I have been trying for the last 2 months to obtain service through assurance for 2 clients. This company has failed both times. I have spent countless hrs on the phone and each time lasting about an hr. The reps have no idea whats going on & offer no useful info. At this present moment both clients are still with out phones and 1 clients info had submitted twice because assurance entereted all their info incorrectly.
Dear G.,
If there are other Lifeline Assistance cell phone operators currently providing service in your clients’ state of residence, I would apply to one of those companies for service and withdraw your application from Assurance Wireless.
I have been trying for over a month to get my elderly neighbor a phone through assurance. I faxed the documents they needed and a couple weeks later, they wanted them again. We mailed 3 government assistance documents that should have been more than enough. Finally, she gets a letter saying she did not provide the documents needed. I called them and of course, no one I spoke with spoke English. I kept asking for the supervisor or boss and was eventually given the floor manager (supposedly). They told me that they received nothing at all. I said, “So you are telling me that you did not receive the fax or the mailing?” The foreign man on the phone swore that they did not receive either one. This is not a good thing because that means that all of her personal information is out there somewhere for anyone to access. This elderly lady has no phone and now her personal info is out there floating around in limbo somewhere. I asked him for his name and personal fax number so I could verify that they received them and was going to fax them again. Of course he could not provide me any help at all. What has happened to our customer service here in America? I have never been so disgusted about a company, EVER! I decided to sign her up for Safelink and still in the process of them getting the verification. Are there any companies out there that have English speaking reps and care about the customer? I hope and pray that I do not have to go through this again because I she desperately needs a phone….
I was a safelink wireless customer for 1 year. Everything was good, I was very happy and even recommended a service to my friends. And then I found out that my account was canceled for no reason. That deaf and bad English speaking young girl told me that i forgot to re-certify my service. But, i did re-certified it few weeks in advance. Now I have to start the enrollment process again. And I’m not the only person whose account was canceled for no reason. Many people reporting the same thing
I have been trying to get help for my elderly mother through safelink. She has had this phone many years and the charger input got pushed in and will not charge.I have called safelink for about 3 days now and they keep hanging up even the chat service they tell me one moment please and suddenly disconnect me. I don’t know what to do the government pays these companies good money and yet they will not help the elderly or poor people. What a waste of tax money
It peaked my interest that Safelinks is owned by TracFone. Hmm! Canceled suddenly (and I was recertified in April of 2018 then suddenly canceled and spent over $100 at Tracfone for minutes for basics (elderly and disabled) and to resolve the issue).
I think there is some sort of corruption at Tracfone (who had to pay 40 Million in fines due to fraud).
I eventually got “reinstated” after emailing my documents that I had sent certified mail earlier yet was concerned by the reply “our specialist will get back to you”.
Long story short – I contacted Tracfone – some reps – whom I could barely understand or hadn’t a clue, were useless. But one did resolve it – and my minutes were applied. She said “the current phone number was NOT Attached to this account” – say what? According to my copious records (used to work for law firms NYC) were accurate.
It’s almost a scam – yet I depend on this scam.
(background in many areas including legal and medical research, Minor in NYC Government Scholarship program – where I learned the truth about any government program – ugh)
After spending one week on this issue (dazed and confused, lol) I will use the link someone gave (for what it’s worth) to report them. But more importantly my local city/state legislature and the Federal. The tax payer pays their salaries and they are supposed to represent “the people” not giant corporations.
Takes time but en-masse maybe a better solution.
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Long before I and others (my case SSD due to a building fire) ended up needing this service, we were taxed to pay for Lifeline (your regular phone bill) buried in the statements.
One of America’s fastest-growing wireless carriers is a company you’ve probably never heard of: Tracfone Wireless. It’s the U.S. arm of a telecom empire controlled by the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, and it’s the biggest player in an increasingly lucrative market: subsidized mobile phones for low-income Americans.
The real story behind the phones is more nuanced than the 45-second clip.
The subsidy is from a government-created program called Lifeline, which is paid for by customer fees on most phone bills. The program is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, and has its roots in a universal access initiative that began in 1985, during Ronald Reagan’s administration.
The subsidy became a political flashpoint recently thanks to an incendiary YouTube video featuring a Cleveland resident praising her free “Obama phone.” Hype from the Drudge Report and conservative ringleaders like Rush Limbaugh propelled the video to nearly 5 million
“The wonderful thing about the program is that individuals who no longer qualify for the phone keep the phone,” says Jose Fuentes, Tracfone’s director of government relations. “They can continue to remain Tracfone customers.”
Advocates say the program is an essential safety net: A telephone links people to emergency services, and it’s almost impossible to get a job without a phone number.
“I use it to keep in touch with my family and my friends, and work-related services like business appointments,” says Kathy Jarrett, a Brooklyn, N.Y. resident who has been a Lifeline subscriber for four years. “If I didn’t have a phone I would be a wreck.”
But in the days leading up the election, the booming Lifeline expansion is raising eyebrows. The program paid out $1.6 billion last year, more than twice the $772 million it spent in 2008.
Congressman Tim Griffin, a Republican from Arkansas, blasted it as a “government-run, taxpayer-funded” boondoggle that’s “riddled with instances of abuse.” He introduced a bill that would drop mobile phones from the program.
“That is one of the biggest misconceptions that are out there today, that federal dollars go directly to the Universal Service Fund,” says Tracfone’s Fuentes. “That is completely incorrect.”
Griffin’s retort: “Consumers are forced to pay it, and where I come from, that’s a tax.”
Democrats have also challenged Lifeline’s excesses. Senator Claire McCaskill, from Missouri, drew attention last year to Lifeline’s minimal oversight after receiving a flyer at home inviting her to get a free cell phone. (With an annual Senate salary of $174,000, McCaskill isn’t exactly the target market.)
The FCC implemented anti-fraud measures earlier this year, requiring subscribers to prove their eligibility, canceling service if the phone is not used for 60 days, and preventing individuals from having multiple phones. The agency says it canceled 800,000 duplicate contracts and expects to save $200 million this year.
Lifeline “wreaks havoc” in the competitive market, according to Roger Entner, the founder of Recon Analytics, a wireless industry research and consulting firm. Carriers targeting the prepaid market — one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments — can’t compete with free phones.
But in the end, he thinks the safety net is worth it.
“As a country we want everyone to have communications. Without a phone, you can’t get a job,” Entner says. “I’m sure that Lifeline has literally saved people’s lives.”
I was a customer of Safelink wireless for quite some years. One day I gave my son the phone use so he could reach me after his final exams, so I could pick him up vs having him sit at the school for a extra 3 hours doing gosh knows what! He tried to reach me on the phone but it had been disconnected! Thank goodness someone had let him use there phone to call me to pick him up! Unfortunately when he got home he was very upset with me, but it was working when he took it that morning at 7am!
Long story short, I was told by customer service that they had no idea why the phone had been shut off and service discontinued! I received a letter in the mail from Safelink stating that I had another lifeline service being used and they had decided to discontinue my service because of this issue! HELLO, I HAD ONLY ONE LIFELINE SERVICE AND IT WAS SAFELINK WIRELESS!
After I had received the letter, I called customer service back, they did tell me that it was not i the system and the letter and disconnect had been a mistake on their end! Hmm, wonderful!
I have been trying to get my service back on, and correct the issues sense June of 2015! It is now mid September 2015, and I am still having issues! At least I have had a phone that works for the last 2weeks almost, but unfortunately, no matter how many ticket numbers, open tech tickets, no matter how many times it has been escalated, I STILL, am getting CHARGED FOR EVERY TEXT MESSAGE THAT SHOULD BE FREE! I have had 446.14 minutes taken, that are owed, and were promised I would receive back, and still have not received! Nor has the problem been fixed, no matter how many 24-48 hour tech fixes and promises I have been told and reassurances I have been given!
Now, if only I could get someone that speaks English, not broken English or some English that they have been reading off of or out of the given manifests! And NOT ONE TIME HAVE I BEEN CONNECTED TO A SUPERVISOR OR MANAGER WHEN ASKED, They are ALL too busy, on another call, on break, in a meeting or NoT on the floor! I have a funny feeling there isn’t an actual supervisor on the floor! Or possibly in the building, sense I am getting the feeling that they aren’t even in the United States, but over seas in a call center, after all it is cheaper and it is a govt plan! I am not raseist, I am not a discrinatory person, but I am aggravated as hell at this point!
I now only have 0.25 minutes left, thanks to the mix up, mess up and failures to fix the problem!
