Consumer Cellular

I was a happy customer of Consumer Cellular for many years, even though their flip phones are really cheap. However, I recently had a terrible experience with their customer service that made me switch to a different carrier.

In the middle of an important phone call, Consumer Cellular deactivated my phone with no notice. When I called them to find out why, they gave me no reason for the deactivation, but said that my phone didn't match their records. I had gone through a few phones and was on my third one, but they demanded a code to get into my account from when I enrolled. Unfortunately, I didn't have that code and there was no way to get my phone working again according to them without it. They asked for that code many times, but no other information mattered proving that I was who I said I was.

After going around in circles for three hours with two reps and one supervisor on internet live chat and phone, I finally gave up in disgust. The next day, I went to T-Mobile and got a better deal and phone. I got live chat next day on internet with Consumer Cellular and told them I wanted my account and number disconnected because I got a new cell phone carrier and new number. Imagine my surprise when they told me to give them that code again to disconnect my service. After a go-around and more requests for the code, I said, "I'm done. Do what you want to do. I'm done with your company," and disconnected from live chat.

The next day, I got an email for another month's service. To hell with them! If I owe a few days of service past my last bill, I'm not paying it because of all the grief and lost time they caused me! I'm glad I switched to a different carrier, and I wouldn't recommend Consumer Cellular to anyone.

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with my experience with Consumer Cellular. I was drawn in by their low prices on their website, but boy was I in for a surprise when it came to billing. I signed up for the $25 Plan, which was supposed to give me 250 minutes and 2GB of data, plus some extra AARP benefits. I was excited to see that they offered a 5% AARP discount and a 100% risk-free guarantee, so I figured I had nothing to lose.

But let me tell you, things did not go as planned. I expected my first bill to be around $23.75 plus state taxes, which I calculated to be about $2.11 in New York. But when I tried to cancel after 40 days, I was told that the special AARP deal only applied to usage of 500MB, and I had gone over that limit. I was then hit with an additional fee of about $20, on top of my first month fee of $34.74. And to make matters worse, there were all kinds of extra surcharges and fees tacked on, with "Government Taxes & Fees" listed at $5.08. All in all, my bill came out to a whopping $43.06. And none of these additional charges and fees were explained to me beforehand, nor was I warned about the 500MB maximum usage.

I did some calculations and figured out that the real price for my 40-day trial, based on what was advertised, should have been $25.86. That's what I paid them, and I'm not going to pay a penny more. It's just not right.

To make matters worse, the first SIM card they gave me only allowed for limited phone use. I had almost no useful phone service for the first week, and had to make multiple trips to TARGET to try to get it sorted out. And to top it all off, they don't even have email communication - you have to call them and wait on hold forever.

All in all, I have to say that Consumer Cellular is a bit of a scam. I would definitely recommend staying away from them if you can.

I don't usually write reviews, but I had an experience with Consumer Cellular that I just had to share. I've been in customer service for over 6 years, so I was excited to apply for a job with them. I received a call back right away (on a Saturday, no less!), and the phone interview went really well. Because of my experience, I was told I would have another interview with someone else to discuss the right pay rate. Unfortunately, I missed that interview because they didn't have my current email address. That was my fault, but we rescheduled for the following Monday at 10am.

Over the weekend, my 8-year-old son had to go to the ER and we found out he has asthma. They gave him an inhaler and put him on a steroid. On Monday, I was in a rush to drop him off at school and make it home in time for the interview. I forgot to leave his inhaler with the school nurse, but I assumed I had enough time to turn around and make it home. I made it home at 10:05 and tried to log in to the Teams meeting. It took me a few minutes to find the info in my email, so I didn't actually log in until 10:07. There was no answer, so I waited for 45 minutes on Teams and sent an email to Tyler to let him know I was waiting. He emailed me back right away and said that because I logged in at 10:10, I missed the interview.

I was confused because even a real job gives a grace period or at least understands that things happen. I emailed Tyler back and asked what exactly that meant. Does it mean I'm no longer a candidate? Because he wasn't specific in his response. I never got a response back from him, and honestly, this isn't a company I would want to work for or recommend to anyone else. I can see why they only have one star.

