Frustrated with US Cellular and Walmart

palides2021

palides2021

Well-known Member
Location
MidAtlantic, USA
Recently, I decided to use a coupon that Consumer Cellular sent in the mail. I was using Tracphone and SimpleMobile at 25/month for several years. But when I tried to make the switch to the new provider, they said I needed to upgrade my phone, and so I went to Walmart (that is where I have bought all my phones in the past). I told the clerk at Walmart what I was looking for. I was influenced to switch to US Cellular because it has more towers/reception than Consumer Cellular. They gave me a Smart phone for $21. I told them I was interested in a 25/month plan. The girl that took the order was on the phone with someone else as she put my information into the system. She sold me the phone and I understood I was with US Cellular. Now what that meant, I really did not know until two weeks later when I received a Bill for $73. By the time I received this bill, the two-week grace period to return the phone was past.

Apparently, the Walmart clerk had put me on a 2-year contract at $50 per month. I only wanted text and calling capabilities and felt that was a high bill for such small service. When I called Walmart to complain, no one picked up the phone (called 3-4x). Then I called Walmart headquarters and complained that no one answered the phone in the electronics department of my local store. Then I called US Cellular and spoke to at least 6 people who kept giving me the run around "It will cost you $334 to terminate the contract." "The $25/month plan you were looking for only works with flip phones." "Walmart should be able to help." So I went to Walmart and the girl that took the order was not there. I told them I had been trying to call all this time and no one answered the phones. They didn't respond. I told them what happened and that if I buy a flip phone I can have the discounted plan. They did not have a flip phone in stock. Someone gave me a phone number of someone who deals with Walmart/US Cellular plans. I called the number 3x and no one replied. By now, I was fuming.

I contacted FCC and complained.

The only thing I got was a survey from US Cellular and I let them know in so many words I was not a happy camper. I wanted one thing and I got another. The problem is that they kept saying "You have to honor your contract." I told them I did not have a contract and US Cellular said they will send me one. It's been about a week and I still don't have a contract. Ok, now that I'm done, has anyone else have something like this happen to you? I am wondering what the lesson is here. What could I have done better? Not feeling good right now. ☹️
 

Wow! Yes, dealing with the cell phone company(s)..any of them...can be tricky.
I do s-o-o much research before making a big commitment..
Of anything.
Good Luck for a "happy"(good) result.👍
 
Jace said:
Wow! Yes, dealing with the cell phone company(s)..any of them...can be tricky.
I do s-o-o much research before making a big commitment..
Of anything.
Good Luck for a "happy"(good) result.👍
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Yes, you're right @Jace. I'm normally like that, and I implicitly trusted Walmart, but realized they are not customer focused as I initially thought. Shopping at Walmart has now become something I will avoid in the future.
 

palides2021 said:
I contacted FCC and complained.
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I've posted this before, I had an issue with a local AT&T office over a bill ($480) many years ago. I knew I was in the right & kept getting dunners along with threats. It became apparent that they thought they had deeper pockets & I would crumble. One letter to my state's AG got action & a followup one from AT&T, telling me I was on their blacklist & would never get another cell through them. Of course I've never needed to do business with them & it hasn't been an issue since. Never heard from them in over 12 years.
 
Roadwarrior said:
I've posted this before, I had an issue with a local AT&T office over a bill ($480) many years ago. I knew I was in the right & kept getting dunners along with threats. It became apparent that they thought they had deeper pockets & I would crumble. One letter to my state's AG got action & a followup one from AT&T, telling me I was on their blacklist & would never get another cell through them. Of course I've never needed to do business with them & it hasn't been an issue since. Never heard from them in over 12 years.
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Wow! I think you nailed it when you wrote "they thought they had deeper pockets & I would crumble." I'm assuming you resolved the bill? I might consider going to the state's AG! Thanks!
 
What a nightmare! They don't listen to begin with and when they make a mistake, it's your fault, and you have to pay for it. They make everything so complicated it's no wonder it's all screwed up. I'm sorry this happened to you, @palides2021.
 
