• Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular

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Overview

Consumer Cellular has a rating of 1.32 stars from 229 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Consumer Cellular most frequently mention customer service, sim card, and new phone problems. Consumer Cellular ranks 37th among Phone Card sites.

  • Service
    135
  • Value
    127
  • Shipping
    80
  • Returns
    70
  • Quality
    114
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 7.3%
Positive
11
Neutral
8
Negative
132
17
See all photos

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

No positive highlights yet

Critical highlights

  • This is the worse customer service stay away I have no access to phone service since everything was switched
  • Here it is two days later and she still has no phone service.
How would you rate Consumer Cellular?
Top Positive Review

“Pretty good coverage. Support not as good.”

Ben O.
2/14/24

I don't need support often but when I do, I expect it to live up to their claims. I called to speak with a "live" agent and found I needed a PIN. There is no option to either receive a PIN or get to someone who can give me a PIN. I finally got an agent (I won't tell you how). While looking for my records, we were disconnected. Went through the same procedure, and a different agent, and finally got a PIN and a suggested answer. I had another question and tried to use their "chat" option. The agent was answering my questions when the site "timed out". I received a survey which was designed to show how "nice" the agents are but not how good the service was. I have no suggestions of the customer except "Good Luck". For ConsumerCellular, "Spend less on ads and more your Customer Service.

Top Critical Review

“SCAM! RUN AWAY! RATING ZEROOOO!”

Colin T.
1/27/24

Husband and I have 2 phones with T-Mobile. One rep said it didn't matter what phones we had the sim would fit, WRONG! Called back next rep said now we need new phones AND chargers WITH the block! That's INSANE. Some random phone that I can't even use a generic block in?! Lonny story short saved us only $15 a month and thank god the sim didn't fit. Went to T-Mobile they took us right back and fixed it all and actually lowered my bill!

Reviews (229)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (95) phone service (22) sim cards (35)
Thumbnail of user colint152
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 27th, 2024

Husband and I have 2 phones with T-Mobile. One rep said it didn't matter what phones we had the sim would fit, WRONG! Called back next rep said now we need new phones AND chargers WITH the block! That's INSANE. Some random phone that I can't even use a generic block in?! Lonny story short saved us only $15 a month and thank god the sim didn't fit. Went to T-Mobile they took us right back and fixed it all and actually lowered my bill!

Tip for consumers:
It’s scam who knows what towers they use!! Stick to your company! Unless you’re really desperate I guess!

Products used:
None thank god!!!

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user dianaz334
1 review
0 helpful votes
February 18th, 2024

Buy a 30 year old flip phone from them,pay $20 to talk and text,a 1G data. Hmm 1G? That's enough to Search the web,to try and quit. The phone throw it and your 1970 tv,to try hit the stupid orange shirt guy,"boom" missed,try again. Or wait till the idiots wearing cardboard on they're backs. Really try contacting them,before you buy. And see how crappy CC is.

Thumbnail of user nicoleeereyes27
1 review
0 helpful votes
February 14th, 2024

I recently needed help activating a customer's phone with Consumer Cellular. Unfortunately, the customer service was disappointing. The woman I spoke with seemed more interested in laughing at me and asking me personal questions than in guiding me through the activation process. It felt unprofessional and judgmental, especially since I was reaching out for assistance. Despite this, I managed to activate the phone. I hope this feedback can lead to better service for others in the future.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user bethhoustoncpa
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
March 8th, 2024

Consumer Cellular recently removed the option for me to print my detailed bill when I login online, but still thinks they should be able to pull cash out of my bank account. My chat session was disconnected mid- chat after the rep said he "sent your bill", but he didn't. All I got was a notice AGAIN the my bill was available, & I should log in. But all that show is a total amount due, not the detailed bill I've been able to get in the past.

Thumbnail of user michaelj2156
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
March 20th, 2024

Their offices close at 6:30 pm Pacific Time. If you need customer service after 6:30, you are screwed untill the next day. Of all the customer service lines I've ever called this is the only one who keeps Bankers Hours (not even a foreign service to answer after hours calls). I ordered a new IPHONE from them, received the phone Friday, today is Tuesday and the phone is still not up and running. Thinking of switching service.

Tip for consumers:
They have "ZERO" Customer Service after 6:30 pm Pacific Time.
If you need help in the evening or on Sunday, you are just out of luck.

Products used:
iPhone 15

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user nothappyn4
1 review
1 helpful vote
January 24th, 2024

Multiple times phone can't receive or send messages or make and receive calls. Consumer Cellular waives their magic wand and it works again till next time. Never had this issue with Att or Verizon. Condescending reps, can't understand frustration, get defensive vs troubleshooting. Phone is needed! Need landline just to call Consumer Cellular to get phone to work!

