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            ComplaintsforTech Friends, Inc.

            Commissary Contractors
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            Complaint Details

            Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.

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            Complaint Status
            Complaint Type
            • Complaint Type:
              Billing/Collection Issues
              Status:
              Answered
              11/4/2023 tried to add money to my son’s books. Both cards on file were rejected with the message “unable to complete transaction. Use back button to correct any errors”. There were no errors highlighted. Tried 3 more times with the same results. This has never happened before. They are becoming very user unfriendly. What are they trying to do, become inaccessible to service to our inmates? They are the only game in town other than visiting the facility in person. I want an explanation please.

              Business response

              11/16/2023

              I have reviewed your account and have found that your transaction was declined by your financial institution. Please contact your card issuer to inquire why the charge was declined. Any funds that were taken out of your account were placed on hold by your financial institution. We have not and will not receive the funds. They should be released back to your account within 5 -10 business days of the hold taking place. For more information, please contact your financial institution. For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page.

              Thank you

            • Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Answered
              I have been trying to add funds to my sons account at JailAtm.com. I have been a member for a long time and always use the same debit card. Every time I click the add button after filling out all the information an error message comes up. "We have been unable to process the payment for the following reasons" The Transaction has been declined. Please use back to review the payment information. Fix the error indicated or try to resubmit the payment. There is NO ERROR when I click the back button. Sometimes the error is "Please try again in a few minutes." Denied again! Three times now I get the exact same response. THE FOLLOWING TICKET HAS BEEN CLOSED. " I have reviewed your account and have found that your transaction was declined by your financial institution" I called my bank and they said there are no transactions showing for JailAtm and my debit card is fine." The crazy thing is I sent a friend in the same jail money and it went through the JailAtm just fine. It won't even let me order commissary packs but it will go through for messages.

              Business response

              09/25/2023

              ***** *****,

              We have found that there is 1 transaction on the resident's account that was reported as fraudulent and disputed. As a result, we can no longer process transactions for the resident.

              The only way that we would be able to be able to process transactions for the resident again would be for the money that we lost through the dispute be returned to us. The total amount of this money order will need to be $129.00. Please be sure that you are completely filling out the money order which includes signing the front.

              A money order would need to be made out and sent to:
              Tech Friends, Inc.
              C/O Fraud Department  **********
              PO Box *****
              Jonesboro, AR *****

              You would need to pay the $110.00 that was disputed plus the $19.00 charge back fee that we were charged for each charge that was disputed. That comes to a total of $129.00.

              Please also include a note in the envelope with the money order with the name of the resident, the name of the facility that the resident is in, and following transaction numbers: 50358391.

              PLEASE NOTE: If we receive a money order that does not include the transaction numbers we will not be able to process, and it will be sent back. Please also include the PUB number listed in the address information above.
              Please be sure to have the money order made out to Tech Friends, Inc. If the money order is not made out to Tech Friends, Inc. we will not be able to process the money order.

              Thank you

              Customer response

              09/25/2023


              Complaint: ********

              I am rejecting this response because: They have not included any dates or what debit card was used. They are just asking for money. Why should I send them money when I don't even know what their talking about with fraud. I would like to know the date or dates this has occurred and was it a debit card that was used or what??

              Sincerely,

              ***** *****

              Business response

              09/26/2023

              The inmate to which you are attempting to deposit has a locked account due to fraudulent activity on the account. To fulfill our fiduciary duty to our customers and fall within the confines of money transmission compliance regulations, we do not allow fraudulent activity to persist on our platform. The monies involved in the fraudulent transactions is lost, and the inmate’s account will not be unlocked unless those lost monies are recouped as explained by our customer support team. If you do not wish to repay these monies to unlock the inmate’s account, please contact the facility directly or deposit cash into the ATM at the physical facility.

              Thank you
            • Complaint Type:
              Delivery Issues
              Status:
              Answered
              August 27, 2023 Order# ******* Ordered on a Sunday and delivery was supposed to be done Friday Sept 1st. Order was ultimately delivered on Thursday Sept 7th. September 3, 2023 Order# ******* Order was supposed to be delivered Sept 8th but still hasn't arrived. Items ordered include but not limited to, soap, toiletries, food etc. No one will answer the phone to allow any type of interaction to resolve this issue. I believe they are deliberately treating inmates this way because they think they can get away with it. But they are a business and should be held to a higher standard and not try to get over on someone incarcerated.