Best kept secret is Trac fone has no cell towers. They contract and use all the others towers, so when they tell you their brand has better service because of more towers than XXX, that may be true about XXX, but not trac fone.
Much as I disliked the upgraded tracfone, I did discover that they are no different than those over priced smart phones.
 
squatting dog said:
Best kept secret is Trac fone has no cell towers. They contract and use all the others towers, so when they tell you their brand has better service because of more towers than XXX, that may be true about XXX, but not trac fone.
Much as I disliked the upgraded tracfone, I did discover that they are no different than those over priced smart phones.
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I had Trac Fone for many years. The phone they gave me at Walmart was not Trac Fone. It was Samsung.
 
Bella said:
What a nightmare! They don't listen to begin with and when they make a mistake, it's your fault, and you have to pay for it. They make everything so complicated it's no wonder it's all screwed up. I'm sorry this happened to you, @palides2021.
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Thanks, @Bella for your understanding! I already started to see how I can lower my bill. If I do auto pay, they will take off 5 dollars. So I have opted for that. Will have to work with them for now, I guess.
 
palides2021 said:
That's exactly my concern. I honestly don't remember signing anything because I didn't receive paperwork of the contract to take with me. My understanding is that it was all done online.
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It may not do any good, still I’d demand they show you what you ‘signed’. If nothing, JMO, you don’t have a contract and can back out of this. Do you have a news show with Support for Consumers. It might be worth a try.
 
Jules said:
It may not do any good, still I’d demand they show you what you ‘signed’. If nothing, JMO, you don’t have a contract and can back out of this. Do you have a news show with Support for Consumers. It might be worth a try.
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Thanks for the suggestion! I will need to check.
 
So sorry you are going through this. Yeah, when someone gives you a smart phone for $21, it's just a gimmick to get you into a contract. Perhaps you might have signed the receipt for the phone, and the small print at the bottom was a contract. I don't know. But I agree that they need to show you the contract you signed, and if not, ask to see a supervisor, and tell him or her that you intend to call "7 on your side" or a similar news reporting agency that will make the issue public. Walmart won't like being in the news doing shady deals.
After several other companies, I finally went with Consumer Cellular, and I couldn't be happier. No contract, always excellent service, and they use the AT&T network, so great coverage. They don't bother you with offers or anything. They just do what you would expect, and they do it well.
Anyway, I hope you can get out of that trap without paying for any more. Best of luck.
 
I'm so sorry about your situation. I've been with Consumer Cellular for years. No contracts, no hassles, great service, great coverage. I recommend Consumer Cellular to anyone who is looking for a new phone service.
 
I pay $15 a month for 5 GB data, unlimited text and talk with Mint Mobile, not contract. If you would like a referral let me know and I will give you a link to use, if you use it to sign up, we both get a discount. T-Mobile just bought Mint Mobile. They have a free trial.
 
palides2021 said:
Wow! I think you nailed it when you wrote "they thought they had deeper pockets & I would crumble." I'm assuming you resolved the bill? I might consider going to the state's AG! Thanks!
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Yes the billed amount was removed & I've never had an entry on my credit report. Stupidly I invested buying a few shares of AT&T (T) for dividend yield last year (Yes, slow learner) then lost some of my investment when sold, though not much. So even Wall Street has soured on them.
 
I think you need to make your case to Walmart. Write out the whole ordeal in a list/sequence as it transpired. Recall exactly what the clerk Did say and what she Did Not tell you about the info she put in on your behalf. Bottom line is she sold you something you did not want. You should make a complaint against her as well. Walmart needs to help you cancel this service that you did not want to buy.
 
I bought my last smart phone at a local Verizon store. They were very helpful, and I got what I wanted. I'm also thinking at another Verizon store I could have run into a similar problem as yours. It varies not only company to company, but store to store, I suppose.
 
Sorry this happened. I guess the lesson is to know what you are paying for and how much it is before you sign anything or leave the store.
Regardless, I think you can get it corrected.
 

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