Consumer Cellular
Is This Your Business?1.7
3.1
Overall Score
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Lisa C Johnson Catonsville, MD
My husband has Consumer Cellular. He has the basic plan. He just wants to make calls and doesnt want the internet or texting features. The plan is inexpensive because of what he has. The amount is deducted by autopay. We really dont have any dislikes about this company.
3 years ago
FredB Prospect, KY
For a low-cost carrier, they are pretty good - not great, but better than just okay. Their coverage is not nearly as comprehensive as Verizon, but then neither is their cost. I recently upgraded my old iPhone 6S to a newer iPhone SE. After activating and setting up, I kept getting a 'no service' indicator on the new phone. I checked the iOS and iTunes software - all up to date. I restarted both my computer and the new phone, no joy. I removed the new SIM card and reinserted - that didn't work. Then, I swapped out the new SE SIM card with the old 6S SIM card, and viola! Service! Yet they charged me for a new SIM card that is bogus. And my final complaint - they won't let you send them a message. You have to go online to chat (and wait behind 175 other customers) or phone call, (again, wait until they get around to talking to you). Overall, barely satisfied.
4 years ago
Joe Flo Taylorville, IL
My experience with Consumer Cellular was a cluster flop. They sent me 3 cards and none of them worked. After 5 weeks the phone wouldn't turn on and they wouldn't stand good on it, they said it was only warranted for one month, I said I don't want this POS!!!
4 years ago
Joe Parker Kingston, TN
This company is great. We've been with them for about 6 years now, and every so often, they will increase our plan data limits with no increase in costs. Their plans are very affordable, better than any major carrier I've seen. Their coverage is also good, not like the big guys, but I've never not had a signal when I needed one.
4 years ago
Howard Boulder, CO
I bought an iPhone 7Plus from Consumer Cellular and have had trouble since the beginning with voice clarity. There is so much interference sometimes that I have to hang up and try again. I suspect that I was sent a used phone, though I cannot prove that. Although there is a year's warranty on the phone dealing with Consumer Cellular staff is a real hassle. They may as well not exist. One person told me once that I only have a 9 month warranty! this is obviously untrue as I have the warranty in formation for one year. They asked me to replace the SIM card on the phone, which I did, but the disturbance on calls is still there. They now want me to call on another phone so they can wipe my phone clean. I am hesitant to do that because I am not sure that will solve the issue. Even if they everything clean, I will still have the same phone. Very frustrating. I would not recommend doing business with this provider.
4 years ago
Jane Tallahassee, FL
I have had Consumer Cellular for over 10 years and have always been very happy with the service. I recently had to replace my phone (a DORO). When I got the new phone, I found that several of the features had changed...and not for the best. With the previous phone, if a caller was in my Contact List, it showed the Contacts name so I always knew who was calling. If it just showed a number, I would just ignore the call since they were usually unwanted sales calls or crank calls. If it was important, they could leave a voicemail. With the latest model, it only shows the phone number so 1) you have to know every contact number and be able to recognize it, 2) you can not answer and hope they leave a voice message, or 3) you can answer what is probably not a caller you don't want to waste time talking to.
With the previous model, you could delete records of calls received with one selection. With the latest model, you have to perform 6 separate steps to delete the call record. On my phone, I have to delete the same calls multiple times over several days before they finally stop showing up (example-today {a Tuesday}, it shows calls that were deleted last Wednesday and Thursday--I didn't get calls between last Thursday and today). I called customer service today to find out if there were settings I could change to get the previous features. I talked with the rep for a while. Then she wanted to research something and said she would call back in 10 minutes. She never called back. I would like to be able to write a letter to Consumer Customer but am unable to find an address for the company. I am very dissatisfied with the updated phone and may just switch to another company.
4 years ago
T Forgette Pleasant Valley, NY
We have used Consumer Cellular for about 6 years.
We have never had a problem with them.
My wife has a smart phone, I have a 6 year old flip phone and we use the home phone service from them.
My service for all 3 are less than $80 a month that includes unlimited calling, long distance, 2 GB data, etc.
Cell service is the best.
4 years ago
Richard Overland Park, KS
The service works well and is much less expensive than my previous AT&T plan. The AT&T customer service (Overseas) became just horrible so I switched. Consumer cellular service is all US based and my experience has been positive so far. The only downside is to get international coverage, the phone needs to operate on the T-Mobile network (you will need a T-Mobile SIM card) and you need to place a $50 deposit with the company, from which your international charges will be deducted. Hopefully they will expand their coverage to include AT&T For international roaming in the future.
