Talk:TracFone Wireless/Archive 1

questions
|<--- What is this? PrometheusX303 22:34, 27 March 2006 (UTC) I dunno 156.3.163.99 15:27, 23 April 2007 (UTC)And i've got no freakin idea. Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions) 03:43, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

MMS is undefined appears twice 73.172.91.201 (talk) 14:00, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

Questions that come to mind about each service/plan is whether they accept other phones, provide internet access, and allow special phone Operating System/Application features such as Apple's find my friends (or kids). The duration of the minutes is important, renewing every 90 days for $20 with carry over is with occasional/emergency use, much less expensive than paying $15 a month. 73.172.91.201 (talk) 14:10, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

strange characters at beginning of article
Originally the article had a link to an image of the Tracfone Company Logo. Apparently someone took out the image link but did not save the edit correctly. --- Added a link to allow people to text message a Tracfone http://www.jasonholm.com/tracfone.html Jsholm 13:58, 4 June 2006 (UTC)jsholm

There is now a second group arrested on terrorism charges for buying 1000+ phones. I also added one reference on the lawsuit regarding unlocking phones. References for some of the other claims would be nice.
 * charges were dropped. they were highly improbable in the first place. The case is becoming more about the pitfals of racial profiling. tracfone is actually the most difficult mobile to use for detonators since if you do not activate the handset with the original sim you can't without a lot of reprogramming -- more than any other brand. in this case the sims and batteries were removed. it is also obviously not useful to have battery removed on a "detonator."
 * it is also important to note there was a very big tracfone promotion that week, and that many web dealsites noted the phones were worth in cash double the sales price.
 * There is no serious terrorism suspicion case were the FBI and federal authorties would not have taken custody. But the FBI gave the guys a short interview and left. It took a while for the local prosecuter, but he dropped the charges today. IDD55 06:00, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

--- Put my link to http://www.jasonholm.com/tracfone.html back on. There were no notes as to my this working link was removed. Jsholm 23:45, 1 February 2007 (UTC)jsholm

Try Consumer Affairs.com
anyone know that tracphone is on the to 10 rogues list for bad company practices?

check "tracfone" at consumeraffairs.com

put it at the criticism section of the article

156.3.163.99 15:54, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Created Customer Service problems section; Added link to information on class-action lawsuit
I forgot to create an edit summary for my recent changes, so I wanted to mention them here in the discussion. Yesfan001 14:28, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

And it looks like 1 of the wikinazis deleted the whole section.

Proof that wikipedia is the WORST source online.

99.139.238.232 (talk) 21:45, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

Update needed!
the official tracfone logo is the one that is all capital letters with the same block font. It shows up on all newer phones and the current version of the website.

Can someone please change the logo.

Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions) 20:25, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

FINE. I'll DO IT. I hope you like the results. Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions)

Net 10
What is the distinction between Net 10 and Tracfone?John celona 23:41, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

The main distinction is that tracfone has it's rates at about $0.33 a min. and Net10 has their rates at 10 cents a minute But tracfone has long service times and net 10 has very short service times, they both have the same lineup of phones because they're both the same company. Also, the CDMA has greater coverage. The Net 10 and GSM(Sim) Tracfones are no better or worse than T mobile as to coverage. If you live in the middle of nowhere the Tracfone CDMA is the better bet in most instances. Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions)

please if someone is trying to explain the differences between tracfone and net10 please dont remove the information, imvoxianImvoxian 00:06, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

about the double minute card feature
Tell me if this encyclopedic material: the Double minutes for life feature lasts until the date you add it upon in the year 2050. I learned this off one of the trac service reps whe i called to ask about it. If it is, it should be put in the article Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions)

--69.123.165.15 02:07, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

Unlocked Phones on TracFone network
Is there any reason one couldn't put a TracFone SIM into a standard unlocked TriBand phone? Mathiastck 07:05, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

yes, tracfones have special software preloaded at the factory and to use the tracfone service, you need Trac units on the phone and unlocked phones dont have that. Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions)

Most of the time such software is stored on the SIM card. Most phones are designed to use pay as you go service based on instructions from the SIM, and with most companies it should automatically appear in the menu after insertion. I don't know if this works with TracFone, but I know it works with T-Mobile, O2, Virgin, Tesco, and Orange. It obviously wouldn't work with a CDMA phone though.--69.123.165.15 02:07, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