I gotta tell ya, I had a pretty rough time with Consumer Cellular. I'm a senior and I don't usually bother with warranties or anything like that, but they went ahead and put one on my phone without even asking me. I didn't even realize it until a few billing cycles had gone by and I saw the charge on my online bill. I called them up and they said they'd check the recording of our previous call, but then they never got back to me. I had to call them again and they finally took off the charge, but they wouldn't give me a refund for the months they'd already charged me. They said I'd authorized it by paying for it, but I didn't even know it was there!

Anyway, after going back and forth with them for a couple of months, I decided to just close my account and go somewhere else. I did it on the 10th of the month, which was the last day of the billing cycle, but then I got a bill for $22.27. They said it was for the cycle from the 20th to the 10th, but that wasn't reflected on any bill I'd ever seen. I tried to talk to them on their website chat, but I'm pretty sure I was talking to a robot or something. They just kept offering to send me last month's bill, which I already had, and they wouldn't listen to anything I said. Every time I made a point, they just said they'd check the recording and get back to me. It was really frustrating.

Talking to them on the phone was a little better, at least I knew I was talking to a human, but it didn't really get me anywhere. They promised to investigate, but then nothing ever came of it. Honestly, I'd rather bang my head against a wall than deal with them again. So if you're thinking about using Consumer Cellular, just be careful and make sure you read all the fine print.

I spent $180.00 to get a new phone because you all were moving from T-Mobile to ATT. The represent set up a new account wrong - I only want one account with ConsumerCellular. I had that cancelled after talking to several representatives. Rep said go to Target to get a new SIM, I did; the new Moto G- Stylus 2022 arrived Saturday - the SIM card I bought at Target worked. So I thought I'd activate; well, that was a farce. Then I was told to activate online at my account so I did. It said it was successfully activated - wrong - Now not only don't I have my old cell phone activated - that was turned off - but the New Phone is still not activated. I am about ready to go to Verizon or some other company if CONSUMER CELLULAR doesn't help me to get my new phone working, Raymond Moreland

In June of 2020, Consumer Cellular replaced an original purchase of a brand new Doro flip top phone that was not working. In the process of my complaints, they managed to draw out the "fix-it" time to a month. At the end of that time, they then suggested I needed a different phone. I asked for a refund of the purchase and they denied it saying that the warranty had expired.

I researched online complaints against CC and discovered a post from someone who had worked for them previously saying that "they knew the flip top phone didn't work, but were still selling it".

I then sent a certified and very detailed letter to the CEO and COO of the company. This letter was also completely ignored.

I am now the owner of a brand new non-working phone, two chargers and carrying case; never used. They also refused to refund me the cost of these items.

I believe that this company takes advantage of the elderly but continues to advertise themselves as very reliable and trustworthy.

And now, I want them to stop sending me their junk mail!

This need to stop.

I received new SIM cards for my 3 phones (that includes 2 phones for my granddaughters which my daughter pays for)from consumer cellular. I was told in June 2023 that I needed to insert new cards to update my phones. I inserted 1 new card and called consumer cellular to activate the new card. I kept seeing on my phone “No Sim.” I therefore called the company and was told that my phone was too old and I would need to buy a new one. Why wasn’t I told prior that this SIM card might possibly not work. I am a senior who can’t go out and buy a new phone. My iPhone was working properly until consumer cellular decided to interfere. They will not help me at all and I have no way to contact corporate headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Their number is unlisted. I feel like I’ve been scammed. Please help.

