Is StraightTalk Phone Company Short Changing Customers?
I have been using StraightTalk since almost their beginning. In fact I was a beta tester and have basically been a very satisfied customer UNTIL now! I am a former CBS News consumer investigative reporter therefore I am no novice with Consumer Affairs.
Two months ago I bought a $30 1000 minute StraightTalk card instead of my usual $45 unlimited card. I noticed on the first card my 1000 minutes sure seem to run out quickly. While searching through my phone menu I found the Call Timer. So when I purchased my second $30 card I re-set the Call Timer so I could see if I was really going through those 1000 minutesu that quickly.
I discovered that I was not going through them that quickly and that myo math of 1000/60 = 17 hours and 7 minutes. I showed on my Call Timer being short changed approximately 150 MINUTES! I called StraightTalk and began what turned out to be a 1 HOUR around the world discussion that went through the foreign based outsourced rep and her supervisor before I got to Grace in the StraightTalk corporate office in Miami. Thank goodness Grace spoke and understood ENGLISH!
I explained to Grace for the third time the situation and my math calculations. She agreed to check on her computer with my records. Yes, StraightTalk has your entire calling history and about 15 minutes later she verified that I was correct for both months and reloaded my account with 300 minutes that I had been short changed!
Well tonight I go to make a call to find out that I am again out of minutes! I had reset the Call Timer when I received the 300 minutes. Now I find that I have apparently been short changed about 30 minutes by my calculations! Grace is a day timer so I will wait and call tomorrow.
I don’t know if there is a glitch in their software or they are seeing if they can get by with short changing not just me but possibly MILLIONS of $30 card users every 30 days! This could save them MILLIONS of dollars!
However they have screwed the wrong guy! You see one of my previous investigations for CBS News led to the closing down of the largest transmission repair company in the US in the late 1960s. I also caused supervisors for what is now called Verizon to stop their continuous run-around they were feeding my business partner in regards to a claim. They had fixed the claim within one hour of my calling this supervisor who came to my friend’s home with the repair crew. He also had trouble with some IKEA furniture that was shoddily installed and I had that resolved in ONE call to their PR person!
I plan to share this with not only my friend Clark Howard but also my former CBS News colleague Steve Croft now at 60 Minutes. Also will share with CBS affiliate in Miami and the Miami Herald.
If you also have been using a StraightTalk $30 card and feel you have been short changed then contact Grace during regular business hours and ask her to recalculate your pass several or more months of calls. If she finds you have been short changed please then contact me here on this blog.
Thanks and feel free to share with me any consumer related problems and I will see what I can do.
Hugh Simpson
Hugh,
Thanks so much for making folks aware of this and also for passing the information along to Clark Howard. You are doing the folks a great service.
Hello mr hugh simson. Im very glad u put ur 2 cents in. Im a truck driber with exwife and kids and my own life expenses to maintain. I dont make a whole lot of money. I was a 6 year true client with boostmobile till aboit amonth ago when i finally got sick of there lies,faulty fones and almost none existant service. So i transfered my number to straight talk and have been given a fone and apack of lies and miss leadings. When purchasing this fone i was not informed of walmarts 15 return. Nore wwas i when aftr only 3 days of service i had to call them in the philipins. I even spoke with the miami office . I had complaints bout this faulty fone. It doesnt charhe correctly or not at all. Discinmects from bluetooth quite frequently-and i cannot afford a 2650.00 fine- so i need the bluetooth .. it dials people all by itself. Like the exwife that i do not like at all.lol. it ovr heats and says to disconnect from charger immediatlt, so i do ! Well, i also purchased the 2 year plam but as ive been informd. I must mail my fone in and they will not send me a temporary one till mine is fixd or replased. I cannot afford another fone or nore can i be withiut a fone – period. I need it for my compamy and children. Even possible break down emergancys. So u see, they have been neglectfull with priorty info
WOW you truly have had a very bad experience with ST! By the way I have been disconnected from any cell phone for going on 7 weeks! It has been WONDERFUL! Also NO drop in my business instead actually MORE business! I just told my clients I was doing this and to email me. They have complied. Also found http:/:www.pinger.com and now use their FREE no strings attached texting at WiFi locations like our McDonalds. Even have 70 minutes of FREE cell service I have not even used.
Hugh Simpson
we are also “fed up” with straight talk sevice. my $20,000 Harley Davidson was stolen outside of a store in tx and my phone was in the bag . they wont trace the phone or even give me my own call log. we have 4 phones with them and they cant give us records on 1……..
I got one of their new smartphones for $99 and most of the time the G3 is screwed up! As of Monday I am trying an experiment with not using a cell phone.
In your case get through to Miami main office and ask for Grace. She is very receptive to problems.
I got my first smartphone last year from here. I was very very lucky 🙂 http://gadgetsales.net/exclusive You can get GalaxyS, iPhone and other goodies if you’re eligible. They are doing this promotion for some time this spring.