I sent the letter below to the CEO of Vigin Mobile over a month ago. Thus far, there has been no response.
Can anyone suggest a decent, inexpensive prepaid cell phone service?
August 14, 2008
Daniel H. Schulman, CEO
Virgin Mobile USA
10 Independence Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Warren, NJ 07059
Dear Mr. Schulman,
Ref: Virgin Mobile phone number (XXX) XXX-XXXX
I purchased a Virgin Mobile Marbl phone from Target on April 23, 2007 and signed up for an account through your Web site on April 24.
The phone has never worked properly. Here is what I wrote about the problem to your ourteam@virginmobileusa.com email address on July 17, 2007:
We bought a Kyocera Marbl recently; our phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. The battery lasts less than a day when fully charged, even when no calls are placed or received. Even a short call makes the battery last for a lot less time. Furthermore, the low-battery warning is pretty much useless, because the phone konks out almost immediately after the battery is displayed.
I received a response (tracking number XXXXXX) telling me that I had to call to troubleshoot the phone. I passed this on to my wife, who actually uses it.
She made two subsequent attempts to call you. The first time she called, she found your telephone menu system so time-consuming impenetrable that she eventually gave up. The second time, she did manage to find her way into the supposedly correct queue for speaking to someone about the issue, but she ended up waiting on hold for so long that, again, she eventually gave up.
And then, since we are both very busy people, the phone simply sat, unused, in a drawer, and we continued to pay Virgin Mobile $20 every 90 days for a phone that we could not use.
A long time later, in March 2008, I ordered a new battery for the phone from a third-party site, Factory Direct Cellular. My reasoning was that since the battery was probably the problem, and it was apparently too much of a pain to get decent help from Virgin Mobile, it was easier just to pay to replace the battery ourselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t help – the phone continues not to work properly, even with the new battery.
Today, I decided to try one more time to get Virgin Mobile to address the problem. I called and spoke to one of your agents, explaining that we had tried on at least two prior occasions to get Virgin Mobile to address the issue and had been unable to do so. The agent with whom I spoke (after navigating your obnoxious menu system and waiting on hold for several minutes) apologized for the trouble, claimed that the phone was still under warranty, and said that she would transfer me to the department that would be able to arrange to send out a replacement.
The second agent, with whom I spoke after being transferred (after once again waiting on hold for several minutes), contradicted the first agent, informed me that the phone was not under warranty, and said that her “hands were tied” and there was nothing she could do about the problem. I asked to speak to someone whose hands were not tied.
The third agent, who claimed to be a floor supervisor, once again insisted that she could not replace the phone. I explained to her that she could see clearly from our account records that we had almost never used the phone, and that we had tried twice within its warranty period to get Virgin Mobile to address the problem. She claimed to have no record of that. I offered to fax to her a copy of the email message in which I first notified Virgin Mobile that the phone wasn’t working, and she said that would not do any good.
You sold me a bad phone, and you’ve provided me with bad service. You’re about to lose me as a customer because of it, but you can keep me as a customer for the foreseeable future simply by replacing the bad phone you sold me and apologizing for the bad service my wife and I have received in our repeated attempts to get this problem addressed.
The alternative is that I’m going to use the cash balance on my account to purchase a phone from your Web site, auction it off on eBay in an attempt to recoup at least some of the money you’ve stolen from me, cancel my Virgin Mobile account, switch to another vendor, and then tell everyone I know, in person, through my blog and in postings to Internet forums I frequent, to avoid Virgin Mobile like the plague.
It’s your choice. I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kamens
What you have to understand is that Bell and Rogers do not want competition so Bell bought Virgin and Rogers bought Fido about a year ago and they are both slowly turning them into garbage cell phone services. This way it will look like they went out of business on their own and that Bell and Rogers are NOT trying set up a monopoly. The best way to eliminate the competition is to buy it up and then run it into the ground. A few years ago Virgin and Fido used to be pretty decent services and a competitive alternative to the monopolies but all that is gone and no one seems interested in stopping them since most governments run on corruption as well. As long as Bell and Rogers can make it look like Virgin and Fido just didn’t work the harder it will be for the CRTC to do anything about it. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!. The big boys want $100 a month cell phone services and screw you if you think you can make a difference.
they suck my daughter went through 4 phones in 1 year. they dont understand what your saying at all i had to yell so manny times just to say what i need help with. there so called EXPERTS made me read the book online so i could help myself well isnt that what they get payed for?
