30 per month. I like them a lot.

When applying for service over the phone good luck trying to get your information submitted. I could barely understand the questions read to me due to a language barrier. After agreeing to all the statement The representative goes to listen to my submitted information and says that it’s not clear I had to re-record it about four separate times and at the end of the call she said it was poor quality. They seriously need to update their computer programming or Recording devices because I couldn’t of been any clearer. I ended up going with a different company! Save your time and effort and find another carrier.

Worst customer service I ever experience. First no one speaks good English so you can understand them. Second, they read a script and never address the issue. I was on the phone for days with them trying to recertify even though I tried to recertify online and was told it was not time. I finally received assistance through the certification company who also complained about them. Then I could not keep my same number since they are sending me a new phone because my phone is outdated. I don't understand with so many complaints why the government is not reviewing this company.

If you purchase the not truly unlimited plan...after 12g stops working and just buffers. Rip off. If you call them they lie and say, "Oh no we have not slowed it down." They do nothing but take money. Boost Mobile is only $10 more dollars a month and they are unlimited.

My SIM card got stuck in my phone and I couldn’t get it out and I called to report my problem but they couldn’t do anything about it. It’s a waste of time to get one of these phones. I could have gotten a replacement phone or send the phone back because I don’t need it if I can’t use it because the SIM card can’t be read since it’s pushed too far in the SIM card slot.

I joined the club... of disgruntled SafeLink users. My complaint is similar to everyone else's complaints from the last 2 months. They're really messing up over there and it's at a point where I think an investigation should be conducted. Seems like the company could be engaging in monopolistic practices associated with subscription cancellation/delay in service. "Well you could just buy some more minutes", they say. I refuse to give in and I don't have the $20 minimum purchase. Safelink is no longer a SAFE LINK for the underprivileged. I've been without a phone for over a week now. They started sending me warnings back in Oct. 2018 about re-certifying, only to get the runaround and time wasted to hear, "Sorry, it was a glitch. Just ignore those. You don't need to re-certify till January." Long Story Short: They should be investigated and this needs to be fixed. It's not like there's payphones anywhere around here anymore.

I receive government assistance in the state of Kentucky and because I qualify for it, I also get a Safelink Wireless cell phone with a limited amount of talk and text. I received a text indicating it was time to recertify to determine my continued eligibility for the use of that service. When I called, the rep was speaking so fast and her English was so broken that I had a severe problem understanding her. She began yelling at me and this call that I have made many times before took about 35 min to complete as opposed to the usual 10-15 min.

Terrible company. Very bad customer service. Service days on phone were getting less and more were not being added on. Noticed this plenty far ahead of time. Went to the website and it said that they needed some documentation updated. Ok, should be pretty easy. They give a number of options. Emailing it, uploading it, etc. So spent time taking pics of the paperwork, etc. Tried those options a bunch of times with no luck. After emailed kept getting an automated response to put the account # in the subject line. Which I had done the first time. And tried again. And again. But it never worked. And there was no way to actually email a person. Even after the automated way didn't' work. So now tried to upload the documents from the site. Did that a number of times but it never even gave any indication that it went thru. Let alone if it was all taken care of. It never was.

I like the other 683 people being Scammed and Fraud being committed against the Fed Gov for the money they are receiving as a Federal Program have been repeatedly been told our addresses are not valid through the USPS. After submitting 20+ documents, I have been told that my address is still invalid. These included 3 State documents, 2 Federal documents, my tax return, and many other documents I wouldn't normally give to anyone other than family and I'm told they're still not valid documents. Seriously???

The customer service from this company is next to non existent. They will not give you a mailing address in live chat and will not answer your questions over the phone. When you ask to speak to a supervisor they will tell you that you a talking to a manager and that they have no supervisor above them. They are basically liars and incompetent. My best advice to avoid this company if at all possible.

I of course looked through the reviews before I started writing this and I noticed something peculiar. How many people's service was canceled on February 3rd, 2018? Theirs, like mine, were canceled because they didn't recertify. Okay, true I haven't recertified yet. Mainly because I was not notified that I needed to recertify and also because my SERVICE WAS GOOD THROUGH FEBRUARY 27TH, 2019. Okay I haven't recertified but why was my service cut when it should have been available for 3+ more weeks? I just got a job on the 1st and now I have no way to be called or to call them and check on a schedule. I was able to contact them and thankfully they understood my dilemma but this B.S. could have cost me this job. I sent in all the required information and I still don't have service. What in the actual ** is going on with these people?