Customer service has gone downhill dramatically in the last few years. I just purchased a new phone thru them. I told the rep I wanted to order a new charger because the one I currently have might not fit. What she sent me was a cord--nothing more. No way to plug the cord into the wall. I had to make one phone call to find out I didn't have what I needed, and I had to order it myself through Amazon. Then I read instructions that tell me to insert a sim card, but no sim card was included. I have to call again to find out there is NO physical sim card, it has an e-sim, but nobody sent me the link to the QR code to activate that. So then they have to send that out. I call again to complain about how this was handled, and I get a rude SOB on the phone who talks down to me and tells me it's written on the box that there is no charger AS BIG AS LIFE. Guess what, you [censored]? I don't need to read it when I open the box, I NEED TO KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT I HAVE TO ORDER IT. Finally, I call to register a complaint about all of this mess, and I get a supervisor who insists that the person who set up my order told me what I needed to know. Excuse me, NO, SHE DID NOT. She never told me that she was sending ONLY a cord, and not the piece it's inserted into it that plugs into the wall in order to actually charge your phone. The supervisor also spoke down to me, as if I was supposed to automatically understand what her employees were saying even tho I have no idea what their verbiage means. She then made it even worse by telling me she can send me a different phone that has what I need. Umm, hey, dum dum, I have been telling you all along that I already ordered the charging pieces from Amazon, NOW THAT I KNOW I NEED THEM. If you fools had told me that to begin with, I could have placed the order immediately as soon as my phone was ordered. I told her that all she accomplished was upsetting me more, and now I'm going to call around and get pricing from other carriers, so she threatens me and tells me I can't use this phone with another carrier. GOODBYE, IGNORAMUS!

I purchased this phone on 5/14/22 for $429.00 (payable to CC for 24 months I believe it is) When I received the phone it was packed in a poorly constructed lightweight cardboard box, with a connected flip cover. The cover was pushed completely into the box (like someone had stepped on it) and I called Consumer Cellular right away regarding my concern. They immediately put the blame on the shipping company, which I disputed. It was packed in a Consumer Cellular warehouse, (she told me) the small phone box was in the larger box with NO kind of packing materials for example "bubble wrap." None! She asked if the small box the phone came in was damaged and I told her "no," so she assured me that there could not possibly be any damage to the phone.

I totally disagreed with her and said I predict there will be problems down the road. I do not believe that a cell phone in its small box could be tossed around and in no way possible suffer any damage. I have had a variety of problems such as calls not being completed, sudden "death" of the phone with NO displays whatsoever, (such as charging icon) having to re-enter my "touch, tap" several times before my choice was displayed, the lock time being way off, (30 seconds was always more like 2–3 seconds always) just to name a few annoyances.

I contacted Consumer Cellular when the calls would not go through, and the Rep. "reset" my phone, whatever that involves. The sudden "death" of the phone would come back to life, after leaving it on the charger for an overnight. Once, when I chatted with a different Rep. about another incident of "death," the phone suddenly came to life. I asked what she did to accomplish that and she said "nothing!" Interesting... The phone died a couple of days ago and that was too long for me being without a phone, (the charger did not help) so I spent a good hour on the "chat" yesterday... A total waste of time, because the Rep. focused on my two chargers and they may be damaged, the electrical connections in my house may not be functioning correctly... everything except that the phone could have issues. She ended the call by telling me that I never called to complain about the phone dying, just other things. She sent a list of the dates when I called to complain and what the issues were, and pointed out I had only called once to complain about the phone dying. She was correct because when it came "alive," (after a night on the charger) I did not call. How could they fix a problem that did not exist at the time?

She reminded me that my guarantee had ended in May of '23 and went back to the discussion about the charging tools. I should maybe buy a "wireless charger," take the phone into Apple and have it looked at and that Consumer Cellular could not do anything about the problem. She ended by telling me which stores sell phones such as the SE, which would not be as expensive. (as other cell phones) I told this Rep. that I have another year to pay Consumer Cellular for THIS phone, I am a 79 year old "senior," who lives alone and I will NOT be able to buy another phone at this time, due to my extremely low income! The "chat" ended at that point.

After my "chat" I decided to research the CORRECT way to ship a cell phone and read pretty much the same thing in MANY resources. "Take special precautions with batteries. Mobile phones contain lithium-ion batteries, which means they need special precautions and labeling for shipping." The main theme of my research was "Use a strong, rigid packaging." Most of the annoyances I have had to put up with I could tolerate, but having no phone for I have no idea how long and having to pay another year for a phone I cannot use is very upsetting. No one is going to convince me that the packaging done by Consumer Cellular (or its agents) or the lack thereof, had no adverse effects on the functioning of this phone. I might add that my last phone was an iPhone SE, the first iPhone SE manufactured by Apple and I had no issues with it for over 3 years, until the battery would no longer hold a charge.

