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Thoroughly unimpressed.
Apr. 2nd, 2014 08:47 amI'm finally looking at getting a phone again. I don't like phones, don't use them much, I like the idea in general that if I have to get one, I can get a pay-as-you-go without having to pay for a lot of minutes I won't use, and especially one that doesn't offer a phone for less than $200. I am a dinosaur ... I need a full-sized QWERTY keyboard with some tactile feedback resemblance to a mechanical click.
Anyhoo, I was checking out tracphone. I don't like SMS, but there have been a few minor cases when a web service I use insists on sending an SMS confirmation of some garbage, but tracphone's FAQ listed specific rates for specific phones that didn't cover every phone they offered (and, worse, the "Rates" they listed were very unclear as to what sort of unit they were describing -- just "0.3 to send, 0.3 to receive" for certain phones, different 'rates' for other phones, did not say whether that meand $0.30, or 0.3 minutes from the phone plan per message, etc.)
And then I saw a 'live chat' and so I gave it a try. This was the 'conversation,' a full copy + paste:
===
Connect with Live Chat
Chat History
Sarah has entered the session.
Howard: In the FAQ, under Features and "How much does the text messaging feature cost?", the LG 236C phone (which is one of the phones offered) isn't listed. Is the "Rate" the same for 236C the other LG phones listed, and does the "rate" describe minutes from the phone plan minutes, or dollars extra (so 0.3 = 30 cents per text?)?
Sarah: Hello, Howard. Thank you for visiting TracFone Wireless.
Howard: Hello
Sarah: One moment please...
Howard: Okay, thank you in advance for researching my question.
Sarah: You are welcome.
Sarah: Please allow me a moment as I some information here in my end.
Sarah: I would like to inform you that the cost of one text on the phone is one minutes per unit.
Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.
Howard: I am still here
Sarah: Okay.
Howard: So the cost rate of "0.3" would be from the phone plan minutes? And does the LG 236 get the 0.3 rate per text sent or received as the other LG phones, even though it isn't listed on the FAQ?
Sarah: One moment please...
Sarah: The rate per text on the phone 0.3 works only for the phone that are provided on the FAQ's.
Howard: The Tracphone store lists an LG 236C as a phone I can buy, but it isn't listed with a rate in the FAQ. What is the rate for sending or receiving texts with the LG 236C?
Sarah: The rate of one text message on the LG phone you provided is one minute per text.
Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.
Howard: I am still here.
Sarah: Alright.
Sarah: If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact one of our customer care representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST. Thank you for chatting with TracFone Wireless.
Sarah has exited the session.
===
Unfortunately the copy + paste doesn't show the timestamps. Her 'Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.' seemed to be an automatic stamp, a bit rude considering they were sent after she asked me to wait, or I was waiting for her response to one of my questions ... and before I could ask for further clarification, she suddenly pasted that last blurb and immediately exited the chat.
Grrr. GRRRR. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I will probably still go with tracphone, but I see customer service among wireless carriers has not improved one bit. Its really sad to see it includes basic questions from a prospective customers. :/ I don't like sales people, but curt ones whom expect me to wait on them much longer than they'll wait on my questions when I have them I like even less.
Anyhoo, I was checking out tracphone. I don't like SMS, but there have been a few minor cases when a web service I use insists on sending an SMS confirmation of some garbage, but tracphone's FAQ listed specific rates for specific phones that didn't cover every phone they offered (and, worse, the "Rates" they listed were very unclear as to what sort of unit they were describing -- just "0.3 to send, 0.3 to receive" for certain phones, different 'rates' for other phones, did not say whether that meand $0.30, or 0.3 minutes from the phone plan per message, etc.)
And then I saw a 'live chat' and so I gave it a try. This was the 'conversation,' a full copy + paste:
===
Connect with Live Chat
Chat History
Sarah has entered the session.
Howard: In the FAQ, under Features and "How much does the text messaging feature cost?", the LG 236C phone (which is one of the phones offered) isn't listed. Is the "Rate" the same for 236C the other LG phones listed, and does the "rate" describe minutes from the phone plan minutes, or dollars extra (so 0.3 = 30 cents per text?)?
Sarah: Hello, Howard. Thank you for visiting TracFone Wireless.
Howard: Hello
Sarah: One moment please...
Howard: Okay, thank you in advance for researching my question.
Sarah: You are welcome.
Sarah: Please allow me a moment as I some information here in my end.
Sarah: I would like to inform you that the cost of one text on the phone is one minutes per unit.
Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.
Howard: I am still here
Sarah: Okay.
Howard: So the cost rate of "0.3" would be from the phone plan minutes? And does the LG 236 get the 0.3 rate per text sent or received as the other LG phones, even though it isn't listed on the FAQ?
Sarah: One moment please...
Sarah: The rate per text on the phone 0.3 works only for the phone that are provided on the FAQ's.
Howard: The Tracphone store lists an LG 236C as a phone I can buy, but it isn't listed with a rate in the FAQ. What is the rate for sending or receiving texts with the LG 236C?
Sarah: The rate of one text message on the LG phone you provided is one minute per text.
Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.
Howard: I am still here.
Sarah: Alright.
Sarah: If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact one of our customer care representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST. Thank you for chatting with TracFone Wireless.
Sarah has exited the session.
===
Unfortunately the copy + paste doesn't show the timestamps. Her 'Sarah: Are you still there? If I do not get a response from you within one minute, I will end this chat session.' seemed to be an automatic stamp, a bit rude considering they were sent after she asked me to wait, or I was waiting for her response to one of my questions ... and before I could ask for further clarification, she suddenly pasted that last blurb and immediately exited the chat.
Grrr. GRRRR. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I will probably still go with tracphone, but I see customer service among wireless carriers has not improved one bit. Its really sad to see it includes basic questions from a prospective customers. :/ I don't like sales people, but curt ones whom expect me to wait on them much longer than they'll wait on my questions when I have them I like even less.
