Consumer CellularReviews 242

I wasn't happy with consumer Cellular but I think I was lured by their ads. I switched to another carrier and now save $30 per month for same service.

Planning to travel to Europe, I called CC to unlock my phone so I could get a SIM card in Europe and was informed that since I didn't buy my phone from them that they could not unlock it. I bought it online from Apple directly and they informed me that they neither lock nor unlock phones. Accordingly, CC said that they would not unlock it unless I produced a receipt (the phone was 3-4 years old--no receipt). So I was stuck, presumably, with CC for the rest of my life. So I purchased their "international plan" as it was only a few days until my flight. It cost me over $150 on their plan. I promptly changed carriers on my return. Incidentally, most of the phone carriers I spoke to do not lock phones if there is no outstanding debt for the phone.

I have been a customer of CC for about 25 years. During that time whenever a call to customer service was needed I was treated with courtesy and kindness. It's a treat to speak to a rep in this country as well. That is not intended as a racial put down but as the fact that at times
it is difficult to converse with others in a far off country. You can't go wrong by going with Consumer Cellular.

Not long ago, I was informed that the SIM card in my phone was nearing the end of its useful life. I ordered a replacement, and when I got it, the paperwork included the url of a page with instructions for replacing the thing. When I typed in the url, I got "Page not fourn". So I called customer service, and initially spoke with soemone who knew nothing, so I asked to speak to his supervisor. I was connected with the supervisor, and I quickly discovered that he knew no more about replacing the SIM card. After promising that I would switch to another service and hanging up. I searched online for information about it, and I found a page with a video that told me exactly what I needed to know. Then I just had to contact Consimer cellular for reactivation, which they managed tp do. In addition to incompetence, there is a culture of paranoia; that si ubreasonable fear. They require several layers of protection, even though they have not been hacked, and I have never been hacked. For most people Consumer Cellular is a bad idea. I don't know where I will try, but there are several simple cellular services.

I called today to look into what getting this service entails. Just a heads up, they want full payment for phones upfront if you have less than perfect credit. Even though I have never had my phone shut off and paid my $110 bill dutifully for years, they wouldn't allow me to finance a $23/mo phone. Something tells me it's for the best.

Ted Danson i can't believe you put your name behind this company. They totally misrepresented them selves. They told me my phone was compatible with their service and I would have great phone service at my house. Both very untrue. No one could make a phone call to me and I couldn't make a phone call. In my business I rely on my phone heavily. They cost me a lot of money. Customer service was even horrible. Don't trust them. Going back to Verizon. Shame on you Ted.

You can't get help on wknds the service slows down to a crawl can't make or receive calls this is really frustrating

All of the bad reviews must be from the competitors of Consumer Cellular in order to make them look bad. My wife and I have used Consumer Cellular for over a year now, and we have had nothing but excellent customer service. The actual cell phone usage experience is also great. Unlike the major cell phone service providers, when you call Consumer Cellular you actually get a real live human being on the line within just a few minutes, instead of an endless automation system that runs you in circles. That human being also knows the answers to your questions, and how to actually troubleshoot problems. I am a retired IT Professional of over 25 years, and trust me, I know when someone is reading a script or BSing their way through a service call. You get none of that with the Consumer Cellular Customer Service Representatives. They are all very knowledgeable and friendly. Consumer Cellular's SIM cards connect to the AT&T and T-Mobil networks, so you will always have the great network coverage provided by the larger cellphone service providers at half the cost of the big companies. If you want great cell phone service, and fast, friendly, and knowledgeable customer service, then look no further than Consumer Cellular. You will not be disappointed.

Service is out of Walmart and if you are lucky to get there when a tech comes to visit.no brick ans mortar store
So you take your chances.also my new phone wouldn't take a charge so i couldnt call to get help.was told a rep would be there at a specific time but no,go to lunch and come back later.will never buy anything from now on that just rents out temporary space from another store.

I've had this phone for 8 months, and I've already had 3 major interruptions. Chat line and phone service is terrible. I really need to switch!

Consumer Cellular advertises much information which is not accurate l found them to be untruthful on their billing.