I hate virgin mobile they said they worked atmy house like sprint and it doesnt ad they use sprint and then they didnt work in my house. they r worse then at&t. Verizon and t mobile are the best choices. If you have a lot of money get verizon if u dont get t mobile. I am cheap so i am going with t mobile because i am getting the galaxy nexus because i had lg optimus and rumor touch RUMOR TOUCH DONT GET PHONE!!! I hate virgin mobile it always freezes the phone and virgin mobile always has my lg phone turn off i think its lg and virgin mobile combined that make a bad smart phone!! i am getting galaxy nexus on t mobile because at&t is to expensive plus its cheaper
I was with Virgin Mobile for about six months with a Blackberry phone and I wanted to upgrade and got an android phone on cyber monday. It did not work would npt pick up e-mails so I sent it back after no help or service and closed the account, Got a much better phone at Metro with 4G it is awesome.
Meanwhile I request a refund of the funds I had in my account for future service and after a hundred e-mails I get we can’t refund since you closed the account. THEY SUCK and No 4G and lousy phones that the big providers don’t want. STAY AWAY. They suck a million times worst then ATT plus no phones and no 4G
yeah dont buy one mine never has worked
I’m on vm right now, can’t say I’ve had problems with the service, sure it hiccups every now and then. However what makes me mad is where they charge you outrageous prices for stuff like games and ringtones. They then make damn sure they can block anyway of you making your own ringtones or bluetoothing them. Don’t know if anyone else had this problem as well. Especially if you switch phones to another one this is from their company you can’t get you old ringtones or games sent to your new phone and have to buy them all over again. Also its not free to call someone else who has a vm number which was annoying cuz I was hopeing my husband and I could talk for free. I bought a Kyocera Loft that can’t even play vids which really erks me cuz I love youtube 🙁 I bought this phone so I could actually see pix on my emails from a previous vm phone but now this one doesnt play vids? I know I should have looked on the box to see if it does before purchasing but when you look at the bigger pic the phone looks lk a blackberry so theres no reason it should’nt be able to play vids. Anyways probably going to pass this phone on to my mom cuz it has a large screen for her and switch company’s altogether 🙂
I’m on vm right now, can’t say I’ve had problems with the service, sure it hiccups every now and then. However what makes me mad is where they charge you outrageous prices for stuff like games and ringtones. They then make damn sure they can block anyway of you making your own ringtones or bluetoothing them. Don’t know if anyone else had this problem as well. Especially if you switch phones to another one this is from their company you can’t get you old ringtones or games sent to your new phone and have to buy them all over again. Also its not free to call someone else who has a vm number which was annoying cuz I was hopeing my husband and I could talk for free. I bought a Kyocera Loft that can’t even play vids which really erks me cuz I love youtube 🙁 I bought this phone so I could actually see pix on my emails from a previous vm phone but now this one doesnt play vids? I know I should have looked on the box to see if it does before purchasing but when you look at the bigger pic the phone looks lk a blackberry so theres no reason it should’nt be able to play vids. Anyways probably going to pass this phone on to my mom cuz it has a large screen for her and switch company’s altogether 🙂
These guys are a joke, now they have raised there rates for from $25-$35 and now there telling me I have to pay 25 cents for ever picture message. I have had three phone for my kids for the last year and I’m looking to change…virgin mobile sucks!!!
I’m not surprised you didn’t get a response. I don’t expect one for my rant either:
http://www.wildernessvagabonds.com/zp/index.php?p=news&title=how-virgin-mobile-turned-a-customer-into-an-enemy
They do suck, majorly. My best friend had a phone that she gave me that she didn’t want to use anymore, so I took it and started using it. I never had a cell phone in my life, and I thought it was going to be great having one. Mine was a Kyocera. It wasn’t the best phone, but at least it was something. The phone cards were outrageoulsy expensive. And my grandfather let me use his credit card to purchase minutes. I accidently overcharged it to almost 300 dollars. They suspended my account, so I had to call them to see if they could re-activate it and I was talking to some Inidian person that I couldn’t even understand. They told me to wait 30 days and that they needed approval a fax from the credit card company with the woman’s signature so that they could re-activate it. She was nice enough to sign it and sent it to them. The slimeballs never reactivated it and I now refuse to ever use their services again.
i have broadband, and have issues with it at least once a month and have to call tech support, this last time i called the gentleman said that “i get calls from people like you evryday, and you all have the same attitude”
For every comment on this page there are 1000 pissed of VM customers. Keep that in mind if you ever think about doing something with Virgin Mobile.
They target their services towards teens and young adults, I think because they figure that if your young you don’t know what $*!tty service is. I do.
For every comment on this page there are 1000 pissed of VM customers who haven’t bothered to post. Just keep that in mind if you are thinking about doing anything with Virgin Mobile.
