I recently had to purchase a temporary prepaid phone through Boost Mobile because my phone broke and I was waiting for a new one to be released. I used Boost back in 2018 and back then they were great and understanding. Unfortunately, this recent experience was completely different.
I went to Walmart and bought the cheapest Boost phone available (which was over $60) along with a $25 prepaid card. I had to take a taxi to and from the store, which cost me over $20. After spending all that money just to have a working phone, I got home and tried to activate it — and that’s when the nightmare started.
I was told I couldn’t activate the phone unless I paid an additional $0.60 in taxes. Nowhere on the phone box or the prepaid card did it mention that I would owe extra money at activation. I had already spent everything I had because my phone broke unexpectedly. I literally did not have $0.60 left. I had to borrow someone else’s phone just to call customer service.
They then offered me a “deal” of $10 a month for three months and then $25 after that — but only if I signed up for auto-pay. I don’t like leaving my card information on file, so I declined and asked to just use the $25 plan I had already purchased. I was then told I couldn’t use the $25 plan unless I agreed to auto-pay and would instead have to pay for a $45 plan. That makes absolutely no sense when you can walk into a store and buy a $25 Boost card.
I’m a personal caregiver and I need a phone at all times. Because of this situation, I went without service for five days until I got paid and could fix the issue. I was extremely upset and even crying on the phone because I don’t even have a debit card and had to wait until I could load my paycheck onto a Walmart card just to activate service.
In the end, I went back to my original carrier. I had my daughter pick out the phone she wanted, and I’m using that one temporarily until the phone I want is released. I had planned to give her the Boost phone, but after this experience, that wasn’t happening.
Boost used to allow incoming calls and texts for a period of time even if your bill was late. That flexibility and understanding seems to be gone. Over $0.60, Boost lost a longtime customer and a potential new one.
Was it really worth it?
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Boost Mobile is a wireless telecommunications brand used by two independent companies in Australia and the United States.