5 years ago
Kathleen Iowa City, IA
I have had Consumer Cellular for 4 years and loved it. This year I bought an iPhone 8 from CC because CC said it now provided phone service oversees. I went to Switzerland and Italy, and my phone NEVER had phone service, unless it was connected to wi-fi. I called CC twice from Rome and received completely incompetent suggestions from Customer Service. One rep told me that I was likely in an area that was not covered. I replied I had been all over the city of Rome and never had service. If oversees travel is important to you, go with another company. By the way, CC uses T-mobile lines in Europe. I checked T-mobile service in Rome -- customers report being very happy with coverage. so, something was not right with my phone, and I could not get a Customer Service rep to help. In 6 months, I will shift companies.
5 years ago
Muriella
The customer is very nice but some of them are not trained very well. In my case when I called to switch, I informed them I lived in a rural area and had no cell service at my home with my current carrier. I told them the hamlet I live in is a known dead zone. I am dependent on wifi calling when at my home. So they send me an ATT sim card and ATT for some antediluvian reason won't support wifi calling. ATT DOES NOT have cell service in my area either. So now my family and my work have no way to contact me. Consumer Cellular said they would send me a T Mobile sim xard because they support wifi. Why didn't they do that in the beginning? Also sending pics is not supported, even when I am on the ATT cell. If you live in an urban area Consumer Cellular would be ok, but if you are in a rural area with known dead zones, I would not reccomend CC.I hope T Moblie better or I will cancel my CC account.
5 years ago
Woody Locust Dale, VA
Until recently I was very pleased with Consumer Cellular (CC). My wife and I were planning a trip to Europe so we called CC to get a recommendation on keeping one of our cellphones fully functional. The customer service rep recommended I go to a local Target (20 miles away) and get a universal sim card. I did just that and came back home to get the sim card activated for use overseas. The rep activated two of the three features (downloads, texts) that would work over the T-Mobile network there.
When we got to Europe my wife’s phone did not work as promised. She had to be tied to a local wireless network in order to text, so it was next to worthless. When I got home I called CC and told them about it. They apologized, but did not offer a real excuse.
So I told them to let me put the old CC sim card in and they led me thru the process. The clincher is that the card takes up to 72 hours to get provisioned. So far, her phone has been an exercise in frustration for almost two weeks. What a mess!
5 years ago
Cir5or Hagerstown, MD
Love love love this company! Half the price I was paying at AT&T, great customer service and the exact same coverage. And they just added more data to my plan at no additional charge! All this without being roped into a contract. I have recommended them to my friends, my kids and my parents all of whom are very happy.
5 years ago
Manny Katz Redwood City, CA
In trying to transfer a service (ie do a port) from Credo Mobile to Consumer Cellular, and using a current iPhone, they sent us a new SIM card for their network. The card did not work and produced no service.
Upon calling CC, they told us that they needed an account number and PIN number from Credo. Well, I said, why did you send us the SIM card before getting this information; as it stood, the SIM card was useless. They told ME to call Credo, which was not for me, as a new customer, to do. They needed to get the porting info before sending me the card. They failed. They asked me for the account number and PIN, not even knowing that CREDO doesn't use PIN numbers. VERY BAD SERVICE.
5 years ago
Larry and suella baird Sun City, AZ
We went to a target and though they didnt have the newer phone for seniors they told us of the new model doro 7050. It is much better in dusplay and easy yse than older phone. So we went to the company web site to purchase the phone. It was not listed as an option. Only the older doro. I chatted with a Rep from consumer cellular. He saud tgey wont offer the newer midel phone exceot at target...lttough the targets here dont have it...until they sell all tbe older model. This us just not acceptable. They are basically concealing the fact there is a much better phone forcing seniors to buy the old model thats not very user friendly. My husband had the older model and so we know about it.
5 years ago
Daniel Ward Meridian, MS
Excellent service, you can stay, and we will stay, or leave anytime. Excellent rates. They lower rates as needed if you you don't use minutes or will advise you to chnage if it is on ly for a month, then go back to previous rate. Excellent all the way around, not to mention the excellent phone coverage area.
6 years ago
Georgia Brazzell Cantonment, FL
We have just begun service with CC so cannot comment on long term, but with set up, cost of phone, Samsung Galaxy J7 and estimated monthly cost, it is exactly what we are looking for and cheaper than what we had. CC has already emailed and called to see if they can do anything else for us at this time. Just gave 4 stars because don't have long term experience with CC.
