Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Consumer Cellular's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Consumer Cellular

  12447 SW 69th Ave Portland, OR 97223

  
• 

  Consumer Cellular

  PO Box 7175 Pasadena, CA 91109-7175

• 

  Consumer Cellular

  7204 SW Durham Rd Ste 300 Portland, OR 97224-7574

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new phone with a wall charger over the phone talking to an agent. I did not order it from their website. Today I transferred from old phone and got the new phone set up which went well. Then I had to charge phone and noticed they sent me the wrong charger or the phone came with the wrong cable. Anyway I paid $25 for the wall charger which does work with the phone cable, one is USB A and the wall charger is USB C. I ordered over the phone, they picked the wall charger for me and now they are telling me I cannot return the charger and they cannot refund me, and they will not send me a USB-C cable. I thought they were a good company but Obviously not. I went to the website and notice that the information there is wrong. It states that the phone I ordered comes with a USB-C cable when in fact the phone I received came with a USB-A. They will not return or refund accessories and said the only thing I could do is return the phone, but how do I do that when the phone is now active and the only working cell phone I have, its just not fair at all.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2023

  December 1, 2023
  
  BBB #********
  ***************************** (#xxxxx2597)
  
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for contacting us regarding ****************** complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We are terribly sorry that our agent suggested an incompatible charger head. It was our error that a USB-C charger head was listed for the ******** Moto G 5G 2023 phone that comes with a cord that requires a USB-A charger head. This has since been removed from the available accessories for that specific device, and the rest of our devices are being reviewed to ensure the correct accessories are listed.
  
  As this was no fault of the customer, we will certainly accept the return of the ********* Ventev - 20w PD USB-C Mini Wall Charger in white. We do not provide free return labels for accessories; the customer will be responsible for the cost. ****************** can box it up and take it to a local ******** or *** store, whichever fits his budget for shipping it back to us. Once received, a full refund will be credited to the account. It can be shipped back to:
  
  Consumer Cellular
  ************************************************************
  
  Thank you for allowing ** to address these concerns.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/02/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  7/14/2023 --- Overpaid Consumer Cellular for ******************************** for THE TWO phones we have to Pure Talk --- I receive another bill -- call Consumer Cellular, they say my phones are still being serviced by them. That is absolutely NOT TRUE. I have been with Pure Talk since the switchover on this date 7/14/23. They still send bills. I call again. You need to close your account!!! What a crock!!! That is pure theft!Acct # ********* And as far as their ads, they BOAST TRANSPARENCY! Where? Extremely dishonest...

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  November 29, 2023
  
   
  BBB #********
  ************************* (#xxxxx6535)
   
  
  Dear BBB,
   
  Thank you for contacting us regarding Ms. ******** complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. When a number is transferred or ported to another provider, it automatically cancels the line on our end. If it is the only active line on an account, it will automatically cancel the account as well. Regrettably, when Ms. ******** last line ported from our service it did not trigger the system to auto-cancel the account. The account remained active, with no active lines, accruing charges.
  
  We apologize for this system error and will gladly waive any charges accrued after the original port out date, 7/14/23. A total of $88.31 will be refunded to the customer. Refund checks are mailed out each Friday and may take **** business days to receive through the U.S. Mail.
   
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns.  If anything changes in the future, we would love to work with ****************** again. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance.
   
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/30/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In October 2023 my mother transferred her cell phone to a new number and canceled the number that had been associated with the device. ********************** continued to charge my mother $15 a month for 10 months. When my son notified Consumer Cellular **************** they offered to reimburse my mother for 4 months rather than the entire obligation of their error. My mother is still waiting for the credit $150.00

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  November 29, 2023
  
  BBB File No. 20900357
  *********************** (Account No. **********
  
  
  To Whom It May *************************** you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. Consumer Cellular bills in arrears for monthly services and usage, much like a utility company. We are not a prepaid provider; service is month to month. An account/line of service will remain active until we receive a request to cancel the account/line of service. When an account or line of service is cancelled, there is always a final bill for service through the cancellation date.
  