I am thinking about switching to assurance wireless, at least it DOES NOT COST MINUTES TO CALL TECH SUPPORT, OR ASSURANCE WIRELESS AT ALL ON THEIR CALLULAR PHONES, WHERE AS YOU DO GETCHARGED THOUGH SAFELINK TO CALL THE ACTUAL DANG SAFELINK NUMBERS!
Please, please, PRETTY PLEASE, fix these damned issues! It’s been months for me to try to resolve the issues from getting my phone back on, a new phone that needed to be replaced after 4new SIM cards had been sent, and now minutes have been taken that should not have been and I a trying to get them back, on top of trying to get the issue resolved so that they ARE NOT TAKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Thank you for all of your time safelink, I know we have spent so many hours on the phone together!
So I will give safelink wireless another week, besides what is another week after months and weeks upon weeks?! And then if it is not resolved soon, I will just switch to assurance! It’s the same plan offers anyways!
Good luck too ALL of the SAFELINK customers, or the ones deciding to join the team… You will all defenataly need it!
I have had assurance problems with english, I can’t get a phone, they tell you to go to walmart which no longer carries them. Very few english speaking. I still don’t have a phone. The one that is free ia junk. I have paid for 2 and can’t get help getting a third.
I have been trying for 3 months. I have approval. I have been sent 3 sim cards. I have bought 2 phones because they said their original phone they sent me was not up to date. About 10 calls of wasted time with foreigners that do not understand Americans. My most recent phone Motorola e 5 plus cost $200 and they told me it is not a 4g let phone. It was made in July 2020. Are these people for real?
I feel like I am in a bad series of the twilight zone. BEWARE dealing with Safelink!
I had no phone for 3 months I moved from VA to NC and paperwork was faxed., I would get letters saying I needed to prove my residence because the person who occupied my apt before me had a phone. I gave up with them and went to Safelink. I have a Virgin Assurance phone now and can’t use it because of their lack of service..
All you have to do is fill out the application for the other service, while still using the other, and after you get approval, you can choose to switch your number to the new service and they will take care of everything else for you, including calling the other company, switching your number and switching your service so you do not have to go without! Good luck!
hi, I”ve been applying with safelink since april and it is now october. I’ve had to reapply 5 times with safelink because they don’t give CaLifeLine my cell phone number from them. I’ve spent 3-8 hours over several days for months now. I had a lot of trouble finding out that that was the problem. Now, Ikeep calling to see if they’ve provided the necessary cell phone number and have considereable trouble with all the reps being obtuse understanding what I am calling about. Theyr’e all very sweet, just can’t give me the assitance I need and also give the wrong information. From you message,I see that Assurance willll be the same problem.
Call Tracfone – they own Safelinks. Ask for Senior management – tell them you are awaiting a call back from your State Representatives. The entire process is a billionaires scam (see my above post on who is behind it all).
I have a problem with assurance when it came to my renewal of my account. I had sent my renewal in three times and did it online and they said they never received my paperwork and they said I would have to reapply and get a whole new number. This was something i didnt need especially when I couldn’t get my calls from my Dr. Office .when i called they didn’t even try to. Look into where my paperwk went and I have a couple of friends that they had the same thing happen to them. I’m ready to try someone new
I had Assurance wireless for 5 years or more. There was one month that I didn’t make any phone calls (I mostly text) so they shut me off. It has been pure hell ever since. They told me I had to reapply hey wouldn’t just turn it back on. So I re applied. 2,3,4,5,weeks go by I here nothing. The website still says “We have received your application.So I apply again. I had to upload a copy of my income. A week or two later I got a letter saying something about me reporting my phone stolen. I never did that. All this time, I kept calling and calling and they were of no help. One lady went as far as telling me I was approved, gave me a new phone number and said I will receive a new phone. That never happened. OK, so it’s been 6 months, and I’ve applied 4 times app status still says pending. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Assurance wireless sucks!!
that’s right, safelink and assurance are both irritatingly familiar to me. Sometimes if I don’t get the info I need I politely say thank you and goodbye and then keep caling them until I get someone who understnds my issue and me to understand when they have choppy accent
I had same issue kept getting denied 6 times finally went through their Facebook talked to them on messenger and within a week had my phone sent them same photos to prove I was eligible. worth a shot
In 2013 I applied to and was enrolled in Safelink Wireless. The phone I received has a timy screen, which is very difficult for a person with poor vision — such as myself — to read. I called them to switch to a Tracfone I already had. I thought everything was fine until I discovered that my account had bern cancelled at tge end of tge first month. When I called they said I had not made any calls on my phone (the one they sent me). So, I reapplied and was approved. But again the phone I received has a tiny screen. Each month for the past three months I have had to go through the same process of changing my account to my Tracfone AND kerping the number of my Tracfone. Each month I’ve bern assured that the change was made. Yet, the following month I don’t get my minutes and have to call again and go through the same process. The last tine was on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014. The next day I received an email saying it was the last day of my service, but giving no reason. Today I received an email saying my service had been discontinued, but — again no reason was given. They want ne to BUY airtine to reactivate my service. Additionally, tgeir representatives all have such heavy Mexican accents they are virtually impossible to understand. I don’t know what to do! Are there no reputable, reliable, American companies out there? I had terrible experience with Virgin Mobile some time ago. And, if Assurance Wireless is asdociated with them, then they sound questionable.
I can’t understand this glowing view of Assurance. My experience has consistently been that Assurance’s customer service representatives are as lame as can be.
I agree with you. I am trying to apply for the service, so far I have faxed my documents twice,
usps mailed my documents twice and have called 3 times. And still can not get an account established.
They cannot help me at all. I cant even find out from them who I can call that would be able to help me. I dont know what else to do other then hand deliver my documents or just apply to Safelink and hope for
better luck.
i not sure about assurance,.. but if you ever need customer service for a tracfone (safelink net 10 straight talk) go to there facebook page and click on submit a ticket and they help u via instant message or emal. usually within ten minutes and they fix what two days worth of calls to the dipshit outsoourced phone custmer service line
im not sure about assurance either, i faxed them twice and mailed them back an application. I dont know what the problem is. I was with safelink and they dumped me like a hot potatoe! I gave them all the information they needed more than once, and still no phone!
Dear Susan,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Assurance Wireless and Safelink Wireless. Have you tried completing the Assurance Wireless application online? Given that the cell phone and service is free, I would keep trying until I received the free phone.
If I had seen this website before I enrolled in Assurance, I would have thought twice. But since I didn’t, I have to say my experience was a good one. The only issue I had was they said somebody in my household already had a lifeline phone. Say what? The only person that may have had one, moved out 2 years prior. So, all I had to do was write a letter to them, with the names of who had lived in my house, and when they moved out. I got my phone, and service. I even switched my number I had (which i had for years) on my regular Tracfone to the Assurance phone with no problem!
My suggestion for those that get the foreign call centers? Beat them at their own game. Ideally, if you can, find someone locally who can speak their language to talk to them for you! And don’t lose the account number, reference number, password, or what have you, that they give you, or you set up for yourself.
You know what I say? Everyone needs to report both of these companies to the USAC, the FCC and your attorney general’s office. I am helping my son and daughter do that. They were treated so horribly by Safelink that they ended up cancelling their accounts. My husband is about to cancel his. Neither of these companies are sympathetic to the needs of disabled people, ie when those disabled people need phones with a larger screen and a full qwerty keypad to make it easier to type text messages. Something needs to change and the only way to get them to change is to bring class action lawsuits on both of them and the only way to do that is for all of us to band together and make enough complaints that we cannot be ignored.