6 years ago
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Marlene Coville Blakeslee, PA
My husband and I have been very happy with Consumer Cellular. We started with the flip phone and changed to the smart phone. The customer service is fantastic. One flip phone had a problem and they had no problem replacing that phone for us. The service is great and cost is no problem. Since changing to a smart phone they let my husband know when he is getting close to the end of his GB and he either purchases some more or backs off if it is close to the end of the service. I love this company.
3 years ago
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Theresa Clark Lansing, IL
I’ve enjoyed Consumer Cellular for the last 5 years. Their service is reliable and affordable. It was through Consumer Cellular that I got my first iPhone. Their payment plan for the phone was so easy to set up and customer service is always available should you need it. I never have any surprises when my bill comes. Consumer Cellular is a great choice for me, I’m with them for life.
3 years ago
Review Source
Jaci Rhoades Bryant, AR
I signed my parents up for this cell service. For my father, mother, and uncle the bill every months is less than $100. a fraction of the cost I was playing before. Understand, this cell phone services is for people over a certain age to quality. You get to pick your own cell phone nothing too complicated. They have unlimited text service, unlimited calls, and internet access.
4 years ago
Review Source
Aunt Cathy Bay Saint Louis, MS
I set my mom up with them, to help save her money. The customer service was awesome and talked me thru changing out the sim card in her old one. Then we had a few issues getting everything to work, they hung in there with me. You can't beat a $23 monthly bill for unlimited talk. She doesn't text or use wifi. Has a flip phone.. Now on to AT&T to let them know why we changed her over to CC..
4 years ago
Joseph
Misleading "unlimited" data plan. Over 50 they throttle you back so as to render the connection largely unusable most of the time. I really dislike false advertising.
Also agree with other complaints about customer service going downhill.
8 months ago
Perry Luvr
We had many Cellular contracts during our lifetime. Consumer cellular advertised 50gb unlimited but never mentioned that it was split between the 2 lines. At 38gb use for both they left message that internet was cut off! Throttling cuts off the page loadings after 3 minutes as "timed out" So not throttled, cut off. They said that we have to pay separately for each line, so no deal as advertised. They act nice while they are cheating you to act like it's good customer service. Smile and laugh as they rob you
BAIT AND SWITCH ! So we got 2 lines. Same cost as our last cell contract. Went over 50gb on one line as a test and BAM!Cut off internet completely. No unlimited, Throttling is 1 page per 7 minutes unless it shows timed out. Their secret to giving horrible service is to act very sweet while doing it. They can't pull their wool over this wise sheep's eyes. Other 3 cell companies with caps slowed down a tiny bit but was a true unlimited plan. Consumer cellular are scammers and bait and switch while smiling and acting as caring. Can't do anything because there's no contract. They just deny further service for you. Then scam the next sheep.
9 months ago
David 9 Snellville, GA
I had been with Consumer Cellular for many years with no problems. I have noticed of recent that the American customer service reps, except for a few excellent ones, are increasingly rude, and have know-it-all attitudes without having much knowledge of the problems presented, so there goes that J.D. Power award.
The main problem though is absolutely disgusting beyond disgusting. After having trouble with an existing phone I bought other new ones, 3 more to be exact, and EACH had problems from the very beginning, so I sent them back, and each time this cost me extra money to do that.
I had also upgraded, and finally I had one that cost $199 that I sent back, but it was returned to me because they said it was damaged.
Indeed it was, but I had the phone for only a few days, and I never damaged it---THEY DID. They actually put some nasty scratches on it deliberately so that they could extract $199 from me, my word against theirs.
I did a consumer complaint, and very soon a rep called me up and gave me a professionally coached firm rebuttal blaming it all on me. Why they would want to do this in the first place for just $199 I do not understand but it is beyond dishonest and dirty.
When I persisted, they finally sent the damaged phone back to me, to keep, but would never take any ounce of responsibility, continuing to blame me, and the consumer complaint was dropped. So much for any follow-up, and that left me with many hours of work for nothing except a damaged phone.
This is one of the dirtier things ever done to me by a company, and I will never forget it, and have moved on for a while now. Just remember—they did it to me, so that means that they are capable of doing it to you as well.
