TracFone Wireless
Reviews and Complaints

Complaint activity report case # [protected] bbb serving southeast florida & the caribbean consumer info: km, km business info: tracfone wireless, inc. 5916 w milwaukee, wi [protected] 876-5753 location involved: (same as above) consumer's original complaint : i purchased 2 phones (4 total )most likely last year some time from dollar general- the first phone didn't work - defective. so i went to dollar general to take it back- along with the other one that was unopened to exchange for a different flip phone- i was told i could exchange the unopened phone- but the defective phone i had to send back to tracfone.the store scanned it a million times and then advised me that tracfone wasn't taking back the unopened one either- and i paid for the flip phone anyway without an credit for the one they scanned a million times when they handed it back to me. i asked if it worked after all that monkey business and was told yes.- i threw all the phones in a drawer and had intended just to sell them all at a yard sale - it was so much of a hassle to return defective phones for my money back. then a year later i found them after forgetting about them - i activated the flip phone and it turned out that one was defective as well - plus the phone number they assigned me used to be a porn sight number![protected] divine seductress - ... it does not ring or show the numbers calling! and only records a message when it feels like it. i didn't want my nieces to have that kind of number so i attempted to activate the other phone i attempted to return. turns out when it was scanned a million times - it does not work as dollar general promised. i went threw all the 'hoops" to get it activated. tf made a service number and promised they would have it working the next day! well, it doesn't and now i'm suppose to jump threw more hoop to get my money back for 3 defective phones - and they can't start the service for the new one. i've spent hours on the phone and now just spent a long time filling out chats and waiting and waiting only to have them disconnect that chat too product_or_service: samsung //trac fone account_number: [protected] consumer's desired resolution: desiredsettlementid: other (requires explaination)i also filled out a customer service "chat" and waited forever...i asked if they were still there- and then they hung up. after all that time as well!alejandra: i will need to read all the chatalejandra: are you still there? if i do not get a response from you within three minutes, this session will have to end.***i want to know why someone can't take back the defective phones at the store purchased with the receipt unopened or opened with a receipt? and why all the hassle. not happy bbb processing 11/23/2015 web bbb case received by bbb 11/24/2015 vg bbb case reviewed by bbb - member 11/24/2015 otto email send acknowledgement to consumer - member 11/24/2015 otto email notify business of dispute - member the customer service is virtually worthless and i can't get the headquarters to correct the frustration either. so far i spent over 5 hours with customer service and $50 in phones that do not work. along with a 22.00 phone card

Track phone wireless is the worst cell phone company they don't know what there doing they all lie to you from the supervisor to the manager they lie lie lie track phone need to go out of business I sent my old cell. Phone back a long time ago and they keep sending me. Empty boxes to return my old cell phone back I already did that along time ago they lie lie obout sending me new cell phone

OK, my tracfone broke after 6 years, I buy a new phone and try to transfer my old number to new phone. Obviously I could not get it done with customer service. The next day my old phone went dead, called to get it reinstated and I was told that sorry it is lost in the system forever! Secondarly I lost 176 minutes, no big deal, but it was a big deal that I nearly 300 customer have my old number and I had several sales/deals in the works. This mistake is costing my thousands of dollars and I don't even get a sorry, . How could this happen, I don't know what I can do but I want someone to know I got royally screwed and dealing with people in India is not working for me. Here is my old number [protected]. Can someone out there help me? Thanks,

October 22, 2015: AGAIN Tracfone has screwed me over on minutes. I'm using the phone and I hear the "toot-toot... toot-toot" that I think is an in-coming call. No, it's the "under 10min remaining" alert. UNDER 10MIN.? I had well over 30! And I only get 1-min incoming calls calling me to work, or the rare text mssge. exchange. Where did they go? This is the 2nd time my crapfone has done this. The previous time, I finally got 20min out of them, but they used this against me this time, as if I didn't deserve it originally and should've been grateful. For life. I googled this and it's not uncommon. This is outright stealing, on top of their deceptive advertising, "No contract". Well, if you don't use your phone by the "service date" it shuts down. I call that condition/date combination a "contract". For God's sake, is there anyone out there not endlessly trying to trick you and screw you?

