Straight Talk Wireless, a brand made possible by an arrangement between TracFone and Walmart, is a prepaid, no-contract cell phone provider. The carrier offers straightforward pricing, unlimited talk, unlimited text, and unlimited data plans.

Straight Talk is a pretty affordable mobile phone provider: customers can select from plans as low as $30 per month or go unlimited for $45 per month. Straight Talk offers different discounted rate plans available in 30-day no-contract obligation service packages.

In addition, Straight Talk customers can earn points to unlock prizes. Every time a Straight Talk customer renews their plan they earn points and these points double if the customer enrolls in Auto-Refill. Customers can also watch short videos, share on social media or refer their friends to boost points. When it comes time to redeem points, members can earn a free service plan or add-on high-speed data cards.

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The Good

Basic Service Plans
Bring Your Own Phone Feature
Mobile Hotspot
Deals
Available at Walmart Locations
Satisfaction Guarantee

Basic Service Plans

Straight Talk's services align with its advertised perks and the tag line "Everything for Less." The carrier provides basic service plans with clear selling points that outline the exact service Straight Talk customers will receive. There are some limitations to these products and services, but Straight Talk is exceptionally transparent regarding what is offered and what is not.

All Straight Talk service plans include unlimited nationwide talk and text. Straight Talk also offers various data plans. The two higher-end service levels offer unlimited data for customers. The only difference between the higher-end service levels is that the top service level offers unlimited international calling and texting. Plan prices range anywhere between $35-$60, and customers can add on global calling cards for just $10.

It is also possible to prepay for more months of service with the Unlimited Plan. There are three additional service extensions with the Unlimited Plan. They include the following:

Unlimited 3 months: $130
Unlimited 6 months: $255
Unlimited 1 year: $495

Customers can enjoy peace-of-mind by pre-paying for their phone service a year in advance. With other no-contract providers, you can only purchase service in monthly increments. You could, of course, load enough money onto your account to cover a year, but Straight Talk makes it easy to pay for your phone in advance for as long as you'd like.

Bring Your Own Phone Feature

Prospective customers can also bring their own phone, where a customer service specialist gives you a SIM card so that you can use Straight Talk's service. So, if you have a phone from a prior carrier, there are instances where you can keep it and transfer it over.

Customers can also purchase the SIM card and install it all on their own without a representative. Customers should double check which devices are compatible and which phones Straight Talk allows because its compatibility capabilities are continually evolving.

Sometimes a factory reset is useful and APN settings may need to be adjusted on a phone to align it correctly with Straight Talk's network.

If you want to move your number over to Straight Talk, they make it easy to "port" your previous phone number. Keeping your same phone and number makes Straight Talk an excellent fit for many different customers. Unfortunately, some phones cannot be fitted with Straight Talk's SIM card. Certain older iPhone 4 models are not compatible with the SIM card. There are also no options for integrating BlackBerry into Straight Talk's service at this time.

Mobile Hotspot

Straight Talk sells portable Wi-Fi hotspot devices. Options include both reconditioned and brand new mobile hotspots and tablets with 4G LTE speeds. Note that these are only compatible with Straight Talk data service plans and do not include international service or high performance for multiple devices. Service options are as follows:

1 GB data (30-day)
2 GB data (30-day)
4 GB data (60-day)
5 GB data (60-day)
7 GB data (60-day)

Deals

Straight Talk runs deals on multiple devices at a time ranging from free shipping on the latest iPhone and Android phones to extremely low-priced LG, Samsung, and Alcatel models. To pinpoint the most beneficial online deals for you based on your location, enter the zip code in which you plan to use the device the most.

Available at Walmart Locations

Even though Straight Talk is affiliated with Walmart, it is a separate entity of the retail chain. There are representatives ready to assist with questions and activation at Walmart locations or online. Current customers have also been satisfied with the 4G LTE coverage that Straight Talk provides. While the carrier doesn't operate its own network, Straight Talk utilizes T-Mobile, AT&T, and some of the best networks in the United States to provide the best possible coverage for customers.

Satisfaction Guarantee

Straight Talk customers not satisfied with their phone (iPhone or Android) or accessory purchase can return it within 30 days and Straight Talk will either replace it or give them a full refund.

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The Bad

Limitations
Not Unlimited Data
Network Redundancy

Limitations

There are some limitations prospective Straight Talk consumers should be aware of. Consumers have found that some AT&T phones might not be compatible with Straight Talk because of usability issues. For the most part, other carriers' phones are compatible, but customers should double check before making the switch. Once confirmed, a majority of devices can be integrated into Straight Talk's phone service.

Customer reviews describe issues with dropped calls and lack of data service. This can be frustrating when a customer is trying to utilize an Internet connection or make a phone call.

Not Unlimited Data

There are also some issues with the data claims being labeled as "unlimited."

Customers actually get 3 GB of metered data for each 30-day service package that is purchased. When you go over the 3 GB limit, you have access to the data network, but your speeds are drastically reduced. Most customers say that the average customer needs 2 GB of data per month. With 100 MB of data on the low-end plan, you will likely use all your data quickly.

Network Redundancy

There are also concerns surrounding network redundancy with the number of other company's networks that were used. Some of the dropped calls that have been reported may be a result of the shared networks with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and other cellular providers.

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The Bottom Line

Overall, Straight Talk can be an inexpensive carrier to use for basic cell phone services and pre-paid cell phones. It generally offers quality coverage that rivals bigger contract providers and includes options for a portable Wi-Fi internet connection via mobile hotspot services.

Straight Talk also lets you use your old phone from a different provider with a simple SIM card replacement that you or a service tech can perform. Or, you can choose from among the latest iPhones or Android smartphones from the company's retail site.