I'm having the growing realization this service is nothing but a scam to steal tax payers' money. It really needs to be investigated. They will not give you a phone no matter how much you qualify. For a one year 6 months I've been sending everything asked for: social security, ID, birth certificate, bills, proof of benefits, ect, ect hearing nothing in return. When I call I am told that I was approved and a phone is coming. Nothing comes. Calling back I'm then told differently that I am now denied needing to re-send ID, SS and proof. I send in the documents asked for. No letter or Email confirming approval or denial. Call back being told they received them, but now have to resend the application.

My service was finally cancelled on Feb 3 2019 and I called their offshore customer service and was transferred to 3 or four different departments talking to people that spoke broken English and they told me it was cancelled because I did not recertify annually. Safelink is a very incompetent organization. They did not believe me when I told them I have not recertified in five years and I have tried to stop service every month. This lifeline phone thing is a broken system - typical of a wasteful government programs that don't work and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Do yourself a favor and avoid these kinds of offshore scams. Most all of these cell phone companies I noticed have the same overseas setups that are doomed to failure.

My Dad is 82 and has a Safelink phone for a few years and has had nothing but trouble with both his phone and customer service. He received notice in Mid November 2018 that he needed to recertify (annually) so I filled out the recertification and faxed it over. I called customer service a week later to confirm that everything was in order and they told me that the application was approved. On February 4, 2019, he suddenly didn't have any minutes. When he called support they said his service had been cancelled.

While I am a former SafeLink customer, who had NO trouble, with service, for over three YEARS, after my SafeLink phone was stolen, and even though SafeLink has ALL of my documents ALREADY on file, SafeLink has INSISTED that I file DUPLICATE documents, before my service can resume. Problem is, SafeLink WON'T tell me WHY they are insisting on DUPLICATE documentation. This is why I caution others, about using SafeLink. IF the service will NOT tell users WHY they need DUPLICATE information, then HOW can users trust this service?

I got a letter in the mail 7 months ago about renewing my lifeline services even though I had to buy another phone in January of that year. I tried to renew my services online at Safelink Website but it showed it was not time to renew my application. At the beginning of the next month I have no service so I call and told that I have to renew my verification, so they connect me to the person to verify and I'm told I don't have to verify and my service is turned on again. This happens every month for the last 6 months after. In the last 2 months, twice a month! So you can understand how frustrating it is for me.

People beware of this company. It is the worst. They speak very broken English that you can't understand and they lie. I started applying in early Nov 2018. Sent, mailed and faxed everything they asked for. Finally in Dec 2018 the hours and the time I have spent dealing with this company was a full time job. Always check again in 48 hrs. Nothing ever changed in that 48 hrs. Finally in Jan 11 2019 checked my account with them. It said all approved. Will receive my phone in 7 to 10 working days. That time passed. Spent 2 more hrs on the phone. Nothing again. You will have in 7 to 10 days scams and we are paying for this. I am disabled with no lifeline. I have printed and logged everything and if I have medical emergency I will sue this comp for putting people's life in danger. WHY IS NOBODY DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?

Had some issues with my Safelink phone, call them and they said my phone was not working correctly and they would send me a new one. I asked that they NOT stop service on the old phone because I am a senior and I could activate the new one when I got it. Yesterday my current phone said "Unregistered Sim", so now I cannot get calls or make calls. Called again this morning and was told they had registered the new phone and my service on this phone no longer would work. I said "I asked them not to do that", he apologized, so now I am stuck another 3 days with no phone. Terrible way to take care of customers, I am not impressed.

I asked for a replacement phone because the one they sent me is defective, after talking to seven agents and was given the runaround, they finally order the replacement but at the same time deactivated my service and now they are saying they can't find my account. I emailed ten five times my benefits evidence. Still deny receiving it, when I chat with them knowing they deactivated my phone service they asked me to call them, I'd like fun for them, I need my service back as I'm still enrolled and I am missing my doctor's calls with treatment needs, these people are putting people's health in jeopardy. I hope this site can help you stop these people abuse, I also filed a complaint with the BBB. I hope I can get some help, thank you.

I will not ever deal with this company ever again. Crooks! I was told I used a deceased person's identity. They asked me to send several things. One of the things was proof I am living. I felt like a criminal. Our Department of Human Resources did not recommend them.

Started with SafeLink. All was well, upgraded to smartphone through this company. The new phone didn’t work very well so called to exchange. Was told it cannot be replaced. I paid for this upgraded phone. After some time I was able to contact them again and was given the instructions to purchase a different phone. They gave me the specs and required phone for compatibility. Even the names of acceptable phones. So went out and purchased a phone they had recommended. Went to active with SafeLink and was told the phone was not compatible. Was instructed to buy another phone. I cannot afford to purchase another phone. Now I am receiving notices that I have not been using the SafeLink phone. So what am I supposed to do now?

