Straight Talk Wireless Reviews

The rep apologized for the misinformation I had been supplied previously and proceeded to restore my service. Once my service was restored by adding another $30 phone card, I was instructed to test my phone to see if it worked properly, it did, but what I didn't know was that Straight Talk had switched my phone number when restoring my service without my permission or knowledge and is now stating that my number is no longer available to me. I became irate because I had maintained the same phone number for more than fifteen years.

I was transferred to three different reps including a supervisor who spoke very little English and for the most part hadn't a clue as to what they were talking about. At one point, one of the reps stated that if I wanted my old phone number back, I would have to purchase a new phone card to reactivate my old phone number. I explained to her that I had been informed by three other reps that my old phone number was no longer with Straight Talk and questioned her statement, but was ready to forfeit the $30 phone card I had purchased earlier to recoup my old phone number.

Nevertheless, I was still skeptical and asked the rep to check one last time with her supervisor to make sure that what she was telling me was accurate. The rep placed me on hold, when she returned to the phone she stated, "I'm sorry, but my supervisor said your old phone number is no longer on our system, so we cannot reactivate it for you". I have dealt with many wireless carriers but Straight Talk is by far the worst. I really do question Wal-Mart's commitment to support such an inadequate and incompetent communication's company.

How can they not provide me with my usage when I am in doubt of the time used? This company is totally incompetent with foreigners that are reading from a script and not trained to handle customer needs. The fact that Walmart is representing this company as a product they back up is completely deceiving of what you are actually getting. Employees of Pensacola, FL Walmart has told me the company has lied, has stolen minutes from customers, and is totally unequipped to handle the volume of new customers coming in. They told me that they expressed customers' dissatisfaction to corporate Walmart and asked that Walmart intervene but nothing has been done about it.

Got my first phone and it did not work. Then upgraded to another phone: LG620G. Had to call twice to get the new phone activated (31 minutes and 47 minutes). Lost over one hour work. Today called to ask about connecting my LG620G to a computer via USB cable (so I can transfer the MP3 files needed for the people with impaired hearing). Three phone calls were made. The first was 19 minutes then they hung up on me. The second was 34 minutes and I ended up with a guy who asked me to hang up and call again from another landline phone.

The third lasted with a girl who is not very knowledgeable about cell phones and spent 27 minutes, most of which were kind of "Please give me 3 minutes to configure this out for you, sir." She also told me if the computers (I tried 3 different computers) cannot recognize their phone, Straight Talk cannot help me (great deal, nice shot!). Finally she said she couldn't hear me and I got the hangup after 27 minutes. Here, I lost another hour and half of work time. If Straight Talk cannot handle the business, Wal-Mart should cut them off

They said they would elevate it to corporate. They said they would call or email. They never did and I called my credit card company and complained. It was beyond the refund period because I waited 90 days for the refund. They said they would contact Straight Talk and see if they could help. My credit card company said that they got a response that said they would elevate it to corporate and that they would contact me about my refund that’s been due for 6 months now. Those were the same lies they told me 3 months ago. I called them and they said call back. Now the call won't even connect. I still use Straight Talk as my provider. But I have been lied to and as of now, they stole my money. I don't know what else to do.

Knowing or thinking that my StraightTalk phone was working properly, I entered all the phone numbers from my prior phone’s address book. And then, I performed a mass text to give my friends and family my new number. Following sending, my phone started ringing uncontrollably and had message after message. It had duplicate delivery confirmations from each and every one of them! I sent 42 texts and had 42 delivery reports. It lit my phone up like the 4th of July!

It gets better. Those receiving my texts all said the same thing. They said that it appeared that their own phone had sent the text because the CB (call back) number displayed in the text message was their own number! So, I've got this phone that rings me immediately back with every outgoing text. Those receiving my texts think their own phone sent it to them, which makes a lot of people skitzo almost immediately. Over the course of multiple call backs to CS over 4 hours yesterday, they still kept trying to "fix" my phone via instructions to me (a walk-through) instead of simply offering to replace it. Today, I was on the phone with CS for 5 hours doing the same fix-it routine until "1" tech-representative finally handed me off to what I thought was a refund department.

Notice to All: Straight Talk does not refund cash nor refund any method of payment in regard to faulty phones. They will only replace with the same model and there is zero option of paying extra to upgrade to a different model phone. If you paid like I did for Next Day Air or FedEx 3-day shipping, your replacement phone will be sent via 3 to 5 day delivery.

