Tracfone Reviews See All Tracfone News

Company Overview: TracFone is a prepaid wireless provider. The company is a subsidiary of América Móvil, and also operates Net10 Wireless.

Network Benefits: TracFone does not operate its own network, but operates as an MVNO reselling service from over 30 other providers.

Special Plan Features: Prepaid services only; Remaining minutes balanced tracked on handset.

Unique Features: Refer-a-Friend offers free service minutes in exchange for referring a friend who purchases service.

Pros: Flexible service options without contract commitment; Inexpensive handsets (often refurbished); Phones and service available direct from Website and at stores nationwide; Choice between many networks and technologies.

Cons: More expensive than contracted service from national carriers.

Technology Used: GSM, TDMA, and CDMA.

Primary Coverage Area: Nationwide.

Customer Service: TracFone's service is both very popular and widely complained about with regard to phone activation and other technical problems, call quality, customer service, and general business practices.

Show me:

Average user reviews

 

Based on 272 Reviews

Overall
2.3
Service Quality
2.35
Customer Service
1.8
Service Quality:
2
Customer Service:
2
Overall:
1
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Not Recommend to a friend.

avoid

Posted on: August 28th, 2007 by glen cabana

The good: No contractThe bad: Bad service and equipmentSummary: Got the cheap one for my wife for emergency/limited talk and it died. I will look elsewhere.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
1
Customer Service:
1
Overall:
1
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Not Recommend to a friend.

never get a tracfone

Posted on: August 24th, 2007 by mocoy joachim

The good: noneThe bad: customer service, priceSummary: i will never use tracfone again, their customer service is awful! and to top things off they just ripped me off by the $20 i spent on a 60 minute card, i had attempted to add the minutes to my phone but the phone was "no longer supported" by the network i was happy to find out they had a replacement program that got me a new phone at no charge...but then i attempted to add the minutes i had purchased to the new phone and they tell me that i attempted to add them before and that i waited longer then three days to notify them that the minutes didn't get added, and i spent over three hours in the last week on the phone on hold and talking to people that i cant understand very well attempting to fix the problem...all to no avail

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
2
Customer Service:
1
Overall:
1
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Not Recommend to a friend.

BEWARE OF TRACFONE

Posted on: August 22nd, 2007 by JEFF LINDLEY

The good: NONEThe bad: BAD SERVICESummary: All I can say is, if you're even considering giving this dishonest, deceptive company your money, do yourself a favor & Google "TracFone Customer Reviews" before you let these clowns rip you off. Believe ALL the horror stories from the legions of dis-satisfide EX-customers about their terrible customer service- note to Danielle - the complaints are NOT unfair or in any way a sign of prejudice - the customer service reps I dealt with were not "people not havinif our exact accent" - they were people who were obviously citizens of another country (India would be my guess) who could neither speak nor understand English - & it's NOT about luck - it's about a company not giving a damn about their customers & outsourcing their customer service to the lowest bidder.TracFone took the money from my bank account, could not (or, more likely purposely DID not) transfer the minutes to my phone. This is NOT a complex technological task, which is why I call them THIEVES. After less than a week of their terrible service, outrageous charges, & inability to deliver the service I have ALREADY paid for, I am contacting the State Atty. General, the B.B.B., & possibly an attorney in an effort to get the money that these dishonest scam artists STOLE from my bank account. Avoid this sorry company at all costs - you'd do better with two tin cans & a string. I only wish this site provided a negative stars/awful rating, because that's what these scam-artists trying to pass themselves off as a legit company would get from me.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
5
Customer Service:
3
Overall:
5
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Recommend to a friend.

Tracfone is Great

Posted on: July 21st, 2007 by Doug Kern

The good: Uses GSM and CDMA networks.(my daughter went to college in small town and only CDMA worked)The bad: No iphone serviceSummary: Use internet site.Double min card.Will port phone number from old carrier.No min monthly fee.Minuites not used will roll over.No misc tax on bill like monthly plan.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
4
Customer Service:
3
Overall:
3
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Recommend to a friend.

tracfone

Posted on: June 27th, 2007 by tina tenney

The good: no contracts , easy to download miuntes with the value plan and always works in my areaThe bad: noneSummary: I love my motorola flip phone from tracfone. I have no problems with reception and the features on the phone are easy to use. I use it for only emergency situations so for me it is the best choice. I had verizon wireless and it never worked in my area where I live.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
5
Customer Service:
4
Overall:
5
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Recommend to a friend.

Works great for me

Posted on: June 26th, 2007 by Donald Otsuka

The good: Very low cost. Works just fine all over San Diego. Online addition of minutes also worked fine. This is all with a motorola phone.The bad: High minute cost, but that's not a problem for me, because I use very few minutes.Summary: At least with my Motorola phone it's been problem free, both in coverage and in adding minutes.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
5
Customer Service:
4
Overall:
4
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Recommend to a friend.

