Trac Fone has done it again

[greendoor678]

I highly recommend Virgin Mobile.
It's great if you just need a phone for emergencies or occasional usage.

I must say that my Grandpa had a terrible experience with Tracphone. I don't want to totally diss Tracphone if you all are really pleased with it. But here's what happened:

My Grandpa lost over $100 worth of minutes because he accidentally dropped his phone and ruined it.
He had just put more minutes on it and could not even use the phone.
With the help of a WalMart employee, he purchased a new trac phone and called customer service about getting the minutes from one phone transferred to another.
He was told by TracPhone that he may or may not get his minutes transferred to the new phone and it would take 6-8 weeks to resolve the issue and give him an answer.
He was really disapointed.

Also, whenever he put more minutes on his phone, for some reason Tracphone would make him change his cell phone number, so he had about 3 different numbers in 2 years.

He is elderly and perhaps maybe couldn't communicate as well with their Customer Service dept as younger people, but I really felt bad for him.

My experience with the Virgin line of phones has been flawless and the pay-as-you go rates and usage areas were always great.

I sincerely hope that my Grandpa's Tracphone experience was isolated and that ya'lls experience with Trac is good.
But since he's on a fixed income and lost his money I can hardly recommend Trac to anyone considering them as a pay as you go solution.

 

[dpayne1969]

thank you for your reply WDWorBUST
I am going to look into this for him to use while on our trip.Thanks for all the info you all have provided on this topic!

 

[Raggedy]

well i looked into this phone for my sons 15th birthday, and i found something that fits him better. It is from AT&T. It may not work for you. There is no contract. He will get 400 minutes a month and free weekends. I did the math and for my son this is better. It my not be for you. But it is something you can look into. I just didn't like the idea that it will cost him 2.50 for the first 10 minutes. THis plan is just not for a kid. It is for an adult that wouldn't use the phone. But i know my son. After the 400 minutes the phone turns off. I like that. I also like that the weekends are free. If i let them take the money from my account he would of go free nights too. But that wouldn't teach him. I want him to pay his own bill. So he can learn his responsibly. Just thought i would add my 2 cents. But thank you for sharing with me. I learned alot about different plans.

 

[NotUrsula]

DH & I both use Virgin phones. We are very pleased with them. If you live in a major metro area you should have no difficulty with coverage; their coverage map tracks along the Interstate hwy system. If you are a major metro area or near an interstate, you will have service. I have a Kyocera Rave, he has a Slider. Unused minutes roll indefinitely as long as you top up a min. of $20 every 90 days.

I don't use my phone often, but I use it a lot more when travelling than I do when I am at home. This means it is the best pre-paid plan for me, as there is not unit-charge difference regardless of where you are calling from within the US. Disregarding the initial investment for the phone, I can keep the account active for only $80/yr. (most other prepaids require you to top up more frequently now; that was why I dropped AT&T; they changed the expiration from 90 days to 45.) Target will occasionally offer 25% discounts on top-up cards; when that happens I stock up.

BTW, it now law that ANY US cellphone with a charged battery can be used to reach 911; even if there is currently no active service plan on the phone. Old phones can be kept charged and carried for true emergencies.

 

[Raggedy]

NotUrsula
yes you are right about the 911 calls. I just dropped off about 3 phones to the police station. They are collecting old phones for battered women, so they can dial 911 in an emergency. So if anyone has an old phone just drop them off at the police station and they will give them away. i think this is great.

I looked into the virgin phones and they were a good deal. But for my son i like the AT&T , only because i know he will use all him's minutes every month. But i do like that i didn't have to get a contract, so if anything else comes my way i can jump at it. So if anyone has anything better out there share it with us.

 

[Princess Erin]

Thanks for the info. I am going to drop off those old phones today also. I called the P.D. and they do need them.

Great tip.

 

[laurabelle]

I never knew that about 911... Thank you for the tip about taking the old phones to the police station! What a great idea!

 

[NotUrsula]

When you donate your old phones, remember to also donate the chargers that went with them, if you are not using them any longer; the phone's no use unless the battery is charged. Also, if the old phone was a pre-paid that you recently stopped using, make sure you call the company first and get the phone number permanently removed from the account. With most prepaids, the phone number can resurrect itself if you top up the minutes within a certain period after the last balance expired; if the recipient of the phone decides to re-activate the phone for prepaid use, you don't want them getting calls meant for you.

WRT teens on pre-paid phones, my preference is to stick to traditional prepaids for them, too. My reason for getting a cell phone for a teen in the first place will be for emergencies and so that I can reach him when I need to and vice versa; I can't reach him if the phone is busy every time I call. I'm just mean, I suppose, but I think that if it costs them $25/minute, perhaps it might teach them not to spend all their time yakking on the phone for no particular reason.

 

[laurabelle]

I thought of including the charger too.
I did keep my old phone number when I switched over. I wonder if this would be a problem...

BTW- We just switched to Virgin Mobile from T-Mobile. I was the only one with a celly, and I hardly use mine. Hubby who has a long commute really needed one and my oldest dd started middle school and I wanted her to have a phone. None of us will be using it that often, my dd isn't quite at the age where she's hanging on the phone with her friends alot. And she knows she has to budget her minutes. For the 3 of us, it works out to $20/month. T-Mobile just for me was $40. So far the customer service is excellent, and the phone, the KRave, is loud and clear. It's a great choice for those of us who aren't using it as our main phone.

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by dpayne1969
hi guys,
i have a question in regards to this tracphone.I am wanting to get my 11 year old one of these for our trip in Nov.I do not want to get him a regular cell phone with a contract.I was wondering if this would work in Florida?We are from Oklahoma and i just want him to have one so if he gets lost from me i can call him on mine and find out where he is at and tell him to stay somewhere and meet me!
Please help.Any advice is very welcome.

I used this with MY 11yo last trip. He would go traipsing with his friends we always had a connection.

Before leaving change your tracfone to Orlando's area code then change it back when you come home. This can be done on the tracfone website.

 

[dpayne1969]

thanks for your reply,
that sounds like a great idea!I think we are going to take the plunge and go with it!

 

[Princess Erin]

hello, check your pm