The old phone stopped working several days ago, and a Straight Talk representative told me that the number had already been switched to them. But I still haven't been able to activate the new phone. Instead, I keep getting the same message that says, "Your transaction cannot be completed at this time. Your telephone number is in the process of being switched between carriers. Please call 1-877-430-CELL (1-877-430-2355) from a landline phone to check on the status of your number transfer request."

When I called customer service, I was told that there were some "technical difficulties", but that the problem should be resolved within the next four hours. I called back after nearly twenty-four hours had gone by to see why the phone still couldn't be activated. A new representative told me she was going to put me on hold while she researched the problem. However, she must not have known how to place a person on hold, and I got to listen to her laughing and joking with other "workers" for the next 33 minutes while she "researched". When she did take me off "hold", she told me first that it would be another 72 hours before the phone could be activated. Then she changed her mind to 24 hours, then to 48, then to between 24-48 hours. She couldn't give me any reason for why the phone wouldn't work yet.

If the phone ever starts working, it still looks like a great deal cost-wise, but I pity anyone else who has to try to deal with their customer service, or complete lack of it. This is an update on my original post (Second post from 7-19-2009). I thought that we would probably be giving up a little bit on quality by switching to the Straight Talk phones from Wal-Mart just because of the price, but I had no idea the service could possibly be this bad. The internet that is available for the phones is a joke. All of our phones (my family has three different models, so it's not just one type of phone) lose signal so often that it's a miracle to ever actually see a complete page download. Most pages are not compatible with the browser on the phones anyway.

Voice calls are dropped constantly. I tried one day to have a conversation with my husband about a doctor's appointment, and the call was dropped five times in one four-minute period. On my model, the Samsung R451C, I have to stand perfectly still to keep from dropping calls, even shifting my feet can cause a dropped call. My husband and daughter are able to at least walk with their phones. We haven't been able to pinpoint any particular thing that makes their phones drop calls. It just happens to them for no reason at different times and in different places, a lot.

The only thing that we can rely on to work is the text messaging, and our daughter is the only one who really uses that. Also, all of our phones are constantly getting text messages from Straight Talk trying to convince us to switch from the $30 'All you Need' plan to a more expensive unlimited plan. We never even come close to using the minutes, text or data on the plan, so why would we want to spend more?

The customer service is a mess too. I mentioned some of how bad it is in my previous post. I would strongly discourage anyone who is considering this service. I know the price seems great, but the service is so bad, it's just not worth the savings.

My phone was found and returned to me yesterday (7/9/2010). I called customer service to have my unused days on my card reinstated. They told me that my phone was never turned off and all the usage days were used up. After speaking with many "supervisors" in this company, it became apparent to me that I was caught in an infinite loop with Straight Talk's customer "no service. " I will never receive a credit for my lost 29 days because the company failed to stop the service when I reported the loss. They admit they have documentation to show that I called reporting the theft, but they are unwilling to make up for their deficiency to deactivate the air time days.

I am not sure what recourse I have about this, but I feel this company is grossly incompetent serving its customers or is consciously defrauding customers they never intend to "make whole" after experiencing a loss. As a result, I plan to call consumer advocate Clark Howard for his advice in going forward with this matter of lost, unrefunded card usage. I plan to write the Consumer Protection Agency, the State Public Service Commissioner, the FCC, Straight Talk CEO, Wal-Mart executives, the local WalMart store manager where this phone was purchased. I will follow up in Small Claims Court in Camden County, GA if necessary.

This seems like a lot of frenzied activity for what seems to be a small amount of money, but this is how Straight Talk manages their resources. "No Service" is actually a business strategy. I want to do whatever I can to have my air time restored. I also want to discourage dishonest business practices towards small consumers by large corporations such as Straight Talk, Inc who practice taking advantage of their customers with corporate ineptitude and/or dishonesty. This has quit being a matter of monetary loss and has become a matter of principle. Large corporations should not have a comfort level in running rough shod over their customers and taking unfair advantage of them in such a deplorable fashion. Straight Talk, Inc should not be sanctioned and allowed to transact business with merchants who allow shoddy, dishonest customer service and condone it with their support, their silence, and their continued "wink and nod" business.

Wow, I was just shocked to hear that they did not even care that this is happening to their customer every month. I then told them this was false advertisement and it seemed like a scam, though I thought how could this company be a scam if Wal-Mart was promoting them? They still said there was nothing they could do and told me to have a nice day. I now have no choice but to return this phone to Wal-Mart and switch to another service this weekend, because Straight Talk is conducting unfair and untrustworthy business.