I had been hooked up thru Safelink about 5 years ago. After the 1st year, I got a call on the cell from 1 of their ‘Customer Service Reps,’ who had such a heavy foreign accent, I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Out of mass confusion as to what this woman was asking me, I misunderstood 1 of the questions of their ‘renewal process,’ & all of a sudden, like the parting of the seas, she said to me in very well spoken English that,’ because of the response to the last question I asked you, your service has been terminated, starting immediately.Thank you for your cooperation in our renewal process, GOODBYE.’ i was in absolute shock, as I called back immediately, but couldn’t get an actual person from the company on the phone. Several days later, after repeated phone calls on this matter, I finally got a real person from Safelink on the phone, to verify why my contract had been terminated, in lieu of the ‘renewal process.’ This guy had spoken in broke English also, but I could understand what he was saying. He quoted to me that, basically because of some household income glitch, which was basically a ‘catch 22 snafu’ that the company set up in the renewal process, which was no problem when I had originally answered the questions in the registation application. I have since been a customer with ‘Assurance, with practically no problems (yet).
went thru the application process with assurance was accepted received their free phone which had issues
. struggled along with the defective phone for several months. trying to reach a person that speaks understandable english is nil next to impossible. then upon application renewal i was notified by assurance that my service had been
terminated because i supposedly did not sign my initials regarding whether i was the only person in the household receiving life line . in the past several applications i evidently did not commit this error. when finally i was able to
speak to a representative i was told that i was automatically cut off from their services so to all of you low income people out there be extremely careful when filling out applications of whoever / whatever free cell phone provider you may choose because they are unforgiving. if you make the slightest error in any of your applications you will be denied service
Two things (and a bit more): A “this one vs that one” article where there are only the two top contenders are almost usually always popular and ongoing discussions. Yet, my web search did not expose anything more recent than this one. To be fair, most of my Googles these days yield the same results, nothing recent on many topics of matter. This actually has me baffled but it is possible that there are no other sites of any weight with recenter info. And, I also understand that the research needed just to update a few points takes a bit of time, especially if said info is not even provided on the source sites. One thing I was looking for was how to find out the exact phone models you get with these providers.
Second thing, regarding many of the other comments. We’ve had these internets now for a while, long enough to know that writing negative, anecdotal reviews are of little value to readers. We all have our stories and have learned by now that marginal/poor customer service is pretty much the norm these days. Add to that something that is completely free, and well, you know. And, we are all at least skeptical that the stories are somewhat embellished – that people are going to all this trouble for clients or elderly neighbors. Not unlike people who go to support forums asking for help with hacked softwares. Sorry if I’m wrong, but not really. It is the internet where we can still be all who we can be. The reports that came out where it was discovered that some households have upwards of ten of these phones, well, you know.
Anyway, and above all, the First Amendment still Rules, so I’m just suggesting that a second draft of a negative review may actually, along with other users with similar experiences may help to spot a trend and add value that way. Or, specific issues with specific products. That could help another to troubleshoot or at least know they’re not alone. Even with that however, it’s simply not enough data for anyone to make an informed choice pre-sale.
Now, I know not where such a study has been done, and if so, Google won’t show it to me – but my common sense tells me that most people who are inspired to post any type of a review, is inspired by the negative encounters. What we really need, are comments about good, positive experiences. That would actually be newsworthy as it’s the exception these days. And there should enough of these to make all the fake ones obsolete. I thing we’ve beaten the bots, but I’m talking about web companies that really do pay people to write and post fake content. Yeah, I even say a TV spot for one of these outfits. The spin was to “get your site to the top of the search engines” by creating a “presence” on all the social media sites. So it’s really not that hard to find these blogs and write glowing reports. And bless ‘em all, they finally figured out that the posts seems less fake when they add one or two minor complaints.
The irony is not lost on me, complaining about people complaining.
Thanks to Admin for taking an important but dry topic and making it entertaining. So many blogs keep it dry and even use up at least the first paragraph telling you the reason why you asked the question you asked that got you to that site to begin with. That would have equated here by telling us all the neat things we can do with a phone and list a bunch of reasons why people make phone calls. But back to the updating. This is my first visit to this site, so I have no idea as to the scope and size. For it to show up in my Google, it’s at least a few years old and gots some decent amount of link-backs. Maybe topic updates aren’t considered necessary – even still, I would advise to at least do some, and prioritize just by the usual web stats, what search phrase brought people here, how popular an article was to begin with, all that. And, I’m not telling you anything new I know, but reminders never really hurt. Blogs, especially of the tech-type can drop fast into the blog-o-sphere boneyard. Yeah, I have one or two (small ones though at peak) rattling around in there. But this site has earned one of the precious few spots in my bookmarks. Don’t check the email signups, I’m currently testing a theory and seeing if I can phase out email. Not the function or use-case of email, but the protocol and email client programs themselves. For almost everything we actually rely on email for, I think maybe there’s a better way – especially when I figured out that most people, at most, read only about the first few sentences.
I will sign out now, as I’ve strayed far from phones, especially those that don’t even get email. Keep up the good work!
PS: OK, the spelling errors were intentional but at last minute I decided to declare this when I noticed that when we made “Google” a verb, we shouldn’t have stopped there. I hereby declare that we are allowed – nay – encouraged to use Google and any silly derivative as a noun, adjective, pronoun or any other grammatical element we see fit. Part of my plot to phase out email is to do the same to Google. Not just because they got sucky, but because I saw in a documentary, and while unconfirmed I believe it, that originally, the misspelling of the actual work was not intentional as some historians would have us think. Just a happy coincidence that the name and its spelling has as much to do with their success as the nothing short of brilliant new method and technology of the modern search engine, finally lighting all the roads on the superhighway, actually creating the potential to not just document the complete total of all human knowledge, but making it accessible to everyone. And now I get it. They had to suck it up. We just weren’t – aren’t ready for that. We’re still working on making sure everyone if they need to can call up the first responders. That, and avoiding any possible embarrassment when people 100 years from now, or any possible advanced civilization out there, watching us, ready to make first contact upon detection of our first warp drive signature, notices that we use this conduit to all knowledge for what – take your pick. Maybe that’s why Google is sucky – thet nothing links back to the important stuff. And when it does we can’t even see the importance of what we can hold in our hands – little devices with more computing power than (are they really more powerful than the Apollo 11 computers?) but also let us talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It wasn’t that long ago when Barney, while double-timing Jaunita at the diner and Thelma Lou, first had to talk to Sarah at the switchboard. And, I ain’t no better – I had to Google Thelma Lou. While Barney was trying to google ‘em both, and that plot line wouldn’t have survived a single episode if anyone in Mayberry had their tweet on.
Assurance is connected with Virgin Mobile which uses Sprint. Sprint, in my area, is horrible. I basically have a doorstop for a phone. Little to no reception. Sprint and Virgin Mobile cannot do anything about it.
The worst thing about Safe Link is that if you need more minuted you will be paying prices high enough where you might as well go with a major carrier and pay full price. Assurance, on the other hand, has very affordable add on minute plans. This is a glaring difference that Safelink would rather you not know about. I’m amazed that no one has brought up this point
I have had Assurance 3 months. I have had fairly decent (if heavily accented) customer service. I had one day where my phone kept glitching. They sent me out a new battery quickly however the phone decided to work with the old one so will keep this as a spare. I have an offer from Safelink and it offers 100 more free minutes a month and some other perks through United Health Care. But I will stay with Assurance as Sprint has great covereage in my area and it took some work to keep my old phone number. Don’t want to risk losing it or my whole contact list. I keep a very old T-mobile cell (different number good rollover minutes) as a backup just in case.
Just a blanket reply to all the folks having problems with both Assurance and SafeLink, don’t forget that these are GOVERNMENT plans…I mean, what more do you expect from anything run by the government? (ObamaCare anyone?). It might be a good deal for many that need an inexpensive phone, but don’t expect Verizon type service…it just isn’t going to happen from an inefficient, government run bureaucracy.
I agree that it can be extremely frustrating having to deal with customer service calls of any sort. However; WE ARE NOT OWED ANYTHING IN THIS LIFE BY ANYONE. If we choose not to work, have a job with a low income or for some unfortunate reason have little to no money coming in…this still does not mean that our government owes us the nicest models of phones free of cost…With minutes and texts free of cost. If you think about how many people in the USA receive this benefit, the costs are astronomical. For us to complain is a shame, when we should be grateful that we live in a country and in a time where our government is willing to help us out. And let’s not forget who is eligible: people already being provided with free medical care, food stamps or even free cash every month..or a combination. Put half the effort you spent on your rants about non-english speaking people (this is America after all) into going back to school or finding a better job, or ANY job for that matter, and you just might get somewhere…NOW as for the disabled and elderly…THEY DO DESERVE IT AND SHOULD GET THE HELP THAT IS NEEDED. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED IT. MOST CANNOT WORK AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES. WE SHOULD BE MORE WILLING TO HELP THEM, IF ANYONE.
Totally agree with what you say. Some people think the government owes them everything. Some of these people are fully capable of working, but find ways to not get/keep a job.
To KM and Barb – The Safelinks is just a site that verifies your ability to eligibility. The Government does not pay for the phones – Tracfone does. Tracfone does so in hopes you run out and buy more from them. Is it not interesting that Safelinks is owned by Tracfone? (minor in NYC Government, degrees in legal and medical research).
