Coverage — Look for a cell phone provider that has 4G LTE/5G coverage nationwide and check online for possible deadzone areas.
Affordable Plans — Look for a company that offers multiple plans in an affordable price range. Check to see if the plan offers unlimited talk and enough data to cover your needs.
Device Options — Look for a cell phone provider that provides service to different types of devices including tablets, smart watches, flip phones, and major smartphone brands.

Consumer Cellular is a small, no-contract mobile phone provider that offers low-cost cell phone plans starting at $20 per month (not including tax or data add-on) for unlimited texts and 250 minutes. From there, plans can be customized to include unlimited minutes and data amounts up to 25 GB per month per line for customers who want to take advantage of app downloads, high definition video, and other uses of the 5G, 4G LTE, 4G, and 3G network. For Consumer Cellular's most advanced plan of two phone lines, unlimited talk, and 25 GB of data, you'll pay around $75 per month.

The company is especially dedicated to meeting the needs of users who are 50 and older, offering AARP members exclusive discounts on its services and Connect plans that sync well with flip phone devices if preferred. Plus, a completely U.S. based customer service team is trained to help inexperienced cellphone users learn how to get the most out of their service and device.

Partnering with well-known brands and retailers, Consumer Cellular phones include nationwide coverage, and its services are located in Target stores nationwide.

Because Consumer Cellular is a budget-friendly cell phone provider, its offerings come up short when compared to other larger-scale companies. For example, Consumer Cellular does not offer unlimited data plans. If you want unlimited data, Consumer Cellular is not the provider for you.

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The Good

No-Contract Plans
Affordable Plans
Unlimited Text
Coverage Area
Device Options
EasyPay Service
Mobile App
Great Overall Benefits
Risk-Free Trial

No-Contract Plans

Consumer Cellular offers no-contract Talk and Connect plans with straightforward benefits.

Additionally, all of the Connect monthly plans include unlimited text messaging. Customers can add phone lines to their plan for $15/month to share minutes, text and data. There are never any additional fees or charges for switching plans if you need more or less from the service. Consumer Cellular has a great option for low-cost family plans, especially for those who don't use phones very often.

You can try Consumer Cellular risk-free for 30 days. If you aren't satisfied, the company won't charge you for that time.

Affordable Plans

Consumer Cellular offers a variety of affordable data plan options that customers can choose from. Its website breaks it down into the number of lines you want, the talk plan you prefer, and the amount of data you want. You choose which option you want from each category and Consumer Cellular's website will give you an immediate estimate on your monthly bill. Here's a breakdown of your options:

Phone Lines — One line included in the cost or two lines for $15 per month
Talk Plans — 250 minutes of talk for $15 per month or unlimited talk for $20 per month
Connect Plans — 500 MB for $5 per month, 3 GB for $10 per month, 10 GB for $20 per month, 15 GB for $30 per month, or 25 GB for $40 per month. All Connect Plans include unlimited text.

If you're a customer wanting one phone line, unlimited talk, and the maximum 25 GB of data, you'll pay around $60 per month.

If you are a customer wanting two lines, unlimited talk, and the maximum 25 GB of data, you'll pay a monthly price of around $75 per month.

Unlimited Text

Although Consumer Cellular makes customers pay more for unlimited talk and additional data, you do not have to pay for unlimited text. Unlimited text is included with all of Consumer Cellular plans. This makes unlimited talk and text for one line $20 per month without data and $60 per month with the maximum 25 GB of data.

Coverage Area

Consumer Cellular coverage is nationwide and only involves a few spotty patches in the Midwest.

Most of the 4G LTE/5G coverage area includes High-Definition Voice coverage, also called wideband voice, which provides clear audio and reduces background noise. It should be noted that Consumer Cellular utilizes multiple wireless networks that vary depending on geographic area and so precise coverage areas from your network may not be determined until you sign up for service.

If you want to check Consumer Cellular coverage in your area, you can do so on the company's website. All you need to do is enter your zip code, and Consumer Cellular will tell you if you're covered. It will also provide you with a coverage map of the entire united states. For exact coverage details, you can drop a pin anywhere on the coverage map.

Device Options

Depending on plan preferences and mobile device needs, Consumer Cellular has a wide array of mobile device options available. Consumer Cellular phones include basic flip-phones for calling and texting, the GrandPad (a senior-friendly tablet), and smartphones for customers who plan on downloading and using apps. Samsung smartphones, Android phones, and iPhones are all compatible with Consumer Cellular coverage and plans.

Customers also have the option to simply use their current mobile phone (under certain conditions) when signing up for a new Consumer Cellular plan. The company provides a free SIM card that is easy to switch out and there are no activation fees for Consumer Cellular phones. It should be noted that in order to be compatible with the SIM card, the phone needs to be:

a Consumer Cellular phone
a phone previously used with AT&T or T-Mobile (includes Apple and Android phone options and more
an unlocked phone (GSM)

It is possible to use a previous phone number, but it depends on the location and the old service provider.

When purchasing a device from Consumer Cellular, customers can choose between a new phone or a certified pre-owned phone if one is available. Certified pre-owned phones are phones that were returned by customers in the 30-day guarantee period and are restored to original factory settings.

EasyPay Service

It also offers an EasyPay service where you can make monthly payments to pay off more expensive phones like iPhones or Android smartphones. Consumer Cellular does not charge interest or additional fees. Customers can make early payments or pay off the remaining balance at any time.

Mobile App

The My CC app gives users the following capabilities:

View minutes and data usage
Change billing preferences
Switch monthly plan if needed
Switch to paperless billing options
Pay monthly bill
Chat with customer service reps
View AARP membership card

Great Overall Benefits

Because the company targets retirees, the cellular service plans tend to be very inexpensive for those who aren't looking for a lot of data, text messaging, or minutes. WiFi calling is supported on iPhone models 5C and newer as well as most Android smartphones. Consumer Cellular has no fees for any of their services, and because they have no contracts, there is no activation fee.

