Consumer Cellular - Savings at a Cost

[jrculler18]

I am new to AARP but feel I need to make this post today as a warning to those that believe the hype around the apparent endorsement of AARP for the Consumer Cellular phone service.

Recently signed up for Consumer Cellular and addionally AARP for the apparent savings for my wife and myself on phone service. Here is what I have encountered over the last 3 days of trying vainly to get connected:

My experience has proved so far, that "Consumer Cellular" stands for CONSUMER of my valuable time waiting to get connected to CELLULAR service that is still non-existent!

We received our SIM cards 3 days ago for our new unlocked phones (purchased directly from the maker, to allow for the flexibility to move to whatever provider we wanted.) Since then I have made multiple calls to CC to get the SIMs activated with our old numbers intact. I have tried waiting on hold for over an hour with no response; waiting for an automated call-back (which is supposed to maintain my place in the queue) for 2 days; and scheduling a call-back for 9:00 AM this morning that never materialized; all to no avail. Somehow after waiting over 2 hours after the "scheduled" call, I was able to reach someone trying one of three different numbers all seemingly linked to the same system. I spent an hour with that person who was unable to port our numbers over from our previous provider and had me contacting that provider on another line for assistance, still without success.

Finally, the CC agent turned my call over to a supervisor who told me the problem was the way in which the original agent had tried to do the port. The supervisor was able to fairly quickly unlink us from our old provider, but since I was calling on one of the cellular lines that was being ported over and had the former provider on our home line, I was going to need to hang up from both and have her call on the home line to assist with the activation of the SIM s in the new phone. She promised a call within 5 minutes. That was 5+ HOURS ago!!!!!

I am still waiting for the supervisor's call and/or both a scheduled and queued call back.

In essence, what CC has been able to do for me in 3 days time is to leave me and my wife without any cellular service and little hope of getting it in the near future.

We, of course will be voting with our feet (and our unlocked phones) but PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE THAT WE DID. I am disappointed with AARP for their connection to Consumer Cellular and will be closely scrutinizing my membership here as a source of REAL Value too.

[IvoryH359181]

Interesting! Thanks

[ms1877]

I am thinking that you are among that unlucky few that get poor service from Consumer Cellular. I myself recently came over to them from Verison and had no problem whatsoever with connecting and porting my number. The service is wonderful on my phone and the pricing just can't be beat. I am sorry you had troubles, I have talked to them online and through the pone and neither have had me waiting for very long. Callbacks have been when they say it would happen. 

Like I said, you are among the unlucky few, or you are a plant from another company trying to mess with current CC users heads. 

[munch88k]

I was just about to urge my spouse to go with Consumer Cellular even though I cancelled the order for 2 sets of phone twice last fall, 2017. I am not happy with my current program through Virgin, but I will likely seek out a different alternative when the time comes. I would not recommend working through Best Buy either. Their young people got mean when I refused to come to their store every month to pay a monthly fee to continue phone service. Instead, I arranged to pay my bill via auto payment from my home. Imagine wanting to drive 14 or so miles round trip every month to renew the service. Illinois winter weather is no joke. Nor would I feel safe being left without phone service should the renewal not be completed in a timely manner. I have heard there is supposed to be some kind of training offered in local communities to learn how to best use a phone. I have not found any of those links yet. Nor have I found out how to get data regarding local community 'things to do'. Those suggestions all turn out to focus on the city of Chicago. I cannot afford to drive to that city (then pay sky high parking fees) nor can I easily figure out how to use suburban then Chicago bus and train systems. Even going from one south suburb to another may result in a two hour or more trip due to a lack of reasonable connections. Some service ends early in the evening and does not resume for 10 hours. Becoming stranded is a nightmare.

[ShanaW655175]

I am not happy with CCellular either have had this new phone I bought from them for a month now still can not make a call. I got a new sim card yesterday and call when it would not attivate they said it takes 2-24 hours to do that. Here I am again 24 hours later and still no phone. The first sim card they sent me had no coverage anywhere near me. Now this one will not attivate. AARP should really look into their indorsment of this company.

[karend288571]

I am so glad I went to the AARP website to sign up for Consumer Celluar thru them.  After reading all the complaints I will NOT sign up with CC. So here I sit tonight looking for a new provider.  Thank You all for being honest.  I wish all who made a valid complaint find a better cell provider.

[sjeanne]

I changed from AT&T to Metro PCS.  Got a FREE smartphone with unlimited minutes, data, etc. and pay only $30/per month - period.  No added on taxes, charges, etc.  They use the T-Mobile Network and it all works great.  With AT&T network I would get "emergency calls only" or "no service" and I live in an urban area, but am between towers!  I don't know whose network Consumer Cellular uses, but I am very happy with Metro PCS no matter where I go.

[daviscave]

I was checking Consumer Celluar online and they do have an A+ rating with BBB and are rated number 1 for cellular service with Consumer Reports. I am thinking about switching from Verizon because they (Verizon) are getting so expensive.

[ms1877]

I say "GO FOR IT!". I switched from Verision and could not be happier with the service or the billing. I use Wifi to help keep my usage on my plan low, and as I am mostly home when making calls can go with the least expensive plans. They will even help you pick the best plan that will save you money. And should you need or want a new phone, they have good prices on new phones and will let you buy them overtime with no interest. 

It's a win / win situation all around. I could not say goodby fast enough to Verison when I found out about these guys. 

[jrculler18]

All I can say is that my experience so far belies all the positive reviews they have received and I am deeply disappointed that AARP continues to do business with them. My intent is to contact J.D. Powers; AARP; the BBB and anyone else who has been deceived by their marketing to tell my story. As I explore online comments outside of their own self-promotion, I find that I am far from the only one who has experienced customer support problems with them. So all I can say is Caveat Emptor if you are considering moving to CC.

BTW, I am still waiting for an email reply from their customer service to a request for assistance that I sent nearly 2 weeks ago. I might add that they had no difficulty sending me an invoice for next month, however, from their donotreply address. If this is the kind of service you would give an A+ rating, then by all means take the plunge. 

[DanetteC39712]

Consumer Cellular has the worse customer service ever.  I had a bill of $22. 00 a month which I was happy. my mistake was the upgraded to an iPhone 6.  After I received the phone from Consumer Cellular three weeks later I received a bill of $57.  I didn't understand why did I get a bill so soon and why was it so high.  I called Consumer Cellular, and the representative told me the reason why was because I used up the data.  I explained to the representative that I did not take the sim carded out of my old phone as of yet and put it into the iPhone6 so how could I have a bill for using up the data, however I decided to return the phone soon as possible and I closed account on the same day of Oct 5, 2017.  I received a bill for services I didn't used in the mail.  These people are bullies, ganster and they're ruthless.  I was called a liar by one of the representative who he said I did use the phone on a day the phone was back in their possession. I was harassed by then repeatedly with phone calls and letters the. I  mailed them $52.42 that I didn't owe then, and included $10 late fees. as of today February 6, 2018, I am being harassed for another $10. late fee for which I belive they will add another late fee to this ten dollars.