I dont think VM treats their customers very well. I read that they are offering a plan 120 minutes for only 10 dollars but they are only offering it in certain areas and for low-income people. This is something that should be offered to everyone. I think people need to let virgin know that they need to be fair and offer to everyone and cut everyone a break.

worst pre paid phone I,ve encountered in travels in 50 + countries,in general pre paid in US is sub standard even when compared to 3rd world countries ..FACT

The price is great, but the coverage is awful. I have no service at all (regardless of what the VM coverage map shows) at our summer home. Most places I go to in state also have no service. I have no choice but to dump VM and find a cell company that doesn't have such a spotty network.

When I switched from one text plan to another they charged me for both plans. After suffering through the phone system to get to a rep she refused to give me a refund because it was my fault for buying both plans and said the supervisor was busy. When I said I wanted to cancel my service she transferred me to a voicemail box.

The customer service sucks.

Their rates are not very competitive and CS is not good .

Just sayin--
That .15/day charge that the VM advisor can't really explain? Once you download something from VXL (even if it was a freebie) VM starts a .15/day "WAP" access charge. Their website states that WAP access is .15/day. Sounds like .15/day for each you use WAP access, right? No, it's .15/day oevery day after you once use VXL. That one ringtone will effectively cost you a buck to buy and $4.50 each month afterwards. So ask your advisor to stop your WAP "service" and give you a refund--they gave me $10 for each of my kid's accounts.

I've been using VM since 2003, and now have 3 accounts with them. It's hard to do better than $20 every 90 days for occasional users. And their message packs are also a good deal. Customer service at least used to be good, and coverage is OK. But this daily charge is sleazy.

I am a teenager with my first phone. At first, it was cool. I'd get unlimited text and it didn't cost too much. Recently, and FREQUENTLY messages would come late. Sometimes I wouldn't get them at all. For someone who uses the phone primarily to text, this was a problem.
So today I decided to Top-Up and use a promo code they mailed me. They told me all I needed was $20 and they would cover the rest. LIES! Its been about 4 hours and my account is almost empty. I'm switching to Boost Mobile ASAP.
Also, the phones are pretty expensive for not so great tech. I got the Shuttle and the thing will randomly restart itself. Plus, every time it restarts its got at least 30 minutes worth of late texts. I also had trouble uploading a picture for the background. The Shuttle kept restarting itself over and over. In the end I had to take it to Best Buy to get it replaced. This phone service is not worth your time. Even if your time is worthless.

I would give -5 stars if it is possible. The customer service really bad. They charged me all the month but told me they had problem get fund from my bank and disconnected my phone. I tried to call them whole month and they still did nothing. After half year they still did nothing but they did charge me from my credit card. Today when I call them, they are telling that my account has been closed because my cell phone has been stolen. My cell phone always with me and never been stolen. What a lie!!! So they can close my account and get my balance for free!!!

Too bad service!!! I tried to talk with their supvisor. He even did not let me speak and hand my phone.

You better make search before you use their service!!!

I will never trust them again!!!

I would rate zero stars if I could.
I was a long time Virgin Mobile customer. I have been happy with the service until a week ago. I bought a new phone and tried to activate it online. The phone gave me an error message and did not fully activate. I was told to call customer service (if you want to call it that). After speaking to "Alex", I was put on hold forever and then finally connected to an "expert" who could barely speak English. She told me how to activate my phone (the same way as online). When that didn't work, she put in a troubleshoot report and told me to wait 24 hours. After 48 hours the phone still didn't work. I spoke to a second rep. who told me the report would actually take 72 business hours and there was nothing more he could do.
I attemped to email customer service, but they also told me the phone had been activated.
I tried again today to activate the phone online, and got another error message. The phone is probably defective but no one will admit that is a possibility.
While attempting to cancel my service, the representative put me on hold to transfer me to an expert. I was then disconnected and not able to speak with anyone else.
If you like cheap phones, terrible customer service, and not having the service you paid for, Virgin Mobile is the Company for you.

CUstomer Service lied to me and at one point even made references to me stealing a phone. Every week for 3 months i tried to port my number from Cingular with VM telling me it was in the hands of CIngular. It turns out that they have recycled their phone serial numbers and coule not activate my phone because the serial number was linked to another account! Their solution to this was for me to call back in 7 days. Don't use them you will regret it!

HORRIBLE SERVICE. My pre-paid mobile will not allow me to top up. Virgin's solution is to make me wait 2 weeks while they investigate. I then have to call THEM to see if the phone is fixed.

AVOID VIRGIN PRE-PAID!

I HAVE BEN LOOKING FOR BETTER SERVICE THAN V M ALL THE OTHERS CHARGE FEES TO USE THEM OR COVERAGE IS BAD I THINK I WILL STAY WITH V M

so far i am happy with my service with virgin mobile. i have 400 anytime minutes and free nights and weekends starting at 7, plus 1000 texts a month! all for 50 dollars plus tax. this plan has worked for me the best and i have tried most all prepaid plans. there phones are decent, i bought the new shuttle. i have full length movies on it and all my music. i wish it came with an actual game that wasnt just a demo, but ill proll end up buying one of there website. overall i have had a good experience with virgin mobile and a prepaid monthly service plan, so far so good!

I won't lie, I don't use my phone to make calls unless its for buisness. I bought a the XTC phone with a messenging friendly plan, spent around 150 dollars for it all, and I've had maybe a forth of my txt messages go through. When I call C.S. and wait for up to an hour to talk to someone, the only help they give me is that it "must be the recievers provider that isn't completing the text." This is NOT true because I sat down with both of my phones, one through Virgin Mobile and the other through Sprint, and sent 10+ messages to myself, only to recieve two of them an hour later.

Prepaid is more conveinant but it definetly has it's down falls..

Customer Service really sucks. It took 4 phone calls in order to get my internationa service connected. For a company as big as Virgin Mobile this should not happen.

It takes ten to twelve minutes to load up a site using the twenty dollar plan.They advertise twelve hours for twenty dollars,you will get six hours if your lucky.There customer service in the plillipines is useless. Do not buy VM

Bought a LG 50 Pay as you go, then upgraded to LG160. Battery life just aweful - never achieved advertised range for both phones, even though it was only used for emergencies!

Bought another $100 prepaid voucher end of Feb/09, expecting to last over 1 year - just like my previous $100. On Aug.1/09, my phone call got cut off. I logged on-line to find out only have $0.20 left on my account. Then found out I had to pay $2.00 for a transaction history (only last 60 days), and each weekly subsequent report also $2.00/report. It would cost me over $25.00 just to check why my $100.00 disappeared so quickly from my account.

I do not keep track of every phone call made/received but suspect I am being ripped off. Now they want me to pay for the history transactions when I want to verify. Shouldn't this be illegal?

Rogers provide history transactions on-line at no charge! This shows open, nothing to hide, business operation.

My rate is actually higher with Virgin mobile @ $0.30/minute. Rogers are charging $0.25/minute for the first 5 minutes on that day, and $0.15/minute after for that same day. So it was not like I was getting great deal on my rates with Virgin Mobile. Go figure!

Definitely do not go with Virgin Mobile!

This is my 4th phone with Virgin. They just keep getting better. They don't replace a phone if you drop it, though. Also, sometimes it does freak out with the messaging, but not very often, and when it DOES, who really relies on texting THAT much that it matters, if it's that important, call. I've been getting annoying phone calls from the FBI break-in or something. I wish I knew how to block it. I also don't like that when it says it'll be 34.99 plus tax, it means 37.01. I wish you could make your own ringtones, but I'm sure eventually that'll be an option. My phone also doesn't have flash, but I'm usually in a position to turn a light on, so it's no big deal. Don't sign up for VirginXL if you don't want to be charged unnecessarily. A huge plus: I downloaded AvaPeeps, and it was supposed to be the monthly version. It only charged me once and continues to work. I have great reception, it's on Sprint network. There's no one out there better for price, not even PLANS! The minor problems keep it from being a 5, but the people who say they'd give it a 0 are full of it. Great company, overall!

I had this service for 2 years and i am now going back to it! I also used Verizon prepaid and Boost mobile. This is the best and most reliable company out there for prepaid. Verizon doesn't care about their prepaid customers at all, and while Boost Mobile has a good price, i only receive 60-75% of my messages/calls. The only reason for 4 stars is because you won't find a perfect prepaid provider, but this is about as close as it gets. Most of the people on here with problems are older people that only make 4 phone calls a month and can't follow simple instructions... Plus, they have better prices than most others and ALL the phone companies have people overseas that you cant understand! Cheap labor for prepaid... I've never had a problem with them...

HORRIBLE! DON"T BUY!

DON"T BUY IT DON"T BUY IT!!!!

i bought it last night. We finally got it working this morning only to find out that even though they show I'm in covered area, i only get one line and only if I stnad in a certain place. If I even try to move the phoen to raise it to my ear I lose the signal. So I called and asked for my 60 dollars back and cancel the service. THey said because their map shows me in coverage and I used 17 minutes (10 minutes was just redialing from different places trying to get a signal that would hold) they would not refund the money and they cancelled the accoutn and kept my m oney! I called and talked to 5 reps and a supervisor trying to get help and everyone said their policy is they won't do it. so.... DON"T RISK IT! DOn't BUY IT!

okay service, great customer support, but when i activated my phone for the first time about a month ago they gave me 80 free minutes and 20 bonus text messages, i never texted and was planning to use my phone today for the first time, and guess what, the free minutes are still there, well subtracted by 5, but the bonus texts are no longer availabe, no expiration date on the top up card or worse, on their website!!!1 this is garbage, 20 free texts is like a months worth for me, now i have to pay,!!! i feel like calling but its no t worth it, if you make 3 calls under a minute, be prepared to lose total of 5-10 miuntes overall....yupppp

Getting worst. I had this phone service paid for the minutes for 3 years. Everything was great till a month ago. Best deal if you don't use it as a primary phone and for emergency. The problem now is somehow the cheap phone battery just died. I get bad reception in my room, I have to leave the building to make a call. I think they switched service provider for some reason. Since the reception now is bad, it just drain the battery within a day if in leave in in the room. I am now looking elsewhere for a cheap paid phone.

I like the plans virgin mobile offers. I go month-by-month buying minute packs with rollover minutes. I put 30 dollars on my phone a month, buy 200 minutes for $20 and 1000 texts for $10. I'll put extra money on there when I want to buy a new ringtone or something, but other than that, I usually pay $30 a month.

I do, however, have a complaint about their quality of service. I almost always have to be outside to get good service. I didn't have service inside my high school, and now I lose service everytime I walk into a University of Scranton building. I don't even get service in my house and I live near Scranton, PA. Of course without service all of my voicemails and texts are delayed. It's very flustering.

I'd like to switch to a prepaid with better service, but I can't find one that will fill my needs and still cost around $30 a month. Any suggestions?

I've been a customer for many years since 2002 or 2003. I've lived with so-so phone coverage and so-so phones, but their most recent change has me thinking of changing services. Before I would only be billed if I called, or if I was called and picked up. If someone left me a voicemail then I wouldn't be billed. BUT now they've changed it to bill be when someone calls and I don't pickup. Where $15 wold last 3 months now it barely lasts 1 month! Thanks!

This company is great! I havent had to pay for one minute yet because of sugar mamma, studio v, and kickbacks. When getting a new account enter kickback code fLdpvVOw and you will earn 60 free minutes!

Virgin Mobile has been great to me. I went on the phone, talked to CS, and they were very kind. No problems at all. I love the phone selection, and the texter's delight plan. SOOOOO much better than Tracfone, AT&T GoPhone, etc.

They have absolutely terrible customer support. Besides that, there are other prepaid providers with better pricing, better coverage and better support.

Minutes disappeared more than once and it's always a 30minute call or more to try and resolve anything. Most of the time I just gave up on the minutes. Now I have given up on the company.

I also heard about some $10/120 minute card for low-income people. When asking about this got no real answers. I think this is very unfair towards their loyal customers who have to pay more.

I have had virgin mobile for about two years now. The flares only last about 6 mo before something just stops working. As far as coverage, a lot of the midwest isn't covered but most of everywhere else. I haven't had too many problems, occasionally someone wont get a text or will get it hours or days later and vice versa. If you have a problem where you need to speak to a live advisor don't expect much help. I pay about 35 a month for 200 anytime and 500 night and weekends with unlimited texts, and I mean, you get what you pay for. It's cheap service that works most of the time, but when it doesn't you kind of have to just wait until it solves itself. Wouldn't recommend to anyone who relies on a phone for a living. But its a pretty good cheap phone.

To: Madcustomer 2009/07/20

The $10 card is not just for poor people. Anyone can buy it, you don't have to qualify for anything. It has been available for quite a long time. I'm not poor and I buy the $10 card every month. Granted you might not find it in the big box stores, I've never seen one in any of those type stores. I buy my $10 card at the service station when I stop to put gas in my car.

I've been using the VM prepaid service for about a year and a half. Using the same Marbl phone the entire time. The phone itself is not so great, it is the cheapest model they offer. I got my phone for free so I can't really complain about that. The response time is very slow when pushing buttons on the phone to dial a # or type out a text or even just moving through the menus. I push a button and it takes the phone about 5 seconds to react.

I've never had any type of problems that required me to call customer service so I have no opinion on how good or bad the cs reps are.