AARP member benefits include:

5 percent off monthly fees and usage charges
30 percent off select accessories

Risk-Free Trial

Consumer Cellular offers a 100 percent risk-free trial for all of its customers. If you decide you no longer want Consumer Cellular's services or products within 30 days of purchase, you can request a full refund. This makes Consumer Cellular completely risk free and gives customers peace of mind that they don't have to be locked into its services if they decide to opt out within the first month.

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The Bad

Limited Data Plans
Additional Phone Line Cost
Cap on Roaming Charges
Poor Consumer Cellular Reviews

Limited Data Plans

Consumer Cellular is designed to benefit those who want a cell phone, but do not plan on using a lot of data. For those who want basic minutes and text messaging capabilities, Consumer Cellular is a good provider.

However, if a potential customer wants to use a phone to frequently stream videos and music, surf the internet, utilize email, and communicate via social media apps, this company likely isn't the best choice. Consumer Cellular doesn't offer unlimited data-the highest plan includes only 25 GB of data.

Additional Phone Line Cost

Consumer Cellular family plans cost an additional $15 for every added phone line on your plan. Although an added price per phone line is common with most cell phone providers, typically it is less than $15 per month.

With many cell phone companies, having more phone lines on your plan makes your cell phone coverage cheaper. If you don't want to pay $15 for every phone line you want on your plan, we suggest looking into other cell phone providers.

Cap on Roaming Charges

While Consumer Cellular attaches lower international roaming charges than leading cell phone companies like Verizon and T-Mobile (30 cents versus 99 cents per minute of talk), the company also places strict monetary caps on roaming, disabling the phone once roaming charges have reached or exceeded $100 for the monthly billing cycle. While this measure is intended to protect the customer from racking up hundreds of dollars in roaming fees, the cap may be inconvenient to some.

Poor Consumer Cellular Reviews

Although Consumer Cellular has some competitive offerings with a low price and no required contract, consumers haven't given the company many accolades. Consumer Cellular reviews are mostly negative, giving the cell phone provider a low overall consumer rating.

Consumer Cellular reviews rank decent for value for your money but for quality of product and service, customer service, and company trustworthiness, the company falls short. One of the main customer complaints that shows up again and again in reviews is unresponsive and unreliable customer service and technical support, many reviews noting you are either neglected completely or passed around from person to person when trying to receive help.

With the issues Consumer Cellular reviews reveal, customers don't seem to think the low price is worth the bad service.

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The Bottom Line

This is one of the best prepaid phone service carriers on the market for consumers seeking simplicity and flexibility in a phone plan. If you need to adjust your talk or data amounts or add or remove a phone line, there are no fees to make those changes. You can also have unlimited talk and text for a monthly price of $20 for one phone line (this excludes data).

Consumer Cellular customers can expect reasonable pricing (based on limited services), a month-to-month payment platform, quality coverage nationwide, and plan flexibility.

Consumer Cellular is a great option for those who don't need a lot of data but want ample minutes and messages available to spend time talking or texting. The carrier has excellent AARP member benefits and has comparable coverage to the GSM networks it uses, T-Mobile and AT&T.

Perhaps most noteworthy is that Consumer Cellular service is month to month, so you can cancel at any time. Consumer Cellular's customer service is also based in the United States and generally responds promptly to customers.

You can try Consumer Cellular risk-free for 30 days. If you aren't satisfied, the company won't charge you for the time you joined.

However, along with these pros, there are definitely some cons to Consumer Cellular. Consumer Cellular charges $15 for every added phone line on your plan. Many cell phone companies offer better discounts the more lines you add on your plan. If you're a customer wanting more than two phone lines on your plan, you may have better savings with another cell phone provider.

Consumer Cellular coverage also does not include an unlimited plan for data. This makes the service difficult for customers not wanting a limit on how much data they can use.

Lastly, Consumer Cellular reviews are mostly negative, the majority of them highlighting poor customer service.

If you want a no-contract cell phone plan with a small number of phone lines and up to 25 GB or data, Consumer Cellular may be a good provider for you.

However, if you want discounted family plans and if a low price and limited data is not worth poor customer service, we suggest looking into other cell phone providers.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

2.5

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775 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

27%

4 grade

3 grade

2 grade

10%

1 grade

53%

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Joseph j Dusek

Consumer cellular adds false. Uncaring customer service. Bad network service. I'm handicapped in disability. Was a great customer 4 yrs. Had trouble w phone calling out Spent 3 days w their tech. Or should I say non tech dept. Finally said sending sim. Then deactivated phone I'm paying for. Had no phone 7 days. Got phone called in for 4 days before getting sim all good offered credits . Free shipping new phone. Put sim in no phone problem. Now called in tol I'm not longer allowed to be customer Violated policy the won't say what is. Again 4 yrs paid good customer Then bam no more now phone works. Had to find a new co. Shut off phone gave me three days . No notice after 7 days no service.

1 month ago

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Jimsbeck

The worst cell service company I have ever encountered. They advertise a low cost and then immediately escalate their price to incredible levels. When you attempt to terminate their service, they immediately begin outrageous and unjustified costs as a punishment for leaving their very dishonest and deceitful company. They will attempt to assign all sorts of termination fees when you attempt to move your service to another company. They even locked my phone and only unlocked the device after I contacted my congressman and the FCC. They then lied and stated that they did not lock my phone when the phone clearly indicated that they locked the device. This is the most dishonest and deceptive cell company and I cannot state how crooked they are. Avoid these thieves at all costs.

1 month ago

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Jim Beck

Consumer cellular is a disgusting and deceptive company. When I terminated my service, they vengefully locked my cell phone to their company to prevent me from utilizing the phone with another company. They also loaded up my final more than one hundred dollars of bogus charges when I terminated my service. I filed a complaint with the FCC and they were none responsive and I then filed a complaint with my congressional representative which did provide me support. They finally unlocked my phone after almost three months of denial but I had absolute proof that they locked my iPhone. I would advise everyone to avoid this unscrupulous company. They finally unlocked my phone after almost three months of denial but I had undeniable proof that they locked my iPhone. I would advise everyone to avoid this company like the plague. They will lie and deny and the FCC is the most useless government agency I have ever encountered. Consumer cellular TV commercials try to deceive you with promises of a very low rates of approximately $15 per month and you will see your future bills escalate exponentially. I have used almost all cell service companies since the inception of the industry and they are the most disingenuous and simply crooked company I have ever encountered.

