I received my phone in Dec 2024 and was never told there was only a 90 day warrenty. Now I have NEVER had a smart phone in my life, so how am I supposed to know within 90 days what the phone is supposed to do and not do, when it started doing things I now know it's not supposed to do it was still under warrenty, but I did not know it was doing wrong. After about 5 or 6 months I figured out that some of what it was doing was not correct, and they will not do a thing, one of the worst things it does is get HOT with use, I guess the goverment and assurance wireless feels that handing out inferior and dangerious items to the public is acceptable!

I am a Social Security Disability welfare recipient on subsidized housing. Therefore I qualify for the government sponsored "Lifeline" free phone program. And the ONLY thing good about it is that it's FREE. The rest of it SUCKS! I have literally gone through a DOZEN phones with Assurance, which I HAVE TO accept as the ONLY provider assigned to the DC area I reside in, either because they CONTINUE to MALFUNCTION or because lately, Assurance has been sending them in a way that they are getting STOLEN ON DELIVERY!

I have had FOUR phones STOLEN already just this year BEFORE I got them when they were delivered to the residential apartment building I live in. MOST of them have been sent FedEx, which is ASSININE because the carrier DOES NOT have the mailbox key to put them in the mailbox where they will be (reasonably) secure and so MUST leave them OUTSIDE on the floor where they get STOLEN! When I called Assurance after the second phone was stolen, they told me they were changing their policy so that they would now ship ONLY USPS. That phone was stolen because apparently the mailman didn't leave it in the mailbox, so when I had to call back and reorder another one the agent told me they were going to ship it by FEDEX! After the FOURTH one was delivered and STOLEN, I received a postal message from Assurance stating that the account for the third phone was NOT canceled and the device had not only been ACTIVATED but WAS STILL IN USE!

HOW could THAT be when the ONLY WAY I could have ordered the FOURTH phone was to CANCEL the account for the PREVIOUS phone, which apparently the assurance agent I spoke to by phone DID NOT DO; which ALLOWED the THIEF TO CONTINUE USING IT!

When I responded to the email message from an Assurance "customer service" agent after I had sent a complaint about them to the FCC, I told her the entire situation and she responded that she would investigate it. When she again contacted me she said NOTHING about my request to her of CANCELING the third account so the phone would be UNusable! Therefore I had to contact NOT ONLY the FCC but the FBI as well that Assurance is ALLOWING ILLICIT USE of the phone intended FOR ME that now I as a DISABLED person have NO means to contact EMERGENCY SERVICES IF I need them! WHICH is PRECISELY the PRIMARY purpose of the phone Program for poor people!

I went to the Assurance Wireless website, and bought a new phone about 2 months before Now, because the previous 7 phones (the SCHOK Volt SV-55) we're all defective, after 2 months the Charge Port would break, and I wasn't able to charge them any longer.

Assurance Wireless replaced about 3 of them, but made me buy replacements for the other 3 that the Charge Ports had broken on.

The last 2 SCHOK Volt SV-55 that I bought from them, because they wouldn't give me a replacement for them, Assurance Wireless told me that they were going to be giving me an upgrade to a better phone than the SCHOK Volt SV-55 (because the Charge Ports were always breaking on them after 2 months), but they lied to me, and sent me the same old piece of crap SCHOK Volt SV-55.

So like I said in the first paragraph 2 months ago I went to the Assurance Wireless website for buying a phone, because I thought that if I bought an upgrade, then I wouldn't have to worry about the Defective SCHOK Volt SV-55 phones breaking on me anymore.

Well I bought a REVVL 4 the next upgrade from the Defective SCHOK Volt SV-55, because I thought that it would be better.

Well I don't have the problems anymore with the Change Port breaking anymore, But from day one the Speaker didn't Work!

There weren't any Instruction Manuals that came with it, No Charging Cord, or Charging Device that plugs into the wall, or cigarette lighter!

Nothing! Just a phone in a Box!

I called Customer Service, and told Them that the Speaker Doesn't Work!
That it Won't Ring (it only vibrates), and that No Charging Devices came with it!

They transferred me to the Company that the REVVL 4 came from, and they Hung Up on me!

I called the Customer Service for the REVVL 4 Phone again, and they Hung Up on me Again!

The following day I called Assurances Wireless again, and they Transferred me to the REVVL 4 Customer Service again, and they Hung Up on me Again!

I tried the same thing again the next day, and Again the Same thing happened to me Again!

So I Called Assurance Wireless Customer Service again, and told them that if the REVVL 4 Phone Customer Service kept Hanging Up on me that I was going to turn them into the Authorities!

But they didn't seem to Care.