I have been applying for Safelink since last year. I applied online for Safelink, I submitted all documents required online. Every time I call Safelink they give me different answers, and they keep sending me applications. I have sent back the applications back with the proofs required, but to this day no phone has been sent to me. Today Jan 20, 2019 I called again and they said that I will not receive any phone 'cause I already have one, which is not true. Many of my neighbors have more than one, I have none and they keep saying that, but if you look at my application it clearly states that I am approved and qualified.

Was on the phone for 2 hours getting transferred to four different people that I had to explain everything all over to and spell everything for them. Tried to use the Bring My Own Phone feature with a Tracfone sim kit I purchased. They either didn't know what they were doing or their computers were "processing". Are they running Windows 98 on dial-up? The last 4th person hung up on me after telling to hold on. Going to try it one more time then it's back to Verizon.

I have literally spent 15 hours in a period of just short of a month with this company trying to get this phone hooked up. All they do is transfer you to other people who receive no information about previous contact. They claim you have no minutes, and will add the minutes and the phone will work in 1-2 hours, or other specified times (always changing) and the phone never works. When you call back, they do the exact same thing and ask you to wait again another specified time. They give you reference numbers that have no meaning because you just do the exact same protocol and they have no information of previous calls. They do not seem to care that you tell them that you go through the exact same process over and over again. They either transfer you, hang up on you, or tell you the phone will work in the specified time, but it never does. It's an endless loop.

I decided to apply for Safelink last year after having a bad experience with a previous phone company. I knew all of the steps I'd have to go through when it came to the application process, so I was ready. According to my enrollment status, all of the information I submitted was accepted except I needed to provide DOB proof. Not only did I email, but I also sent them text messages containing a picture of my state ID. The only thing I received was confirmation that they received my messages. Apparently, a picture of my ID wasn't enough for them. Then I started getting forms in the mail from them that I had to fill out and return with proof included.

Don't ever get anything from them. Husband been on phone for 2 hours with Corporate trying to get my SIM card in my phone to work which came out of their phone. Can receive calls but not make calls. Been transferred to different departments and nobody can do nothing or don't want to. Very poor customer service. Then had the nerve to ask my husband if the service they provided him was satisfactory. They didn't do anything except give him the runaround. Then they hung up on him. That was very uncalled for. Very very unprofessional. Instead of our government shutting down they need to shut down and use that money from idiots that don't know how to do their job and use it to build the wall. Will never use their service again and I would advise anybody else not to use them. Non English speaking idiots.

Safelink. Most deplorable English speaking skills of any foreign customer service I have ever heard. Just like Straight Talk, they transfer you every few minutes. They will do it for hours. I ordered one of their phones. It arrived. The number on it to activate the phone does not work. It is no longer in service. Three hours on the phone with customer foreign service to find out that they sent me a phone that does not work in my area. WHY? They know where I live, WHY would they send me a phone that does not work? They said I'd have to buy my own. So I spend 100 bucks that I don't have on a refurb from their website. It is a blood pressure raising experience and not being able to understand what they are saying makes your head hurt.

I gave this company a great review a year ago, this time I'm very disappointed. I knew that my one year enrollment was coming up so I called them on Friday 1-4-19 to ask if the paperwork could be mailed to me. The first customer service agent even though I gave him my new address, didn't update my address, so the information would have been going to a dead address. I had a gut instinct about this and called back and the lady updated my information.

My phone broke. Screen is cracked. Half of it doesn't work so I have to put it on rotation. I called my social security and they told me that I was eligible to have her free one no matter how many times my phone breaks. I've only gotten a replacement one other time. Only done it one time. Now I go to get a replacement because half of my screen does not work. They told me that they have to have to reset my phone, that I will need to call them from another line when I only have one available line to call them from the phone that I have with just a phone from them. So I run upstairs and ask my neighbor if I can use her Wi-Fi and her tablet so I can contact them so that they can do this after that then it turned into, "Oh so we can't give you a replacement. It says on the account that we can't give you a replacement." But they told me that they couldn't see anything on the account until after they reset the phone.

Every time I have an issue with my phone it's always my data usage. I haven't been able to use my data in my home area for the past 3 days! I ride public transportation to work and waited until going to work to go online to see if there was an alert about an outage in my area. I couldn't log into my account due to duplicate entries found popping up on the screen. So I called to make sure everything was okay, that no one else was trying to use my information to get services.

I have a phone that makes me delete VMs 2-3 times; music that randomly assigns different artist's names to my songs; and most importantly, calls whatever number it wants, no matter what number I entered. Tech support is a joke with these folk. Obviously listening for keywords and reading from a script. Looking for a different carrier with phones that work - even if it's a flip phone, as long as it ain't Safelink.