I changed my due date from the 11th of the month to the 25th of the month...I was charged $19.93 dollars extra added to my $30 dollar bill! WHY?! Because I changed my due date? This is total BS! If this is the way you are going to treat your customers, then maybe you do not want me as a customer! When I pay off my phone, I will move on to another phone carrier! There are many out there that would like to take my money!

I logged onto Consumer Cellular and found that they were replacing SIM cards. I completed the request for the cards and installed them on two phones that immediately became unable to connect to the phone network or make wifi calls. We live in a neighborhood that has poor reception for T-Mobile and our only way to make phone calls is over wifi. We could still send/receive text messages and surf the internet but no phone calls.

I contacted T-Mobile on 3 different days and 4 different phone calls, the last on Skype because the tech on the phone before the Skype call reset settings on the phone I used to call in and thereby disconnecting the call and removing that phone's ability to connect to the phone network.

After restarting each phone and searching through settings all of the Consumer Cellular techs could not resolve my issue.

Now I have 3 phones that cannot make phone calls unless, it seems, I buy new phones. Had I known this would be the result, I would have not installed the new SIM cards and used the old SIM cards for as long as possible.

I was recently sent a new SIM card to update my phone to AT&T service through Consumer Cellular. On the evening of May 15 I followed the instructions given to insert the new SIM card into my phone, but when I tried to activate the service online, the instructions didn’t work. So I called Customer Service; it took THREE tries, with a lot of time on hold each time, to finally get service activated. The first time, the representative couldn’t figure it out, so she just told me to wait 30 minutes and call back if service didn’t kick in. The second time, the representative took about 20 minutes, with lots of holds, to tell me it was activated. But it wasn’t. I called again to ask about what happened to my international roaming (it was no longer showing on my account), and it turned out my activation was only “pending”. The third representative actually got my phone service activated - this was after 1.5 hours of holding and talking with representatives. And then it turned out that I can’t set up international roaming until just before going on a trip, and it will apply only to the time I’m abroad. So before my trip, I will now have to call them YET AGAIN, no doubt with a long hold time, to get that service. And I’ll just be crossing my fingers that it works, because given the experience I had with activation, I won’t feel that I can trust that it will actually work.

Consumers direct a change in my cell SIM card and mailed a new SIM card. After 2 hours on the phone with tech support I was directed to go to target to see an on-site tech representive. On Thursday 5/11 I visited target to find the tech representative works only until 3pm. I returned today and spent 2+ hours with the tech to find the upgrade by consumers to new cell. towers (ATT) only rendered my phone useless. I was forever to spend $146.62 to purchase a replacement phone and case. Call consumers and transferred 3 times I was told they would not reimburse me or give me an equal amount in future bill credit. Consumers upgrade THEIR cell towers and cause my phone and probably thousand of others to be rendered useless. This is unconscionable and probably grounds for a class action suit.

I have asked for an executive call back and told I would get one within 24-48 hours.

I intend to pursue this further if not resolved with the BBB, AARP and potential class action.

Customers and senior citizens should not be handled this way.

I have easy pay (lease) for my I phones. I signed up for insurance on all of my phones. My phone was stolen and consumer cellular will not replace the phone and they expect you to still pay for the leased phone that you no longer have. The only solution from them is to buy a new phone. And still pay for the phone that was stolen. Terrible customer service. Spoke to supervisor named kevin. He was useless. Probably from oregon. Phone service sucks. Service so slow. Cant wait till I can pay these phones off and be done with this company.

Hello,

My name is Christie Batson and I live in Scottsdale, AZ. I have attached a timeline of my complaint with CONsumer Cellular for your review. I have never filed a complaint of any kind against any other company or individual. This situation is just not acceptable and I am very very frustrated. I am 65 years old living on a fixed income. I pay my bills and am respectful. This situation is horrifying and stressful for me. I am also concerned for other Senior Citizens who have been taken advantage of by Consumer Cellular. Senior Citizens seem to be their targeted clientele.

