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expired Posted by holly_molly • Sep 26, 2019
expired Posted by holly_molly • Sep 26, 2019

Hello mobile review

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I just want to share my review for hello mobile as a lot of people would be interested in it after current tello pay as you go issue.

1. I had a sprint sim card so i didn't have to wait for them to ship the sim card. A lot of people initially complaint that they never got the sim card but were being charged in the meantime. i wanted to check the service so i took new no. from them instead of porting my primary number.

2. i choose $5 plan and got 2 months as offer. services started great. it took less than 10-20 minutes for service to start including their "network reset" procedure.

3. I have better sprint network in my area than t-mobile. Mint mobile was pathetic in my area with pages barely loading. I didn't checked speed but it was good enough for browsing and youtube 1080p didn't buffered.

4. after trying for a week, making calls and using sprint's visual voicemail app (premium is free for 15 days which is at 2 or 3 $ per month, else ad supported is free), i thought to move my primary number to it.


Now comes the horror part. I placed order for a sim under "byod". Placing order was a nightmare. I have to try multiple times and it kept on looping on different pages. Maybe I was using the same IMEI which was already activated in their system (as I only have one sprint compatible phone). Somehow i was able to place order and i have no idea if i can reproduce it again as it was really confusing.

It's been 2 days since tracking number have been provided and UPS haven't yet received the package. Then I noticed on UPS site that it have been shipped to billing address instead of the location where I am using it. They took 2 address while sign up, billing and area of use. Both are different for me as I am temporary staying in another state.

So today, I chatted them and asked if they can reship the sim to new address. The chat support was too slow. they takes lot of time to respond. it took me 4-5 messages to convey the message i need sim at new address. else everytime the person was saying to contact them once i get package. and i was like, that sim will be delivered 500 miles away from my current location. after couple of back and forth messages, the CS placed a new order for sim at my new address.

From last 2-3 days i was not using that phone so i thought let's use it more frequent in the mean time the new sim arrives. so that i will get to know the service and decide if i want to port my primary number to hello mobile or not.

on inserting the sim again, whooaah. it's not working. tried network reset and still no luck. the CS asked me ICCID and told it doesn't match in their system and to call them for support. CS was useless.

i called phone support and they were not available 2 hrs before the working hours. that's when i decided, i am not taking my primary number to hello.

i asked two CS to provide me with port out info and they rejected it. i informed one that FCC doesnt give you that authority to which they said we cannot provide unless you give reason. DENIED ON MY FACE.

now comes funny story. i chatted again and said i want to port out, give me port out info. i told i am not having network and CS is useless. phone support was not available hours before their working hours. and then based on response i came to know that their changed the SIM card number. WTH. the new sim card which was for new line, they swapped my current line with that ICCID and hence i was not having network. This CS didn't accepted it have been changed but he said this is ICCID for your number and sim is in processing.


I am taking my number to another provider but not hello mobile. tello gives $10.7 for 1gb +unlimited call including tax whereas hello gave at $10 including international calling to the country where i call which is another $3 pm via google voice. i guess i'll check with tello instead of hello mobile.


and they never gave me port out info. LMAO
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I just want to share my review for hello mobile as a lot of people would be interested in it after current tello pay as you go issue.

1. I had a sprint sim card so i didn't have to wait for them to ship the sim card. A lot of people initially complaint that they never got the sim card but were being charged in the meantime. i wanted to check the service so i took new no. from them instead of porting my primary number.

2. i choose $5 plan and got 2 months as offer. services started great. it took less than 10-20 minutes for service to start including their "network reset" procedure.

3. I have better sprint network in my area than t-mobile. Mint mobile was pathetic in my area with pages barely loading. I didn't checked speed but it was good enough for browsing and youtube 1080p didn't buffered.

4. after trying for a week, making calls and using sprint's visual voicemail app (premium is free for 15 days which is at 2 or 3 $ per month, else ad supported is free), i thought to move my primary number to it.


Now comes the horror part. I placed order for a sim under "byod". Placing order was a nightmare. I have to try multiple times and it kept on looping on different pages. Maybe I was using the same IMEI which was already activated in their system (as I only have one sprint compatible phone). Somehow i was able to place order and i have no idea if i can reproduce it again as it was really confusing.

It's been 2 days since tracking number have been provided and UPS haven't yet received the package. Then I noticed on UPS site that it have been shipped to billing address instead of the location where I am using it. They took 2 address while sign up, billing and area of use. Both are different for me as I am temporary staying in another state.