There are some concerns though about the phone unlocking policy that should be mentioned, however. If someone has given you their old phone, you need his or her permission and the serial number to transfer it to Straight Talk. You should also check ahead of time to make sure that your device is compatible to be fitted with a Straight Talk SIM card. All in all, Straight Talk consumers can expect the following:

Prepaid pricing
Data and speed restrictions
Quality coverage
A wide variety of compatible cell phones
Keep your number and phone

Straight Talk reviews are mixed. While some customers are completely satisfied, others are disappointed. For more insight into what customers have to say, read through the verified customer reviews below.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

2.6

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205 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

28%

4 grade

10%

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

51%

Sentiment Criteria

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Quality

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Frankie Benitez

Straight talk is a trash ass phone provider. I sent my defective phone back in August and I got the tracking number and showed it delivered September 30 and there saying they did not receive it so now I spent 700 dollars on this phone and there saying I can't get my money back or a replacement phone straight talk is trash

1 week ago

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Patrick Gentry Grand Ridge, FL

Straight talk has provided me great service at a good price. Their website is easy to navigate and use. My reception is as good as anyone else's phone that I have contact with. The price is the same every month (no surprises). And one of the least annoying customer service I have had to deal with. I have had good luck with every Straight Talk phone I have owned. Internet speed could be a little better and more reliable.

6 years ago

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Greg Bell

Stay away from Straight Talk. Stay FAR away. These people are the worst. Getting your first phone and plan up and running isn't all that tough. But that's where the good stuff ends. Spotty service and inept customer service make Straight Talk the WORST cell provider I've EVER had to deal with. The website is absolute garbage, reminding you with a popup after every link clicked that they're now "part of the Verizon family" and only recently allowing you to make multiple plan purchases for multiple phones linked to your account in one simple transaction have been such a pain to work with. I've had to get two new debit cards because they didn't allow multiple purchases at once until recently. My bank kept thinking the multiple separate charges to Straight Talk were fraudulent and canceled my cards twice before Straight Talk fixed that garbage. But that's ALL they've managed to fix. Did you make the mistake of buying a $30 plan thinking you'd save a few bucks, only to find out that plan is specifically for regular phones and is in no way compatible with smart phones? Well, in trying to save yourself $5 you've actually ended up almost doubling your monthly expense as they will NOT do anything to help you out in any way whatsoever. If you buy, it's use-or-lose, NO exceptions. Here's the part which has REALLY pissed me off. Are you fed up with dealing with these morons and have been thinking about changing providers but want to keep your phone? Don't bother with that line of thinking. At all. I've been trying for almost a week now going back and forth between a new provider, Straight Talk, and even phone manufacturers to try to get my phone and my wife's phone unlocked so we can once again have cell service. It's not going to happen. Straight Talk SAYS they want to make transitions go smoothly on their website, but that's a straight LIE. Their "service reps" don't speak very much English, so if your problem doesn't go EXACTLY as scripted in front of them (they don't even take down numbers - they have a voice recognition system which listens to the numbers you say and automatically puts them into the computer; so if you don't speak clearly they'll ask you to repeat yourself until the system gets the numbers right) they try to rush you off the phone, giving you complete nothing-answers and getting nothing done. So now we have two phones we can't use because these inept morons can't unlock our phones, nor can they give us unlock codes required by the manufacturers to unlock the phones for Straight Talk. They can't do a damn thing because the phones no longer have service, so they're not listed in their system as being active, which means we no longer have an account with them. It's going to cost another $70+ for an extra month of service on our phones, which we aren't even going to use, just to be able to do ANYTHING with these complete and utter morons. So if you're with them and want to change providers because Straight Talk sucks and you didn't have someone like me to warn you against them, heed THIS warning: Cut your losses and get a new phone with another provider. You WILL NOT be able to take your Straight Talk phone to anyone else, even if the phone is compatible with their service. Because taking your phone with you is incompatible with Straight Talk. And if you're like me, a disabled veteran with a chronically ill wife living on a VA disability for a fixed income, you're screwed. So very, very screwed.

7 months ago

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Rodney Willis

I have always been pleased with the service. Customer support has never been a problem until Saturday, August 5, 2023. After cracking the screen on my phone when I dropped it, the usual task of transferring my number became a nightmare. After providing my PIN for identity verification I was asked for two numbers I called the most in the previous 90 days. Who knows phone numbers for those we text or call in 2023? I was instructed to look at my calendar log, after I told them my phone was broken. They proceeded to transfer my wife's number to my phone, which is not what I requested, then I was told the system would be down for 3 hours and I would receive a call back. After 5 calls of providing the same information, I still had a phone without a number. I heard a number of what sounded like scripted responses and I hope I have this phone until I die to keep from having to deal with them again

1 year ago

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Shane Blackheart Kent, OH

Straight Talk is good for being a reliable service, but has faults elsewhere. I was a regular customer for about four years and still hadn't built up nearly enough points for the one month of free service dangled above your head. Apparently, you're supposed to be able to get one month free after building up 4,000 points, but it'll be five or six years before you even get there, even with refilling every single month. So really, I got a phone service for $38 a month, no strings attached. Good enough. It was a nightmare leaving Straight Talk to move to another service. They were rude to me and the company trying to port my number over, and lied more than once, first time said the person switching my phone over didn't have the 'proper tools', whatever that meant, and said they didn't have time but would switch it over later. The time passes, and there are still errors only to find out they dragged their feet until we complained again, so after two trips to the phone store and figuring it out, it's been hell getting my new plan to work. Straight Talk is rude if you leave them. They hold your number hostage. And there are virtually no accessible rewards for being a regular customer for years. It's all just a ploy to get you to stay. I'll never go back, and will not recommend them to anyone else.

