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Q Link Wireless

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6.6

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: March 20th, 2024

Q Link Wireless is a free phone service available exclusively to low-income individuals and families on a government assistance program like SNAP, Medicaid, and the Department of Veterans Affairs through its Lifeline program. The company offers customers nationwide coverage on both 5G and 4G LTE networks.

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The Good

  • Free Unlimited Text, Talk, and Data
  • No Annual Contract
  • Keep Your Phone and Number
  • Nationwide Coverage

Free Unlimited Text, Talk, and Data

Q Link Wireless customers receive a number of benefits when they enroll for the company's Lifeline assistance program:

  • Unlimited Texting
  • Unlimited Talk
  • Free Phone Activation and SIM Card
  • No Credit Check
  • Voicemail and 3-Way Calling
  • Access to 10 Million Wifi Hotspots

Q Link Wireless estimates customers can save up up to $599 per year in monthly fees when they sign up for the Lifeline plan.

No Annual Contract

Q LInk Wireless is also one of the few cell phone plan providers to not require its customers to sign up for lengthy, multi-year contracts. Qualifying customers can sign up for or cancel Q Link's free cell phone service at any time.

Keep Your Phone and Number

Q Link Wireless customers can also keep their existing phone and phone number when they enroll in the Lifeline program, regardless of whether they own a flip phone, iPhone, Blackberry, or Samsung Galaxy. Customers in need of a smartphone can receive a free Q Link phone.

Nationwide Coverage

Q Link Wireless is actively working to expand its national network. The carrier’s network coverage depends on the area, weather, signal strength, and traffic volumes, but over 97 percent of the geographic United States is covered.

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The Bad

  • Only Available to Qualifying Customers

Only Available to Qualifying Customers

Q Link Wireless's Lifeline assistance program is only available to qualifying Americans who are currently on a low income or government assistance program:

  • SNAP (food stamps)
  • Medicaid
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Social Security Income Assistance
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The Bottom Line

Customers living under the Federal Poverty Line may find a reliable cell phone provider in Q Link Wireless. The company offer free cell phone services to more than 2 million qualifying customers across roughly 97 of the country. Customers on government financial aid programs are encouraged to enroll in the Lifeline program.

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Star Rating

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4.1

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4,309 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

21%

4 grade

66%

3 grade

9%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

3%

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Dee Memphis, TN

Overall Q Link Wireless has given me an awesome opportunity to stay in contact with my family, friends. I gave it a 3 out of 5 star rating because aside from the free service, the phone is extremely slow and it's above all very frustrating to navigate. There is sooooo many update that needed to be done to the device + to the Tablet (I also purchased with the device), that both devices are more of a headache than anything else. The service is great and appreciative but the technology given alone isn't really worth it in my opinion. You should consider upgraded your devices to a current generation device and I could definitely see some better results.

9 months ago

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Teresa Bills Mayflower, AR

I liked the service when I first got it. It was wonderful,now I have trouble with dropped calls, and my phone service when I try to make a call it doesn't dial and I miss calls because it work sometimes and then it doesn't. If I can get some help with this I would appreciate it. Thank you

8 months ago

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Carol Bland

When I first tried to turn on my q Link service I did a transfer for my telephone number from straight talk and somewhere between q Link receiving the number and straight talk sending the number it was lost and I never got to have my number transferred over and no one from either side could tell me what was happening. Also I didn't get the option of a new phone or Amazon gift card

10 months ago

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Johnathan Yother (Jaybird) Charlotte, NC

Coverage is good, but the phone I got from Q-Link has been messing up since about 2 to 3 weeks after I got it and activated it. The phone never held a good charge, which has worsened over time, and the battery has been getting hotter and hotter, even when not charging. I borrowed a phone from a friend to try out, but though it was a Q-Link phone also, it wouldn't function properly with my service, so I had to go back to my original phone. Since I can't afford another phone, I have to keep using it and hopefully it won't catch it's self or anything else on fire.

