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Phone Transfer Forced By 4G
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

FLORIDA -- Both wife and I called 6 to 8 times each. Terrible phone tree to wade through for help. After all the calls and numerous things we tried we still can not call out!! We put $20 on the phone, checked numerous times the settings. Did a factory reset and all it says is "Cellular Network Not Available"! The phone will call 911 rapidly and clearly with no problems. We can use the browser with no problems over cellular.

The phone is a Samsung that is only a couple of years old. It worked flawlessly on Verizon. We used Verizon for traveling and decided to switch the phone to Tracfone. The switch was necessary because Tracfone is going 4G. We use the phone just a few times per month and it is NOT worth $500 for that!! No one at Tracfones corporate or toll free can tell us what is going on!! Tracfone you just lost an 9 year customer! Bye!

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Tracfone Flat Out Lies and Overcharges
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

INDIANA -- All I wanted was to buy my mother a cheap phone. Well it started out that way. I got her the phone and put it on the "free" (actually $5.99 plus tax) plan on Tracfone. Until I knew it worked in our area. I decided to change the plan. The website would not let me change the plan until the free plan was canceled. So I canceled it. Then it stated I could not enroll the phone until the service date was up, which was yesterday.

So I got on the website to change the plan and lo and behold the phone was inactive. I was informed it needed to be reactivated with a airtime card. I didn't have a card, so I bought one through their chat support and was told I could then change the phone to the family plan to avoid this again. Ok. I get on the website, no dice. Still cannot change the plan on either phone. I get on chat support (mostly cause they cannot speak English on the phone) for the 4th time and get a representative that says she can do it all for me.

Great! I asked to change both phones to the Family plan. "That's a charge for 11.36$. Do you want to proceed?" I said "Wait, is that now?" "I did not say you would be charged now, it would be on the next service date." My next service date was 3/26/15 so I agreed. Guess what? I was charged twice in one night! 4 times in a month! Once for my monthly plan last week, once for the airtime card, once for the enrollment in a different plan, and so on. Even when they say they won't charge you they do.

I explained this to the next representative who got on, since the previous representative didn't answer my questions and switched me to someone else in the middle of the chat. This was 4 hrs and 5 reps later I might add. I was not very nice at this point. I asked this other representative since I was flat out lied to, could I get a discount or some sort of credit. An emphatic "No" was my answer. So I get charged 3 times in one night just to switch a plan to SAVE money, who's the sap? Don't be like me. Just say no to their deals, or never change your plan. You'll pay for it.

All and all, this cheap phone for my Mom and myself ended up costing me 50 dollars in other fees in the span of one night. So if you think you are saving money with them, don't. They are just as bad if not worse than their parent company, Verizon. Double talk, lies, and denial is their middle name.

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Refuses to Exchange or Refund for Useless Purchase
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I purchased what I thought were minutes from our local convenience store as I usually do. Not until after I authorized the purchase with my debit card did I realize the clerk rang up the wrong item. Instead of purchasing 200 minutes, I paid for a double minute card, costing $49.99. However, still believing I had purchased minutes, I made several attempts to plug in the pin # to add airtime, but was told the # was invalid.

Since my phone is already triple minutes, I neither need a double minute card, nor can it be installed on my phone. I checked the receipt (the transaction does not come on a card, but is printed on a register receipt). The receipt says "Double Min 49.99". I went back to the store and was told that once a Tracfone purchase is made, no changes, exchanges or refunds can be made. All must go through Tracfone.

I called Tracfone and 1st spoke with a girl in Belize. I gave her and 3 successive supervisors the pin # for the purchase (the 2nd one, Tyrell in Belize told me there was no supervisor in Tracfone that could assist me). I offered to scan and email my receipt, and requested that Tracfone convert my $49.99 payment into the corresponding value of minutes. I even went back to the store after being shut down by Tyrell, and there were no buttons the clerk could push to make any refund or exchange for me.

When I went back to the store and was unable to get compensation, I actually had to PURCHASE more minutes-60 @$19.99- just to retrieve messages and be able to use my Tracfone! Any reasonable person and/or company would consider this a considerable smack in the face. So at this point, I'm $70.00 (49.99 + 19.99) down, with only 60 minutes to show for it. In my 3rd and 4th attempts with customer service representatives to get my purchase exchanged for minutes of the same value, I was given the same response: "As a one time courtesy (yet another smack)", I would be given $19.99 worth-60 minutes.

My 4th customer service representative verified that 200 minutes cost $39.99, but for my $49.99, she could only give me 60 minutes, along with a certain number of extra service days. All reps acted as if offering to triple those 60 minutes to equal 180 was a gift, HOWEVER, I already have an automatic triple minute for life phone-I should be getting 200 x 3=600 min. for 39.99 with refund of the extra $10 I paid!

