Went to add mobile hot spot to my account so went to my account web page. Selected adding it. It asked if I wanted it to be effective then (yesterday) or today which is my account renewal date. I selected today. It said $0 was due and I went through a couple screens to confirm. All seemed good. This morning I get a call at work from my wife (using a different phone) that the phone doesn't work. I get on line and see my account has been suspended! And still showing $0 due. I call their customer service thinking this is all a mistake and can be handled quickly. Wait for 15-20 minutes on hold and finally get someone. They explain that it's a prepaid service and take the payment for the next month 2 days before the start of the month and since that didn't include the extra $10 for hot spot that I am now delinquent and also owe a $15 restore fee. I tell them that I never saw any notice of needing to pay when changing the service and don't think I should pay a penalty. They say they can't reverse that charge. So frustrating. My wife is going to the store to deal with it and probably will end up paying the fee. I see on line others have had the same surprise. The easy thing NOW THAT I KNOW is to not make any changes between when the charge our card and the start of the new billing month. Crazy a supposed tech company can't make their system warn about this and guide you to make the needed payment. I did get a text from Cricket this morning but it just said "A change has been made to your account." and gave a link to log in. No indication the account was suspended until I tried to make a call.
Cricket billing system is messed up...
- Thread starter JimS
- Start date
It never ceases to amaze me just how terrible wireless providers are, and I'm not talking about mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) like Cricket, but the big three, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Terrible, terrible, terrible. I have experience with all three, and they are al BAD. You'd think that switching a customer to their service and getting all the things the customer buys to work on this service would be easy, but NO. I've never switched wireless service providers where it didn't take at least 3 days to get it all working, usually requiring multiple visits to the store. Not only are store employees generally clueless (but have hit some good ones) but most things are performed on a phone call to their office even if you are in one of their stores.
It seems like their systems haven't been updated in 30 years, and this from someone who used to work in the telecom industry.
It seems like their systems haven't been updated in 30 years, and this from someone who used to work in the telecom industry.
pete_c
Guru
Here a happy camper with 5 no contract T-Mobile SIM cards purchased over 10 years ago. I am not tethered to any of my mobile phones and have always purchased phone either unlocked or unlocking them. Did work for Illinois Bell during transition to Ameritech way back. Had a bag phone with handset wired to front seats in first S-10 Blazer purchased around 1981-2. Over time in to the 1990's purchased tiny truely portable Panasonic phones (~ $600 or so).
In the 1990's first smart phones (worked for Aerospace) given to me (not purchased) were Palm phones with Internet speeds similar to dial up modems (2G). I did not pay at the time for the service and was given newest stuff to test (domestically and internationally). Went to Cingular and later AT&T SIM cards with unlimited texting, voice and Internet (3G). Well and all of my phones were free at the time. Sometime in the early 2000's AT&T slammed (strike 2) (strike 1 - AT&T charged me for modem use $500 around 2001 - strike 3 was when they purchased DTV) my grandfathered unlimited accounts and then went to T-Mobile which I am using today. (Mobile hardware purchased Palm, Microsoft, Apple and Android). I have only spoken to T-Mobile regarding replacement of SIM cards (well downsizing them) and have never been charged for new replacement SIM cards and not tethered to any one of 5 SIM cards (mostly off).
Today April 14, 2023 it was strike 4 (really should have ended DTV when AT&T purchased them) with AT&T / Satellite.
In the 1990's first smart phones (worked for Aerospace) given to me (not purchased) were Palm phones with Internet speeds similar to dial up modems (2G). I did not pay at the time for the service and was given newest stuff to test (domestically and internationally). Went to Cingular and later AT&T SIM cards with unlimited texting, voice and Internet (3G). Well and all of my phones were free at the time. Sometime in the early 2000's AT&T slammed (strike 2) (strike 1 - AT&T charged me for modem use $500 around 2001 - strike 3 was when they purchased DTV) my grandfathered unlimited accounts and then went to T-Mobile which I am using today. (Mobile hardware purchased Palm, Microsoft, Apple and Android). I have only spoken to T-Mobile regarding replacement of SIM cards (well downsizing them) and have never been charged for new replacement SIM cards and not tethered to any one of 5 SIM cards (mostly off).
Today April 14, 2023 it was strike 4 (really should have ended DTV when AT&T purchased them) with AT&T / Satellite.
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