Only in the last couple of weeks have I started to have problems with their "network". Incoming calls don't even register as in my phone won't ring when someone is calling me. The phone will ring 3-4 hours later and when I answer nobody is there because they hung up 3 hours ago. I've sent text messages to my friends who have a mixture of different providers and my texts to them didn't get delivered until 2 days after I sent them, same with incoming texts. If someone leaves me a voicemail I'm not able to listen to it until 2 or 3 days after it was left.

Someone mentioned they are "coming out" with a $10 card. That $10 card is already out and has been for at least a year or more. I've been buying it for a long time to use for txt message packs.

I saw another review here where somebody said money was disappearing from their account when they haven't even used their phone. I've had the same problem. At one time I didn't touch my phone for 4 days. No incoming or outgoing calls or texts of any kind. 0.15 cents a day started getting removed from my balance. I went to the VM website and started investigating my account history and all of that stuff. Somehow VM, without my permission, signed me up for the VirginXL program. I assume that is for internet access or something like that through the phone. The Marbl can barely dial a # so accessing the web with it is out of the question. I unsubscribed from the service and the daily charge has stopped being removed from my acct balance. I highly reccomend using Virgin Mobiles website to keep track of all of your transactions, call history, account history.

I never ever top up with my credit cards online or otherwise. I work in "electronic commerce", a shopping website. It's never safe to use your credit card online. Too many people who work behind the scenes of the website you are buying from have access to your card information. I always use the top up cards bought at the store and top up through the phone itself.

The Sugar Mamma kickback give us a minute of your time and we will give you a minute thing is a JOKE. Don't even think about signing up for it hoping to get free minutes. It doesn't work. They never give you your free minute for answering their silly trivia questions via text.

The idea is good, especially for kids trying to have a go at the who phone thing. Losing one is not a big deal and you are not a contract.
But! The CUSTOMER SERVICE is horrile so if you do run into any probablems. Such as, you credit card being charged over and over for the wrong things they absolutly WILL NOT credit it back. I had to "remove" my credit card and stop using the phone...thus we will never use them again, even if I have to pay more some where else for better service. You credit cards are in the hands of the Phillipins with this comany.

Virgin Mobile is a very good in my opion. although ive herd customer service is horrible. virgin mobile has a huge range of features an plans from monthly to pay as you go. the only trouble i have had was... i had 50$ in top-up cards and by accident i bought a minute pack so i lost 40 bucks. also whats good about VM is that they have a great selection of ringtones,themes,wallpapers,ring back tones and games within reasonable price and no monthly fees for them like other ringtone companys you see on tv

Sisko: You can top up right on your phone, you don't need to call or go to the website.

For a prepaid service, I'd like to hear another beat VM with service. I've had very few call drops even when it's a blizzard or severe t-storm outside. Calls are clear on certain phones. Oyster, Marbl, Arc & Wild Card to me were the phones with the clearest call quality. I don't travel the world or anything but I do go a ways on the job. Up to 4 hours south where it's mostly country and I still can make calls in most places. As always, no carrier is going to have service everywhere, especially around mountain area. Also, customer service sucks on every carrier, so don't buy into the hype about CS, most of these carriers use outsourced foreign call centers for it. I say, give it a shot.

I've used the Virgin Prepaid plan ever since ive gotten to college, and I have never really had any complaints. It works like a prepaid phone card, really nothing special. But i was reading and now i heard they got some kind of plan for people who are unemployed, but ONLY if they are considered unemployed or on welfare or something. This kind of upsets me, considering that I am a student with a fixed income, however I get no discount or special pricing because im a student and not considered 'unemployed'. I want a phone company that acknowledges and wants my customer loyalty and in the end rewards me for it. VIRGIN is not that company.

Great phone. The keyboards on them are a bit small but only $30 bucks for 1000 texts and 400 everyday and 500 night and weekend minutes.

I've had VM for three months now and no problems until today. I went to their web site to top up my account and it would not accept my account pin number. There is no customer service on the weekends. Their FAQ section is useless. It tells you very little. There is no trouble shooting section and you can not reset your account pin number. Their web site sends you around in circles. I need to top up today so I will not loose any minutes,but afraid it is to late since there in no customer service on weekends. After what I have read here today,it looks like I picked the wrong company.

Just one more person who is sick to death of the absolute lack of any customer service. I got the phone in March; have never been able to view my account on the phone, send texts or photos. I have called 6? 7? times. The first two or three times, I was told to re-activate the phone. I have re-activated the phone at least 4 times, from different locations, always with maximum bars. Now I am told that someone will call me back within 72 hours. Not once have I been called back. Would one of you who loves their customer service mind including the name of the person you worked with who actually resolved a problem? There can't be more than one. They never, ever respond to e-mails, either. Not even with an automated response. My husband's phone works perfectly, by the way. I guess it's all in the luck of the draw. As with others, I'll be looking for a different service when our money runs out.

The reason for this negative review is the customer service. It's HORRIBLE! I paid for Service Preserver and didn't get. I call cust svc to find out why and they hung up on me FIVE times. Not honoring their promotions and sucky cust svc is why I'm looking for a new prepaid cell phone service!!

Its thougf i bought a vergin mobial and still not activated after 18 hours..

I LIKE VIRGIN MOBLE CAUSE WHEN U DONT HAVE TIME ON YOUR PHONE THEY ADD BONUSES MINS TILL YOU CAN PUT TIME ON YOUR PHONE

I just bought two phones. One for my daughter and myself. I had nextel and tried to bargain with nextel to share 200 minutes. Yeah , i rarely use my phone .It's for emergency's only. Anyhow they didn't give me a plan under $60 for both after being with them 5 plus years. I decided to go with VM. My daughters phone is working fine for her. However, my phone has been under invistigation for over a week. They say max 72 hours, so at this point i'm frustrated. I've been transfered plenty of times, everyone says to wait one more day. Furthermore, one of the representitive finally gave me something for free . Not what I wanted but it's ok. I just want to be able to use my phone.

Not bad. I bought a Marbl just to make calls and that's it. Service is good, don't know about costumer service via the phone but by email they were very helpful. They've even refunded a ringtone that I've purchased but did not like. All I do is add $20 a month to top up and that's that.

DO NOT use this company - horrible coverage, horrible customer service!! I should have researched this better... Do not buy you will regret it !!

I heard that Vigin Mobile is coming out with a $10 phone card for the poor (you have to qualify I guess). The sad thing is that they are not going to offer the prepaid card to the regular consumer, who like myself, have been w/ Virgin Mobile for many years. I think this is atrocious! Virgin should just pay attention to the horrible state the country is in right now, with increasing debt & unemployment and open this offer to ALL it's customers. Since when should one be penalized for holding a job and living above the poverty line? Seems like being poor is the cool thing to be.

If going to get Virgin Mobile make sure not to try and switch plans while you still have money or minutes left from the other plan. It is very difficult, but possible and needs a lot of patience to get them back. Others wise this is and ok company. If going to use Virgin Mobile enter kickback code fLdpvVOw and recieve 60 free minutes! It worked for me...

If I could give their company 0 stars I would have! I have usedtheir service in the past and it seemed to be ok. But now that I have experienced receiving an unuasable phone (one that had already been used and registered), I have had to experience the complete incompetence of their customer service agents. If you think there is even a slim possibility that you will need to be speak to someone who knows what they are talking about for your cell phone, DO NOT use this company.

I'd give them zero stars if I could. My husband and I have been using VM for over 6 years now and for the last year or so, we've had nothing but headaches. We are not frequent cell phone users which is why we use a pay-as-you-go service, however we've not been ABLE to pay. Period. Our phone will give us a balance when prompted but is "unable to connect to server" when Top-up is chosen. I've tried multiple times to Top-up via their web site and continually get errors. I try to call customer service and am immediately disconnected.

I would USE their service, if they provided any. Refusing to take your customer's money is a great way to lose them. We're currently looking into one of the other pay-as-you-go companies. I wouldn't touch VM with a hundred foot pole after experiencing their "service".

I have been a customer of Virgin Mobile's for the past 6 years and, until recently, have had no problems. However, after my most recent purchase and the ensuing problems, I am searching for a new cell phone provider.
All attempts at obtaining assistance with a (brand new!) defective phone have been unsuccessful. I have tried for 3 weeks to get someone to help me activate the phone I purchased from Virgin's website. Each time I have called I have been met with long wait times, operators that do not speak clearly, supervisors that have promised to "look into the problem" and call me back (and yet never did!?!). It took 3 phone calls to get help in processing my return, only to be given a "corporate phone number" that proved to be out of order. Absolutely infuriating!!

I havent had any problems with my phone till lately. Texting is slow and phone calls are disconnected.
What annoys me most is that I cant even get ahold of customer service! When i woke up this morning my texting wasnt working and i have unlimited texing and its been paid for, for this month. But no matter what phone i call on, VM wont pick up the phone. I dont know how to fix the problem because they obviously have problems of their own.
Im ready to switch companies but im not sure which one to go to for a cheap plan and good customer service.
Plz help!

I've had horrific customer svc issues with VM since June 2009 when I signed up. First phone was defective & took about 5 hours total on calls to cust svc to get a new phone - and it has issues too (poor battery life, phone locks up). This takes the cake - today you CANNOT reach their cust svc number - it disconnects right away OR you get a recording saying they can't answer. IF you try logging into your account online, it won't accept your entry - I tried numerous times. They should shut down for such egregious lack of service.

Virgin Mobile is now double billing PayPal on the monthly Plans hoping you will not notice. I bought a 300/1000 minute plan as I have for months. The next day I am charged again, this of course ends the month I just purchased (11 minutes used. Customer Service is poor and hard to understand. I had to ask for an English speaking Supervisor.

I don't know how anyone can give a higher rating than 1 star! I've been with VM since 2004 and everything went well until last Saturday. I got a msg that my balance was low (It was set up to automatically topup when my balance fell to 2.50) so I just thought it'd automatically topup...no luck and my headaches started! I called VM and got customer NO SERVICE! was on hold a lot and couldn't figure out why they no longer had my credit card on file. After 30 min of frustration I just turned off my phone to deal with it later. That afternoon I called VM and gave them my credit card info AGAIN and was told that I would be topped up and everything was fine. Monday afternoon my conversation was disconnected by an auto call to VM...you guessed it...no min left and they didn't have my credit card on file. I'm concerned about identity theft and asked where my cc info was and who has access to it, the lady (couldn't understand her either) said she didn't know so I asked to speak to her supervisor. I think it was the woman sitting next to her because the responses were the same canned responsed I've already received. After 30 min of on hold and arguing with them I hung up and am looking for a new provider. My advise is to look elsewhere for prepaid service!

Worst company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Customer service? That consists of putting me on hold to "look into that" and then disconnecting the call. Terrible automated voice mail system, I never want to hear Alex again. One week after purchasing the phone, my ported number still has not been completed, No service, and no explaination. Frustrated does not come close to explaining how I feel. Do not use Virgin Mobile unless you thrive on poor customer service, lack of information and do NOT need or want a cell phone that you can make or receive calls on. Am going back to Verizon, would rather pay 3x the monthly fees and have a phone that works rather than put up with this crappy company. Run away now if you are considering Virgin mobile!

I had no complaints until I pumped $70 in top ups into my phone in a month.

When I first purchased by phone I bought a $30 card- I purchased the lowest pack of minutes available for $19.99 and then another $9.99 towards 1,000 texts. I then decided I would like to purchase a data pack to use the internet and the lowest pack I could find in any store was $20. Fine, I spent $9.99 for a data pack and the rest on ringtones. Almost two weeks go by and all of a sudden I was out of text messages. I don't believe I used the entire 1000 messages- the last time I had checked my balance a couple days previous I had at least 600 left. Fine, I purchase yet ANOTHER $20 pack and because I can't just buy another 1000 texts I purchase the unlimited for $19.99. The next day I go to send a picture message and it tells me my balance is too low. I think, no way! I just bought unlimited.

I call, I fight to get to a person with the automated answering robot for 10 minutes and finally speak to someone. They tell me to send a picture message I need at least 15 cents in my account. Excuse me? I just spent $19.99 on UNLIMITED. It says no where that you have to have 15 cents in the account.

This just seems like a way to scam me out of money so I have to keep money in my account at all times. Very angry about this. They won't credit me 10 lousy cents for this either.

service is great. Have had 3 different phones and been happy with all of them. Don't plan to change,VM plan is great. I spend on the average of 50.00 a month. Other prepaid plans have problems.

VM SUCKS!!
You Shouldn't Get it!
it Steals Yo Money,& They Lie About The Minutes.
i dont have the monthly plan. Bt i qet $30 per month. i fiqured il qet the unlimited plan & il still have $10 for callinq. Well i qot the unlimited plan & for no reason at all, they took the ten dollars. All i could do is txt, bt What if i need to call? And Sometimes i qet the messaqes late. About an hour later. Or i don't qet them at all! i've tryed the data pak. They Said That it'll only be used on the day's we use it. Well, every time i qet on the internet, they take the money away. And sometimes when i call i'll only use about half a minute, and it takes away a dollar. With that dollar i could have talked for 5 minutes. It's qreat at first, but the joy will fade soon.
HORRIBLE COMPANY!

Other than fairly reasonable rates this company is not worth the hassle. The phone is junk and had to be replaced the very first day as the speaker didn't work at all. That was a whole day of down time without access to a phone of course.

Then there was the constant calls from everyone and their brother looking for the previous phone owner. Got some of them to stop calling but VM refused to block annoying calls from creditors looking for some deadbeat that I've never met.