              Business response

              09/13/2023

              Tiffany ****,



              JailATM does not handle the deliveries themselves but services the jailatm.com website. We only handle the financial transactions for the commissary partner for the facility. The commissary partner for the local site processes and delivers the orders.  

              We are unable to cancel/edit orders that have posted and cannot see the delivery dates for facilities.

              To see when your order will be delivered, please contact the facility.


              You can view your commissary orders by following these instructions:

              Sign in
              Click "My Account"
              Click "Commissary Pack History" under the "Tasks" tab
              To view more details on a specific order, click on that order


              Thank you

            • Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Answered
              I have tried repeatedly to send my daughter money in jail. JailATM is the only way to send money to her. After repeated tries by me and by a friend of hers, the transactions kept getting declined. JailATM Tech says there was fraud on the account and if I want her account to be reopened, I have to pay them money they lost. They lost money that wasn't my fault. Now they say her account is a liability and won't re-open it. Here is their e-mail to me: Thank you for contacting JailATM Support. I have found that are 5 transactions on the resident's account that were reported as fraudulent and disputed. As a result, we can no longer process transactions for the resident. The only way that we would be able to be able to process transactions for the resident again would be for the money that we lost through the dispute be returned to us. The total amount of this money order will need to be $258.95. Please be sure that you are completely filling out the money order which includes signing the front. A money order would need to be made out and sent to: Tech Friends, Inc. C/O Fraud Department   You would need to pay the $163.95 that was disputed plus the $19.00 charge back fee that we were charged for each charge that was disputed. That comes to a total of $258.95. Please also include a note in the envelope with the money order with the name of the resident, the name of the facility that the resident is in, and following transaction numbers: ********* ********* ********* ********* ********. PLEASE NOTE: If we receive a money order that does not include the transaction numbers we will not be able to process, and it will be sent back. Please also include the PUB number listed in the address information above. Please be sure to have the money order made out to Tech Friends, Inc. If the money order is not made out to Tech Friends, Inc. we will not be able to process the money order. Thank you for using JailATM and have a great day.

              Business response

              07/07/2023

              Unfortunately, we are unable to receive funds for this resident through the website until the funds that were lost in the disputed charges listed in the email that you referenced are paid back to us. In order to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our customers, we cannot continue allowing transactions on accounts where fraudulent activity is present. 

              Until the lost funds are paid back to us, the option to physically deposit cash into the resident's account using the ATM in the lobby of the jail is obviously present. If you attempt to use a credit or debit card in the lobby before the money lost in the disputes is paid back, the card will fail to process.

              Thank you

              Customer response

              07/10/2023


              Complaint: ********

              I am rejecting this response because: I want to say that I just recently found out that this fraudulent activity was from September, 2022. I don't think my daughter knew of this being fraudulent and now her account is locked. I understand where the business is coming from. I just can't understand why they can't go after whomever perpetrated this fraud.

              Sincerely,

              Constance *****
            • Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Answered
              11/17/22 I attempted to order a care pack for a family member after my mother tried to order and jailatm declined it. My order was also declined. When I attempted to reach jailatm about the issue their support is limited to select topics and if those don't work you can send a support email. Two days after emailing them I received an email that my support ticket was closed and the resolution stated "Final Resolution: Please ensure you are using an accepted form of payment." Apparently they don't accept visa or mastercard for payment. My grandmother has also has orders declined. No reason is ever given but at this point the company is failing to provide a service they claim to offer and they don't offer support when their service fails. This is the only way to get these items for our family and this company should be ashamed at the hassle this very simple task has become.

              Business response

              11/28/2022

              **** ********,

               

              We have found that your order was declined due to suspected AVS fraud. Address Verification Service checks (AVS) are performed by credit card associations and issuing banks typically when you request authorization for a credit card purchase. AVS checks work by comparing the cardholder’s billing address (street name and number, ZIP code, etc) against information in the credit card issuing bank’s databases.