  While the account does not reflect that we received a request to cancel the line in October 2022, as a courtesy we have applied credits totaling $192.49 for the additional line and the account now has a credit balance of $137.84, which will automatically be applied to future invoices.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have had Consumer Cellular for the past few years and did not have any problem. But for the past 4 weeks we have noticed no one calling ** from a landline can reach us. Testing it ourselves calling from a landline to our cellphones encounter same problem, no ring, just silence. This is a major problem, family, friends, and any business calling us from a landline does not connect to our cell phones. We have been calling Consumer Cellular customer support for the past 4 weeks almost on a daily basis to fix this problem. Most go through the same routine and after a while of unsuccessful attempts they will make excuses to get off the phone. They ************** to call back or they have created a thicket for someone with better knowledge to get in touch with us.Consumer Cellular should be straight with their customers. If they cannot fix a problem say so, then we can move on to another carrier.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2023

  December 1, 2023
  
  BBB File No. 20895283
  ***************** (Account No. *****2075)
  
  
  To Whom It May *************************** you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We escalated this connectivity issue to our network provider, AT&T and they have advised that the lines are provisioned properly, registered on the network and current on all activation updates. Refreshed signals were sent to all three lines and the customer will need to power their phones completely off and then back on to allow the updates to take effect. 
  
  As well, the customer will want to go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers is disabled. It is recommended that any landline numbers are added to their contacts. If the customer has any further issues with receiving calls from landlines, they will want to contact us with those landline numbers and we can further escalate this with AT&T.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  11-18-2023.Consumer Cellular (CC) has repeatedly throttled our data despite ** never exceeding our data plan. Just this year they did so five times from Feb. through Nov. One day ago, on Friday 17th, they throttled our account because they allege we used over ***** GB in one day. Only twice have they acknowledged it. Their data numbers are erroneous. We have tried, at all levels, to correct the problem which never has been corrected. On Nov. 17th they said it is a system-wide-problem, but still throttled our account and told us they cannot undue it. Their advertisement claims that they are less expensive, which is not true when you dont get all your data. The longest time period was 12 days and they refuse to credit our account for their problem. Further, they say if the issue is their supplier ******* they are not responsible for problems their contractor does.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/25/2023

  November 25, 2023
  
  BBB File No. 20889115
  ***************** (Account No. **********
  
  
  To Whom It May *************************** you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. On 11/17/23, large amounts of data were being reported in error, which resulted in reduced data speeds for some customers. The issue was resolved and the data speed restored on 11/18/23. As well, the data usage has been corrected to reflect the true amount of data used. We sincerely apologize for any frustration or inconvenience and have applied a courtesy credit of $25.00 to their account. 
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20889115
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 80% of the complaint remains unaddressed.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They charged me $76.01. My bank on Nov. 14. Called on the 15th. I do NOT have an account with them. They refused to accept my complaint or refund my money. ****, rudely, to talk to my bank. And hung up on me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2023

  November 27, 2023
  
  
  BBB #******** 
  ***************************
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for contacting us regarding *********************** complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue and attempted to reach ************** at the number provided but was unable to speak with them.
  
  To further investigate this issue and locate the payment made using their credit/debit card, we will need more information, including a transaction number from their bank if one is available, the date the payment was made and the exact amount of the charge on the credit/debit card.  ************** can contact Consumer Cellulars customer service department, having the above information available, at ************ and one of our representatives will be happy to forward the details to our billing department to locate the payment and assist further.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/16/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My cc grandpad started malfunctioning several months ago and the multiple fixes didn't. I asked for a replacement. Credit and both were denied. I canceled and ported it out to ******* last month. They charged my ***** and on call refused to reverse it saying it was owed, didn't transfer me to a supervisor and hung up on me. They have gone downhill in last few months and may be a predation situation. I would like 1 mo credit of 61 and last fraud of ***** credited to my wf account. Wf is stopping payment on cc. Thanks.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2023

  November 22, 2023
  
  BBB #********
  *********************** (#*****5962)
  
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We are very sorry to hear of ****************** frustration regarding the ******************** fees, and inconvenience.
  
  A one-year manufacturer's warranty covers devices purchased from Consumer Cellular. The terms for a replacement device are to complete necessary troubleshooting. As the customer's device was within the year, we were in the process of helping the customer. Unfortunately, the customer canceled before completing the steps.
  
