Experience with Total Wireless (div. of TracFone)

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mrsilv04

mrsilv04

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TracFone has a division called Total Wireless, through Wal-Mart.

Supposedly runs the Verizon network (that's the part that I'm concerned about, if that is true). Unlimited text and calling, and 5GB of data (@ 4G) for $35/month.

Anyone have any experience with Total Wireless?
 
I used page plus which is under the same company and on Verizon, my phone was cheap 3G, but the call quality and reception was lousy in my apt, other places it was better. Bill paying and auto-pay worked fine, customer service was overseas and hard to hear but was functional.

I just switched to cricket at $30/mo and got a decent 4g phone for less than free after rebate. Reception and call quality is much improved.

Google verizon mvno for more info, howardforum is a decent resource for phone stuff.
 
In short: I tried switching to Total Wireless last week, was unsuccessful, and I am out $10 for their SIM-card pack (non-returnable). The following day I was switched over to Cricket Wireless with absolutely no issues.

Long version: I spotted Total Wireless when shopping at Walmart and took a look at the Bring Your Own Phone SIM-card pack. They had a number to text to see if my phone was compatible. I texted the number, responded to the prompts, put in my IMEI number and got a "Great news! Your phone is compatible with our service." message. I bought the SIM-card pack and went home to port my number over and whatnot.

The pack had me go to Total Wireless website, and put in my MEID number and got a message stating that my phone was not compatible with their network. I contacted the customer support number, got a human on the phone within 30 seconds which was nice, but then things went downhill from there. The Indian fellow was extremely rude with me, he asked for my IMEI number to which I responded with it. He got very angry with me claiming "Sir! You are only giving me 15 digits! An IMEI number is much longer than 15 digits!" I repeated the IMEI number as requested and was scolded by the man on the phone again for only giving him 15 digits (All IMEI numbers are 15 digits.) I asked him if he was typing it into the right field. To which he said "Oh, no I wasn't" but I received no apology. After he put it into the right field he told me that my iPhone wasn't compatible with their network. I asked why, and he made up some [censored] story about how the iPhone isn't compatible with the Verizon network (which was [censored] because I was on it for two years).

I asked to speak to a manager and got one within a minute. He was much nicer and had me go through the same steps, IMEI-number, ZIP, ect. And he said that the system was coming back saying that I was still under contract with Verizon. When I informed him that I was never under contract with Verizon as I had purchased the phone outright, he said that I may have to switch to another company and then over to Total. He gave me a case number and a direct line to the second tier tech support.

After I hung up I went to Cricket's website, spent 2-3 minutes checking compatibility, selecting a plan (8GB/month for $45), and checking out. I got the Cricket SIM-card pack the following day (free next business day shipping), activation was literally one click of a link in confirmation email, the number port happened instantaneously, and once I put in the SIM-card and restarted the phone I was up and running without issue. It was seriously the easiest transfer of service that I have ever experienced. Cricket has their process down-pat, Total Wireless...not so much.
 
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How about ATT/Cricket?

Cricket Wireless does not run through ATT, Cricket Wireless IS ATT. So your getting prime ATT service.

$35.00 a month INCLUDES ALL TAXES.
NEVER a FEE, Never a surcharge, NEVER any extra change no matter what you do.
Unlimited text, data and voice. Did I say never an extra charge enough? *LOL*

If you do it online, they also thrown in free activation and free shipping to your house. It cant be any more easy and brainless.

Here is the cool part, if you have family members with cell phones, the more lines you add, the CHEAPER each line gets! Soooo, for example, you can have 5 lines, $100 a month as outlines above,
TOTAL PAYMENT. True the first 2.5 gigs of each line are 4 g then slower after that but 90% of people would never know the difference, if even that much.

On top of that, there is NO CONTRACT! *L* Its brainless! You no like!??!? Cancel.

(oops, now that I took the time to read the other posts, I see everyone has had the same great experience our family did with Cricket)
 
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Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
TracFone has a division called Total Wireless, through Wal-Mart.

Supposedly runs the Verizon network..


I would think it would depend on the phone, if it runs off Verizon or AT&T/etc. That is a great price though. I just set my daughter up with a iPhone 5s with Straight Talk. It's $45/mo though, for unlimited talk/text and 500gb of data.
 
We have to get away from AT&T due to service issues. That's who she has now, and there are places in her new apartment where she has dead spots.