Costumer for long time 10 yrs plus, bought card put pin in not working, tried x4, this is the second time this is happening, emailed the costumer service, got email back to call etc, I am a nurse working 12h at night no time for this, I send a letter to Miami HQ and chatted with the representative, did not help me ask me for the pin give again said there is not a record of me trying to pun it in, and did not believe me and dismissed me before I was done . I have this phone for convenience, if I have to do all of this because the pin is not working in the first place, then this is not convenient to me . Will have my husband, my sister and her husband and my nice and her bf change companies . I need things to work and when they do not I need help not the run around ANA MARIE THE REPRESENTATIVE GIVE ME, had the pin worked I did not need to do all of this, they know their system is not working properly they need to believe the people when they call or chat or what ever. about this, I want to recommend to you to stay away, keep your money and most important keep your sanity and nerves they will create because what u have to do, and will not get help BUT INDEEDYOU WILL GET RIPPED OFF BY THIS COMPANY !

I received a birthday card from TracFone with a promo code for 30 free minutes as a birthday present. I attempted to redeem the code when I tried to purchase more airtime and I got a message indicating the code was not valid for my phone. I contacted customer service and they said the promo code will only work if I buy 120 minutes. The card never mentioned I had to buy any set amount of minutes. I mentioned that to May, the customer service rep, and she said there was nothing she could do. How's that for a happy birthday present from TracFone?

In March added 120+ had 335 minutes total w/expiration date 11 '15. Just noticed today screen shows 67.30 minutes left w/74 days til expiration! All-calls duration section of phone shows I used only 39 minutes. Rarely use flip cellphone during last 3yrs; always have carryover minutes; I add minutes [double lifetime] before expiration date. Tracfone tech & tech supv said their codes don't show any minutes disappearing and said they have no records to show how many minutes I had or bought in March nor do they show how many minutes I had on certain days. Also said I should have called sooner so they might have been able to tell me how minutes disappeared--Don't use phone often, and always noticed hundreds of minutes left! They concluded I used them. Told them I don't text, use internet, nor make many calls; and phone was not stolen or in someone else's possession. To get [irrelevant] record of my calls I have to fax letter and leave phone on for 30 days awaiting a response; they aren't able to leave a voicemail. Letter's procedures are issued via fast-speaking taped message...not online. Also the letter will only yield a list of the calls made/received last 90 days--will NOT give info re number of minutes had at beginning or end of list. Ridiculous that Tracfone doesn't keep better records and/or admit the possibility of a hacker [or employees] having access to/stealing customers' minutes. The lack of customer records and that fast procedural recording makes it seem like they don't want you to be able to track your minutes. They're able to add minutes to my phone from their office with the touch of a few buttons; so I'm sure they're able to make minutes disappear. I want my minutes returned! Also, internet is rife w/others' complaining about Tracfone's disappearing minutes! PLEASE STOP THIS SCAM!

I had bought my 2 teenage boys tracfones at the beginning of august 2015 but one of them quit working in less than 2 weeks. Called tech support on 8 - 11 or [protected] but could not get it to work so they sent me a prepaid envelope to send the phone back to them and they would send out a replacement phone. Sent the phone back to them on [protected] and called on [protected] just to see if the replacement had been shipped yet and the girl told me the first ticket #[protected] was not done right so she made a new ticket #[protected] and i would have the phone friday [protected]. No phone came on 8 - 21 but on monday 8 - 24 i get a box but it has another return envelope but no replacement phone so i call again and get the runaround from more people and should have the phone thursday [protected]. Now on 9 - 2 - 2015 my 14 year old son still does not have a phone and all i get from customer service seem to be lies. The only thing i am getting from this experience is to believe you have to be incompetent and a liar to work for tracfone !