I had no problem signing up for Safelink. I filled out the forms online for bring your own phone. I was pre-approved in August 2017 and sent my sim card within a month. At first I didn't notice any problems...then everyone kept saying why don't I ever answer or call them back. I started telling people to text or leave a message if they called me and you would be surprised how many times calls NEVER come through. Majority of calls don't but I chose to stay because it was free and only $45 after that to get a unlimited plan. I had no problem re-certifying either. They sent paperwork in the mail, I filled it out and sent it back and never heard from them again.

I like Safelink Wireless, I like the $ 15.00 unlimited plan, but like with every cellphone you still have issues, but overall I truly think they are the best deal around, cause they are always there in a pinch, just don't use all of your free mins...

My girlfriend said she was going to stay at her girlfriend's house to sit as her girlfriend's dad was sick, out of state. I let her take it, so I knew she was safe... But instead she took my phone to Arizona, so I called Safelink to have it shut off. She quickly sent the phone back in the mail before Christmas. Called back Safelink to let them know, I got my phone back and after talking to someone I couldn't understand, I was passed 4 more time when they, Safelink said I had no more minutes left. Then I was told I was blackballed for 72 hours on December 21 2018.

Had applied for Safelink Wireless and was approved in August and chose the option to use an existing LG TracFone. They sent me a SIM card which did not work with my phone, and they had to transfer the minutes and data manually to my phone. Then a month later, I get a letter saying I had not used the phone even though I did. I called again and they said my phone wasn't "attached" to my account, so I gave them the SIM card number and the IMEI number and they attached it, and things were OK until this month, when all of a sudden I can't get any data. I keep track of the usage so I wasn't over the limit, and I gave them a call again. The man I spoke with was very curt and said my account had been "de-enrolled" and I kept asking him why...he wouldn't answer. Had to ask for a supervisor, who said my account was de-activated for non-usage.

When you have to re-certify it is an unbelievable nightmare. I could not hear the machine generated questions half of the time, and my goodness, I had to answer the same type of question over and over, again, with the questions being blurggled. Just note: answer yes to all, even if you can't hear it. If someone were getting this service and has anxiety or a history of panic attacks, I suggest asking a family member with patience to do it for you. OMG!!!

After 3 months of interminable runarounds trying to get a phone from Safelink Wireless, I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was routed to Rhea. WHO GAVE ME MORE RUNAROUND. In a nutshell, I live at a valid and specific address and have a valid Texas Drivers License showing that address. In Safelink's crazy rules, a valid Texas Driver's License does not prove a valid address. Texas Department of Public Safety is one of the nation's strictest licensing agencies. What Safelink is doing in my opinion is taking tax dollars to administer a government program, pocketing the money, and failing or refusing to issue the phones. Don't waste your time. Safelink is a scam.

My son receives Medicaid and got a letter in the mail about getting a free phone. I call to sign up and have now talked to 6 different customer service representatives. NO ONE can help me. According to past records, there was an account created in my name. Sent a phone to a different address and is still active. I DON'T HAVE A PHONE! All the customer service rep said she could do was cancel my account, and I need to wait one year to create a new one, or buy a phone. Your company is a joke and so are your employees.

Wish I could give 0 stars. What a nightmare! I applied for lifeline service in October, submitted my documents through the website. Nothing happened. My account kept showing that I needed to submit document. I called them about it and they said my application was still processing and to check it in 36 hours. I did. Still pending. Finally after a month the website showed my documents were accepted. The website still said pending. Called again and they said the same thing. Wait. I waited. I called them a month later and they said they were waiting for my documents. I told them I had already sent that information and that the website showed they had already been accepted and they said, "Oh sorry our mistake. Wait 36 hours." I did, Still pending. I called them back and they said I needed to call California Lifeline as they were waiting for them to approve my application.

I've read a lot of reviews on here about Safelink service. All of them were complaining about either not getting their phones, having problems with the service. Couldn't get recertified or their phone getting shut off. I can honestly say I've never had any of these problems. I've had Safelink service since 2011. I applied online. About a month later got my free cell phone. It was a basic little straight flat cell phone. I was happy. Never got anything free before. Was very glad that I could get one since I lost my job and didn't have money to buy one. I never had a problem with the phone or the service. I got a little flip phone for my birthday and had Safelink switched to it. Not a problem at all. I called TracFone since that's Safelink's service. All I had to do was give the lady the numbers out of the old cell and the numbers to the new cell.

The other reviews I read here are accurate. I wonder why this company thrives since the services it purports to give do not seem to exist. This is a phone for my son. Multiple calls, multiple dead ends. Even when I was told the problem was found in billing and that it would be changed, there were no minutes. When I asked a helper to stay on the phone while I went on the website to see if what she said worked, she said no, she got off the phone.