3 years ago

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Sherry Rector Taylorsville, NC

I have had straight y’all for yrs now and they were really good, and still are in certain things. My thing is is that after a little while of having any phone of theirs it starts acting stupid. I literally use my phone for call text and I get on Facebook once or twice a day and that is ALL! The last month or so even if I just put a plan that day on it, the internet is getting slower. It don’t seem to matter though if I just add that plan that day or later in the month. Sometimes it’s really fast then others not so much. And then goes back to bring fast again. And ppl can barely hear me when I talk on my phone. Says that I sound like I’m in a tunnel. When you buy one of straight talks more expensive phones, you kind of expect it to last long then they do. I’m not hard in my phone never have been, so I expect to get a better life out of it especially when I paid more to have a better phone! Everything else beside those issues have been fine though

4 years ago

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John

I really like this company. The service is better then the other conpany I was with. The only thing was when i sfarted withnthem they had good quLity cheap phones. Now the cheap phones are not good in quality and cost wat to much

5 years ago

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Wayne

They are simple and wonderful I have service others don't and no complaint and Others complain but I like it simple and the payments are just right I can get service when others can n0t exceptwhen i went to pick up grand kifs in mammoth cave

5 years ago

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Alton Bell Fresno, CA

The quality of service is outstanding locally and in every area of the country that I have travel, however, I do feel they should allow at least one day of grace with respect to paying the bill to avoid immediate cancellation of service.

5 years ago

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M. Myers Flower Mound, TX

Overall Straight talk is pretty good. Their website is easy to navigate and they have an app to make things mobile. Their prices are good too. They have most the popular phones too which is nice, however sometimes you can only get refurbished versions which I don't like doing. They do offer payment plans for phones which I think it great. You can also enroll in auto refill so ylu dont have to remember to refill you plan every month. My biggest complaint is that the the phone plan refill date doesn't stay the same, it will slowly change a day or 2 which makes me feel like you are missing out on a full 30 days of service. I'd like it better if my auto refill date was the same date every month. Their customer service representatives are usually pretty nice. If you buy a phone online, it gets delivered quick, that's nice. So overall, not a bad phone company, but room for improvement for sure.

6 years ago

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Judith Pecho

They have been responsive to my needs. But if you buy a phone from their web site their warranty is a replacement with a rebuilt and have had up to three fail. And now they do not exchange faulty phones at their store when you buy at the store but require you send in phone to be replaced w rebuilt. So maybe other companies similar but Straight Talk would replace new faulty phone with new phone at the store. no waiting time and was new one. Seems customer service is declining at most merchants it regardless of what the product is.

6 years ago

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Tracy Sprouse

They are not an honest company. Make sure you take note of every phone call, email, tracking number, times and hours spent on phone with them and contact Better Business Bureau , if you do not get results from the company.

3 months ago

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Gina Donofrio

Straight Talk Customer Service Agents are knowledgeable, compassionate and go beyond the call of duty. The plans are very inexpensive and the service is constantly connected. It's seldom a call drops.

2 years ago

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Mike p AZ Scottsdale, AZ

Very happy with Straight Talk for many years. My basic Android uses the Verizon network works just the same as any other Verizon phone at much less price and a large data pack.

5 years ago

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C D Simion Sr Fairchild, WI

Straight Talk used to be an excellent provider but over the last year they have been ripping off its customers. There were only a couple of Choices for a monthly calling packages and Never had any problems, but since they changed their plans I don't get what I used to and I run out of data now every single month. And I have been a customer for over 10years and they refused to help me get access to my rewards account. Telling me that I have to get a new email account to join the rewards program all over, loosing all my rewards and not being able to get the rewards for the last year that they have denied me. I am going to be changing providers for my 4 phones.

5 years ago

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Michelle Belleville, MI

A month ago, had you asked, I would have told you Straight Talk was decent. Over 7 years, I had no issues. Then, one day, I couldn't get signal anywhere. Not at home, not at either of my jobs in entirely different cities. The best I could get was 1 bar. After contacting customer service about it, there was no solution. So I decided to switch companies. I had planned on bringing my own phone, but Straight Talk wouldn't unlock it. They didn't mention this until I had been on the phone with them for 2 hours. I got this phone 3 months ago for $175. The trade in value? $8.10. Pick any other company.

5 years ago

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Kathleen

Looking to switch from horrible AT&T. I do appreciate that StraightTalk seems to do just that - talk straight and not add lots of extra taxes, surcharges, hidden fees and pure nonsense. Therefore, my review is not about service. It is about company offering, which thus far in my research, I find to be very positive.

7 years ago

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David Lopez

I have been a straighttalk costumer for almost 7 yes and never read had any problems until I had a problem I call the automated service to refill my time with my credit card. which I've done since I started using this company The system said that my card was denied which was impossible because I had more than enough funds to pay It then transferred me to a live operator who kept asking me for my card information although I kept repeating not to run it again because it was already done and looking at my bank statement online it showed the funds were taken from straighttalk She said it was only to confirm the information and then told me that it was denied again Needless to say I was upset and asked for a supervisor who spoke English After explaining it to the 3rd person on the line that said they could not do anything about it and that I need to speak with my bank So I called my bank who joined in on a 3 party call and explained that the funds did go through and provided a confirmation number The person on the line said that there was nothing they could do and transferred us to someone who could help This went on for almost 3 hours until they finally said the will submit a credit to my account if we provided them with all my personal and banking information and it could take up to 45 days Thankfully the person from my bank got tired of the run around we were getting and asked for their name and contact information and said they will dispute the charge and give me my money back I really had nothing but good things to say about straighttalk until this happened now I plan to find another company to give my business to because I feel that aftrr 7 yrs I should not have had to be transferred to 6 operators who didn't speak English and still end up losing my money if it were not for the patient person helping me at first citizens bank "my bank" So good bye straighttalk I hope you get some English speaking representatives who can actually help your long term costumers and not lose them

7 years ago

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Matthew Shepherd Tampa, FL

I had Metro PCS for years and then I moved into a more suburban area were metro pcs did not work that good. I went to Walmart and decided to try Straight Talk and what a great idea that was. Now I can travel all over the place and not worry about loosing phone signals. I am very happy with there service.

4 years ago

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Mailey Kingston, MO

Great service!! Pretty much get service anywhere. Great prices for good data. Been using this company for 5 years now! Wouldn't change! Great customer service. Always solves problems quickly. Easy to switch service to a new phone as well.