So today, I chatted them and asked if they can reship the sim to new address. The chat support was too slow. they takes lot of time to respond. it took me 4-5 messages to convey the message i need sim at new address. else everytime the person was saying to contact them once i get package. and i was like, that sim will be delivered 500 miles away from my current location. after couple of back and forth messages, the CS placed a new order for sim at my new address.

From last 2-3 days i was not using that phone so i thought let's use it more frequent in the mean time the new sim arrives. so that i will get to know the service and decide if i want to port my primary number to hello mobile or not.

on inserting the sim again, whooaah. it's not working. tried network reset and still no luck. the CS asked me ICCID and told it doesn't match in their system and to call them for support. CS was useless.

i called phone support and they were not available 2 hrs before the working hours. that's when i decided, i am not taking my primary number to hello.

i asked two CS to provide me with port out info and they rejected it. i informed one that FCC doesnt give you that authority to which they said we cannot provide unless you give reason. DENIED ON MY FACE.

now comes funny story. i chatted again and said i want to port out, give me port out info. i told i am not having network and CS is useless. phone support was not available hours before their working hours. and then based on response i came to know that their changed the SIM card number. WTH. the new sim card which was for new line, they swapped my current line with that ICCID and hence i was not having network. This CS didn't accepted it have been changed but he said this is ICCID for your number and sim is in processing.


I am taking my number to another provider but not hello mobile. tello gives $10.7 for 1gb +unlimited call including tax whereas hello gave at $10 including international calling to the country where i call which is another $3 pm via google voice. i guess i'll check with tello instead of hello mobile.


and they never gave me port out info. LMAO

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42 Comments

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Sep 26, 2019
396 Posts
Joined Aug 2014
Sep 26, 2019
catch.nkn
Sep 26, 2019
396 Posts
Thanks for posting. I too had similar issue with Hello. CS sucks. Porting unsuccessful. Now I'm happy with spectrum.
Original Poster
Oct 4, 2019
2,013 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Oct 4, 2019
holly_molly
Original Poster
Oct 4, 2019
2,013 Posts
Well, another update. I got the replacement sim after 8-9 days and guess what. I already move to another network in my primary phone so in order to use it in another phone, I need to request another SIM. They cannot change IMEI in background. I have to get another sim for it. So I will out of network for another 10 days. LMAO
1
Oct 5, 2019
533 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
Oct 5, 2019
zerinsmom
Oct 5, 2019
533 Posts
I used them for a second phone. Was a little bit of a hassle to get started but now that it's up it's all good.
Nov 1, 2019
36 Posts
Joined Jun 2008
Nov 1, 2019
readme
Nov 1, 2019
36 Posts
I've been using HelloMobile, for over 2 months and getting started is a bit hassle. But rest assured, I was able to have 2 lines for 17.5$ on 1GB plan... I was not able to get this kinda deal elsewhere... I'm quite happy with the service....
Dec 26, 2019
1,574 Posts
Joined May 2010
Dec 26, 2019
cndealking
Dec 26, 2019
1,574 Posts
If you have a working sprint phone with sprint SIM there should be ZERO problem at all. Hello is probably the best option for most when the free 1 year promotion ends. We have 4 lines on the unlimited and it is perfect.
1
Dec 27, 2019
11,115 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
Dec 27, 2019
tenkay
Dec 27, 2019
11,115 Posts
Well, they haven't changed a thing. I saw the bad reviews like the OP's and figured getting a sim card and a new number with them would be pretty hard to screw up.

I was wrong.

Here's what they're doing. They claim to have an "A" rating with the BBB. They do not. Its C+ with a lot of one star reviews and many disputes. They say they won't charge your card until you start using the phone to make calls. This is a lie. They charge you the moment they create a shipping label. I called their customer service and they assured me t was a temporary charge and wouldn't 'commit' until I used the phone. That was another lie as the charge committed the next day. I then watched for 2.5 business days while the sim card was "shipper waiting for item". And remembered they have a 7 day money back guarantee.

So that's their play. Charge you right off, delay sending the sim card until by the time you get it, your 7 days is up and they keep your money whether it works or not.

