Safelink Wireless Reviews

They told me not once but 3 times "I'm sending you a phone." Call back in a week to get tracking number... a week later call back they can't find ** about tracking number or anything! Never got anything from these people!!!! They lie and I HATE LIARS! GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF AND DIE YOU SAFELINK!

Safelink Wireless is by far the most difficult cell phone provider to deal with. Their customer service is poor!!! I am pretty sure this company is committing fraud on so many levels and I hope after all these complaints of ripping people off and not providing the service they claim to prior to taking money from the customer someone at ConsumerAffairs investigates them. Safelink turned off my phone after it was activated for about 5 months. I had to redo my account three times and 4 month later they still have not fixed the problem.

They tell you what you want to hear to get you off the phone & offer you no viable solutions except bogus meaningless apologies. They keep recertifying me for service then cancelling my service. They just did it to me again today, after sending me the wrong phone over the weekend, after lying to me and promising me a larger phone that I need because I am a diabetic & have a hard time reading small print & numbers. They're THE WORST!!!

I have had their service for about 3 years. Recently our service was interrupted, like a lot of the other complaints, we were told to re-enroll. We did. After not hearing back from them for MONTHS (we have a magicjack for emergencies - their service is just as bad) I reapplied, AGAIN. I physically wrote to them, photocopied the front and back of the card. It was as clear as day. 30 days later when I call to find out where my minutes are, I am told that my name on my food stamps card isn't readable. It is in HUGE black letters, probably size 16 font. I am told to fax it and I will get my minutes and reactivation in 48 hours. Well, if you fax it, you can not see the the card at all, it is blacked out. I am not sure why. I faxed it twice. I wait 48 hours and I call them back. Then they tell me this long story about how my enrollment # doesn't match, and that I need to email the card. I do. 3x.

I have used Safelink since 2009 and I have had many, many problems and NOT 1 time has Safelink helped me solve any of them! I had thousands of lost minutes, phone constantly goes to Internet and charges lots and Safelink will not help! Most people, including myself, have to call Safelink but they don't tell you that to call them FREE. You must dial 611611 to get FREE help with them instead on their website. They have numbers but ALL cost you minutes and they enjoy talking and placing you on hold and in the END NEVER HELPING!

Please don't use Safelink. Was on the phone because in the last year they have taken my minutes away. I am disabled and need my phone. They are suspicious, asked to file complaint, kept repeating they need to check information. Spoke to 3 people. First they said I needed to recertify then they said I needed to send in information. Next they said I had 2 phone accounts but yet could not tell me which accounts and they said they could not look at my phone history that would show that I only used Safelink. They are very suspicious. Don't have any concrete answers. Blame me for the problem. Will change. Too much stress and they are very sneaky.

I got an updated phone from who I thought was SafeLink and it turned out to be Quality One whose customer service is the same as SafeLink, TracFone, Straight Talk basically all cheap phone companies. The worst phone that I ever bought and they won't replace even with the same brand. Bad service throughout the entire company. I was on the phone with them over three days. The first two days it was a total of 16 HOURS then online for the last two days. There needs to be some kind of remedy from companies like this. Do I need to sue or am I just grasping at air... PLEASE HELP ME. I'M A DISABLED SENIOR CITIZEN AND CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS ANY LONGER!!! They do not even deserve the one star you made me give them!!!

I recently decided to switch to Safelink and purchased a phone. For the last 3 weeks I have been on the phone for 2-3 hours a night and my phone is still not completely activated. There is an obvious language barrier, but it's manageable. The problem is the reps have no clue what logic is. They go through a checklist and at the end or if you ask for a supervisor, they transfer you and you start back at step one with a pretend supervisor. After you do the same checklist, you get transferred to yet another pretend supervisor and so on. There is no way to escalate any problem. I have been trying to activate my phone for over 3 weeks now and there is no end in sight. As soon as my texts start working, then I can't make calls. My calls get fixed then I have no texts and so on.

I am writing this for my sister, a Safelink Wireless victim. She has had their services for about 3 - 1/2 years. In the beginning, it was OK, no issues. Then, my sister lost the phone on her mobile home somewhere. We had a replacement sent from Safelink that worked well, after 20 hours of tech calls, for a year. Then, it stopped working. Calls to their tech disaster got all sorts of bad tech. Then, they stated the phone we had been using for the year was listed with them as "stolen" and the computer shut it down. We got that straightened out, with a new phone on the way, never arrived. So, more tech time, seems they sent her replacement to Louisiana, she lives in Nevada.

It's been almost a year now since I received a different Safelink phone and I do not receive my monthly minutes. This is each and every month. I am tired of wasting a friend's minutes to call and argue with foreigners that tell me that I'm lying, my account has been deleted, my account was never updated and whatever else they decide to make up as they go along. I have even tried to re-certify but was told it wasn't time yet. What is going on with you and what happened to the online chat choice? NEVER had any problems with my first Safelink phone and I had it for several years. I can't help but think that this is some form of terrorism on your part.

I qualify for a phone with these folks, but when I call it takes them 30 minutes to tell me I already have a phone with them, I can absolutely not convince them that I do not have a phone with them!!! I have called them 8 times and every time I get to the part where they tell me I already have a phone, they give me another number to call which is the same number, very frustrating and I am wondering if they have gave my phone to someone else and do not care and they are just plain crazy. They are ripping off the govt. No wonder the U.S. is broke!!!

I was issued 350 minutes and 400 MB of data on 3/1/17. On 3/2/2017, all my monthly minutes and all my data was wiped out and reduced to 0 each. I spent 3 hours on the phone with customer service and all they can do is put me on hold and apologize but they refused to replace the missing minutes or data. They said that they are generated automatically by the system and there is nothing they can do to replace my data or minutes. I spoke with 3 different representatives who confirmed to me that the minutes and data have already been issued on 3/1/2017, and they cannot replace all lost data and minutes. Very frustrating and poor customer service. This is supposed to be the government program for low income folks who can't afford phone service. What a bummer!

I got my phone and the battery wouldn't stay charged so I called them and they sent a new one to me. It goes dead twice a day and I don't even use the phone that much. I'm going back to Assurance wireless. Besides that it says no service all the time. This phone is the worst piece of crap and the service is even worse.

As with most of the reviews I have read here I have had the same experience. So I will not ramble on with repetitive information that is already listed by others. I am disabled and applied for this service when it came out so that when I went somewhere alone I had a way to call for help if I fell or something happened. I never used it for meaningless calls. It was strictly for safety so I could remain independent. They apparently decided that all subscribers in the states needed to be moved over to a 4g LTE service. However minutes would no longer roll over and you had to BUY a new phone or use an existing compatible phone. Ok, I call to find out how I use a phone I already have and was told to go by a BYOP kit for Tracfone.

I've used Safelink for years without any major problems. Until recently that is! Then they changed to new plans in December. I also started using a Verizon smartphone. Nothing but problems since. They keep deleting the 4,800 minutes I had accumulated. I have to call customer service 100 times and spend hours on the phone to have it reinstated. Also the texting doesn't work half of the time. Outgoing texts fail to send and friends tell me I don't receive half of the texts they send me.

The registration for the phone was simple and easy, however, my phone never arrived and was apparently stolen from the mail. I immediately contacted Safelink to notify them to conduct a trace with the postal service and in addition to initiate a claim. I thought simple enough, I'll have them send another phone and that should be an easy process. What a nightmare, the company has absolutely no customer service, trying to keep my cool with their supposed customer service was a tough task. The first time I called the supervisor deactivated the account, if someone stole the phone it wouldn't be any use to them.

Applied with Safelink November 2016. Was approved December 2016 after all the information and verification. Phone was never sent. Called back and was told that first they ran out of phones then they said they no longer service my area in Minnesota (That was a Lie) and so-called supervisor said this. So I went through Assurance, did application, sent proof and called today February 20, 2017 and they said I was denied because I have service with Safelink (WOW). So I called Safelink and they want me to do a whole new application. Though they said I was approved but unqualified and he couldn't tell me what the hell that means. But once again other free wireless services saying I have a account with them.

I am very disappointed in this phone, I have tried everything to get this phone to connect to the service but it has not worked. Even the Tech Support didn't know what to do! They sent a new sim card and it still would not connect. Apparently their cell phones are cheap, worthless and of course made in some other country. I should have expected this of a government funded program. I talked to at least 5 people to get help from the helplines. NOTHING WORKED. I was promised someone would call back but if they did, I must have missed it! I would like to talk to the head of this program and tell them how terrible this government funded program works. They don't seem to care whether the service is working as long as they collect the payment from the government. This program is failing to provide the service they are receiving money for. Sound like a scam, well, maybe!