4 years ago

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Nikki Fountain Hills, AZ

I have been trying to activate the BYOP sim activation kit for a few hours now, but it keeps telling me that an error has occurred. I have been on the phone helpdesk with Straight Talk 4 times now, and they were all unable to help me. The first representative told me to call back in 4 hours and mention the ticket number of the ticket that he raised, which I did. So I called and then spoke to a representative again, but he was unable to fulfil my request as he did not seem to speak English very well (just following script on screen). The third representative that I spoke to, either hung up on me or the connection was somehow lost (which is weird since my internet connection is stable). The fourth representative tried his best to help me and forwarded my call to the “Higher” department, which seemed to be a native English speaking representative. I explained the situation and had to, once again, provide all the information. Then again, the connection with this representative got lost again, so no progress at all, except for my time being wasted. And the best part for last. I tried to activate the SIM card one last time online, and it now shows that this SIM is “inactive”. Biggest scam ever. Do not buy anything from this company if this is how they treat their customers.

1 year ago

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duane gobrecht Platteville, WI

It's now Tuesday at 11:39AM and I've been on the phone with this company for a total of over 4 hours since Thursday. Not only have they not been able to figure out how to port my phone from Verizon, but they have locked up my number so I have to pay Verizon to take it back. My phone has been with the " escalation team" (what a joke) since Thursday and they're supposed to be the gurus. This company conveniently has the "escalation team" completely separated from customer support so they can only communicate via messages, from what I'm told, and they won't allow me to talk to them either. Nobody knows what they're doing and they can't find anybody that does. This is my business phone, that I've been without for 5 days and they just told me it will take the "escalation team" ANOTHER 24 to 72 hours to transfer the line, which they already told me 74 hours ago.

1 year ago

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Aric Young II Cincinnati, OH

Hello after being a 10 plus here customer with Straight Talk. I have experienced all the insight out so I can tell you first-hand that sense you guys have switched over to Verizon. I don't have signal anywhere. And you guys have lost all customer service where we can't talk to people. And if we do the hang up on you, I've been hung up on over 50 times in the last week. Trying after buying 6 phones first 5 did not work due to Straight Talk and your customer care. I bought 6 phones finally. I bought a cheap hunter dollar phone. Because you guys are such bad service. I'm already looking at another company. Like T-Mobile or possibly 8 can T sense. You guys switched off? Take AT&T and the boxes are advertised as unlocked or compatible. I bought these originally all as AT&T. You guys switched over to Verizon and sense. You guys have done terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. Customer service, you guys do absolutely nothing for your customers. My friend as a reporter is putting this in the Rutland Herald. Getting your name out all over Rutland as well as all my bloggers and my friends. They are all putting this out there and making sure that Straight Talk is known for its lying faults advertisement. I've been to customer for 10 years. You think you guys would want to keep customers and family of 8?... But instead, you constantly hang up on people. Because your people do not know what they are doing, and if they don't they transfer, you men hang up on you. Absolutely nothing gets done. I've already been through 6 phones with you guys in the last month. And you guys have done absolutely nothing.... Every single time I call nobody knows what they do, they hang up as if right now I'm experiencing no service on my phone whatsoever anywhere. I have called technical support many times the only to be hung up on or disconnected because I keep repeating the same question and they can't answer it's very truly sad how you guys can falsely advertise? But like I said, I will put this all over social media and I'm going to make sure that you guys know, you guys can't do this anymore as well as we reaching out to my legal team, and we will be in touch as soon as possible? Thank you eric young Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

1 year ago

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Amanda George IL

I used straight talk for about 3 years back when it first came out at Walmart. They had good prices on their phones and their unlimited plans were affordable, but the internet wouldn't work in anything higher than 2G when you weren't on wifi although they advertised at 4G speeds until you got to your cap limit. It's impossible to talk to someone that speaks good English and the hold times are outrageous!

1 year ago

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Renee Williams

Just check better business reviews. Plans are good, customer service is trash. The hoops you have to jump through in order to transfer a phone number is beyond me. You can't understand the people who answer nor do they help assist as I asked to confirm my phone number since there's a language barrier. She was uncooperative and said security reasons won't allow it. The fact that I couldn't pull the sms text because the old phone was broken, the other way was to provide phone numbers I text or call. Well I'm sorry but I don't memorize telephone numbers and with the old phone not turning on I can't locate those. There was no other way other than setting up a new phone number since I couldn't provide that information. Not like they can't look and just have me provide the credit card information that I pay monthly on. Definitely switching when this plan is up!

1 year ago

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Rachel Liles FL

I have been a customer for over ten years, although after this incident I will be getting a new service. I bought a pin card to renew my service as I always have. Well I go to upload and activate the plan and reads invalid. I call Straight Talk they immediately blame Wal Mart and that they did not activate it. I go to Wal Mart where the staff was actually helpful and show me on the receipt that it was scanned and has been activated. So I call Straight Talk to tell them this fact. I am told I will be called back by the refunds department in ten minutes ( still waiting for that call ). So I call them back and get another person once again and ask for that department. They ignore that and make me go through all the things I already told them and tell me to go back to Wal Mart. I am literally still in Wal Mart and they are telling me there is nothing they can do. And the woman at Straight Talk is just laughing on the other end and having a great old time at my expense since at this point I’m frustrated that she is doing nothing to help me and we are going on circles. I just found the customer service completely useless. If you are going to have a company at least care when customers are having an issue. A paying customer who had a receipt and an activation code to prove that it was activated at the store. It is your product, take some responsibility! You can take my money but not give me the plan I paid for. Scam of a business! So as to say in the end they would not give me a manager and said someone would call me back ( yeah I won’t hold my breath ). DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!