Pingback: Virgin Mobile Auto-Topup broken for months « Something better to do
i currently had my dad buy me a virgin mobile phone and a 20 top up card, usually you can get unlimited texting for a month with it, that changed now. and the only other option is 25 dollar top up. problem is i dont have a credit card to buy it and they dont make cards for it. my father a hard working guy cant pay 30 dollars a month for the same exact thing. they made it impossible for anyone middle class without a credit card to be on any of their plans. their horrible and I will NEVER recommend them again.
here we go…I purchased a $100.00 phone for my son Chris. It broke. One month on and off with tech support, they agreed to send him a new phone. When they did, I promptly sent the other phone back in the bag that was provided. I also included the return number on an index card inside of the envelope. My son received a text stating that if he does not return the old phone, his new phone would be shut off. I called tech support to find out what happened. I was told that they were not able to contact the warehouse where the phones come into and that we would have to wait until his service was suspended to get any further assistance. It has now been suspended. I called twice, the first time they attempted to connect me to the “warehouse” and I was on hold for 10 minutes then disconnected. The second time I was on hold for 15 minutes and the person I was speaking with simply said I did not return the phone and that I was to leave a contact number so that someone could call me back within 24 hours. I asked what they would be calling me back for, he stated to find out more information. More information??? I have given the SAME information 12 times. I would like to know when my sons service will be restored or when I will be reimbursed for the original $100.00 phone that did not work. My phone number is xxx.xxx.xxxx. I really do not expect a callback as I have had nothing but poor service each and every time I have called. This email is being sent to you and to Consumer Watchdog and the BBB and any other consumer advocacy port I can locate. Not to mention this email will be posted on every board that I can possibly find for dissatisfied Virgin Mobile users. And I am assured there are plenty. Thank you. Laurie Grantham
don’t buy phones from them, and don’t payfor warranty plans. Its a rip off. I bought a cheap Kyocera flip phone on ebay for $15 free shipping and one for $20 for my wife. If they go bad I will just toss them and buy another cheap phone. I have a third phone for a backup $10 LG. if one quits just go to the web site and swap phones and in 2 min your back up.
I aggree their service is pretty poor, have had problems with bogus .25 charges, no number (blank) no minutes used.. just XTRA, call or email and bitch and get it credited.
This company is [bleep] I just got a new phone. They won’t give me the right area code, half the stuff doesn’t work, customer service all has red dots on their Indian heads and you can’t understand them. Alex can go burn in a hole. This company is horrible I hate it so much.
Okay I’m trying to hear my voice mail on my Virgin Moible Kyocera TnT phone but I can’t figure out my passcode. I’ve tried my pin number, the last 4 digits of my phone number, my entire phone number but no luck.
I’ve called Alex at Virgin Mocible Customer Servcice a half dozen times. Virgin Mobile Customer Service tells me they have reset the passcode, but it’s not true. I still can’t access voice mail or reset the passcode. Then, Virgin Moble Customer Service says my problem has been escalated and I will be called back in 2 hours or the higher techs will resolve it, but it’s not true. I cannot access voicemail. I cannot set a new passcode.
The cell phone rings again and again in the middle of the night to tell me I have new voice mail but I can’t accessit or even get rid of it.
As soon as the balance is used up, I’m changing phones. It woke me up again during the wee hours, and I decided to tell everybody how Virgin Mobile Customer Service is useless, incompetent and worthless.
I am so disgusted! Just over a week and I can no longer send out texts. I’m insisting on a refund on the phone, on my minutes and I’m going to an actual company that matters.
I was using Virgin Mobile for a year or so and found their service and custumer assistance to be an absolulte nightmare.
I couldnt get through to tech support so the only other thing I could do to cancel my service was to call my credit card company cause I was on automatic billing and make sure they couldnt charge me for such dispicable service.
I now have a blackberry with verizon and couldnt be happier. Remember, you GET what you pay for.
I have a cheapie Kyocera phone from VM which I barely ever use. I had my account set to auto topup every 90 days. Over the course of many months I used the phone very rarely, but I never had any trouble with it when I did. Then my credit card expired and all hell broke loose. VM discontinued my service with no warning because they couldn’t siphon a $20 topup from my expired card. I went online and found that I had $118 in my account from all those unused auto topup bucks. I sent them an email asking why I had to top up. No reply. I went back online and changed my plan to minute to minute, with auto topup only when the account balance drops to $5. The change in plans is recogized when I log into my account, but THEY ARE STILL INSISTING THAT I HAVE TO TOP UP BEFORE SEPT. 5. Yes, it is now 10 days later. I can’t get ahold of a real person, “Alex” is worthless, and when I try to send a message to them from their website it says “URL not found”. What a shitty company! I’m afraid that now they are just going to ignore me, hope I go away and keep my $118. Lousy, lousy customer service.
You have to top up because your minutes expire and your account goes inactive if you don’t put any money into it for 90 days.