For years I had Safelink wireless with no problem then this year with no warning my minutes were not right. I had 9,100 minutes. I called, they said they were having a problem with the site so I called every day for a week them telling me it's going to be fixed then they tell me that their new thing was only 500 minutes a month. "How can you do this?" I said. "Not even a notice?" I think that we need to sue this company starting with a class action suit. Nothing good about this company. I am sure nothing will get done and we all will get screwed.

After being on a call for 35 minutes, hung up on TWICE, TRANSFERRED THREE DAMN TIMES I STILL did NOT receive the HELP I NEED! YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! Dial the phone, for Technical Support press __, I press __. Technical Support is full of ** so they can't help me, they tell me "I need to transfer you to our Manager's dept". UM WTF is a Manager's Dept. Ok fine they transfer me... Mgr ends up telling me "this is OUT OF MY RANGE, I need to Transfer you to some other ** department!" OMG Seriously?! Ok fine. I need my phone activated.

I've been a Safelink Customer for years. I've never seen a Company get away with robbing the Federal Government like they have. 4 Months ago they changed everyone's plan across the United States to 500 Minutes a month deleting everyone's rollover Minutes. I alone had over 2 Thousand Minutes at the time that were taken. These Rollover Minutes were paid for by the Federal Government but were still deleted. Can you imagine how many minutes were deleted across the United States from every Government paid for phone from 3 different carriers Safelink is in charge of and the Government has done nothing about this. I filed a case with the FCC about this and was told that my minutes would be reinstated until April, April of what? This April or April of 2018? Safelink never made it clear.

I'm not sure I'll have enough room as I'm still shaking from my experience with them in the last few months but tonight was the icing on the cake. I have had this program for 3 years. Never had a problem. I broke the phone and a new one sent over the summer but have since moved from that address. Still no issues until November when I received my minutes and the next day when I went to make a call the recording said I did not have enough funds to use phone but could still text. I called customer service, woman was great replaced minutes. Then December comes 24 hrs after minutes are received once again, gone, just used text, because I was in the process of becoming homeless, and the phone was last priority.

Ordered a Alcatel phone from Safelink Wireless and it came with no battery. Called customer service which said they would send a battery ASAP. The arrival date was on a Thursday. It is now Saturday and still no battery. I have called these people days in advance just for them to tell me they have no tracking number or no whereabouts about the battery. These people are total liars, con artists and just plain stupid. Do not deal with Safelink Wireless unless you want to be conned out of your money which is $9.99 for the phone and $9.00 to ship it plus $1.37 sales tax. Go to eBay for a more sensible deal.

In general, my luck with Safelink has been OK... that ended today. I received an email stating I had five days of service left. My only question was, "What do I need to do to make sure this doesn't happen?" The first rep after almost an hour disappeared and I was put in the queue to wait for next rep. I recently moved and (Helen) stated my address doesn't exist. She spoke too quickly and being in New Delhi, India English is a foreign language but our American gov't has a contract with a company that outsources customer service. Hey! Maybe if they hired individuals whose first language is English it wouldn't cost so much in people's time.

I agree with all of the previous reviews. Over one month ago purchased a smart phone and paid extra as compared to other sources to purchase from Safelink as I mistakenly thought it would simplify the process. I was sent the wrong SIM card and then sent an additional five more incorrect SIM cards, my old phone could not be reactivated. I have been on the phone for approximately 100 hours trying to correct this problem, to no AVAIL. I have been transferred and cut off more times than I can say. You cannot understand the reps, they don't know what they are doing, they even lost my minutes. All said and done 30 days later I do not have either my old phone or my new Smart Phone and am battling for a return label to return this SmartPhone. Worst customer experience of my whole life. Stay away, run away. Go without a phone or just purchase an inexpensive prepaid. Not worth the benefit.

I received a TracFone from Safelink, and I have been trying to get it activated for over two weeks. I have talked to probably ten different people. First I had to get new sim card then got it activated. Made one phone call, then the next day terminated? I've been calling, keep getting transferred, being told wait 48 hours. I call. Still don't have service.

Due to a bankruptcy after a failed business, I qualified for Safelink in California. I received a phone that was of such poor quality speakers were inaudible on it, and during conversations, if I removed the phone from my face to look at another screen, the phone wouldn't register the motion and so would remain on the energy-saving dark screen unless I disconnected the call. Nor would the phone allow modern app usage - like Google Maps. The motion sensors were so primitive the phone would get stuck between screens and wouldn't respond to touch interface.

I have two TracFones. One is Safelink and one I pay for the minutes. TracFone/Safelink have the accounts crossed without my consent and I have repeatedly called in to get it fixed and all I get is yes it's fixed and then find out it's not. I have several ticket #s for it to be fixed and it never was. I would not recommend having more than one phone with this company. Safelink is a good idea but the hassle is not worth it.

I called several weeks ago to cancel a phone that my ex (who is a Safelink rep and had put fraudulent information on the application) ordered. I never received the phone and by the time I called to cancel the phone they had already sent it out. I asked that the phone be cancelled, so I could reapply. I don't live at the address that she had the phone sent and I don't talk to her any more. I was reassured that they would cancel the phone and I could reapply in two or three days. I waited and tried to reapply and it keeps telling me that I already have an application started. I really need a phone so I can put the number on job applications.

I must say it was the worst experience I've ever had as far as customer service. It took three days to not get cut off after hours. I was on the verge of tears. They should not be eligible to provide this service. After days they connected a new SIM card and still failed provide my minutes. It's unfortunate that the government feels it is ok for people to go through this. Most cannot even be understood. They switch you from department to department cutting you off every time, then you can go through the whole thing again. I can tell you after all this I still don't have my minutes. After over an hour on the phone, I have knots in my stomach at the thought of calling again. Please do something!

They are worst of company ever. Gov phones - they need to stop giving people free phones that don't work. Their customer service is the worst I ever came across in my whole life. Offering people to upgrade their phones is a lie. People there do not know how to do their jobs.

My cell phone Safelink is damaged and starts the odyssey of trying to get a new one. The story is long: According to his instructions I bought a cell through TracFone that never served despite the many calls I made. In the end they told me to give it back. I went to FedEx and it turned out that I had to pay for the shipment. It lasted almost a month making calls trying to make the cell work. I will not continue to make failed attempts. I will lose the cost of telephone, taxes and $10 of additional data I spend. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY TO ANYONE.

My service was shut off with no explanation or warning. Never contacted me with a complaint. Having a impossible time getting it turned back on. I am a disable veteran and this situation has caused extreme daily problems. I have called them on friends phones but the waiting time is prohibited when on a friend's phones. Tried everything I can think of to locate their email. The chat contact was useless. Tried to find out where I can go to meet a rep of theirs in person. Again no info.

My husband has Safelink. The other company that he had which was Care Wireless Cellular opted out of the program. He's really never had any problems with his phone. Customer service is outsourced by many cellular carriers. The person who said about the government phone is that it is not issued by the government. It was a program set up by the government with carriers so if you have any problems it's not the government it's with the carriers and you must remember that the phones that Safelink has are better quality than for most other companies.

Safelink Wireless is nothing to brag about. They promised 250 free min a month and unlimited texting. I have never received min. From day one I received 17min and now as of 11/23/16 I have been stopped on my texting so I have no phone when I have no job, get food stamps, no car, my electricity has been off for many months. I feel that I been screwed out of this so called help to help the needy. Also I could not get any reception in the middle of town. Maybe I should start a protest on this.

Now this is messed up. For years I've used Safelink. Years. Always used it just for doctors. Rarely ever used it for friends unless it was to get a hold of family. They even sent me a new phone when my first one got lost. I loved them. Thought it was the best thing ever the government ever came out with. Now my 3 year old must have gotten a hold of my phone, because suddenly it quit working. I checked it out and it apparently had water damage, which is why I think my 3 year old got it. So I call Safelink asking about it and what to do. They said if it has any color on the x's on the battery then it came in contact w/ liquid. Ok fine. I figured that. Now the first phone I lost about a year ago, my 3 year old just recently found it in her toy box, hurrah!!! Right? Nope. They got me all excited thinking I could activate that phone again. Nope.

Safelink does have horrible customer service and they are the government, and they outsource this free government entitlement. I don't know why people are complaining. It is a free phone from the government. They are tracking your calls and texts anyway. LOL. According to them they do not have 250 minute plan with rollover minutes per month anymore. It is now 500 minutes, NO ROLLOVER. I guess free is free and that's why you get for something you don't pay for.