Given that I have 6.2 years' worth of service left, extra service days is meaningless to me. The reason I have so many service days left is because I have used Tracfone for years and am a very loyal customer. I am the type of customer who is easy to keep - to insult me and take my money with no service provided is a seriously foolish business move - I am a regular, dependable source of income. I was even told to go back to the convenience store a 3rd time - to run a fool's errand for Tracfone reps to keep me from bothering them (smack #3).

After 1 hour and 18 minutes of this (on my second day of trying), I had to take my daughter to the doctor. I had been on hold approximately the last 30 minutes of the call waiting for my 5th supervisor (smack #4). I left the house with the phone on hold.

Tracfone representatives: rejected my offer to send my receipt, saying that what I was telling them about the amount I paid (on receipt and which included the pin #) was untrue; repeatedly rejected my request to exchange the useless double minute card for corresponding amount of minutes; verified that 200 minutes cost 39.99, but only offered me 60 minutes for my 49.99.

Ignored that I have been a loyal customer for as many years as it takes to accumulate over 6 years of service days (I would guess it has been approx. 7 years); would rather I dispute the $50 payment, risking the loss of that revenue, even though adding minutes to my phone would cost Tracfone nothing, even if I had NOT paid for them; would rather lose me as a customer, and all the revenues from my future purchases, which would be in the hundreds and more $s; and would rather I tell people of my experience (giving a business $50 with the only service provided was to relieve me of my money and call me a liar).

The sole reason I have pursued the issue through 4 representatives before being shot out into eternal hold is that I dread going out to find another phone service. None of the representatives were native English speakers, and I couldn't help but think they had no idea what I was talking about. I had to frequently ask them to repeat themselves because I couldn't decipher what they were saying.

Additionally, my own words were being echoed back to me on top of what the reps were saying, and the background noise was nearly as loud as their voices. I could not at times tell whether they were talking to me or someone next to them. One told me that my log said a previous representative had offered to compensate, but I rejected the offer.

Now, I must call the debit card company to start my dispute. I will recommend only using credit cards when dealing with Tracfone, because if one has a problem, resolution is not an assumption that can be made. I recommend one behave as if doing business in a 3rd world country, because that is the type of iffy, risky transactions you will be making. It is a gamble. It is unwise to use cash or debit with Tracfone.

To behave in an ethical manner as would be expected in the United States, Tracfone would offer me 200 minutes, plus a refund of the $10 extra dollars I invested in the company, for which I have received nothing but stolen time and a hole in my wallet. I am a seriously unvalued customer who 5 representatives considered completely unworthy to assist or maintain as a client. I trusted this company to deliver service after I gave it my money, and it honored that trust by keeping the money and slamming the door in my face. Its representatives behaved as if they have nothing left to lose by disposing of me and my business.

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Poor Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

They barely speak English. Try a supervisor or manager, since, while they still barely speak English, you might eventually be able to communicate with them. Even better is online chat, where you don't have to deal with their accents. The phrasing they use will still be foreign, though, like "Phone number is what that you are calling about?", but at least you can understand it most of the time.

They don't seem to apply any intelligence, they just read from a script. I called to check the status of a new phone they were mailing me, and they asked what the phone number was on the phone! Well, duh, it doesn't have a phone number yet, as it hasn't been activated. Then they asked for its serial number. Again, how would I know the serial number of a phone they haven't sent me yet?

They transfer you to nowhere and/or tell you to call a number that is useless. You often must start all over again after the transfer, as nobody answers and it just throws you right back to the beginning of the phone tree. Don't let them transfer you without them first calling the department they are transferring you to, to make sure somebody will actually answer. If they won't/can't do that, ask for a supervisor.

A flash message on the TracFone website said to call a number which was apparently for StraightTalk, not TracFone, although it failed to say that and I only found out later in the process. The automated system there also required that I enter the phone number for the phone I am calling about, despite it not having a phone number yet.

They also didn't seem able to understand English, as when I called to get the FedEx tracking number they gave me the TracFone problem number, then, when I said that wasn't it, they gave me my own street address! So, be prepared to spend hours on the phone or in chat with them, even to get the most basic things done.

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Horrible Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I have been a TracFone customer for more than 5 years. While I am happy with the phone service, I am not happy with customer service. I have dealt with them multiple times over the past years and have received poor service every time. Most recently, I qualified to receive a $25 gift certificate if I activated my phone by a certain date. I did so, but when I came to the end of the activation process I was not offered a gift card.

When I called the company to try to get the gift card, I was offered 10 days additional service as compensation. I pointed out that the $25 plan on the TracFone website includes 60 service days, 500 minutes of talk, 1000 texts, and 500MB data. Hence, 10 days service was hardly adequate compensation. The maximum offer I was able to elicit was 25 days service and 100 minutes of compensation. The agent "explained" to me why she could not offer more compensation, but the explanation made no sense.

