TracFone Wireless
Reviews and Complaints

After a week of talking and chatting with TRACFONE and STRAIGHT TALK either would help me! Both redirected me back and forth between the to companies and when I INFORMED them that both phone powered up as TRACFONE'S they finally admitted TRACFONE was the parent company of STRAIGHT TALK! That still did not help and I am so sick of talking to East India that I will never ever own another one of these companies cell phones! I will also never recommend either company and give full details of the negative experience i had!

I have a Tracfone and have been purchasing the plan every few months. I bought 1 GB of Data for $10. After 3 weeks I noticed that I only had under 350 MB of Data left. I connect to Wifi at all times. I called cust.service to try and get my Data back. They say I used it so they won't give it back. They told me that I need to turn off Data so that it does not pull from it. The website says that it will pull from Wifi and not Data if I'm connected to the Wifi internet. They contradict the website when I call them. They stole my Data thus I say that they stole my money in the process!

https://support.tracfone.com/expresshelp/1650361?device=24939

In April of this year I purchased a Tracfone with one year of service and 1500 minutes. I still had minutes remaining from the previous Tracfone that I had and those were transferd to the new phone. I purchased the phone primarily as a back up for my regular cell phone. I used the new phone once or twice and then it remained shut off for several months. When I went to use it again I found there were no minutes left on it. I called Tracfone to complain but was told they had no way of checking usage beyond the last month but that I must have used up all the minutes.
No one had access to the phone other than myself and I had used only perhaps 10 minutes when I first got the phone. There should be WELL OVER 1500 minutes remaining. The phone number of the tracfone is [protected].

Your companies services are absolutely horrible.I called to get help so I can get my voicemail which the lady on the phone said my phone doesn't have visual voicemail but it does so I asked if I can send a photo or if I can go into a store she would not give me any information to do so so I could prove that it is on my phone and no I cannot delete it off, it came on my phone. Couldn't tell you how many times I'll be sunny text messaging photos and text back and forth and all of a sudden I can't receive a photo and I can't send a photo. TracFone always does this so I have to call and Waist 60 minutes or more out of my 250 minutes that aren't enough as is, and especially with this company eating them up every so many months like they do. And at times the problems will be nonstop to where I'm lucky if I have 60 minutes of talk out of my plan for the month after all the calls trying to get my phone fixed.
This company does not own up to its mistakes. Will not reimbursed you

Switched phones, had approximately 8.2 gig's of data, 3500 minutes, 4000 texts. New phone says 0, 0, 0. Contacted customer service who said only had 269 of each. Refused to connect me to higher authority or give me any contact information. Just want back what I paid for which billing and phone records will prove out. Requested how to go to arbitration per your end user agreement. Also refused any information from customer service. Will contact credit card company and FCC next if no one else will talk to me. Can be contacted at [protected]@ msn.com