8 months ago

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Brandon Maddox

Consumer Cellular shut off my text messaging without warning, and did NOT restore my text messaging after I called and asked them to allow me to send texts where I was promoting my business. I've been allowed to promote my business for years with other companies in this way of sending out texts with links. This is censorship that shouldn't be allowed. They would not work with me when I called them and spoke to the highest level they would allow, which wasn't as high up the chain as I asked. They only stated that if I didn't comply, they wouldn't restore my text messages. Using conservative language, I don't recommend them!

9 months ago

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Dorothy Rinehart

I have been a customer for more than four years and had been happy up until May. Consumer Cellular started misreporting the data used on one of our phone lines. I was on the phone with Customer Service multiple times for this issue. The kept saying that the data usage for that line was double what it actually was. I even had proof from the phone itself and their website for what the usage should be. All they kept saying was that their was a huge amount of pending data. The first rep I spoke with said it would update in 24 hours, so I waited and called back after 48 hours. Their website still said our usage was half of what their system said. The next rep said it could be up to 72 hours before the system updated and would reflect the huge amount of pending data. I plan to call back after 72 hours and talk to a supervisor. This has been extremely frustrating, and we are looking at switching carriers. Too bad, because we had been satisfied customers up until now.

9 months ago

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Sharon Parrish Mount Juliet, TN

I was a Consumer Cellular customer for less than two months if they have an auto pay discount l never received one is the reason for my account termination. The company is overrated had l checked customer reviews prior to opening an account l never would have. I am now a customer with a company that has a 4.8 out of 5 customer review score. I have the same plan l had with Consumer Cellular, my monthly bill is 50% less, my new company submitted to me in writing my total cost per month and plan. I am retired and have always spent my money wisely being a customer with Consumer Cellular was not cost effective for me.

1 year ago

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Kathleen Scataglini Phoenix, AZ

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! I helped my elderly father leave Verizon to save money using Consumer Cellular. Their $25 plan turned into $27.30 (not much savings there). The real problem started when his flip phone broke and he had to go and purchase a new "Consumer Cellular" phone, their Iris Flip. There are no "Consumer Cellular" offices or help, so he went to Walmart to purchase the CC phone. Upon calling Customer Service, they said they could not help transfer his contacts, since his phone did not have blue tooth. My nephew sat and hour after hour punched in all of his contacts by hand. ONE MONTH AND THREE DAYS LATER, the new phone stopped working!! He took it back to Walmart. They said it was past their 15 day return policy. He was stuck with a non-working phone, no place to go for help, etc. He went back to Verizon. Upon calling Consumer Cellular, they said there was nothing they could do and then billed him for "the whole month" for his final bill, even though he was not able to even use their service with a broken phone. Good bye, Consumer Cellular.

1 year ago

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Beth zuehlke Big Rapids, MI

This is the worst telephone company I have had to work with {I have worked with Sprint, ATT, Verizon, Spectrum in the past). I set up a home phone for my father with a base that his landline plugged into. I needed an extremely reliable phone because he is 97, blind and lives alone. Problems started immediately because It took over 3 weeks for CC to port his phone number over and with every call from me during this time there was a new excuse. We finally got set up and everything went smoothly for a few months. The reason I left today was that my father's phone has not been able to receive or make calls for FOUR DAYS. We called and computer chatted with CC multiple times daily for four days and they finally just said "ATT towers are out, there's nothing we can do." We checked with ATT and they said that was false and they had no outages. We were never followed up with, nor did the company ever reach out to us to give us a time frame or respond to our concerns. Four days is an unacceptable amount of time to be without a phone for anyone but for a homebound senior, it is nothing short of dangerous.

1 year ago

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Disgusted Miami, FL

Why do 53% of the reviewers on this site give Consumer Cellular only a ONE STAR rating? Because zero stars are not available. CC is an ATT reseller that has carved out a niche exploiting elderly and presumably less savvy customers, note the AARP tie-in. The service is undependable. I used it only for a rarely used backup phone. Too often, I would find that the network was unavailable. Contact tech support, they flip a switch and I'm connected again until next time. This last time, they didn't even offer to check for network outages in my area. They only wanted to sell me a new phone, since mine was six years old. I cancelled on the spot. They will lie to your face. I purchased a second phone which I intended to connect with CC under their "bring your own phone" program. Their rep told me it was not unlocked and could not be connected. This was false. It was absolutely unlocked and compatible with their network. They just chose to lie to me because I had not purchased the phone from them. Verizon connected it with no problem. It remains connected with Verizon to this day. I find that the Verizon network almost never, ever goes down. No issues! I believe CC's business model is built around exploiting their geriatric customer base. My suggestion is to find yourself a real cell phone service provider, such as Verizon, AT&T, or Tmobile. Steer clear of CC. You're not that dumb.

1 year ago

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Holly Acres Dover, TN

They are a fraudulent operation that preys on seniors through lies and deceit. No matter what you are told by their "customer service" reps, do not believe them, especially if you are purchasing a phone through them. I was told I could exchange a flip phone, which was technically incoherent on so many levels, for a less expensive, easier to use phone for my elderly friend. I was forced to pick up all shipping charges and then found out they refused the phone because it wasn't "like new". The issue? A microscopic scratch in the charging port. Other than that its appearance and functionality were perfect. Also, don't be fooled by their AARP endorsement. When I complained to AARP, they dragged their feet contacting Consumer Cellular and then weeks later told me there was nothing they could do. Buyer (especially seniors) be very, very careful with both these organizations. They are not what they say they are.