I will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau as well, in order to protect others. The customer service rep placed me on hold and came back to say that her supervisor refused to give any credit back for all the weeks the company had cut from the $45.00 30-day unlimited card, which only turned out to be a three-week card. This company has no integrity whatsoever. How can they be allowed to stay in business with such a reputable company as Wal-Mart?

Problem 1. If I purchase my plan in advance, it resets my account balance and service end date. This means I am not getting the full 30 days of service that I originally paid for, if I purchase a new plan in advance.

Problem 2. Today, July 8, 2010, I waited and purchased my new service plan on my end date, getting my money's worth, so I thought. I paid the $45.00 for unlimited 30 days. I printed my receipt, but my service was not updated. In fact, I am on the phone with their tech support team as I type this complaint. I have been on the phone for over 1/2 an hour. The woman continues to put me on hold, tells me "I am navigating the system for you, please continue to hold." I have answered the same question a dozen times and still no help. I believe they are attempting to make me so angry that I end the call, but I refuse to do that. I want what I paid for. Still on hold.

I am out $45.00 for the service plan I just purchased with my debit card. I use the phone for business so I am missing important business calls. I am getting very frustrated with being asked to repeat the same thing over and over to their tech support person. I have a headache from this frustration & I'm still on hold. When I pay for 30 days of service, shouldn't I get 30 days of service?

It was like having my card charged again? She said that it wouldn't be charged if the ringtone downloaded. I said, I've been trying to get it downloaded already and you guys haven't done anything. She said it because their computers show it downloaded twice. I said, "Why would I keep calling about a ringtone?" I finally gave up, but they are not getting anymore of my money. The only reason they have my business as it is because they are the only unlimited cheap phone. I lost $5.98 and a ringtone.

Called again the next morning after a 50.00 charged showed up on my ATM, not credit mind you, POS withdraw. l they took the cash immediately! I called again and complained. One girl told me I was out of luck. I couldn't understand the language she was speaking. I think it was Chinese but I'm not sure. I told her I never used the phone it wouldn't work in my area and I was going to return it. She said you can't get your money back. I asked for a supervisor, the super got on the phone confirmed my info and then told me I couldn't have my money back even though I never used it. She said hold on for one moment and then I was left on hold for 15 minutes, then they hung up!

July 1, 2010, I call Straight Talk Customer service again to have my old number ported onto replacement phone and operator tells me that if they do that I'd have to buy an activation card. I went off telling her that I was to be credited for my inconvenience, which they did by giving me a full 30days activation. Now I'm told by this idiot that I have to pay. Well, he had to put me in touch with someone in tech support and being placed on hold longer then I spent time talking to the tech, he tells me the numbers can't be ported. Before hanging up I asked him, "How is it you can port a phone number from another carrier onto a Straight Talk phone but you can't port a number you just issued me 30 days ago?" It just doesn't make sense. It's obviously Straight Talk is outsourcing their help. Reading from a manual clueless as to what they are reading. They really need to be looked into.

My cellphone is my business phone more so then personal phone. I'm on call at jobs and rely on my phone working properly at all times. Because of the inconvenience Straight talk put me through,I lost several hundred dollars in income. Also with both the delay in processing my replacement phone and not being able to port my old number many resumes I put out using original number, will not be able to contact me , and now I have to send letters out to them updating and apologizing for any inconvenience they may had in trying to contact me. Trying to save money after being with a national cellphone service carrier for 6+ years is not worth it. I'll probably end up going back to them.

I called the company 800 number for several days with no luck. I finally got to talk to someone. She said I had to have called them within 7 days for a refund. Why didn't the 3 people I talked to at the store tell me this? All I wanted was store credit or a gift card for $60. I go to this store 1 or 2 times a week. Is Wal-Mart poor now? I know they can afford $60. I only work part-time, and I want to be reimbursed. The customer service girl said they have had a lot of problems with Straight Talk phones. So we just suck up the price we pay for the cards? I want my money back. I am out $60 from a store that is rich.

So, a few days later, it arrived, I sent them the phone, and 4 days later received the new phone. I am very happy about this, they were great on the phone, did everything they could to figure things out, so 45 min on the phone paid off. I am quite surprised to hear about all the complaints, I haven't experience any problems. In fact, when I first activated the phone, I was told it would take up to 4 hours to complete. I don't even think it took 20 minutes. I waited a while and tried the *8, whatever number, and it took 2 seconds. I'm very pleased with the service and customer service for the most part.