9 months ago
Randall Barnes Sullivan, MO
Terrible customer service. They are heavy handed and aggressive despite appearances. They neglected to remove my wife’s line from the bill despite the fact that I reported her death. They refused to let me change the account name because they said it require a change in financial responsibility despite the fact that I had been financially responsible for the bill since it’s inception. Consequently, every time I called customer service, I had to go through multiple ways to access my account since I wasn’t the primary account holder. When I finally decided to cancel my account with them, they wasted my time explaining things I hadn’t asked about, arguing with me and making the process unnecessarily complicated. When I tried to transfer my number to the new company, they kept the transfer pending for hours and hours giving me no other choice than to change my number since they already canceled my service. When I received my final bill, it was more money than it had ever been. I called about this only to find that they had completely removed me from the account due to my cancellation so I had no access at all. Explanations to everything were vague and only satisfied their needs. I finally was able to speak to a supervisor who gave access to the account and then actually acknowledged the death of my wife and said I would be refunded what I had paid for her line beginning on the day of her death. Billing then let me know that I would only get 3 months returned to me, as a courtesy, with no acknowledgment of the discrepancy. The bill that the billing department sent still said that I owed the full amount. No one could help me with this because I was no longer on the account and their restrictive policies denied me a document that showed the lower amount I was told I could pay. All of the conversations I had with them were pointless. Their tone was pleasant and friendly but the content was always self-serving. They kept telling me they were trying to help me but clearly all they were doing was helping themselves. They are many other phone carriers. Avoid this one completely.
10 months ago Edited September 20, 2023
Shiela Proudfoot Durham, NC
I was just reading this to help decide if I will make the switch and thankfully I know better because you need to update the information as it is wrong. I don't know how much of this is wrong but I know for a fact that cc has unlimited data plans.
10 months ago
apple pear LA
I bought a new phone from them thinking that I would be treated better. The phone cost me more than advertised and they could not get it to receive service for two days and too many hours. When my brother and I approached the 50mb cap, we got messages that we were overusing and our data got cut off. They act sweet and apologetic so that they are received as 'good service.' They denied that the service was slow. We could not load a page in minutes. Could not look at a bank account which kept timing out. They said that they could give us the service back if we each bought our own plan at 50mb. So now we pay twice the price. Their customer service is horrible because they put on a "nice" show when there's a problem. "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. Let me fix it for you, okay?" And they can cut your month to month service just like that because you don't have a contract. Best to get service with a company who owns the towers to avoid Consumer Cellular- like tight reigns on service. We are paying the same amount as our former contract and wish we hadn't switched. They never threatened to slow service or throttle data to zero.
11 months ago Edited February 2, 2024
KmanAuto
Helped my 92 year old neighbor get a phone with consumer cellular. Considering CS is geared towards elderly, they are not very elderly friendly.
Requirement just to place order, she required an EMAIL address. My neighbor had never owned a computer, nor ever had an email. Tried signing her up for a free yahoo and google email address, however, those required a cellular number to sign up for as well, to send a verification code to for the email, need the cell phone to get the email, need the email to get the cell phone....
Waited 2 weeks for the order to arrive. They require signature for the phone package. Since my neighbor was a little too slow to get to the door, mail carrier didn't wait around long enough for her to get to the door. Thus, took another WEEK to actually get the package with the phone (So now 3 weeks in). Finally got it.
Went over to set it up for her (Tuesday August 1st). Low and behold, they are using E SIM now, and REQUIRE WIFI to set up the phone. So off we go over to my house to try and set it up.
So now phone is active, works. Great! The NEXT DAY she has some heart issues and ends up in the hospital. This sweetheart of a woman unfortunately passed away Monday August 7th, so 6 days after getting the phone. So now we are a month since ordering, and less than 1 week of activation.
As I am helping the family settle the estate and take care of things, and since I helped setup the phone/account, I am trying to cancel service.
Consumer Cellular will not honor the 30 day trial, SINCE IT IS 30 DAYS FROM DATE OF ORDER, NOT 30 DAYS FROM DATE OF ACTIVATION!
So less than 1 week of activation, but 1 day past a month of ordering, no cancelation and no refund, nothing.
So that is almost $700 the family is out on a device & service that is not usable.
Nothing about this company is Elderly Friendly, it is 100% setup to trip elderly and the family into blowing a good amount of money.
Save your time & money for your elderly loved ones, just go to Wal-Mart, get a prepaid phone off the shelf and call it a day!
11 months ago
Review Source
Kerry Clipper Harrison, AR
Service works as expected. Tried other mvno but came back as service better here. Techs are good at helping too. Been customer for many years. They are a couple dollars more but the service makes up for that. I would highly recommend over other options. Same service as AT&T at half the price.