I had ENOUGH with Tracfone. I tried everyway possible to try to resolve this matter. I have sent numerous emails, been on Tracfone chat and spoke to representatives, I called and spent over FIVE HOURS on the phone, mostly on HOLD. I have spoke to TWO so calked corporate managers. My husband has been WITHOUT his phone due to Tracfones negligence. In the beginning, I phone Tracfone explained them issues I was having with a tracfone that I purchased for my husband. The phone was freezing, sometimes he could make or receive calls, couldn't sign into emails. You name it, the phone was a complete nightmare. This phone was purchased BRAND NEW. So one of Tracfones genius representatives( I have names, I will save in xase I need them for legal advice )...Anyways I was told to send the phone into Tracfone in an empty box that my husband received that had a return fed ex envelope. I did just. I had given my email to one of Tracfones genius representatives so I could track the status of my new phone. I received anemail stating my phone was delivered. I knew it wasn't so, because I am always home and my front doir and window I can see mail deliveries etc. So, after phoning these so called geniuses, they told me I received the phone which wasn't true at all. Then after tranferring me to again another genius ( matter of speech NOT really NOT CLOSE )...a corporate manager, then another corporate manager. I guess the first couldn't do their job. The " venius" said for what I understood which makes it hard since for the most part all have very limited English. He told, me no the tracking we received your phone .OKAY...Now they promised my husband's NEW repkacement phone would be mailed out by the following Tuesday. Later that week, we did in fact receive a box from Tracfone with a damn Obama phone ( safelink ). We didn't send a damn safelink phone in, rather a very nice smartphone. I phoned another 45 minutes, now all of a sudden my husbands number they can't locate...after promising once his NEW phone arrived he would have all of his minutes, texts, and data. Now they can't seem to locate any such. Then Tracfone geniuses tell me to send the lityle Obama phone back once my husband receives his NEW phone. I agreed, I do NOT want their cheap Obama safelink phone. Still I have NOT received and replacement NEW phone that was suppose to be the same make and model. Three weeks " without " my husband's phone...I xhatted on Tracfones chat site they cannot locate it. So I am making very clear to Tracfone I will be contacting BBB, complaints online, stores, media, attorneys whatever to get this resolved asap...I will give until October 19, 2018. Now this is going on almost 4 weeks... RIDCULOUS AND VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND THEFT OF SERVICES, ...I WOULD ADVISE TRACFONE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL MAKE THE STEPS ABOVE...I HAD ENOUGH OF THE LIES AND DECEIVING...

Bought a replacement phone on 8/8/18 and returned it 8/18/18 well within the 90 day return date; tracking # [protected] 19 which was received by shipping dept on 8/20/18. Called [protected]. Was told that refund would take 30 days. After numerous calls and transfers and more transfers, waiting on hold for 5, 10 and 15 minutes without getting any answers another number [protected] ext 3324, hard to understand english .. again no answers. Besides all this I caught them removing data and minutes ( I call it stealing) which was replaced only after several calls were made, with lots of waiting time and transfers in between. This can not just be accidental anymore, and is done on purpose to discourage a customer from getting what he paid for.

Dealing with Tracfone is a nightmare. And thats putting it nicely. Brought a new Tracfone smartfone a few months back, the phone kept freezing, couldn't make or receive calls at times. After being a customer for over 20 years never a promotion a new phone " nothing". Anyways they told me the phone they would replace the same phone and the new phone would arrive 3-5 days. Well it was more like 7 ok...opened the box ot was " empty" with a fed ex envelope for my phone ...no replacement phone was inside the empty box. Sent out my phone as asked but the story gets better. Through it all, I was told and we know we want the same phone or a phone at least of equal value. Today October 10th...another 7 days...fed ex delivers a package from Tracfone. My phone that I sent in was a 5 inch smartphone. I opened the box and a little cheap Obama phone, replacing my phone. It isn't happening, then Tracfone woyld try tobresell my phone...I WANT MY SAME PHONE BRAND NEW...NOT REFURBISHED. I DIDN'T BUY A REFURBISHED PHONE.. After being furious calling tracfone and nobody that i could understand . I was sent to a corporate manager who was just as bad, asking what was the refrence number etc. I explained what was going on...after putting me on hold for almost 25 minutes maybe more. He gets back on and states the replacement phone will be mailed 3-5 days. WORSE PROVIDER EVER!. Then asked once I receive the replacement phone send their little cheap Obama phone back, sure no problem. I would " NOT " reccommend Tracfone to anyone. They don't speak English, your trasferred to a million representatives, they lie about services and their products. All I know when my husband's phone ever gets here. It better be the same phone or one of equal value, same number and all of his minutes better be on the new phone. Or I will contact BBB and media anyone else to get Tracfone to live up to what they promise their customers.. RIDICULOUS !