I know that if this is Happening to me, I know that it must be happening to others who don't feel like fighting, or who can't Fight for their Rights, so I turned them into the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission, and they advised me to go to the Better Business Berrow.

I didn't contact the BBB yet, but I don't know if it would make a Difference, because the FTC, and the FCC, Haven't done anything yet, and it's been 2 months.

It's a Shame because, Assurance Wireless has been a great Company for over 12 years. I have been with them for over 13 years now.

But after they merged with Virgin Mobile, things changed, and again after they merged with T-Mobile, they've changed even more, for the Worst!

I want one of those nice Phones like the USA Government is giving to all of them Illegals, that are coming across our Southern Border!

I originally signed up for the unlimited talk, text, data plan. But after less than a week my phone said I had used all the data my plan offered and I couldn't go online. Every person I talk to tells me something different. I was told Sept 29 that within 3 weeks the unlimited everything plan that I originally should have had anyway, would be applied to my account. Then finally nov 4, after talking back and forth to different departments that I needed to talk to yet a diff dept and call back. On nov7, after more back and forth with different departments I was told within 48 hours it would be applied. Then on Nov 10, after more back and forth with different departments I was told to hang up and turn my phone off for five minutes and when I turn it back on it would work. It didn't. So on November 11 I was, after another hour and a half on the phone, told that with a 100% guarantee, it would be applied by morning. It wasn't. So then on November 12 I was told within 24 hours. It is now November 13 and I'm now being told 48hours. I have now not only ran out of data that should be unlimited but I've gone through all of my 1000 talk minutes that should also be unlimited. I only used 105 minutes for my personal calls. The other 895 minutes have been used with customer service trying to fix the problem. I no longer believe a single word that I am told. The agents, though difficult to understand at times, are very friendly while they do not fix my problem. What good is friendly customer service that does not help your situation? I would rather talk to a rude person that I can understand and have my issue resolved than deal with these friendly, polite people doing NOTHING for me.

895 MINUTES ON THE PHONE WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE AND MY ISSUE IS NO CLOSER TO BEING RESOLVED THAN IT WAS YHE MOMENT I FIRST CALLED.!

895 MINUTES!

On Aug 5 I was asked by an Assurances wireless street rep (Dc-Minn Ave Ne location) if I was interested in signing up for a free government phone. I asked what the catch is. He said there's no catch you just need to qualify. I asked what I need to qualify. He then asked for the last of my social and my home address. I repeatedly asked the reps are sure there's no catch. He repeated and laughs and said no there's no catch. He then showed me a T-Mobile Revel 5g phone. I asked can the phone number and phone be transferred to another carrier and the rep stated yes.
A few mins later he said I was approved. He said the phone he showed me was an upgrade phone and that the upgrade would cost me $137.00. I said I thought the phone was free? He showed me some flip phone and stated this is the free phone.
I paid for what I thought was a government free phone (Upgrade). After a week I rec a letter from Assurance wireless stating my ACP benefits has been transferred from Xfinity to Assurance wireless. I never authorized this transfer. I was never asked if I had ACP benefits. I called assurance wireless to complaint and let them know I was manipulated by their street rep. Only to be told the phone is free and I shouldn't have paid for the phone. I told him I was lied to by your rep and ask that my ACP benefits be transferred back to Xfinity. The Assurance wireless phone rep told me he will cancel my ACP benefits with them and for me to call Xfinity to put my ACP benefits back on my account.

I recently rec a bill stating I owe Xfinity $67 and it need to paid by the end of Sep. After speaking with a new Xfinity rep today (09/08/23), I was told I don't have any benefits and that I need to reapply. I was told I didn't have ACP benefits and that my application expired on 08/05/23 (the day the Assurance wireless rep hijack my ACP Benefits without my permission). Now I have a $67.00 internet bill and a $136.00 phone I can't use. I'm at a lost and no one is trying to help me. I tried returning the phone but was told, there is no place for me to return the phone.

I shouldn't have paid for the phone because the phone was free. I need help and this is all too confusing. I feel bamboozled and manipulated by a program that is supposed to help my family and me. Instead they are taking advantage of the low-income families who really need these services by withholding important qualifications requirements in order to rec the "Government free phone". Pressuring the consumer to pay for a upgrade on a free phone.