1 year ago

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jon seagrave Los Angeles, CA

10 years I've been going through straight talk, why?? I have no f@#_ing clue, they play this ring around game where they somehow blame you for the problems with there phones and sim cards and this last year has be horrible and now I am switching services. Spent a full day on the phone with 3 different people trying to figure out why the 'upgraded phone'they sent me wasn't receiving texts messages, the phone I was using worked fine but they insisted on sending me a new phone, after ignoring there request they just shut my phone off mid service and told me the last message said 'upgrade now' so I gave in and called them, waited 2 weeks (no phone) to get a Android Moto G with no sim card, called them and was told to use old sim card, thought it worked until i was informed on how.many people where trying to get ahold of me and I was still not receiving all my messages, called to get new sim card sent and ended talking to 2 more people only to have the lady laugh at my frustrations while talking to someone in the background multiple times, end result still phone doesn't work and I'm looking into another company, whatever change they did within the company recently was not a good one and my guess they won't be around much longer treating people like that and having such sh$#ty service....1000% DO NOT GO THROUGH THEM

1 year ago

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Jack Proper New York, NY

One of the biggest regrets of my adult life is giving this company as much money as I did over the years. I will not claim that everything about my experience with Straight Talk was completely horrible. They have great coverage in the area where I live. I'd say about 95% of the time I had good reception while talking/texting. However, that alone is nowhere near enough to make up the awful experiences I had with them. I'll keep this as short as I can, but I would strongly encourage prospective customers to read and consider what I dealt with. First, whatever you do, DO NOT order a phone through the 3rd party company they are partnered with called SmartPay. It may sound appealing to break up your payments when purchasing a new phone with no interest, but know this: If the phone has a factory defect and cannot be used, they will not replace it. Straight Talk will not replace it. Your only option is to buy another one and keep paying until the useless phone no longer has an outstanding balance. I swear to God, it happened to me less than 1 month after I got the phone. Both Straight Talk and Samsung agreed that the phone should be replaced and covered under warranty. SmartPay threw their hands up and said "Not our problem. Now pay off the potato we sent you." That alone should have been enough for me to sign up with a good phone company, but I was an idiot and regrettably stayed. I'll skip to the final incident that pushed me over the edge. For several months I was receiving nearly daily texts from Straight Talk urging me to convert to a Verizon SIM card and to get a free month of service. I eventually gave in and they mailed me a new SIM card. It wouldn't work when I installed it and when I called customer service they told me to put it in when my service cut off at the end of my billing cycle. One day around noon, the phone suddenly had no service/signal. I inserted the new SIM card as instructed, but this failed to work. I had to use my work cell to call customer service again because apparently you can't call them for assistance on their own devices if they discontinue your service. Anyway, I finally get someone on the phone and after a very lengthy conversation, I'm finally told that I needed an activation code to activate the SIM card for it to work. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. She then tells me the code will be emailed to me 5-7 days from then. She was dead serious. They expected me to go a full week without a phone because apparently they can't just generate an activation code, which makes no sense at all. I was never warned that if I gave into the nagging about switching to Verizon's towers I would be phoneless until they finally got around to sending me a code they undoubtedly could have created right then. Or how about send the code when the SIM card is ordered? Why in God's name would anyone think this isn't a completely stupid process? This was 2 months ago and I went out that same evening and signed up with a real provider. I sincerely regret wasting as much money on these people as I did. Don't make the same mistake I did. Avoid this company like the plague. This business deserves to fail and I sincerely hope it does.

1 year ago

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Candice

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! I was a prepaid customer from 2013 but in 2022 when I added airtime (1 year prepaid card purchased in Walmart) to my account I was informed VERIZON bought Straight Talk and I needed a new sim card to upgrade and improve my service. Well I installed new sim card and now my phone does not work normal at all. it's been 2 month since I'm dealing with the issues: Calling customer service, dealing with IT remotely trying to fix THE issues. My HIGH speed e-net is still 1.8Mb per second.. calls dropping or people have trouble hearing me, pictures does not go through. Forget about streaming videos!!! I use to have AT&T compatible SIM card in my Samsung Galaxy phone before i switched to VERIZON SIM card. The new Verizon SIM does not work at all. I called their customer service multiple times, spent hours on the phone with different customer service representatives (Over a string of 2 month) This was due to having them drop your call, transfer you (Yes, they will transfer you in circles until you die, or get so upset, that disconnect by yourself...), tell you to call back, and many other reasons. Keep in mind their supervisors are ALL ON THE MEETINGS (ALL THE TIME!) OR SOMEHOW UNAVAILABLE!!! They refusing to send me another AT&T compatible SIM in order to bring my service to normal again. They suggest to PURCHASE things from them to fix what they are done - DO NOT DO THAT!!! GO TO ANOTHER PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS YOU HEAR THAT FROM THEM!!! Another thing DO NOT PURCHASE THEIR PREPAID CARDS FROM RETAILERS!!! IF YOU WILL WANT TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER PROVIDER (BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE GOOD SERVICE) AND YOU STILL HAVE PREPAID BALANCE FOR A FEW MONTH - THEY WILL NOT REIMBURSE YOU ANY OF IT!!!

2 years ago

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CC LOVE Duncannon, PA

we had straight talk for 8 years. never a problem. we ALWAYS paid for the year upfront. we always brought our own phone, there was never an issue. we bought new phones in 2021 and bought the year 2021. no problem. 2022 comes, we buy the the whole year. no problem. then come march our phones stop working. straight talk says that the carrier in our plan AT&T is now not compatible with our phone. Strange since we've already had these phones for a 1yr & 3 months and there has been no compatibility issues. straight talk says our only remedy is to buy one of their (AT&T compatible) phones. We don't want one of their phones. So now we changed to another carrier and straight talk will NOT refund the 9 months left in the contract. 2 phones at the cost of nine months of service down the drain. we certainly did not have that money to waste.

2 years ago

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Shy James Spokane, WA

I've been a Straight Talk customer for about approximately fifteen years now. Years back I recommended the service to so many people I can't even remember how many .I don't know what happened but Straight Talk has gone way way down in service and every other area I would have highly recommended this service, and even their phones, to many people as I cannot do that anymore. No matter how hard I tried to stay a customer with them I have no choice but to switch if you read this and are considering it please do another route you will be disappointed like I said 10-15 years ago I would have highly recommended it.. I can do that no more with a good conscience. Take care..!! hope this helps please go to another phone service Straight Talk will disappoint you...!!!