No Minutes Coming to Phone: Two months now! I have called technical support and they told me I received these minutes when I have not? I keep account of every minute and write down my minutes! Why are they lying at SafeLink and telling me I received these minutes when I clearly have not?

When they have no need for consumer report they're ok... It's just that they screw up sooo often. Perhaps hiring American workers that speak English well might help... and really training the staff. My last occurrence took a week to transfer my number from one Safelink phone to another Safelink phone. During that time they were reading status notes from a year ago and they deactivated me twice for no reason!!! Very frustrating and yet the cities and govt. don't seem to care they have such poor performance.

I was extremely grateful to TracFone -- at first -- for participating in this program. But...you really need a self-paid phone while you are hoping they make your account work correctly (if they ever do). If you are in an area where there are a lot of Sprint Towers, I urge you to consider alternative providers in the lifeline program who are said to be excellent. But I am not in such an area.

My phone stopped working while I was talking. I can only text. The overseas reps are horrible. They hang up on you. They now want me to pay for minutes. This is supposed to be a free service. The phone is clearly defective. They are the worst people in history.

I'm quite an experienced person using different prepaid plans and other LifeLine providers service, I guess you could say I've tested several other LifeLine plans with other carriers/MVNO and I always go back to SafeLink. I never can understand how there are so many negative reviews on here. Before I started using the Truly Unlimited plan in 2017 I was paying $65 a month for Cricket's so called truly unlimited plan. I would get throttled regardless of data consumption, and all regular HTTP (not https) traffic would be proxied and compressed on Cricket's end of the network without any way to use HTTP data/websites in RAW form with things like curl/wget etc in a Linux or Android OS. They also consider large amounts a data usage to be in violation of 'hotspot/tethering terms'. Eventually Cricket discontinued my service even having paid 2 months in advanced without refunding my money.

Well I'd been with 1 1/2 yrs then they started screwing up everything by putting me down as a disabled veteran so I would have to recertify when I wasn't a veteran and they sent me numerous texts to do this and I went through this for about 5 months and in Sep. I called and the supervisor then said that she would send me new paperwork but never sent it. She just cancelled my service and the company refused to help me with the problem unless I signed up again. So if I were you I'd stay as far away from this company as I can because they're about as bad as it gets. You can't understand the people because they can't speak English. THE COMPANY SUCKS AND IS WORTHLESS!!!

Safelink suddenly discontinued my service without notifying me. Can you imagine if I would have had an emergency and didn't know they discontinued my service! I had changed my phone number several times so Safelink accused me of having multiple phones in my household when I only had one phone but changed the number and I live alone! In the meantime, someone I know has a Safelink phone that he's not qualified for because he has a full-time job at CVS and his own lawn service cleaning business! I reported it to Safelink and they told me there was nothing they could do about it. So unfair!

Unless you know everything there is to know about cells stay clear from using your own phone. They (X4) give misinformation, in my case I have to buy parts to make it work. They don't back their salespeople, and they don't make their mistakes good to the customer. They are extremely nice, but totally worthless. They will not take their sim cards back even though they were the ones who told you what you needed, and blew it twice, so will not send the free phone you should have stuck with in the first place as they repeat over and over (from their Co. list of what to say) that you ordered it (leaving out the part that they told you to), so they have done what they were to do. They understand your anger, but this is all they can do. Anyone know who you can contact for all this injustice? "I have no "personal or business relationship" with this organization?" Well of course I do, or I wouldn't be writing!

The worst problem I have with them is that they keep sending me emails to use my phone. I am using my phone! They will say there is a requirement to make one phone call or send one text message monthly as though I am not doing that. I am on the phone much more than that. Clearly they are tracking what you are doing on your personal phone, though they aren't tracking it well, but it feels like an invasion to know they are monitoring my phone usage. If they are doing that, who is to say they are not listening in or reading your text messages? Scary!

I signed up for Safelink in Sept 2017. I received my phone and service within a week of my first application. In March, I bought a new phone because the ZTE POS they sent me was overheating constantly and was basically unusable. Service transferred over to the new phone, no problem. I was the happiest customer you could imagine until October 16 of this year, when my phone service randomly stopped.

This is my second time trying to get a low income telephone. I had absolutely no problems with Assurance Wireless while living in Florida, but the cell phones they give out really suck. I've now been trying to obtain service with Safelink Wireless in Texas since September 1st, it's now October 19th, and I'm still stuck with them saying that they can't verify my benefits. The first time around, they rejected my address, utility, and benefits uploads, I resubmitted them all, the second time the address and utility bill were accepted, but they still won't accept my benefits cards despite the fact that my Medicaid card has my name on it. This is a piss poor company and I regret the hell out of going with them.