I have kept a close count and been super careful of my call time, data and text usage and have had many occasions where one, if not all, suddenly disappeared in a sense. I went over all my number 2 or 3 times and came up with the same shortage of call time, texts and or data. This time it was 100 call minutes off, and when I contacted them about the dilemma, they told me it I had used that up. I told them under no circumstances was it used on my behalf, and they told me I needed to buy more. I went through every single incoming and outgoing call several times just to be sure, and I did NOT use that time. When I talked to my aunt who was using tracfone before, she said the same things were happening with both her and her husband's too.

I have had a safelink phone for several years I am disable and each month I seemed to not receive my full benifits on my phone. I had gotten 500 minutes each month for the past 4 years. I am very much upset about this because each month I have to call and complain that I ran out of minutes into the second week and my phone is shut off. I know I do not use theses free minutes for my need to contact my doctors . So I keep track of my phone minutes very carefully . Hence it is my life line. I need my service and having to call each month for minutes. I am so frustrated with all of this. No one has given me any answers but oh well. I have to purchase another phone card . That on a fixed income I don't have it because I am on ssi .
Fix this issue. Lisa Rhodes.

Yesterday evening [protected], against my better judgement, i submitted the I Tunes Card number: XGP5TRJTQWLTWQ4W, via text message to cellphone [protected]. I realized three days ago of the nefarious activities, after relaying the 'Not redeemable or exchanged for cash', on the back of the I Tunes Card. This is a warning to all terrorist cells who prey upon disabled persons.

Tracfone does not allow call forwarding. This should be clearly explained in their advertisements! I have four tracfone lines and can not forward calls from any one of them.
I called their customer service and was told they do not support this.
In todays world call forwarding is a must have amenity.
Tracfone needs to clearly explain this up front BEFORE someone signs up!

After being long time faithful Trac fone members, they did not, would not transfer our son's minutes, texts, data to my wife's phone when he switched to Verizon, as he went to college. Numerous calls, time on phone (disconnected 3 times) with their jerk you around customer reps, we went nowhere! So frustrating. Still hope to get it back, looking elsewhere. You never seem to read or hear anything positive about their customer service. I'd love to be able to vent this to a TF executivewho could do something to improve this.

I had a tracfone and I upgraded to a new tracfone smartphone because the old phone died. After the transfer completed, I lost all of the minutes, texts, and data that were on the old phone. I rarely use this phone as it is an emergency phone and I had 1644 minutes, 3794 texts, and 3297 mb data on the old phone. When the transfer happened the correct end date of service transferred but none of the minutes. I contacted your company twice through chat and the agent told me that the old phone had no minutes on it to transfer. That is a total lie because as I said, I rarely use this phone and there is no way that I had no minutes on it. I don't even care about the texts, I really just want the minutes and data. I am disgusted about this. The new phone came with 1200 minutes, texts, data etc but the total should have been added to the minutes that I already had on the old phone. My wife and I have used tracfones for years & never had a problem like this, the minutes always transfer to the new phone. I am disgusted.

1st it was the phone my husband had was incompatible because tracfone wouldn't/couldn't unlock his phone. 2nd, I purchased a new phone from walmart specifically for walmart family mobile. 3rd had to wait 2 days for my number to be released from tracfone. 3rd, call tells me my phone is activated. 4th, it is not working. Says "cellular network not available". I know it is available because my other phone is on the plan and it works. 5th, they said there was a mismatch of plans on my account. I told them the box says "mix and match plans to fit your family needs". Then they said the phone is defective. If I put the old sim card into the old phone and put the battery back in that phone works. It can call and receive calls. Which to me says that the phone number is still attached to that IME or sim card and was not properly transferred as it should had been. 5 days 9 hours and still no working phone. Your support representatives repeatedly lied about many things and I am not happy. Those are a lot of hours I had to put in to solving a problem that is/was your problem. You should be the ones putting in all this time and work to turn this phone on correctly. If they spent this much time doing what they are actually suppose to do then they wouldn't have to spend so much time reading from a script and giving me elusive answers and lies. There shouldn't be all these issues. You have a paying customer, you provide a service, then you get paid. No service no pay. I think you owe me for all the hours work and frustration I had to put into this issue. 9 hours, at $50.00/hr, which is less than the going rate for a tech service $450.00. Really, you put me through a lot un-necessarily.