Can't support android cellular watches. Get what you pay for, will jump back to a professional carrier soon.

Thumbnail of user jamess7960
5 reviews
0 helpful votes
March 8th, 2024

Every phone call I made only stayed connected for one or two minutes. Worst possible decision besides ATT you can make!
HORRIBLE CHOICE

Thumbnail of user paulb5174
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 4th, 2024

Tried to switch to.this company. Never received Sim card after charging me. They they start taking money from my account. No service. Customer service lies and claims i.had service they could charge foe. I asked for a statement to show the FCC. Watch them, the worst call company!

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user robw424
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
January 12th, 2024

They sent my elderly parent a new sim card for mandatory update. I spent hours trying to get it activated. I was transferred from one incompetent rep to another. Still not resolved. Hard to believe they are still in business.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user yocasu2020
1 review
1 helpful vote
January 14th, 2024

Consumer Cellular abruptly shut down my elderly mother's phone service during A bad ice storm blocking her only means to contact someone as she has no land line and lives alone - for no reason at all. According to multiple managers we spoke to they had no answer as to why this was done and simply kept apologizing for it being a mistake. My mother lives in a small rural town and they stated she would need to connect to internet to upload the new e Sim which they sent but in her area there are no Starbucks are businesses with public wifi. My mom had to drive 30 miles to try and connect her phone so that it would work but since she has the new iPhone 15 pro max and it's notorious for not connecting this proved difficult. Here it is two days later and she still has no phone service. Also, they need to better train their agents. Their agent sent my mom a new iPhone because she did not transfer her contacts over and he said it was impossible to do after phone set up. Apple corrected this in a few minutes and had her contacts transferred to her phone but the new phone had already been shipped.

Products used:
IPhone

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user marionh226
1 review
1 helpful vote
January 25th, 2024

If you call Consumer Cellular without a pin you will receive no help. Just think you are 78 years old and you forget your PIN. You would think that you could verify my information some other way. No they can not.
I even spoke with a Supervisor who could not help me.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user robertd5354
1 review
0 helpful votes
February 1st, 2024

First sent me a broken cracked lens secondly,the previous owner of the number was a deadbeat.i got a hundred collection agency calls a day.I don't recommend this company at all!

Thumbnail of user christah101
1 review
0 helpful votes
February 21st, 2024

From the day i talked to the first employee, i was lied to, and the lies didn't stop until i left. I was told $35 for 50mg of data, and i would NEVER reach that. I most certainly did hit it, and then they throttled it so slow my phone would time out before i got into my accounts. When you get to that point, they throw you into a higher cost plan without your permission. When i asked to speak to a supervisor for this problem, he had the gull to tell me "usually there isn't any problems, since customers my age don't usually use that much data"! WTH...I did not appreciate being profiled because of my age. I was only with Consumer Cellular for a few months, and now i'm with T-Mobile. I think i'll stay there.

Products used:
Monthly phone plan.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user michellel2611
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 16th, 2023

I bought a Samsung Fold 5 on November 7, December 7, Dead Dead. 9 days still without my $1750 phone and no answer! Save yourself Grief!;

Products used:
Fold 5

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user tomt940
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
December 13th, 2023

They are a fraudulent operation that preys on seniors through lies and deceit.

No matter what you are told by their "customer service" reps, do not believe them, especially if you are purchasing a phone through them. I was told I could exchange a flip phone, which was technically incoherent on so many levels, for a less expensive, easier to use phone for my elderly friend.

I was forced to pick up all shipping charges and then found out they refused the phone because it wasn't "like new". The issue? A microscopic scratch in the charging port ( see photo). Other than that its appearance and functionality were perfect.

Also, don't be fooled by their AARP endorsement. When I complained to AARP, they dragged their feet contacting Consumer Cellular and then weeks later told me there was nothing they could do.

Buyer (especially seniors) be very, very careful with both these organizations. They are not what they say they are.

Products used:
Cell Phone

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user monkw1947
1 review
6 helpful votes
October 9th, 2023

While trying to switch service from Verizon to CC, reps were unable to do so leaving our phones locked for 14 days. They simply blamed it in Verizon calling them bad names. While one rep was apologetic and tried, the other ways dismissive, cavalier, and insulting. Absolutely the worst 3 hours of my life. Left the store without phone service and bitter. CC may have good rates, but they have no brick and mortar presence and sales force with little ability or concern for their customers.

Thumbnail of user cherylj28
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
January 5th, 2024

*DONT SWITCH SERVICES *
I called Consumer Cellular after commercials came on every 5 mins. ( That should have been a clue) I finally called and waited on the line for about 10 mins. When he answered (Matthew) he asked me " How many lines will you need" I told him that I just needed 1 line but that I wanted to switch from my Company and that I had a nervous condition and needed him to listen because I could tell he wasn't listening but reading a script. He immediately got an attitude and said I need to call back another time.
I'm so glad that I didnt switch. This lets me know what I would be dealing with in the future. These people PREY on Senior Citizens and should be banned. Very disrespectful.