  When an account is closed, there is always a final bill, pro-rated, for service through the cancellation date. With the proration, the due date for the last billing is also updated and may differ from the due date of previous billing invoices. Consumer Cellular sends the invoice detailing the final charges on a closed account. It includes when a payment for an account set up with automatic payments will be processed. 
  
  The customer canceled on 10/24/2023. On 11/22/2023, we received notification that the customer had disputed the payment of $45.37 that we processed on 11/14/2023. Because of the dispute, Consumer Cellular reversed the funds and applied a $25.00 late fee and this amount to the account.
  
  Unfortunately, due to usage, we cannot offer a refund. The final balance is $70.37, which includes service from 9/25/23 to 10/24/23 and the late fee. We would happily waive the late fee once the customer pays the balance.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 20882354

  It appears to me today that the ***** was credited back to my WF account. I did not see the extra 25 late fee initially, but it appeared that my checking account was short 25.  I was without phone service for several months and their "fixes" didn't.  I believe I am due at least half a credit of ***** for non service and their fraudulent charges after the phone has been ported and account closed are criminal. The phne was still under mfr. warranty but they refused to replace it.  They started out good, but went haywire last several months, I am in court re. SS fraud and think the businesses may be embezzling funds for others fraudulent purposes. 
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/16/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 5th I moved into my new apartment on October 6th I ordered internet service. Along with my internet service I got cellular phone service. My phone through consumer Cellular, wouldn't get ported. After they ported it they immediately took $45.48 off my credit card.They will not cancel the auto pay. They refuse me to open my account, because they say my PIN code is invalid, because I am no longer with them.On November 11th they took $50.64 for my credit card, that was minus the $5 auto pay discount.I have called them multiple times, and spoken with all levels of management, and have been hung up on every time.Name on the account : ***************** Telephone number on account : ************ Personal pin : **** I want every last ***** of my money returned, I would like to see this phone company out of business, how many other people have done this to? And for how long?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/25/2023

  November 25, 2023
  
  BBB File No. 20882001
  ***************** (Account No. **********
  
  
  To Whom It May *************************** you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. Consumer Cellular bills in arrears for monthly services and usage, much like a utility company. We are not a prepaid provider; service is month to month. An account will remain active until we receive a request to cancel service. When an account is closed, there is always a final bill for service through the cancellation date.
  
  ***************** reinstated service on 11/21/22 and cancelled service on 11/11/23. On 10/12/23, payment of $45.48 was taken via AutoPay for the service dates of 8/22/23 9/21/23. The payment of $50.51 that was taken on 11/11/23 was for the service dates of 9/22/23 10/21/23. As the last date usage reported was 10/13/23, we have waived the final invoice and applied credits totaling $12.55 for the service dates of 10/14/23 10/21/23. We have submitted a refund request for $12.55. Refund checks are printed each Friday; however, refund research can take up to 3 weeks. 
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/07/2023

  I want this reopened. I'm not done with this.

  When I talk to you on the phone today I told you that they lied. About everything. Here's the proof from the phone company and my internet company spectrum :

  That I ordered phone service before they say.

  That I ordered phone service before the end of a cycled month.

  That they intentionally held on to my phone service for another two or three days so they could get a new cycle.

  And that they didn't close my account until I called to complain and get their corporate address so I could file a better Business bureau complaint.

  The bills as they get printed, are due within days or your service gets cut. They do not wait another month to send you a bill.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2023

  December 14, 2023
  
  BBB File No. 20882001
  ***************** (Account No. **********
  
  
  To Whom It May *************************** you for contacting us regarding this rebuttal and allowing us the opportunity to respond. Consumer Cellular bills in arrears for monthly services and usage, much like a utility company. We are not a prepaid provider; service is month to month and will remain active until we receive a request to cancel service. When an account is closed, there is always a final bill for service through the cancellation date.
  
  ******************* billing cycle started on the 22nd of each month and ended on the 21st of the following month. Their invoices generated on the 24th of each month and then due on the 11th of the next month. When ******************* number ported out on 11/11/23, the final invoice generated on 11/14/23 and was due 12/01/23. 
  
  When transferring a number to a new provider, the current provider is not able to initiate the transfer. The new provider is required to submit an electronic port-out request to the current provider and Consumer Cellular releases or denies the transfer-out of numbers based on matching information. We do this to maintain account security. It is the responsibility of the customer to provide the correct information for the port out request. 
  