I called in to activate the Tracfone since I was unable to do so on my own. I have been on the phone with the 1st rep for about 37 minutes. It took that long to discover that the old phone I have no longer is associated with my amount. Mind you I Gave the rep imei and telephone number. I also gave the rep the enrollment ID on the letter and telephone number which was different. Ok, we have established the phone I have is old and not on this account. A phone was shipped in 2010 I think she said to a different address. Mind you it is 2016. "Ok so can you ship a new phone." Guess what now I have to be transferred. Urggghhh. The next rep was faster but there was a lot of dead silence. They said it will take 7-10 days to receive a phone. They are not the fastest. There is a little communication problem because we definitely kept going back and forth.

The worst customer service I have ever experienced. I was helping a Senior resident get her phone activated. This was a third call we made to Safelink over the past two weeks which they have NO RECORD OF! Today, I spoke with customer service, then the technical dept, (Selene) then to a supervisor, then back to technical worker. I then asked to speak with Selene's supervisor because after almost 2 hrs she kept putting me on hold. "Just a few more minutes to enter info". How much info does she need to enter to send a sim card? Stacy (supervisor) came on the line. She said she had no record of me being transferred to different depts. Stacy and Selene win for being the most "sarcastic and disrespectful" team. I was on the phone 2 hours and 6 minutes with Safelink, still no service and the worst customer service ever.

Internet service and customer support is the worst! Tech said he spent longest time on install than ever before, over 14 hrs. Spent more time on phone with tech support than usable time on internet. Example spend 2-3 hrs with tech support for 1 hr of use. Beware 4 mb per sec is not streaming, at best I received 1.3 mb ps. Good luck people.

I have never been more dissatisfied with a customer service department than I am with Safelink's. I recognize that this is a free to the user service, but taxpayer dollars are being used for this and they need to be held accountable. If you try phoning their customer service, you are shuttled from department to department and if you do manage to get a hold of a person, English is never their first language and the background noise is so loud you cannot understand what they are saying anyway.

I applied for & was eligible for a Safelink phone & service. I received the phone & tried to activate - it would not. I called Customer Service & the lady worked with me for almost 30 min. She could not activate. I ask her if it was a CDMA or a GSM phone -- she told me GSM. I told her that was the problem -- I have no service with AT&T - only Verizon where I live. She said no problem, she would send me a new CDMA phone & to call back when I got it. I did not get a new phone -- I got a SIM card.

SafeLink Wireless sent me an email telling me that I can upgrade to a smart phone for a limited time. I pay $150 for a smart phone - and what came in the mail is a T-MOBILE phone. Then when I go to switch my phone, they can't find the new phone's serial number. Then they tell me that I need to buy an AT&T sim card. I call again to activate, they basically call me crazy because AT&T is not affiliated with them and they can't use an AT&T card. They say "no, you need a TracFone card". So trip two, 40 miles a trip I go to Walmart and buy a TracFone sim card. I call them, she says "no, you can't use TracFone. You need to get an AT&T card." She also mentions that the "bring your own phone" that I purchased from shopsafelink.com might not even be unlocked. Then later on in the conversation she says, "well, looks like you can't get any service" then proceeded to try to sell me minutes anyway.

My ex STOLE my phone. When I reported it lost, they deactivated per my request. My ex was able to REACTIVATE phone by answering "SECURITY QUESTIONS- PHONE # AND MY ZIP"... THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. He used this phone that I REPORTED STOLEN to threaten me and my 3 yr old child several times.

My phone was lost and according to their TOS on their website they would provide one replacement phone for no cost. When I contacted them they said they had "just" changed their policy and are no longer providing the "free" replacement. This was over a month ago and they still have not changed their TOS to reflect this "change". In other words they LIE... and their customer service is completely worthless. I have been trying to activate a "bring your own phone" which is still out of service despite spending more than 2 hours with their incompetent techs and going through 3 different TracFone sim cards. Thanks for nothing.

They sent me a faulty phone. It won't even turn on, it discharges completely as soon as you take it off the charger. They won't replace and say I must "purchase" another phone from them. I tried to disconnect my service so I could go to another company, but they refuse. Beware, nothing but a Scam!

It would appear that Safelink is a scam to get money from the government. First, service is almost nonexistent. I have to be within 20 yards of the city limit sign in my small town to get any service bars. The phone that I have is always telling me that the battery is overheating or if left off the charger for 24 hours the message is that the battery to too low. You're suppose to verify each year that you still qualify for service but apparently they have collect money from the government a couple of years in advance because I have two years of service left on my phone. I live on a fixed income and only got this phone because of possible need while driving to town. I live 13 miles from service so that is useless. I've not been able to find a way of contacting Safelink about the problem. They get the money from the government for the service but there is no service. This is a free phone so I shouldn't expect a lot but they shouldn't take money for what they don't provide.

Enrollment dept has repeatedly denied my award letters (food stamp, Medicaid- Mainecare, SSA disability income) claiming one instead of 3 copies were sent and (medicare in Maine covers Medicaid dept here) DENIED. Resent by fax twice to be sure they received (claims we cannot see it too blurry) by e-mail (claims of blurriness too) and finally again certified mail we did not receive (not in our system 3 days after receiving) and unable to get Drs office to call back on no phone (talking on Google Hangouts cannot receive incoming calls and sorry we don't e-mail appts). I am ill - physically and probably be deceased when and if a phone ever does be sent. USPS Certified tracking # ** sent Sept 9th, 2016, received Sept 12th, 2016 at 0819 am (claims of 24-48 hours then will be in system).

I have not been able to contact anyone at their customer service dept. All I get is recordings and options. I have been calling for over 3 months and cannot get any help with getting a replacement phone!! Never have seen such a horrible company in my life!!

I am SOOOOOOO VERY frustrated with the crappy customer service that you receive whenever you have to call Safelink for help with ANYTHING. In August (2016) I didn't receive my minutes so I called the customer service number... not very helpful. After speaking with someone that spoke broken (and robotic-sounding) English I was told that I needed to provide some kind of documentation to continue my service (after being on the phone for nearly 1/2 hour). I was then transferred to another person that spoke really crappy English that told me the same thing (after about 10 minutes) and THAT person transferred me again (on hold for more than 10 minutes waiting for someone to answer that transfer), and then when I got another crappy English-speaking person on the phone I was told that I did NOT need to provide anything and that I would receive my minutes like usual in September.

I have been on California Safelink for 2 months, I'm gave all my documents and received free phone. When your phone comes there are 3 papers net10, safelink and tracfone nothing else. Nothing to tell you who to call about different problems. On Aug 29 2016 I called safelink about problems with phone. She was nice told me to call California lifeline - I was disqualified. I got so stress. How could this be. Lifeline phone wouldn't go through wrote email safelink informed because safelink didn't send them paperwork. I called safelink couldn't get through to a English speaking person I could understand. When I got through to safelink they also disqualified me without reason. I need help. I don't know want to do. I'm I going to have a $1000.00 phone bill. I am caught between california 2 biggest companies handle the free phones. Someone help.

This is a wholly federal government (paid for using tax dollars) however the people one talks to are NOT US citizens nor do they even reside here. The 800-SAFELINK (800-723-3546) and 800-378-1684 connect you with a call center in the Philippines or Malaysia or somewhere else outside the USA. The problem with this should be obvious. I might not need free wireless service if I could work for them @ a living wage $11.00/hour. I would guess that is not what they pay in other countries. They're always polite & try to be helpful. However this is exactly why we have so many employment/poverty issues.

No coverage for the Obama phone. I was told by a Safelink Wireless representative the company would send me a new sim card. The sim card would allow me to use my phone from my residence. I called today and I was told they don't cover my area. The citizens are being cheated. Why does the govt provide products that don't work as intended. It's a rip off.

I applied for a cell phone over 2 months ago because I am currently unemployed and cannot afford one currently and qualified for the services. I was denied because they stated on 7-27-16 I did not provide them with name and ssi information. I sent them a photocopy of my state ID and social security card. I resent the information. One month later still no phone. I need this phone to be contacted so I can go to work. I have had similar problems with another cell phone company. One actually denied me a phone for having an "illegible signature" despite qualifying for the service and providing all the information.

I live outside the city limits. I'm a senior citizen and disabled. I received a Safelink phone because I cannot afford to pay for a landline or cell phone service. Why can't I get a Safelink phone that will get enough reception to make a call or text. I live by myself. I think if the government lets you have a cell phone no matter where you live you should be able to have some kind of service. I have to drive five miles to make a call or send text.