Moreover, she told me that "they" have to check if I was entitled to the offer but could not tell me who “they” were. I told her that I have waited 18 days and asked if I should wait longer. She could not answer the question. I was also told that she had no way to determine if I had actually received the offer or gift card. Why not? Either TracFone should have that information or they should be able to get it from their partner. After spending more than 30 minutes on the phone (using up my airtime) more than 10 minutes of which was waiting to speak with a supervisor, I gave up. I will now write a letter to customer service. I welcome a response and explanation from TracFone.

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Flawed 3g Phone
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I received a 3g phone to replace an old 2g phone. It took over three hours to transfer minutes from old phone to the new replacement and I was using their customer service. The CS representative was not knowledgeable enough to help me get all the information transferred to the 3g phone and rude. My 3g phone still does not have browser capabilities. I cannot send or receive pictures. All the 3g phone can reliably do is allow me to text. If I use the 3g phone to make a simple call both myself and the recipient of the call must hold the phone 6" away from our ears as the volume is cranked up so high.

In an emergency situation the 3g phone could not be relied on... and this is why I carry a cell phone. To recap: customer service is uninformed and often bad mannered, the 3g phone is flawed and unreliable. I bought a Virgin Mobile phone yesterday. I will use up all of my TracFone minutes and then toss the phone in the garbage... where it and TracFone Customer Service belong.

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Taking Minutes Away
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- We have two Tracfones and tried to transfer 600 minutes from the one least used to the one that had 1700 and used all the time. Before, you could transfer just the minutes, this time I was told the number also had to be transferred. I agreed and after all was done the 1700 minutes were gone and I had the same number on both phones, of course only ONE could be used.

For two weeks tried to get my minutes back and a new number for the other phone and all I get from their "customer disservice" is to go in circles and nothing can be accomplish. They say to get a new number for the other phone they had to cancel my regular number in the active phone. Forget about push 1 for English, you'll get a foreigner trying to speak in English. PLEASE WE NEED A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST THIS COMPANY.

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Tracfone Will Not Add Minutes From Card, 6 Weeks No Help From Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA -- Bought Tracfone flip phone, very hard to activate. Added 60 min. no worries. Went to add 120 min. and screen said to call customer service. I have called 11 times and burned up almost all my minutes. First they tell me that my phone needs to be activated, (but it is activated and I have been using it for months) then they say I have an invalid airtime Pin, then they tell me I do not have a Tracfone, then they tell me that my Sim is bad, then they say they will send me new phone.

No phone so I ask where it is (this is after 6 weeks) then they email me about turning the phone on but by now my 43 min. is down to 4 min, and they tell me 4 min. is not enough time to activate the phone. Round and round. This is not good.

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7500 Minutes and Tracfone Says Phone Will Not Work
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AVA, MISSOURI -- Have 2 Tracfones with a total of 7500 minutes. I buy the yearly card. All of sudden wife's phone starts showing no connection available. It happened just after she was asking Tracfone about something. Now it still has minutes but no connection. We are fortunate to live on top of a hill and can get signals from all carriers. We call Tracfone and they tell us in our zip code only T-Mobile is here. That's bull crap. Look at Tracfone ads and they say they connect all major networks. My home phone is AT&T wireless and internet for years. All cell phones ROAM so zip means nothing. That was August 2019.

Now it's 2020 and my other phone is just fine, but I leave it in my tractor box while I am clearing storm damage trees and someone steals it. I remember 2 guys yelling at me up next to tractor that I was telling them how far to town and that was only car all day. I call sheriff and in the conversation they suggest calling Tracfone to deactivate phone in case bad guys use. We do.

Week later phone is left in our mailbox. I call Tracfone to activate it and they start telling me phone will not work where we are!!!! What-- so I call and also go on chat which I printed out. Same crap. So we are 81 and our emergency phone is gone... Walmart should have never sold me cards for phones that will not work. No your phone will not work. Get a new one...

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Zero Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

OAKFIELD, NEW YORK -- I went online to check my account balance and Tracfone tried to tell that I do not have any "devices" associated with my account. I opened an account in July 2010 and have had the same home phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address but Tracfone went in and changed my account without telling me.

I tried speaking to several Reps over the last few days and their accents are very difficult to understand. I must have spelled my name for them at least 20 times and they still screwed it up! I asked to speak to a Supervisor and started the whole "dog and pony" all over by repeating my phone number and e-mail address several times. They either do not listen or do not understand spoken American English so I have to spell everything very s-l-o-w-l-y for them and just hope that they get it right. This is not the way to run a company but obviously Tracfone does not give a **!

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TracFone Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.2 out of 5, based on 33 ratings and
103 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
TracFone
Executive Resolution Department
9700 N.W. 112th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178
1-800-867-7183 (ph)
www.tracfone.com
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