10 months ago

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Ron R Austin, MN

Hi this is Ron what I do like they all football but then when you look back I don't have no phone haven't heard the phone but you almost 2 months and I've been telling me to keep sending me SIM cards but what can I do with SIM card without a phone I'm trying to get a tablet but I was told by wireless call wireless they say you going to get one either the phone or the tablet I told him I can't take the tablet and make calls on it the tablet is made for the internet and movies it states that so somebody I don't know it's just everything is messed up screwed up this place is I can't get no help a little more I try to backwards I go so I don't know what's going on new employees and not following the guidelines it's crazy

1 year ago

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Ericka Chicago, IL

Wasn't happy with a few things at first but overall ok with this service since it'll be temporary. I received the $25 Amazon gift card as promised so that made me happy. Pretty decent service with 5g and 5g+ in a majority of the areas I go to. However a lot of little lies here and there... one of them, being told I have unlimited high speed data but this is not true, as my speeds were throttled down to 2mbps after using 5gb of data. False advertising, whether it's free for me right now or not, Q-Link gets reimbursed by the government for these false claims of unlimited high speed data, which is why it's not ok to make these false claims

1 year ago

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Karen Rose Houston, TX

OK to start with y'all scrude me I order a phone for 179 $ and I received the the first phone 79$ I believe it was any phone was never received I call your customers services they said it shows that it was delivered and they finally sent after I $179 it never was I got stuck with a piece of crap phone finally after talking to your rude as hell CS so being that I paid 179 $ already I spent $79 and got the cheaper one customers services was not going to give my money back I have both phones now wtf am I supposed to do with 2 phones they said no money back when it was delivered I called bs still want to send phone back and they told me now I still believe you owe me money

1 year ago Edited November 2, 2022

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Curtis Knight Bellingham, WA

Your telephone service is great - Your customer service is not - you sent me a new phone (Thank you very much for that) but I can barely use it and there is no one on your side of the equation to help me understand how to use it - i've had it for about a year and still cannot access my voicemail - additionally, i would have bought a better phone, one more suited to my needs, if you gave me a way to do that - but you don't - i'm legally blind - i can still navigate my way around the world and manage, with work, all three categories of communication devices (tablet, laptop & "some" phones) when educated on their operation (I'm sending this to you from my laptop with no assistance required) - But I need some help with the last phone you sent me or the ability to purchase a phone that meets my needs - you won't provide either of those services - i would think your specific clientele needs access those phones and services - hope this wasn't a waste of everyone's time

1 year ago

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Todd

Service is good but tech support sucks. They changed my account # after I transfered my but when I log in back in it still shows old account #.Phone support is very poor voice calling. There no live chat support. Seem to have very limited phones u can order. Best part of the service is that I have unlimited data, text and voice. Worse part is no live chat and poor support of getting answers for minor stuff . 5 stars for good network. But web site or app fails to let u know what calling feature the service has. Like fail to let u know if there is wifi calling feature. Plus web site hard to find where to check your phone IMEI to bring your phone here. This I give a 2 stars for thére web site on feature that are supported here, help support is just so so. Not set up very user friendly.

1 year ago

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Amanda Wilburn Minneapolis, MN

My phone plan is sim card alone that was supposed to be all unlimited. However I receive ebb wifi through post mobile and due to this my qlink data has been dropped to 4.5 gigs. This seems unfair. It is two different services for two different things.none the less. The phone I use for my qlink is outdated and will need to be replaced which I CAN do for around $300 through qlink. Or I can do payments. But I have no credit and if I had 300$ for a phone I would not have qlink. Or boost ebb wifi. I fee this service SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY include unlimited data, poor people should have access to at least enough data to do online applications and learning activities for their children. Which would then include WIFI/HOTSPOT to allow kids EDUCATIONAL telivision.

1 year ago

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Fernando Sarralha New York, NY

Yeah I just started using the company through a government program it’s OK im constantly losing the signal and it goes into 4G which nothing works on 4G anymore but in overall it’s OK but customer service when you call they either don’t know what they’re talking about lack of knowledge or they’re just not doing their job because you keep getting the same answers and at times I’ve had to call back three or four times to finally get to someone that understood the problem and fixed it I have an issue currently with them and they still haven’t fixed it in doesn’t matter how many times I’ve called or how many emails I’ve sent nothing gets done

1 year ago

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Dorinda Hill Duluth, MN

I like the service but the phone I got from you doesn't keep a charge very long and it gets hot when using it and the table I can't use on line even with it hooked up to Wi-Fi it says that I can't go on line cause the tablet doesn't have the right program in it and it don't even have the bars on top to see if you got any type or reception at all, I have tried since I got and just gave up on the tablet can't get on line with it it's not worth any thing at all and the phone has to be on the charger 24-7 just to use the phone, I tried to contact the company about the phone talked to some gentleman and he told me to send it back to them but didn't give me a address to mail it to free of charge but the post office wants me to pay to send it any where to get fixed. Well that's my experience with your company.