Then there was the week a couple months into the service where money just kept getting charged out of my account. 1 buck here, 3 bucks there, money money money. Took me 2 days of VM no-customer service torture to only have them claim someone had been making calls to Venezuela which is odd as I never called Venezuela and I'm the only person with access to my phone! They refused to return the money to my account.

Then there are the endless automated reminder calls from VM every single week! Most don't even come thru, they just ring and then no one is there when answered. If someone is there it's some spanish speaking call center where the person jibbers unintelligibly. Not to mention the endless texts from them. If only it was that easy for ME to get a hold of them!

Also, the required hurry-up-and-top-up! rules drive me nuts. I like having control of my phone but hate having to jump just because 30 days is almost up and if I am 1 minute late topping up I lose whatever minutes I have left to rollover. This is actually the final straw for me and I'm switching to a company that gives me more time to top up.

I also am annoyed with their whole MTV type of branding. I'm not 13 and don't need to listen to some automated hipster message system that gets me nowhere.

Lousy company.

I think That VM has a great service and i still and will always have VIRGIN MOBILE!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

I love vm! I have never had a problem with them ever... I have been a customer since 2003 and I always will be! I have never had a customer service problem...if I was charged incorrectly for anything my money was always refunded to my account....they have on numerous occasions paid for free months of service for being a loyal customer for so many years and I haven't had problems with any phones I have purchased..from the party animal all the way up to the current phones...the next one i'll be buying is the xtc...i have a plan with sprint but I still can't let go of my vm phone it is such a great service and an awesome back up phone and I've always had the same # with them and will always be a customer!

I originally had Tracfone and hated it, I switched to ATT Prepaid and it was pretty much the same as Tracfone. Two phones and phone companies later, a friend referred me to Virgin Mobile. I have not looked back since and I love Virgin Mobile. I have never had a problem with them. They work every where I go and their prepaid plans are the best of every company, I know, I have researched all of them. I gave them 5 stars, and they would have gotten 10 if I could have given it to them. If you are looking for a cell phone company that is different from others, well this is it people.

IT IS A TRUE MYSTERY AS TO WHY THERE ARE SO MANY NEGATIVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT VIRGIN MOBILE. First of all, I rodered my shuttle on wednesday night, got it 2:30 p.m friday from fedex, bought a top up card today tuesday and activate today tooo. I had some activation problems so i called customer service, IT WAS 100 STARS, THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER GOTEN, I WAITED 3 SECONDS TO SPEAK TO A LIVE TECH. SHE WAS THE NICEST PERSON ON THE PHONE, SHE HELPED ME OUT, SHE EVEN WENT THE EXTRA MILE TO WAIT CUZ I HAD LITTLE SISTER PROBLEMS, FINISHED THE ACTIVATION PROCESS IN 5 MINUTES.ACCOUNT WAS EASY, MAKES SENSE TO ME. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING FROM THEM, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND, PHONES ARE SICK, MY SHUTTLE IS SWEET. I LOVE VM.

Again as many of the reviewers below have said they would give 0 stars if possible I would. It took me three weeks to get my phone activated. I tried on their user UNFRIENDLY website and it rejected 3 different cards, which were all current and valid, so I called them at least 3 times and spoke to people who can not understand or speak English. Finally I spoke to someone who advised me that the reason my card was rejected was because there was a problem with the phone and the battery number not matching (why should that effect my card), anyway, after providing all my personal details, e-mail, telephone, address etc., the person informed me that I would now have to wait a further 48 - 72 hours for activation, I asked why, but she couldn't tell me why, I asked to speak to someone who could explain and was put on hold for at least 45 mintues.

After the 72 hours, still no activation. I called them again and was told that the reason I still had no activation was because "I" had not provided them with any contact details - I couldn't believe it. After another 30 minutes on the phone I finally got activation.

To demonstrate another customer service communication mess, I then received a survey, which I completed, 24 hours later I received the same survey.

I would never recommend this service to anyone, I cannot believe how they operate, other than unsuspecting customers signing up and then quickly realizing what they have got themselves into. Good Luck.

I've had VM for 5 years and 2 phones. Great service. Las Vegas, NV.

The Good - The price, had an easy setup (compared to my wife who almost always stuggles to set up her phone).

The Bad - Bought a prepaid card someone had managed to pirate the numbers off of (Even theough the card hadn't been scratched) and was unable to use my phone for 4 days while they investigated. Had to jump through hoops but got things resolved BUT did not receive credit for down time...time was backdated to the time I tried to use the card.

The Ugly - Hate the phone choices. 'Dataport' is of no use if you can't load your own stuff. (Even though theres a port there's no cable available anyways.) I'm switching to T-Mobile or AT&T to use a Nokia phone with music, my OWN ringtones, and video. Price will go from .20 to .25 /minute but it'll be worth it. Can also buy cards good for entire year instead of every 90 days...not 3 months, 90 days which is a pain on a fixed income when you get paid on a particular day of the month.

I'VE BEEN WITH VM FOR ATLEAST 5 YEARS. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM GET A PHONE WITH LARGER KEYS, AS I AM OLDER AND IT IS HARD TO SEE THE KEYS.

Readers should check the Virgin site as the rates are lower than written in the review. I pay $50/mo unlimited calling and $5 each for 1000 text msgs and 20 megs of data. Email is taken out of data total, not text. Coverage is pretty good, some 1 bar shadows but only where Verizon shadows,too. This is in Wash DC area. Drove way out to Virginia mountains one day and for a few mins was in a no bar shadow but then popped up to a 4-bar coverage.

I use the Kyocera XTC phone and have a minor issue with it, beeping to ask if I want it to check email and I can't turnthat sound off. But working on it. Seems to be a Kyocera issue not Virgin. Otherwise happy. One button access my account status where I can see how many messages and data left.

The rollover day from month 1>2 was iffy as late the last day I could not get on the web, said I had to top-up? But had 7 megs of data allowed left? Even with that glitch I could still send/receive email, do calls and texting. The next day the web access issue was gone and I could surf again.

I have called CS 4 times and never had a problem getting a human. Once I had a 15 min wait but the other 3 times were pretty good, usually a minute or two.

They have the best deals ever!!! I would have every one i know to get one. I am poor i live in a hotel and my parents cant get any cell phones. so me and my older sisters got there phones and we had them for a year now and they never loss service and my calls were never droped and they work every were. The unliminted texting and 400 mins for $50. Alot of kids have Virgin Mobile and they love it!!!! Thanks You Guys are the best!!!!

This phone is really not user frindly. when you call the help desk you get overseas people who can not speak english and are hard to understand. I left this phone company and am very disaponted.

I love VM. I have swapped phones twice and it only take a couple of minutes online (its so easy my grandfather could do it) . I transported my t mobile number in without any problem. I use the text messaging bundle, what a deal 200 for 4.99, 1000 for 9.99, or unlimited for 19.99 on the pay as you go plan, its even cheaper with the monthly plans 1000 for 5.00 or unlimited for 10.00. I can check my account online anytime, to boot no contract. I have 4 daughters and I am not willing to get into the 2 year contract deals, I would rather pay upfront for the phone and they can decide what services they would like with their own money, that way they learn accountability. By the way my daughters love the texting pay as you go plan. Its great for kids on a budget.

This compnay has the worst customer sevice I have ever seen!!!!

The only way to get live CS with these people is to threaten the Automated CS without playing an hour of word games is by stating you want to concel the account...
Their buushit automated CS plays headgames with you even after asking for a live customer person...it does this by asking what you want to speak to a live person for and then goes about trying to decive you into believe that you are getting a live person but in fact the automated service is tryig to handle whatever problmes you have itself.

I just discontinued service with them and got a refund...after my CC company infromed me that they took $60 out of my acct without my premission.

I have used Virgin Mobile Pay as you Go for several months now. And by far it is one of the worst plans I have ever used. They roll over your minutes but only under certain conditions and when you sign up for text messages, it is only good for one month, no roll over and then you have to "RENEW" your text message order "EVERY" Month !!! They never tell you this so when the next month rolls around you are caught off guard with expensive text message charges. The worst part is that when you explain this to their third world country customer service reps, they apologize from a script and do nothing else. I will definitely be switching my service.

I recently download my favorite ringtone from the web. I found out from several web sites that VM does not allow their ringtones. The customer service sucks, and that is after you wade through their enlonggated and useless directory menu.

Virgin Mobile SUCKED.!!!! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because I would not want anyone to recommend a crappy phone service to me. My calls were dropped, constantly. The prices were extremely too high. Texting sometimes took forever. Me and my sister agreed and we've been with Virgin Mobile for a little while. I definitely didn't like all the changes they had undergone while I was with them. It was very hard to get service in a building. A building? WOW!! Please save your money and go good with Boost Mobile. VMobile is a scam because they make it seem like everything is cheap then you end up spending way more than you intended. And once I put money on my phone then it magically disappeared and when I called and complained guess how much they gave back to my account? 20 cents! 20 cents! Just don't get Virgin Mobile if you like saving money because their plans are wayyyy too expensive.

If you want to earn 60 free minutes for activating and topping up, please use Kickback Code 049O60qH . You will get 60 and so will I. Thanks!

LOUSY!!!
Took 3 weeks to port my number! Meanwhile, I had no service but they still charged me for service! Also, they double billed EVERY single month! I had to spend 30 min on phone trying to get a credit back to my mastercard. The second time, they credited it in the form of credit to my VM account! I didn't approve that - they just did it and I had already told the lady I was going to cancel! Now I'm having to file disputes with the credit card. They are a bunch of THIEVES!!!!!

I would be very wary of those 5-star reviews. Virgin Mobile seems to get away with robbery. Save your headache: stay away from Virgin products!

I got one of these phones and it started out good but after two weeks it broke! if you are reading this then dont buy a virgin phone

My experience with Virgin Mobile was a nightmare! Virgin Mobile's marketing scheme is deceptive and confusing, as if it has been designed to trap unwise victims like myself. When I bought 1000-minute pack, Virgin Mobile somehow switch my plan and I actually only got 340 minutes for 3 months. It was pure hell in trying to get a hold of some reasonable customer service rep at Virgin Mobile, most of whom have been trained to frustrate and wear out customers with long hold and poor English (yes, they outsource to oversea!).

All in all, I would never ever touch any thing that has the Virgin Mobile logo on it!

I've had the same Kyocera phone and the same VM plan for enough years to lose count. Until last fall I was always very happy with the whole system--only one place I can't get service, everything worked well for my rare use of cell phone, prompt help with any problems.
The problem I started having was that when I checked my balance the minutes used for the day were about triple the minutes I'd actually been on the phone.
Every time I've called when this happens I've spent forever waiting to talk with someone. And the people I talk with seem to have a limited amount of information about the system and this problem does not fall within their scripts. So we go in circles for even longer than I spent on hold before we come to where customer service sees that the minutes charged are way more than the minutes used. Then we can start to try to deal with what to do about it. Some call it an "out of synch condition." No two reps deal with it the same way, and none has been able to make it stop happening. Most eventually arrange some kind of credit to make up the over charge. On days when I only use the phone for a few minutes I don't even bother anymore.
So, years of good service at good price on "obsolete calling plan" are overshadowed by one enduring problem and no satisfactory customer service to deal with it.

I've been a virgin user for the past 3 years now and never really had any complaints until recently. I have the unlimited plan and although the pricing isn't bad the service has started to go down hill fast.

My calls are constantly being dropped now, my reception has never been so bad and only getting worse and they recently screwed me and a friend out of money when they made mistakes with our separate accounts and refused to refund anything for either or us, the customer service has always sucked and only seems to be getting worse, if you are actually lucky enough to talk to a real person. I'm just using the rest of my month and then switching to another company, I'm sick of it.

Im 14 and I have VM. I think people are having all these probs with their VM fones is cuz they r adults and dont know how to work a fone. Its really easy 4 me and all my friends...I have the unlimited txting plan

I think there should be a disclaimer for the Virgin Mobile employees who write all these great reviews about customer service, because the company doesn't have a customer service department so how can they offer good customer service. The phone service is just like any other carrier, but if you have a problem. Good luck getting it resolved in a timely manner. Because getting through to speak to someone is going to be a problem.

Why is that their site doesn't have a search box to answer question instead of having to scroll through pages of FAQ's in which the answers are vague and don't necessarily apply to a certain problem and don't even work in some cases.