Yet, every time I try to access my account or find my balance on their website, I keep getting a system error. Thus, the dreaded call to Straight Talk's customer service to correct. Once, I was told that it was their system's error but that it was temporary. Excuse me, it has never worked! Not for me anyway. So, when I had to refill, it was again impossible on their website and holding at different times for up to 30 minutes (I'd already prepaid these minutes!). Again, no help. I went back to Walmart to refill for me. The manager called and it was at least 45 minutes before someone assisted him. When I got home, I kept getting text and emails from Straight Talk that my phone minutes were about to expire! I got them on the phone and they stated I needed to refill! I explained to them that it was done earlier that day by Walmart manager! The CS rep wanted the card number and I was shocked. I told her that the card had been pitched by Walmart because we both thought the refill had been completed.

Trying to reply to their emails or their text messages are all returned as invalid addresses. Their customer service people are all in other countries with broken English. They may read it but they don't understand it beyond the very obvious scripted format they seem to use and to deviate from that completely throws them and they either disconnect or keep repeating the script over and over.

I bought the phone on May 4, for just under $100. First month's 1000 minutes $30 (then another $30 /1000min 3days ago). Time calling them on my own is six hours. Time Walmart has called for me is three hours. Time back and forth (5 miles) to Walmart not to mention gas, the effort, aggravation and pure frustration trying to deal with these people and remain nice has been nearly impossible. I'm completely ready for a class action against Straight Talk! I wrote to their corporate office in Miami and all I got for my trouble was a call from another of these reps that are difficult to understand. Unfortunately, that call was a voicemail and the number given was the same old customer service number. Back to square one!

If it had not been for my giving some prospective employers just last week my new cell tel#, I would box this all up and return to Walmart and go with a more dependable company. This whole business has been a nightmare! I would caution anyone giving their credit card online or over the phone to this company. As soon as I can establish with another company, I will quit this horrific service with Straight Talk.

I just wanted to let you know that if there is not a satisfactory resolution to this problem, I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, AARP, Wal-Mart, and anyone else I think might be interested in this. This is an absolute disgrace! I pay $30 a month. I only use the phone for a few hours of service every month, and this is the customer service I am supposed to be satisfied with? In my 56 years of life, I have never seen anything like this. I chose this service because I was under the impression that it was the best prepaid service available. I was tired of being overcharged for the small amount of time I spend on the phone.

I certainly hope that I will not have to discontinue my service with your company. I would hate to think I paid $80 for a phone that I will not be able to use. I have only recently, within the past few months, switched my service to Straight Talk. A response to this problem and my original question would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I had called several other times and was told by the recording that my wait would be 10 minutes; however, I did not have time to wait. That is why on my day off. I waited to see how long it would actually take. I put the phone on speaker and actually had to carry the phone around with me, hoping they would answer. I would just like others to be made aware of this situation. No customer service. I still cannot get into my online account. I had to carry the phone around on speaker for over 2 hours to no avail. To make matters worse, no response to my emails.

The first time I received a call from them, I was on the phone with them for 45 minutes and they could not solve the problem. They called again in a couple of days and they got the phone to work. When I asked them about giving me credit for the days that it did not work, since my reactivation date is almost up, and I did not have use of the phone for a full month, they said they would have to get back with me. When they called back, they ask me if I had my receipt or the box the phone came in. I had neither as I threw them away after the first initial activation nor the phone was working. They said their data showed the phone had been rescanned at Wal-Mart, which I have not done. Again, they said they would get back with me.

Well here it is May 25th and my reactivation date is tomorrow. They called today again asking for a receipt or the box it came in, again I told them I didn't have neither and they again told me the phone had been rescanned at Wal-Mart. I assured them that I did not take the phone back to Wal-Mart and that I bought their phone and card in good faith, but evidently they don't sell them in good faith and that I was tired of messing with them and they know what they could do with their phone. I then politely hung up. I paid $40.00 for the phone and $45.00 for the card, which I will chalk up to a bad experience. I have a Tracfone, but I am doing a part time job that requires a lot of phone use, so I thought a no limit minute phone would better suit my needs. So, if anyone wants a Straight Talk phone, I have one I will gladly send them and I will go back to using my Tracfone even if it does cost me more in minutes.

Also, they used deceptive advertising on their services. Messaging is limited to one image per message. They have disabled the phone's java functions and severely limited what they call "accessing the Web". All it is good for is downloading their content and is not functional for most other content including the GPS as they advertise.