1 year ago

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David W “Davyboy” Ulbrich Sr Milwaukee, WI

I just signed up to Q-Link and there only sending me a Sim card how do i get a new phone from them the phone I just purchased the Magnet is a piece of junk

5 months ago

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Hennessy HERSHEYBAR (Man of Valor) Baltimore, MD

I only give three stars is because I don't get the full amount of Gig that I suppose to receive each month and went I connect to my internet to try to do my school work my gig still are used and even when I turn off my mobile data

9 months ago

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Terrie Townsend Haleyville, AL

I had to pay $39.00 for thos phone and u am very disappointed with it. I do not like this hot pepper Serrano phone. I need to upgrade my phone. That is why I am only giving g 3 stars. I would give 5 on the service bit the phone is undeserving g of 5 stars.

10 months ago

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Shanika Davis

Q-Link Is An Okay Wireless Cell Phone Company, he ..... I Do Not Like or Agree With The Short and Sassy Look On You... I Always Thought That Look Was just For Me, From Him.... Smh I Think The Idea of Happening To Bring Your Own Phone To The Company Kind Of Drive/Pushes People and Their Interest Away... Phones are Expensive Nowadays... Q-Link Offers Something Else, But I'll Check Into It Tomorrow....

3 months ago

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Lonnie Swenson Salt Lake City, UT

I have Been a Q-link Customer for 3 Years, in those 3 years, I have lost broken at least 3 phones, first I would call Q-links customer service to get a new phone and sim card. The sim card seams to get shipped out right away because thats one of the first things needed to start your service with your new phone, this is where I had a problem because I have a job where I need my phone daily and did not receive my phone for 3 weeks it made my job very complicated needless to say this would be my only complaint thanks q-link. Lonnie Swenson

1 year ago

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ILLYA DMITRIEFF Jordanville, NY

The only complaint I have is that Q Link, for the past couple of months or so, strangely near the end of the month has sent me an email warning that I need to use the service every 30 days to keep it, when their own records in an email earlier each of those months indicated that I used such-and-such an amount of data, etc. thus far that month already (and my own records would agree). Please fix your system, guys! Thanks!

1 year ago Edited February 8, 2023

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Nicole Stevick

The phones are cheaply made and are very slow . When you call customer service nobody speaks English and it's so hard to understand them. They had promised stuff in the past and I never saw what they promised. Instructions to your promotions are so hard to understand. So I am confused know with the upgrade promotion on top of this page. I thought I already was getting unlimited data, talk and text. Can you please explain to me if I need to do anything Thank you Nicole Stevick

1 year ago

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Charles Ensminger Seattle, WA

Good so far, would like to use service longer before im asked to rate it though. Thats with all the companys out there. It seems like everyone wants a rating right away. well ive used the phone service with my own phone but was under the impression that i was going to get a tablet and a phone sent out to me but never received them. If i had, my rating would have been higher. I would still like the phone and tablet and port my phone number over and get the amazon gift card. but ive never got anything like that from any company off of the internet,

1 year ago

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Aina Dini New Castle, DE

I've only had the phone service for 3 days but they sent my Sim card in 4 days so that was Awesome. They also sent me a tracking number so I could see how long it would take until I received it. What I don't like is that they don't let you keep your old number like the Ads say. And they got my name wrong and won't change it. Otherwise the service seems okay...

1 year ago

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Alicia McDermott Columbus, OH

Doing bad thing says it me and my sister-in-law signed up with Q Link a while back and we're at first told we were going to get a phone with free service which I'm not complaining because it's free service but the only thing is me I received the phone so get the killing SIM cards and we can't use the phone cuz we have no phone we can't afford a phone he brought their single on no family and I appreciate everything you're doing through everyone free of charge but we at least need a phone if you could help me out I can't afford one at all

1 year ago

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Great service Milwaukee, WI

The phones that Q-Link send you are garbage. It takes forever to turn on so you can make a call, the battery only last about an hour then you have to charge it for about 2 hours. When I was using my own phone I didn’t have any problems, the service was great. When you call customer and the person don’t understand what you’re talking about they put you on hold and never come back to the phone. I started with this company when they started up Q-Link and I loved it, I referred about 10 people and some still have Q-Link.