Vm is great been using them for a year naow just upgraded to the shuttle and love it also just upgraded to $49.99 a month.The people who claim to be getting ripped off.Clearly are stupid and dont know how to add a top up card

I wish I'd read these reviews 1st. I have had a similarly poor experience with VM. They deny that I have topped up and my phone doesn't work (they tell me they can't figure out what is wrong). The customer service is TERRIBLE (really, the worst I have ever encountered) I suppose if you have never had a problem with this company you would be unaware of that- but beware--- if you DO have a problem at any point it will go unresolved and you will be out the money you've spent. I would AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!!!!! I am returning my phone and starting over with a new company (unfortunately I am out the $20 top-up they refuse to acknowledge)

shiesty in their pricing plans, this company has marketing tricks...they offered unlimited price reduction, i agreed, yet it never, went into effect, they continued with old pricing(79.95), they refuse to rectify cust rep error, and would change to new price (49.95) next billing. well why couldn't the rep who offered new plan do this last billing cycle, when we talked......i got the standard oh "i'm sorry".....so i opted to have them cancel, and warned them if they continue to auto bill my card i would seek prompt remedies for fraud. they assured me i no longer have auto bill.......hmmmmmm, guess not since they don't want to give new pricing. they're system is set up to collect premium charges promptly, no problem, discounts, credits, savings are intentionally complex and conditional; which is not good if you are a busy person who doesn't have time to "jump through hoops" for service that can be automatic like my payments..
their service is sub carrier from sprint so u get that beep like u get on shuttle mission communications, and like one reviewer said, msgs are hours late, sometimes over night, not good for time critical calls..
virgin mobile could be better, for me....VIRGIN MOBILE SUCKZ, which mean they ain't virgin............lol

The service is ok for the money, but their customer service is useless. I keep financial records and need receipts. Well, they don't issue receipts on top-ups. The activity entry that shows the credit is the receipt. God forbid they'd give you a transaction record at the end of the payment which you could print out, even a basic one. They won't issue receipts manually either. I sense that I'm writing to people abroad based on a combination of their American names either unusual, old or misspelled, their ability to apologize profusely each time, very insincerely since they always follow it with a "no can do", and the fact they seem to work nights... My banks outsourced people like that and it is so useless that I have to go into the branch rather than call. But as far as Virgin goes, it did the job for me, but I do need the receipts, not their stupid simplified statements, so I guess I'm too demanding a customer for them. So come the time the money runs out on my phone, I think it will be time to transfer the number to a different carrier and phone, a carrier that either provides me a statement not overly simplified so that it's clear I'm actually paying, or receipts. And I don't mean anything on paper. Online stuff is fine with me, but it has to meet some minimum standards, so it's clear that it was a transaction that I actually paid for with money. Anyway, I sick of talking about them. Take care.

I absolutely love virgin mobile. I have been using their service for over 4 years. The rates are very reasonable and the customer service is stellar. I have never had any difficulties or complaints. The only thing is I would like a better variety of QWERTY phones.

I've been with VM for two years now. The service is very good, however the phones are cheap and have problems. I originally had a Kyocera Cyclops and it would lock-up when texting, requiring you to remove the battery to reset it. The next phone was the UTStarcom Arc. This was probably the best phone. The battery lasts longer than any VM phone and it had no issues the whole time O owned it. I now have a UTStarcom Shuttle, figuring if my first UTStarcom phone was decent, the next would be as well... WRONG. The Shuttle likes to lock-up when you try to answer a call, requiring you to remove and reinstall the battery to get it to work again. VM claims 13.5 days battery life on standby... I have yet to get THREE days on standby. I've even returned the phone for exchange, and the new one had the same problem.

I like VM, because the $49 unlimited rate is a good value... add $10 and you get unlimited messaging (text, Pix, Video, and IM). Service has been ok but customer service really SUX! As long as you don't have a problem, you're ok. They need BETTER quality phones. I would be willing o spend the extra $$$ for a better phone. VM also charges you for every little extra... ringtones, games, etc... unless you get a data kit and directly transfer ringtones to the phone.

I have difficulty finding the words to describe just how much I HATE this company. We bought a VM phone for my teenage daughter. Teenages being what they are now-a-days, she hardly ever uses the phone for talking, she text-messages. Unless you upgrade to one of their expensive plans that include this option, you have to remember to re-enroll for unlimited text messaging every month on your anniversary date or they automatically start banging away at the account balance without any warning. It is a way to screw their customers out of cash, plain and simple. In addition, the web page is structured to make the option to renew texting obscure and difficult to find. I've been looking for an alternative for some time now, and I'm glad I finally stumbled across this website. Perhaps I can finally find a better provider and do what I've wanted for a long time: Tell VM to go f--- themselves.

getting a virgin mobile cyclops with texters delight plan my moms getting the flare with $39.99monthy plan 400min+night and weekends hope things go well

Some of these people are clearly not educated on todays technology. I've been a cusyomer of VM for over 3 yrs.now and I've never had a single complaint! I love thr fact that if I can't afford my same plan the following month I can simply switch to a less expensive plan. It's great! I one toped up before switching the plan and It automatically activated the previous plan I no longer wanted. I called customer service and they credited my account for that top up amount and switched to the plan I origionally wanted! It is at times difficult to get to a live advisor but the quality and convienience of service makes up for all that! I will not change to any other provider especially that now there new unlimited plan is only $49.99! I love VM! You rule!

I HAVE HAD VIRGIN MOBILE FOR ALMOST 6 YEARS NOW AND I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THE SERVICE IS GREAT I CAN USE MY PHONE ANYWHERE IN MY AREA. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE TIMES WHERE I WAS GIVEN A FREE MONTH OF SERVICE JUST FOR BEING A LONG TIME CUSTOMER. THE ONLY DOWN SIDE TO VIRGIN MOBILE IS THERE AUTOMATED SYSTEM IS TENDS TO REALLY FUSTRATE ME BUT THAT IS NO REASON TO COMPLETLY HATE THE SERVICE. THEY HAVE A WIDE SELECTION OF PHONES SINCE I CHANGE PHONES OFTEN THATS GOOD FOR ME SINCE YOU CAN CHANGE PHONES AND PLANS AT ANYTIME WITH OUT PENALTY. I WILL BE WITH VIRGIN MOBILE FOR THE LONG HAUL.

ITS OK BUT ITS LIKE IF I HAD A VM FOR OVER A YEAR THEN THERE'S SUMTHING WRONG WITH MY PHONE SO EVERY YEAR I HAVE TO BUY A NEW PHONES BUT OTHER THEN THA ITS A OK SERVICE I GUESS........ I LIKE THE PLN I HSVE I HAVE UNLIMITED TEXING N UNLIMITD NIGHT AND WEEKENDS N 4O0 MINS 4 63.OO SO ITS OK

i've had virgin mobile more than once. im switching back to them because straight up they are the best. i agree the costomer service was bad at the beginning of their birth but they've really gotten so much better. i've had every cell phone company there is and there is no better than virgin mobile. they came out with better phones and their plans are cheap. im getting the 49.99 unlimited talk plan and then adding on messaging and media plans with it. the X-tc is the phone i hae from them and its the best. i'm just waiting to port in my number. And since they are on the sprint PCS towers you can gat ervice virtually anywhere. i would def recommend this company for any one in any age range

Terrible phones, disrespectful customer service, you cant get anyone to speak to you that is in the same country as you and the people in say the Phillipines have no authority to really help you resolve any issues they bascially just say sorry and thats that. They have no customer service skills whatsoever and good luck trying to get your service restored or a credit back for a mistake within the company. They have many problems with crediting Top Ups to the wrong phones and even if you show they your receipt and the text message from the company that says you have been topped up you are not assured you will actually receive credit of your purchase. I suggested this phone to several friends and we have all been ripped off when we purchased "unlimited texting" but were chaged .10 cents per text and when we complained nothing was done they said I should have called before using text... here is a clue... I didnt know you would charge it wrong after a confirmation from Virgin Mobile comes to my phone I figured it was safe to believe they would be honest. This company sucks. I went back to Verizon and have talked all but 2 friends into quitting with me but I know they are both now getting ripped off and plan to follow when their current time expires.

I wish i would have read this before purchasing these prepaid phones for my 3 children! I spent 3 hours 20 minutes on the phone last night I was also hung up on repeatedly, then was told to call back during working hours. I called back this morning and another 2 hours 47 minutes and i was hung up on again. My sons phone was deactivated and his minutes and texting were given to some guy named Howard Parsons from florida (according to the customer service rep) They accused us of giving the information away, then they said we must have had a hacker on our computer who some how hacked our computer but changed my sons info with the serial number that is located only on the back of the phone which I had in my hand. I still have not gotten the service restored although I was able to answer the so called security questions, tell them exactly where the phones were purchased, my credit card number and had receipts for each top up. They basically told me there was nothing I could do and that the phones were now no good because "Howard Parsons" of Florida is listed on the account. I also asked it they could call me back if we get "diconnected" again and they told me "the company has a STRICT policy against making any outbound calls" so I would have to call back which of course means telling this story all over again. I am out 4 phones and hundreds of dollars. THIS COMPANY IS PREYING ON CHILDREN AND THE POOR. PLEASE REPORT YOUR PROBLEMS TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND FCC. I AM ALSO STARTING AND EMAIL CHAIN AND CONTACTING SCHOOLS TO WARN AGAINST USING THIS COMPANY FOR CHILDREN. I contacted the company via email, their PR department and through customer service. No one gave me any answers and basically blamed us for their mistake and accused us of fraud when I demanded our money back! One star is too much for Virgin Mobile

A lot of the negative reviews here happened to me too. Like topping up only to find 5 days later I have to top up again. I know I didn't use all those minutes.
Automated customer service sends me in circles as I try to get to a live representative.
Their Top-up menu is confusing and non-descriptive.
Please, for your sake heed these warnings.
They deserve no stars, period!

Customer service is horrible! Was on hold for about 15 minutes and when a person came on the line, I was disconnected. First phone had to be returned due to a bad sim card. Second phone had a charger problem. Stay away from this one. Don't waste your money

Virgin Mobile is the worst phone company I have ever done business with. I uploaded $50 to my phone and opted to purchase a plan for 400 any time minutes & Unlimited Nights and Weekends. Then customer service is a joke! They told me that in 6 hours the account should update. I waited 14 hours and called them back when it hadn't. Then, they told me it would be 24-72 hours for them to complete an "investigation." I went off and told the give me a break! What is there to investigate, I paid according to their records, they took their money, where is my service? This is crazy, these people are the worse. I wouldn't recommend this cellphone company to my dog.

I've been using Virgin Mobile now for the past 5 months and am disgusted. The network coverage is decent. The ability to choose between pay as you go or month by month is okay (not a good deal, not a bad deal), but they steal AND double dip on a regular basis.

I have had to call and request money back, minute pack refunds AND text package refunds because Virgin Mobile has a glitch where (3 months in a row now) I've ordered a text package (beneath the unlimited text plan) and Virgin Mobile debited my account the money for it, but did NOT credit my account with the texts I payed for. Then, when I texted, Virgin Mobile double dipped my account by then charging me 15 cents every text and 25 cents each picture message (this is after I ordered and payed for a text plan). I have been going round and round with their "live voice" customer service department, too. Their customer service are HORRIBLE. They're mean, but say it nicely, thinking that will suffice and it doesn't. Theft is theft and I have yet to get my credit back from them.

I give them a one star (would give a negative if I could) because their potential is good, but the reality right now SUCKS...badly

this is not a good service i would not recommend it to enyone unless u like no service over priced minutes and cheap phones dat dnt work after a week.i would not purchase eny of there products unless it were temperary .. but if eny one buys there prouducts i would recomend verizon or sprint

If i could have given a lower rating, i would have. Virginmobile is by far the worst cell phone company Ive ever dealt with. Their customer service is horrendous. I have had experiences where I was put on hold for more than an hour, tossed around to different representatives, none of which could answer my questions only to be put on hold yet again, and forgotten about. Needless to say I was outraged. Other frustrations Ive encountered included loss of service for hours in a normally high coverage area, money taken from my account that service representatives could not explain why or what used for, repeated inability to use internet services, games and ringtones paid for, but unable to download to my account, then refusal to return money used. My phone freezes several times a day where i have to remove the battery. The list is endless. I have had enough with this sub par scamming money hungry company. I HATE VIRGINMOBILE! Im switching to Boost.

I have had nothing but good luck with Virgin Mobile.
The people who have complaints about the service are ones who are either 1)not on the monthly plan and 2)subscribing to outside sources.

I have the $24.99 monthly plan which includes 200 anytime minutes and 500 night and weekends with $10 extra for unlimited texting (the cheapest unlimited texting plan I found).

The amount of minutes is PERFECT for me and the plan is very reasonable. Plus, when I had issues setting up my phone, the people on the other end were very helpful with everything I needed and helped me sort everything out.

Sure, you need a little patience and you need to definately do your homework when checking things out, but what phone plan isn't like that? I definately give 5 stars for VM.

P.S. great coverage!! Plus, beats AT&T's expensive pay as you go plan any day.

I have had VM for about 2-3 months now and so far I am very satisfied with there service. If you know what you're doing and you're not an idiot, VM is very simple to use. I usually spend $40 a month: 200 anytime minutes and unlimited text messaging. Also VM has much nicer phones than Tracfone which is a good bonus. Despite what some people say, VM's customer service is very good. I have emailed them numerous times with some questions and I always get a reply within 1-2 days with a very helpful answer. The only reason I am giving them a 4 instead of a 5 is bcuz my Tracfone gets a better signal in certain remote places. any questions feel free to email Virgin Mobile through their website or me at shatty206@yahoo.com

Pros: constant reception, awesome selection of ring tones, reasonable prices

Cons: Customer service is horrible, problems with paypal, problems with top-up cards. Have lost $100 to the company and do not see it being returned unless, possibly, I were to sue them.

I've been with VM for over a year now and I have to say I'm pretty satisfied. I'm in their extended coverage area, but everything still works fine. I mostly use my phone for texting, so if you're a big texter, I definitely recommend VM. Only $20/month for unlimited texting! Or if you like to talk rather than text, it's only $20/month for 200 minutes. Or you can always go with one of their monthly plans, which are a great value. Overall, I think VM is the best prepaid phone service out there.