Actually there is not. You CAN put a SIM for Tracfone (or any of it's MVNOs) into an unlocked phone and it will work without registering it for their infamous "Slim Lock". The "Slim Lock" says that if you place a new Tracfone (or other MVNO of their's) SIM into a phone, when the SIM is activated, the phone becomes registered to that particular brand, and cannot be registered on any of their other brands. You CAN still use that phone on normal carrier plans, and their own prepaids, but you can't for example move a Net10 phone to Straight Talk, even with a new SIM, because it's Slim Locked to Net10. This is separate from normal SIM locking. If you place the SIM into a new unlocked phone that supports the network properly (like an iPhone 6, which supports all CDMA and GSM networks in the USA) it will work, and that new phone will NOT be Slim Locked. I confirmed this with TotalWireless over the phone. My current phone isn't registered in their system, but still works because the SIM was activated with a phone that DID get Slim Locked. They tried to tell me to buy a new SIM and activate my current phone with that to enable VoLTE, which WOULD have Slim Locked it. I refused, because Total Wireless doesn't actually offer VoLTE as far as I know. To sum up. If you buy a BYOP SIM card, and use it, it will Slim Lock the first phone it's used in during the BYOP registration. But a SIM removed from a working Slim Locked phone can be moved to an unlocked phone that is not SIM locked, and it will work. 50.21.206.23 (talk) 15:43, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

FUD
Do we really need the section on terrorism allegations to be here?

This seems more like unnecessary FUD. The title makes it look like the company was directly involved in these matters, when it's really about a separate group of people purchasing items from them. Are we going to start adding "terrorism allegations" sections to articles on corporations just because they sold something to a terrorist group?

I'm taking off the entire section, it serves no real purpose in this article.

Sykopomp 00:01, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Should links to various Internet talk groups be inclided?
There are several groups that discuss pre-paid cell phones in general, and some that discuss TracFone and Net10 in general. Should there be included in the external links page?

I could add the links, but I am trying to be polite first since I'm a new editor. I'm still getting used to general policies and practices; it's a _lot_ to wade through.

Let's see if the tilda signatire works.

Big Fat Hairy Dude (talk) 23:11, 18 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Short answer; no. The policy about external links is that they should lead to material that is relevant, reputable and additional to what the page itself already has.  The trouble about a talk group, and other similar web-sites, is that they're ultimately just a collection of opinions without anything to prove their accuracy or significance.  Wikipedia is in general not interested in opinions unless they can be backed up by the contributor's notability and expertise.  Talk groups don't tend to have this and policy says they should be avoided. -- Escape Orbit  (Talk) 23:56, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

That makes sense. Since I'm fairly new to editing Wikipedia, I'll defer to that, but I would still believe it would be useful information to include somehow. There is one group in particular, Tracfone_users@groups.yahoo.com, that presents a a variety of viewpoints. They have members who actively maintain databases of current airtime bonus codes, information about programming phones, and so forth. It also tends to be an up-to-the-minute source (sometimes literally) of various promotions on the TracFone site that are useful to those who use TracFones.

I am a major contributor to that particular group, so I am by definition biased. There are however other groups as well.

I participate in this particular group in large part because it _does_ tend to present various viewpoints, and is not just a bunch of flaming radicals out to convince the world that their and only their viewpoint is the Gospel Truth. For those of us who use TracFones extensively, portions can be considered authoritative, particularly when taken in aggregate form, although I doubt that authoritativeness meets Wikipedia's standards.

All of these groups are, however, a part of the TracFone "universe," and I believe they should be mentioned in a manner appropriate to Wikipedia. Perhaps new section or subsection stating that there are resources available for users of TracFones, and in that area listing groups that are available? For the purpose of people looking for information about TracFones including information about the existance of user groups will provide a richer and more complete picture of the topic.

Big Fat Hairy Dude (talk) 05:05, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Again, no. I don't mean to question either your, or your group's, knowledge or good intentions, but the policy still applies, for good reason.  Another policy states that Wikipedia is not a web directory.  Its main aim is not to be a place for links to other places, but to contain the knowledge itself.  The purpose of external links are to content that simply can't be placed on Wikipedia (for copyright reasons, for instance), it shouldn't be used to link to stuff that could be just as easily added to the article, or stuff that is a repeat of what's already there.  So the best thing you could do for this page, and Wikipedia, would be to contribute the knowledge you have to the article itself (preferably with good cites). -- Escape Orbit  (Talk) 22:17, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

major cleanup
I did a major cleanup- here's the diff. I removed sections without references, non-notable sections, and some refactoring. tedder (talk) 08:11, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Lawsuit Settlement, text message overcharges, roaming overcharges, customer service

 * Wow, way to remove all reference to a class action lawsuit settlement that has been reported in the media and is easily verifiable, just because of a dead link.  That's not the way to do things. Dead links are not to be removed for no other reason.  (I will restore with a valid reference.)  There was some dated cruft that needed to go; that's good.  But the above settlement, all info re. varying SMS text messages pricing, customer service, Handset bulk purchasing, unlocking, much of it  isadequately referenced and noteworthy, IMO.--Elvey (talk) 17:04, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

English
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET YOUR PHONE BACK ON ENGLISH??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.221.135.183 (talk) 04:29, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

BBB
The editor of this article may want to contact the BBB. They are currently receiving several hundred complaints a week about this business. Main complaint is that in the psat few months they have stopped all customer service over their 1-800 number. Going to their internet site, many of the FAQs point you to that number. Many other complaints but most are over many new phones do not work, but there is no longer any service available, so the customer looses their money. Check with other consumer agencies also. TracFone is near the top currently for worst customer service. B Stephenson, Ft Lauderdale —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.149.86.111 (talk) 02:11, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a place to complain about a company and the BBB as you described would be better for the situations that they are encountering. The article needs to be updated to reflect the fact they provide support via Facebook and web forums now. JasonHockeyGuy (talk) 08:20, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

digital or analog; are there ANY analog cell carriers still
I was interested in activating an old brick phone but heard it could not be done except MAYBE with tracfone. Daniel Christensen (talk) 01:21, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Seperate Tracfone and Net 10 Articles
6/30/10 I think the Tracfone and Net 10 Articles should be split into two pages. They are two diffent companies offering different phones and services.