Now, today, I bought the card last evening. It is not working. The balance is showing online it's good until June 4, 2010. If you call the number, it says it is out of service. I tried to re enter the pun number of the card and it says it is already used. (of course) There is no email contact for this company. I just know it says Verizon when listening to the toll free number. I held the phone after dialing the number and woke up to it asking if it was a trac phone or a safelink so I guess Verizon has all of them. Straight talk is not work the hassle. My grandson is having a fit and so am I. I have spent $45 plus and not getting any service. It averages about a $1 a day plus change but this is a bother. He carries a phone for his safety and my peace of mind and the lady who keeps him worries if he cannot be contacted.

Customer Service is a joke. First, they have found the most ignorant individuals in Punjab or wherever the hell their call center is, because nobody, nobody speaks English in the customer service call center. I can say this with confidence because I have made more than one call every month since December. Secondly, these are the worst kind of customer service reps, the kind who are trained to massage you emotionally rather than actually do anything about your problem. They read their script (badly), they can't understand what you are saying, and if you ask any questions they simply move on to the next part of their script. Again, I know this because I have talked to several different customer service reps in a row and heard the exact same words, over and over again.

My phone turned off on Saturday because, again, the automatic renewal feature failed to work on my phone (the other two phones are still working just fine). I figured I would outsmart the system this time and by pass customer service entirely. So on Sunday night, I went to WalMart and purchased a prepaid card to fund my phone for the next month. I went to the website and dutifully entered the information required at about 6 p.m. on Sunday. I received a message that stated that my phone would be active in four hours. It is now nearly 6 p.m. on Monday, and the phone has not been turned on, though the funds are showing in my account.

I have called Punjab/Customer Service 17 times thus far today. Every time I have received a message: "Due to the extreme level of calls, we cannot help you." The line is then cut. Then I went to the website about 10 minutes ago and it is now down for maintenance. Do not waste your money on straight talk. For the extra five or six bucks you spend on getting a real plan, you will avoid an incredible amount of trouble. I myself use my phone to help support a family. Tomorrow, I will be purchasing a real phone with a real phone company. You have been warned. If you get a phone with Straight Talk, you are going to be disappointed, harassed, and you will have only the most intermittent of service. And rest assured, if you ever have a problem, nobody in this company will care one whit about you - if they can even understand you!

I have wasted countless hours in the six months since we became Straight Talk customers. Because my phone is a business tool, I have also paid a significant, if unknown, price, because of the more than 14 days I have been without service sine initially enrolling with Straight Talk.

Therefore you will lose a day every month if you don't wait for the thirty day plan to expire. Then if you wait until expiration, they can and will change your number and what a surprise this is. When your contacts have your number, school emergencies, doctors, and your employers whom then fire you because of your phone number is being changed without your authorization or approval. Just a total surprise!

The worst part of Straight Talk is the fact that they just want you to sign up and pay them money, they don't care about keeping their customers happy. They just flat out don't care. I gave them a try because of the attractive prices they advertised. It turns out it was one of the biggest mistakes ever. I paid $100 for a phone that doesn't function completely and am being charged more than they said they would, doesn't sound so great anymore.

When I called the 877 # to activate the card, they told me this phone was not a Straight Talk phone. I told them I purchased it at the Wal-Mart sealed in a Straight Talk box where I purchased the card I was activating and I had the receipt at home. They told me I would have to give them the numbers off the red card to prove it was their phone. I told them all I wanted was to activate the card while I was there at Wal-Mart and that I did not want to drive home and leave Wal-Mart with a phone card that did not work. The Wal-Mart employee got on the phone after I had been on there an hour and he spent another hour with them. Both of us were transferred to about 16 different people, many who had broken English accents. I finally left with the phone I could not use and the $45.00 prepaid card and my receipt.

By now I feel like I am working for a Temp Service for Straight Talk. I went and got the Wal-Mart store manager and I asked the electronics lady to let me speak to them. Here's the conversation, I asked, “Who am I speaking with?” He said he was a supervisor. I said, “Where are you located?” He stated South America. I said, “Do you have a company in the US?” He said only one. I said, “May I have an address.” He said, “I can only give you 800 # and that they are in Miami FL.” I said, “Do I understand you right sir, only one office handles all Straight Talk for all Wal-Mart’s in America?” He said yes. I thanked him and hung up. I gave the info to the store mgr. The Wal-Mart mgr called the corporate # and got the address and found out I had to show proof I own the phone send a copy of proof, my receipt for the phone card and the phone card copy and mail it to them in FL. Then it can take up to a month to get my refund if they decide I do in fact own the phone.