Just terrible. Very rude and do not care. I wouldn't recommend them to a homeless man. Every single time I have to contact them is truly a bad experience. Not every other time but EVERY time! I worked in customer service for years on the phones and still do. There's no way this is even real!!! Reps, Sups, and even the darn Techs are so unprofessional. I'm starting to think it's a SCAM! It's sad and suppose to be providing something to the people to help. Definitely false advertising and my phone still doesn't work properly. With all the complaints, the whole company doesn't care at this point or who let represent them. It's still going on. Just hung up with them and got almost the worst ever experience with them ever. Which encouraged me to leave this review. Just terrible!!!

The problem with Safelink is that they outsource to foreign countries (Philippines, India, etc) without providing them with the proper training to assist Safelink customers. Whenever I call, I can never speak to a US-based customer service. Each question that I asked, I am giving different answers. When asked to speak to a supervisor, no one is available. I have filed a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission regarding Safelink. This company need to be investigated, fined or sanction. There are too many complaints!!!

I have given them ID card pictures, social security card pictures, food stamp pictures, and letter of residency pictures and keep getting told I need to provide more info from food stamps, and proof of address. I call they say whatever they want to cover the butts when catching them in a lie. Also each rep will tell you something different. It's a scam and they have all my info. Been waiting since 09/15/2018. I've spent HOURS on phone with them. They don't know what they are doing.

I tried activating a new Safelink SIM on my account after I lost my phone. It took them 9 days to activate it. The reps kept me on the phone for 1 and 1/2 hour and then told me it’s going to take 24 hours and it’s going to be active. The next day was another 2 hours speaking with a rep. And the next day again and the next day again for NINE days until one rep finally got it done. I asked one of the reps what’s so hard to swap a SIM. I have done it with other companies and it only took 2 minutes. He answered that if I would have understood how telephones work I would have known that swapping a SIM is the hardest thing.

I had a phone from Safelink Wireless stolen a couple of months ago and I has never had a replacement phone before. I remember reading that if your phone was lost or stolen you qualified for at least one replacement phone. So I called customer service at Safelink Wireless and reported my phone stolen and they said they would ship me out a new phone the following week. I checked the mailbox every day and nothing came. I called back and was told I didn't qualify for a replacement phone. I called again and was told the same thing. I kept telling them I was already approved for a replacement phone. I was tired of being treated so rudely so I cancelled my phone number and that very next day the replacement phone arrived. So you called to have it activated just to be told I had to reapply all over again. I did so and was asked to upload photos of my Link card, front and back and proof of address with a picture of a utility bill.

I completed the application and provided proof of income, date of birth and address, both my email and USPS, but they didn't follow through. Whenever I called I got the runaround. They now have information about me I entrusted to them assuming they were competent and honorable. How naive. Even if they don't sell my information, it's in their system and could be stolen.

Although SafeLink Wireless (SW)-- customer service-telephone reps, supervisors, and managers are mostly all friendly, seem sincere, and try to help, the way their COMPANY does business is very unreliable, untrue, and even suspect of borderline fraud, in my opinion. (When I mentioned "fraud" to one supervisor, she got angry and curt with me, defending SW. She was the only unfriendly rude rep I encountered. And I have even graciously given formal in-file compliments to most of her other colleagues. When I turned the tables on her though, asking her how would she feel, if she were an applicant, if SW treated her the way they treated me?-- she had no answer.)

I was given the runaround on several different occasions by the customer service representatives as well as a manager. The individuals at Safelink need better training!!! I felt like I was talking to a 5-year-old otp.

I would never recommend Safelink Wireless to be a sponsor for the free government phones. Their way of conducting business doesn't appear to be in the best interest of the consumer. First, they cut me off before my time was up to be re-certified. Second, after I gave them the required information, such as my food stamp card, they kept asking me to verify my address. I sent them every personal document in my house, including my W-2 statement from prior employment, picture ID, SNAP (food stamp program), and they still weren't satisfied. They kept saying my address is not in the government database. How absurd is that??? This has been going on for two months and still no approval and no phone, yet they are still holding copies of my personal ID information. I do not trust them. Very suspicious in Washington D.C.

Had this phone 3 days and cannot dial out. They cut my damn phone and I never got another phone from any company. I don't understand why they give out government phones for EBT cardholders in need and they cut off the phone and leave texting on. Safelink sucks.

Safelink (Tracfone) provides inconsistent service, crappy phones that stop working after a few months, data and minutes cheating and shortages, and when you call in for tech assistance... It is outsourced to a country that could care less and has no respect for the U.S. I know that when you are down on your luck a free cell phone comes in handy, especially emergencies or simply letting family and friends know that you are still alive... But what good is that if the stupid thing doesn't work! I am cancelling my account and having to live without a phone now... Thanks a lot SAFELINK!!!