Originally Posted By: alarmguy
How about ATT/Cricket?

Cricket Wireless does not run through ATT, Cricket Wireless IS ATT. So your getting prime ATT service.
 
We will be using a Total Wireless phone to use for service. Hopefully, that'll avoid an issue like this.

Ended up with a $79.88 LG Treasure 4G phone (same as LG K7) for only $19.88 over Black Friday weekend at Wal-Mart.

I plan on switching over to Total when my Verizon contract ends in February 2017. I've already checked my phone at the Total Wireless website, and they say it's good (Motorola Droid Turbo).

Originally Posted By: IveBeenRued
In short: I tried switching to Total Wireless last week, was unsuccessful, and I am out $10 for their SIM-card pack (non-returnable). The following day I was switched over to Cricket Wireless with absolutely no issues..
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
It's $45/mo though, for unlimited talk/text and 500gb of data.

you mean 500 mb?
Thats pretty expensive. That's like $25 on Consumer Cellular.
 
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Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: JTK
It's $45/mo though, for unlimited talk/text and 500gb of data.

you mean 500 mb?
Thats pretty expensive. That's like $30 on Consumer Cellular.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
TracFone has a division called Total Wireless, through Wal-Mart.

Supposedly runs the Verizon network..


I would think it would depend on the phone, if it runs off Verizon or AT&T/etc. That is a great price though. I just set my daughter up with a iPhone 5s with Straight Talk. It's $45/mo though, for unlimited talk/text and 500gb of data.


It's 500 MB of data which is 5 GB not 500 GB.
Straight Talk Plans, click here

You get the same with ATT owned Cricket service and Cricket includes all taxes, fees, shipping and activation in those prices, so what you see it what you actually pay unlike the others. Plus the more lines you add the cheaper per line it gets which is REALLY cool for families or more then one phone.
Cricket Plans click here
 
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Originally Posted By: JTK
^^ Whoops. Got my gigawitz mixed up. Thanks. Yes, it's 5GB data.


Yes! I know, easy to do! MB, GB/, Mbs, now terabits, stuff thrown out there at us all the time and the companies always will because the more the public buys, the more money they make and chances are most but not all pay for stuff they never use.
 
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
Originally Posted By: JTK
^^ Whoops. Got my gigawitz mixed up. Thanks. Yes, it's 5GB data.


Yes! I know, easy to do! MB, GB/, Mbs, now terabits, stuff thrown out there at us all the time and the companies always will because the more the public buys, the more money they make and chances are most but not all pay for stuff they never use.

Originally Posted By: alarmguy

It's 500 MB of data which is 5 GB not 500 GB.


500MB is .5GB.. so its 5000MB=5GB
smile.gif

on LTE
Total throttles to 5Mbit and is verizon towers
Cricket throttles to 8Mbit and AT&T Towers.
 
Does anyone know how much it costs (if anything) to port a number to Total Wireless or to Cricket?

BTW, when checking compatibility on Total Wireless website, it told me my device is not compatible (Nexus 5X). Sigh...
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Does anyone know how much it costs (if anything) to port a number to Total Wireless or to Cricket?

BTW, when checking compatibility on Total Wireless website, it told me my device is not compatible (Nexus 5X). Sigh...



It cost nothing to port a number to Cricketwireless.com, in fact, when you port a number to Cricket they give you the phone cheaper then when you dont port as part as a promotion in many cases! On top of that, when you port, the phone is shipped to you, you open the box, take out a piece of paper, turn on your computer, enter your code on the paper and the number gets ported to your new phone in about 60 seconds. Its amazing.

Like I said many times, Cricket = no activation fees, no taxes (except on phone purchase), no shipping charges and the per month fee includes ALL costs, never an overage, unlimited everything, owned by ATT, no catch, no games, no taxes, no fees.

BTW, they have a special right now on the IDOL 3. Wow, what a great phone, like it so much and my adult daughter liked it so much when she saw in on Thanksgiving, we jsut ordered another one yesterday.

Again, some might find it hard to believe because for some reason, some people have been conditioned to think if something is priced right they think if they pay 500% more they get a better product.
THe IDOL 3 is a great phone and actually has a FANTASTIC JBL sound system that is AMAZING for a phone, surpasses ANY phone at any price, including SUPER battery life.
Just google reviews on it.
 
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