Information Regarding TracFones

Hi.

I've been trying to start a TracFone for the past few days and it seems
to be hopeless. It shows a phone number now, but all I get is a voice
mail message when I call it from a pay phone.

Also, the help line seems to always have a busy signal. Does the
company have an email address?

Has anyone any advice to offer at this stage?

Thanks.

<kevin.kirby@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1154466436.039494.88590@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
> Hi.
>
> I've been trying to start a TracFone for the past few days and it seems
> to be hopeless. It shows a phone number now, but all I get is a voice
> mail message when I call it from a pay phone.
>
> Also, the help line seems to always have a busy signal. Does the
> company have an email address?
>
> Has anyone any advice to offer at this stage?
>
> Thanks.
>
This is NORMAL for Tracfone. Piss-Poor Customer service, impossible to get
the acount set up and you have little clue as to which system they place you
on, unless you know the types of handsets they are offering.

Tracfone sucks!

<kevin.kirby@gmail.com> wrote in message ...
>
> I've been trying to start a TracFone for the past few
> days and it seems to be hopeless. It shows a
> phone number now, but all I get is a voice
> mail message when I call it from a pay phone.
>
> Also, the help line seems to always have a busy
> signal. Does the company have an email address?
>
> Has anyone any advice to offer at this stage?
>
> Thanks.
>

JoshIII responds:
Activation of a TracFone is usually
the most problematic part of owning a TracFone.

Unfortunately, it comes at the precise time the
user is the least familiar with the TracFone system
and the particular model of the phone they have chosen.

Its called "being under the learning curve" or
"baptism by fire". Either term applies.

You are going to have to call the TracFone
1-800-867-7183 and choose "experiencing
problems with TracFone" option on the
toll-free menu. Talking to a customer service
representative will be required to resolve this issue.

I've owned and setup several TracFones over the
past 5 years. TracFone customer service
can help you with over 90% of all the technical
problems you will ever have with your
TracFone.

They will have you type in some additional codes
into your TracFone to enable it to communicate
correctly with the carrier you will be using.

Sometimes the phone itself is defective, and will
never work right. It will just take a few days
to a couple weeks to determine if your phone is
working properly in all circumstances, local calling and roaming, etc.

Activation is sometimes challenging even to seasoned
TracFone users like myself. My very first TracFone
was defective, could not be programmed, and
had to be exchanged.

Consider activation / setup a challenge and a
learning process, but most of all, be patient!

Good Luck!

JoshIII
2AUG06, < josh3i at hotmail . com >
http://pasofinosc.tripod.com
Prepaid advice? Activating a TracFone soon?
Get an email referral from any TracFone user
before you activate and you'll both receive
120 free airtime minutes! Check my website
before deciding on TracFone.

>
> JoshIII responds:
> Activation of a TracFone is usually
> the most problematic part of owning a TracFone.
>
> Unfortunately, it comes at the precise time the
> user is the least familiar with the TracFone system
> and the particular model of the phone they have chosen.
>
> Its called "being under the learning curve" or
> "baptism by fire". Either term applies.
>
> You are going to have to call the TracFone
> 1-800-867-7183 and choose "experiencing
> problems with TracFone" option on the
> toll-free menu. Talking to a customer service
> representative will be required to resolve this issue.
>
> I've owned and setup several TracFones over the
> past 5 years. TracFone customer service
> can help you with over 90% of all the technical
> problems you will ever have with your
> TracFone.
>
> They will have you type in some additional codes
> into your TracFone to enable it to communicate
> correctly with the carrier you will be using.
>
> Sometimes the phone itself is defective, and will
> never work right. It will just take a few days
> to a couple weeks to determine if your phone is
> working properly in all circumstances, local calling and roaming, etc.
>
> Activation is sometimes challenging even to seasoned
> TracFone users like myself. My very first TracFone
> was defective, could not be programmed, and
> had to be exchanged.
>
> Consider activation / setup a challenge and a
> learning process, but most of all, be patient!
>


Thanks for the reply. All's well now -- it only required a second
restart to get a welcome message.

Their help line seems to be constantly busy. Maybe a larger bank of
phones is necessary there.

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 01:12:15 -0400, "JoshIII"
<josh3iREMOVE@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Activation is sometimes challenging even to seasoned
>TracFone users like myself. My very first TracFone
>was defective, could not be programmed, and
>had to be exchanged.
>
>Consider activation / setup a challenge and a
>learning process, but most of all, be patient!

The most challenging part for me when I've activated is understanding
what they're saying. After I've said huh a few times to make sure I've
got what they said right, then it went pretty good.

On 1 Aug 2006 14:07:16 -0700, kevin.kirby@gmail.com wrote:

>Hi.
>
>I've been trying to start a TracFone for the past few days and it seems
>to be hopeless. It shows a phone number now, but all I get is a voice
>mail message when I call it from a pay phone.
>
>Also, the help line seems to always have a busy signal. Does the
>company have an email address?
>
>Has anyone any advice to offer at this stage?
>
>Thanks.

I agree with the help system being inadequate. Even when I get a
live person, I can NOT understand hardly any of their conversation.

I have them spell everything and hear half of that.

And don't tell them to speak english - big mistake. They tell you
off and then hang up and you have to start over.

So, I went ahead and bought an annual card so I don't have to deal
with them but once a year at most.

Obviously I love the phone and coverage and it is priced right.

Now, my tracfone cell phone service totals $120 a year instead of $40
yr and includes all the minutes I need. Just less trouble with an
annual card.