Called Safelink Wireless, mailed application 6 weeks, never heard from them. Then I called on 8-14-16, they told me that I was turned down. Then they took my information over the phone, keep saying, then have to change my information, took my information for 1 hr. She would repeat address & my other information. I had it and cancel. The worst ever, never again. Went back to my old phone. If any ask about Safelink Wireless phone, I will tell them don't do it.

My phone was deactivated for unknown reason. In order for it to be reactivated representative told me I needed to pay for the phone call that I made to that particular department. He asked for my credit card number but was unable to give me the price they were going to charge to my card. They said it will only be activated when I pay for the call with my credit card.

I have spent hours over the past few weeks trying to have my phone activated. I've been told its complete hours should be there by end of day. I've been told my phone was deactivated (a phone never activated) and I'll have to purchase reactivation card. I've been transferred to more departments than should even exist. This is beyond ridiculous.

Safelink signs people up for their service by telling them they are getting a free smart phone. I signed up for this as did my friend. Neither one of us was sent a smart phone. We were both sent the standard phone which is not a smart phone. You cannot cancel your account for two months so I am stuck with this phone. This is a bait and switch scam.

The service was disconnected for no reason.. Nobody could give me a reason. After 3 1/2 days it was reactivated after 4 hours of waiting on hold which was deducted from air time which is totally UNFAIR AND when you look at other reviews a fraud..

Safelink is scamming people who can least afford it. They are sending emails to clients saying they need to call Technical Service and are forced to hold in excess of 60 minutes which is deducted from their available time. When they get someone on the phone they are told they didn't need to call in. This is an obvious attempt by Safelink to cause customers to needlessly burn their minutes and forcing some to purchase additional time to increase Safelink's profits. This amounts to FRAUD!

I have a government phone, a Budget one, have had it about 4 or 5 months. I text once in a while, and make the mandatory once a month phone call. I mainly have it for emergencies, or if I'm babysitting for my daughter, since they don't have a landline over there. So couple of weeks ago, I got a couple of strange texts on my phone, which I ignored, thinking it was just spam. NOPE!! And then I got a letter a few days ago, from Safelink, saying to call the number from my phone, again I put it off. My daughter tried calling my cell last night, ended up calling my landline to let me know my cell was turned off. I tried calling the Safelink # from said cell phone, only to find out, yes, my cell has been turned off. So WHY did Safelink switch my phone from Budget WITHOUT any reason?? And I'm to babysit today (a 6 month old) for several hours...with NO phone for emergency calls nor any way of contacting my daughter. VERY PISSED right now.

The two Safelink companies are ripping the government off. They get tax payer's money for contracting in the U.S. to provide services to people that can't afford a phone. They have only give me 700 minutes twice, and 350 the rest of the time. They make you take another phone every year by putting the shoots to your sim and then all of your contacts are lost. One of them never DID send me another phone and I just wonder if they are sending the tax write off for all of the ** phones and batteries they are sending out. How many service hours are they putting on their books for a write off. The government needs to give the contract to another company, to people in the US so they can have a job and will appreciate it. The phones needs to be recalled and batteries also.

As with anything that I buy or acquire I do research. I have not yet finished my application for the Safelink phone. However after reading these reviews I decided to do some digging which took all of 5 min. I am deaf so I need a qwerty keyboard more than anything. I do not necessarily need a smartphone (would be nice though). If you try to get a hold of anyone on Safelink good luck, BUT if you pay close attention to the contact link where it gives you the annoying phone number it says Tracfone as well as Safelink. Now when I first started my application process on the Safelink site a chat pop up icon was there but once you close out the link you will never see it again. As I said before I am deaf so a 1 800 number does squat for me and I have to be resourceful.

Jesus ** - he has lost his phone and told me brad ** that he lost phone. We did trace his steps so instead of wasting more time I purchased him a tracfone like he had and friday 7/22/16 12 noon we transferred the above # and phone was working. It then quiet. He has Safelink with unlimited text yet when we try to use it has no time. Jes ** thinks he should have had 44 minutes and the activation gave him 10. Phone now at zero minutes over 500 days. I called sat not solved. I called back sat not resolved. I called 3 times today monday and problem not solved and I am not told why. Just call back in 4 hours. I have a reference # **.

I signed up over a month ago and still have not received the phone that I qualified for. It said that I was qualified but the company never added a tracking number for me to follow up on. When I called and addressed my concerns they said that they would send out another phone which I have not received and have no tracking information for either. I also have a friend that signed up as well and they never received their phone and their account still says pending after 6 weeks. This company seems like a scam to me especially after reading all the bad reviews and never receiving the phones.

I have been reading the reviews of Safelink and I have to agree with every one of them. I was transferred so many times when I would call I lost count and everyone of them had a middle east accent. I finally got so fed up with it that the last time I called because, my phone had been shut off, I don't even remember how many times I was sent around the circle of "technicians". I was told I had to reapply, I hadn't even had the phone a month. Well, when he said that he had to transfer me back to where I started I said "don't bother, I'm going with someone else." I know that this is one of those deals that you get what you pay for, nothing.

Applied for benefits at the end of June and was approved. A broken charger and front cover arrived on but nothing else. Called to request to be sent a complete phone and went through hours and hours of phone calls and repeating myself to various extremely rude "customer service" reps who were seemed very angry and upset that they have to answer phone calls. Finally was able to speak to a "supervisor" who said it wasn't her problem and hung up on me. Several hours later I was able to speak to another "supervisor" who promised they would send out a new complete phone and charger set. Over a week went by and after about 5 hours of making phone calls to Safelink I spoke to a woman who said there was no tracking number but the phone would arrive in a few days.

I had called Safelink about getting a replacement phone since my phone was defective. All seemingly went fine but the next day, my original phone, which I could still text and make some very short calls, was now suddenly disconnected and the sim card no longer registered. I call Safelink and I get the message that my sim card was canceled due to ordering a new phone, which, BTW, had not even been processed or even in the mail! They activated the new phone even before I had it in my hands.

I am a Safelink user. Today 7/12/2016, Safelink sent me a new, unlockable phone to replace my original broken Safelink phone. That work 1 and 1/2 weeks, and broke again. It built up a heat and try to explode in any time. I called them. It took me 3 hr to talk to those nonsense represent and the manager end up with a bad situation that I had no phone service. I would like to tell everybody who want to get service from Safelink. Please think of it again and again before you sign up for with this bad company.

When I signed up I very straightforwardly asked, "Do you use Verizon?" I explained to the person face to face I live in the mountains and ONLY VERIZON works up there. He assured me it would not be a problem. I was also told that I would have my phone in less than 5 days. I verified if it was business days and he said no. Well it took over two weeks to get the stupid phone that did not work because they sent me a T-Mobile phone. I called and explained that only Verizon works in my area. After being on hold and endless explanation about how towers work because customer service can not understand that I am in the mountains and the only carrier that works up here is Verizon. They after numerous calls and endless hours on hold and trying to explain to people who do not understand English the simple fix. "NOPE. WE NOW HAVE TO SEND YOU AND ATT SIM." OMG. Really that doesn't work up here either!!

Cannot use the phone. Calling tech support doesn't help at all. You spend at least an hour on the phone with someone you can barely understand putting code after code into the phone and the next time you are out somewhere and need to use the phone it will have the message Emergency calls only or no service. Even though it is a Tracfone, and it should have service from just about all the towers in the area, seems Safelink cannot connect to any of them. I am better off paying $10 a month to ATT for the $2 only for the days I would use a cell phone plan. I never use my cell phone. I qualify for the Safelink. But if it isn't available when I would need it, what is the point of having it. I will pay the $10 to know it is there when I need it with ATT coverage. For whatever the government is paying Safelink or Tracfone for this program, it is a ripoff to the taxpayers. I cancelled my service with them.

I learned from the person who commented on Safelink trapping him by forcing him to pay to activate the so called FREE PHONE!!! More importantly, Safelink has sent me tons of emails and a half dozen mailings trying to force me into accepting a new free telephone from them, which - just like my not giving info to renew for past 4-5 years - I ignored and even threatened them once to stop trying to give me a new phone since I am happy with my old old old phone that probably cannot be tracked like new phones can.

I've been reading some of these reviews and I don't understand all the difficulty everyone's having or why people are complaining about the phones they're getting! I ordered my phone on 7/2/16 and got my phone yesterday (7/9/16). When I opened the box put the battery in the phone and turned it on my minutes were already on there. I called the activation number and was on the phone for 2 minutes. Didn't even have to talk to anyone. Not one issue! Sure I'll miss my iPhone and the touch screen but how can anyone really complain about the phone itself when they're getting it for FREE with FREE minutes every month? If you don't like their selection on phones they're giving out for FREE go pay for your own phone! Complaining about something you get for free is downright ridiculous!