2 years ago

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Steve Hampton Jacksonville, FL

Used their website to purchase a Mobile Hotspot device and prepaid plan. Paid via PayPal. No confirmation was received from Straight Talk/TracPhone, but received confirmation of payment through PayPal. Few days later no package but funds have cleared the bank. Call Straight Talk. On hold for 45 min. explain all they say they can't help, and transfer me to another Dept. and another 36 min of waiting on hold to then get hung up on. Used the website Chat, about 15 min and discover they are unable to help and suggest I call. I called back, 44 min wait time, no help but sent me to an CSA with "more" information, only about a 2 min wait only to be told I'll need to file a dispute with PayPal to get my money back. So, the better part of four total hours out of my day and never felt a single CSR really was trained or equipped to deal with anything out than the most basic issues. I have filed a Claim with Paypal and it should be pretty obvious that I highly recommend using any provider other than Straight Talk/TracPhone. The worst Customer Service I've dealt with and so glad that my businesses and other personal phones are with a different provider.

2 years ago

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Natalie Astoria, OR

I've had straight talk for almost 10 years. It used to be great, hassle free, reliable. Back in the day you could buy a sim card without the data/service card and you could activate the card online and if I remember correctly somehow you would turn the phone off and on and it would be activated. Not anymore. I've had the hardest time getting data to work on my phone. Oh and I've never been able to send or receive picture messages. So the last straw recently has been when I came back from a 2 week vacation out of the country and my phone wasn't working- as usual. Anyway I go to their website and my line is inactive. There's even an order number for Feb 1 yet my phone was working on the 3rd? How is that even possible? I even had paid for service with auto refill so there is absolutely no way I didn't have service paid for. My point being- you can't just activate again. If you choose their activate option online they want to send you a text to verify your identity... TO WHAT PHONE?! OH THE PHONE THAT IM TRYING TO FIX BECAUSE IT DOESNT WORK. oh it gets better- they tell you if you can't use your phone to use another phone and call customer service. What a pain.. so I call from another phone and no joke they say they will text me a code to my phone THAT DOESNT WORK. at this point I feel its comical and bottom of the barrel service for the price you pay. I've always liked the BYOP program but it's getting too hard to find just the sim card (my local stores don't carry them without the monthly Plan which i don't need if im paying for auto refill) im constantly losing service or data, can't send media messages, im on my own to fix any issue I do have, and the lack of common sense for wanting to verify identity for a phone you're clearly calling for help fixing is just too much. Im going to try to find another cell company but I'm not sure yet which one I'll end up with

2 years ago

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Lovely E Beaverton, OR

All I asked for was a new phone number, and then all of a suddenly , I no longer receive texts or calls. 3 days had them telling me to do the same thing over and over and nobody could fix it, most importantly no one could reimburse me for the service I paid or the phone they somehow broke through the process,. The phone no longer can switch over to new service, it's like they gave my phone "brain scramblies" and said oh well sorry. I was so upset , and it was like everything was scripted with these people, and to top it off they asked for a call back number and every new person does the same thing as before, it's maddening. .They literally told me to turn my phone off every 15min for 4-6hrs! Then they made more petty excuses as my irritability became more visible, I mean 3 days of that. Had to go to an actual phone carrier in person for them to tell me I was basically screwed and had to buy a new phone.How do you manage to break my phone by attempting to change my number ? IDK , but I wouldn't recommend this company.

3 years ago

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Stuart Kissimmee, FL

So I bought a Galaxy A21 from the site. It worked for 3 months with the only issue being I couldn't send Multimedia Text. With duo it worked.... Then the Camera app stopped working... I sent it back to replacement department.... I received another A21 back. It work for 1 hour then wouldn't connect to network for data or calls.... 3 days later 18+ hour troubleshooting, over 20 different reps including 6 managers it still won't work and they still want to do more troubleshooting, refusing to do a replacement ticket. Samsung won't directly work on the phone because of the contract with Tracphone and I still have a broken phone. The most frustrating parts are having to borrow someone's phone; they NEVER call back; and when you call back in they want to start ALL OVER again with the troubleshooting like nothing happened before. Horribly Frustrating! Buy a phone from someone else or beware, when they replace your phone you are no longer covered by Asurion Protection because it applies to the phone not the plan!

3 years ago

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Traci Hoffman Liberty, ME

If I could give them zero stars I would. I've been a customer for 10 years and in refilling my service last month I was told by straight talk I now had enough rewards for a months free service. This month I was diagnosed with liver failure and pancreatic cancer. I thought to save some money I would use my rewards. When checking my account I only had enough points for a $35 card. This was confusing to me as I've purchased a $35 card in the past and was told I couldn't use it on my phone. In calling CS I explained when refilling my service with a $45 card their system said I had enough rewards for a months free service. Would $35 give me a free month of unlimited texts & calls. Right now I have to speak with several doctors & schedule several appointments. The representative could not understand what I was saying so I asked for her supervisor. She put me through to the Spanish speaking CS. I do not speak Spanish but luckily the young man was bilingual. He said the $35 card being offered was for internet service only & that issues with Straight Talk automated service led a lot of people to believe they were eligible for a months free service of the plan they commonly use. He said all CS were made aware of this and Straight Talk is in the process of fixing the issue. In 10 years of dealing with Straight Talk this is TBE first intelligent conversation I ever had with CS. Maybe I'll try the Spanish speaking line from now on.