By now, about 10 hours and 9 people including myself have dealt with this one little pay as you talk phone card. I left Wal-Mart after spending 3 hours there and I went online. I am going to continue to work part time on this project without pay to see just how bad this customer service really is and if I end up with a refund, I think it will be sometime next fall. On the lighter side, I asked all 8 of the people who helped me what their best comment was and I decided the one that won the price was, “I am so sorry we cannot activate that phone because the phone you are calling us on does not exist.” So I told her that since the phone did not exist could I get a refund and she said I'm sorry we cannot give a refund on a card if you do not have a phone. Now I am going to mail everything to Straight Talk just for giggles.

Now I am wondering why anyone would ever want to admit they treat people like this and if I was them, I would hire about 100 people in the US and help America create jobs. I have no doubt these 100 people will stay quite busy.

Thanks for letting me vent. This is a 100% true story and now instead of people asking me, “how are you doing?” They are saying, “I have been trying to call you what happened to your cell phone?” to which I reply I have no phone but I have a $45.00 phone card. I went and bought a new cell phone far away from the Straight Talk section and as I was walking by my computer when I got home the old Straight Talk phone beeped. I picked it up and it said I needed to put time on my phone. I fought the urge to send a text message that read: I am sorry this phone does not exist, you have reached planet nowhere out in the ozone and I have a new real phone from someone who makes phones in America.

We called them and were stunned to find out they had shut it off claiming they had info that the phone was never scanned out of Walmart and so they turned it off because it was never purchased. I was stunned. The woman was very rude. I said, "What are you saying that I stole the phone?" She said their info told them it was never scanned and was removed from Walmart. She asked me if I had the receipt. I could not find it, probably had thrown it out because the phones were working fine up until then. I asked to speak with a manager or supervisor and was told there were none available. They were busy. I told her the lady we spoke to remembered selling us the phones and that I had the boxes and cards we bought as well as the phones.

She said it could not be activated again because they had found out it was taken. I then went to Walmart and speak with the manager and she finds us a receipt right away because it was bought with our visa. I called Straight Talk back expecting it to be resolved and have my phone back again. I am then shocked when they told me what probably happened was that the phone was bought but was returned with no phone or a different phone in the box. What? I am totally shocked by how accusing they are and their rude service. I am feeling very hurt and victimized.

I realized I am dealing with a company that has something not right going on and they are taking the money of honest people and then denying them what they have purchased. I felt like I had been robbed and also treated like a criminal when I have committed no crime. I again asked to speak with a manager or supervisor and was told none are available. I asked the person what they are saying I stole this phone. They say well it was returned and refunded with a different phone. So I am in tears by then and hang up.

The next day, I called again and get another service rep and demand they find me someone who will help me because I am a woman on disability and cannot afford to buy phones and cards which are then taken from me while I am treated like a criminal. I had also bought the $30 card which still had 15 hours and 30 minutes left on it when they shut it off so that was taken from me also. I was cheated out of a card that had 15 and 1/2 hours of talk time left out of 16 hours. I think it was so wrong of them to cheat me out of my money like that. I called and ask again and demand a manager.

They finally give me a number to a corporate office in Miami. I called and am told the manager is not available but will call me back if I leave a message so I did. I waited two days, I believe, and was not called back so I called again. Again, she is not available but will call me but she hasn't. I then called and tried someone else and spoke to a rep named JP ext xxxx. He is not as rude but is adamant the phone was not paid for or was returned with a different phone in the box and refunded. I told him I have the box, phone and receipt. He asked me to fax him the receipt and he will resolve it.

I then made the trip to Staples to fax it which cost me and was difficult because I was not feeling well and had a hard time unloading my scooter. I really expected this time it would all be fixed but this rep called me and told me the same thing. They have info that what must have happened is the same old story about a fake phone being returned in that box . I said, "But is not my fault if you have messed up your numbers or boxes but I bought this phone in good faith expecting an honest company as it was bought from Walmart."

I expect someone to fix this problem and compensate me for the 15 plus hours of talk time I am losing and the phone I can not use. I'm angry and realized I am running around getting copies and faxing to prove I am not a criminal and they are accusing me saying they have this info. I want to know what info? I am tired of being a victim of what must be a fraudulent company and I am being treated like a criminal. I though we had rights here. How can you just say someone stole something and then deny them of what they had bought and paid for without a court trial or something? Can I be called a criminal but never given a chance to get what I paid for back?