So Safelinks “cancels” your program and then one (as I was just to get it fixed) pays Tracfone for minutes – my case $100 and I am on low SSD due to a building fire in NYC (2 degrees and pre Masters full scholarship – least anyone think all on low income are free loaders – paid plenty of taxes in my time. And for those on regular phone services – as I once was, a tax is levied (fine print on the back of the phone bill) to pay for lifeline which is the core of Safelinks Tracfone.
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One of America’s fastest-growing wireless carriers is a company you’ve probably never heard of: Tracfone Wireless. It’s the U.S. arm of a telecom empire controlled by the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, and it’s the biggest player in an increasingly lucrative market: subsidized mobile phones for low-income Americans.
The subsidy became a political flashpoint recently thanks to an incendiary YouTube video featuring a Cleveland resident praising her free “Obama phone.” Hype from the Drudge Report and conservative ringleaders like Rush Limbaugh propelled the video to nearly 5 million pageviews.
The real story behind the phones is more nuanced than the 45-second clip.
The subsidy is from a government-created program called Lifeline, which is paid for by customer fees on most phone bills. The program is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, and has its roots in a universal access initiative that began in 1985, during Ronald Reagan’s administration.
To update my earlier comment. I am now elderly and disabled. Disabled due to a building fire (not in the fire but years, decades of illegal renovations – which exposed every tenant to highly toxic products – in spite of my contacting every government (city state and federal) to have it stopped. Ony after 9/11 did the EPA inform me to contact the Fire Department which shut down the manager using tar to tile the floors in the hallways (illegal, no exhaust fans so on) (in one case only – each case required a separate call which took weeks often).
I had two degrees, worked 70 hours a week and won a full scholarship NYU for a Masters to work with the elderly.
In some instances, coverage may include discounts for cell phone service instead of land lines at primary residences because realistically, cell phone service is less expensive in some areas than traditional service. Eligibility and type of program may vary from state to state – and this is why there is a flurry of confusion about the program being a product of the Obama administration. In Florida, for example, cell phone service was added to the existing program – in 2008, the year that Obama was elected to office. The conclusion from many folks was that it was a new federal program. It was not. It was an expansion of the existing program and implemented on a state by state basis.
The federal program dates back to 1996; it was part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Act did a number of things, including increasing internet access to doctors and patients in rural hospitals (for consults with specialists); subsidizing internet and phone coverage for schools and libraries and providing free or subsidized coverage for families who can’t afford it so that they have links to emergency and government services. The Act was not taxpayer funded… exactly. Taxpayers do pay for coverage but not via federal income taxes. Instead, the Act “mandated the creation of the universal service fund (USF) into which all telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.” So that little fee on your phone bill labeled USF? That’s what you’re paying for.
No one receives free cash. Some need the free food. At least give a button or phone in case of death, schools or emergency. Should not be hard if a America needs help. When we pay for it and give a lot to other countries and ours. Maybe help with PTSD, va, jobs, kids disabled, or a single mom with all should be allowed the dignity to call someone if needed. Keep trying and talking if you can. Thanks to any company that helps.
Safelink is compatable with some of Tracfone’s touchscreen phones that are not android such as LG 305C which is much easier to use than Assurance Wireless phones. Texting on a Assurance Wireless phone is really, really dificult. Also Safelink minutes can be used for data, international calls, ringtones which is not the case with Assurance Wireless.
Why Lifeline is not compatable with android or iphones is beyond me. Smartphones can purchased for as little as $10 or get a used one for nothing these days.
Assurance Wireless does not have any touchscreen phones. There’s no way somebody who needs reading glasses can read their tiny screens to navigate thriugh the menus or do texting.
Lifeline also has the abillity to turn your phone number to private to block caller ID anytime easily in the settings. With Assurance yiur number has to be private permantly.
Assurnce typed in my info wrong on my application and I had to send another in again. Nobody wants an unusable alcatel onetouch cinch.
Just how long do you expect me to keep this one phone without replacing it ever? There is a thing called wear and tear on your products you use you know. I’m considering switching anway since I purchased a top up card that was a dud.
Why in the world would you need a smartphone when the lifeline programs DO NOT provide data service? If you can afford a smartphone, you should NOT be applying for this free minutes and text phone. People do not understand why this program exists. It is not a freebie for everyone who wants a phone. It is for those people who cannot afford a cell phone and need one for emergencies. There will always be complaints. If the lifeline programs handed out phones based upon age (ie. Large screen), there will be someone complaining about discrimation. Cannot satisfy everyone but these services do not go out of their way for satisfied customers. You are stuck if you want free cell phone service.
Welfare, interesting word you choose there, it sounds familiar! Where did I hear that word, oh yes, I remember.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”
I suggest looking into where tax dollars REALLY go… hint, very small amount goes to Social Services. Anyone that has children that lives in my area had their public school paid for with MY PROPERTY TAX… though, I do not have children. My taxes for 20+ years went to many programs that I do not approve of.
Assurance is absolutely terrible! They use Virgin Mobile which is a third rate carrier to begin with,then they issue this crappy Kyocera phone thats such junk even Wal Mart wont carry it.(If Wal Mart wont carry something,it has to be junk)! I killed my account today and signed with SafeLink. They issue a smart phone and use Trac Phone network,so service has to be better. Anyone considering LifeLine service,STAY AWAY FROM ASSURANCE!!
Safelink is terrible and they use either AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. Assurance uses Virgin Mobile. After 3 days and over 16 hours ON THE PHONE WITH SAFELINK… I cannot recommend them. They couldn’t make the “GSM unlocked” tiny push button phone work. I spoke with at minimum 14 different reps from different departments, including the VERY upper management (Marisol). They blamed the T-Mobile network and “promised” me it would be fixed within 72 hours (it won’t, the problem IS the phone).
Well, I use Life wireless and I get good service. I get 500 minutes every month and for my birthday they bless me with some free minutes. So if you are not happy with your service go some where else. Try Life wireless.
My only complaint is these free government phones suck. I can not hardly see the screen . I have been with Assurance wireless for a long time. I do have to say at first I had problems with the language barrier but, I have to say they were very friendly and tried to do there best to help me understand what they were saying . I only hung up on two of them cause they just didn’t get it. I have noticed here recently they have better English speaking customer service reps which I might say are rude. So I would rather have a broken English customer service rep. they do there best to satisfy customers !!! Kudos for them . And one more thing , Why is there not a Trump free cell phone. Come on Trump with all your money give us better phones !!!! DAMN. And I would like to add I took a trip from California to Montana on a bus and I did not loose phone service one time on my trip there and back and I was out in the middle of No where . so I can’t complain about assurance wireless Have a wonderful day everyone and good luck !!!
I had Safelink it seems forever. One day I called said I can’t hear them well or anyone else on the phone. Next thing I got a phone in mail activated it and I lost my 3,252 minutes that were on my Safelink. It has been over a month and I am so discussed with Safelink as my phone was not working for months..God knows I gate assurance wireless
IF THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING….THEY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ALL THESE PROBLEMS AND FIND OTHER SOLUTIONS….THEY ADVERTISE THAT WE CAN GET A DISCOUNT THRU FL LIFELINE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM…..AND THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT HELPING…..I JUST CALLED T MOBILE…THEY WANT ME TO PAY 55$…WHEN I ACTUALLY PAY 30 W/ ANOTHER PROVIDER…..GO FIGURE
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I have been trying for the last 2 months to obtain service through assurance for 2 clients. This company has failed both times. I have spent countless hrs on the phone and each time lasting about an hr. The reps have no idea whats going on & offer no useful info. At this present moment both clients are still with out phones and 1 clients info had submitted twice because assurance entereted all their info incorrectly.
Dear G.,
If there are other Lifeline Assistance cell phone operators currently providing service in your clients’ state of residence, I would apply to one of those companies for service and withdraw your application from Assurance Wireless.