I am a Safelink user. Recently, Safelink sent me a new, unlockable phone to replace my original locked Safelink phone. I inserted the battery and the new SIM card and read the instructions for transferring my existing Safelink phone number to the new phone. These instructions were painfully inadequate. To "transfer my number" to the new phone the instruction gave only a phone number to call. Following that came 2-and-one-half-hours of pure hell on the phone! The instructions that came with the new phone made no mention of all the serial numbers and SIM numbers I would be asked for during the process, many of which involved opening the phone I was using, removing the battery to read information printed inside the case, which of course broke the connection, so I had to phone Safelink and start the process all over again.

After talking to customer service, I was told to call a number for tech support for other issues. 1 800 867 7183. I get a middle eastern man saying I won 100 dollars, and needed my credit card info to bill me 4.95. I said "there is no way you are getting that", and asked" what's next, my social security number?" He says no. I asked who he works for and where he is and for his name. Leeward, Los Angeles, and William **. I laughed and said "you might as well have said John **." So I said "just put me thru to tech support", and he says he cannot until he gets my credit card number to send me 100 dollars. What a scam. I called back and won 100 dollars again, and hung up. I tried again and got tech support. After talking to this clown I was put on hold for the supervisor. I hung up finally.

I liked my new SafeLink phone, even though it isn't a smartphone, nor can you make videos or take pictures, but it was a decent phone. I did have problems with it, one of which is when the calls kept dropping. I also had another problem with how to change the menu readout so I took out the battery and SIM card and put it back again, so I basically manually reloaded the phone and went on my way.

If there was a way that I could give this company no stars I would because they don't even deserve one star in my opinion. My first encounter with SafeLink Wireless was when I received a phone from them and then had to call them to activate it. I was told to keep holding on the line while they investigated my account. I swear to God I was kept on the line for over 45 minutes while they work with me to activate my phone. I was so frustrated by the end of the call because I kept getting transferred from one line to another line because I was told that they couldn't help me and they would transfer me to another line. At the end of 45 minutes I still didn't have my phone activated. I waited a couple of days and calls again this time. The same thing but I told them what happened the last time and within 30 minutes I had my phone activated but it was still very frustrating.

They refuse to enroll anyone with a "commercial" address as designated by their faulty address look up system. I have verified with USPS that address is residential, but the incompetent reps at Safelink refuse to use common sense. They wasted an hour on phone just to figure out they can't finish enrollment. Terribly idiotic management from top down. From seeing all the hassles and incompetence of those already enrolled, guess they did me a favor. I will still complain to Attorney General and FCC, as this practice of designating apartment addresses as commercial is discriminatory.

I was a customer for several years, but recently moved to Colorado. They do not serve my area, but failed to tell me, until they had already deactivated my account, but not before having to call several times, be placed on hold for about 30 minutes, only to be transferred to another department for another 30-minute wait. You can have them call you back, but they say you will not lose your place in line but you absolutely start over with all of the transferring. Also, their service states that toll free numbers do not take minutes off your phone, but admit in red writing on their contact page, to call from a different phone, to avoid using your plan minutes, which it does.

Safelink customer service is awful. I have been going back and forth with them for 3 months now trying to get a cell phone that works correctly. Their customer service is all overseas and there seems to be no accountability. I have been sent the wrong kind of phone twice, they failed to transfer my number from one phone to the other when I did get the right kind of phone, and have suspended my service multiple times, then reinstated it, then suspended it again.

I had a Verizon phone for 18 years with 350 minutes and never used it all up. Now I get a gov disability phone with 350 min and they say I used 340 min in 16 days. So I call them to add time and send me the record. They tell me If I add $10 dollars they will give me 350 min (a special) so he takes all my info and charge card and the phone goes dead and no min added.

I had a phone through ReachOut. Awful company. I just jumped out of the frying pan into the fire! ReachOut is going out of business. They sent a text to contact Safelink, they have a free touchscreen phone and 500 min per month. Ok, I have no choice. I go online to order the phone, couldn't, something about service in this building. This is a huge apartment building. I'm sure someone has a Safelink phone in here somewhere. Then I call them, the message says "if you order over the phone, it will take longer due to the verification process." Ok. I'm speaking with someone who was clearly in a bad mood. Said "we will help you over the phone, it won't take that long."

I called and have been waiting 2 weeks for a phone. I am unable to call them, I don't have a phone! I can't email them it just gives me a freaking phone number to call, again... NO PHONE!!!

I had filled out a application for the phone and was waiting to hear back from them. In the meantime, my son mentioned the bad reviews on the phone, so of course I read them. After reading, I wasn't even sure I wanted the phone. From the time I applied at Walmart Store till I received the phone was 2 weeks! I received the phone and was so nervous thinking... "what am I in for". I called Safelink to help me set up my phone. I was dreading this part. I was put on hold, recording said it may be 15 minutes. It was 3 minutes. Now I don't have any idea what most of the complaints are about. Denilson in customer service was foreign but I could understand him very clearly. He took the time to walk me thru all the steps, it was so easy. If I got confused, he wasn't flustered, and he was very knowledgeable. So maybe the Ca. phones are different, I don't know, but so far I am completely satisfied.

There was a 30 min wait before speaking to customer service that was billed to me. Another wait of 20 min dealing with customer service also billed to me. Then was told if I didn't have another phone they couldn't resolve issue. Now I have to buy minutes out of pocket which is what this whole scam is about in the first place. There needs to be an investigation into Safelink's practices. They get funding from the government with one hand and shake down the clients with the other by virtually denying service via protocols designed to thwart the customer and billing the government too.

After several application processes for my grandson, we finally succeeded in receiving a phone. It will not activate at all and my attempts to contact customer service are futile. After many prompts and waits I always get hung up on. So I thought I would try contacting by internet. Guess what? They refer you back to the same lame telephone number again! So this is another huge Obama waste of taxpayer's money. This scam deserves less than 1 star but no way to give it.

I received a Tracfone. It is a piece of junk! It only works a little in one location in the house. The battery is only good for about 15 minutes. I tried to change the phone number to my old number I had with Verizon. After 6 phone calls to customer service, they got it changed. I tried it and it worked once. The next day the Tracfone was back to the old number. The customer service is mediocre if you can get someone who speaks English and the connection is not all static. I am sure glad Obama is spending our tax money for another worthless program. It must be set up by the same morons who worked on Obamacare!

Gets worse every year. I get lost in endless phone loops. Does not follow through on promised services. Does not recognize phone prompts when I call.

I think that the star rating system should include the option to rate "zero" stars for some companies because that it is how badly some companies operate their business and how poorly their customer service division performs. According to an email I received 4/21 I live in a area undergoing a cellular network upgrade. I was mailed a phone that was compatible with the new network. Received the phone 4/30. As instructed, I proceeded to call SafeLink in order to activate the new phone.

I have recently trying to turn on my phone and every time I do it's keep asking me for a PUK code, I don't know how to get it, and every time I try to contact customer service the always put my call on hold and they never comes back to talk to me. It's just crazy, I'm still with my phone off and very dissatisfied.

I received an outdated phone. I tried to activate the phone and couldn't. I called the company to let them know that I couldn't activate this new phone. Because it defected, now I have no phone. They turn off the old phone and the new one doesn't work either...

Sign-up online was very well-supported. Phone was received in timely well-boxed but no service inside home. Advised they had nothing to connect with extender antennas. Go to Walmart. And my Link Up plan did not support smartphone but only two listed with promise to send me slightly larger one which the small identical phone received much later remains boxed. I have no way to call them about this and medical necessity dictates need for working phone. It is degrading when forced to tell people who need to reach you "Sorry, I have no service where I live and cannot be reached by phone" - paying for that would be robbery and I'm not so sure what you call this from SafeLink/Link Up America emergency phones.

Me and my father both have Safelink phones. He lives in Ohio and I live in Tennessee. I recently went on a trip to Georgia with him so he could visit his twin sister for their 77th birthday. Neither one of us had coverage while we were there. These are suppose to be government phone and are available all over. What good are they if you cannot get coverage all over. What would have happened if we broke down on the highway. We could not call anyone for help.

