Consumer Cellular
Is This Your Business?2.2
3.9
Overall Score
Filter by:
Sort by:
Rik Bonds Grove, OK
I've been with CC since July, as a veteran, disabled and trying to make the most of my budget, CC offered "Unlimited t,t and data. It is only unlimited as long as you stay below their threshold. I travel occasionally and find myself being charged for using to much data....I really don't understand why "unlimited" requires up charging.....Is this false advertising or am I misinformed? I was with Tmobile for 12 years and was never upcharged for anything and it was about 112.00$ per month including international service, now am paynig approx. 50.00 per month but with service and billing issues. No international etc. Have I made a mistake?
2 years ago
Carol UT
Taking advantage of SENIORS. EACH BILLING IS HIGHER WITHOUT REALIZING MANY SENIORS LIVE ALONE AND ARE LONELY AND THE CELL IS THE ONLY COMPANION AND NOT REALIZING CHARGES ARE ADDING UP. CANNOT AFFORD THIS SENIOR.PLANS ENDORSED BT AARP
2 years ago
Sarah Jamieson Cherry Hill, NJ
I actually used Consumer Cellular for 4 years and it was great. Good coverage, good price, no issues. However a few weeks ago both my husband's and my phones stopped getting data. Both our phones showed full bars of LTE or 5G in his case with an iPhone 12, but besides talk/text, could not be used for anything unless they were on wifi. We called customer service and they were unfriendly and unhelpful, treating us as if we were 75+ years old and not knowing how to use a phone... "try going outside" and "try getting a new sim card" were the best they could offer.
We're moving soon and our new place doesn't have great internet options, so we decided this was clearly the right time to switch to a new plan with a different carrier that would cover our phone and internet. But it took forever to finally get CC to approve our port out request and shut down service. After the first couple requests were denied I called and found out you need a special one time pin (maybe that's on me for not realizing), which the customer service rep begrudgingly gave me while grumbling about us leaving. After this the port was denied once again, so I called and spoke to yet another clueless, unfriendly representative. After another wait on hold, the call dropped and that was the last I heard from them before the port was finally completed. Good bye Consumer Cellular. When there were no problems, it was good, but customer service is terrible.
2 years ago
Rob Adamsville, TN
We have unlimited everything, including Unlimited Data, which this article says is not available. We have had good service, since they use at&t towers and no issues in the time that we have been with this company. The only time we have had to contact Consumer Cellular for some assistance on how to do something, they were very helpful and nice.
2 years ago
John Hendersonville, NC
I 've used CC for 3 years; I've never had a problem. My son and daughter use and recommended CC-they're west coast, I'm east. CC support has been great and patient. I don't know when this review was written, but they do offer an unlimited data plan. I've had ATT and Verizon in the past- you couldn't pay me to go back.
2 years ago
Lisa Bantau Coeur d'Alene, ID
I have been with them for 8 years. It just goes to show those other cell companies that if you treat your customers right you don't need to tie them into a contract! The customer service has always been exemplary and the phone service is just as good as AT&t and Verizon
2 years ago
Tim Leaman Cincinnati, OH
Company offers good service and fair rates but doesn’t have a decent flip phone. Have had a few Doros now and this latest 7050 is a piece of junk. So many issues, i.e. fails to ring, texting is terrible, slow, and impossible to get correct fonts and letters correctly at times. Can’t hear as clearly as the old one! Get a decent inexpensive phone for us old farts who don’t spend all day taking selfie’s!
3 years ago
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.
3 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
Ali Jariri Carmel, IN
Very bad company prices go up each month and i started with 2 line and they gave me hell when i tried to separate the family plan.
I had to port my numbers out because they refuse to separate the lines.
3 months ago
Review Source
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.
2 years ago
Review Source
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.
2 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
Senior consumer Philadelphia, PA
Another scam on seniors. Horrible, incompetent, rude customer service reps with heavy foreign accents that are near impossible to understand, working from their U.S. home with distractions in the background. Find another phone service for yourself or your loved one.
4 months ago
Darrick Finan Nassau, NP
They decided to leave T-Mobile network and leave me with $$$ in international charges and NO way to stop hitting a t mobile limit for international calls…… even after talking to the Us based customer service (limited hours)
No help at all so frustrating
4 months ago
Kathy Le Melle Vacaville, CA
I’ve been a Consumer Cellular customer for 3 years and they terminated my service before notifying me that my payment didn’t go thru. For 3 years, I never missed a payment so I requested an extension. They told me no because the service was already suspended.
5 months ago
Thomas Agramonte
I was a loyal customer for many years. My reception was horrible. I finally decided to switch carriers. I had three lines my wife and sons and mine. I contacted consumer cellular and that’s when the nightmare started. It’s been over three weeks and my son and wives phone don’t work. I have spent countless hours on the phone to no avail. And they keep changing me for the account. The have horrible customer service. One person was very rude to my son. When he called them. I will never do business with them again.
7 months ago
Garrick Williams Scottsdale, AZ
I recently had an eye-opening experience with Consumer Cellular. Their customer service policies seem to be designed to benefit the company more than their customers. I encountered a situation where I felt misled and left without proper assistance. It's disappointing when a company hides behind policies instead of genuinely helping their consumers. I believe in transparency and customer-centricity, which unfortunately seem to be lacking here. My hope is that others take this into consideration when choosing a service provider.