I have 3 sons with close to 2, 000 minutes each with a month's worth of service days, and one with over a year and half of service days and no minutes. Why can't I share those minutes with the one with no minutes? Their customer service wait time is way too long and I often get hung up on or someone that barely knows what they're doing. If I could take the phone and minutes to another provider I would. DON'T USE THEM IF YOU CAN HELP IT.

My ZTE Valet phone start telling me that "this phone does not have the funds to make this call", It has happened twice, the first time I called customer service and they had me put in various codes, and fixed it. The last time it happened, I mysteriously lost all my minutes, over 1700 minutes so I called customer service and the Lady basically told me I was lying about my minutes, which I did not appreciate, but after talking to a supervisor they told me that it would take 4 days to get my minutes back, tomorrow will be 7 days and I still haven't got my minutes back, or my $100.00 phone has not been fixed.

I bought a track one a year ago and never used it. I tried to reactivate it online and add minutes. The online system took my minutes pin number but couldn't get the serial number to work so I called customer service. After an hour on the phone I got my phone working and it showed I had 90 minutes. Odd since I only bought 60. I called a smart phone to see what the number was and I had a new number, no surprise. I used the phone for 2 days and then it was deactivated. I called customer service 2x and finally was told my minutes were given to the person that had my old number and there was nothing they could do. They didn't assign the minutes to the phone serial number, they just picked an old number. Anyone thinking about getting a trackfone and especially reactivating one, think twice. Trackfone is a scam and they have no qualms about giving your number and minutes away to anyone. DON'T BUY TRACKFONE!

I have been using Tracfones for a few years now, having switched from my old LG240G to my current LG800G phone, and I am bewildered by how this unbelievably bad company is still in business...
I mean, their phones are certified garbage that are so prone to glitches, and bugs it is not even funny, and their excuse for support, is atrocious.
HOW is this company even real?
STAY AWAY people, the money you save is NOT worth the frustrations, and unpredictable screw ups that come from this sweatshop superstar company.
My old phone, the LG240G, started to stay on when it wasn't in use, thus draining the charge down all day while in your pocket instead of shutting down after 10 seconds of dissuse to save power like it was made to do, so I traded, up I thought, to the LG800G, which had triple minutes instead of double minutes like the 240G, but also came with a bag of bugs, and mistakes that were relentless, and unpredictable...
Case in point, for the last 2 weeks, the phone has been turning itself off after not being used for more than an hour, even if it has full charge. This has been causing me to miss several important calls because they are all automatically sent directly to voicemail because the phone is off. For the record, you ARE deducted for calling, and listening to your voicemails, and I have done so MANY times, and know exactly how voicemail works. Now today, I get yet another voicemail, from my mother no less, and I try to delete it by pressing 7, but it won't work for some reason until I listen to the entire message all of a sudden. So I do, and at the end it says, to replay press 1, to delete press 7, so then I press 7 again, and I get, "That is not a valid entry"?
?WHAT IN THE WORLD? Are you kidding me? It even showed 7 on the screen, and there is ONLY one 7 key on the numpad, so how do I delete the voicemail?
So, I call Tracfone "Support", yeah right, but hey, I needed a laugh I guess, and after 20 minutes of menu options, I get a person on the phone who obviously knows nothing, and he wants to transfer me to a tutorial on how to use voicemail despite the fact that I thoroughly explained to him the problem. They absolutely REFUSE to take responsibility for any mistakes, and ALWAYS assume that you have messed up, and are doing it wrong...
WOW, I mean WOWOWOWOW, what a completely criminal organization, I say it again, STAY AWAY from Tracfone, the money you save is not worth being sucked into their little web of sweatshop superstar equipment, and absolutely appalling customer service!