Received phone went to activate switched everything to new phone including number. Wouldnt work 3 hrs on phone no good. Told to go to target and get sim went home to activate sent email to me with link and says sent text to phone well the phone doesnt work so how in hell do i get it. Several more hours on phone guy tells me shut off phone for 15 minutes its all set. 15 minutes later still no good consumer cellular now closed Next day several hours again get a person on the phone and she said target sims are not good. She offered to send new sim 2 days later still no sim. This is the worse customer service stay away I have no access to phone service since everything was switched

I used Consumer Cellular for six years but found a cheaper plan with the same coverages. I decided to keep my old phone number. Consumer Cellular sent an email, stating that my account is overdue. What a joke. It is not due until July 14th. Also, the app says that this is my final invoice while the website states that my final invoice is being prepared. How consistent! Today I received an email from my bank that my carrier disconnected my phone number. So, thanks to Consumer Cellular I don't have online access to my online bank account, which was connected to my phone number, and have to wait until tomorrow to get access reinstated. Consumer Cellular knew that I had kept my old phone number. Thank you guys, you have a wonderful way of rewarding customer loyalty. Well, I will not be back. By the way, your fee of $5 for not having auto pay also stinks.

My Mom has this carrier, because it's cheap, she's a boomer, and Consumer Cellular markets to these boomers because they prey on the technologically challenged. Ripping them off with $#*!ty tech, crappy phones and customer service that doesn't know it's $#*! from a hole in the ground! The problem is they market and sell this crap so well that you'll need a cult deprogrammer to get your parent away from the cult. The targeted boomer sees Ted Danson advertising this crap as the greatest thing since $#*!ing sliced bread and it's all over but the shouting! For the love of the Lord, if you have a loved looking at this carrier get them away from it as fast as possible!

They sent me a new sim card. Called for help. Lost all voicemails due to incompetent help. No help from them!

After cancelling service in feb, 2023, imagine my surprise i was still being charged from auto pay,,,the supervisor said i still will be charged for another month after finally a cancel today. I had change banks and cards so they will not take from me again...said i was allocated the service even after telling him the phone quit working or charging in feb. And i owe them for services allocated...what a way to treat a 70 year old burn survivor..

This company is insane.

I signed up for service but didn't activate immediately. When I went to activate they told me I was no longer eligible for auto-pay, even though they had just taken a payment less than an hour before. I hadn't changed anything so I was a bit bewildered. There was a little more to it but I saw the red flags and decided not to use their service.

I had received a phone from them and they wouldn't take it back, but they set me up on a payment plan. The first of four payments was due in June. I paid it on time. But they continue to send nasty grams telling me I'm seriously delinquent when I'm not at all. I call them to tell them I have a payment plan, in fact, when I called to make the payment the woman said she found the payment plan and accepted my payment. But now they're telling me that they don't do payment plans for people who don't use their service. Um, well, they did. They set it up AFTER I cancelled and she just found it.

But the worst part is that I tried to set up my service with another carrier but the phone is locked. Consumer Cellular won't let me use the phone, even if I pay it in full unless I have service with them for 180 days. I pay for the phone in full but I can't use it. Their response is that "it's all in the contract". That may be true but it's nuts. At no point did they tell me I wouldn't be able to use the phone.

Right now, my old phone won't charge so I'm stuck without cell phone service.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE STAYS AWAY FROM THIS BUSINESS. THEY'RE UNETHICAL SLUGS - AT BEST.

I had several phones on consumer cellular, and I have to say that within the first year I removed 3 lines and held 1 line as an emergency backup. In the one year I had the backup phone it rarely had service. We canceled the line paid off the amount owed and then 3 months later received a bill for $23.30. When I called consumers cellular, they acknowledged that in the 9 months I had no charges on my phone --because the service coverage is horrible in my area. Consumer Cellular is also the worst company if you need to make overseas calls to family it is difficult and practically non existent. Buyers beware, yes, it is relatively inexpensive, but their service is by far the worst service you can possibly have -- this is the perfect example of you get what you pay for. Pay a little more and then you can be sure to get the service you need, especially when an emergency arises.
Finally, when I asked Consumer Cellular to credit to $23.30, they refused -- to just give you a firsthand example of what their customer service is like. Buyer BEWARE before switching to Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular customer service has really taken a big fall from when I first started with them 2 ½ years ago. Their customer service people were so helpful, especially with someone like me where the tech "stuff" can be all Greek.
I had some mystery data charges on my bill from numbers that my phone had no record of. In the process to clear this up, I had to make a few calls where one tech said my service had been hacked. Another just did not get it at all and had to keep putting me on hold to talk to another tech. Another one who seemed to be helpful until other issues came up on my phone, after following her instructions, and she got frustrated with not being able to correct them, so she hung up. My phone was never right after that.
So I went ahead and ordered a new phone with the assurance that I would have help transferring my data from old phone to new phone. In the effort to get that help I went through calls where the connection was bad, the customer service was down and a couple where our conversation was interrupted by my echo (I think that is from their techs who work out of their home), and even one tech who was just plain rude.
After that I gave up and spent most of my day doing google searches to finally get my new phone working and transferring most of my data from my old phone.
One of the biggest selling points for Consumer Cellular use to be their customer service. Not any more.