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago Edited September 20, 2023

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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.

1 year ago Edited February 2, 2024

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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!

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago

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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!!!

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago

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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!

1 year ago

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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

1 year ago

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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.

1 year ago

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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

1 year ago

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Dave Schaefer Kirksville, MO

If I could give this company 0 stars I would. Let me stress that to try and save a few dollars it is simply not worth it no matter what Ted Danson says on Consumer Cellular TV ads. We have never had a problem with a mobile carrier and normally stay with a carrier for many years. After seeing how AARP endorses Consumer Cellular and the fact that we could save a little money I decided to switch service to Consumer Cellular. I initially purchased an Android phone from them and set up the service online. I have used Apple phones for many years, so I was unhappy with the Android and called and was planning on canceling my service. So, when I called the rep (I have his name) he said if I would stay with Consumer Cellular, he would give me $100.00 credit to be credited to my bill at $10.00 a month for the next 10 months (I never received that monthly credit even though a “supervisor” was going to check into this). So, I bought a new iPhone 14+ and when I received the iPhone a USPS bag with the label attached was included. I sent the Android back and everything went just fine. Even though I only used the iPhone 14+ for a week or so I decided I would prefer the iPhone 14 Pro Max as I used to have a 13 Pro Max with another mobile carrier. So, I called and the Consumer Cellular rep said that would be great and I paid the difference. I received the iPhone Pro Max and the USPS bag with the label attached was included to send the 14+ back which I did. Not long after I received an email from Consumer Cellular saying to remember to send the phone back or I would be charged. Over the course of the next few weeks, I called and talked with several reps at Consumer Cellular giving each one a tracking number (I have the USPS receipt) showing the iPhone 14+ had been delivered to the address that was provided on the shipping label from Consumer Cellular (a Fort Worth address). Each rep I talked with checked the tracking number showing the phone had been received and said everything was fine and that not to worry I was “good to go”. Then later I saw my AE bill, which had an “insufficient return charge” from Consumer Cellular of $996.47. I talked with another Consumer Cellular rep and she said the charge would be credited back as it shows the phone was received in Ft. Worth. After several more attempts to get this taken care of, I finally called AE and gave them all the info. AE filed a dispute to suspend the charge. Then Consumer Cellular rejected the dispute and billed my AE again. I contacted AE and they extended the dispute as I had all the info AE needed. During this time, I was on the phone with several Consumer Cellular reps and finally one of the reps (I have his name) said that they must have included the wrong shipping label and the phone was sent to Asurion. I did not even know who Asurion was at that time. He explained it was a mobile phone insurance repair company. He said he talked with a supervisor and she said I would need to contact Asurion and get the phone back and then mail it to them. I said this was not my mistake and why should I have to deal with it-he agreed. I asked him for the number and he said he did not have it; I would need to look it up. I checked the internet and found the company. I called with the tracking number and of course, they had no record of this. Then a couple of weeks ago I saw on my AE bill a charge for a small amount from a company I did not make. AE suspected a suspicious charge and mailed me a new card. I went online and input my new card number with Consumer Cellular so they would have my new number for my account. Then today I was notified that my cell service for my wife and I would be canceled. Consumer Cellular tried to bill my old card for the $996.47 “insufficient charge” and it was rejected. Today I literally spent several hours on the phone with several Consumer Cellular reps to try and get this straightened out. What happens is first you talk to a rep, then they must get a “supervisor” who hopefully gets you to “billing”. Then the billing rep must get to another supervisor. Now the latest is, the billing department says they must send an email to “accounting” (they can’t call them they said). And after a billing supervisor disconnected or hung up on me, they finally have reinstated my service and then show a “payment arrangement confirmation” for the $900 + so in the meantime they can try to find the phone I mailed back and investigate. I bet this phone was either lost or stolen. The bottom line is, I sent the iPhone phone back in the USPS bag with the attached label that Consumer Cellular provided and it was shown as received and delivered. I paid for my new iPhone 14 Pro Max and I should not be billed for the $900.00+ for a phone I mailed back that was received at the address Consumer Cellular provided. Either USPS made a mistake or someone at Consumer Cellular affixed the wrong label. I would think for an expensive phone that Consumer Cellular would have it insured. Regardless, I did everything correctly and it has been a nightmare dealing with them. Everyone is polite on the phone, but I just get “lip service” as no one can make a decision, and then they forward me to someone else or tell me it will be handled. I have spent probably 10-12 hours between Consumer Cellular and AE trying to get this issue resolved and so far to no avail. My wife and I are retired, have perfect credit, and never have had any billing issues until now. I have spent way too much time on this issue and it is beyond frustrating.

1 year ago

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tholoze29 Chatillon86

In 2022 I contacted Consumer Cellular to let them know I would be out of the country for 5 months. I wished to drop my regular plan to the lowest level for that time period, while still retaining my phone numbers. I was assured by the customer service representative that that would be done. It was not done. When I recontacted them to ask for credit for those 5 months, they said they had no responsibility for this but that as a courtesy they would refund $30 to me. I was impressed by how very unpleasant and impolite Aaron, a customer service representative supervisor, was in our interactions. I am deeply disappointed in what is supposed to be a better cell phone service.

1 year ago

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L Dohl Chicago, IL

ordered a phone and new service, found an email within minutes i was canceled. no explanation. Called to find out why, they transferred me to a billing specialist (which is code for fraud ). I talked to the rep and he said i was canceled due to security. I asked if they are going to ask me questions to validate i am who i say i am (I know this because i use to manage a fraud department at another carrier that doesn't have service where i spend most of my time). He said know this is all he has. You cant validate with them. No take a pic of your id and yourself and send in. Nothing. I have no idea why they canceled my order and no way to overcome it. Unbelievable, considering i was paying everything in full up front. Hook up with At&t directly if its their towers you use is my recommendation.