I have made at least 5 calls over the last month trying to reactivate my husbands tracfone. I know I would get a new number, which is no problem for me. I had to buy minutes right away. Then we worked for over an hour trying to get the tracfone reactivatedl I was asked to call a number to see if the activation worked. It didn't work. They said it may take some time to work and try it the next day. The next day it did not work so I called tracfone again. The same procedure happened again. Finally I talked to somebody and they said my phone was defective and I should buy another phone and call back. I bought a new phone (more expensive phone)and the same problem existed. This time it activated but I could not call. I was told again that by tomorrow morning it should work. Of course it didn't and I made another call to Tracfone. We worked on codes again for a long time, transferring to a supervisor and doing all things over and over again. Nothing worked so they said they would send me a phone and I should call back to reactivate it. I asked if my number, minutes and service would transfer. She said they would. The phone came in the mail about 2 weeks later. My husband needed this phone for his trip. He had to go without. The tracfone finally came. I called to reactivate it. I had a reference number so she could see what happened before. I told her my story of my first phone being defective and the 2nd phone not working and the new one that needs to be activated. She wanted the serial number and phone number of the original phone. She activated it right away. So my phone was not defective! She then activated my new phone. She gave me my 3 month service but now I had a totally different telephone number. That was fine with me but I had only 10:00 minutes given to me. She couldn't find any record that I had 1, 287.90 minutes that were not transferred. That's a lot of minutes and money. I wonder if they still have a record that I get double minutes each time I buy minutes. I was totally frustrated! She apologized and then asked if I wanted to buy more minutes. How can I get my minutes back?!?! All of the service reps were very nice and patient. I have had 5 tracfones before and good service. This last experience was terrible. If I don't get my minutes back I will be finished with tracfone. They recorded each conversation so it is all there.

tried to add minutes, didn't work, called tracfone they said sim expired. Sims don't expire and there were remaining minutes and expiration date was 2024. got all kinds of excuses and runarounds. a knowledgeable tech could have gotten into database and solved whatever problem they created. Chat boards said that that day there were lots of people unable to add minutes, so perhaps their system had been hacked and customer/sim data stolen. complained to better business bureau and tracfone remained adamant that there was nothing they would do to resolve my problem. Someone named 'Betty" kept sending emails in very poor English, so it's probably an avatar, but clearing making excuses and more than likely never spoke with anyone level 3 in tech to solve the problem. Guess they have enough business they can be nasty and uncooperative. This number is one I cannot afford to lose for business purpose, and there is data on the sim I need. My lawyer is drafting the complaint and this 'company' will be sued. and as much publicity around the case as I can generate, so other customers will be alerted.

Called for "unlock code" from TracFone to utilize my older LG phone with another cellular company. Just needing a basic non-smart phone for child.
Over an hour on phone with 3 representatives; 1 had heavy accent, very hard to understand and was insistent that my phone issue was due to not able to make or receive calls. She argued I didn't need an unlock code. She put in a help ticket and advised for me to wait 48 hours for resolution, which would be done wirelessly to my LG at home. I just needed to keep the power on continuously. The next person was pleasant, but didn't want to help, and had me immediately transferred. The last was by far the rudest and shortest phone discussion, as that person flat out said, TracFone can not unlock LG phones and promptly disconnected the call.

Gosh TracFone, you have done such a phenomenal job at not only selecting top-notch service reps, but in training them for problem solving and overall customer service! Just so hard to believe that customers far and wide aren't standing in line for your excellent services. Keep up the great job! In the mean time, I'd rather spend my hard earned pay with another company who is appreciative of my continued loyalty and while I'm out-of-contract!