He then tells me to send them a copy of the whole box or send me the box. Well, I then decided to do some research and found that many other people online have had similar experiences with this company. I found someone who said they sent a box and receipt only to have Straight Talk claim to never had received it. So they are left having paid for a phone they can't use and also cheated out of their money for a card. I feel for all those also victims of this company. I don't feel they had a right to falsely accuse me and make me sick trying to prove I didn't commit a crime. I really had a lot of emotional trauma over what they put me through and got really sick over it.

If someone is going to take back something someone legally bought and paid for and then accuse that person of something they didn't do, isn't there some kind of rights that person should have? I thought there was some kind of justice system and laws that should prevent stuff like this from happening to innocent people. I hope something can be done to help me get what I paid for and also to stop this company from ripping any more people off and putting them through what I went through.

I received this on 01/20/2010. I shipped the phone back the same day, 01/20/2010. They received the phone on 01/21/2010. So I called them on 01/23/2010 and they said they did not have the phone and said I must not have shipped it. Then I told them I had confirmation and gave them the tracking number. Then I was told they did have it. I was told they would ship me a new phone out the next day. Never received it, so I called them on 01/25/2010 to be told they did not have it again. I had to provide information once again. I was told the matter would be taken care of. I called on 01/26/2010 to go through the same thing. It was explained to me I would be getting the phone on Monday, 02/01/2010. I called them again and was told they were doing whatever they could. I should receive the phone in 5-10 business days.

I requested for refund and they told me this was impossible and they would clear this up. Then I was informed that they would refund my money for the phone not the minutes. I told them I have not been able to use my minutes since I did not have a phone and it was defective and they had it. So I asked if they ship the phone to me, will they replace my $45.00 card for my minutes? I was told no. I was told then it would be another 7-10 days before I got it. I have asked on several times to speak to someone higher and was told that there is no one.

Consequences that have happened is that I cannot drive without having a phone due to health issues and I do not know anyone in the area I live to take me anywhere. So, since this has begun, I have not been to the store for groceries and I have not been able to pick up my medications. I can not purchase another phone since I live on limited income of disability and cannot afford to purchase a new one with another company.

The website asked for the activation code on the airtime card. I entered the activation code. The website told me that I put in a wrong code. I did that again online, same thing. So I took the phone and airtime card back to Walmart and returned it for another Straight Talk phone. This time I paid for airtime online at the Straight Talk website. After going through series of questions regarding the identification of the phone, the website told me to dial certain numbers on the phone keypad and the phone would be activated. After doing this, the display on the phone said that the phone could not be activated at this time, and to try after 2 hours.

Two hours past, and I did the same thing again. Same thing happened. So I called Customer Service at Straight Talk. I was actually told to take the battery out and put it back in again, then turn on the phone (standard customer service programmed response to any problem). That did not work. I was then told to repeat the instructions to "dial certain numbers on the phone keypad and the phone would be activated", which did not work. The customer service person kept telling me to do that over and over until finally I had to put an end to it. In other words, each time that that process would fail, she would tell me to do those steps again. Finally I had to step in, and refuse to do that anymore as it was obviously useless.

She told me to wait up to 24 hours and then try it again. I said no. I told her to just refund the money I spent on the airtime, and I would take the phone back to Walmart where they will refund the money for the actual useless phone. She told me that there is no refund for the airtime. I told her that yes there is, and that you can't just scam people out of their money legally and then have no liability for it. She wasn't hearing all that. She kept saying that there's no refund for the airtime. I told her that I was going to call the police if they did not return the money they stole under false and deceptive pretenses. She said "there's no refund for airtime".

Then I asked what about the $45.00 card for unlimited minutes that I could not use. I was told I was out of luck and they would not refund this or replace my money. So I asked could they ship me a battery to see if that was the issue and was told no once again. I told these people being with out a phone could be dangerous to me if I need help and if anything happens, I would hold them responsible and they told me good luck. I asked for a supervisor and know where until I told them I would be contacting the Better Business Bureau then I was given the Corporates phone number 1-800-876-5753. I again explained the situation and asked if they could express ship the new phone to me since it was their product that was bad and was told no again.

I was on the neighbors phone for 2 hours trying to get this cleared up and got really nowhere. I spent almost $200.00 phone and service that I can't even use it. This company is a rip off to all. So now I am without phone service and this is scary with my health issues and I cannot afford to get another one living on limited income. They take advantage of so many people. I will be filing a report against them on Tuesday.