2 years ago

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Neil Cacci Chicago, IL

I have had CC since 2010. I noticed the last year or so, their overall quality went down substantially. I recently purchased a new phone because we were forced to upgrade to 5G. My latest problem with this company is usage. I inconvenience myself to completely shut the phone down, so as not to waste minutes. I am 5-days into the new cycle and already received an intimidating usage warning. What CC is attempting to do, is raise your rate each and every month. They touted themselves as to say; the customer has "unlimited minutes"; what happened to that? My next step and I suggest everyone on this page will think about this, is to file a complaint with the FCC and you States Attorney General's Office. The more that people will file, the more something will be done to curver what I call "a racket". BTW - I agree with many that the new customer service is horrible. Last inqury found me almost arguing with a young, arrogant and rude customer service employee who was not accurate at all and did not have a clue on how to answer my request. It is a shame, because CC used to be tops but not anymore!

2 years ago

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Pete G. Canonsburg, PA

Consumer cellular's customer service used to be the best of the best before they were bought out by a private equity firm. Their reps used to be highly knowledgeable, courteous, and dedicated to getting it right for the customer. They apparently have a completely new group of customer service personnel who often do not know what they are doing, will never admit when they don't know what they are doing, promise to fix problems and then don't, and generally don't care much about the customer. Sometimes they sound arrogant, sometimes disrespectful. I assume that the new owners got rid of all the old reps and contracted the work out in order to increase company profits. Any time you have a customer service problem they pressure you to go to a more expensive plan.

2 years ago Edited December 30, 2022

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Mary Ober Austin, TX

Wish I could give no star or negative star. Terrible experience with CC that costed us a lot of time and money. Here is what went wrong with us, and this is brief as there is much more. 1. Said my current phone would work when we switched to them-it didn't and I had to buy a new phone. 2. Said CC at Target could help port info cause customer service couldn't. Went to 2 Targets and no one was there to help. 3. Said they had coverage in Canada (we were going to take a trip there) and at the day before we were to enter Canada found out we had to get a special sim card for our phones to work there. NO ONE TOLD US THAT. So, we had to cancel our trip costing thousands of dollars. Wrote to the company execs-crappy response. Most they would do is reimburse me if I sent my phone back. So that would mean more time and money. Very poor company-stay away!!!!

2 years ago

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Teresa Ferguson Anadarko, OK

Horrible service! After a few months I cancelled and move to cricket. Once I signed up and ordered a phone I got it in a few days but I was received Litterly 15 to 20 calls and texts a day for other people. After dealing with this for about two weeks I called consumer cellular and asked for my number to be changed. The operator helping asked why I wanted a new number, I told her of the many calls and texts a day I was getting that were for other people. She informed me I could not get a new number and she also told me to just ignore the calls and texts. I was furious when I got off the phone. She had an attitude was not even going to try and help me. But, I went on for a few more weeks and then had enough!! I cancelled! I tell everyone about my experience with them. Horrible company!

2 years ago

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Billybob Winchester, VA

I wouldn't even rate them a one star, but had to, to leave my review. I just got off the phone with consumer cellulars sales department and customer service department. Talk about the WORST EXPERIENCE, i've ever had with a cellular company. They talk over the customer while speaking #1 , Then their attitude's were attroshish. Very disrespectful of a customers questions. It's like your dealing with young kid's that don't wanna listen, and just run on with their mouth's. I mean really, they've turned me off so much, that I ended up hanging up on them. Not a way to get new customers if you ask me. I won't be purchasing service from them ever. And I would feel highly sorry with those that ever do. I can see why they deal with seniors more, because they can probably just take advantage of them. Consumer Cellular isn't what they claim on television advertisement what so ever.

2 years ago

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BlondeMamma56 Tonawanda, NY

If I could give 0 stars, I would. Switching from our old cellular service provider to Consumer Cellular was a big hassle. It took a lot of calling around and digging through paperwork to get various account numbers and pin numbers. The SIM cards were difficult to install and my son's SIM card is still not activated because Consumer Cellular has lousy hours and we can't get in touch with anybody. When we tried to activate his SIM card on line, the system wouldn't even let us create an account. It said our information doesn't match their records. Then it told us to call a phone number where nobody answered the phone. All this to save money? It looks like we're getting what we're paying for. Had I known it would turn out this way, I would have stuck with our former cellular service provider.

2 years ago

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Karl DeKeukelaere Berlin, BE

As a Consumer Cellular customer I called them 3 weeks ago to ask about enabling international usage for my phone. I was told I needed to install their T-Mobile SIM card which I did. I asked if anything else was needed and was told no. Three days ago called Consumer Cellular again to confirm my phone was ready for international usage. They confirmed it was. While in Europe today the phone does not connect. When I called Consumer Cellular I was told that international roaming was not turned on and could only be turned on while in the US. So, I was lied two twice and now must purchase a local SIM card for use while in Europe. Consumer Cellular offered no assistance.

2 years ago

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tabitha Colorado Springs, CO

1. Phone constantly drops call. CC's response: If a bird flies between your phone and the cell tower, the call will drop. 2. Utterly inept tech support. 3. My newest gripe is the $5.00 a month FEE because I will not give them my credit card / checking account information for Auto-Pay. That's right, folks...it's NOT about the paper billing, which was their explanation/excuse for the $5.00 charge the first time I called and complained. OH NO, it has nothing to do with paperless billing. It's now a $5.00 charge every month that you decide that you are a competent (not senile) adult who chooses to pay your monthly bills through your own bank's bill-payment system. Guess What...CC does NOT like that idea. They want your credit card / checking account information so that they can pull money out of your account. Having read the dozens (hundreds?) of complaints about CC making erroneous (illegal) withdrawals from customer's checking and credit card accounts, I am NOT a big fan of giving them my banking information. And for THAT reason alone, I have to pay them $5.00 a month. Can someone PLEASE explain to me how this fee is legal.