              Any funds that were taken out of your account were placed on hold by your financial institution. We have not and will not receive the funds. They should be released back to your account within 5 -10 business days of the hold taking place. For more information, please contact your financial institution.

              To Edit Or Remove Your Payment Method
              Click My Account
              Click Settings
              Click Payment Methods
              Select The Payment Method That You Wish To Edit Or Remove
              Click Edit
              You Can Change The Details Of The Card Here Or Click Remove To Delete The Card

              For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the web page.

               

              Thank you

              Customer response

              11/28/2022


              Complaint: ********
              3 different credit cards, different accounts and different orders ALL have orders rejected EVERY time we try! I'll just file a complaint with the state. This entire service is a joke. 



              ******* ********

            • Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Answered
              For the past 3 months I'm unable to resolve an issue with purchasing commissary packs from jailatm. I order them it accepts payment and receive a pop up message that says I will be charged when jail atm process my order. And it never processes my orders. I call customer service 6 times today already and after holing for representative for 20 min each time I'm being hung up on. Last month I did get through to a live representative, how ever I was told I will be notified by email what the issue was and a solution to it. We'll I still have not received email.

              Business response

              05/26/2022

              Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/20) */ ****** *******, We have found that there was fraud on the resident's account for which you were placing the order. Until we are paid back for the fraud, we are unable to process any transactions for this resident. We attempted to send you instructions on how to clear the fraud on 05/03/22, but the email was not delivered as you clicked Unsubscribe on an email on 08/31/21 and were placed on out Do Not Contact list as a result. Please call us or submit a ticket on JailATM to request to be removed from the Do Not Contact List. Thank you
            • Complaint Type:
              Billing/Collection Issues
              Status:
              Resolved
              I've been placing money on an account for my daughter who is incarcerated. Also, I have a messaging subscription so that we can text. I have two credit cards and have used both. For a week now, jailatm tells me the card in each case has been declined for the purpose of placing money on her account; however, the same card have been accepted for messaging. Of course, I called the card issuer. They have not declined the transaction. I opened a ticket to ask how one could be accepted while the other has been denied. I received an answer that just said make sure I was using the right card, no explanation. I used the same card. Copy of email is below. The following ticket has been closed Credit card rejected Issue Details: I have been trying since Saturday to make a deposit on my daughter's acct. My bank said they have not rejected the charge. Also, I added money to messaging during this time with the same card Why would the card be accepted for messaging subscription and not for the other deposit? Thanks *** ******* User Agent: *********** ******* ******* 11) ****************** ******* like Gecko) *********** ******************** Mobile ************ Safari/537.XX XXX.30.198.3 Final Resolution: Please ensure you are using an accepted form of payment.

              Business response

              03/11/2022

              Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/07) */ Mrs. *******, We have found that, in your most recent attempts, one card was declined due to NSF, and the other card was declined due to Invalid ***\CVV. Please make sure that your payment methods are up to date, and that the correct security codes are being entered when you are making deposits. You may also want to ensure that your card allows cash advance transactions. While commissary orders and messaging subscriptions are not run as cash advance transactions, deposits are processed as cash advance transactions and may not be allowed by all card providers. To Edit or Remove Your Payment Method 1. Click My Account 2. Click Settings 3. Click Payment Methods 4. Select the Payment Method that You Wish to Edit or Remove 5. Click Edit 6. You Can Change the Details of The Card Here or Click Remove to Delete the Card Note: You must cancel your messaging subscription before you can remove your card or edit the card information being used for the messaging subscription. Thank you Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/03/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I had opened a ticket to ask the question which is addressed in the complaint. The answer simply told me to ensure I was using the right card. That did not answer the question. I had called my credit card issuer several times and was told they had not declined payment. I asked again and was not answered at all. The answer lies in the fact that the transactions are charged differently as to cash advance or otherwise. It was finally answered that way in response to my complaint. I accept the response but it could have been handled better.
            • Complaint Type:
              Billing/Collection Issues
              Status:
              Answered
              This complaint is with jailATM.com. This is the only way to send money to a family member, who has made a few mistakes, and is locked up in a county jail. I have used their service before and up until this last week (1/12/22-1/19/22). This past week I have made at least a dozen attempts to add money to my brothers account and get this message, "There has been a problem processing your request. Please wait a few minutes and try again. We apologize for the inconvenience." This business is owned by Tech Friends, Inc. address: 2225 E Highland Dr, Jonesboro, AR 72401-6127 (870) 933-6386 All U.S. citizens have rights. Even those incarcerated. But this site (and this company that refuses to fix the site) will not allow the human decency of allowing family members to add a little canteen money to the inmates account. I have tried to use their website to get help in this matter but they just run you in circles and get you no where. If this company is unable to support its website and keep business running normally then perhaps another business should be used that can work efficiently to keep this working.