1 year ago
Dana Tellier Middletown, CT
I've had CC ever since 2017. Loved them. Low cost, great customer service and dependable calls anywhere! But lately my calls have been dropping and people keep telling me my phone's breaking up when I talk to them. I don't live in a dead zone so I should be getting crystal clear phone service. I'm not sure what happened but the service is getting worse. I called customer service, they did a few adjustments but still nothing helped. Now wondering if I should switch carriers.
1 year ago
Andy Anderson Pahrump, NV
I've had this service for more than ten years. They are a bit backward. Latest example
The sim card became obsolete. They replace it for free after it shuts down your phone.
I had to pay $10 to expedite shipping which is by USPS and is being delivered after two days. No other options allowed. I will be looking into other providers.
1 year ago
Mark Atkinson Kansas City, MO
So I recently switched to consumer cellular from being a long time t mobile customer.. The phones great, they're always helpful, but the one thing that I wish they would do is allow me to switch my caller ID. Currently just shows up a number and I'm self employed wanting my business name to show up. T-mobile and AT&T did that but are more costly than Consumer Cellular. In writing this review I hope someone sees it who could change that for me. It could cause me to go back to another carrier unfortunately
1 year ago
Gary Sterner Dracut, MA
My experiences getting started with Consumer Cellular involved a number of problems. I ordered a phone and paid for express (1-2 day) shipping. When the phone had not arrived by the end of a week, and after a couple of inquiries, a second phone was sent. The next problem occurred after I had my new iPhone 13 activated. I noticed that it had been reset a month before I received it (with over six hours of call time). I believed that I may have received a previously used phone rather than the brand new one that I had paid for. I used the Consumer Cellular online chat function to ask about this. I was asked for the model number and waited while the rep checked up on the phone. I was told only that CC would never supply a used phone in place of a new one, that it would be bad for them and bad for the customer. Still curious, I went online and discovered that the model numbers of NEW iPhones start with the letter M. My phone’s model number started with the letter F, telling me that it was “refurbished by the carrier.” I called CC. This rep acknowledged that the phone I was had received was not new and agreed to send me another one. Once the replacement phone arrived, I called to activate it. The phone failed to activate. The rep asked me to read off the numbers on the sim cards of both the refurbished phone and the replacement phone. There was no match to the sim card on record. He took down one of the numbers and said they would use that; it didn’t matter which phone it went with. However, I would have to wait three days to have the replacement phone activated. After three days with no phone service, I called CC once again and was told that the sim card in the new phone (the card I had been told would be used to activate the phone after three days) did not match the records and that it could not be used to activate the phone. CC offered to mail me a new sim card, or “I could go to Target and pick one up.” After never receiving the first phone, after being given a used phone instead of a new one, after being reassured that the phone was not refurbished, after having to go three days with no phone—now I will be making a trip to Target. However, as I am about to go out the door, I get a call from someone at CC who seems to know what they’re talking about; she tells me that the man who said the phone could be activated after three days with the installed sim card (the number of which he had taken) was right. The phone was activated. End of story. Much time wasted over many days; extremely frustrating.
1 year ago
Thom Drewke Riverdale, NJ
I like Consumer Cellular's customer service. Unfortunately for me, the company uses AT&T cellular towers where I am here in New Jersey. Two very bad things: AT&T coverage is extremely poor outside of urban areas, for example, in relatively rural Northern New Jersey. Second thing: Consumer won't tell you this, but AT&T throttles any third-party tower users, like you if you're a Consumer Cellular user, the moment an AT&T tower gets busy. I watched my already spotty and slower service in Boonton, NJ, drop from maybe 4 Mb/second at 6 am, down to LESS THAN 1 Mb/sec as soon as the town got busy at 10am. Unusable. Had to cancel my account. By the way: the AT&T derived coverage maps lie. And I know this for a fact; I'm a communications engineer and a trained-by-Cisco networking engineer.
1 year ago
Joe Taylorsville, KY
Well,I've been with consumer cellular15yrs with no complaints but surprisingly that has changed my 600 dollar phone Samsung galaxy 9 + they tell me now it won't work correctly on 5G so I had to get a new phone and comes with no charger or. Cord,, an A13 5G every phone I ever purchased in the past came with a charger and cord none of us asked for this 5G mess,, it's just causting the consumers money and consumer cellular doesn't want to bare any of the burden so I'll send the phone back and find a company that will provide a cord and charger with a new phone funny how a company can suddenly cast off common courtesy and do what it takes to keep a good customer.