My Brother is disabled I love him and try to be there for him as much as I can to make him comfortable, I paid for shipment in January this year, for assurance wireless to seen my Brother the first phone, but what I did not know that my Brother was having audio speaker problems from when he first got the phone, but I didn't know about it until June last month,so I called assurance wireless and told them about the issues with the phone, the rep lied said I wouldn't have to pay another shipping charge and the phone will be there 4 to 5 business days, we waited 10 days and called back they asked me did I pay a shipment fee and I told them no because the representative said that I wouldn't have to pay a shipment fee, that was lying and deception had us waiting for a phone knowing they did not send it bad business, so I went ahead and pay for the phone and the shipping and they sent it to him in 3 days they told me it was going to be a new brand phone it wasn't going to be the same phone that he had, how about when he got it it is the same phone, my brother activated it and it has the same problem he can't hear me I can't hear him the phone goes out and stays blank release in the 15 minutes, I called boost Mobile back and told them the issue with the phone and they said they was going to send another brand phone, they sent him another phone this past Weds that I paid for the phone and shipping,unfortunately it was the same phone that phone, my brother has not activated it yet because he's afraid it's going to have the same problem. At this point I'm fed up and he is as well so we think we're going to find another company to get his service through assurance wireless should be ashamed of themselves they want the government money but they can't supply the equipment that's sufficient in working correctly.

My name is Mary Mulhall, I signed up with assurance wireless in March of 2023 today is June 23rd I am on my third phone that is completely broken black screen I spoke with eight Representatives all together and I am 70 years old totally disabled in a wheelchair, and my phone is my lifeline to the world for groceries and medical, everything I need is on the phone that broke, it has all my medical information on it, and they will not tell me how to retrieve that information unless I buy another phone from them, they just hung up on me twice, I have a bad heart and right now I am in tears and having a hard time breathing. I had to buy minutes on a phone to use until I got my phone from assurance which was supposed to arrive on June 16th, I still have not gotten it because they want me to prepay $20 for shipping, I have a lifeline service from assurance through the government, so it's a free phone and free service, but they want $20 to send me a replacement phone, I don't have an extra $20 to send them because I live on a disability payment every month and every dollar is accounted for. Actually purchasing the extra minutes on another phone has so far cost me $38 which I didn't want to spend and it's really put me in a hole with my checking account.
I told assurance I am going to sign up with trueconnect because I cannot stay another month with assurance. I asked Regine if I could port my phone number, because I have early Alzheimer's and that is a very easy number for my brain to remember, and that's when she hung up on me the second time, when I told her I was switching to true connect and I needed to Port my phone number. I have to buy more minutes when I'm finished writing this review because I won't get my phone from truconnect for maybe a week or two.
I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have had Assurance Wireless for several years now, but I am switching carriers today although I am still eligible for a free phone. During my many calls to Assurance due to problems, I have always found their service reps to be very polite and as helpful as they could be although they can be difficult to understand. Most I've talked to are in the Philippines. The problem is Assurance's phones. I was sent a Schok Volt SV55 in January. I was real happy to get rid of another bad phone, a Unimax, that comes loaded with malware that blocks incoming calls and wastes your minutes. But the Schok is even worse! 90% of the time it does not ring, so I don't know a call is coming in. And it does not put a notification bubble by the phone icon, so I don't know I missed a call. It never makes a sound or vibrates when a text comes in either, so those also go unanswered since there is no notification bubble put on the message icon. Plus, texts can be received by the Schok much later than they were sent. Also, when I'm on a call the phone often cuts out; so I cannot hear the other person although I know they can hear me. So I just explain and keep talking until the phone lets me hear them again a minute or so later. That happens repeatedly during a call. And the camera doesn't work. And it erased the pics from when it did. Recently, Assurance told me that this phone is out of warranty and that I need to buy another phone. Think they said one would cost $59. Not a bad price for a real phone, but not a toy phone. And you get what they send. You do not get to choose even though they make it look like you can online. They didn't say so, but I'd most likely get another Schok since that's what they are sending out now. I do not need another toy phone. Am switching to Spectrum, which is free for me for a year then $29 a month bottom line. I'm just sick of the hassle. You can only be in one free phone program at a time, so you have to leave a carrier to be eligible for a free phone through a different one. Had I done research BEFORE getting Assurance Wireless, I would've gone with Q link, which has a much higher satisfaction rating, and you can bring your own phone! Which means you can have a good one. If you research carriers before applying to one, you may save yourself a lot of aggravation.

The customer service is friendly however they seem to give dishonest information and from representative to representative they may change their information they give you, I've actually had them change the information they gave me while still on the same call with the same representative. A lot of people making comments about them being Indians or foreigners or whatever, their English seems fine your not speaking in Shakespearian vernacular here -- I never got the idea they didn't understand what I was saying or vice verca.
Seems like a lot of inconsistency and dishonesty and the phone they send you is absolute crap horrible -- I know those who made comments about them being from India (I had one from thailand also personally) making some comment about it being anti American -- well check who makes the phones they make you
The United States Of America
When I say they are horrible - I think this is the cheapest worst piece of crap phone I ever had. It got very muffled at times to hear the person and I feel the opposite occured also at times -- within a few days the power button stopped working and then the phone would not plug into the power cord - either the pins used in the phone are very iffy and kinda bent or something or the charger they sent you had connections that were kinda iffy -- it was probably a little bit of both.