3 years ago

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Rcarelar

I got an iPhone 8+ from straight Talk online on 09/27/2020 and also bought the extended warranty. on 6/01/21, the phone started get very hot on the home bottom. I called Straight Talk and the lady at customer service emailed me the instructions to return the Phone, but she never created a ticket. I returned a phone on 6/11/21 and the phone was delivered at the warehouse in Plainfield in Indiana. I have been going back and forth since then about promised replacement. After going through to a long series of options over the phone, finally an agent answered. I gave him all the information about the purchase order and the tracking number confirming the delivery in Indiana and transferred to different departments and managers, the call dropped after 20 or 25 minutes. Called again and the same process again. looks like they never wrote the notes on file and I have to give the same information again and dropped the call again. I think they dropped the call intentionally. It is now 7/18/21 and they call me back. Same process, I have to give them all the information of the case. This time they asked me the EIN of the phone, but they know they have the phone in Indiana. How can I give the EIN of the phone is I don't have it? They have the phone and I made the mistake of not taken a picture of the numbers on the box. and, of course, they dropped the call again. I have called 12 times to customer service and have to start over with all the information again. This is ridiculous. Terrible customer service! Someone who can actually help with the issues at hand need to be able to contact the customers. I have been transferred over 30 times. Highly disappointed with this experience and will never purchase anything else from straightalk.com. They want to still over $400.00 I paid for the iPhone. I think I'll need to solve this through the Court.

3 years ago

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Tabitha Smith La Grange, GA

I returned a phone on 7/15/21. I have been going back and forth since then about a refund. I was assured numerous times that it would be returned to my original payment method before 30 days. It is now 7/16/21 and I still have not received a refund. I called in today and I cannot even get through to anyone and the computer will follow up on my ticket number and then tell me my order has shipped and hang up on me. The only way I can contact anyone is through chat but they always have to schedule a call back. I have spent over ten hours dealing with this since 7/7/21. This is ridiculous. I was told today that there was an error in my refund and they had to create a new ticket number and escalate the issue and I still have no clear answer as to when I will get my money back. Terrible customer service! Someone who can actually help with the issues at hand need to be able to contact the customers. I have been transferred over 30 times. Highly disappointed with this experience and will never purchase anything else from straightalk.com.

3 years ago

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Gyspe Lee Tyler, TX

Okay so this year 3 of straight talk this was the final straw. I just suck my service in it has no data whatsoever I'm getting 3 bars or just none at all. About 2 years ago now I bought a years long plan after I moved to my 1st apartment. The monthly change in my data would reset and within the next few hours it would drain completely even though I had 40 gigs. I called them to let them know Hey my data is draining at really high rates of speed even when I'm at work not touching my phone. To which they responded instead of fixing it that my phone was stolen. And if I kept calling and complaining they were going to call the cops... Never in my life have I stolen a phone but I did buy refurbished phones. It's one of the reasons I like staight talk is I could buy any phone I wanted and then set it up with Straight Talk. At this point I don't even wanna call to tell them upset because of how rude to me they were in the past. 3 years ago street talk was the only service the did prepaid plans. Today you can choose from Verizon or T-Mobile store Straight Talk. It looks to me like I'll be changing back to T-Mobile. I'm tired the really shoddy data even though I live in a city. If you live in Arizona definitely do not get this. Their services horrible out here whitch is sad. Because about 2 years ago I was only person who would get service off roading and now I can't even get it in my own house.... seriously if you are thinking about going with Straight Talk consider how much you use your data if use it for work I would seriously consider going with T-Mobile or something else. Even when I go with the unlimited data plan it still runs out even in the middle of the month Which is extremely frustrating seeing I use my phone for work. Again see mobile as the seeming set prices in Walmart just like Straight Talk does consider all your options. And most importantly have a beautiful day!

3 years ago

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MindyV Lubbock, TX

Straight Talk has really great prices for prepaid phones. But their customer service is horrible!!!! And if you upgrade your phone, it can take 24-48 hours for the new phone to be activated, often times causing you to end up without a working phone at all. Most people don't have landlines anymore. Straight Talk doesn't care about it's customers at all. They also offer points that can be used for things like buying minutes or phones or accessories. But they aren't honest with the points. I rejoined Straight Talk again after switching to AT&T and I was supposed to get a certain number of points but they refused to give them to me. I chatted and called about it and even ended up talking to their corporate office, but still ended up not getting all of the points that I was supposed to get. They make you wait several months before they will give you the points that you've earned and then they won't give you all of the points that you've earned. It's just a scam.

3 years ago

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Heather J Harlowton, MT

Straight Talk has HORRENDOUSLY BAD Customer Service. In Chat Help, I had an agent constantly threatening to end the session if I did not respond within 1 minute......AS SHE HAD ME LOOKING THROUGH SETTINGS IN MY PHONE FOR IMEI NUMBERS, which I had to write down, then go back to the chat and type in. (Lory) I finally had enough and insisted a Manager call me. They called, I said "Hello", they hung up ! Their Customer Service does not speak English Clear Enough, or well enough, For You To Understand Them, or them you, if you are English speaking. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON STRAIGHT TALK. NOTHING BUT SOCIALISTS.

4 years ago

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Sabrina Tweedy Camp Wood, TX

I loved the company and their plans at first, but not so much now. They advertise on their unlimited plan that you can use the hotspot. Well they didn't mention that they changed their hotspot rules or regulations. I need the hotspot to do my online college classes and one day they cut off my service and told me that using my hotspot was a violation. They had changed it to where the phones running off gsm towers can't use the hotspot. They did not announce this change and when I tried talking to them they were rude.

4 years ago

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David Gray Bend, OR

I've been a customer for several years. Recently, your company pushed the new 5G system and the urgency to switch to a new phone that subscribed to this technology. However, I haven't been able to find a new phone made by favorite manufacturer that supports this new system.