Rocker368 (talk) 19:59, 30 June 2010 (UTC)rocker368

Which phone uses which underlying carrier?
This info would be really useful. A salesperson almost sold me on the E71, by telling me that Straight Talk uses Verizon, but now I see that with this phone, the service is on AT&T!--Elvey (talk) 17:04, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

"NET10 Mobile Web" = WAP ONLY?!
http://www.net10.com/content/terms_conditions.jsp equates "NET10 Mobile Web" = WAP. Do they restrict browsing to WAP sites, or can subscribers visit any site (provided they're using a plan and phone that supports the full mobile web)? Seems like it depends on the phone, and their T&C info needs updating. A random claim "According to technical support, The only websites you can goto [are], google yahoo and msn ONLY."

They need to update this themselves. Newer phones from Net 10 now can browse the web where ever you want them to go. But they charge by the minute for their service. They previously charged prepaid time for special services like movies, sports, weather etc. But the older phones still have their special attributes attached to them and they will not change this. JasonHockeyGuy (talk) 08:18, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Possible Inaccuracy
"custom ringtones must be purchased from TracFone."

Not necessarily. Any audio file stored on the phone (including those received via e-mail) can be applied as a ring tone. Should this be deleted? MattButts (talk) 21:06, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

Some older Tracfone models do not support this, but the newer ones, particularly the LG 800G and the LG 500G now fully supports these as you can preload these files on a Micro SD card. The only rule to the exception would be the Samsung T301 G which you can email yourself the files to your phone (would mean your 10 digit number followed by @mms.att.net to receive the message. Ill add additional references as I find them. No I am not affiliated with them but Ive bought a lot of phones by them in the years and have a lot of experience with them. JasonHockeyGuy (talk) 08:13, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

service for my phone
my straght talk phone says no service but I have until 9 23 to get more mins.

Edit "Advertisement" out
Tried to remove some of the stuff in the strait talk category that appears to more geared toward soliciting the services. Rippey574 (talk) 07:50, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Unsourced text
Moving the following passage regarding allegedly "defective" units here until somebody can source or verify it (I'd do it myself, but it's late and I'm very tired.) As it stands, it sounds like original research:

LG800G
TracFone Wireless released its first touch screen model, the LG800G, on April 22, 2011. On April 26, 2011, it was released for Net10. However, many of these phones had various software defects. TracFone offered to replace any defective LG800G made between April 2011 and July 2011 on any brand with the Motorola EX124G for free on one condition: the LG 800G had to be sent back within 30 days of initial purchase. Phones made after August 2011 do not have any software defects and will not have to be replaced, which led to a temporary hiatus of sales for the EX124G in November of that year.

LG320G
TracFone Wireless released yet another defective LG phone for Net10. The LG320G is equipped to handle text messaging services. It has been reported to send text messages flawlessly. However, the ability to receive messaging data can not be guaranteed for any length of time. The most obvious annoyance to customers is failing to receive messages. Soon enough, the same customers will realize the message data pipeline must also be utilized to 'redeem airtime' through the phone's prepaid menu. Net10 technical support can help customers with airtime issues and can temporarily reactivate the data receiving feature, and refunds or replacement phones have been planned, but will not yet be offered.

Request for addition - Android phones and "data cards."
Does anybody have any information on Tracfone's addition of two Android phones to its lineup (Tracfone, not StraightTalk)? And/or the new "Data Cards?" tracfone.com has these phones and cards listed, but no information that I could find on the data cards.NorthCoastReader (talk) 02:45, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

cancel a phone service
I need to cancel my phone service How can I do that also I can't find a phone number for Safelink

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"Slim Lock"
When a phone is registered with Tracfone, or any of it's MVNOs, it becomes locked to that brand, because their system will not process a registration for a phone that is already registered with another of their brands. This is known on the internet as a Slim Lock (named after the TracFone CEO), and there is no known way to undo it. When you by a phone, it will either be SIMless if it's on CDMA 3G towers (Verizon), or it will have a SIM for that brand. When you get your number, that phone will be Slim Locked, and cannot be registered on any of their other brands. After this, the SIM card (if the phone has one) may be transferred to another unlocked phone that supports the same towers, and the new phone will work without being Slim Locked. 50.21.206.23 (talk) 15:51, 31 December 2017 (UTC)