  As previously stated, we waived the final invoice and applied credits totaling $12.55 to backdate the cancellation, as a courtesy. A refund request was submitted and refund checks are printed each Friday. 
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/25/2023

   NO!!

  I SENT YOU THE DOCUMENTATION PROVING THEY LIED ABOUT MY PORTOUT DATE OF OCTOBER 10 .... NOT NOVEMBER 12!!!  YOU STILL BELIEVE THEIR BULLSHIT???

  ALSO, THEY CONTINUED TO TRY COLLECTING 2 MONTHS LATER. NOT A PARTIAL BILL .... ... THE FULL PRICE!!!I IMMEDIATELY OR THE ***** SERVICE IS CUTOFF IMMEDIATELY.  NOT A MONTH OR MORE LATER, LIKE THEY CLAIM ... *** THINK OF IT LIKE THIS : THEY GIVE YOU THE FIRST MONTH & IF YOU DONT PREPAY AFTER THAT, YOU DONT GET AIRWAVES ***  THEY DIDNT WANT TO PORT OUT MY # BECAUS E ITS THEIR SCAM, TO FISH MORE # OUT OF THEIR UNHAPPE CUSTOMERS.

  THEY DID THIS BEFORE; THE FIRST TIME I LEFT THEM IN 2021, I LET IT GO.  NOT THIS TIME!!!!! 

  YOU ARE DOING NOTHING TO A COMPANY TYHAT COVERS UP THEIR S*** LIKE A GOOD KITTY KAT

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have three complaints against Consumer Cellular:Complaint #1: Consumer Cellulars bill 8/03/23 contained an insert, titled Save The ***************** by agreeing to paperless billing and signing up for autopay. 8/11/23 I agreed, but CC has failed to credit me $5/mo since.On 10/13/23, I spoke with CC and was told, oh sorry, that flyer was sent to everyone, but it didnt pertain to you because you have a grandfathered plan. I looked everywhere on the flyer and their website, and there is nothing about having to have a particular plan to be able to qualify, but, they said theyd credit $12 on my next bill. Next **** credited $10.42 but no $5/month credit for the current bill. $5/mo credit should apply to all billing since accepting their offer on 8/11/23.Complaint #2:7/31/23, spoke with CCs ****** asking if an **** slider phone which I wished to purchase on **** would work with CCs network. She took IMEI and the model of the phone and said the phone will work on our network and that she would send out a new ***. The *** did not fit the phone and different representatives for CC then told me that the phone is not compatible with their network and said sorry that you were given the wrong information! I spent $22 on the phone and much time trying to get it to work with **** personnel and CC personnel. I want CC to reimburse me for this.Complaint #3: ***************** Charges (independent of Federal and other government fees) CC constantly increases their ***************** Charges fee, which excludes the county government 911 fee, FCC, and Federal fees which have remained the same for years, with federal monthly fees under $1.50.Synopsis of what Consumer Cellular does with their own fees:May 2022 $3.08 June 2022 $4.74 July 2022 $5.11 April 2023 $5.93 Aug 2023 $5.95 Sept 2023 $5.96 Oct 2023 $6.20 Nov 2023 $7.76 CCs surcharges have more than doubled within the past year. This is outrageous and quite possibly illegal.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2023

  November 22, 2023
  
  
  BBB #********
  ******************* (#*****5483)
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the billing and phone used on their account.
  
  ********************** is committed to providing the best value in wireless, and our plans have not increased in cost in 25 years. For example, our new price plans include unlimited calling for just $15 per month (plus tax), and we reduced the cost of our unlimited plan. We recently implemented changes to match current industry standards, including a $5.00 convenience fee for our customers who prefer a paper invoice and processing payments independently. This fee is waived when enrolled in our AutoPay program and electronic billing.
  
  Consumer Cellular is not charging a fee to opt out of automatic payments; all customers receive a $5.00 service fee; we offer a discount of $5.00 to our customers who choose to use our free auto pay and email billing process, at which point the $5.00 fee is removed from the billing and is not listed on the monthly invoice.
  
