Community Chat

[wismiss]

I purchased a tracfone phone with triple minutes from QVC on 2/28/15 and immediately bought more time.  I did not need to purchase more minutes until July 14, 2016.  (Seventeen months.)  Then I did not need minutes until 2/28/17 (seven months later).  I paid $107.57.  Last Thursday when I tried to call someone, I was told that I needed to purchase more minutes.(less than 2 months later.)  I called and did not get any resolution.  I was told last Friday that within 1/2 hour to an hour they could review my usage and then call me back.  Never was done.  Called five other times and was told "you have no voice minutes left".  Tonight a manager told me to either buy more minutes or deactivate my phone.  I asked him to please look at my past purchase and see if he would reinstate some minutes.  He refused to do so and I refused to buy more minutes and he deactivated my phone.  I lost over 3000 texts and several, several MB of data.  There was no compromise on their part and he said "You could use 1200 minutes in two months."  and I said "Yes, some people might but look at my past usage history and it is apparent that I don't use my phone that often."  No compromise, no understanding, very poor public relations.

It was very apparent that I was speaking with people from another country (three of which I could hardly understand).  In addition, some waits were as long as half an hour or more.  

Therefore, BUYER BEWARE.  If you have any problems with Tracfone, the wait time is long, some people are difficult to understand, and there is no compromise on their part. 

[chickenbutt]

I've read a lot of complaints, over recent years, about this brand.  OTOH, there really does seem to be a lot of people who have not had the various problems I've read about.

I have continued to just stick with a regular month-to-month carrier, because that 'buying minutes' thing never appealed to me.  YMMV, though.   

[BettyNewbie]

I ve had two for a LONG time...never a problem.....I guess there are problems with all of them at times

[Marp]

@wismiss, it has been many years since I used these number (1-800-876-5753 or 1-800-339-9345.) so it may no longer be correct but it is worth trying.  It is the number for the executive resolution center, Tracfone's top tier problem solvers located in Miami.

If the numbers are no longer correct contact the regular CS number and ask that your case be escalated to an executive resolution agent.

Also, I have always gotten much better results through Tracfone's FB page.

Be aware thought that the executive resolution center is not 24/7 so you if they are not open when you first call you will have to call back during regular business hours.  They used to have someone available until 10 p.m. eastern.

[Its Me LuLuBelle2]

@wismiss, sorry to hear about your bad experience, but DH and I have been Tracfone users for many years without any issues at all. We get upgraded new phones yearly with plans perfect for our needs for far less than we paid for service plans with big carriers in the past. We've also been able to take care of everything on-line and not have to deal with anyone via phone. Good luck to you with whatever avenue you choose to go next.

[RoughDraft]

Tracfone is a service provider, not a brand of phone.  I've had several LG phones over the years and never had this kind of problem.  My phone displays how much time I have left, when to renew my minutes, etc., so getting caught short of talk time is never a problem.   I order time on line.  Never had to speak to a person, so I'm just a little confused about your difficulty.

[Mz iMac]

"I lost over 3000 texts"

[Kachina624]

@Marp  I used one of those numbers that you previously listed and it was just regular old CS. 

@wismiss   Ask to speak to someone in the US.

[chrystaltree]

I had a Tracfone for about 10  years and I loved it never had any problems.  I only contaced customer service when I bought a new phone needed help setting it up.    Their customer service reps are in India and I agree, their is a language problem.  Some speak English well enough but don't understand it,  some understnd English well but can't speak it.  It's hard to say what happened with your minutes, they wouldn't just disappear but I don't think I would have argued the point until they deactivated my phone.  I needed my phone, I used my phone.  I'd have bought enough minutes to keep the phone activated and then I'd would taken my business elsewhere.  If they deactivated your phone and you decide to get service with another carrier, you will not be able to keep your same number.  

[Marp]

@wismiss, After re-reading your OP I am confused. You said your minutes expired on 02/28/17. If you did not purchase more minutes on or before that date the minutes/text/data in your account are gone--expired--so why would you expect to not have to purchase more minutes to use the phone on April 20th (two months after expiration) in order to be able to make a call?

You also said the CS rep told you, "You could use 1200 minutes in two months."   Where did the 1200 minutes come from?

What am I missing or what did you not include in your OP?