1 year ago Edited October 18, 2022

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Robin Sperling Lake Havasu City, AZ

My experience has been okay. The only exception being that I was told that I would be receiving a tablet along with the service and I never received it. That is why I rated your service medium. Can someone tell me if I am going to receive the tablet as stated or not? Thank you in advance for your time and attention to this matter. Robin Sperling

1 year ago Edited September 6, 2022

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Joe Zuerlein Greenwood Village, CO

Well I live in a rural area in Colorado so my cell service is spotty in some area here ,so I have to move from my apartment about 3 blocks I'm not happy about that ,and it blocks in town as well in certain spots I know what service I get from you is a good program but I would like it to work better in case of an emergency or health issues come up ,but overall you do a good job and I appreciate having you with me because of my ss income is low I cannot afford others so I'm glad to have your service so for now it's ok but it's just a bit of inconvenience for thxs for you service it does help

1 year ago Edited March 1, 2023

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Kimberly Laflamme New York, NY

I tried to tell the representative that the phone I have is unlocked and I want to switch to it he insists it's not unlocked so I called The Old company again he told me no miss it is unlocked I unlocked it for you last time so I looked on the phone and hit the unlock button the phone is unlocked it's definitely unlocked but the q Link customer service person is insisting it's not unlocked had no patience with me at all I just wanted to argue with me and I did not feel that was necessary.

1 year ago

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Anferria Garrett Baltimore, MD

The Q link wireless is good but the only thing about the wireless is it's not like t-mobile or sprint for as excellent service it has its glitches at time for as the phone will freeze up, trying to call or text and the phone will just hang up out the blue or trying to text and it won't send the text message like if the phone is off or something like that. But other then that the service is ok.

1 year ago

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Dianne L Smith Los Angeles, CA

I am disabled. I have been trying to get another phone but I have not had any success. Before it was stolen it was not working right. The screen did not show anything and I could only talk with the speaker on. I call Q Link and have to hold so long, then the voice says call back later, or I would be transferred and loose the call. I am (65) and disabled. A free phone is a blessing. Can you help me get a replacement phone? Thank you, Dianne L Smith

1 year ago

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Sandra Nonprasit

Good service an benefits an transformation of transferring of your phone number.. would recommend to others but there tablet service is not to good because you can not use it without a wifi connection so in the tablet service I would rate it at 8 thumbs down an they still charge you $10.01 without no service on it so yeah not good on the tablet part...

1 year ago

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Gocha demo from heaven Xxx Owosso, MI

The phone I have ordered from you which was the cheapest one there was is not working very well it's very very slow it doesn't always show up when somebody calls me I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not but I would really really like to upgrade to the smartphone for $34 and some cents but I cannot do that until April I mean I'm sorry August

2 years ago Edited July 7, 2022

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Donald Roby Virginia Beach, VA

I like that I don't have to pay for overpriced cell service and I'm over the moon that my taxes pay for my service. But the call quality is downright awful. I've tried to find out if it's the phone I have or Qlink itself, but I can barely make or receive phone calls. I was promised it would be fixed once the towers were maintenance last year. I still can barely make or receive phone calls. I have a Nokia G20 4G LTE which is compatible for the service and receives data and texts just fine. Just the awful calling service.

2 years ago

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Harry J. Mack Houston, TX

They don't stand by what they say. At first they were supposed to furnish New smart phone and New sim card but when it came down to the final ending they renigged and only sent Free Sim card and I had to pay for New phone even though my phone was less than a year old but it wasn't compatible with your new system. Which I didn't think was fair since I had to pay for 2 phones in a year. It was not my fault the old phone didn't work. I shouldn't have had to pay for the new one. HJMACK

2 years ago

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Teresa Lowry Columbus, OH

I purchased a smartphone in 2020 for 112.00 then you upgraded network and i had to buy a new phone but couldn't afford to. I bought the cheapest phone for 25.00 but it won't hold a charge and is super slow. Then I was sent a tablet and told to put sim card in the tablet but the sim card in phone is to small. Your customer service takes forever to get through to someone. Very frustrating

2 years ago

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Bill Cicco Broken Arrow, OK

Whatever the issue/help I may need from Customer/Technical Services, I am always directed to the Web Site for support, despite the fact that the information available may not address the problem. Repeated attempts to convey, by email messaging, that a particular issue is not addressed sufficiently to resolve it, the email response is scripted text, directing me back to the web site that, once again, is insufficient to resolve the problem.