I have tried to condense and clearly state the facts. I do have all the phone records and email. One phone call was made from another number which I am happy to supply if needed.

Regarding Consumer Cellular complaint and request for a full refund

• I started service and bought a new phone from Consumer Cellular in February 2022

• In February of 2023 I started having trouble with the Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 phone

• Contacted Consumer Cellular on ¬¬02/11/2023 about having a warranty replacement. The rep told me that the phone was out of warranty by about 3 days and they would have to receive approval to accept the phone back on warranty. I waited and called back on 02/14/2023. I was told that they were still reviewing the matter and would call me back. Again, no call back so I called again on 02/16/2023 and was again told they had not reviewed the returned phone

• I had received the replacement phone and activated it.

• I again called Consumer Cellular requesting information about the returned phone. I was put on hold and finally was told that my original phone was denied for the warranty because it was not in “like new condition”. The rep said that the phone had a cracked screen, a chip on the outer cover of the phone and an unremovable back. I ask him what the heck that means – about the unremovable back – he said he was not sure. I ask why I was not told about the “like new condition” before I sent the phone in. I told him that I would not have wasted everyone’s time because I have had the phone for a year and of course it is not in like new condition. He apologized and said I should have been told about the conditions.

• At this point I ask them to return my old phone and send a return label for the replacement phone.

• I have now had 16 phone calls with Consumer Cellular. All initiated by me.

• I received the return label on Thursday 3/29/2023 via email to return the replacement phone.

• On Monday 4/3/2023 I returned the replacement phone with the shipping label they provided. I have the receipt and tracking number.

• On 03/29/2023 I noticed there was a pending transaction on my bank account from Consumer Cellular. I contacted my bank and they said there was nothing they can do till the transaction is completed – I was not happy and this did not make sense to me.

• I immediately contacted consumer cellular and talk to a rep who was not helpful and just kept repeating the same thing. I ask for a supervisor and was told that they all were supervisors. I continued to insist to speak to a supervisor – finally got transferred to someone else who was a horrible person and screamed at me and actually ask me if I had a Mental Condition! This phone call was a total of 1hour 49 minutes and 11 seconds. His last words to me were SEND THE FREAKING PHONE BACK! I had explained over and over that I had just received the shipping label that day and he again said I would get my refund when the phone was returned. Needless to say this phone call upset me terribly– I have not ever been talked to In this manner.

• On March 31, 2023 Consumer Cellular stole $995.00 from my checking account without my knowledge or authorization.

• I did not recontact consumer cellular on that day because I waited for the replacement phone to be received by them.

• On April 6, I again called Consumer Cellular about my refund. I was told that the phone had been received but not inspected.

• I called back on April 7, 2023 and was told that they would not refund my money because the returned phone had a scratch on the back cover. I informed him that the phone had a scratch on the back cover when I received it. He argued and stated that Consumer Cellular will not issue a refund. I explained to him that the phone was not a “new phone” when I received it and had been used and had a scratch. I explained to him the $995.00 was not the price of a NEW Galaxy 3 flip phone and that would be the price for a new Samsung Galaxy 4 flip phone not a USED Galaxy 3 phone. I found used Galaxy 3 flip phones on the internet for $350 - $450. We continued to go round and round and I ask for a higherlevel manager to call me. He assured me one would.

• On 4/07/2023 I did finally receive my first phone call from the upper supervisor. We had basically the same conversation as described above and he said the phone was not “used” it was a “returned” phone. I told him that a returned phone is a used phone and I would not accept the used phone for full price. He questioned me how I knew it was used and I told him that one of the reps had told me it was not new and it had a scratch on the back when I received it. I told him I would accept this phone at a used phone price of $350.00 because I was going to need a phone but will not accept paying full price for a used phone. I also told him that the last rep I talked to was horribly rude and disrespectful to me. I ask him to listen to all the recorded phone calls to verify what I had told him. He said he would and that all calls are recorded.