On booting my device prompt me to enter my gmail info which does nothing ! the device is draining my data minutes and I have been unable to make calls I cn receive them but the hone app and all the other apps are not shown as the device fails to properly boot ! any assistance ? I can be reached by email as my hone is pretty much dead ! this occurred last weekend and I require the use of my telephoning device for work purposes ! I purchased the device at a local Family Dollar store as it was advertised falsely to be able to function with a T-Mobile plan ! I realized it was just a minutes phone and I could not connect it to any other available carrier as the device is locked until I pay blood munny for a year ! I should have guessed the scam while being rushed out of the local store with ALLPHONE SALES ARE FINAL being shouted at me like I came to ask for merchandise handouts !

On July 9, 2018, I transferred my number to a phone that I had used previously on TF. This was an emergency phone that I kept in the glovebox and did not normally use. When I requested a SMS balance check on 7/9, they never texted back I reupped on 8/4 and my balance showed 90/90/90. After 2 calls, a rep told me that all of my minutes (7, 987), texts and Data had been transferred to the new phone and that I used them all up! My last text was to TF on 7/9 at 11:09 and they responded that my balance would be arriving soon; my last phone call was on 7/9 at 11:11 to my home number, a test call.

So Tracfone is ripping me off for what, $100 or so?

These people are notorious rip off artists, but I'm not going down quietly, I'll get my $100 one way or another.

On 7/11/2018 my phone was deactivated by your system for some reason, I was not involved in this and did not request it. When I called about it, your tech support people re-activated the phone but I had no minutes data or texts. When I checked my account earlier in the day I had over 300 minutes, over 3Gb of data and over 4000 texts. I accumulated these numbers from past purchases and when I switched phones, as I do not use the phone much. I was told that my account would reflect my old account numbers after about 30 minutes, it never did. The next day I called again, after talking to 2 supervisors I was told by a Jenny and Tricia that they could verify that I had the 300 minutes, 3gb data and 2000 texts. I said I could accept the 2000 texts because as I stated I don't use the phone much. Tricia said she could change my account to show 300 minutes and 3gb data but could not add the texts due to some equipment not being available, She said to try back with ref # [protected], call [protected] with pin # 449736 and it would be referenced that the 2000 texts were to be added. When I did the next day no one could find this note, when I requested to speak to a higher supervisor, I was told by a guy that he was the highest I could go and that he could not add the texts. He was very rude and unwilling to help. The only way I could get/send texts was to add money to my account. On 7/13/2018 I purchased $43.49 that added to my minutes, data and texts. I am not willing to accept this as a last solution of adding more money to my account, after spending countless hours on the phone with numerous "supervisors". They lied to me on several occasions, first that my account would be corrected the day after the phone was re-activated and when I was told the texts would be corrected when I called back in with the ref # that would be noted within. If someone will call me back or email me to take care of this problem or to ask/answer any questions, I am willing. Arthur W. Crowell; [protected] or [protected] or email at arthurw.[protected]@yahoo.com.

I have added two cards that on the face said 200 minutes 500 text and 500 mb data. On both of the I only received 200 minutes 200 text and 200 mb data. I contacted customer service and they said the card was added. I told them I know it was added but was incorrect. I have been a tracfone customer for over 10 years and have never had this problem. And I buy a new phone every year and hope to continue doing so.

I called customer service to transfer my sons phone number to my old phone and my phone number was somehow transferred to T-Mobile but in reality it went into space, I spent 7 day a and probably 5 hours dealing with customer service which was incapable of fixing anything. I had to get a new phone number and was refused restoration of my data and texts that I had already paid for because of a representative who cannot transfer a number properly.