After not being able to activate the original phone online, I called customer service. Many hours were spent on numerous separate calls to try and get the original phone activated. They kept telling me that it was activated; however, the phone that was active and in use was the new phone that I wanted to return. After a few more days of telling them my story, which I had to tell every time I called, they finally got the phone to work. I probably, at this point, spent 20 hours over a week calling customer support.

So everything was fine. I returned the 'newer' phone and the original phone was working just fine. About a week later, I traveled from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. I noticed that when I was out of PA that the phone said Roam and I could not send or receive MMS. When I got back to home zip code, the phone didn't say roam and it worked fine.

After traveling to an area in PA that worked before for multimedia messaging, the phone was telling me it was in Roam again and not letting me do it. I called them and asked about it, and they told me that my phone was not activated. I went through the activation process and got it working again. The following day, it stopped working again (the messaging). So I called them and told them what happened and the customer service representative told me that the phone was not active and I had to purchase another airtime card.

I told him that I had auto-refill and my card was just charged--and that he could not charge the card again. He then activated my phone and reset the billing cycle. An hour later, my phone stopped working all together. I don't know what to do now. I have no way of getting my money back and have spend many hours on the phone just to get nowhere.

When I called customer service, I was told that there were some "technical difficulties", but that the problem should be resolved within the next four hours. I called back after nearly twenty-four hours had gone by to see why the phone still couldn't be activated. A new representative told me she was going to put me on hold while she researched the problem.

However, she must not have known how to place a person on hold, and I got to listen to her laughing and joking with other "workers" for the next 33 minutes while she "researched." When she did take me off "hold," she told me first that it would be another 72 hours before the phone could be activated. Then she changed her mind to 24 hours, then to 48, then to between 24-48 hours. She couldn't give me any reason for why the phone wouldn't work yet.

If the phone ever starts working, it still looks like a great deal cost-wise, but I pity anyone else who has to try to deal with their customer service, or complete lack of it.

For people who don't know how the Straight Talk phone works, here is how it works beside the lousy and lengthty activation process: when the 30-day cycle is due for the bill to be paid, you have to pay it exactly on the day it's due. If you wait another day, you have to go through an entire reactivation process again which can take up to two weeks and lots of long phone calls. The most painful injustice they do to me is that I have a $45 a month package which includes unlimited callings, texts and web browsing. And 5 days after I paid them for a new month, they block me from receiving and making calls on my phone. They claim that they discontinued my service, because I used the internet too much. There was never been any written or verbal agreement that limit the use of the internet on the phone.

What makes it worse is that they never reimbursed me for all the days that I went without my phone. They took the internet off my phone while it was included in my package. They have a $30 package which does not include the internet and I have the $45 package which includes the internet. What kind of injustice is this? I would never encourage anyone to go with that Straight Talk crap.

Wednesday came and we could still not get on the web browser on the phone, at which time they led us through the same procedures as the first time we called with the master reset and taking off the battery and such. There again was no progress and they proceeded to tell me they were escalating the situation and sending it to the proper channels and that a higher level of technician would be looking into the problem. They then told me that it should be resolved by Friday. Friday came and there again was no progress on the cell phone’s web browser. Upon calling the company for the third time, they again instructed us on those same procedures they had instructed us to do in the past and we informed them that we had already done them before calling as we were getting pretty familiar with the procedure. We humored them anyway and followed through with the routine, but again there was no progress. Again, they told us they would escalate the problem and send it to a technician, at which time we told them we would like to speak with a supervisor.

When we spoke with the supervisor, they informed us that they would send this problem to corporate and corporate would call us by the end of the day with a remedy to the problem. Friday came and went without a call as promised. Today, Saturday, July 25th, 2009, we again called Straight Talk and told them how tired we were of getting the runaround and we either needed the problem with the web browser fixed or we needed to return the phone to Wal-Mart and have the remaining time put on the new phone. They proceeded to tell us that this would be their last attempt to fix the phone and it should be fixed in 24 to 48 hours. Oh, how we loved to hear that sentence again. We are writing you this in hopes that you would please help us in our endeavors with this company. We're sure that if you do contact Straight Talk about our problem, they will ask you to take off your battery and clear your cache as it states in their never changing, well-mannered script. All kidding aside, I would greatly appreciate any help you can give us in this matter as we are at our wits’ end.