Looking for better phone service than Consumer Cellular

geegerbee · ‎03-09-2010

I called them twice to see about upgrading my Samsung phone. The first rep made a suggestion and told me I would get the $80 I paid for my old phone when I sent it back to them. The next day a different rep told me the same thing,, so I ordered one for $170. When I called to activate the new one and ask how to return the old one, the rep said it is older than 45 days and not eligible for a refund. This made me angry. The hold time is over 40 minutes when I call. I tried the chat and I explained what happened and he said I wasn't going to get a refund and even though the calls were recorded and could prove what I said, he told me he wasn't going to back up a false claim. I think this is poor customer service. I went to the BBB web page and found that there were 300 complaints with a 1 and 1/4 star out of 5. All were complaining about the customer service and getting lied to. They said they tried to get service elsewhere and Consumer Cellular wouldn't release their number. So I am looking for a new service. I don't use the phone much---mostly for emergencies or map help, so I don't want a lot of minutes or a contract.. Any suggestions would be helpful. I really hope I don';t have a problem cancelling.

stevieb · ‎03-10-2010

Of all the pay as you go services, it seems that Tracfone has a reasonably good track record. I know there are other providers and newer providers, but they've been around for quite a while and while no phone provider is perfect, they seem to have stood the test of time. Always worth checking satisfaction levels folks have for various providers in your specific service area.

In my pantry with my cupcakes...

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

Customer service is not an accurate test of a company right now. Most places have had to drastically reduce their reps to allow for spacing between employees, so there are long waits.

Federal law mandates that you be allowed to take your phone # with you when you change carriers, unless your service has expired.

When talking to CS and you run into a brick wall, ask to speak to a supervisor. If your request is denied, write a letter to corporate headquarters. Get names to people to whom you speak.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Ainhisg · ‎03-09-2010

You're not a heavy phone user, so I highly recommend Tracfone. Buy the bundles on either QVC or HSN. You'll get a new phone and 1500 minutes, 1500 texts, 1.5 GB of data, and 365 days in which to use these. Toward the end of your service time, you can either buy a new phone bundle (all your minutes/texts/data will roll over to the new phone) or you can just buy another year of service on the Tracfone website for $55. You can buy just a minutes/texts/data/365 service day package on the Tracfone website, but it is often more expensive than just buying a new phone bundle, and the new phone with have a newer operating system.

You can have your number ported to the new phone. You will need to know the pin number for your Consumer Cellular Account.

The phone I currently have and recommend is the Motorola G7 Optimo Maxx. It's 104.xx on QVC and the same price on HSN, but on HSN, you get earbuds, which you could use or give as a gift. They're quite decent. When I need to activate a new phone, I go to the Tracfone website and use chat to activate it. My husband just goes to the actual TF page where he can activate it himself by typing everything in, but I prefer to have them do it. And if you get a phone you don't like, you can buy another bundle from the Q or HSN and have everything transferred to it. The bundles are less than buying a year's worth of service/minutes on the Tracfone website, which is why I recommend them. So you never lose money if you transfer to a new phone.

My service didn't expire until May of 2021, but I wanted the Motorola G7, and HSN had it for an insane price of $89 a few weeks ago, so I bought it. Everything rolled right over, and now I have service until 2022. My phone service ends up costing about $8 a month. You can't get that cheap of price anywhere, and the Motorola G7 will do almost everything flagship phones will do from Apple or Samsung.

It is helpful to have a google account (gmail) since the pre-installed apps are google apps. If you don't have one, you might consider creating one first, but it's not necessary. There are tutorials for the phone you choose on the Tracfone website as well as the instruction manual. This website will explain Tracfone further. Good luck with whatever you choose!

https://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/2014/12/new-to-tracfone-start-here-tracfone.html

Effie54 · ‎09-08-2010

our neighbors used Consumer cellular. We had a power outage for four days here, and everyone who used Verizon was able to use their phones. The Consumer cellular clients had absolutely no cell phone coverage at all. In case of an emergency, they would have to run to a neighbor to call 911. Not what I would call good coverage.

kaydee50 · ‎02-07-2011

I dropped Consumer Cellular after they switched my plan without notifying me. I do not have a "smartphone" just a regular flip cell phone. I seldom use my cell phone althouogh I can text and take pix. I have AT&T. $25 every 3 months or when the balance reaches $5.00. Billed at 25 cents a minute. Works for me.

LoveMyBaby · ‎03-09-2010

@Ainhisg

Wow, lots of great information you provided here. Very nice of you, and appreciated. 👍🏼I am not in need of the tips yet, but will be in the future.

(I keep seeing Consumer Cellular commercials stating their customer service is rated #1).

Good to read about factual customers experiences with CC on the boards. That too, is helpful when deciding.

⚓️

LonestarBabs · ‎06-26-2011

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've not had any problems with Consumer Cellular. I've been with them for about 2 years after switching from AT&T.

As another poster said, customer service is a widespread problem right now -- many industries, businesses, etc.

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

@LonestarBabs wrote:
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've not had any problems with Consumer Cellular. I've been with them for about 2 years after switching from AT&T.

As another poster said, customer service is a widespread problem right now -- many industries, businesses, etc.

I also have Consumer Cellular for about 5 years and am very pleased with their customer service and phone service.

We used to have Verizon and we are so glad we switched.

We also recently had a power failure for a day. And had no trouble using our phones the entire time.

annie-g · ‎04-20-2011

I switched from Verizon after having them for at least 20 years. I wanted a senior citizen plan and they did not offer one and I did not get one call to ask why I switched. I went to T-mobile senior plan which is $40 dollars a month or less, and I get unlimited talk, text and 5G I did not want to worry about minutes or a contract. I am very happy with them after being ripped off by Verizon for years. Also I would not use a cable company for my cell phone, they are not good and overpriced on cable, why would I want them for a cell service.