I would have rated this service even lower if I could. I have been a customer with Safelink for about 1.5 years now and have had to get several phone replacements. I am up to the 7th or 8th replacement phone now. Each and every phone I get does not work well. It either has a battery that doesn't retain a charge, drops calls or overheats so bad that it can't be held for more than 10 minutes before the unit gets so hot that it becomes intolerable. I call the Florida phone number and clearly am speaking with someone overseas that does not understand English. The 2 different numbers provided: For Enrollment and Plan Changes Support: 1-800-Safelink (723-3546) or For Technical Support ONLY: 1-800-378-1684 route through the same way.

I have had my Safelink (Oregon) phone for about 3 months. I was supposed to get the first 4 months with 500 minutes. It has only received 20 minutes each month. Last month the phone deactivated for no reason. I have tried calling every number available to me in order to get the phone reactivated and find out why I am only getting 20 minutes each month. Every time that I call, I end up speaking to someone with a strong Indian accent. I have called over a dozen times and have yet to speak to someone who sounds like they are actually in America. So, basically the phone was supposed to be reactivated within 48 hours. Needless to say, it wasn't.

While this may be a common phrase to describe companies that are bad, I feel I have to use it, because this one REALLY, REALLY may be amongst the worst of the worst companies in ANY category. I was going through a rough time and began receiving public assistance while I could get back on my feet. I didn't even have a home phone at that point and an attorney who was assisting me on a matter with my home recommended I call Assurance Wireless for a "government" phone, which I did. Assurance wanted a bunch of information and copies of documents that with all that I was going through, I really did not have the time to chase down, so I opted for SafeLink/Tracfone who approached me with a letter saying I had been pre-approved for a phone. I signed the document and waited for the phone.

Where to begin... I live with my mom and I'm legally poor. I'm not in poverty, but there's several things we can't afford. My mom decided to sign me up for a Safelink phone. The phone I got was really bad. The internet never works. I called customer service several times and never once have they tried to solve the issue. They were also very rude. I'm also mad because I can't switch my Safelink phone number to a smartphone from Tracfone. I need a smartphone for school, so how will I work properly? I'm on Medicaid and my parents don't have health insurance. I eventually recycled my Tracfone and I'm so glad I quit using Safelink! We currently use smartphones under MetroPCS, which is affordable. Please, no matter how poor you are, stay away from Safelink as much as you can! They are stealing money from the government to scam people.

Does anyone else feel that Safelink, a free gov't paid phone, outsourcing customer service to India is just wrong? Besides the usual complaint about how difficult they are to understand, I can't grasp how USA tax dollars are used to pay for outsourced customer service in another country. They should require Safelink to use customer service within the USA. Tax dollars paying people in India instead of helping our own. Just seems wrong to me.

It is a huge pain dealing with the company. Now my relationship with Safelink Wireless has come to an unsurprising end since they have cancelled my service with no warning. I called to ask if I needed to be recertified and was told no. But my phone was dead today and now I find that I need to apply as a new customer. I was misinformed by cust. service, and it is just my bad luck. I'll apply with another company this time.

After two hours of customer service and being transferred five different times, I still have no solution. I am a homeless shelter case manager. I deal with Safelink Wireless phones almost daily. I've had pending cases for lengthy amount of times. After attempting to get these resolved and no success, I will be switching ALL OF MY CLIENTS over to another provider. Never again will I use Safelink. Horrible service.

I received the new phone. Some employees do not know how to roll over the minutes to the new phone. Finally, I found one person. One problem with the web icon. I accidentally hit web icon. It deleted 547 minutes? I called several times and no one could give me back those minutes? I do not even have the internet? This is ridiculous! I a consumer loses minutes by accident with a new phone (only a week old) those minutes should be restored. It takes too long to accumulate that amount of minutes and to lose those minutes by accidentally hitting the web is not fair!

I've been at this for SEVEN MONTHS. First, it said my info didn't match records. WHAT? So, they wanted pictures of all my info e-mailed. I did that FIVE TIMES and never got a response. Calls, etc... So I finally took hard copies and mailed it in... still nothing! More calls, finally, she says she needs proof of birth date. It's on my driver's license! Well, they can't accept that because it doesn't have my full name. Because I don't use my full name! The initial matches, middle name matches, address matches everything else... but no, they could not accept that. Now, I'm hot! I report them to the state attorney general, because they have my social security number, etc. Sensitive information that should not go to just anyone, especially since all these people are in another country!!! Got the response I'd been accepted when they responded to the atty. gen. Took over a month to get the first phone.

I am Jay's father, he died 12/26/2015. I requested the phone cancellation. However it is still active. After four calls I was again told the phone was deactivated today (3/5/2016). It would appear they would profit by continued activation. I was told several reasons why it wasn't deactivated. None made sense. No calls were made on the phone and the contract states a call must be made in the first 10 days of the month. On one call I was told Jay's application had been approved. I question the communication as all representatives spoke very poor English.

Incredibly incomplete posted information and instructions. About 15 calls to 800# plus webchat -- most reps were supposed to be supervisors. I have no problem with accents having lived in many countries; But, their comprehension of American-English is terrible. They read from prepared scripts provided by the company. No 2 reps gave me the same instructions to follow to provide verification. I tried all, to the letter. I take notes as they instruct me and make them repeat s-l-o-w-l-y. I read back s-l-o-w-l-y. Nothing worked. Still waiting to know if accepted, or receive the phone. From seniors I have talked to, Safelink used to be better. No more :-(.

These people don't know how to speak English and the get your gender wrong... They told me I had to do another application for phone service.

Things started fine, but two weeks into use my phone displayed a "Service Unavailable Message". The Safelink rep had me enter codes in code entry mode but this didn't work. I was sent a new sim card for this phone, it didn't work. They sent me a new phone and I went through the code entry mode process again, it didn't work. They have now sent a third phone and it doesn't work. It isn't the customer service rep's fault. They're people trying to do a job. The problem is technical with Safelink's system.

All I see are people complaining. Some people are having more problems than just money. A cell phone with any minutes is a blessing. Quit using the cell phone for talking all the time. That's not what it's meant for. I am very appreciative that there is this company to help. Now if I am driving and something happens I know I call loved ones instead of just 911. Quit complaining because your phone was free. Be thankful for what you have. Make it work. Most of these phones are probably refurbished, not new. So they do their best. Not happy. Go buy your service if you got so much money to buy a brand new phone and unlimited whatever. I'm happy. I'm content. And I want to say thank you Safelink for the convenience of safety.

I have read several of the reviews of Safelink of the approx. 343 consumers affairs complaints. I don't want to reiterate their total stupidity and incompetence, which is self-evident. They wasted several hours of my precious time on the phone to try straighten out a simple matter!!! They can't speak English, they don't listen very, very, STUPID. We had a open account, then they said we have reapply! Unbelievable. It's just NOT worth the effort!!! WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY DOESN'T THE GOV. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS APPARENT ATROCITY???

I only gave two stars, because I finally got some assistance from the online chat CR representative. First of all, I want to say that I TOTALLY appreciate a program that helps me to get an extra phone, (I've been in the position where the only phone I had was broken, and I had no phone) and free minutes for the month. That is a noble thing to do for low-income people. BUT, what good is it if the phone you are sent doesn't work. AND, when you are ABLE to reach tech support they don't really help. I have finally gotten my phone to work, and while I have read the horror stories on here, I just don't have the energy to go into mine. No service, two sim cards, waiting for days for the second sim card to get registered which was a total waste of time, as the girl online did in finally in ten minutes.

I have been trying to get a Safelink phone for 2 months now. It's been in a "pending" status because it keeps saying I need my SS# proof. I've sent it in by uploading it to their site 5 or 6 times now, and it never accepts it. I have called them and they keep telling me to wait a few more days and try it again. Trying to get to talk to a manager is impossible.

By and large Safelink Wireless is an (typical) underhanded and deceitful US government enterprise that preys on the unsuspecting low-income and financially downtrodden. My aunt had engaged these characters until it became clear they are using the population to try and get them to buy 'calling cards' to add more minutes to their teeny-tiny poor reception often dropped-calls cell phones. In addition, Safelink has been steadily reducing their customers' minutes in any attempt to further intimidate them into buying those very costly calling cards. I have since convinced my aunt to get rid of those scammers and their useless phones and am paying her monthly landline. If she has an emergency she can count on reliable contact and LifeLine to help keep her bill down. I would advise the same for anyone using the corrupt government bait-and-switch.

SafeLink is not delivering my minutes and this is not the first time. I've followed the instructions to download, to no avail. I've also phoned SafeLink only to end up in a phone tree that never resolves the problem, only veiled ineffective directions.