1 year ago
P. K. Terry Congerville, IL
Signing up with Consumer Cellular has been an arduous task to say the least. When I checked to make sure our current unlocked phones were compatible with their service, I was told yes. Fifteen phone calls, 20 days later, and being told I needed to drive 50 miles round trip to see a representative that was not even working, a non Consumer Cellular employee told me my Samsung S7 was not. About every 10-12 calls to Customer Service, you will get someone that actually knows what they are talking about (such as Tess and LaVern. The rest of the time, you get totally new employees that don't know what they are talking about. I do appreciate they are saving me money on my cellular service, but the hassle is unforgiveable!
2 years ago
OP Games Warner Robins, GA
I have had a Consumer Celluar subscription for a couple of years. I have always been satisfied with it until the last two months. In that time my data plan usage has started to show usage every dat and even to the point of having to move up to a higher level due to data usage. I DO NOT USE DATA ON THIS PLAN. I never go on the internet with this plan but for some reason my data usage keeps creeping to the limit every month. I called customer service and was met with a very sarcastic and nasty rep (said she was a tech) but all she keep telling me was I am using data. Could not explain why I suddenly after two years has started using all this data. WATCH OUT. Seems to be a systemic way of increasing receivables for the company. I dropped both my text and data coverage and just left talk due to this obvious company attempt to increase profits. So far they are the cheapest available for one phone with talk just to use in emergencies (as far as I know) so I will shop around for sure.
2 years ago
R M Aldie, VA
I am with Consumer Cellular for last one month. Coverage is good.
Customer service is miserable takes more than an hour, timings of the customer support is like office hours (9-5) not exactly 9-5 but not like 18 hours customer support forget about 24 hours support.
This is the worst experience I had so far.
My billing cycle is activated the day I purchased SIM online and it took 5 days to reach me then I immediately activated. But none of the Customer support could fix it since the day one. All they say is wait until first bill is generated then call us again (spend another hour to reach us).
2 years ago
Jay Pao Queens, NY
Aside from the connection issues that occurred prior to the pandemic, the service really sucks during this difficult time. My phone won't ring when others call me and the voicemail was delayed more than half a day. Lately, the data functions really plummeted! Webpages won't load when you are away from home. All of this keeps happening even after I call its tech support, which is practically useless, several times recently with absolutely no improvement after I reset my phone and they supposedly did their part on its server end. Today I was using my gas app outside and it won't load and I had to hold the line and reboot the phone, losing all my notifications, some of them I needed urgently. I'm thinking of switching to another carrier. Sick and tired of talking to them.
2 years ago
Charles Whyte Durango, CO
Consumer Cellular, Inc.: You Will Pay for Their Mistakes
Read the reviews. Check with the Better Business Bureau.
My experience with them has been unfortunate. I ported my two mobile phone numbers to another carrier because of poor coverage, thereby cancelling my service with them. But Consumer Cellular continued to bill me for one of the two lines that was cancelled, because of a computer error. I called their customer disservice line (you cannot write to them; there is no published customer service email or address) and waited a very long time to be told that they would not correct that billing. They would continue to charge me for service that they knew was not provided.
This is how I learned Consumer Cellular is not trustworthy and that their customer service personnel are poorly trained and unhelpful. I will not call them again. Fool me twice…
Note, this was not an end-of-service proration issue. This was my being charged incorrectly for the last month (and again for the next month) of service on a line that was disconnected. And they were aware of that fact and intentionally refused to correct it at that time.
Well, I did not pay that bill. And you wouldn’t either. So, Consumer Cellular charged me a late fee.
A month later, the incorrect changes were mysteriously corrected and within 30-days of that correction, I paid them what I owed them which was the correct prorated charges for the last month of service.
But I did not pay the late charge (you wouldn’t either). Now every month I get an invoice with a late charge for not paying the previous month’s late charge, which was bogus to begin with. Is that even legal? These compounding late charges are beginning to add up. I expect there is no way to stop this extorsion other than to pay it.
They cheat me; they will cheat you.