It isn't "free" because you work too hard to get service! Would give it a zero if possible. Impossible to get account re-activated. Poor excuses for no service (can't read address on all proofs submitted, more than one person in household, agent's computer's password expired, please re-apply again and again, I could go on but you get the idea). Got service, then no service. Nobody can tell me why it doesn't work! Takes them forever to pull up account. Won't transfer to agent in US (by law they have to). Takes more than the 48 hours to review appeal. Get the runaround over and over. Going to submit complaint to PUC. Terrible way to run a business!

I attempted to apply for Safelink service for my daughter with Down syndrome as she qualified. After they checked her information they proceeded to tell me my daughter was DECEASED. I sent documents with current dates on them and they still denied her. This is crazy! I strongly suggest calling Lifeline support center ** or Universal Administration Services in the United States 1-800-234-9473 option 1, option 1, Option 0. Stay away from Safelink incompetent company that can stress you out. I put up with it for 6 mo. NO MORE STRESS!

I've been with them for years. NOW... all of a sudden I am getting my phone shut off every month. Saying I need to "recertify". I've uploaded my documents time after time. They just did it AGAIN. I've simply been told to Re-enroll. So I've enrolled now. Had three different account numbers after they cancelled them. I am suspicious that the reps are just doing it to collect a commission. I've been bounced around on technical support, just like the others have! Dealt with TracFone tech support. It turned out it was on the Safelink side. I just now uploaded my documents AGAIN. This is 4 times I have uploaded documents, and I've sent in EVERYTHING. My taxes, my food stamp card, my income tax statement, my driver's license. I am getting scared now, since they have so much information. It wasn't always this way. Now I am very nervous dealing with them. I don't know what to do now. Contact the FCC? I think the Safelink reps are SCAMMIN'!

I have had Safelink for almost 2 years. Transferring my phone number from another major unsubsidized carrier was tortuous to say the least - time-consuming for both myself and Safelink. Part of the problem was that I brought my own unlocked phone. They were always patient, considerate, and stuck with the process no matter the time or energy and I never have had to wait more than a few minutes to talk with Customer Service.

I had issues with my first phone, non working SIM card. Spent 73 minutes on the phone with customer service, which is terrible by the way. They don't answer your questions either! After trying to figure out why it wasn't working they just said they'd send a replacement. Got it yesterday, Surprise!!! Same issue!!! So I chatted on the online help because I didn't feel like talking to anyone that has English as their second language because it's really hard to understand sometimes. Didn't really directly answer me. I just cancelled the service.

Well, the overall review of this "business" is truth enough, aye? If there were a less than 1 star I'd have given. The most abrupt customer service agents I have dealt with in 52 years! They borderline on insulting. They offer no way to allow you to offer proof of minutes used. They won't hear anything that may take them more than a 2 min chat comm. I allege Safelink is scalping minutes and forcing the unfortunate users who are unemployed, disabled etc to buy more minutes unnecessarily. What a disgrace to America. With a cloak of helping the less fortunate when they are filling their fat pockets from the poor and needy. A total and utter disgrace. I will be filing a informal with the FCC and a cc with the BBB. Wow.

I got charged $199 when I decided to go with another internet provider which is their setup fee which they waived because I signed a 2 year deal. I'm glad I cancelled with them after 3 weeks so I wouldn't be charged for 2 years of crappy internet speeds. 15 Mb download over 2 Mb upload compared to Cable One 50 Mb download over 5 Mb upload and Cable One was cheaper per month and Cable one has a $50 setup fee compared to the $199. They were not forgiving on that setup fee at all so looks like I got the short end of the stick.

Regardless of the circumstances that got any of us to that point, we’ve all experienced hardships in some form. It can happen to any one of us. None of us are exempt from this. With that being said, we should be grateful for free services that offer some reprieve to the circumstances we can face when this happens. I was grateful when I received a Safelink phone through the lifeline program in August of 2017. My regular phone service was soon to be disconnected. I had become ill in recent months and being a single mother, I knew I needed a phone with active service. I could no longer afford the phone services I had and so Safelink seemed like the best choice for us when it came to minimizing expenses.