4 years ago

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John D Saint Paul, MN

ZERO STARS! ZERO ZERO ZERO You have no service days is the crap I hear from the crappy customer service bone heads yet, I still have minutes, sms and data left on my phone. But, I can't use them because I have no service days (does this make any sense to anyone?). I have time to burn up still on my phone, but no service days. So the bone heads tell me that I have go spend more money on another minutes card to be able to use what I have left on my phone. Does this sound like a great plan to anyone? If so, and you love to get robbed of your hard earned money than this is the corrupted phone plan service just for you. Advice: STAY AWAY! DO NOT BUY HIGH MINUTES SMS OR DATA BECAUSE YOU WILL WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY! IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THIS CORRUPTED SERVICE, ONLY BUY THE LOWEST PRICE OF MINUTES AND SMS. It is vital that everyone reads these reviews so that you don't get robbed like the rest of the customer experiences that you see in these reviews. THERE ARE VERY GOOD REASONS WHY THESE BONE HEADS ARE RATED SO HORRIBLE. Don't end up in my shoes with this corrupted phone service. I am so looking forward to switching phone services.

4 years ago

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Paula Hamlet, NC

Straight-talk was the best decision that I've ever made; not just for me but for my entire family. I know every month what I have to pay with no surprises.

4 years ago

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Dennis Driskill Little Rock, AR

Today i went to my account with straight talk to see my service end date only to be informed of a alert on both my home and cell phone service, I clicked their links and it said finally a error has occurred . I contacted them and was told in order to maintain my service I had to buy new equipment I asked what about my loyalty to your company a customer for over 10 years they offered nothing if form of discount on new equipment this happened November 16 2019 coming up with money at christmas for phones during holidays and living on a fixed income I can not afford to do this. after this experience I would not recommend this company or any other Tracfone subsidiaries companies. they cant even attach a working link to their webpage their customer service is beyond belief and has to be the absolute worst I have ever experienced in my life. Don't make the same mistake I made go to a real company that knows what customer service is and should be. you have been warned!

5 years ago

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AWest Kingsport, TN

Straight talk turned the Mobil hotspot capability off on my phone forcing the purchase of a separate mobile hot spot device and plan for it, plan ran out early, my fault, used more data than I thought I would. Refilled hotspot would not work, Got called a liar by their supervisors who hung up on me only to have another customer service rep find the issue. They had an error on their website that listed a plan for my mobile hotspot that would not work on it. They processed my refund, for the money they took in seconds, and told me it could take up to 30 days to get my money back. Next day I buy a diff plan and it still won’t work. Call them back they say the SIM card is bad going to take 3 days to get a new one. I go to Walmart and have a new one in minutes. It’s working but it’s been reset and they don’t know the default codes or how to use their own website to reset a password for it. Ten phone calls, 4 chat sessions and over 10 hours of my life later and they finally decide they need to replace the hotspot. Now keep in mind this hotspot is used for a business. It’s used to connect to the Internet so that we can accept credit card payments and So this has already cost us hundreds of dollars in sales and they want me to mail them the one that I have and wait for me to get theirs back so basically keep my business crippled for a week so I tell them to just refund the service card I bought for it that morning. They send me to the return department to the worlds biggest jack wagon who tells me it will take as long as it takes and I should be glad I’m getting my money back at all as he doesn’t have to do it so I said you’re right, I’ll call the bank in the morning and have them deal with you and then I went to Walmart and bought a new phone plan with a built in hotspot. I’ll call the bank in the morning but seriously over 10 years of loyal service and that’s how they act. I’ve had issues with them before and I knew their customer service was terrible but after what I’ve been through with them the the last few days they will never see my business again.

5 years ago

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Samantha Morrison, TN

I buy the 55 unlimited data plan. In that plan I should be able to use it as I want. Rather my own data or use my personal hotspot for my tablets etc. But my connection is no longer available to my tablets,etc due to the Hot spot is not included in the contract. In some it says u can use it for months or years before it catches you. If I'm gonna spend over $60 a month then my data should be used as I want. I will be switching networks soon as my month ends. Verizon is the only decent network and data. I would prefer to pay 20 bucks more to use my data as I please. Then not being able to hotspot my tv to watch my Netflix and Amazon prime. I strongly do not recomend straight talk.

5 years ago

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christian molloseau Pittsburgh, PA

First, I bought a phone from them that already COST MORE MONEY than what my present carrier was selling it for, Metro PCS, by about $40, but I paid it because I really wanted to try Straight Talk. WHAT A HORRIBLE MISTAKE! The first thing I noticed was that they ADDED FEES on my bill! So, I paid more for everything including my monthly bill than what they told me it would be. Thats two bad things there...Third bad thing I uncovered is that if you want to add an additional service, or lower a service, YOU CANNOT WITHOUT canceling out your current plan and buying a whole new plan! I was completely baffled by this when I wanted to add international calling to my phone but they told me I had to cancel out the plan I just bought that day and lose all that money I paid and buy a whole new plan! WTF??? 4th bad thing is when I found out that with their service, YOU CANNOT TETHER! At this point, I completely hated the company and WAS WILLING TO PAY THEM TO LEAVE! So, I called them and told them they could keep all the money I gave them but I need to take my phone to a new service provider. Guess what! NOPE! THEY KEEP A NETWORK LOCK ON YOUR PHONE FOR A FULL YEAR!!!!!! I couldn't even pay them to unlock it--which I offered! Result, I had to buy a whole new phone (same phone) with my new but previous carrier when I wanted to leave this despicable company!

5 years ago

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Dissastisfied customer Anderson, SC

A straight Talk customer for 14 years. wanted to try a different company on a trial basis. After talking to 4 customer service representatives, and getting incorrect information, the 5th representative gave me the account number and told me the phone would be unlocked in two days. This was on August 27 and it is now Sept 4 and the phone is still not unlocked. I go to the straight talk website to chat with a representative. They asked for the IMEI number so I gave it to them. He (Guillermo) stated that I needed to call the fraud department to get it unlocked. The unethical Fraud Agent stated the phone was never activated. How do you use a phone that was purchased from straight talk and activated by a representative never been activated. I have now switched to another service provider who is cheaper with better signal. Three people in my house, including myself , have cancelled service with straight talk. Will never use them again. That is what you get for being a loyal customer of fourteen years with a company that has no integrity.

5 years ago