              Business response

              02/03/2022

              Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/01/25) */ Mr. ****, We have found no tickets or requests for support from the email address linked to this complaint. Checking your account history, we have found that you successfully made a deposit on 01/19/22. If you experience any further issues, please let us know by clicking Contact on the bottom left corner of the JailATM website, selecting any topic, and clicking Contact Us in the popup window to submit a ticket. Thank you
            • Complaint Type:
              Advertising/Sales Issues
              Status:
              Answered
              On 10/26/2021 I attempted to send $100 from one of my bank accounts to my husband at the ****** County ** jail. For an unknown reason, Jail ATM rejected that bank and asked me to use an alternate method. So I used the other bank account that is stored within the settings and sent $110.00, $100 of that to be given to my husband and the $10.00 fee to go to the service. Evidently an error on their end occurred because the $10.00 fee was taken but the $100 wasn't sent to my husband. My husband let me know he didn't receive the money so I checked the bank account to see if it had been deducted. Only the $10.00 fee had been taken. I had spent $10.00 earlier in the day to be added to Jail ATM Messaging Service and I found it so as not to confuse that $`10.00 fee with the earlier Messaging money. I decided to check to make sure they didn't allocate the $10.00 they had just deducted to over there and they had not. Besides, you are not allowed to add to the Messaging Service account unless it is completely empty of funds. I wrote to JAILATM and received this email today stating I agreed to a policy that states no refunds allowed no matter what. I only wanted the money to be used as promised on their end and since there was an error on their end, I would be happy were they to credit the next transaction or either simply put the $10 they took for nothing and add it to my husband's account, Messaging, or whichever would be easiest. I think it is wrong and poor business practice to cheat someone out of their money during a hard enough time. THe first document is from the bank account that took the fee for no reason and also shows the $10 spent in messaging earlier that day. The second is the one sent today that went through but I was not credited the fee I had already paid them.

              Business response

              11/08/2021

              Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/01) */ Mrs. ******, There were no $110.00 transactions on your account on 10/26/21. There was a $10.00 transaction on 10/20/21, one on 10/24/21, and another on 10/26/21. It can take transactions a few days to post to your bank account, especially if the transaction is done on the weekend. If you see two transactions for $10.00 on your bank account showing for 10/26/21, it is possible that one of those transactions may have been from an earlier date. You did have a transaction for $110.00 on 10/27/21. We have confirmed that the $100.00 was received to the resident's account. Your 'Deposit/Charge History' is a list of transactions you have made for the resident. This includes deposits into their commissary account and commissary orders. This can be viewed by navigating as follows on the website: Sign in Select My Account Select Deposit/Charge History Thank you
            • Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Answered
              I paid money to place on a inmates books and they placed it in the wrong facility and having troubles getting a replynor fixing the problem and getting my money back

              Business response

              07/22/2021

              Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/07/20) */ In the event, that your deposit was applied to the wrong resident or facility, immediately call the facility the deposit was made to. Ask the officer to transfer the funds to the correct resident. If the facility is unable to complete your request, ask if they can place the deposit on hold and refund it. This will depend on the policies of the facility where the gift card deposit was made to. If more information is required, you will need to contact the facility for details on their policy. We do not have access to the resident's account other than depositing the funds. We cannot transfer funds from one resident to another. For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/07/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) That's wasn't my issue and that helped me none with getting my refund your system sent the money to thw right person only that person wasn't at that place and its taken me months to get something done about this plz

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