Best of luck,
Admin
I have been trying for over a month to get my elderly neighbor a phone through assurance. I faxed the documents they needed and a couple weeks later, they wanted them again. We mailed 3 government assistance documents that should have been more than enough. Finally, she gets a letter saying she did not provide the documents needed. I called them and of course, no one I spoke with spoke English. I kept asking for the supervisor or boss and was eventually given the floor manager (supposedly). They told me that they received nothing at all. I said, “So you are telling me that you did not receive the fax or the mailing?” The foreign man on the phone swore that they did not receive either one. This is not a good thing because that means that all of her personal information is out there somewhere for anyone to access. This elderly lady has no phone and now her personal info is out there floating around in limbo somewhere. I asked him for his name and personal fax number so I could verify that they received them and was going to fax them again. Of course he could not provide me any help at all. What has happened to our customer service here in America? I have never been so disgusted about a company, EVER! I decided to sign her up for Safelink and still in the process of them getting the verification. Are there any companies out there that have English speaking reps and care about the customer? I hope and pray that I do not have to go through this again because I she desperately needs a phone….
Come to safelink wireless. We will be glad to have you as a cutomer.
I was a safelink wireless customer for 1 year. Everything was good, I was very happy and even recommended a service to my friends. And then I found out that my account was canceled for no reason. That deaf and bad English speaking young girl told me that i forgot to re-certify my service. But, i did re-certified it few weeks in advance. Now I have to start the enrollment process again. And I’m not the only person whose account was canceled for no reason. Many people reporting the same thing
Yes the same thing happened to me ..less than 6 months after re certifying..Minutes suddenly stopped no explnation!
I have been trying to get help for my elderly mother through safelink. She has had this phone many years and the charger input got pushed in and will not charge.I have called safelink for about 3 days now and they keep hanging up even the chat service they tell me one moment please and suddenly disconnect me. I don’t know what to do the government pays these companies good money and yet they will not help the elderly or poor people. What a waste of tax money
August 04, 2018.
It peaked my interest that Safelinks is owned by TracFone. Hmm! Canceled suddenly (and I was recertified in April of 2018 then suddenly canceled and spent over $100 at Tracfone for minutes for basics (elderly and disabled) and to resolve the issue).
I think there is some sort of corruption at Tracfone (who had to pay 40 Million in fines due to fraud).
I eventually got “reinstated” after emailing my documents that I had sent certified mail earlier yet was concerned by the reply “our specialist will get back to you”.
Long story short – I contacted Tracfone – some reps – whom I could barely understand or hadn’t a clue, were useless. But one did resolve it – and my minutes were applied. She said “the current phone number was NOT Attached to this account” – say what? According to my copious records (used to work for law firms NYC) were accurate.
It’s almost a scam – yet I depend on this scam.
(background in many areas including legal and medical research, Minor in NYC Government Scholarship program – where I learned the truth about any government program – ugh)
After spending one week on this issue (dazed and confused, lol) I will use the link someone gave (for what it’s worth) to report them. But more importantly my local city/state legislature and the Federal. The tax payer pays their salaries and they are supposed to represent “the people” not giant corporations.
Takes time but en-masse maybe a better solution.
…………………………………………
Long before I and others (my case SSD due to a building fire) ended up needing this service, we were taxed to pay for Lifeline (your regular phone bill) buried in the statements.
Here is some information behind the guize
https://money.cnn.com/2012/10/26/technology/mobile/tracfone-free-phones/index.html
………………………………………
One of America’s fastest-growing wireless carriers is a company you’ve probably never heard of: Tracfone Wireless. It’s the U.S. arm of a telecom empire controlled by the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, and it’s the biggest player in an increasingly lucrative market: subsidized mobile phones for low-income Americans.
The real story behind the phones is more nuanced than the 45-second clip.
The subsidy is from a government-created program called Lifeline, which is paid for by customer fees on most phone bills. The program is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, and has its roots in a universal access initiative that began in 1985, during Ronald Reagan’s administration.
The subsidy became a political flashpoint recently thanks to an incendiary YouTube video featuring a Cleveland resident praising her free “Obama phone.” Hype from the Drudge Report and conservative ringleaders like Rush Limbaugh propelled the video to nearly 5 million
“The wonderful thing about the program is that individuals who no longer qualify for the phone keep the phone,” says Jose Fuentes, Tracfone’s director of government relations. “They can continue to remain Tracfone customers.”
Advocates say the program is an essential safety net: A telephone links people to emergency services, and it’s almost impossible to get a job without a phone number.
“I use it to keep in touch with my family and my friends, and work-related services like business appointments,” says Kathy Jarrett, a Brooklyn, N.Y. resident who has been a Lifeline subscriber for four years. “If I didn’t have a phone I would be a wreck.”
But in the days leading up the election, the booming Lifeline expansion is raising eyebrows. The program paid out $1.6 billion last year, more than twice the $772 million it spent in 2008.
Congressman Tim Griffin, a Republican from Arkansas, blasted it as a “government-run, taxpayer-funded” boondoggle that’s “riddled with instances of abuse.” He introduced a bill that would drop mobile phones from the program.
“That is one of the biggest misconceptions that are out there today, that federal dollars go directly to the Universal Service Fund,” says Tracfone’s Fuentes. “That is completely incorrect.”
Griffin’s retort: “Consumers are forced to pay it, and where I come from, that’s a tax.”
Democrats have also challenged Lifeline’s excesses. Senator Claire McCaskill, from Missouri, drew attention last year to Lifeline’s minimal oversight after receiving a flyer at home inviting her to get a free cell phone. (With an annual Senate salary of $174,000, McCaskill isn’t exactly the target market.)
The FCC implemented anti-fraud measures earlier this year, requiring subscribers to prove their eligibility, canceling service if the phone is not used for 60 days, and preventing individuals from having multiple phones. The agency says it canceled 800,000 duplicate contracts and expects to save $200 million this year.
Lifeline “wreaks havoc” in the competitive market, according to Roger Entner, the founder of Recon Analytics, a wireless industry research and consulting firm. Carriers targeting the prepaid market — one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments — can’t compete with free phones.
But in the end, he thinks the safety net is worth it.
“As a country we want everyone to have communications. Without a phone, you can’t get a job,” Entner says. “I’m sure that Lifeline has literally saved people’s lives.”
I was a customer of Safelink wireless for quite some years. One day I gave my son the phone use so he could reach me after his final exams, so I could pick him up vs having him sit at the school for a extra 3 hours doing gosh knows what! He tried to reach me on the phone but it had been disconnected! Thank goodness someone had let him use there phone to call me to pick him up! Unfortunately when he got home he was very upset with me, but it was working when he took it that morning at 7am!
Long story short, I was told by customer service that they had no idea why the phone had been shut off and service discontinued! I received a letter in the mail from Safelink stating that I had another lifeline service being used and they had decided to discontinue my service because of this issue! HELLO, I HAD ONLY ONE LIFELINE SERVICE AND IT WAS SAFELINK WIRELESS!
After I had received the letter, I called customer service back, they did tell me that it was not i the system and the letter and disconnect had been a mistake on their end! Hmm, wonderful!
I have been trying to get my service back on, and correct the issues sense June of 2015! It is now mid September 2015, and I am still having issues! At least I have had a phone that works for the last 2weeks almost, but unfortunately, no matter how many ticket numbers, open tech tickets, no matter how many times it has been escalated, I STILL, am getting CHARGED FOR EVERY TEXT MESSAGE THAT SHOULD BE FREE! I have had 446.14 minutes taken, that are owed, and were promised I would receive back, and still have not received! Nor has the problem been fixed, no matter how many 24-48 hour tech fixes and promises I have been told and reassurances I have been given!
Now, if only I could get someone that speaks English, not broken English or some English that they have been reading off of or out of the given manifests! And NOT ONE TIME HAVE I BEEN CONNECTED TO A SUPERVISOR OR MANAGER WHEN ASKED, They are ALL too busy, on another call, on break, in a meeting or NoT on the floor! I have a funny feeling there isn’t an actual supervisor on the floor! Or possibly in the building, sense I am getting the feeling that they aren’t even in the United States, but over seas in a call center, after all it is cheaper and it is a govt plan! I am not raseist, I am not a discrinatory person, but I am aggravated as hell at this point!
I now only have 0.25 minutes left, thanks to the mix up, mess up and failures to fix the problem!
I am thinking about switching to assurance wireless, at least it DOES NOT COST MINUTES TO CALL TECH SUPPORT, OR ASSURANCE WIRELESS AT ALL ON THEIR CALLULAR PHONES, WHERE AS YOU DO GETCHARGED THOUGH SAFELINK TO CALL THE ACTUAL DANG SAFELINK NUMBERS!
Please, please, PRETTY PLEASE, fix these damned issues! It’s been months for me to try to resolve the issues from getting my phone back on, a new phone that needed to be replaced after 4new SIM cards had been sent, and now minutes have been taken that should not have been and I a trying to get them back, on top of trying to get the issue resolved so that they ARE NOT TAKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Thank you for all of your time safelink, I know we have spent so many hours on the phone together!