Tracfone customer service

Posted on: June 25th, 2007 by Anonymous

The good: cheap for people like me who rarely use their cell phone and/or only want a phone for emergencies; also good for people like my friend who tend to lose things; promo codes abound - try promo code/deal sites on the webThe bad: high per-minute unit costSummary: According to a major online information site, Tracfone is based in Miami, Fla. However, they are in the process of outsourcing their customer service functions to Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala, Belize, and the Philippines. Maybe this is why some people have had problems, although I myself had not. I wrote them because I didn't like my assigned phone number (too many collection calls for previous number-holder). They wrote back the next day and told me how to call to get that done. The customer service rep was very pleasant and changed it for me over the phone. I did have to punch in what seemed like over a hundred digits, and he kept feeding them to me one or two at a time - it got really tedious and annoying after a while. But it worked right away.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
4
Customer Service:
2
Overall:
4
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Recommend to a friend.

Good Deal Overall

Posted on: June 20th, 2007 by Stephen Dexter

The good: Inexpensive--no surprises, no bills, website & email specialsThe bad: Cutomer service wait time--slow, hard to understand serviceSummary: I've had TracFones for myself, wife & daughter for 3 years--much cheaper to go this way, and it limits my daughter--I give her a set amount of minutes, and she has too pay for any more. I always get bonus minute deals, and always use their website to add minutes. It is a breeze, if you pay attention to what you are doing. Screw up, and you get to spend a good hour on the phone with customer service. Service puts you on hold for at least 20 minutes just to get an operator--then it is a tediuos process. It sounds like you are talking to someone in a crowded submarine, although I will give them credit for always being polite and patient, and they have given me free minutes for delays, and have always taken care of any issue I have had. The phones have worked great, no charge to activate, and are very clear and seem to work anywhere there is cellular service. I will stay with TracFone, I hear way too many stories of people getting outrageous monthly bills, especially with kids. TracFone now offers a family service, which looks interesting. Research the different phones and deals they have on the website. They have a great deal on a camera phone right now, and it is a very good phone.(Motorolla C139).

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
1
Customer Service:
1
Overall:
1
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Not Recommend to a friend.

Good/Bad

Posted on: June 18th, 2007 by JL Swiggum

The good: The price was rightThe bad: It doesn't workSummary: I purchased a Trafone on the recommendation of a friend. I worked well for her. It also fit into my need for the phone. I had no plans on talking a lot but needed a phone to be reached in case of emergencies due to the health of a family member. I did a lot of research and it seemed as though Tracfone would work great for me if it worked. When you read the reviews here you get a very accurate picture of Tracfone. If it works, it is great. If it doesn't, you're screwed. I had no problems activating my phone. Everything went well. I bought 400 units and the double units for life. They showed up on my phone perfectly. The only problem was that I didn't get the bonus 100 units that they were promoting at the time of the purchase. I called and they were added to my phone without much trouble. Then about one week after I activated the phone, I tried to use it. It didn't work. I have been on the phone 4 different times for an average of an hour each time and the phone still does work. The last time they said that they would have to give me a new number if their latest "fix" did not work. I am going to call them one more time and if it doesn't work then, I will begin the process of getting my money back. I am hoping that my credit card company will be helpful in that regard. The moral of the story is that I believe every review on this site about Tracfone. If you are lucky, your phone will work. If you aren't, you will spend hours on the phone just like the other reviews say.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Service Quality:
1
Customer Service:
1
Overall:
1
Overall:
Review Rating: 
0

Would Not Recommend to a friend.

Ripoff! (Buyers Beware!)

Posted on: June 17th, 2007 by Jeff Workman

The good: None!The bad: Poor technical support, no refunds, no signal, deceptive practices. Summary: I couldn't get a signal (not even on top of a mountain) and Wal-Mart wouldn't give me a refund.$59.95 down the toilet and I even spent $10 more for a 10 unit card that was not refundable either!My phone is on ROAM and stays that way because there is a local Verizon tower in my area and even if I was able to use this phone, it would deduct twice as many units (minutes) from my prepaid card because when there is a local tower in your area, your TRACFONE will automatically pick up from that tower and will indicate ROAMING (which takes 2 minutes off your phone for 1 minutes of less of calling time).Also, the Technical support is terrible. All operators I have talked to is not understandable because they don't speak clear English and their website technical support is also lousy because my problem wasn't listed in the FAQ and when I emailed them for a reply, there was NONE.They are also deceptive because if you only make a 20 second phone call, 1 minute will still be deducted form your precard card (although you didn't make a call for the full 1 minute).Therefore, I say buyer beware because I don't want to see peoples hard earned money go to waste for a service that doesn't live up to their end of the deal.I should've researched, but will do from now on.

This review is the subjective opinion of the user and not of PhoneDog.com

Pages