I had signed up for Safelink Wireless and was accepted. They sent me a phone and a unusable sim card. I spent 3 hours on the phone with customer service while they sent me to different workers to figure out what the problem was, and it still was not resolved, so they sent me another sim card. Well, this same thing happened 4 times! And on the 4th try they said they would send me a new one that will for sure work. I waited for the sim card and when I got the envelope in the mail, the envelope was EMPTY!!! No sim. At this point I was fed up and just canceled. I am still getting mail from Safelink telling me I need to use my phone or it will be shut off!!!! I don't want anything to do with Safelink and every time I call to stop the crap mail, they say I'm not in the system. The customer service is horrible and the worst I have ever experienced. None of them know what they're doing or talking about.

Safelink Wireless gives a free phone to low income seniors. It sounds like a marvelous idea, but in reality it is the most frustrating company I have ever dealt with! My elderly neighbor is partially blind and hard of hearing. I have been trying to get him recertified because they cut his phone off. Since June 2, 2018, I have made nine calls and have been on the line for at least 30 minutes each time. By the time I reach a rep, I am already frustrated. Each time they tell me something different. We have been jumping through hoops for 2 MONTHS!!! Today I asked to speak to a supervisor. She promised me she would send me the correct form as soon as we hung up. It never came! I think a company such as this is inexcusable! Every bad review you read is true. Why can't our government be associated with a company who respects seniors? My friend is beside himself and he cannot afford a phone, so he is at their mercy. What a shame...

I just spent the last 3 hours with SafeLink. They were trying to find my account. Excuse me, they have been sending me information about my cell phone and other important items. Well first they sent me the wrong Sim card for the phone I bought from Motorola, then I just got the one that fit today. So I did exactly what the information told me to do. I called to get the phone activated. I am currently with Assurance Wireless and just wanted them to transfer service. Using my phone number... after all was done a "SUPERVISOR" got online and assured me all was settled and done.

I qualified for Safelink Wireless service months ago. I had my own unlocked, T-Mobile compatible, GSM phone... not branded and not tied to any carrier. I was porting my long-held phone number from Simple Mobile to Safelink. I am disabled, under regular medical care, and have a myriad of medical, support staff, home health aides, labs, transportation, imaging, clinics, and other organizations and individuals that are connected to and rely on my existing phone number. Without these people and services I would be in a nursing home or worse. (I am not elderly.) I am EXACTLY who the Safelink program is designed to help. Thus far my Safelink experience has been a frustrating exercise in futility. I still have no cell phone service.

The most incompetent arrogant people around & a customer is always wrong by them. They cheat you out of the minutes you are entitled because they never reflect it on the phone. They lie that you were given your entitled minutes. On top of everything else they're dishonest. They just want your money without showing in a honest way pride in their work. It is a criminal business company run by rogue people.

The worst phones and customer service attempts for repair or replacement, ever. We have two phones and both continually break up and/or disconnect. We spent hours with no resolution, constant disconnects and repeated attempts to get replacements. Every call disconnected and we had to start over. Even their online customer service disconnected. I hate these phones and their customer service! Don't buy these phones. You will regret it.

Over two days wasted 75 minutes of prepaid. Spoke to 4 people on phone and 3 on live chat. I was denied a phone because SafeLink did not have their “catalogue” updated. So my valid and correct EBT was denied as documentation though it is what my state uses. A supervisor Mark, the last person I spoke to eventually just hung up on me. I had the valid documentation given to me by my state. It said EBT on front and back but because SmartLink didn’t have a picture of that design in its catalogue they called it invalid and denied me. I’m all set now on another carrier.

Free cell phone service, paid for by the government. Service is spotty and customer services are almost non-existent. They cut off my service beginning of every month stating I had to re-apply. No person to speak with; after 10-12 minutes attempting to navigate automated phone system it often hung up on me. Hold times range up to 3 hours, the system offers a callback but that never happens, I waited 2 days for callback. It might be free but if you depend on it for phone service you're better off paying a different provider. For $15 a month I'm trying another company!!

Trying to recertify the account for my father's phone turned out to be more of a hassle than anything. Try to recertify online and couldn't get to the proper areas so I decided to call them back and just do it on the phone and mail the application to them. 5 failed attempts later due to being disconnected or being put through to the wrong department. I have given up. They can keep their stupid service and phone. I'm adding him to my cell phone account. He is disabled, he has the education of probably a third grader. So these things are very hard for him sometimes to do on his own. Getting through the basics is bad enough. What bothers me the most is when he signed up for this to begin with I am the one that done it for him and I made a point to let them know he lived in the country so certain phones would not receive service there and I was reassured that the phone chosen for him would be fine.

For the month of June 2018, I was suppose to get my 500 minutes of free airtime because I'm on a GOVERNMENT program. Which means that I use the phone for emergency purposes only and with permission through DSS so long as I receive certain government benefits. Anyway, without warning I come to find out that my service has been cancelled because I didn't verify my address? Huh? After living at the same address for three years and was never told I needed to verify my address unless I changed my address.