I am planning on canceling my service with Virgin Mobile Canada. About 2 months ago, they did this “moving” of services thing (my boyfriend had the same thing, but his was done a month earlier). Not sure what the point of this was exactly. He ended up getting a bill closing one account, and had to call to figure it out, for some reason they just don’t move your information online and you have to re-register everything, which has been annoying in itself.
To make a long story short, they did this moving of services, which basically messed up my account. I can’t get onto the account online now for some reason, they shut off my phone while I was on vacation (the phone doesn’t work overseas) and I can’t get through to anyone who can speak english.
I intend on canceling my service. I will go speak to someone at a virgin booth directly. I’m locked in until Aug 2011, but if this continues I intend on just paying the $20/month and cutting my services.
I will always advise people to go to a more reliable service.
I am purchasing a satellite phone, screw Virgin Mobile and every other cellular carrier, they are all liars and thieves!!!
Virgin Mobile lies about its rates, coverage area, and their customer service sucks. DO NOT DEAL WITH THE THIEVES!
my freaking virgen mobile alwys has problems today i kant even to up my phone because the websie is not working and 1t always saiz 403 error.. damn im going to switch next month.. for sue bye virgen mobile and [bleep]..
I hate them so much. My phone isn’t receiving texts or sending them, so i try to change to my older phone and guess what? Their [bleep] [bleep] website won’t work. Virgin mobile, [BLEEP]! I’m switching
ok so i tottally agree with everyone on here..virgin mobile is the most biggest pieces of [bleep] on the face of the earth..there as disgustin as [bleep]..u wait hours on end to talk to customer service. u send them emial after email.rite now ive had a phone for 8 days and i havent recieved a message sent..ppl get mine but i dont get theres.. i tried the battery pull out method..doesnt work..and to make matters worth..i jus bouth that 25 mins plan with the internet and messages and 300 mins..haha i had all those problems and i know have 120 mins left and i havent called anybody but customer service ha funny they charged me huh.. wen i told them about it the non speaking english lady told me a FAKE CARD KEY NUMBER. knowin wen i hang up and it doesnt work i have to call bak continuin to use my mins. so i called again talked to alex then after another hour got thru again..i explain wat happened and she says we will refund ur money rite now *click* 0.o >:( ive had it im callin up rite now and saying im cancellin my account jus to talk to someone who understands english
virgin mobile really sucks their are really thieves & scumbags .. i will tell anyone that have plans with to cancel it n go to another cell phone carrier
I DESPISE virgin mobile. Their entire business model is set up to scam customers. Dollars vs Minutes… and dollars buy half the time,and with every refill card, they automatically assign $’s. To correct this, you need to spend 20 minutes in automated cust. service hell, only to speak to some [bleep] in India.
And if you want to buy just minutes, they require you to have ‘dollars’ on your phone, essentially charging you twice.
Virgin Mobile = Thieves & Scumbags.
“TO VIRGIN MOBILE- I have been a customer of yours for well over 3 years and I used to brag about how great my service was for such a low price. BUT, for the last six months or so I have had NOTHING but problem after problem. Dropped calls, not being able to send or recieve txt/pic messages, and the BIGGEST problem of all, having to deal with a virtual advisor “ALEX” who never gets me to the right place. When I do finally reach a live person, that person barely speaks understandle english. Tonight I’ve been trying to send a picture of an important sketch to a potential customer for over an hour and for some reason the picture message will not go thru. I have plenty of messages left, in fact I am supposed to have UNLIMTED TXT AND PICTURE MESSAGING. What is the FREAKING PROBLEM GUYS??? If I lose this potential client because I am unable to send her this sketch I WILL BE EXTREMELY ANGRY!!!! Will you guys please get your crap together and actually service your customers!! I am seriously considering switching to another mobile carrier because honestly, I am sick and tired of all these inconviences you are causing me”
This is what I tried to send to virgin “[bleep]” mobile thru thier website and this is what message I recieved – The SPECIFIED URL CANNOT BE FOUND>
I am so thru with these idiots.
yeah virgin mobile sucks so bad i have 2 of there phones and not 1 of them can access the web all i get are 403 errors and redirct errors waste of freaking money aviod virgin mobile at all cost
im pissed about my virgin mobile service!! people barely get my text messages, which screws with my rellationship, and i dont get service, where they say i get service, i called and after a few moments a guy who barely even spoke english told me that i need to take my battery out for 15 seconds and put back in… he asked me if i tried that, i said i didnt think i had to do that to send text messages, demanded i get free textn for a month since ive been robbed of that money. the guy even asked me if i had the phone with me, i said im calling u from it!!! ugh, i definatly am trying to get ahold of someone importants phone number.