I do like what Virgin has to offer, but will offer this [hopefully] time-saver: While thier site lists both contract and non-contract offers (odd), this appears to be a ploy to direct consumers to the Helio site (for contract sales). Everyone at both Virgin and Helio (sister companies???)were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, but I did find the run-around on the Virgin site to be annoying...

04/10/09

I really wish that reviewers would include the date because plans, prices, etc. change over time. I must say that the last two times I've had to call Virgin Mobile, their customer service has vastly improved. It is much easier to get to a live adviser. If that person doesn't know the answer, it is much quicker to get to someone who does. I'm not a heavy talker, and Virgin Mobile pay as you go is perfect for me. My husband has it also. I've been a customer since October, 2006.

If I could give this company "0" stars I would have. Their customer service people have little if any brain matter. Two weeks later, I still don't have my cell number ported in. I have 12 emails and 8 phone calls with them, and still no service!

my phone broke after like 8 months...not anything i did...the screen just started to go black and i couldnt see anything so i called and luckily my warranty wasnt up so i got a new phone...that was fine...then my charger broke...i had to be sent a new one...NOW after my warranty is up this charger that i have only had for a few months isnt working either...so i have to pay 30 bucks for a new one PLUS my phone is giving me problems again

Is a good deal for low usage users - 30-60 min per month.
Phones are very basic though. No phone will sync contacts and calendar with a PC. All from 2nd tier brands like Kyocera. No coverage outside the US even in CDMA countries like Canada.

Love this company. You get so much bang for your dollar. Why spend all that money with contract carriers when you get exactly the same thing without them. I can't say enough about VMU. Now with getting the Opera Browser on their phones, surfing the net will be that much easier too.

GO VM

I have been ripped off by VM several times, i accidently put credit on someones phone, which was not mine, and because i did not know the vkey, i could not get the amount back, so that was 45dollars, the customer service sucks, i never get to talk someone in america talk to supervisors and they are stupid, they dont want to help me. VIRGIN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I used them at one time back before they got all fancy with their plans. The main problem with this company is as with a number of other MVNO's. They all use Sprint's PCS network. ReadymobilePCS, Kroger iWireless, Meijer Mobile, Liberty Wireless, and others just don't have the coverage. Compare Net10/Tracfone's GSM coverage to that of the "Sprint PCS network only" and you'll see the difference. You want a good prepay phone? Stay away from any that tell you coverage is via Sprint's superior PCS network. The maps say it all. Same with T-Mobile to go. Roaming? There IS NO roaming. For those who think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you must not venture too far away from the major cities or any interstate. Otherwise, you too will find coverage out of the question.

I've had virgin for about 5 months. Almost all of my friends have them also. I love the unlimited calling plan and feel that it is a good value for the money. Customer service could stand to be improved (long waits) but over all I am satisfied with it and I don't have very many dropped calls. I will be moving soon and I am afraid they may not have service in the area I want to move to so I have been thinking I may have to change my service.

i have 3 vm phones that i used but now there plans are unbelievable 20/min come on who would pay for that???(not me)

I HATE this phone company. I'm with the pay as you go part, cause I thought it would be good. At the beginning they had good deal. $20 a month for unlimited texting. $10 for 1000 texts....I was very happy....until...

Recently I have bought the top up cards and added them to my phone thinking, Ok I'm good for a couple of months, but it kept getting messages saying that my balance is low. I'm not even kidding when I say this next part.
10 minutes ago I topped up again with a $20 card. Three minutes ago it said my balance was low, and I checked. It was down from $25 to $4.50! They have NEVER helped me when I called them for help and I need it! THEY OWE MY ACCOUNT MONEY! But I'm not gonna get it.
I'm ditching this phone for another one.

My advice is it may SEEM great in the beginning, but they will wreck you later. Go with another company!

its a good company with a variety of plans and phone to choose from

If I could give this POS 0 stars I would. I am traveling on business and forgot my real cell phone at home. I figured that I would get a cheap one set it up and this way I would have a number to contact my son and husband while I am gone. 3 days later I still don't have a number and they had the nerve to tell me that I never set it up. WTF?? I did it the second I got to my hotel. Now they are not returning my calls, and I am out 40+ dollars. I plan on writing the BBB to tell them about this. .I am soo upset right now I could scream!!

I have had a few problems with VM regarding customer service, but that seems to happen with ANY cust svc dept anywhere. I like the flexibility of VM's plans, you can change your usage and spending based on your needs from month to month. I think I have tried them all and they are all good.

Well i get a stong fair signal, but when you make a call and you use like 4 minutes and 5 secounds it takes away 5 minutes. also i don't like the company's name VIRGIN, wtf I would chose verizon prepaid if they did not charge 3$ on thay u use it. Its this a girls phone? cause if it is i will change.

I used Virgin Mobile for 2 years and I was positively satisfied! I am currently using T-Mobile, but as soon as VM launch their Kyocera X-tc i'm considering switching back! thank U VM!!!

Virgin Mobile is fantastic. I had been researching the various prepaid cell companies and found that Virgin Mobile provides the best options for both low minute users and heavy phone users like myself. I recently replaced my landline with Virgin Mobiles $25 Monthly Plan and am saving plenty of money each month. I also have been using Virgin Mobile Totally Unlimited for my business since it became available and have been completely satisfied - it is Sprint service great voice, text, and evdo data. Plus since I travel throughout the country there are no roaming fees. Customer service is much better than every contract carrier that I had previously used. I will never sign a contract for cell phone service ever again. If you are looking for a very good service, then you should consider Virgin Mobile.

The only problem I've had is the bonus mintues, but I don't really care because THEY'RE FREE. You care activate a phone that you got at Wal-Mart on the website, you just have to be smarter then an ape to do it. I use top-up cards because my phone isn't glued to the side of my head so I don't know about them stealing money. I think it's the best service I've used.

I think it is the best out there for people that don't need an unlimited plan. Customer service is no longer the best due to outsourcing.

I really don't like this phone service. The paying is confusing. Also I think charging everyonce in awile with no use should not be done. Or your phone number is taken away and you lose your account. I really want a prepaid I can use for over a vacation. Does anyone know a good plan for this?

I have the wildcard and it's a cool phone, but if you don't pay the day its due, you'r screwed. I had nearly 1000 minutes on my phone but they all got deleted. I'm curently looking for a new phone. So, good phones, sucky plans.

I've used them for almost four years without any real problems. I would rate customer service as above average. Their website is a bit confusing though. I'm not really a cell phone user per say. I bought it to have with me when I'm out since pay phones don't really exist anymore. I also use it for short International calls. Great for someone like me who uses a landline more than a cell, doesn't text and doesn't want a cell contract.

I recently bought a VM phone for Christmas, and I have nothing but great things to say about it. I "swapped" my Marbl for an Arc shortly afterwards online flawlessly. I paid $8 for the Marbl and $10 for the Arc and they are more reliable than other phones at 5-10 times their price. As an added bonus VM doesn't charge a daily $1 connection fee like most of the other companies. For $20 a month I have very reliable service and rollover minutes as well. Top Ups are easy to refill at any retail store, no credit checks and no overage charges. What's not to love? VM rules!!!

Started with VM at their inception and loved the service and phones. Something happened to the company that has resulted in higher prices and very poor customer service. They lost me as a customer due their lack of service mostly, and the fact that I was switched to a higher priced plan without my request??? Some of the service people are impossible, rude, and act dumb...i.e. if you're even able to talk to a live person. Like I said, VM was great in the beginning, got greedy, added poor service, and are now history. I switched to Net 10...better coverage...very friendly service...fair price...no mystery...simple. Customer service is terrific if you use patience with the sometimes language barrier. Never, ever, VM!

I have had Virgin Mobile for over 5 years. I love it. I bought a phone for my 7 year old. She loves it. VM customer service is the best I have ever ever seen. Thank you VM for many wonderfull years

We have had Virgin for years, but their price is going up and i'm looking around, service is great where it works, free phone swap, watch out for extra fees on the bills, opt out of internet service they charge for it you can do it all for free on their website, we've had very bad luck with the wild card phone for 90 dallers i expected more, i'm afraid to change so i don't get a bad phone company

oh, and to ammend my review just above this....

there is no way to directly transfer ringtones from computer to phone, or visa versa

there is no way to transfer pictures to and from the phone without paying either 25cents per image (pic txt) to puload them to virgin mobiles site, and then save to ur computer. cant be done in the reverse, as far as i can tell, either.

even with the "bluetooth" capability of their best phone, u cant transfer data to and from a friends phone. the bluetooth is simply for hand free devices.

i have used 2 other prepaid phone services and virgin mobile seems to be the most reliable and cost-effective route. even talking to friends that use other prepaid companies, it seems i have the best thing going.

i have been using them for about 3 years now, and within the last year have upgraded my phone to the best one they have ("Kyocera WildCard" full keyboard, camera, dual screen, real music ringtones, etc...) and i continue to be pleased. the keyguard, at times, proves to be touchy. ill pull my phone from my pocket to find its on the verge of texting "s83bHx000", or some other jibberish, to a family member.
the coverage, as my own general rule, is decent to great within 20 miles of an interstate (i do alot of travelling).
on rare occasions i receive a txt message or voicemail a few hours after it has been left (one time it took more than a day) even though i was well within coverage area.
the web browser is kind of weak, but i hardly ever use it.
i have always used the $35 USD/ month plan (300 anytime minutes and 1000 after 7pm and weekend minutes), but have recently added a $20 USD/month plan for text messaging (unlimited text messaging) in order to link my yahoo instant messenger to my phone without worrying about going over my cash balance.
altogether, the phone serves its purpose, and is rather tough (i play/work hard). the customer service is decent on the rare occasions that i have needed them. the coverage area works for me, and only rarely do i play the 'human antenna' to get signal (often i get signal when those with contract phones dont).
oh, and the battery life, as long as u arent travelling, is great (ive had it last 9 days on a single charge... on both the new and old phone). if u are travelling... bring a cig lighter charger thing. ive killed 75% of the battery on a 5 hr drive before.

If you need customer service, do not go with this carrier. My calls got dropped nearly every time I called. My phone was not working, and they told me I had to change my phone number to fix the problem. Now I cannot change my number back, and my phone still does not work.

If I could give them a -5 I would. The service didn't work in my area and I've been trying to get a refund. Now after 6 months a "Supervisor" told me I didn't return the phone within 30 days (their inept people took 7 days from when I mailed it to sign for it) so I'm out the money. They aren't an honorable company to deal with, my son warned me about them but I decided to try them and they were horrible.

i have had vergin mobile for 2 years and i say they are jerks in a way because when i have 200 txt left but no talk time left i cant even send or recieve messeges because of a "low balance" but on the other hand everything else is easy and super easy to add a phone card on. It is a tuff decision to decide if i want to stay with them or switch to at&t's prepaid service.

I've had virgin mobile for about 5-6 years now, and I've had the same phone the whole time. The rest of my family uses it and have different phones than I do, all of them work great. I have service just about everywhere, and it's relatively cheap. It's easy to use the top up cards, I don't have a credit card, so I've never had a problem with that. The phones aren't the prettiest, but they work great. I would recommend it to anyone.

i ve read everyones review above me. i must agree that yes, the automated customer service is really bad. takes you awhile to just get to talk to a real human being. i had the aloha LG phone for elevens until the text messaging was going crazy. I was able to recieve all messages that my friends sent me but i could not send any which was weird. this happened for like two days and was still like that. so i decided to buy the TNT since i needed an upgrade anyway. and it began working perfectly.

advice to anyone buying a phone. dont but them at target or walmart where they people dont help you activate them. go to Radioshack or best buy. it was fast and convienient for me. if anything happens to your phone they can easily help you and is much quicker.

i love my virgin mobile! it has the largest selection of ringtones, and i get great service. it has minute packs and texting packs which really help save money and i dont get charged by the day like i did with verizon i only get charged for minutes and texts that i actually use

Like everyone else has experienced with Virgin Mobile, customer service is terrible. I have been hung up on when rep cannot answer my question.Had money taken from my balance for txt messages after paying for plan that includes unlimited txt messages. After "topping off" had message alert from Virgin Mobile saying balance is low, add money. Customer service reps read from scripts and can't help you. I've had nothing but problems with them since I've had the phone. Worst mistake,now I'm stuck with $80 phone with crappy service!

Virgin Mobile is one of the worst cell phones companies I have ever had to deal with. Problem after problem!!! I won't go into detail as far as all the problems of the sad company!

this phone sucked ahahahh

I have been with VM for over 4 years now. At one point we operated two phone through their service.
Service experience has been pretty good. There is no doubt VM has one of the best networks compared to most phone services in the US. I have never had problems with reception. All my phones have always picked up the network from any where within the network coverage.
However, their customer service is one of the worst I have ever dealt with in my "ADULT LIFE". VM please rethink and reconsider your automated system. Generally the designers did a poor job. I wonder if they ever did a survey to find how customers would respond to this system.
VM also charged me for what they claimed was a download on my phone. I am 100% sure I never downloaded any games but they claimed that I did.At the time they claimed that I downloaded the game, my daughter was playing a game on the phone...she is very much aware of VM bad habit of unnecessary charges. Attempts to get back my money failed. Honestly I looked for the "downloaded game as they claimed" but could not trace it in my computer because it wans't downloaded. I threatened to sue because there was literally no evidence of any downloads but my threats fell on deaf areas. Looked at the cost-benefit of all these and decided to call it a "by-gone". None the less I will continue to use their service for emergency only as I have another phone.
Advice: Deactivate virgin extras (avoid frequent $0.15, $ 5.00 and $10.00). That will save all the headache with VM. Avoid checking your balance on your phone(accumulates charges). Do it over the Internet.

