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(Solved) Straight talk has a great price but their customer service SUCKS! (long post)

jmcook79

Android Enthusiast
Update-see this post.

Just venting! :banghead: I recently ordered a refurbished flip phone to use as a backup phone just so I wouldn't get stuck with no phone. It was $35 from Walmart.com and came with a free all you need card. Since I didn't have the android yet, just a QWERTY Samsung feature phone (R355C), I added the $30 all you need card to my reserve. I planed on using it up since it was free then going back to my $45 a month plan.

In the meantime, my main phone got dropped in a puddle and was only working partially and all the menus kept cycling by themselves which drained the battery really fast. I had to wait until the menu I wanted was highlighted and quickly select it lol. At this point I switched to the backup phone to use until I got a new one only to find out it was defective. I could hear the other person but I literally had to yell for them to hear me. I sent it back for a refund but just out of curiosity, I opened it up and it was obviously water damaged! Corrosion was everywhere and yet it had a 1 year warranty and a green stamp of approval.

I got my refund and ordered another backup phone from eBay which actually worked. I used it for a few days until I decided to buy a Samsung Galaxy Centura and activation went without a hitch. Until today.

At 8:30PM, my phone suddenly became inactive. I went home to find that the reserve had been applied to my phone 6 days earlier than my end date, and since it was an all you need plan, it doesn't work with smart phones. So my Centura was deactivated and my backup phone reactivated! I thought that since I returned the phone, the pin # for the reserve was also deactivated because otherwise they would be letting me have it for free! I guess I was wrong.

So after calling the so called "tech support" at straight talk,they told me that there was no card in my reserve and that I added the card and switched phones at 2:30pm yesterday! I was at work then so clearly that wasn't possible. Then they told me that the zip code I was giving them didn't match what they had in their system...the same zip I've had for the past 3 years! They said I would have to resolve the issue online myself and they could be of no further assistance because even though I gave them my SS# and mother's maiden name I also had to have the right zip code to prove who I was (which I did).

In the end, I had to buy a $45 unlimited card 5 days early just to re-activate my Centura. I was so mad I honestly considered going with Page Plus but I just don't know if it's worth the hassle. I can't afford contract prices and I'm a Walmart employee so I get a 10% discount on phones and refill cards so I guess for the time being I'm going to stick with Straight Talk. Ok I'm done venting lol hope it wasn't too long.
 
They make you set up an account and give your mother's maiden name, last 4 digits of SS# etc. when you first activate.

As far as data, I don't even get close to even 1 GB a month because I only use a few apps and web browsing, everything else is done on my laptop. Thanks for the warning though :)
 
I jumped ship to AT&T Go Phone last weekend - and it was (lack of) customer service that pushed me over the edge. I was stuck in an endless loop with one of their accent-wielding dolts, where I would describe my problem, he would confirm his understanding of my problem by reciting the description of the most closely matching problem listed on his script, at which point I would say "no..." and then repeat my problem description and start the loop all over again. I eventually gave up and found the nearest AT&T store. Strangely enough, it was Walmart's sales prevention system (I think they refer to it as fraud prevention), and their incessant cancelling of my online refill card orders that got me close to the edge in the first place.

Anyway, I'm done with Straight Talk, at least for the time being.
 
The only thing keeping me with them is that I live in the middle of nowhere and Verizon is the only carrier that has a decent signal. That narrows my choices to Verizon, straight talk, net 10 and page plus. Verizon wants $60 a month for their smart phone plan, and net 10 is $ 5 more a month than straight talk and owned by tracfone as well.

One day I may try page plus but since I work at walmart I get a 10% discount on phones and refill cards. That's why I'm sticking with them at least for the time being.
 
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