2 years ago

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Susan E Weinberg Billings, MT

I’ve had CC for 6 years. At the time they were a reasonable cost compared to ATT which I had before. I’ve bought 2 iPhones from them. But recently (last 6+ months) I’ve been been getting spotty data and in some part in the center of the city I couldn’t get anything at all. Called and they said they’d send me another SIM card. Funny though, that’s what they did about 1+ years ago. This time the SIM card they sent was just as useless, so I changed carriers. If you live in a rural state, don’t bother with this carrier. Also their customer service has really gone downhill. Sounds like they farm it out to individual’s home phone and they’re unknowledgeable. They close it 5 pm and off all weekend. They used to have longer hours and the csa’s were knowledgeable. Now they’re crap. Also when switching over they wouldn’t unlock my phone for the new carrier even though they sent me a text with the 6digit code for the new carrier and when I called asking why they wouldn’t unlock it, they said the other carrier made a mistake when in reality it was them. In the interim after that, they cut off my phone line entirely for a 12 hour period where I could even reach either carrier! I think she did it for spite. I’m very disappointed with them. And now that I’m with a larger carrier with better service, instead of $35 with CC (taxes included) I’m paying $14 (taxes included) with the new carrier. Don’t bother with them. They must’ve been bought out by a venture capital firm and then cutting costs to milk the profits from it before they flip it to someone else.

2 years ago

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JJ Napa, CA

I have been with consumer cellular for almost 10 years and was happy until today. My rating was 4-5. It is a now a 1 My phone finally gave out so I ordered a new one. It arrived today. I went to charge it and found out it couldn’t be charged. Samsung apparently no longer provides a cable for charging except a C cable with a C connector on both ends? WTF? I have 8 charging stations with multi charging on each one. They all have the standard USB output that we are all used to and have been using all along. The duel end C cable of course is useless in this charging system. I thought they must have sent me the wrong cable so I called Consumer cellular to get them to send me the right cable. After waiting some time their customer service came on the line. I identified myself and told the rep the problem. She – like a 12-year-old girl giggled all through this whole exchange until I raised my voice. She then stopped giggling pretending she was actually over 12. The only problem was she had no idea how to 2-way communication. Shew incessantly interrupted and talked over me. I finally had to tell he I would talk and when I wanted her to talk and respond I would say your turn. This of course is totally silly to have to do but I had no choice. I was talking to a immature person who should have been selling cool-aide not being a customer service rep. She suggested I could buy a wall unit to plug my cord into either from consumer cellular of by one elsewhere. I on the otherhand suggested that maybe they could send me a proper cable – one with USB on one end and (in this case) C cable end on the other. She insisted they could not do that and hat I would have to spend more money and waste more time to and buy the charging end for the junk cable Samsung sent me. We next moved on to her supervisor. Working with this child was exhausting and infuriating since she kept repeating that Samsung did not include the plug in end with their phones. She just could not get it into her head that thjat was not the issue. The unusable cable was the issue. So supervisor. No luck there either. The supervisor must have trained this child for her customer service position since she was telling me the same BS. So from 4-5 to 1 rating. I have never been so infuriated by customer service since Amazon’s gemes from oriental lands. Are all customer service people going to be dingbats from now on? I hope not because I feel sorry for consumers. Are all cellphone manufacturers going to be as cheap and idiotic as Samsung and Iphone? although I bet IPhone at least gives you the right cable or a way to plug it in. Maybe not. I don’t use the ultra-expensive IPhone. I neither need to impress my friends or throw my money away. A any rate I found a better plan for about the same money so bye bye Consumer cellular. Your customer service stinks and your prices are not that good. Also goodbye Samsung fopr just being idiots with your ultra-cheapness and your idiotic cable that is useless to most people. I feel much better now thank you.

2 years ago

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J Allen Pensacola, FL

Very poor coverage, could only get or make calls while at home using WI-FI. Canceled service, to go to another provider. When I contacted Consumer Cellular to have phone unlocked, I was talked into staying with a different plan. I paid the outstanding balance and I had to wait 4 days for new SIM card (due to damage of old SIM card). When I got the new SIM card it was defective, I was told I would have to wait another 4 days, I said no, cancel and unlock my phone. That was 6/5/22. On 6/10/22 Consumer Cellular charged me $43.45 for a month of service I did not use. On 6/26/22, I was charged another $5.40. I contacted C.C. was told that there had been a mistake and a check for a refund would be sent in 7-10 days. Not happy, they took the money electronically why not refund it the same way! Scam, poor service, stay away from this company!

2 years ago Edited June 27, 2022

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Roger Andersen Hyannis, MA

My experience was very poor. After using my phone for a short time I discovered that I could not receive or initiate phone calls over the LTE data network (cell towers). I called and explained my issue and the Consumer Cellular rep told me they found something turned off with my service and would download code to my phone to help with cell tower reception. After the call the phone worked making and receiving calls on the LTE network. Next morning I discovered the problem with phone calls on the LTE network was back. I called Consumer Cellular again and they asked me to start troubleshooting. I told them I was uncomfortable troubleshooting with them unless I was compensated. This is where the relationship went down hill. After this second phone call the phone worked with phone calls in the LTE network. That afternoon the problem again (a third time) returned. I asked for a refund and was told I has exceeded my 30 days. Potential customers need to beware that their 100% refund starts at the date of your order, not the date you start using their service. I did not begin using the service for 8 days after my order (delivery of the phone and porting of my phone number). I have no confidence in traveling outside of my home with the Consumer Cellular phone. After less than a month I wasted my money on a new phone and the cellular service. In my case about $200. I am in the process of switching away from Consumer Cellular.