They also did say you could use your own older phone if it was unlocked (and they even told me at one point they sold the phone I wanted to use- an iphone 7 - but that Id have to buy it from them, then another associate said they dont sell that phone, then another associate said they dont even have a store to buy them from, and another associate said they couldn't give me a pyhsical location for a store because the locations where always changing and on the move ( as if describing how to find the location for your favorite secret location food truck or something). Then I checked on their site and it said the iphone 7 was compatible and one link even did say you could buy it form them, albeit preowned, although I don't think that link worked. They said they were about to resolve the issue to that it could be used and they would contact me once it was resolved, they did send me an email, very vague, with little specific information stating that the issue was resolved-- the phone still did not work with their SIM card... it really just goes on and on, lots of inconsistencies not even between representives individually but the same ones, lots of what seems like dishonesty, and some of the worst phones I ever used and Ive had like some pretty basic crappy ATT type go phones and older before.

I hear Mint mobile is pretty decent - going to to try Cricket
Id just try somewhere else but hoping you got better luck
They definitely could do a lot better in probably every aspect possible but, yeah
Have a great one
Adam

EDIT
I did remove the back of the phone and it actually states
Designed in USA
Made in China
Just to verify that

Sometimes I read these and possibly think they look bogus or read the thing about saying they don't know how to speak English and what not so I felt obligated to write you something legitimate here I assure you this is my personal experience however as stated above yours may differ (you can hope)

Assurance wireless has given me a runaround ever since June they told me to cancel with the old provider that I hadn't used in years I've done that and then I had to reapply three times and my application was denied then I was assured that my application went through they walked me through the application over the phone because trying to do it online gives you a hard time then I talk to someone again and they tell me they're not allowed to do applications over the phone they say one thing then they say another they completely gave me a straight run around a big headache and made me more sick than I ever was I don't even want to phone from them they lie and they tell you things just to make it sound good and then they tell you that they're so sorry for the inconvenience but if they were sorry for the inconvenience they will stop inconvenience. And I'm calling a new station and reporting them. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL USE LIE AND YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR WORD YOU GAVE ME A BIGGEST RUNAROUND EVER I HAD TO REPEAT EVERYTHING SO DAMN MUCH THAT'S ALL I SAY THAT WHEN I SPEAK IS REPEATING MY NAME AND INFORMATION AND EVERYTHING OVER AND OVER AND THEN USE ALL PLAY DUMB LIKE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING USE A WRONG FOR THIS I HOPE EVERYONE SEES THIS DAMN REVIEW! ALL YOU DID WAS LIE AND GIVE ME A RUN AROUND TELL ME SOMETHING WAS COMING AND IT NEVER CAME TELL ME SOMETHING WAS TAKEN CARE OF YOU TOLD ME TO CANCEL AN OLD PROVIDER I'VE DONE THAT AND I HADN'T USED THAT PROVIDER IN MANY... THEN LAST NIGHT YOU TOLD ME THAT I SWITCHED PROVIDERS WHEN I DIDN'T DO THAT YOU WENT BACK TO SQUARE ONE GIVING ME A BIG RUN AROUND AGAIN ONCE AGAIN I HOPE EVERYONE READS THIS REVIEW BECAUSE I AM NOT LYING I GIVE UP I'LL PAY FOR A PHONE AND GET A BETTER PHONE BECAUSE NUMBER ONE YOUR PHONE IS ALREADY CHEAP AND IT DOESN'T WORK CHARGER GETS HOT WHEN IT'S CHARGING AND ALL OF THAT BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN THE IMPORTANT THING THE IMPORTANT THING IS THE RUNNING AROUND YOU'VE BEEN GIVING ME SINCE THE FIRST WEEK IN JUNE AND THEN ASSURING PEOPLE THAT THINGS ARE OKAY JUST TO TELL THEM THAT IS NOT WHEN THEY TOOK CARE OF WHAT YOU TOLD THEM TO TAKE CARE OF ALREADY OR YOU DO IS LIE I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD LIFE AND I HOPE WHATEVER YOU PUT PEOPLE THROUGH YOU FEEL IT THROUGH ONE DAY AND THEN IT'LL MAKE YOU SICK WITH A BIG HEADACHE I HAVEN'T HAD A PHONE ALL THIS TIME WAITING ON YOU PEOPLE OR YOU DID WAS LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE IN A RUN AROUND BACK AND FORTH I'M REPORTING YOU TO WHOEVER I CAN