I called and explained I haven't gotten my monthly minutes for two months. I've done all the codes, and still nothing, they proceed to tell me that I did. I'm so furious with this phone plan, I have to reinstate my income for eligibility, and they don't do their end. Is this Safelink a fraud to take people's tax dollars? I'm so disappointed in this program.

Received a email from my original phone service stating that Safelink had taken my "lifeline credit" which doubled my phone bill for my original phone. After checking documentation, they had the right to do this, so cancelled Safelink phone, called and talked to a Camile who was hard to hear so finally gave up on her and tried to get an email address for Safelink and couldn't understand her on that either. What a hassle and not worth this tiny phone. These companies should get people who speak better English and have a better phone system so you can hear them.

The requirements for eligibility, it clearly states that Safelink will research state database to confirm my eligibility, so why do I need to confirm it by sending photos and such?

I paid $30.00 for the unlimited paid on 12/19/2015, and on 12/23/2015 my phone would not work again due to being out of minutes. I called and complained and the representative stated he would add 250 minutes to my account to last me until the end of the month free of charge as a one time courtesy to get me to the end of the month. At the beginning of the month I was then instructed to call and have $5.00 deducted to give me the unlimited for the month of January. I call on the 01/04/2016 to have the unlimited plan for the $5.00 due to their screw up. When I called the lady not only stated that she would not honor their agreement for the unlimited plan but that they without my knowledge or consent have been deducting money from my account. My $30.00 that was refunded was now $12.40 and I used over 200 minutes in less than 5 days since my plan restated on the 31st.

I am on my 2nd Safelink phone they sent me that doesn't work. The first phone didn't work. I was on link with OVERSEAS customer service for over an hour, after talking to 2 people, they sent me a 2nd phone. The 2nd phone was identical and had the same problems. Called back, after talking to 3 people (over two hours on the phone) they said a new SIM card would probably resolve the problem, and I would receive it in another 10 days. Meanwhile, they are banking the government check for my service that I am not receiving! I requested expedited shipment of the SIM as the need a phone at all times for medical reasons, was sent to speak it over with a supervisor (Anthony, from Georgetown, Guyana) and he simply flat out refused. No, they will under no circumstances ever expedite shipment.

Someone that has authority needs to bring attention to the corrupt company! I have been told so many times I received my minutes and didn't. And have heard from multiple people the same problem!! I was having problems with my phone and they said they would just send me a new one. I received it and within 3 days the screen quit working. Just so it's said I am grateful for having the phone as I am disabled and so is my son and we live far in the country. But I think if taxpayers and our government is paying for the less fortunate people in our country to have this service that we should actually receive the services paid for!!!

I've been waiting on a cell phone from SafeLink/Tracfone for a while now. I have talk to them for a few times now and I should have receive my new cell phone in 10 working days twice already and nothing happens. Please help me.

Didn't get my minutes in November. Finally called after a few days to check and got same story. Here they had that I'd had received another Safelink Phone. Told them I hadn't. My membership was Cancelled and I was left without a phone! Told them I live alone and am Totally Disabled. Am dependent on that phone! Didn't matter. Was being checked into but wouldn't be known until December 20th! Just called again and got same story! So NO PHONE! Then even with all of this I still have to re-apply with no guarantee! Told gal I have MORE RIGHTS not being American. Totally fed up with these guys.

My phone was not working right so my daughter bought one for me. I called Safelink and had the plan transferred. They never told me I could not use the phone (LG Lucky android powered). Later when having problems with the phone I was told I cannot use this phone for Safelink. I asked if I could get another phone and use it with Safelink, and they said yes. I bought a tracfone (LG 305c). The store employee called Safelink and they said yes I could use that phone. I called on 11/13, 2015 to have it activated and 24 hours later they are still working on it and I have no phone. Then could not call to activate and no time so we used a card with 90 days and 60 min. still no phone or min or days. If I cannot fix this I would like a refund for both phones.

I hope this complaint doesn't go into cyberspace as a mere catharsis to protect this company from a class action lawsuit and keep the status quo going like so many of these forums do. Today a Customer Service rep from Tracfone/Safelink suspended my service because I used a choice word that reflected my frustration concerning their incompetence during my endless chat sessions and phone conversations when I had my first account and my second account with Safelink. Throughout all of these sessions and phone conversations I was polite and was even complimented on my politeness.

I needed a replacement phone from Safelink. First, it took a whole month for me to get the phone. They supposedly sent the phone by FedEx but every time I would track the phone, it was be sent back to carrier. So, I call to let them know. The representative will always take my info every time but still somehow, the phone always will be sent back to the carrier. Anyway, finally got the phone. It took a whole month to receive the phone.

On 11/5/15 I visited my local Department of Social Services building here in Bridgeport, CT to file for food stamps and medicaid. While approaching the building a young man asked me if I was interested in receiving a phone and that I would be eligible to receive one if I get assistance from the state. I told him that I was applying that very day. He informed me that upon approval I could then apply and be approved. To document said approval, all I would have to present to him is a "budget sheet". I then asked how long would he be there, because I had been informed that waiting at the DES building is almost an all day affair. He stated, "until 3 o'clock."

Safelink Wireless is obviously all about what the government pays them for the free (or low income) cell phone program. Every time I've had to call them regarding some issue, I'm told I need to recertify due to some problem with my account. This is supposed to be done yearly. Now my account has been cancelled for non-use for 60 days. Impossible as I use the phone all the time & am on the phone to call them! Then you have this drone in customer service that won't listen & who talks over you obviously reading from a script. You would also think if there's someone representing a company, they could speak English that's understandable. So even though my phone says I have 877 days left of service & I get my minutes each month I have to go through the hassle of reapplying. I've been in customer service 30 years & this is a prime example of what not to do. Not worth the hassle.

I have had continual problems with my cell phone keeping the correct time, the year changes from 2015 to 2006 along with the months. Safelink helped me on the phone the past 3 or 4 years correct it. They were very helpful, until this year. I was told they were sending me a new cell and different model, it would take 7-10 days, and they would leave the problem cell on. The phone worked except keeping time and date current. When one has an appointment, especially medical, then misses the appointment due to the phone changing time and the year it can create issues and missed schedules. I borrowed a phone to call them. This started on the 5th and I should have had the new cell on the 13th. On the 7th my cell was turned off. I called to ask why, I was told they turn the old cell off and the new one on before they ship it so it works when you get it.

I will save you all some time. Go to Assurance Wireless. They are a low income Lifeline cell phone service. When you run out of minutes it is very cheap to add additional minutes. $5.00 for 250 minutes, and 30.00 for unlimited talk and text. I spent 2.5 hours just change my phone, port my old number and ended up having them deactivate my service. Right now I am stuck with no phone service after they said that ported phone number procedure had been completed. I'm not getting into the details but anyone who has been through this knows what I am talking about.

I got a cell phone from Safelink. The phone is very small and I had trouble seeing the keyboard and the screen of the phone. Called up customer service and explain this to them. The representative was from a foreign country and could hardly speak English. I explain my situation about not being able to see the phone clearly and she said she would order a another phone that was bigger so that I could see the phone clearly. After waiting nine days I finally received the replacement phone. Guess what phone they send me? The same exactly phone that I had. I did call up to complain and they said a mistake was made and they ordered another phone and again after waiting another nine days I got the same phone. This happened five times and each time they ordered the same phone as I had.

My stepdaughter upgraded her phone on 10/17/15. She then called technical support and spoke to 3 different people. She was assured that the minutes would be transferred within 24-48 hours. As of today at 3:30pm CST she still doesn't have the minutes transferred. My grandson has severe asthma, and she needs to be able to be reached. Sadly she is having to call again today from another phone and try and get the situation rectified. She had to speak with 4 different people prior to getting a Supervisor who had her punch in some codes and it was finally working. THAT SHOULD NOT BE! THEY LITERALLY PUT LIVES IN DANGER BY HER NOT HAVING ACCESS. I don't know who they hire but they sure need to train the people. A very sad situation there and all the time wasted on something that took 5 minutes.

I've had Safelink for several years now and I find the service a bit ridiculous. I had called maybe two years ago from a different phone because I had lost mine and asked for a replacement. The replacement never came and I was told we were only allowed 1 replacement in an entire lifetime. Phones don't last that long. Luckily I found my phone and recertified. Now, a few years later my phone won't turn on at all. My end button is a bit broken. I keep my phone on at all times. For the past 2 weeks my phone will buzz at me then completely shut off and all I did was turn it back on. Now it won't even turn on. Safelink won't let me log in on the website. It says my enrollment was not found. I can't contact customer support because my phone won't turn on. Even if I wanted to transfer to a different company I wouldn't be able to cancel. This is like trying to take out the last $5.00 of an account you want to close at a bank. Nobody over there cares.