2 years ago

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Sam Conley Beaverton, OR

Lied to me. Told me phone I ordered would ship right away and would work as soon as I "Set it up." That was the phrase chat representative used. "Set it up." To Consumer Cellular, set it up means follow these steps: 1. Receive phone. Yeah, it did arrive in a couple days as representative promised. 2. Look for charger. 3. Come to realization that no charger is included in the package. 4. Go to Samsung Customer Service web site. (Couldn't call - Had no phone.) 5. Get told charger is not included in package. Must be ordered separately. 6. Order charger. Pay fee, even though you already paid $250 for phone. 7. Wait another week for charger to get delivered. There might be more to "Set it up." I don't know because I have to wait several more days for charger. I'm sure if I talked to someone from Consumer Cellular, he would say, "Did the representative tell you a charger was included." Me: "No. Didn't think to ask." Consumer Cellular: "Well there ya go, boy. You ain't go reason to complain." In my book, Consumer Cellular representative told a blatant lie. "All ya gotta do is set it up." If nothing else, he could have warned me no charger was included. I wouldn't have liked it, but at least I could have ordered it at same time as phone and gotten it sooner. Consumer Cellular is a slimy, dishonest company. I will never forget this filthy, filthy trick they played on me. Nor will I forgive.

2 years ago

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Susan B. Washington, DC

I've been with Consumer Cellular for just over a month after having Verizon for decades thinking I could save a few bucks on a couple of lines. In order to avoid having a medical emergency while writing this review I'll skip over all of the details and just write that I've had to call this f[oops!]ing company on average twice a week to either have my phones reset or figure out why one of the phones (my work phone) isn't making or receiving calls or figure out why the Consumer Cellular website takes 4 minutes to load or figure out why there's just no internet service at all, or, or, or, or... I feel bad for the customer service reps. They're super nice but their hands are tied over the remarkable ineptness of the service. Once I was actually advised to go to my nearest Target (45 minutes away) and have a tech look at the phones because they had no clue what to do. Don't use the service for your elderly parents. Chances are they're going to need their phone in an emergency and there's not going to be any service whatsoever. As for me, I'm heading back to the Verizon store tomorrow.

2 years ago Edited May 31, 2022

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Antoinette Canser Milwaukee, WI

my mom was with Consumer Cellular, for some years.My mom ended up with Dementia,she lost her first phone,i went and got another,after losing that one also, i contacted consumer cellular,explain to them the problem,asked if they stop payment coming out her monthly check,they said okay.As time went on ,i was getting notices stating they were still taking money out her account , they told me that she still had the phone ,i told them she dont have it she lost it,then i thought what are they talking about i had forgot that fast that i went brought that phone from target,now they think they are going to get away with taking that money for almost over a year ,thats just wrong.i had to literally go close out the account in order for them to stop taking her money,Who really is for the seniors its hard to see!That phone had not been used in over a year!im looking into getting me a lawyer,It is time people stop taking advantage of the senior's .Stop the madness,they pave the way for all of us now lets do them anykind of way not my BABY!

2 years ago

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cameron Macdonald Miami, FL

Had consumer cellular for almost 2 years. I have had excessive phone problems to which customer service was never able to resolve. One, the phone only worked on speaker, another I couldn’t get rid of an amber alert and customer service told me I needed to factory reset my phone only for me to figure it out once I got off the phone. Several other issues but those are two. Additionally whenever I call, they demand that I verify the account to troubleshoot problems. This couldn’t be more irrelevant except for verifying what phone it is. Last time I called I was so worked up, I asked to speak to supervisor but after a hold, the representative spoke to a supervisor instead of transferring me as I asked. Then and only then was he given “permission” to troubleshoot the issue with me. I’m amazed how a phone company can exist without any stores where customers can get help from. Target is good for nothing except buying the phone. I will strongly discourage anyone from choosing this horrible service.

2 years ago

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ExposingBadCompanies Lansing, MI

I got a plan and a phone with Consumer Cellular. The phone I got never worked properly from the start. I tried factory resetting a couple of times, and finally got around to calling them. They told me I needed to factory reset. I said I already did. They said I needed to do it within a week of the call. So I just said screw it and figured I'd call back later (I didn't have time to deal with that). Anyway, a small piece of the swively part broke off randomly and I called about that and the issue I was having with the keys either not working or acting as though I hit them 3-4 times with each press. They mentioned the swively part break was a defect and they'd replace it. Okay, cool. Well, I ended up getting a used phone, which is unacceptable considering I bought a new phone and it didn't work properly from the start. Not only that though, it was absolutely disgusting and had scuffing on the screen (though they told me if the one I return had any scratches, I'd have to pay for this used garbage so not sure how that works). Anyway, that's absolutely ridiculous that I pay for a new phone, get a defective phone, and then get a used phone to replace it, and it wasn't cleaned and was in bad condition. I would avoid.

2 years ago

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Dennis Shafer La Crosse, WI

WE WERE WITH CONSUMER CELLULAR FOR 3 YEARS. WE LEFT MINNESOTA FOR KEY WEST ON MARCH 4TH. WE HAD SERVICE MARCH 4TH AND 5TH. ON MARCH 6TH ON OUR DRIVE TO KEY WEST WE HAD NO SERVICE THE REST OF 2 WEEKS OF VACATION. WHEN I ARRIVED AT KEY WEST I TRIED TO CONTACT CONSUMER CELLULAR. I WAITED OVER 45 MINUTES ON HOLD. TRIED CHATTING AND WAS NUMBER 68TH IN LINE THERE. COULD NOT REACH THEM THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MARCH. ON MARCH 29TH WENT TO TARGET IN ROCHESTER MN AND TALKED TO THE CONSUMER CELLULAR REP THERE. HE WAS IN TOUCH WITH CONSUMER CELLULAR AND TRIED DIFFERENT THINGS INCLUDING PUTTING IN NEW SIM CARDS. NOTHING WORKED. WENT TO T-MOBILE ON APRIL 1ST AND THEY INSTALLED NEW SIM CARDS AND EVERYTHING WORKED IMMEDIATELY. NEVER EVER WILL I USE CONSUMER CELLULAR AGAIN

2 years ago

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lawrence raymond El Cajon, CA