  The Operational Compliance fee helps cover the costs that Consumer Cellular incurs for things such as paying government-imposed fees and the costs of administering and complying with local, county, state, and federal government mandates, and requirements. We are unable to provide additional details.  The fee is not a customer tax or fee assessed by a government agency. The fee may change from time to time as costs to comply with local, county, state, and federal requirements, programs, and mandates vary.
  
  Consumer Cellulars costs of administering and complying with various local, state, and federal requirements have increased. Given these increased costs, we needed to adjust this fee to more accurately reflect the cost Consumer Cellular incurs for these items.  By increasing the Operational Compliance Fee we can continue to offer our customers unmatched value with award-winning customer support and low-cost service fees and device offerings.
  
  Information regarding a service change is provided in our Wireless Customer Agreement, included with all equipment purchases, including SIM-only orders. Section 1.3 states, "We may change any terms, conditions, rates, fees, expenses, or charges regarding our Services at any time..."
  
  A customer is welcome to use their own phone purchased from another carrier as long as it can use a GSM SIM Card, it is VoLTE (voice over LTE) compatible, and it is unlocked for use with any carrier. While most new phones are compatible and have a high success rate of being activated, we cannot guarantee the compatibility of any phone that Consumer Cellular did not sell to the customer, even if the **** shows it should be compatible with our service. We apologize that this information was not fully explained to our customer prior to purchasing the phone and have forwarded the feedback to the appropriate department for review and training.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2023

   
  Complaint: 20876610
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Never has CC notified me on the phone, by mail, or online that they have started a $5 customer service fee or a $5 fee for a paper statement.  the copy of the flyer sent just says that $5 will be taken off my monthly bill if I sign up for paperless statements and autopay. It is fraud to make the offer and not honor it when the customer has fulfilled their end of the bargain.  I do not agree that their "compliance" fees are governmental and increase every couple of months or less.  My FFC and local government fees have remained constant within a few cents.

  CC gave me false information that led to my spending money on a new phone that does not work on their network, and their response to my legitimate complaints is double talk, denial, and self aggrandizing.  They are truly a disreputable company.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was charged for service I did not receive. I cancelled the service a few days after the month started. I cancelled because I was told by the company that my bill would only be 60 dollars a month and they raised it to 80 dollars a month and their service did not live up to what they said. I feel that my bill should be prorated to how many days I had the service and not have to pay for service they did not provide.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

   
  
  November 21, 2023
  
  BBB #********
  ******************* (#xxxxx3070)
  
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for contacting us regarding this complaint and allowing us the opportunity to respond. We are sorry to hear that ************** canceled his account due to his invoice. We certainly understand that seeing a larger amount due on an invoice is worrying, and we are always happy to go over an invoice and ensure our customers are on the right plans for them. Sadly, we did not receive a call or chat from the customer requesting to review his invoices.
  
  Upon review of the account, we do see that the plan was upgraded from our 5GB data plan to the larger 20GB plan for an increase of $20 plus tax. This was due to the account exceeding the lower plan by using 14.72GB of data during the billing cycle of 1/24 to 2/23. As a courtesy, we sent email notices about the data usage on 1/29, 2/02, 2/07, and 2/21. When the billing cycle started over on 2/24/23, the account was eligible to be downgraded back to the lower data plan for future invoices. This could have been done through the online account or My CC App. We do not automatically downgrade the plan again, as we never know if the customers usage habits have changed.
  
  The account was cancelled as requested on 10/02 and ************** is not being charged for service beyond that date. Consumer Cellular bills in arrears for monthly service and usage, meaning after the billing cycle ends. Because of this, when an account is closed, there is always a final bill for service provided through the cancellation date. They are only charged for the time the account was still active. If the account was cancelled before the end of the billing cycle, the final invoice is prorated only for the days the service was active. Additionally, when the account is canceled, any outstanding EasyPay balance for the customers phones will then come due. The final invoice of $213.80 included $108.00 for the remaining balance of the phones, $80.09 for service provided from 8/24 to 9/23, and the final charges of $25.71 for service provided from 9/24 to 10/02, the date of cancellation. These charges are valid and cannot be refunded.
  
  
  If anything changes in the future, we would love to work with ************** again. Thank you for allowing us to address these concerns.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional assistance. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  Executive Resolution Administration
  T ************ F ************
  ******************************************
  www.ConsumerCellular.com