Thumbnail of user onslowa
1 review
18 helpful votes
April 5th, 2023

Purchased the Verve Snap. Went through 2 phones in less than 5 months due to poor quality and unrealiability. No warranty refunds or credit offered on these defective phones. Poor signal strength. Poor low battery life, needs to be charged daily even if not in use. Consumer Cellular continues to take bank withdrawals for service even though service has been canceled. Which is in dispute as of now. One word = Nightmare!

Tip for consumers:
Consumer Cellular is a rip off!

Products used:
Consumer Cellular

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user melanieg518
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 10th, 2024

I call consumer Cellular to inquire about their cell service! I asked if we could use our current phones, and they said as long as they were unlocked from our current carrier, we could! Our phones were relatively new and didn't need new ones! After numerous hours trying to figure out why our phones wouldn't work they told us that our phones weren't compatible with their towers! WHAT! Your company told us we could use our phones as long as they were unlocked from our previous carrier! Talk to a manager they just apologized and gave me the runaround! They would not give me any kind of discount on new phones or compensate me for their mistake! I was forced to buy new phones because we had already set everything up with their SIM cards and shut off our other service! This is just crazy to me! Why couldn't they just let us know that some phones work compatible, and I would have waited until we need a new phones!

Thumbnail of user jaxdog59
1 review
5 helpful votes
September 17th, 2023
Verified purchase

My cell phone had terrible reception. After years of playing my bill on time, I finally decided to switch carriers. I contacted consumer cellular and then the night mare happened. After numerous calls hours and hours weeks and weeks. I was only able to get one phone to work. As of today my wives and sons phone don't work. And they keep billing me for my account that I'm trying to cancel. The new phone carrier said it's taken 3 months to fix accounts. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS.

Tip for consumers:
Their customer service totally sucks. Been trying to fix issues for three plus weeks. Totally horrendous.

Products used:
Three phone lines.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user cynthiam2799
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 28th, 2023

When disconnecting service, was told I would only have one more charge. Two months later was charged again even after I was told only one more charge. Spoke to customer service and then transferred to supervisor. Was threatened to be sent to collections if they took the second charge off. Consumer cellular does false advertising, lies to the consumers and threatens to send consumers to collections. BBB and consumers needs to know how bad their business practices are!

Thumbnail of user whittler2ll
3 reviews
24 helpful votes
July 18th, 2023

Ted Danson i can't believe you put your name behind this company. They totally misrepresented them selves. They told me my phone was compatible with their service and I would have great phone service at my house. Both very untrue. No one could make a phone call to me and I couldn't make a phone call. In my business I rely on my phone heavily. They cost me a lot of money. Customer service was even horrible. Don't trust them. Going back to Verizon. Shame on you Ted.

Thumbnail of user valariebodeau55
1 review
2 helpful votes
December 7th, 2023

After three years of nonstop issues of phones not being able to maintain the network connection,HOURS every call to support, being spoken to like an idiot, hung up on, heard lies for excuses and the last incident of going 9 weeks without a phone, and had my bill paid to current, their solution was to offer me a $150 CRRDIT IF I purchased another 1200 phone since the first three I paid for didn't work. Three years with documented issues by their own company, and not ONCE was a single thing resokved to anyone satisfaction but their own! I'm satisfied that CC can kiss my A$$!

Thumbnail of user geralynmarturana
1 review
31 helpful votes
April 30th, 2023

Phone's purchased for my 93 yr old Mother are not made for the elderly. Chose to close account in January 2023 and proceed to re-install land line. Consumer Cellular was providing "Port Out" numbers to provide to AT&T to release her Phone Number which we were not able to accomplish. I went forward with getting New Phone Number and now 3 months later, Consumer Cellular will not close account and continues to bill my Mother because we did not Port Out and Close account. Terrible Customer Service

Thumbnail of user jerryn346
1 review
20 helpful votes
June 21st, 2023

Why are they threatening collections on a no contract cell service when you decide to cancel the service because your elderly mother is in hospice care and she don't know what a cell phone is or planet she's on at this piont but they keep hounding and threatening they're un real what a joke this was a no contract service that we tried and when she got to the piont she's in we canceled her service and Consumer Cellar didn't like that so beware

Products used:
Flip phone

Service
Value
Returns
Quality

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About the business

Consumer Cellular provides unbeatable value on high-quality, no contract smartphones and cellular devices. In addition to flexible monthly plans, we proudly offer AARP members special benefits and monthly discounts. Sign up today and try us for 30 days...

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