So, here's my story... make sure you're sitting down in a comfortable chair, this is gonna take a bit to explain.

Back in July, I signed up for Cricket's Wireless Broadband (or 3G) service. I went to a Cricket corporate-owned store about half an hour's drive from where I live (closest one to me there is), purchased my A600 modem, and got up & running on the plan they advertise the most: $40 a month for 5 GB of service at full speed. If you go over 5 GB of usage, your speed is drastically slowed (down to only 100 kbps or so) for what can be as much as 3-4 weeks! I found that out the hard way, when I accidentally went over 5 GB of usage one month.

With the monthly billed plan I was on, you have a set billing date every month. If you can't pay your bill for the following month by that date, your service is suspended, and there's a $10 fee to turn it back on! My bill was due on the 15th, but I didn't get paid until today, so my bill was past due and my 3G modem service had been suspended until I paid it. But before I paid it, I decided to call Customer Service. Thanks in part to HoFo, I knew that there were now 2 plans available that provide 10 GB of usage a month, which would prevent me from going over again. Customer Service has a plan for $60 a month (same ridiculously high price that Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and at&t all charge per month for their 3G modems) for 10 GB of usage. But customers that buy their A600 modem at Wal*Mart are offered a rate of $50 per month for 10 GB of usage! That $10 per month savings adds up to $120 less per year, so that's a significant savings! And the "Wal*Mart Plan" is a true Pay As You Go (or Paygo, as Cricket calls it) plan, with no set billing day and no BS $10 reinstatement fee if your service is suspended!

So, I called Customer Service. After figuring out how to get an actual person on the phone (a minor feat in itself) I got "Wilbur". After talking to him for a couple moments to explain my needs, what he told me is that I can switch to that $50 plan, but to do so, I have to go to a Cricket corporate-owned store, bringing my modem with me, and they can switch me over to it. Customer Service can not switch me to a Paygo plan. Strike One.

So, I drove to the corporate-owned store I originally activated it at back in July. Took at least half an hour to get there, because they don't have any that are closer to me. After confirming that "Wilbur" had deactivated my monthly billed account, they talked to their Manager On Duty, who went into the back room for a minute to double-check something, then came back out and informed me that, surprise, surprise... the sales staff at Cricket's corporate-owned stores can't activate Paygo accounts, either. Strike Two.

So, while still in the store, I called Customer Service again. This time I talked to "Alex". After explaining the situation to him, he told me that only Wal*Mart can do the Paygo activation. No one else can do it. I made it crystal clear to Mr. "Alex" that I needed to be able to activate my EXISTING A600 modem on that plan, and asked him point blank "can Wal*Mart do that for me?" and he responded "YES". He assured me that Wal*Mart could activate my existing modem for me. So, off I went to the nearby Wally World.

When I got there, the employee wasn't entirely sure what to do, but he went and got a top-up card to have it ready, and called Cricket so he could do the activation over the phone. While he was on-hold for a rep, he said "let's sell this to you" and he then rang up the top-up card, WHICH IS NON-REFUNDABLE. Remember that for later, it will come up again. And remember, at this point, I've had 2 Customer Service Reps tell me that I CAN activate my existing A600 modem on the Paygo $50 a month plan.

So, the rep finally answered the call. The Wal*Mart employee spoke to him for a minute, then the Cricket rep asked to speak to me. After I verified some of my info for him, I then explained the situation to him, and what I was trying to do. He asked me to hold "for a minute". It was more like 5. During this time, the Wally World wage slave that was helping me excused himself to go on his break, because he was overdue to do so, and he left one of his co-workers to take over, while I continued to hold. Then the rep came back and informed me that the $50 Paygo plan can ONLY be activated on A600s purchased AT WAL*MART! He claimed that something is different with them, and those are the only ones that can be used on that plan!!! STRIKE THREE!!!

So, I let the guy know in no uncertain terms that what he was telling me was B frakkin' S and demanded to speak to a manager or supervisor. After a moment, the supervisor comes on. So I explain the whole situation to him, making sure to tell him everything I've told you here at HoFo. I mentioned the names of the reps I'd spoken to and everything. He gives me a token apology and then proceeds to tell me the same B.S. his underling had, that the modems sold at Wal*Mart are the only ones that can be activated on Paygo, that they're somehow "different" and I will need to buy a new modem! I told him that I already own one and reiterate that I shouldn't have to shell out more money for a modem when I ALREADY HAVE ONE! He repeats that this is the only way I can activate that plan. So, I proceeded to ask what he's going to do for me, then, since I now have a $50 top-up card ($53 after state sales tax is added in) that is USELESS! He tells me that they're non-refundable, but suggests that I can "sell it to someone else"! I repeat that it's useless if I can't activate my modem on it, and demand to know what he's going to do for me. Again, he repeats the same B.S. spiel! BTW, all the while, the Wal*Mart employee is hearing my end of the conversation and indicating her agreement with everything I'm saying, and confirming how ridiculous Cricket is being about the whole thing. Finally, I'd had it. I told the guy "Fine, I'll sell the modem and top-up card to someone on eBay and you've just lost a customer!" and then hung up on him.

I am now officially done with Cricket. They can SUCK IT!!! You all can do business with these rip-off artists if you want, but as for me, I'm gone. Let the buyer beware!

--Jack

Why would you sign up with a company called "cricket"???AHAH..

What does their name have to do with anything? Grow up, kid.

cricket is a low cost provider. if you're a high maintenance customer, maybe you should stick with either whats easy, or someone to hold your hand like VZW or ATT. the process isn't really that complicated to begin with.

How is he high maintenance?

He found a plan that will suit him more:
CSR #1 says you can only do it in store.
Store Rep #1 says you can only do it in walmart
Walmart Rep who calls CSR #2 gets the answer "NO WE CAN'T"

Other than the fact that he used more than 5GB (which he found a fix for, the 10GB plan), and can't keep a solid billing date (hence jumping to prepay). Every customer needs their hand held, for a small time. Honestly, if they would have fixed the situation, they would still have a customer. They chose to run him around and screw with him, therefore he is no longer a customer.