all i tried to do was add 1 year airttime. Spoke to various people who cpuld not understand me. My Visa has been debited twice and tracfone says i have to deal with my bank but it was tracfone that made the error. I still do not have my airtime. The manager said i had preauthorized the debit but that it is not true. I pay once a year by phone. My bank confirms a Can debit of $170 or us$ 129.66.
my phone number is/was [protected].
The have taken without my agreement 2 payments and i still do not have any minutes. They say my bank has declined the payment yet my bank says my account was debited twice.
I think tracfone is confused because i am a Canadian resident. They kept asking for my zip code and I kept telling them my Canadian postal code. my email is [protected]@yahoo.com
please help me as I have been taken advantage of. ed

About three years ago I spoke to someone and they recommended I check to see if I qualified for Safelink telephone service. I went online, completed the application, and within 2 weeks, I had a phone and airtime. From that time until now, I've never had a problem with the service, getting requests to fill out questionnaires and to buy additional airtime constantly. My usage is less than 50 minutes per and maybe about 20 minutes for text messages. Recently I noticed that my remaining airtime has continued to go down, so I called Safelink and they advised that I was no longer eligible (I guess the overwhelming rate of SS increase did that - all of about 1.7% over the past 3 years! Anyway, the suggested that I go to Trakfone, so I tried to use their online site and simply could not get a log on. So I called and spoke to a very nice woman from the Philippines, who said that she would assist me, and proceded to provide her all the information required from the phone number, address, and credit card number, and annual income. After about 30 minutes or so, she advised that I could not sign up for Tracfone because I was a Safelink customer! Oh yeah...remember that was told by Safelink about an hour or so before that I no longer qualified for Safelink! All I can say is that something --- no...many, many things are seriously wrong with this system. The phones and phone service are acceptable, and even the representatives for both companies seem qualified, but the people who oversee and manage how the system is run should ALL --- 100% of them --- be either fired or indicted for incompetence and stupidity (oh yeah...they are not crimes), for the waste and confusion that surrounds the system.

Kast year I called but you never get to talk to a person. I purchased a one year card that should have had double minutes but they only gave me regular minutes but charged me for the double minutes. I've tryed to contact them but only get back a card to keep my minutes. And they charged me about 280 minutes to change I want to speak with someone that understands english. They have been hard to deal with but i've spent alot and don't need to lose any more. They should have a number to to talk with a person but they don't want that so they can have it there way. Going to file at bbb and anywhere else I can. Peeved off in va. Kinnie yost.

Enjoy the use of my TracFone; however, dealing with the company is a totally different story! After spending minutes short of one hour with a representative that I had a hard time understanding, I found out when I got an email showing the receipt from the airtime I had purchased, that I was charged double! Grrrrr! The representative kept asking me the same questions over and over and over and even though I got two text messages notifying me that my time period was about to expire and they (text messages) gave me a promo code to use to get an extra 20 minutes, somehow the promo code expired (even though I just got a text 2 days ago showing that particular code -- the rep said it had been used back in 2014. DUH! Sooo, long story short, not only did I not get the extra 20 minutes but was charged for 120 minutes (which I never asked for) instead of the 60 minutes I requested. This company needs to hire people that can be clearly understood and know how to use their computer system AND listen to what the customer is telling them. Seriously thinking of dumping TracFone as soon as my minutes are used up. Sure don't need this kind of harassment!

had a tracfone for years. so decided to get a new phone, and transfer my minutes over, after many call got to talk to someone, but had to act like I was going to buy something in order to talk to a human. gave her the information she said my phone would work in 2 days. well after 4 days had to call 6 times to talk to someone after on the phone for 1 1/2 hours she told me the phone I got would not work in my area, I asked how would you know if a phone worked in my area, was told I wouldn't know until it wouldn't work. I told her to just put my time back on the old phone, I was told it would take 2 days, well still wouldn't work . went back through all the calls and waiting and number pushing. was told again it will be 2 more days. called back told the to just refund my money, I was the told I couldn't get my money back because it was a government issued phone. I told the man I bought and paid for the phone the government has nothing to do with my phone. after another number pushing was again told it would take 2 more days. well guess what still no phone... WORST PHONE EVER...PLEASE NEVER BUY ONE