8 months ago
Allison Sharpe Weatherford, TX
We joined Consumer Cellular because we were told they used the T-Mobile and AT&T network. AT&T does not work in our area. This was the sole reason we signed up. Once we received our iPhones, and service was turned on, we were told they no longer used T-Mobile, but we had 45 days to cancel. That was the first mark against them. We canceled within the 45 days and returned our phones. A couple of weeks later, one phone was returned with a note that said there were scratches to the display and that we had to pay for the phone. There were a couple of minor scratches, and we offered to take it to the Apple store to have the screen replaced for $300, but they refused. They gave us a couple of ridiculous options of buying the phone and reselling to someone who want's consumer cellular, or to buy the phone and apply to get it unlocked, but it may or may not be accepted. This has been the absolute worst experience with a company I have ever encountered in my 48 years of life. I feel like they refused to meet me half way and has now basically given me the choice of paying $1,300 for a phone I will not be able to use, or to just not pay and go to collections. Guess this is what happens to your customer service when you're bought out by a private equity firm. Lesson learned.
9 months ago
Arianne
New phone order handled horribly. 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 moron? 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 idiots 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. GOODBYE!!!
10 months ago
Rick Horas St Louis, MO
Consumer Cellular sent my daughter a new SIM card for her Iphone XR. (She had been using the phone on Consumer Cellular's network for the last 2 years.) (She needed a new SIM card because Consumer Cellular was switching networks from T-Moblie to ATT.) After she put in this new SIM card, her phone stopped working. Consumer Cellular told my daughter that she had to call Apple or T-Moblle to unlock her phone to work with her new ATT SIM card. Apple said they could not unlock it, only T-Mobile could. T-Mobile said that they would not unlock the phone (this was after they told us they would but it would take 3 days) because my daughter never had service with T-Mobile.) My daughter was without a phone for 4 days. (Between Consumer Cellular, T-Mobile and Apple - we had spent 5 plus hours on the phone.) I called Consumer Cellular (which I had been a customer of for 15 years) and told them to replace my daughter's phone which they refused to do. They told me to give them 3 more days to try and unlock it. I refused to wait three more days.
11 months ago
Gerry Emery (Regulator) Armour, SD
If I were to rate Consumer Cellular's products and services, I'd give them a minus 10. The phone they sent me wouldn't work. They sent me a new SIM card and by the time I got it I had owned the phone for 5 weeks, or 1 week past the 30 day return policy; all the while I was paying them for a service I could not use. Giving them the benefit of a doubt, I asked them to send me a SIM card that would allow me to use my current phone number and I am still waiting for it. That was over 4 months ago. Now they are telling me that I owe them $97.00 and some odd cents. And for what? A lousy product I have used less than 5 times and non-existent customer and tech support. I paid for over 3 months of service I never used and got tired of waiting for them to keep their end of the bargain before I quit paying the monthly charges.
I have lost count of how many times I have tried to contact them via my other cell phone and through their website to resolve this problem, but since they have ignored my every attempt, they can suck it if they think I will pay them another cent!
11 months ago
charles tien Fort Lauderdale, FL
AVOID IT !!
After a week , I still have no service . Before I transferred , I provided the " IME " phone id to see whether it was compatible with their system ; they assured me it was ! A few days later , they tell me it is not ! Their solution , buy a new phone from them ; in no uncertain term , I told them where to go ! Switching back to my old carrier became even more difficult as the " transfer pin " provided expired in less than a day and one has to spend hours waiting to get a rep on the line so that they can provide a new pin .
The reason I switched is because of the endless hours wasted trying to understand and explain to my old carrier , whom I had been with for 24 years , and whose call center was in the Phillipines , and you could hardly understand them . As the saying goes , better stay with the known than the unknown
11 months ago
B Spencer Rockford, IL
Consumer Cellular continually said I was going over my gigabytes every month, so they constantly did an auto upgrade in spite of the fact that my online account showed that I had not gone over my gigabytes.
When I switched to another company, I called Consumer Cellular to discuss my final bill. Again they had upgraded me on my final bill - saying I had gone over my gigabytes even though I had 10 days left on my monthly bill, and my on line account was showing I had gigabytes left. And they charged me $5 for opting out of auto pay which I had not done (they had charged the balance on my final bill to my credit card). I explained to the billing department that my current company was showing I was far below my gigabytes which were in fact fewer than my CC plan, and I had not changed the amount I used my phone on my new plan. The representative said "Just because you say that, doesn't make it true." In other words, he called me a LIAR. I hung up on him.
In my opinion, this company is dishonest. Watch them. They will steal from you every chance they get.
11 months ago
Sheila Stultz
Consumer Cellular are thieves. They lie about the service. When I was looking for my best option for hot spot I had spoken with 3-4 people on different days. ( which I did on purpose to see if they had different stories) I was told data was unlimited and hot spot. Unlimited means unlimited exactly how it sounds. That was never the case with then. LIARS. Then my phone showed it was compatible. Send me a sim card and nope it doesn't work. Nothing but trouble. So I have to buy a phone from them ( how convenient) I get the phone. It's the exact phone. ( which I'm sure was refurbished and not brand new like they said) nothing but problems with the phone. Freezing. Taking a half hour or more to turn on when I would start or restart it. Take money out of my account after I distinctly told them no. I paid my bill on time and early every month. Each agent rambles and talks BS . Do not trust this company AT ALL. The only reason they got a 1 star is because there's no option for a 0
11 months 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!
1 year 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