So I will give safelink wireless another week, besides what is another week after months and weeks upon weeks?! And then if it is not resolved soon, I will just switch to assurance! It’s the same plan offers anyways!
Good luck too ALL of the SAFELINK customers, or the ones deciding to join the team… You will all defenataly need it!
SEND COMPLAINTS HERE http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
I have had assurance problems with english, I can’t get a phone, they tell you to go to walmart which no longer carries them. Very few english speaking. I still don’t have a phone. The one that is free ia junk. I have paid for 2 and can’t get help getting a third.
I was on the phone with them 3 times and got a different answer each time about switching my service
I have been trying for 3 months. I have approval. I have been sent 3 sim cards. I have bought 2 phones because they said their original phone they sent me was not up to date. About 10 calls of wasted time with foreigners that do not understand Americans. My most recent phone Motorola e 5 plus cost $200 and they told me it is not a 4g let phone. It was made in July 2020. Are these people for real?
I feel like I am in a bad series of the twilight zone. BEWARE dealing with Safelink!
I had no phone for 3 months I moved from VA to NC and paperwork was faxed., I would get letters saying I needed to prove my residence because the person who occupied my apt before me had a phone. I gave up with them and went to Safelink. I have a Virgin Assurance phone now and can’t use it because of their lack of service..
what if we want to change to another carrier are we supposed to go without a phone while we wait for weeks to get approved?
All you have to do is fill out the application for the other service, while still using the other, and after you get approval, you can choose to switch your number to the new service and they will take care of everything else for you, including calling the other company, switching your number and switching your service so you do not have to go without! Good luck!
hi, I”ve been applying with safelink since april and it is now october. I’ve had to reapply 5 times with safelink because they don’t give CaLifeLine my cell phone number from them. I’ve spent 3-8 hours over several days for months now. I had a lot of trouble finding out that that was the problem. Now, Ikeep calling to see if they’ve provided the necessary cell phone number and have considereable trouble with all the reps being obtuse understanding what I am calling about. Theyr’e all very sweet, just can’t give me the assitance I need and also give the wrong information. From you message,I see that Assurance willll be the same problem.
SEND COMPLAINTS HERE
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
Call Tracfone – they own Safelinks. Ask for Senior management – tell them you are awaiting a call back from your State Representatives. The entire process is a billionaires scam (see my above post on who is behind it all).
I have a problem with assurance when it came to my renewal of my account. I had sent my renewal in three times and did it online and they said they never received my paperwork and they said I would have to reapply and get a whole new number. This was something i didnt need especially when I couldn’t get my calls from my Dr. Office .when i called they didn’t even try to. Look into where my paperwk went and I have a couple of friends that they had the same thing happen to them. I’m ready to try someone new
I got the same thing. Its not only assurance wireless issue, but safelink as well. they all have this same bullshit.
I had Assurance wireless for 5 years or more. There was one month that I didn’t make any phone calls (I mostly text) so they shut me off. It has been pure hell ever since. They told me I had to reapply hey wouldn’t just turn it back on. So I re applied. 2,3,4,5,weeks go by I here nothing. The website still says “We have received your application.So I apply again. I had to upload a copy of my income. A week or two later I got a letter saying something about me reporting my phone stolen. I never did that. All this time, I kept calling and calling and they were of no help. One lady went as far as telling me I was approved, gave me a new phone number and said I will receive a new phone. That never happened. OK, so it’s been 6 months, and I’ve applied 4 times app status still says pending. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Assurance wireless sucks!!
that’s right, safelink and assurance are both irritatingly familiar to me. Sometimes if I don’t get the info I need I politely say thank you and goodbye and then keep caling them until I get someone who understnds my issue and me to understand when they have choppy accent
SEND ALL COMPLAINTS HERE
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
SEND COMPLAINTS HERE
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
I had same issue kept getting denied 6 times finally went through their Facebook talked to them on messenger and within a week had my phone sent them same photos to prove I was eligible. worth a shot
In 2013 I applied to and was enrolled in Safelink Wireless. The phone I received has a timy screen, which is very difficult for a person with poor vision — such as myself — to read. I called them to switch to a Tracfone I already had. I thought everything was fine until I discovered that my account had bern cancelled at tge end of tge first month. When I called they said I had not made any calls on my phone (the one they sent me). So, I reapplied and was approved. But again the phone I received has a tiny screen. Each month for the past three months I have had to go through the same process of changing my account to my Tracfone AND kerping the number of my Tracfone. Each month I’ve bern assured that the change was made. Yet, the following month I don’t get my minutes and have to call again and go through the same process. The last tine was on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014. The next day I received an email saying it was the last day of my service, but giving no reason. Today I received an email saying my service had been discontinued, but — again no reason was given. They want ne to BUY airtine to reactivate my service. Additionally, tgeir representatives all have such heavy Mexican accents they are virtually impossible to understand. I don’t know what to do! Are there no reputable, reliable, American companies out there? I had terrible experience with Virgin Mobile some time ago. And, if Assurance Wireless is asdociated with them, then they sound questionable.
SEND COMPLAINTS HERE
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
I can’t understand this glowing view of Assurance. My experience has consistently been that Assurance’s customer service representatives are as lame as can be.
I agree with you. I am trying to apply for the service, so far I have faxed my documents twice,
usps mailed my documents twice and have called 3 times. And still can not get an account established.
They cannot help me at all. I cant even find out from them who I can call that would be able to help me. I dont know what else to do other then hand deliver my documents or just apply to Safelink and hope for
better luck.
absolutely correct assurance and safelink or terrible
SEND COMPLAINTS HERE
http://www.usac.org/about/tools/contact/whistleblower.aspx
i not sure about assurance,.. but if you ever need customer service for a tracfone (safelink net 10 straight talk) go to there facebook page and click on submit a ticket and they help u via instant message or emal. usually within ten minutes and they fix what two days worth of calls to the dipshit outsoourced phone custmer service line
im not sure about assurance either, i faxed them twice and mailed them back an application. I dont know what the problem is. I was with safelink and they dumped me like a hot potatoe! I gave them all the information they needed more than once, and still no phone!
Dear Susan,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Assurance Wireless and Safelink Wireless. Have you tried completing the Assurance Wireless application online? Given that the cell phone and service is free, I would keep trying until I received the free phone.
Best of luck and please keep us updated.
Warm regards,
Admin
If I had seen this website before I enrolled in Assurance, I would have thought twice. But since I didn’t, I have to say my experience was a good one. The only issue I had was they said somebody in my household already had a lifeline phone. Say what? The only person that may have had one, moved out 2 years prior. So, all I had to do was write a letter to them, with the names of who had lived in my house, and when they moved out. I got my phone, and service. I even switched my number I had (which i had for years) on my regular Tracfone to the Assurance phone with no problem!
My suggestion for those that get the foreign call centers? Beat them at their own game. Ideally, if you can, find someone locally who can speak their language to talk to them for you! And don’t lose the account number, reference number, password, or what have you, that they give you, or you set up for yourself.
Safelink is just as bad as assurance. No english speaking service people. All either in
india or Pakistan.
You know what I say? Everyone needs to report both of these companies to the USAC, the FCC and your attorney general’s office. I am helping my son and daughter do that. They were treated so horribly by Safelink that they ended up cancelling their accounts. My husband is about to cancel his. Neither of these companies are sympathetic to the needs of disabled people, ie when those disabled people need phones with a larger screen and a full qwerty keypad to make it easier to type text messages. Something needs to change and the only way to get them to change is to bring class action lawsuits on both of them and the only way to do that is for all of us to band together and make enough complaints that we cannot be ignored.