• As you can tell by now it did not go my way -

• I want a full refund for the $995.00 that was taken from my account.

• I have logged over 369.63 minutes of phone calls with Consumer Cellular during this process. All of these calls were made by me TO consumer cellular.

• The only call initiated by Consumer Cellular was the last phone call on 4/7/2023.

• I have phone records dating from 2/11/2023 to 4/7/2023 and can verify the date of the bank withdrawal.

• If you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

April 26,2023. I just spent over an hour of my time on the phone trying to upgrade my phone. The galaxy 55 for $445 I believe. It states $17 a month for 24 months. I thought I could do that but then he began to total everything for today's payment I almost died. I am so angry! In order for me to charge my phone I have to buy a charger head because it doesn't come with it. Are you kidding me I'm paying $445 for a new phone and it doesn't come with a full charger only a cord? Then he says another $12 to ship again I'm paying $445 for a phone and you going to charge me shipping? Then he tells me $34 in taxes also that was it for me so much for your $17 a month what a scam you have going and I told him that! I also told him Consumer Cellular is as BAD as ATT. he says we work with ATT we use their towers. I absolutely hate ATT! They are supposed to be a communication company and the only thing they communicate is lies! So because of your scam I told the guy forget everything I'm NOT paying all this extra Cr — ! You just lost almost $500 Consumer Cellularandb my confidence in you. Your just like all the rest!

Customer service is non exsistant. Very rude. Don't use. Can't get itezmized bill. Not senior friendly liked the claim. So many security codes can't get to your account. Automated system won;t take your info, so no rep. Won't send itemized bill. They charged after service was canceled! They are rudde won't release your inormation. Tried to get it mailed too me, they hung up. Stay away! Poor service poor connection. Very body should cancel with them. They except older people to do all these codes. The log in does work. If you ask them about it they lock you out. Have tried for a week to cancel and get tiemized bill. Did a bbb report

This morning, April 23, 2023 at 6 a.m. I called consumer cellular to get 2 phones transferred over to new service with existing phones and phone numbers and the person that I had to work with, Irene, was the rudest, most impatient, condescending customer service rep I have ever had to deal with. The worst 1 hour call I have ever experienced. She continually talked to me in a way like I was doing something wrong while inputting data into the phone. The phone wouldn’t work. She talked very fast and I’m not the best at inputting keys on a phone, and when I asked her to repeat the letters to input she would give a heavy sigh like I was taking up her time and she had something else to do. She put me on hold without saying anything. She was very short with me in giving directions. She told me to try again, her words were “you know the drill”. Just very rude.

Finally, I had to ask if someone else could help me and she said absolutely.

I feel sorry for any customers after me, and probably before me too, that had to deal with her atrocious attitude today!

I currently have Consumer Cellular's flip phone and have for many years. My phone no longer works properly, i.e., it no longer rings or vibrates when a call is coming in, can't use the alarm and the keys are sticking. I wanted to upgrade but was told based on my credit, I didn't qualify for a payment plan. I was only looking at the phone that is on sale for $159. I've been a loyal customer for years and when I got Covid and suffered for months because I'm was 72 at the time, I wasn't paying my bill on time. That being said, for all the years I did pay on time and sometimes before it was due, I qualified for an upgrade with a payment plan, so when I really need help, Consumer Cellular is not there to help. I'm 74, live alone and live totally on Social Security, which is the customer Consumer Cellular focuses on. This is the worst customer service ever. Shame on Consumer Cellular and your bogus ads.

I have a verified account with consumer cellular. I recently lost my phone which affectedly locked me out of my Google account as I have 2 step verification turned on to my phone. I bought and paid for a phone from them to replace my phone but they won't send me my phone until I email them a copy of my ID, which does not have the new address on it as I can't afford to change that. Their system will not accept emails from my daughter's email. I have no car so no access to a fax machine. They already have a copy of my ID since I have already opened an account with them. Now I paid for a phone and service on 2 phones (my daughter is on my account) and still can't get a replacement phone.