I AM WONDERING TO CHOOSE VIRGIN MOBILE BUT WHAT SHOULD I DO IF YOU REALLY LOOK @ IT EVERY CELL PHONE COMPANY IS THERE TO RIPP U OFF I WAS WITH TELUS THEY CHARGED ME TWICE AND REFUND MY VISA THEN I WENT TO KOODO THOUGHT I GOT A GOOD DEAL THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN THEN I FIND OUT TELUS OWNS THEM TOO. BELL IS TO HIGH PRICED FOR CELL PHONES , AND ROGERS IS TAKING AVANTAGE OF THE CLIENTS BUYING FIDO EVERYBODY SHOULD LOOK IN TO THE CELL PHONE COMPANY . AND CHECK THEM OUT BECAUSE THERE IS NO COMPANY OUT THERE THAT IS NOT RIPPING U OFF

Have had VM for years with no problem; use the phone only for emergencies when on the road. Coverage in my home area is terrible but on the interstate it's good. Have auto top-up with a credit card because I would forget that it was time to add to my acct. & almost had my service suspended a couple of times. I loved the convenience.

In Oct. 2008 I started getting charged $1.49 every HOUR on the hour for XTRAS. I discovered this when I got my credit card bill & saw over $80 in top-ups in less than a week. Agree 100% with all the other complaints about so-called customer service; ridiculous virtual advisor, complicated menus, numerous disconnects. When I finally got a live advisor, he couldn't tell me why I was being charged but agreed there as an error & I would be refunded the charges. I was not signed up for anything (like ringback tones). We agreed on an amount & I would have my refund credited to my credit card account within 72 hours.

It's now 1-17-09 & this issue is not yet resolved. I called at least a dozen times (if you include the number of disconnects) & each time was told the refund was in the works. Each time I verified with the C/S rep the amount of the refund. I wrote a letter to the CEO in New Jersey which was passed to a customer relations person who called to let me know she was unable to find any overcharges & I would have to provide proof. By the time I realized this wasn't going to be an easy fix & went to the website to print a copy of my account activity, I wasn't able to get a copy of all of the charges, despite the website's claim of having 60 days of activity available (only 54 days). So I couldn't provide proof of all of the charges & it cost me $6 to fax everything (including a copy of my credit card bill to show the payments to VM). The customer relations person never called me back but after checking my account, I found a partial refund. What's missing is what I was charged during the 6 days I couldn't access on the website. BUT--I insisted on a refund of the $6 faxing fee, which I got.

I've called the customer relations person to ask how to get the remainder of the refund and to remind her that the funds were supposed to be credited back to my credit card account. I presently have 60 bonus minutes & a balance of over $134; I have to top-up again next week & will never use all of these minutes. No return call to date & I'll be filing a complaint with the FCC & anyone else I can think of.

I'm looking around for another service but don't want to pay a monthly fee. VM was a really good fit for me & I'm so disappointed. Sir Richard Branson should be ashamed.

i concur with all the bad reviews which cite problems with virgin's customer support.the electronic menu is a nightmare. when my new phone wouldn't work i had to get through to customer service but they have a very bizarre configuration of a so-called virtual advisor.when i was able finally to talk to a live person i was constantly getting disconnected (5 or 6 separate times) it was weird. in all i spoke with more than 6 customer service reps, 3 specialists, and two supervisors. it had been dragging on for more than 10 days with no phone service and they said my only solution was to have a technical investigation opened on my phone which could take another 3 to 5 days but to what end i did not know. so after enduring much incompetency from the virgin mobile company i gave up. and they got my money! i lost almost $50 in unused phone credit and fees.

I love Virgin Mobile. I have been with them for sometime now. They can be a little upsetting with their payment services because before the payment is withdrawn it pends to your charging acct for some days 3-5 but I can deal with it. The only thing I do want them to do is have insurance on all phones that anyone purchase because it can be very expensive purchasing a new phone.

01/13/09

Both my husband and I have had Virgin Mobile for quite some time. Our oldest two children (twins) have a family plan with another carrier. Quite often their monthly bills are upwards of $100. Between the two of us, my husband and I pay less than $14 each month for our phones. We couldn’t be happier. I’ve read lots of complaints about their customer service, but we've always gotten satisfactory resolution to any problems that we've had. Our phones both work great. I have the Flare, and my husband has the Cyclops. I think that as long as we have a landline, we will stick with Virgin Mobile.

I have been with VM for 6 years now and the only sort of complaint I have is in certain areas the reception isn't that good here in central Florida. But the fact is it's easy to use and easy to top up especially if you buy a refillable card at 7eleven and all they do is swipe it at the register and enter the amount you want. They have nice phones with nice features. I have never had a problem I just wish the reception was a little better.

I went on vacation & needed a cell phone temporarily cuz my Boost Mobile did NOT have service where I was going so I got a VM phone.
Absolutely NO complaints or problems.

After buying the phone I signed up for the $49.99 plan using Top Up cards & registering them on the VM web site w/no difficulty at all.

Prior to subscribing to VM I made a few calls to cust. service & found the reps most helpful & polite which influenced my decision to use a VM prepaid cell.

The cost of the phone was most reasonable=$20@Walmart & is doing it's job w/o a problem.

1 of the big benefits for me is that once I no longer need the VM phone/service I can disactivate it & then reactivate it if needed in the future.

VM's website is honest in that they mention that they use Sprint's wireless lines and even explain what & why certain taxes are imposed.

Virgin Mobile=a great buy & an excellent prepaid service.

These people are crooks who make their plans confusing in order to cheat people out of money!

The clerk at a retail store (not a Virgin store) set up my account for me and my card was charged for the stated dollar amount. I attempted to sign up for a pre-paid plan that included 200 anytime minutes for $20 (10 cents per minute). I was charged 20 cents per minute instead. I was told that even though I was under the impression I was signing up for the 200 anytime minutes, I was charged 20 cents per minute since I (or the sales person) did not specificy that I wanted the 10 cents a minute plan. If there is a 10 cents a minute plan in the brochure, and I pay the amount requested, isn't it reasonable to think I would get that plan? That's like going to the supermarket and not getting the advertised sale price on an item because you did not specifically tell the cashier that you wanted the sale price.

Thinking it was a misunderstanding, I attempted to sign up for a plan that included 200 anytime and 500 night/weekend minutes for $25 on March 23 (the day my minutes pre-maturely expired). I was charged that amount (plus taxes) and an additional $27.23 for a top-up I did not authorize (which I did not realize at the time).

I went slightly over my 200 anytime minutes and attempted to renew the 200 min/500 min plan ($25 via the web site and $10 via the customer service line). The customer service agent I spoke with on the phone said since I went over my anytime minutes I would have to reapply for the plan and told me she would sign me up for the 200/500 plan, but apparently did not, and was charged $25 for 200 minutes.

Basically, I was overcharged by $27.23 by Virgin Mobile USA for pre-paid cell phone service, and was not given the service plans that I was told I would receive (was shorted 600 minutes). My attempts to resolve this situation were fruitless and frustrating. The sales clerk at the store where I purchased the phone tried to help me and called Virgin Mobile on my behalf, but was hung up on twice by their customer service agents.

I blocked my card and filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Comission and the Washington State Attorney General's Office. If you feel you have been cheated by Virgin Mobile you should do the same. By the way, there's a class action lawsuit against Virgin Mobile alleging deceptive stock sales practicesin United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

I recieved a Old Virgin MObile phone from a family member. I thought, this may be better than my past tracfone. Well, I was wrong. At first, I loved Virgin. Then, after 1 year and a 1/2 of great service, I checked my online account and found that they took 9.50 off my account. I had just purchased and put on a $20 card, and that's all I had on there. They had took the money off because I supposidly has subscribed to a website and purchased a daily joke. I went to the website, and I even called Virgin Mobile, they couldn't even put the air time back on, even though I didn't subscribe to a joke. I recieved one joke, and nothing else after that. I would not recomend that you go with Virgin MObile.

I was a Virgin Mobile customer and was very satisfied with my service until there was a technical problem with the phone. I needed to get a replacement phone sent to me and their customer service was totally incompetent. To make a long story short after 3 time consuming calls I still didn't have a phone. I was so disgusted with them that I cancelled my service.

this company sucks... i brought a pre-paid phone just put a new plan on there and they suspended my service .. they sid i need a reversal from my back and my service will be restored in 3-5 business days.. im still waiting and its been a whole new year and i still havent recieved my service restored.. DONT EVER INVEST IN VIRGIN MOBILE...

Virgin has always been pretty cool, ive been on and off with them since 6th grade... they wont send bills to your parents and its good for teens. If you wanna hide the fact u have a phone from ur parents, use virgin mobile :) its cool. Even though I love how they are already, they could let americans use their canadian title wave plan for prepaid (thats unlimited surfing from ur phone for about $10 US), and they could have better phones in America, but those are my only 2 complaints. Virgin mobile has been very good to me =] hehe.

&& you people complaining about xtras && internet charges... just wait unitl u meet cingular mobile. It costs like $5.00 just to use media net! && buy the time you've bought like.. anything (a game, a wallpaper, a ringtone, ANYTHING..) you've just about wasted your $20 card... and the sad part is that 90% of it didnt even go to buy your add-on...

But virgin mobile's not like that... thank gosh!

Virigin Mobile is the best deal going as far as value for money. If you don't need to make a fashion statement while blabbering non-stop in public, then VM is the deal.

I haven't even activated my phone yet and I'm already having problems. The phone will not come on. On the screen it says "Phone is OFF". I press on and the screen stays the same. What a waste of money.

I placed an order for 2 phones on 12/23. Called the call center to get a FedEx tracking number on 12/29 and was told my shipment hadn't even been processed due to a "glitch in the system". The rep and the supervisor were rude, would not quarantee that my order would be shipped today and because of the holiday may not even be shipped until 1/2/09. There were no concessions, no offer to upgrade (at no cost) to overnight shipping, absolutely nothing!!!! And I was berated for thinking that all would go smoothly that close to Christmas and New Year. They SUCK bigtime. My suggestion, go with AT&T or T-Mobile...their customer service is great, they guarantee delivery times, and the give "inconvience" hours if something out of the ordinary does happen. Don't go to VirginMobile, they will just disappoint you.

Overall I guess virgin mobile is okay! I give them 3 stars! I got to say I have also had problems with the customer service, I didn't receive my money back ... I got the run around and even hung up on! I have been a customer for about 5 years, overall it isn't the best or the worst! Just ok..

I use the "pay as you go" plan because I am not stupid enough to give any company my credit card information. I had cricket, but it only works in certain areas. I honestly think is is okay and I Top Up over the phone it takes me about 1 minute. My Grandmother has VM too and I plan to give her my old phone. It is not that difficult to navigate. I am Graphic Design student and the website needs serious improvements and easier navigation for older costumers. I read some of the "1" star reviews and I agree with all of them, but when I decided to change to VM I was not going to give them my account information so they could freely charge what ever they want when the want.

VM is one of the Best prepaid cell phone services ever. I have never had a problem with their service, I think it's great!

I've been a happy VM customer for at least four years. For someone who lives in or travels in the Sprint service area and makes few calls, VM is simply the cheapest option around. Several years ago I learned that if you give them a credit card number and authorize them to automatically top up your account every 90 days, they will only charge you $15 each time (instead of the usual $20 with a top-up card or manual top-up.) Any unused dollars roll over, so if you do not use your phone very often you can build up a pretty good balance over time for situations when you might need to use the phone more frequently. I just bought a VM LG Flare phone at Best Buy. Transferred my phone number and account balance in a matter of minutes from a VM Kyocera phone that was acting up and I was up and running in no time with my new phone. Anyone who has $30 for a phone and is willing to pay $60 a YEAR for basic cell phone service within the Sprint service area should seriously consider VM!

If you want to use this phone plan for emergencies or urgent situations only, DON'T bother. It gets pretty expensive. To begin with, it was difficult activating the phone service and took some time and effort of which most people don't have. Secondly, it became an expensive venture when I didn't use up my minutes and received a message telling me I needed to "top up" again. Before I knew it, I was adding minutes on minutes and not using them fast enough. A complete an utter waste of $$. The point of a pay as you go plan is to avoid the outlandish expenses that accompany a cell phone plan.

To try to keep the phone, I went to the website to “top up” and add more minutes (which were accumulating quickly). I completed the process with my credit card and received a confirmation of payment. Shortly after that I received more notices (phone messages left on my landline phone; and through emails, as well as cell phone messages telling me I needed to top up. TOP UP?! I did so! That did it – I was finished with the ludicrous phone and was not about to renew ANY minutes on top of the mountain of minutes that I already had coming to me!

Furthermore, the phone system at customer service really stinks. The recorded message speaks to you as though you were a teenager of which I am far from being. If you don’t wish to be treated like a teenager, don’t waste your $$, time and energy with this company. They need to do a lot more work on improving themselves before they will ever get my service again... of which will never be.