Customer service is less tat par at safelink. I’m not a happy camper and I just joined
I had been hooked up thru Safelink about 5 years ago. After the 1st year, I got a call on the cell from 1 of their ‘Customer Service Reps,’ who had such a heavy foreign accent, I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Out of mass confusion as to what this woman was asking me, I misunderstood 1 of the questions of their ‘renewal process,’ & all of a sudden, like the parting of the seas, she said to me in very well spoken English that,’ because of the response to the last question I asked you, your service has been terminated, starting immediately.Thank you for your cooperation in our renewal process, GOODBYE.’ i was in absolute shock, as I called back immediately, but couldn’t get an actual person from the company on the phone. Several days later, after repeated phone calls on this matter, I finally got a real person from Safelink on the phone, to verify why my contract had been terminated, in lieu of the ‘renewal process.’ This guy had spoken in broke English also, but I could understand what he was saying. He quoted to me that, basically because of some household income glitch, which was basically a ‘catch 22 snafu’ that the company set up in the renewal process, which was no problem when I had originally answered the questions in the registation application. I have since been a customer with ‘Assurance, with practically no problems (yet).
went thru the application process with assurance was accepted received their free phone which had issues
. struggled along with the defective phone for several months. trying to reach a person that speaks understandable english is nil next to impossible. then upon application renewal i was notified by assurance that my service had been
terminated because i supposedly did not sign my initials regarding whether i was the only person in the household receiving life line . in the past several applications i evidently did not commit this error. when finally i was able to
speak to a representative i was told that i was automatically cut off from their services so to all of you low income people out there be extremely careful when filling out applications of whoever / whatever free cell phone provider you may choose because they are unforgiving. if you make the slightest error in any of your applications you will be denied service
Two things (and a bit more): A “this one vs that one” article where there are only the two top contenders are almost usually always popular and ongoing discussions. Yet, my web search did not expose anything more recent than this one. To be fair, most of my Googles these days yield the same results, nothing recent on many topics of matter. This actually has me baffled but it is possible that there are no other sites of any weight with recenter info. And, I also understand that the research needed just to update a few points takes a bit of time, especially if said info is not even provided on the source sites. One thing I was looking for was how to find out the exact phone models you get with these providers.
Second thing, regarding many of the other comments. We’ve had these internets now for a while, long enough to know that writing negative, anecdotal reviews are of little value to readers. We all have our stories and have learned by now that marginal/poor customer service is pretty much the norm these days. Add to that something that is completely free, and well, you know. And, we are all at least skeptical that the stories are somewhat embellished – that people are going to all this trouble for clients or elderly neighbors. Not unlike people who go to support forums asking for help with hacked softwares. Sorry if I’m wrong, but not really. It is the internet where we can still be all who we can be. The reports that came out where it was discovered that some households have upwards of ten of these phones, well, you know.
Anyway, and above all, the First Amendment still Rules, so I’m just suggesting that a second draft of a negative review may actually, along with other users with similar experiences may help to spot a trend and add value that way. Or, specific issues with specific products. That could help another to troubleshoot or at least know they’re not alone. Even with that however, it’s simply not enough data for anyone to make an informed choice pre-sale.
Now, I know not where such a study has been done, and if so, Google won’t show it to me – but my common sense tells me that most people who are inspired to post any type of a review, is inspired by the negative encounters. What we really need, are comments about good, positive experiences. That would actually be newsworthy as it’s the exception these days. And there should enough of these to make all the fake ones obsolete. I thing we’ve beaten the bots, but I’m talking about web companies that really do pay people to write and post fake content. Yeah, I even say a TV spot for one of these outfits. The spin was to “get your site to the top of the search engines” by creating a “presence” on all the social media sites. So it’s really not that hard to find these blogs and write glowing reports. And bless ‘em all, they finally figured out that the posts seems less fake when they add one or two minor complaints.
The irony is not lost on me, complaining about people complaining.
Thanks to Admin for taking an important but dry topic and making it entertaining. So many blogs keep it dry and even use up at least the first paragraph telling you the reason why you asked the question you asked that got you to that site to begin with. That would have equated here by telling us all the neat things we can do with a phone and list a bunch of reasons why people make phone calls. But back to the updating. This is my first visit to this site, so I have no idea as to the scope and size. For it to show up in my Google, it’s at least a few years old and gots some decent amount of link-backs. Maybe topic updates aren’t considered necessary – even still, I would advise to at least do some, and prioritize just by the usual web stats, what search phrase brought people here, how popular an article was to begin with, all that. And, I’m not telling you anything new I know, but reminders never really hurt. Blogs, especially of the tech-type can drop fast into the blog-o-sphere boneyard. Yeah, I have one or two (small ones though at peak) rattling around in there. But this site has earned one of the precious few spots in my bookmarks. Don’t check the email signups, I’m currently testing a theory and seeing if I can phase out email. Not the function or use-case of email, but the protocol and email client programs themselves. For almost everything we actually rely on email for, I think maybe there’s a better way – especially when I figured out that most people, at most, read only about the first few sentences.
I will sign out now, as I’ve strayed far from phones, especially those that don’t even get email. Keep up the good work!
PS: OK, the spelling errors were intentional but at last minute I decided to declare this when I noticed that when we made “Google” a verb, we shouldn’t have stopped there. I hereby declare that we are allowed – nay – encouraged to use Google and any silly derivative as a noun, adjective, pronoun or any other grammatical element we see fit. Part of my plot to phase out email is to do the same to Google. Not just because they got sucky, but because I saw in a documentary, and while unconfirmed I believe it, that originally, the misspelling of the actual work was not intentional as some historians would have us think. Just a happy coincidence that the name and its spelling has as much to do with their success as the nothing short of brilliant new method and technology of the modern search engine, finally lighting all the roads on the superhighway, actually creating the potential to not just document the complete total of all human knowledge, but making it accessible to everyone. And now I get it. They had to suck it up. We just weren’t – aren’t ready for that. We’re still working on making sure everyone if they need to can call up the first responders. That, and avoiding any possible embarrassment when people 100 years from now, or any possible advanced civilization out there, watching us, ready to make first contact upon detection of our first warp drive signature, notices that we use this conduit to all knowledge for what – take your pick. Maybe that’s why Google is sucky – thet nothing links back to the important stuff. And when it does we can’t even see the importance of what we can hold in our hands – little devices with more computing power than (are they really more powerful than the Apollo 11 computers?) but also let us talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It wasn’t that long ago when Barney, while double-timing Jaunita at the diner and Thelma Lou, first had to talk to Sarah at the switchboard. And, I ain’t no better – I had to Google Thelma Lou. While Barney was trying to google ‘em both, and that plot line wouldn’t have survived a single episode if anyone in Mayberry had their tweet on.
Assurance is connected with Virgin Mobile which uses Sprint. Sprint, in my area, is horrible. I basically have a doorstop for a phone. Little to no reception. Sprint and Virgin Mobile cannot do anything about it.
The worst thing about Safe Link is that if you need more minuted you will be paying prices high enough where you might as well go with a major carrier and pay full price. Assurance, on the other hand, has very affordable add on minute plans. This is a glaring difference that Safelink would rather you not know about. I’m amazed that no one has brought up this point
I have had Assurance 3 months. I have had fairly decent (if heavily accented) customer service. I had one day where my phone kept glitching. They sent me out a new battery quickly however the phone decided to work with the old one so will keep this as a spare. I have an offer from Safelink and it offers 100 more free minutes a month and some other perks through United Health Care. But I will stay with Assurance as Sprint has great covereage in my area and it took some work to keep my old phone number. Don’t want to risk losing it or my whole contact list. I keep a very old T-mobile cell (different number good rollover minutes) as a backup just in case.
Just a blanket reply to all the folks having problems with both Assurance and SafeLink, don’t forget that these are GOVERNMENT plans…I mean, what more do you expect from anything run by the government? (ObamaCare anyone?). It might be a good deal for many that need an inexpensive phone, but don’t expect Verizon type service…it just isn’t going to happen from an inefficient, government run bureaucracy.
Yea. And with this knothead Trump,it’ll only get worse!
I agree that it can be extremely frustrating having to deal with customer service calls of any sort. However; WE ARE NOT OWED ANYTHING IN THIS LIFE BY ANYONE. If we choose not to work, have a job with a low income or for some unfortunate reason have little to no money coming in…this still does not mean that our government owes us the nicest models of phones free of cost…With minutes and texts free of cost. If you think about how many people in the USA receive this benefit, the costs are astronomical. For us to complain is a shame, when we should be grateful that we live in a country and in a time where our government is willing to help us out. And let’s not forget who is eligible: people already being provided with free medical care, food stamps or even free cash every month..or a combination. Put half the effort you spent on your rants about non-english speaking people (this is America after all) into going back to school or finding a better job, or ANY job for that matter, and you just might get somewhere…NOW as for the disabled and elderly…THEY DO DESERVE IT AND SHOULD GET THE HELP THAT IS NEEDED. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED IT. MOST CANNOT WORK AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES. WE SHOULD BE MORE WILLING TO HELP THEM, IF ANYONE.
Totally agree with what you say. Some people think the government owes them everything. Some of these people are fully capable of working, but find ways to not get/keep a job.
