DerStrom8
Super Moderator
So I recently bought a used Tracfone (a company that allows you to buy minutes for a cell phone without binding you to a plan) and called customer service to get it reactivated. First, I got some stupid recording that tried to walk me through the reactivation process. First off, it was supposed to be voice-activated, and it did a terrible job.
After a couple of hours, I finally (supposedly) got it reactivated. But it still wouldn't let me make or receive any calls or texts. Anytime I tried making a call, it would say "Check call restrictions-34," and not make the call. There was an icon on the top of the screen that showed a phone with a red line through it. I eventually found out that the icon meant I was out of my calling area. That alone was confusing--I though Tracfones were supposed to work anywhere there was cell phone service (somehow, this was supposed to be the case). Anyway, I thought I'd go somewhere where I was "in my calling area." I went a couple of towns away and the icon finally disappeared. I tried making a call but when I dialed a number, the phone immediately said "Call ended," without making the call. I called (from my home phone) customer service (not the recorded one, but the actual "customer service"). I was forced to wait 45 minutes on hold with the most obnoxious music before I finally gave up and hung up the phone. I decided to try again an hour later, and after waiting only a half hour I got hold of a customer service representative. Unfortunately, the woman could hardly speak English and it was extremely difficult to understand what she was saying. Several times, I had to ask her to repeat one sentence because I couldn't understand her, and she started to get fed up with ME. I was still being extremely polite. She finally started talking, and I could only pick out bits and pieces of what she was saying, and she told me that the phone number on the cell was inactive and that I would need a new SIM card. She had me give my home address, which, of course, since she couldn't understand English, I had to come up with common words starting with the first letter for each letter in the name of my state, town, and road. Even after this, she kept getting the letters wrong. I finally got her straightened out, and she told me that they would be sending me a new SIM card and that I should receive it within 3-5 business days, 7 at the most. She gave me a ticket number, presumably to track my order.
Today (the eighth day), after still not receiving the SIM card, I decided to give them another call. Again, after waiting about 40 minutes on hold with the same obnoxious music, I got the same woman who could barely speak or understand English. I told her that I had called a while ago to re-activate my Tracfone and that they had told me that I needed a new SIM card. I mentioned that they said I would get it within 7 business days, and that I still didn't have it. I asked her if the ticket number would help. She said yes, and I gave it to her. She said that that ticket number was for something else, not a SIM card. I couldn't understand what she was saying it was for or asking me, and after asking her to repeat it three times (politely), she got fed up with me again. I finally just decided to answer "Yes," and after waiting a total of another half hour to forty-five minutes on the phone while she tried to figure it out, she finally gave me another number to call, and said I could give them my ticket number and they would help me. I wrote down the number she gave me and hung up. I then called the number and it just took me straight to the main menu that I got when I just called the regular Tracfone customer service number! Now, extremely annoyed with the entire company, I hung up the phone. I decided to go to the Tracfone website, go to the "contact us" link, and complain about my problem and the lack of proper customer service. I left a rather nasty e-mail, threatening to find another company if they couldn't be bothered to help me. So, here I am, waiting for an email back from them, as I rant on and on about how useless and stupid the Tracfone company and customer service is.
Finally, I leave you with this warning, as suggested in the title of this thread: DO NOT EVER USE TRACFONE!!!
After a couple of hours, I finally (supposedly) got it reactivated. But it still wouldn't let me make or receive any calls or texts. Anytime I tried making a call, it would say "Check call restrictions-34," and not make the call. There was an icon on the top of the screen that showed a phone with a red line through it. I eventually found out that the icon meant I was out of my calling area. That alone was confusing--I though Tracfones were supposed to work anywhere there was cell phone service (somehow, this was supposed to be the case). Anyway, I thought I'd go somewhere where I was "in my calling area." I went a couple of towns away and the icon finally disappeared. I tried making a call but when I dialed a number, the phone immediately said "Call ended," without making the call. I called (from my home phone) customer service (not the recorded one, but the actual "customer service"). I was forced to wait 45 minutes on hold with the most obnoxious music before I finally gave up and hung up the phone. I decided to try again an hour later, and after waiting only a half hour I got hold of a customer service representative. Unfortunately, the woman could hardly speak English and it was extremely difficult to understand what she was saying. Several times, I had to ask her to repeat one sentence because I couldn't understand her, and she started to get fed up with ME. I was still being extremely polite. She finally started talking, and I could only pick out bits and pieces of what she was saying, and she told me that the phone number on the cell was inactive and that I would need a new SIM card. She had me give my home address, which, of course, since she couldn't understand English, I had to come up with common words starting with the first letter for each letter in the name of my state, town, and road. Even after this, she kept getting the letters wrong. I finally got her straightened out, and she told me that they would be sending me a new SIM card and that I should receive it within 3-5 business days, 7 at the most. She gave me a ticket number, presumably to track my order.
Today (the eighth day), after still not receiving the SIM card, I decided to give them another call. Again, after waiting about 40 minutes on hold with the same obnoxious music, I got the same woman who could barely speak or understand English. I told her that I had called a while ago to re-activate my Tracfone and that they had told me that I needed a new SIM card. I mentioned that they said I would get it within 7 business days, and that I still didn't have it. I asked her if the ticket number would help. She said yes, and I gave it to her. She said that that ticket number was for something else, not a SIM card. I couldn't understand what she was saying it was for or asking me, and after asking her to repeat it three times (politely), she got fed up with me again. I finally just decided to answer "Yes," and after waiting a total of another half hour to forty-five minutes on the phone while she tried to figure it out, she finally gave me another number to call, and said I could give them my ticket number and they would help me. I wrote down the number she gave me and hung up. I then called the number and it just took me straight to the main menu that I got when I just called the regular Tracfone customer service number! Now, extremely annoyed with the entire company, I hung up the phone. I decided to go to the Tracfone website, go to the "contact us" link, and complain about my problem and the lack of proper customer service. I left a rather nasty e-mail, threatening to find another company if they couldn't be bothered to help me. So, here I am, waiting for an email back from them, as I rant on and on about how useless and stupid the Tracfone company and customer service is.
Finally, I leave you with this warning, as suggested in the title of this thread: DO NOT EVER USE TRACFONE!!!
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