Assurance Wireless is very unreliable. DANGEROUSLY so at times... The phone they send you is a Kyrocera Jax... It has terrible reception outside major metropolitan areas. The Colombian-based CSR's, explain that many areas have only adequate service (shame Virgin Mobile. Shame SPRINT!). I had to send back the phone. They shipped me a replacement with a BAD ESN. Sent that back. Waited. Had to call them to re-order... They finally sent that one (Good thing I kept my old battery!). I shipped back the old phone in the return envelope immeadiately.
Started getting emails that they hadn't received the phone and my service would be cut-off... I called 3-times, was reassured they had the phone. Week after that last call. I'm cut off. (missed important job calls, the MAIN REASON to have this phone!). Called up, an hour later, I'm back on... Finally, by their advice, bought a Virgin phone... They can't handle Smart Phones but Assurance CS recommended an LG Rumour Touch. (has a Qwerty Keyboard)... Got it, called Assurance. Almost unintelligible CSR couldn't activate it... I hung up..
He calls back with a rambling diatribe about "He KNEW I wasn't mad at him".. Huh?!? Anyway, he failed again. I was about ready to give up BUT decided when I'd try to activate it online. WELL, that worked. Half-way. I could partially use my new phone and the old one was disconnected. I called Assurance. Got an intelligent sounding person this time who said "HEH, we can do this". AND she did. 5 mins later. My LG Rumour Touch was working perfectly. Reception was 500 per cent better... Point is..
1) Their CSR's are hard to understand 2) The stock phone they send you is junk outside of major metro areas 3) Virgin Mobile CSR's are almost as bad, sending you BACK to Assurance every time 4) The only way to get decent service is to find a used Virgin Mobile phone with a guaranteed clean ESN, try to activate it online, then from ANOTHER phone (I used a Skype-Out line from a wifi connection) call their CSR department during non-peak hours and get the deal done. Now, the LG Rumour Touch has its own set of detractors claiming how it's terrible BUT after 3 weeks, knock on wood, it's done what I needed it to do. Especially utilizing texting when possible... I also pay an extra 5 bux a month for an addition 250 mins and 250 texts and that works out pretty good.
IF I have anymore serious CSR problems though, I'm reporting Assurance, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint, the main carrier to the FCC and Federal Trade Commission though. Not being able to reach 911 is serious biz... I could just find an unactivated junker of a phone on say Verizon and get thru on that!
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