I have been with VM for about 4 years now and have absolutely no complaints other than their per minute rates. 20 cents per minute is no deal, I can get it much cheaper. I don't care for the camera or the Virgin Extra's, I just want a reliable phone with decent rates. VM has raised their rates to $.20c per minute (too much) !!
I switched to Tracfone yesterday and got a LG flip phone with double minutes for life included. I can get the 200 minute card (400 minutes doubled) for 40 bucks and 3 months of service ($13.33 per month. Virgin will not roam on any other network so when you are out of the Spint PCS coverage area, your phone will NOT work. They call it no roaming. Tracfone will roam on any network that uses the GSM standard with no extra charge. (AT&T, T-Mobile)..
Yeah, for me Tracfone is a UCH better deal. As for VM, I really have NO complaints about the service. It's GREAT, just way to expensive. I can do better !!

I bought a virgin moble online. It was through Walmart. I can not activiate the phone unless it is unlocked by the store. Was there today they said they didnot know what to do about. This is unbelieveable. Virgin Moble said that I would probably have to switch phones out. But the phone I have is the one that I want. It is just plain unbelieveable.

I have been with Virgin Mobile a little over a year. Overall they have great customer service and seem to actually care if you get what you are paying for. On the Alert Side, if you use a credit card on file to top off, pay close attention to the charges, I had 3 top offs made in a single month, of which I only made one of them, They credited my account when I brought this to their attention, so I would use a little used credit card in the future so you don't miss erroneous charges. The only other point to be aware of ,in larger cities they have great coverage, if you go to more rural areas, you may be in a dead zone for a Long time.

I have a virgin mobile phone. I thought the price was a good deal. It's been 3-days and my phone still has not been activated. I've done everything the book says and having these people do it from their office. First it says : Your phone has not be activated. Second: We could not validate your call. WTF? I would not recommend this phone to anyone.

PS- I called them 4 -times and they do not seem to be of any help!

I bought the phone and minutes at the Target store. I was told I could activate the phone on their website. NOT SO! Their USA site is for you to buy THEIR phones and minutes! It is not for any other customer. I do not have another phone to call them with! Now, I've entered all my info and EIN # who knows if I will be able to use the $42 I spent for all this now!

Had VM for about 3 years now, use it as my back-up phone. Can't beat the price, since I'm on the $5/mo plan with rollover for unused time. Phones are dirt cheap (though almost toy-ish in quality). Service is through Sprint, so check Sprint's coverage area for your needs. Easy to change account settings on their website. As far as pre-paid companies go, these guys are the cheapest and most flexible. Would recommend to anyone looking for no-contract or pre-paid company.

if you go with Virgin be prepared to have your intelligence insulted and time wasted
1. the phones drop connections routinely after 2 seconds(in the middle of the city)
2. the reset/repairs of phones do not work
3. the web site online help does not work
4. dial in help is infuriating--layers and layers of bogus options, none of which are useful, and takes far too many layers to get to a real person, and you have to "speak" the key words to go from menu to menu
5. after you do get a real person, they are generally not able to fix the problem

I read through the reviews on here and elsewhere and am always amazed by the whiners who don't read what they're purchasing and understand what the service is and provides and what's not included. It's great basic service and I've been using their pre-paid service for several years. Never had a single billing issue, customer service issue or any other problems. My wife and both my sons also have VM phones on pre-pay. No problems there either. Last year my father (now retired) was complaining about all the costs of things he once took for granted like cable, internet, cell phones and other things that were eating up his limited and now fixed disposable income. I shared with him that I typically spend under $100. a year for my cell service. He now also has VM and loves it. Said he took a cruise this year with the savings from changing from a $69. per month contract plan.

If you live on your phone, if you text every waking hour, if you want to download new wallpaper and ring tones regularly this is not the way for you to go. If you like having a reliable phone for emergencies, traveling and letting your spouse know you'll be late getting home tonight VM is a great way to save serious $$$$. My teenaged son went through a $20. top up in a day or two when I first got him a phone. Then he'd have to live without a phone until the next month or buy a card himself. He now limits his talk and text time and usually makes it to his next top up date I agreed to pay for him in order to be able to get in touch with him if I needed to.

So not only am I saving $$$ on my phone I'm able to teach him budgeting, responsibility and the value of a dollar in the process. He no longer blows through minutes, sticks with the ringtones he has and doesn't give his phone # to everybody he knows. He values having a phone that works year round and has minutes when h really needs them.

A minimal top up card... $20.00
A new phone without lots of bells and whistles... $20.00
A son with self imposed discipline and no need for another lecture to get there... Priceless!

I have prepaid service and am happy enough with the phone. Kind of unhappy with Best Buy because they didn't tell me that in order to get the pics to my computer, I'd have to email them to myself as there is no output for a chord. But, you can just forget about customer service. Sometimes when I call Virgin, I feel like they have routed my call around the world and back. Very difficult to get an actual person to talk to. The one time that I actually got a customer service rep, they were going to put me on hold and transfer me to "technical support." I heard some music and then somebody announced from an answering machine to leave a message for the "brown family." Something seriously lacking with their customer sevice.

You can't beat the prices but they are up to some shenanigans lately. I had 68 bonus minutes in my account and when I looked a few days later there was only 23 minutes and my records indicated I had only talked for 12 minutes.

Also I was on sugar mama and they had a paypal ad that said if you topped up with paypal they would add 100 bonus minutes to your account within 15 days. So I topped up and never received the 100 minutes. Spent 40 minutes on the phone being given the runaround to no avail.

Once my balance is up I am done with Virgin...

I give one star for the phones, one for the plans. Three hugh ZEROs, one for customer service, one for the web site, and one for their payment system. They spend all their efforts charging you once but telling you your credit card rejected when it did not, charging you again (and again) in an effort get get it to go through, and reimbursing the extra charges - IF you catch it, call and complain. Every single month.

Before this year - no problem paying via web site or phone. Something changed and I so, so fired them.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH THEM.

I have this service for 2.5 months. I don't call much so I like its service without long term contract. Also because I don't call much, I don't pick any plan and the rate is $0.20/min. I live in Boston and my family live in San Diego. The call quality is great with my phone (LG aloha). Besides, virgin mobile offer ways to earn free minutes (sugar mama). For new customers, if you enter code wsH9FPTp when activating your account online and topping up at least $20, you will get 60 min extra free airtime. This code doesn't expire.

Same crime, different victim. Got duplicate charges on my credit card. They wouldn't fix it, so I called my credit card company. As soon as the fraud charges were filed VM shut down my phone with no warning. I got my money back, but got screwed for the $100 phone that can't be re-activated until I "give them their money back". The money that they fraudulently stole from me in the first place. Criminals!

I used my VM marble without incident for about 3 months, enough to believe they would be a good company to keep the same phone and number with for a while. (and why I gave 2 stars, not 1)I decided to upgrade to the more featured wildcard which I bought on sale at Target, then the whole experience has gone to hell just trying to activate it. I have never been so exasperated at such a ridiculous runaround type of customer support, I can only imagine how it must feel for those trying to recoup overcharges.
Basically you call the automated activation line and attempt to go through the process by computer, and do so to the "T", just to have the computer kick you to the live assistant who not only wants to charge $10 for the favor, but is not conversant enough in english to understand the problem, but also implies it is something I'm doing wrong that keeps having the call directed to him- that happened three times, a fourth it was a lady who just outright hung up on me.
So I go to the website the next day and attempt to activate it there..... NO GO, it tells me I have to go to the phone activation and speak to a live operator ANYway. (and pay $10!)
The whole experience is either: (A) their automated activation network is overloaded or has bugs that they won't allow live support to solve without waiving the $10 fee.... or (B)a scheme to make sure nobody can swap phones on their account (which they advertise is free)without incurring a $10 fee.
I don't know if it's dishonesty or incompetance, as they say don't assume it's the former when 9 times out of 10 it's the latter. I just know I went with Virgin to save money and headaches, and it's suddenly become a case of cost and trouble, with no fault whatsoever on my part and I got rude treatment on top of it all. Who knew?

I've been with Virgin mobile since 2003 I've had nothing but great service including changing my phone three times they walk you thru the whole proces, if you don't get your phone to work, that's easy. What's really nice is I can buy a reloadable card from seven eleven load $20 on the card as soon as the cashier runs the card thru the register in seconds my phone is reloaded, how quick is that and convienant, this is truly the best prepaid service around.

Tried to transfer my number from Tmobile. Customer service at Virgin tried their best but the jerks at Tmobile wouldn't let me keep my number (I thought it was the law). Anyways my point is that my experience with customer service was excellent! And more... Today my wife and I just upgraded our phones, we found some Black Friday deals we could not resist. Was able to transfer our service (credit and numbers) in just a few minutes! One last note, Virgins service area is better than Tmobile and NO rotten stinkin contracts... thats my favorite part!

I love my VM. It is just a nice little phone at a low price and works well wherever I go, Sometimes when I am in the middle of a big box store like Home Depot I will not get signal but so what?

If I could use negative stars I would. The customer service is horrible. It takes forever to get past the computer to speak to a live person, and then when you finally get a person; you can't even understand a word you are saying. Don't forget that they hang up on you several time, there is never a shift manager to speak with. The phones are junk, within 3 months are broken.

I just got the virgin mobile pay as you go , and my boyfriend top up the phone for me. He paid 20 dollars, but for some reason i can only call and cant text cause it claims i have a low balance, but i just put 20 dollars on it!
it says i have 197 min, and that my balance is 0 dollars.
im so upset, cause now i cant get a hold of my bf whos out of town!!!

this is retarded!

Do not use this company. They flagged my account for fraud because they tried to charge my paypal account WITHOUT my consent. I had $40 on my account. Why they felt the need to charge my paypal account is beyond me. I had no money in it at the time, so that apparently makes me a criminal. They refused to turn my phone back on until I contacted Paypal and told them to, "give us our money back" in the words of the manager I spoke with. They were rude, not helpful at all and were basically the worst customer service I have ever encountered. I read another comment from Tina saying she is waiting for them to correct their mistake...um good luck honey! I even tried to give my phone to someone else in need, and they would not activate the phone because of my "fraudulent" activity. Meanwhile, they still have my money. Buyer beware! It's a shame really, because I enjoyed the service up until that point.

HORRIBLE Customer Service. I have never been so frustrated. They screwed up the billing through paypal and turned off my phone while they got around to fixing their mistake. I have called about 10 times and each time spoke to an absolute rude and unhelpful rep. I have been hung up on three times when they did not know the answer and they all sounded like they were reading a script. In the meantime I am left without a phone while they attempt to figure out their mistake. I wonder how long that will take???

I have been with Virgin Mobile for about 5 years or so now basically since they started offering prepaid servie. Have had several phones through them upgrading as time and new models have been released. I have had very few problems with them and their customer service. On occasion there was disputes about withdrawls from my balance but customer service always straightened it out promptly and refunded me almost immediatly. Also the sugar mamma bonus minutes are a great help in always keepin minutes on my act even when my wallet is empty. And the fund my phone for facebook is brilliant! All you do is do a few surveys that take maybe 2 mins tops and u have free mins! how great is that? I wont and dont plan on using another service anytime soon. For people that have had problems, give em a chance without being rude and im sure things can be fixed. For me they r the best i have seen.

i really like Virgin Mobile. Decent service for the price, plus, the 5 free airtime minutes a day via the sugar mama deal is kinda cool, as long as you dont mind watching 5 adds...but, its a fair trade. ill take Virgin any day over AT&T

I used this service for about 4 years without incident BUT then i was charged twice and filed a dispute...i won dispute and money was charged back to my acct. BUT then my service was suspended with them for the present month when dispute was for a previous month....i was told to reverse the money to them and my service would be restored....what did one have to do with the other????? i cancelled my service and they would not refund my money for the months service i wouldnt be getting and money i also had on my phone for extras.....What A Crock!

its really good! with service and everything! i liked mine! the customer service is AWESOME. it is a bit pricey (just like every other pre-paid) but i would choose this or BOOST

I've been with VM for about 2 years now. I always use Top-up cards and have never had a problem. As for the woman who said her nephew was charged .15 cents a day for VM Xtras, every time I click on Xtras I get brought directly to a page that tells me I will be charged .15 cents a day for access. I've never been charged with out notice and the .15 cent charge can easily be removed by unsubscribing from VM Xtras on the Xtras main menu. Overall service coverage area has improved drastically since I began using VM. I see nothing but good things in the future for VM and plan to stay with the company for a long time.

10/30/08

Some of you who have had money mysteriously disappearing from your accounts might have inadvertently signed up for Virgin Mobile Extras. You can cancel them via the web site. It was happening to me once and that's what I did. I've also blocked my phone from receiving incoming texts because I don't text and don't want to pay for them. I like being in control of what I spend for cell phone service. I currently have the Flare phone, which I love. I wear two hearing aids and appreciate the fact that most of the Virgin Mobile phones are hearing aid compatible. I’ve now been with Virgin Mobile for two years and am still very satisfied. I’ve also made more than $200 in Sugar Mama minutes, which ain’t too shabby either.

Service works relatively well, until you run into a technical, billing, or service related problem. My problem happened to fall within the category of a billing issue that resulted in duplicate charges being assessed to my Paypal card. I hate to admit it, but Virgin Mobile is pure genius at work with regard to the number of impasses they level against their customers, as Virgin's objective is simply wear you out. From a virtually useless voice menu that appears targeted for teenagers, hold times in excess of 20 minutes, to incompetent representatives seemingly on their first day, if you don't have at least 45 minutes to burn.... don't bother.