Sure enough, when I called to cancel, well within the 7 days, the first customer service rep jumped on "sales are non refundable", which I corrected for him to say that I was still well under the 7 days. "Well, you'll have to talk to customer relations about THAT!" Don't let the door hit you where the good lord split ya? 20 minutes on hold to get customer relations, who balked at first "But you haven't even tried it yet!". Well, yes I've tried "it" which I take to mean your fraudulent lying service? Got my money back. Grabbed a redpocket deal. Sim card gets here today. At least I get at&t rather than crappy sprint.
Dec 28, 2019
11,115 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
Dec 28, 2019
tenkay
Dec 28, 2019
11,115 Posts
And now the phone can't be activated on redpocket, because Hello Mobile locked it to the sprint network.

Joy.

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Jan 5, 2020
10 Posts
Joined Jul 2017
Jan 5, 2020
Binik
Jan 5, 2020
10 Posts
Quote from tenkay :
And now the phone can't be activated on redpocket, because Hello Mobile locked it to the sprint network.

Joy.
How did you get it unlocked then?

This is serious concern that you have paid full amount for unlocked Phone which got locked by someone whom you don't owe anything.
Jan 5, 2020
11,115 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
Jan 5, 2020
tenkay
Jan 5, 2020
11,115 Posts
Quote from Binik :
How did you get it unlocked then?

This is serious concern that you have paid full amount for unlocked Phone which got locked by someone whom you don't owe anything.
Red Pocket was able to "Push" the phone off of the Sprint lock, probably because the phone wasn't bought from sprint or a sprint agent (amazon unlocked), it had never actually been activated on the Sprint network, and I didn't owe any money to Sprint or one of their agents. Took about an hour and required an escalation to do it.

A week later, someone from Hello Mobile called to ask about the support call I'd made about it.

If Hello works for someone, count yourself lucky. If anyone is looking for a low cost provider, go with Red Pocket. Hello is fraud, lies and poor customer service in too many ways.

In the meanwhile, I have to thank Xfinity Mobile for dumping their original customers plans. For not much more, I have the coverage I want, enough minutes and texts to suit me, and 5x the included LTE data. And my phone was lucky to get 15Mb/s downloads from the supposedly "full verizon network" while I'm getting 60Mb/s+ from Red Pockets AT&T network. Both providers are on the same tower about 1.5 miles from my house. My phone supports every band both providers use.

So Verizons LTE network stinks, Xfinity wasn't letting me use all verizon towers, or they were throttling even that first 100MB.
Feb 3, 2020
1 Posts
Joined Feb 2020
Feb 3, 2020
MemorableHealth337
Feb 3, 2020
1 Posts
I had spectrum for 45.00 per month unlimited . It runs on the regular Verizon network. I tried HelloMobile for one week. My calls kept dropping. I went right back to Spectrum.
Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Feb 19, 2020
veryseablue
Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Quote from cndealking :
If you have a working sprint phone with sprint SIM there should be ZERO problem at all. Hello is probably the best option for most when the free 1 year promotion ends. We have 4 lines on the unlimited and it is perfect.
Hi, my free Sprint BYOD plan will expire in two months, thinking about Hello Mobile. did you port your numbr to Hello, if so, how long did this take? Thanks a lot for your reply.
Feb 19, 2020
1,574 Posts
Joined May 2010
Feb 19, 2020
cndealking
Feb 19, 2020
1,574 Posts
Quote from veryseablue :
Hi, my free Sprint BYOD plan will expire in two months, thinking about Hello Mobile. did you port your numbr to Hello, if so, how long did this take? Thanks a lot for your reply.
Do it on workday. It took a few hrs.
Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Feb 19, 2020
veryseablue
Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Quote from cndealking :
Do it on workday. It took a few hrs.
Thanks for the reply. Repped. I read a lot of bad reviews and almost gave up. Thanks for the head up. BTW, I have 4 lines, I guess the porting has to be done one by one ?
Feb 19, 2020
1,574 Posts
Joined May 2010
Feb 19, 2020
cndealking
Feb 19, 2020
1,574 Posts
Quote from veryseablue :
Thanks for the reply. Repped. I read a lot of bad reviews and almost gave up. Thanks for the head up. BTW, I have 4 lines, I guess the porting has to be done one by one ?
I have 4 lines too. First you create the account. Then you can operate on each line. Do not make any mistakes.

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Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Feb 19, 2020
veryseablue
Feb 19, 2020
3,362 Posts
Quote from cndealking :
I have 4 lines too. First you create the account. Then you can operate on each line. Do not make any mistakes.
Thanks again. Didn't see that they offer any referrals, If they do, I will give you the referral bonus. haha.

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