To KM and Barb – The Safelinks is just a site that verifies your ability to eligibility. The Government does not pay for the phones – Tracfone does. Tracfone does so in hopes you run out and buy more from them. Is it not interesting that Safelinks is owned by Tracfone? (minor in NYC Government, degrees in legal and medical research).
So Safelinks “cancels” your program and then one (as I was just to get it fixed) pays Tracfone for minutes – my case $100 and I am on low SSD due to a building fire in NYC (2 degrees and pre Masters full scholarship – least anyone think all on low income are free loaders – paid plenty of taxes in my time. And for those on regular phone services – as I once was, a tax is levied (fine print on the back of the phone bill) to pay for lifeline which is the core of Safelinks Tracfone.
…………………………………..
One of America’s fastest-growing wireless carriers is a company you’ve probably never heard of: Tracfone Wireless. It’s the U.S. arm of a telecom empire controlled by the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, and it’s the biggest player in an increasingly lucrative market: subsidized mobile phones for low-income Americans.
The subsidy became a political flashpoint recently thanks to an incendiary YouTube video featuring a Cleveland resident praising her free “Obama phone.” Hype from the Drudge Report and conservative ringleaders like Rush Limbaugh propelled the video to nearly 5 million pageviews.
The real story behind the phones is more nuanced than the 45-second clip.
The subsidy is from a government-created program called Lifeline, which is paid for by customer fees on most phone bills. The program is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, and has its roots in a universal access initiative that began in 1985, during Ronald Reagan’s administration.
Again with the degrees. Give it a break dude we get it your HIGHLY educated. Congratulations
To update my earlier comment. I am now elderly and disabled. Disabled due to a building fire (not in the fire but years, decades of illegal renovations – which exposed every tenant to highly toxic products – in spite of my contacting every government (city state and federal) to have it stopped. Ony after 9/11 did the EPA inform me to contact the Fire Department which shut down the manager using tar to tile the floors in the hallways (illegal, no exhaust fans so on) (in one case only – each case required a separate call which took weeks often).
I had two degrees, worked 70 hours a week and won a full scholarship NYU for a Masters to work with the elderly.
People assume – but it might be YOU one day.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/02/12/are-taxpayers-paying-for-free-cell-phones/#2a803b195d77
In some instances, coverage may include discounts for cell phone service instead of land lines at primary residences because realistically, cell phone service is less expensive in some areas than traditional service. Eligibility and type of program may vary from state to state – and this is why there is a flurry of confusion about the program being a product of the Obama administration. In Florida, for example, cell phone service was added to the existing program – in 2008, the year that Obama was elected to office. The conclusion from many folks was that it was a new federal program. It was not. It was an expansion of the existing program and implemented on a state by state basis.
The federal program dates back to 1996; it was part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Act did a number of things, including increasing internet access to doctors and patients in rural hospitals (for consults with specialists); subsidizing internet and phone coverage for schools and libraries and providing free or subsidized coverage for families who can’t afford it so that they have links to emergency and government services. The Act was not taxpayer funded… exactly. Taxpayers do pay for coverage but not via federal income taxes. Instead, the Act “mandated the creation of the universal service fund (USF) into which all telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.” So that little fee on your phone bill labeled USF? That’s what you’re paying for.
No one receives free cash. Some need the free food. At least give a button or phone in case of death, schools or emergency. Should not be hard if a America needs help. When we pay for it and give a lot to other countries and ours. Maybe help with PTSD, va, jobs, kids disabled, or a single mom with all should be allowed the dignity to call someone if needed. Keep trying and talking if you can. Thanks to any company that helps.
Safelink is compatable with some of Tracfone’s touchscreen phones that are not android such as LG 305C which is much easier to use than Assurance Wireless phones. Texting on a Assurance Wireless phone is really, really dificult. Also Safelink minutes can be used for data, international calls, ringtones which is not the case with Assurance Wireless.
Why Lifeline is not compatable with android or iphones is beyond me. Smartphones can purchased for as little as $10 or get a used one for nothing these days.
Assurance Wireless does not have any touchscreen phones. There’s no way somebody who needs reading glasses can read their tiny screens to navigate thriugh the menus or do texting.
Lifeline also has the abillity to turn your phone number to private to block caller ID anytime easily in the settings. With Assurance yiur number has to be private permantly.
Assurnce typed in my info wrong on my application and I had to send another in again. Nobody wants an unusable alcatel onetouch cinch.
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Just how long do you expect me to keep this one phone without replacing it ever? There is a thing called wear and tear on your products you use you know. I’m considering switching anway since I purchased a top up card that was a dud.
My phone isn’t working after notification.do need to do someything my phone number is 6504414174
My phone is not working number is 650-441-4174 thank u
Safelink is scam. They take government money but do not provide service.
Why in the world would you need a smartphone when the lifeline programs DO NOT provide data service? If you can afford a smartphone, you should NOT be applying for this free minutes and text phone. People do not understand why this program exists. It is not a freebie for everyone who wants a phone. It is for those people who cannot afford a cell phone and need one for emergencies. There will always be complaints. If the lifeline programs handed out phones based upon age (ie. Large screen), there will be someone complaining about discrimation. Cannot satisfy everyone but these services do not go out of their way for satisfied customers. You are stuck if you want free cell phone service.
FYI free cash is welfare.
Welfare, interesting word you choose there, it sounds familiar! Where did I hear that word, oh yes, I remember.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”
I suggest looking into where tax dollars REALLY go… hint, very small amount goes to Social Services. Anyone that has children that lives in my area had their public school paid for with MY PROPERTY TAX… though, I do not have children. My taxes for 20+ years went to many programs that I do not approve of.
Assurance is absolutely terrible! They use Virgin Mobile which is a third rate carrier to begin with,then they issue this crappy Kyocera phone thats such junk even Wal Mart wont carry it.(If Wal Mart wont carry something,it has to be junk)! I killed my account today and signed with SafeLink. They issue a smart phone and use Trac Phone network,so service has to be better. Anyone considering LifeLine service,STAY AWAY FROM ASSURANCE!!
thanks for the heads up.. I figured not all states would have the same network quality.. and wondered what state you’ve used the service in.
Safelink is terrible and they use either AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. Assurance uses Virgin Mobile. After 3 days and over 16 hours ON THE PHONE WITH SAFELINK… I cannot recommend them. They couldn’t make the “GSM unlocked” tiny push button phone work. I spoke with at minimum 14 different reps from different departments, including the VERY upper management (Marisol). They blamed the T-Mobile network and “promised” me it would be fixed within 72 hours (it won’t, the problem IS the phone).
I am considering switching to Assurance.
Actually, I just now read that Assurance uses the Sprint network and is partnering with Access wireless.
Well, I use Life wireless and I get good service. I get 500 minutes every month and for my birthday they bless me with some free minutes. So if you are not happy with your service go some where else. Try Life wireless.
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My only complaint is these free government phones suck. I can not hardly see the screen . I have been with Assurance wireless for a long time. I do have to say at first I had problems with the language barrier but, I have to say they were very friendly and tried to do there best to help me understand what they were saying . I only hung up on two of them cause they just didn’t get it. I have noticed here recently they have better English speaking customer service reps which I might say are rude. So I would rather have a broken English customer service rep. they do there best to satisfy customers !!! Kudos for them . And one more thing , Why is there not a Trump free cell phone. Come on Trump with all your money give us better phones !!!! DAMN. And I would like to add I took a trip from California to Montana on a bus and I did not loose phone service one time on my trip there and back and I was out in the middle of No where . so I can’t complain about assurance wireless Have a wonderful day everyone and good luck !!!
I had Safelink it seems forever. One day I called said I can’t hear them well or anyone else on the phone. Next thing I got a phone in mail activated it and I lost my 3,252 minutes that were on my Safelink. It has been over a month and I am so discussed with Safelink as my phone was not working for months..God knows I gate assurance wireless
IF THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING….THEY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ALL THESE PROBLEMS AND FIND OTHER SOLUTIONS….THEY ADVERTISE THAT WE CAN GET A DISCOUNT THRU FL LIFELINE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM…..AND THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT HELPING…..I JUST CALLED T MOBILE…THEY WANT ME TO PAY 55$…WHEN I ACTUALLY PAY 30 W/ ANOTHER PROVIDER…..GO FIGURE
Great blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or
go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m
completely confused .. Any ideas? Thank you!
The numbers fr minutes and texts is not even close to accurate.