In the process of "reconfiguring" my phone from 3G to 4G Consumer Cellumlar destroyed the phone. It never worked again! Despite telling me that I did NOT need a new phone at the time, my phone dropped all calls immediately; and my texting was severely limited- other people were unable to text me! After repeated efforts to fix my phone I was told by two different Supervisors at the company that repair "tickets" would be sent to AT&T and that I would be contacted. I never was contacted and I had NO phone service for three weeks! Now Consumer Cellular is trying to collect $62.00 in closing costs for "service"! I estimate that I spent "9" hours on hold with this company in order to get help with related problems. At no time were they capable of doing anything but run me around in a circle. I ended up buying a new phone and arranging service with a first line carrier. The single worst experience with a company in my life

2 years ago

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Rod Gary GA

I called them twice in December to assure I would not have roaming charges when I traveled overseas during the holidays. The person I spoke with 12/22/21 said "you are all set up". In March, 2022 I received a $482 bill from Consumer Cellular. I made 6 calls over 3 days to get the bill corrected. A "supervisor " said their employee should have asked me more questions but would not correct the bill. I moved my cell phone provider as soon as I found one I hoped has Ethics and integrity. Do not believe the CC marketing. After being an 8 year customer they acted a bit shocked that I would change providers. Karma is......

2 years ago

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Blue Basset San Antonio, TX

Customer service team just doesn't know what they're talking about. I have a slightly more obscure phone (Asus Zenfone 6) which is compatible with both 4g/5g networks, and GSM and CDMA (when you google asus zenfone 6 it comes up with the international version which has only GSM, but I have the us version which has both) and was using it perfectly fine on their network until I ended up losing the sim card a day ago and called them to replace it. They ended up telling me my phone was no longer compatible with their network, which clearly wasn't the case as my calls and data both worked fine for 3+ years until I lost the sim card, and I told them that it must be an error in their database and asked if there was anyway to fix it, they said no, so I asked to speak to a manager, who also said no. It would've only taken a little extra effort on their part to fix this, kinda disappointed since customer service is supposed to be the thing they're good at, I might even be willing to go back to them if they fixed this problem but unfortunately since that doesn't seem to be the case I can't recommend them anymore and I'm gonna have to spend the rest of the day switching cellphone numbers.

2 years ago

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Charlet Estes Russellville, AR

The customer service is awful, rude people who put the "blame" on the customer (ie: the information given doesn't match so YOU will HAVE TO...blah blah blah), if you call to change or cancel your service, you really get treated like dung. I called to cancel because the phone I gave my mom was deemed incompatible with CC service and therefore I was being forced to go to another carrier, the representative was rude, and, be prepared, they charge 2 months service when you cancel. As well, I wanted to change the payment to my credit card so that my mom's account would not be charged for the last two payments, but he had already put in for the cancellation, therefore, they refused to change the payment method unless I reactivated her service, which would incur additional charges! They don't seem to understand that their business depends upon it's customers. I will NEVER be one of their customer/victims again!

3 years ago

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John Poop Jefferson City, MO

Customer service speak clear English but I've had several bad experiences. I've had to call over and over to get thru and then I've had to speak with them more than once to resolve the same issue. Most recently my call service was off for two weeks or more, and after spending more than 12 hours on various chats all they told me was it might be 24-48 hours and they'd contact me. 8 days later I started a chat and had the problem resolved in around an hour. So they left me hanging and acted like it was my fault asking if my phone was updated and if my data was on wasting my time over a series of a dozen or more attempts usually being disconnected from my screen turning off while I'm in the queue or them saying they couldn't do anything and they were sorry. But guess what they took out full payment for that month even though I couldn't use my phone for calls over half the month. 👎👎

3 years ago

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David Paepke North Myrtle Beach, SC

GOT A REFURBUISHED PHONE DIRECTLY FROM CONSUMER CELLULAR. I ONLY GOT A SMART PHONE BECAUSE I HAD TO HAVE ONE TO USE APPS FOR WORK. MY FLIP PHONE FINALLY DIED. I ONLY USE MY CELL PHONE FOR EMERGENCIES. I PROBABLY USE IT FOR 30 MINUTES A YEAR. I WENT TO USE THIS SMART PHONE WHICH WAS OVER A YEAR OLD. THEY DIDN'T REMOVE THE INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS USER SO I COULD NOT USE THE PHONE FOR MAKING CALLS. THEY EVEN ADMITTED IT WAS THEIR MISTAKE. SAID, "SORRY, YOU HAVE TO BUY A NEW PHONE". WE CAN'T REMOVE THE OLD INFORMATION. THE PHONE IS NOW LOCKED WITH PREVIOUS OWNERS' INFORMATION. THE PERSON WHO RETURNED IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DELETE ALL THEIR INFORMATION. BEFORE RETURNING IT. YOU CAN'T RETURN THE PHONE BECAUSE YOU HAVE HAD IT FOR OVER A YEAR. I CANCELED MY SERVICE. IT WAS THIER FAULT AND THEY WANTED ME TO BUY A NEW PHONE. GO WITH A CARRIER THAT CARES ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS (IF YOU CAN FIND ONE). THEY ALSO HAVE ALMOST NO ONE IN ALL THEIR TARGET STORES. NOW THEY ARE IN WALMART AND THEY HAVE NO ONE IN THOSE STORES EITHER. I WILL SWITCH TO ANOTHER CARRIER BECAUSE THERE ARE 4 PLACES THAT HAVE CORPORATE RETAIL STORES OFFICES WITHIN 3 MILES FROM MY HOUSE. IF I HAVE PROBLEMS, I HAVE SOMEONE TO SEE FACE TO FACE.

3 years ago

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dissatisfied Los Angeles, CA

Promised no contract/no penalty cancellation and a low price. Raised price almost immediately. Promise great service. It was always terrible, connection was never good but we used them so little that we hung on until they tried to coerce us into spending hundreds more dollars on their new phones and service we did not need or want. Told their phone rep no, cancelled, but kept getting billed. They sometimes didn't even get the bill to us until AFTER the due date, making it impossible to pay on time. At the end they refused the usual by-phone payments via credit card in order to force us to call and talk to their representatives who, as above, tried to coerce us into spending hundreds of dollars more for items we did not want.

3 years ago