I qualify and had a Safelink Wireless via the govt. Program. I have SERIOUS medical conditions & require a phone to be available at all times. Recently, I called to have a replacement phone to be sent to me (explained fully that I needed my existing phone to remain active for medical necessity) until my new phone arrived & was activated. My existing phone was deactivated & I have not yet received my replacement. Please keep in mind that I went to great lengths to explain my problem & was assured that MY EXISTING PHONE WOULD REMAIN ACTIVE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS I RECEIVED MY REPLACEMENT PHONE & ACTIVATED IT.

I signed up in June. Never received my phone. In August, they finally decided that it was time to send a replacement. Come September, still hadn't received. Called today to file again for a replacement phone only to be told by various people: 1. If you don't know the phone number, we can't do anything. (Of course I don't know it, I never received a phone). 2. Your ssn isn't in the system (It is, because I logged in on the site using enrollment ID and ssn). 3. They can't provide a tracking number for the phone. 4. They want to send my phone to a different address. 5. They can't transfer me to a supervisor, because they're "too far from her station". 6. Her supervisor is "never there". 7. There are no supervisors. 8. There are no supervisors available. 9. If I want one, I'll need to talk to another agent. What the **.

We have been getting numerous phone calls on our landline from someone we know but want nothing to do with from their Safelink phone. I have tried numerous times to have this number blocked but apparently we are not allowed to block Safelink phone numbers. So I guess people with Safelink phones can harass people all they want! I have been successful at blocking other numbers this person has called from but not from their Safelink phone.

I ** hate Safelink. I been with them for 5 yrs. Well last year I had a great job and didn't need an EBT phone so I let it get turn off. Well in May I turned it back on. Well I turn around and June they turned it off saying I wasn't using the phone. Well now we are in Oct and how about the sorry MF still haven't got my phone on yet. I have fax the paperwork over to them 3 times. Well this week I was told my phone would be on in 24-48 hrs. Well it'd been 3 days now and nothing. I call again and the manager gonna tell me that they can't read the info off my EBT card or DL. Well they keep telling me to copy and send.

I have had Safelink phone for 2 yrs. My phone broke and I had a smartphone given to me. I called them and she transferred my phone number to my new phone. Well I could not see mine so I called them back. A lady told me to download track phone app. I was having some trouble so I contacted them again. The man told me I was not able to have their service due being able to afford a smartphone. I said I only make 900.00 to 1000.00 per month. Is that poverty or what? He was getting me pissed. I will never use the service again ever.

I've had Safelink wireless for over a year and receive free min due to being disabled. For the last couple of months I've not been able to use the phone. Kept calling with no success. Finally gave up on using the phone because I couldn't get anywhere with customer service and my daughter had moved in with me and had unlimited min on her phone, but now she has moved out and I again contacted Safelink wireless and was told my phone is activated and I have talked to over 7 customer services reps and each tell me something different.

I've been trying to find a human to help me replace our phone. No number or extension for lost or stolen phones! It's been 2 weeks! I'm getting hopeless! Does anyone know where I can find a phone number to talk to a human since there's no other way? I'm guessing they don't want to give another phone, lol. Thanks.

My cellphone would not charge. It took nearly a month to reach a human. That was Aug. 19th. I still do not have a replacement phone. FedEx sends phones by mail. Anybody having problems should call the Consumer Protection Agency.

I got this free phone for my aunt widow, lonely and a sick person. It was fast to have the phone. The first that was received was broken. We could not make calls or receive calls. It took me over 45 minutes to be able to try to communicate w/ Safelink employees. They are the MOST incompetent people that I ever had to deal with. Finally, I sent back. We received the new one and after that, we NEVER received the minutes that we were supposed to. I being called them. They say that the minutes were sent to our phone, Which IS NOT TRUE. The only 500 for the month of JULY were given to me my TRACFONE that I had to call them. SAFELINK IS NOT THAT A BIG SCAM. DO NOT GET A PHONE from THEM. I would like them to be reported to the GOVERNMENT. They stealing money from GOV.

I have a fairly large, red 'no soliciting' sign on my door. I was expecting someone else but got a Safelink rep. I pointed at the sign and asked if she knew what it means. Her exact reply "I'm not soliciting, I'm working." I absolutely refuse to do any business with companies like this. They can't even respect the wishes of potential customers. How do you think they'll treat you when you're locked in to a contract with them? Companies so desperate for every single sale like this are not reputable. They can never be trusted.

I've had Safelink for over ten years. Every year you must recertify to continue service! That's not too difficult, until they want to send you an updated phone. Once this happens, good luck getting your minutes. I received a new phone and I was told prior to that I needed the phone because my LG420G phone was no longer being used, I should receive a new phone and SIM card.

My family had to walk away from Safelink wireless. First, they never did send my son his phone and had him stuck in only approved status, not enrolled. We finally called them and they told him that he had to wait for another 30 days so they could correct their computer system. Then, my daughter tried to redeem her free minutes. She never got them. All they gave her were her text messages. She called and talked to them with my help -- their excuse was that she had already used up her minutes for the month. Excuse us?? How could she use her minutes up when she never got them??

For the past 4 years SafeLink cell phone calls have been perfect. Rarely if ever have I had a problem of hearing the other person on a call or other people hearing me, or dropped calls. For the past year, it is THE first time in 18 years of using cell phone in general, that I ever had an issue. 80% of the time now with SafeLink, people cannot hear me on the cell phone. Even when I go outside, they can barely hear me. In the past 3 weeks, my SafeLink phone does not ring when someone calls me. I have recently applied for several new positions in my field. The fact that my cell phone is not functioning is a huge issue in securing a job interview!

Rude customer services help with Budget mobile and Safelink Wireless. Every time I call, I get rude ass help and they are especially females. Be nice! Stop talking over my voice. I ask to speak to a manager and she keeps talking.

I signed up with Safelink in March of 2015. I had submitted all documentation that was needed, and I did not get a phone till August 2015. Once I got my phone, I couldn't set it up so I called Safelink... Big mistake. I got some guy with an Indian accent and I could not understand one word that he said. Finally, I get someone on the phone that I can understand somewhat and they said there was a problem with the sim card, so I waited on them to send me a new sim card.

When you fill out the online application, the first and last name fields have a glitch. Your first and last name must contain 3 letters or more. In my case my last name has 2 letters for example LY so when I tried to enter it, the field said it was invalid. This goes the same with first name. I went ahead and added an extra letter to my last name and entered LYY and completed the application. I immediately called them to let them know so they can correct it on their end and they said they couldn't correct it and my app was automatically denied because I entered false information. I made them aware of the last name glitch and they said they would take care of it and promised to call me back within 24 hours so I can reapply online.

After avoiding a "lifeline phone" for 3 years, I decided to take advantage of it until my situation improves. After a great deal of research I opted for Safelink in that they offered the most benefits (350 minutes, unlimited texts) for my state. Signing up was entirely without issue and I was approved within 2 hours. I submitted my application 22 August 2015 and was informed that I should receive a phone within 7 to 10 BUSINESS days. I will update this review regularly as necessary and for now will simply rate this company 3 stars - Satisfactory. If you are in need of this type of service, DO YOUR RESEARCH! California has better plans than were available to me - including data plans - so your state might also. Hope this helps somebody.

I have been receiving letters in the mail to call the customer service number if I have issues with my SafeLink phone. My phone was load MONTHS ago. Every time I call it never gave me the option to report it lost or broken. Not even the option to talk to a real person. Today I called and was directed to a person. First I chose the callback option instead of waiting on hold. Got a callback and no one said anything and it hung up. Called back, stayed on hold. Told the person I had lost my phone. They tell me "Ok give me a few minutes while I process and validate the information to get you a new phone." I waited on hold for 30 minutes and NOTHING! Finally I hung up. And SafeLink called during this call about a survey! Terrible service, I am so upset. Also the last 6 months I had my SafeLink phone not one time did I receive any more minute! I would call and once again, never get an answer or a real person. SafeLink is a joke!

He ask me if I had a free cell phone. I told him, "Yes I'm with Assurance"... Well he told me I could switch and I told him I cannot have two active account. He told me that Safelink would be able to cancel my other account. Then he show me a phone that I like and told me is the phone I would receive. And if not call Safelink and let them know. Well the phone arrive and was not the one. I called and talk to someone that I could not explain what's going on. I'm very piss because just gave my personal info away.