1134. TRACFONE Review & Issues

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to refill plan, great voice quality and connection (except issues below), large selection of phones.

Cons: Older phones with limitations (See 1 below), website documentation not specific enough to implement action without calling customer service.

Issues:

1. Misrepresentation of available functions: I bought a Galaxy A01 Reconditioned Phone as an Emergency Phone for my wife. It was supposed to be a full function smartphone. I checked TRACFONE's description and also researched over Internet. What I got was indeed an A01 with Android 10 that immediately upgraded to Android 11. As with my other mobile phone I expected to be able to use Wi-Fi in the home along with Wi-Fi Calling. Beware that they are two separate functions. Yes, I received Wi-Fi connection and have full access to Wi-Fi with no subtraction from Data Plan (I think). Wi-Fi Calling (under settings on this Samsung Galaxy w/ A11 Android) defaulted to OFF when it was set up. This MUST be ON to do Calling functions (make a call, answer a call) via Wi-Fi instead of Cellular network and it has a preference to set to "Prefer" Wi-Fi over Cellular. Fine. I set everything on and it did NOT make a call using Wi-Fi at home like other mobile phone (Motorola w/A10 Android). Hence my Time Plan lost the minutes. 

I called TRACFONE to find out what was going on. 1.5 hours I spent on the phone to get NO answer other than it should. However, I had already done troubleshooting and HELPED them understand that this particular phone was reported as NOT capable of Wi-Fi Calling as per their website eligibility page that checks the number on AT&T by IMEI and SIM number. It came back with a big negative. Yet the Customer Service Reps and Sales claimed it was. Well, it isn't. Why? Despite what you read on Internet re the Galaxy A01, specifically one forum article asking whether it does support Wi-Fi Calling (answer = YES), eligibility is NOT by model, but by IMEI/Sim! My reconditioned on did NOT. So, my wife got her Emergency Phone (i.e., when away from home and no Wi-Fi), but cannot use Wi-Fi for calling to avoid minute deduction from a minute plan carried over from old phone! Whether Wi-Fi Internet works without deduction of data from plan is also unknown at this time. But, for those who don't realize it, even a deactivated smartphone can still use Wi-Fi and, thus, Internet without an ISP. Interesting! Thus, surely, data should not be deducted from an activated phone with data plan.

2. Clueless re specific phone support on their networks. Prior to buying the Samsung described in 1. above, I looked at a LG Classic Flip phone advertised at Best Buy and another one at Walmart. I needed to replace a 3G phone due to discontinuance of 3G by AT&T. I thought I'd call TRACFONE to determine whether they supported VoLTE (extension of 4G LTE which IS REQUIRED)-- note, just having 4G LTE does NOT mean 4G VoLTE. They could not tell me (3 different people) despite being at Tracfone sold by the two retailers. As it turned out, today they have the LG Classis Flip L125DL phone on the Tracfone website on sale! Had I ignored them when researching, I'd have my emergency phone to replace the 3G LG. It DOES support VoLTE. It isn't a smartphone and doesn't have Wi-Fi; but, we didn't need that on this emergency phone. The Samsung Galaxy reconditioned phone above was even more inexpensive and I bit at that. So, I gained Internet over Cellular Network with the Samsung. Guess I live with it not being able to use Wi-Fi Calling. byw: Wi-Fi Calling is a + when you are in an area where Cellular Network is not available or too weak. We lived in such an area for 10 years. Had satellite Internet hookup, so had Wi-Fi. A mobile with Wi-Fi Calling would work there allowing us to use calling functions up on the mountain where no Cellular was available AND the mobile network when in an available area.

3. Customer Service: I'd give TRACFONE service a 3 out of 10 based on the issues I had. The wait times were astronomical to get to 1st level, I was disconnected 30% of the time meaning call back and experience the wait queue again. Like other service today, they follow a script -- you know the drill: is it plugged in? Did you try 3 different browsers? Reboot it and try again, or experience issue again. Every call lasted a minimum of at least 30-40 minutes up to 2 hours before you get to a real technician. I give the higher tech level reps a 9. However, phone connection quality plagued me several times -- breaking up or echoing my conversations back to me. And, the accents were impossible to understand, particularly for me who has hearing problems where higher voice frequencies present an exponential problem and 95% of the 1st line seems to be a female -- good at script and responses, but impossible to understand the first 4-5 times. Even my wife couldn't understand them. Did I get accurate answers? Most of the time NOT. After weeks and many calls they finally agreed with issues and the answer was send back for refund or just sorry you are having this issue. Frustrating!