2 years ago
Coles Buchanan Gwynn, VA
The agents were very helpful. I had some hiccups with my service at the beginning, but after a couple of calls they were able to mostly straighten it out. However they did not know that AT&T would not support WIFI calling on my phone. So after a couple of weeks with AT&T, I decided to try T-Mobile. They did support wifi calling on my phone. However the overall coverage was not good enough for me so I canceled my Consumer Cellular plan. Thats where the problem began. My entire plan was going to be $19 a month. But since I canceled, I was charged $29.73 for "data overage". This on top of the $10 it cost me to get a T-Mobile sim card from Target. So for a "NO OBLIGATION" trial of a plan that was supposed to cost me $19 a month, I've got $39.73 invested on top of what I paid Verizon for the month, since I wasn't sure if this would work out. Not what I was expecting from their "Award Winning Customer Service". What I got was a supervisor who could only say that's company policy and apparently wasn't authorized to do anything.
2 years ago
Dennis Marker Saginaw, MI
Consumer Cellular seems to be the way to go for seniors on a fixed budget. But anyone with Consumer Cellular must NEVER lose their mobile phone!! After my phone went missing, it took literally HOURS for me to finally get a rep on a live chat, since my attempts to get support by phone failed several times, leaving me no way to deactivate the phone, which left all my data and files accessible to whoever was in possession of it!! In the desktop app or website, there's NO way to select "lost phone." I was forced to go to Target and buy a new affordable smartphone, which only ONE was left in stock; then wait until after hours to FINALLY get a rep in a live chat, so my new phone would have calling capability!
2 years ago
Glenn Catania Sr West Hartford, CT
My experience with consumer cellular went fairly well until I left. They never sent me a final invoice either by USPS mail or Email. They waited a few months and then sent me a threatening email that my account was going to collections if not paid immediately. There was no way I could see an invoice or respond. They only answer calls until 5PM. Somehow my bill was inflated to almost 100.00 after a monthly bill of approximately 60 dollars. Instead of any invoice, this is what I received:
"Consumer Cellular bills airtime & monthly fees in arrears ~ after they have been used. This invoice is for services used during your final billing period up until the day service was canceled. Please reference the Monthly Summary section on page 2 to verify the days you are being billed for on this invoice. The Billing End Date is the last day of service.
We only bill you for the days you were on service. Therefore, both the monthly service charges & minutes included in your rate plan are prorated. If, for example, you were using the service for half the billing period, we would only bill you for half the monthly fee and you would receive only half the included minutes for your rate plan before being billed for additional usage."
My advice: If you decide to leave Consumer Cellular watch out for the inflated bill as a source of punishment for leaving.
I am not very happy with Consumer Cellular.
2 years ago
Sadie Louisa Richmond, VA
The rates seemed very good at first, but they eventually went up to be comparable to any other carrier. I switched from ATT and immediately noticed coverage is much poorer on Consumer Cellular, both near where I live and while travelling in the US. I am always that person in a group with no coverage (and I am not talking about rural areas). The main reason I am dropping CC though is the unbelievably expensive coverage in Europe. They have nothing comparable to the "day pass" other carriers offer. For decades I have travelled at least once/year in France, the UK, and elsewhere. I paid over $600.00 for 9 days of usage in October (and was careful to turn cellular data off whenever possible). This is over twice as much as I've paid for a full month or more on other plans, and on those plans I did not have to worry about cutting back data usage. I was assured when I switched to CC that overseas service plans were competitive with other carriers. This is not even remotely true. Customer service was no help whatsoever.
2 years ago
Kathy Bruss Tomei San Angelo, TX
I have no complaints at alkl with their cell phone service other than occasional texts not going thru. Howeever, their ZTE phone base is an absolute piece of junk. We bought one 13 months ago and it has never worked properly. I call or online chat with them monthly. They pass me around from person to person and each one says they know what' wrong with it...and they provide a "FIX" that never lasts beyone one phone call. This thing cuts off EVERY SINGLE CALL we make or recieve. The last time I calleed CC they said it was my personal phoe that was the pborlem....so we tried five more different phones and it still doesn't work. Today I called asking for some sort of refund for the $240 I've spent in bills for a service that doens't work and they told me they can't give me anything because their records show usage. OF COURSE THERE WAS USAGE. We can dial out and people can call in....BUT IT ALWAYS DISCONNECTS. I asked for name and address of the CEO so that I could write a letter and they told me there is no longer anyone to write to, no one that can receive a letter...that the company is owned by some firm but there is no longer any CEO. Really? A company that is run by nobody? They basically told me to pound sand..,.that they could "pass on" my complaints but there was no one for me to write to. Do not waste any money on the ZTE Base. Its a piece of junk.