5 years ago

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Kiki Shu

My old number did not transfer correctly. Looks like I should have received a free phone when I purchased the tablet; and how do I get my to free months of Amazon? I did bring my old # to qlink. Thanks 😁

9 months ago

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Crysta Metz Chicago, IL

I like that I have a phone at all and this program gives me a free phone. I don't like that my Data gets slow at the end of the month and I can't do much on my phone. Wish it was really unlimited.

9 months ago

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Jeannie Wheatley Charleston, WV

I have enjoyed using my QLink wireless network. Service does rather well in my area where normally cellular services do not pick up good here at all. I'm happy with my service just not my phone that I bought from QLink.

10 months ago

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Marlene Valdez Pueblo, CO

I lose my GPS singnal in the places I need it most in cities to find somewhere I need to go it's very frustrating cuz I am a driver and that's part of my job is finding certain locations but it'll say GPS signal lost

10 months ago

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Tawana H Waco, TX

I enjoy the deee service and am very thankful for it. However it is extremely difficult to understand the customer service agents accents and my service is very spotty when I’m away from my home wifi.

10 months ago

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Ellen Roe Wichita, KS

I couldn't get my new phone to make calls or send messages. Couldn't get the help I needed to get it activated. I finally got it working and have not had any issues at this time.

10 months ago

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Amanda Hand Columbus, GA

The phone is ok after it took forever to get it to working after installation,but the tablet I ordered from yall only worked for a few hrs.It was a total waste of $10,but I guess that's why it was so cheap.

11 months ago

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Debbie Cannon Opelika, AL

I think I was treated wrong because my phone messed up wouldn't work right but yet I had to pay almost $40 for another tablet didn't last three weeks nobody will call me back I got a bad deal on the phone and tablet but they have great service and rewards I'm on disability I want to stay with Q Linl Wireless

1 year ago Edited March 6, 2023

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Tim Kniep Chicago, IL

You say unlimited data. I have found that to not be true. I have reached the limit a couple of times and had to go the rest of the month without internet. Make it unlimited or let us know the limits so we know how to budget our use.

1 year ago

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cancer women Charlotte, NC

Its my 3rd time having yall service and every time yall disconnect my service for whatever reason...take away my number. I will appreciate it if they email me or send a text to let me know. Because I cant never get it back. Very disappointing I have to change my phone eveytime. Other then that I appreciate yall service.

1 year ago

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Frank Rivers Charlotte, NC

Ever since I was put on qlinkwireless ,my phone has been running slow, or not even loading the application that I'm trying to get to. It says that the wifi is not connected. I will figure out what the real problem is. So standby for more information. Spectrum is the wifi provider, with the 5-G speed. I will return for the update.

1 year ago

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PATMAN Lake City, MN

Unable to use all features of my phone or my service. I can't use my Hotspot nothing will connect to it. My text do not register on my statement. I'm unsure from where you get your data on customer usage but I feel that it needs to be calibrated.

1 year ago Edited January 2, 2023

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Mudd E Jewelry Arlington, TX

They were great at one time but now the signal sucks and service is unreliable. They don't replace your phone if it breaks and their phones are extra expensive and outrageous. But the service is free because the government pays them.

1 year ago

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Cynthia Avondale, AZ

This service has come in handy. But i can honestly say the phone that i was given was extremely outdated & stopped working properly & could really afford to buy a new one. I don't think it's fair that they wouldn't replace the old phone with something more updated or at least that would work with all the updated networks running 4 &5g.

1 year ago

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Gwen Robison East Hardwick, VT

The service zis amazing I don't get service with quick in most areas in where I live which makes it difficult . But when I go to another town occasionally I'm able to have access in keeping connected with my children better. Would love to have better service range options

1 year ago

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Steven K Pharr, TX

The Hotspot doesn't really work but Bluetooth does. The phone is much smaller than expected and very slow with glitches. My basic needs are met. But I can't retrieve A pass code from email and return to the website. It closes and I can't get into allot of things.

1 year ago