2 years ago
Dennis Baker Buffalo, NY
In early summer of 2021 my text function on my 6 month old consumer Cellular phone became frozen. I called the CC service assistance line and was left on hold for long periods of time. My customer service experience was terrible. I visited a phone rep in the Target store where I purchased the phone and he subsequently replaced my text application with another. A few months later I was only receiving about 75% of texts sent to me. Again calls to the CC customer service assistance line. The representative was unable to cure this problem but suggested a factory reset. In order to save my data such as contacts and pictures I needed to purchase a san-disk. I returned to Target and asked for assistance with their inhouse phone representative. After spending about 10 hours, after 6 separate visits, my problem was never fixed and in-fact lost 166 pictures with many of them irreplaceable. My suggestion to anyone looking for a new phone. Don't purchase Consumer Cellular phones and don't visit a Target store in hopes of correcting phone issues. Both companies offer extremely poor customer service. Every time I see a Consumer Cellular advertisement on TV touting they have received excellent customer service ratings from the J D Power Co. for ten year in a row I would how they can get away with this massive lie.
2 years ago
gridleak Loganville, GA
Cellular service via AT&T is fair to good. Our problem is with account security. Seems that anyone (family member or other) who is on the account can go in and change the account password, gain access to the account and change any and all account information. You try to get into your account and you get locked out and customer service says they can't do anything about it for 24 hours. Seems like an obvious security glitch to me.
2 years ago
Greg Rhodes Fort Lauderdale, FL
Signed up w/ CC Spring 2019. Rarely had to call Cust. Service. When I did in 2019 & 2020, the hold times were short & the U.S. based reps were courteous, articulate, responsive & helpful. But in Spring 2021, hold times increased, & the reps generally seem to have some loose bulbs upstairs.
Spring 2021 promotion: add another line, get a modest $25 credit, which I did. Calls related to that change (which involved # porting, pro-ration charging periods) were agonizing due to 45 minute wait times & dim-witted reps.
Fast-forward to October 2021: CC offers a $100 credit for adding a new line! 4 TIMES the credit they offered 5 months ago for the same thing! I called to complain that existing customers like myself who took the Spring 2021 offer felt being taken advantage of now, WITH 4 TIMES THE CREDIT BEING OFFERED FOR THE SAME THING! I can understand maybe twice the credit, but 4 times? My complaint fell on deaf ears. They refused to offer any kind of goodwill credit. No flexibility. They responded like mindless automatons.
2 years ago Edited October 20, 2021
David Woulfe Great Mills, MD
I had to purchase a new phone as they said they could not use my 'old' V phone (<1 yr old). I purchased a new S phone and they had the same issue setting it up. I was finally able to make the 2nd new phone work by changing the settings to the A network. Service was great, cost even greater; then began the scams; making me wonder about my '2nd' phone. Now they want me to buy another 'new' phone (3yr old chinese) as the network is upgrading to 4-5g. My current phone supports 4g, they say it does not, manufacture says it does, all modes.
Leaving CC behind as I can no longer trust them, not certain I ever should have.
2 years ago
Phone User
I have had Consumer Cellular as my cellphone carrier for about 5 years. I never had any problems with them until this month. I ordered an iPhone from them on June 6. After it arrived and I had a chance to set it up, I realized I disliked the phone. I sent the phone back using UPS. Consumer Cellular received the phone in perfect condition on June 24th. They emailed me within 24 hours of receiving the phone saying that they had credited back to my debit card/bank account the full refund.
They never did. There was NO refund from them in my account. Three days in a row I contacted Consumer Cellular, inquiring where was my refund. Each time they said that it takes 7-10 days for a bank to release the refund into a customers bank account.
This is NOT true. This excuse is just what the customer service agents are trained to say!!
I called my bank today and they said they never received any funds from Consumer Cellular for my account. Zero. Zip. Nada!
So now, my bank has set up a dispute with Consumer Cellular to get them to make good on my refund. It should take several days or longer to get any results.
Apparently Consumer Cellular has done this before with other customers: promising a refund but then not giving the refund!!
This is a very dishonest, shoddy way to run a business!!
3 years ago
Becky Tiller ,
I noticed that new customers and present customers are not shown same respect when it comes to wait time I realize there is a shortage but when I have to borrow a phone to get someone to answer it’s not good
I talked with several agents and some halfway helped and I highly recommend Thomas, Aberham, Jackie and Latisha they showed excellent customer service and went above and beyond helping
I am excited to be a part of this company but I hope to resolve waiting and customer service from the ones that rushed through
Thank you David and Rebecca Santos
3 years ago