By the time you reach a live op, you can be sure your patience will have been put through its paces. Virgin mobile and its scripted reps will only insult your intelligence, as they've been trained to pacify you long enough to get you off of the phone. In my case, What should have been a simple refund resulted in my phone being shut off for a week without warning, nor a courtesy call to detail how my refund was to be processed. Mind you, every representative I talked with could clearly see I had wrongly been charged twice, but not one could offer a single consistent resolution to the problem... besides, call back in a week.

Scan the internet, and you will find a multitude of complaints of consumers who've been ripped off by way of unauthorized multiple charges. Legally, consumers may not have any recourse given Virgin's terms of service in which they explicitly state they cannot be held liable for payments made via the internet. Believe it or not, Virgin provides the alternative of simply not using their website for payment, should problems arise. Seems logical enough. However, don't ask Virgin to compensate you for any of your funds being stolen, I mean lost as a result.

Perhaps you would conclude any payment made through the internet carries with it a certain level of inherent risk. So making payment with Virgin's live ops must be the securest form of payment available, right? Again, sorry to disappoint, but you'd be wrong given the number of reports I've seen at sites such as www.ripoffreport.com, and ConsumerAffairs.com.

Outside of Virgin Mobile terms of service, it's difficult to see how they've been able to virtually steal from consumers as long as they have without a single news bite, or lawsuit being lodged against them for such unethical business practices.

My case is now pending review with the BBB, FTC, and Paypal. it has also been placed on the two websites mentioned above. I can't say I'm overly optimistic given the number of negative reports I've seen, and that more than likely a class action lawsuit will be necessary. In this economy, don't be foolish by literally giving your money away to those who cowardly hide behind corporations, with no intention of playing by the rules unless they are forced to do so.

As this has been an enlightening experience for me, this has gone on to prove for me that a banking card should never be used for online transactions.

Visa/Mastercard offer stronger protections from fraud such as this, but banking cards offer very little.

I bought into Virgin because I had some idea of the man behind it. But after my experience, I suspect the whole industry is tainted and it may be best to simply pony up for a dreaded contract with a more reputable company.

Everything about this company is inferior and shoddy. The phone itself is slow, cheap, and poor quality. Also, the customer service is the WORST I have ever experienced. Before getting to actually speak with a live person, you must navigate your way through questions and the automated response system, which is impossible. Once you are finally able to get through, and are describing and discussing a situation, they offer nothing but apologies and canned responses. I've had to call 3 times for the same thing. It is infuriating that they will not correct this flawed and defective system.

I'm about to lose my house because of the hidden charges they do!!!! HONEST TO GOD don't fall in their trap! the only thing good i got out of this was the phone was pretty durable...I still can't believe it, I'm 29 years old and I'm about to lose my house because they charge so much to your credit card!

Decent service, but ridiculous customer service and confusing web site. I had cancelled my account and still got charged on my paypal account. Trying to reach customer service was a pain, with the automated system.
As long as you don't have auto payment options or have to talk to customer service for any issues, it is ok.

I was a T-Mobile Prepaid customer (and a Cingular one before that), but I wanted mobile web service. A co-worker was selling his Switchback, so I bought it and signed up for Virgin Mobile.

So far, service has been good. I buy a 200 minute pack and a 5mb data pack every month, so service that cost me $40 a month with Cingular now costs me $25 a month.

My only complaint is the limited service area. I live in Boston, and I have great service at home and work. However, I have no service on the subway.
My mother's house was a SprintPCS dead zone for a long time, but my phone works there. I have family in rural New Hampshire; My T-Mobile phone works there, but my Virgin Mobile phone doesn't. When I went to the Berkshires, I had no service from Westfield to Pittsfield.

When I went to Montreal a few months ago, my service disappeared as soon as I crossed the boarder. I was surprised to see Virgin Mobile ads in Montreal. Apparently, they run on a different network.

I have't had to call customer service yet. The website is annoyingly hip, but easy to navigate. I've had no problems adding minutes by credit card or refill card.

If you're not a heavy talker or texter, and you live in or near a major city, Virgin Mobile is a good choice.

I would like to give this company "zero" stars. This is the most exasperating company I have every had to deal with ever! I found costumer service to be incompetent and rude. Save yourself from a twilight zone experience and buy a prepaid phone from another company.

10/24/08 I'm in the same boat as "Cece" below in that I have the same "minute2minute" plan (which apparently is no longer available)as she and couldn't be happier. Refilling via a top up card is easy now that you can use the same card and I haven't had any problems using cash...

There appears to be a common thread in the majority of these complaints dealing with electronic forms of payment. I seem to remember that when I first started using Virgin, their intent in marketing was that you would buy a "top-up" card at a store to add minutes. I assume that they branched out with different plans and forms of payment later to their detriment.

Unfortunately, the nature of sites such as this one is that people come to b1tch so one may get a skewed view of what the reality is. When things run properly, nothing gets said... I'm not downplaying any of the problems mentioned in this thread but just pointing out that Virgin's service works well for me on a cash basis. Customer service sucked at AT&T when I used their cell phones and also sucks at SBC Internet Services. What does that tell you?

I DO wish that Virgin would come out with better phones and not cripple the ones that they have with their crappy software. It's pretty lame to have to resort to hacks to be able to get YOUR OWN bitmap or ringtone on YOUR OWN phone!

been with VM some 3 years.. $0.18 a min and i spend $7.00 $10.00 a month... SOooooo $80.00 to $100.00 a YEAR ain't all that bad a deal including a cheap $10.00 web/txt phone. If you want to walk around talking to yourself, like the village idiot, using up your minutes it might not be the best deal 4 u......

I've had my cell phone for a couple of years with no problem. Then all of the sudden, I started getting charged $1.50 for Internet service. I pay the $5.00 a month and should not have been charged any extra because all I do is check my email. And I was never charged before. When I FINALLY got in touch with a live person, she was rude and kept telling me that she could not credit me back. She kept putting me on hold for 4 or 5 minutes at a time. I think that is there secret to keeping money, leave the customer holding til they get frustrated and hang up. I would not hang up. The lady finally came back and told me she could credit me only $3.00 of the $9.00 and would fix the problem. I was just fed up and decided to try calling another time. I waited about a week, in which time the problem WAS NOT fixed and now the extra charges were $15.00, in addition to $5.00 I paid for the Internet. I called again and got the same run-around. The guy told me he could not reimburse me even though he acknowledged it was there mistake. I was getting pretty mad at this point. He then said he could reimburse me only a portion of it. I told him that it was exactly as if his company had reached into my wallet and stolen my money and how dare he tell me I could not be reimbursed for the full amount. I told him I wanted to speak to a supervisor immediately. He put me on hold for a good 5 minutes and then came back and said he could give me back the full $15.00 after all but that I would have to repay the the $5.00 to get Internet service LOL Can you believe that. I told him I already paid the $5.00, which was the reason I'd called about the $1.50 charges. He said I'd have to pay again and I told him he would have to reimburse the $5.00 I'd already paid then. He said he couldn't. I told him to let me speak to a supervisor again. About 7 or 8 minutes later, he was back on the phone to tell me he could give me back my $5.00 after all. This is the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The guy was nice enough but it is so obvious they are trying to rip off the consumer. As soon as my money runs out, I'm switching to another service. I've never had any problems until now but it was enough to make me want to quit and I will tell every one I know not to use Virgin. By the way, I checked this morning and I only got reimbursed for $12 of my $15 so I'm calling them back in a few minutes for round 3. Wish me luck

10/20/08
I've been with Virgin Mobile since 2004 and think it's amazing. I get 200 anytime minutes, 500 night and weekend minutes, and unlimited texting for $35 a month, which is simply an unbeatable price. The phones don’t have many extra features and aren’t very stylish, but they serve their basic purpose. If you take the time to read all of the plans they are not very complicated and you will not be charged unknowingly. The live associates are very helpful, and even managed to get me a free Samsung Slash when I called to suspend my account after losing my phone. There are never any activation or termination fees so you are not tied down. I would definitely recommend Virgin Mobile to anyone who needs a phone for basic calling or texting without restrictions.

I purchased the pay as you go plan with 200 min. It was a waste of money that could have be spent on something more worth my while. What Virgin Mobile fails to provide that they will charge you for everything. You will get charged for calling $.20 a minute. Oh and if you figure that they add the seconds and minutes. WRONG! If your call is just one second, Virgin charges you a min. That is how they cheat the consumer. They even charge for missing a call. How greedy is that?!? I am very unhappy and regret that I made the decision to try this phone company out when I was having trouble with my regular phone company. The one star rating is just because the rating system does not have a zero star rating. If you are looking in the market for a phone company that won't screw you over, don't go with Virgin. But if you are the kind of person that likes to waste money on greedy companies, be my guest.

trying to activate new phone for 24 hrs. now. was told by 4th person an hour ago i will have to wait 24 more hours to try again because of their errors plus they are still charging me $10 activation fee. in meantime i'm without a phone, spent entire day trying to activate and had to pay to go through this! something wrong with this picture.AND i get to go through it again tomorrow! i feel my fee should be returned to me since i,m not the bumbling idiot that caused this.

10-17-08 Just got my first VM phone, the Marbl, I bought at RiteAid for a total of $14.00. Activated it using the keypad by dialing the ##847446# number and it activated all by itself. I didn't have to do any programming (big contrast with Tracfone). I was given $2.50 of free credit on activation, but didn't know it. I went online and bought a wallpaper because the Marbl's default wallpaper is terrible! I expected the purchase to fail because I had not selected a plan yet or paid any money, but it went through. I looked over the plans online and decided I wanted to pay the very least possible since I barely use my Tracfone (getting rid of the Tracfone - too expensive for a whole year). I added $10 to start the phone – which put me on the $.20/minute plan. You can't do that with Tracone! I never got the wallpaper, so I called VM and experienced their cust. svc. It seems like the reps are told to quickly move to a new call, so I had at least two of them hang up on me right after handling "part" of my problem. I don't think it was a coincidence - due to the timing of each hangup! Had to call back and listen to the new Alex or Jeff (don't recall) automated phone service. Apparently, it used to be called Simone! The automated phone service can't recognize verbal commands well, so I quit talking and started pressing keys. I placed calls to cust. svc. using the *86 option on my VM phone and also from my home phone. The calls from my VM phone did not use up my free minutes! The cust. svc. people did explain the plan to me, and one of them told me that if I topped up $60.00 in 3 days during the first 30 days of service, then I could have a full-year of service, so long as there was $ on my acct to cover my calls, etc. Since I chose not to purchase a minute pack, I was entered on the $.20/minute plan which is a lot per minute, but I don't need this phone for talking. I have a monthly plan with lots of minutes on AT&T. I used a credit card to top up to the $60 and received a confirmation text message that my service was good for a whole year! Hopefully they won't try to hit my credit card for extra! I used Amex and they are great at disputes! When I set up my voicemail, I tried to do it from my landline and was not allowed to do that! The voicemail setup used 3 minutes of my money on account! This is definitely a ripoff! I was told by cust. svc. that the wallpaper should arrive within 4 hours, or else I should call for a credit. It never came, nor did the ringtone I bought, so I went online and emailed them instead of calling. They replied with an automated reply right away, and got back to me with credit for both unreceived items within 24 hours. I think I will use the email cust. svc. from now on, just because you end up with a written record, in case you need to dispute with your credit card. I created my own wallpaper in Studio V by uploading a picture of a rose bush on the side of my house, and apparently didn't crop it to fit the phone's screen. I chose to purchase my own wallpaper once I got the credit, and the image was stretched to fit the screen, which looks kind of funny. I'll do it over later, because I really like my picture (Pink Rose if you go to Studio V). I ended up choosing a different ringtone also so their error was good for me! The main complaint I have about using their site, is that you have to sign-on over and over again. It does not seem to remember my information. I did get a screen that said I needed to have cookies enabled, and when I looked at Firefox's properties, it said that they are allowed! I think it might be because I use Firefox instead of IE. When I didn't get my first wallpaper or ringtone, I kept checking my balance using the phone's $ button. I had no idea that you are only allowed 5 free account checks per day, and any above that are charged at $.02 each. The main thing I love about the VM service is that you can print out a record of your calls by going online. You can't do that with Tracfone! The log of calls only stays on their site for about 60 days (maybe 90) but that is fine. AT&T recently stopped including a print of calls with the bill, and you either do it manually by going online or have to pay an extra $1.99 per month to receive a printout! I am already in the habit of doing it manually, so I'll just do the VM phone at the same time. I always use the AT&T phone to call any 800 number calls, and even some local calls, when I need proof that I made the calls, because even 800 and local numbers are listed on the bill, where they wouldn't be on my home phone's bill. Since there seem to be more and more "errors" when you deal with customer service these days, I use a cell phone to call ALL 800 numbers nowadays! I figure it is better to have a record, than not! I am thrilled that the VM phone offers this same service! And $60 for a whole year of service is awesome! Of course, I only get 300 minutes for the whole year - minus my ringtone and wallpaper, but I can top off without changing the plan. Tracfone is cheaper per minute, especially since I have a double-minute card installed, but the Tracfone has no features and no options to download stuff to it. I love having my own wallpaper and choosing Real Music ringtones, or alerts or whatever! So far, I would rate the VM service as pretty good, but you really have to do your homework before you buy a phone, activate, etc. I really would like to have a phone with Bluetooth, so I am already looking at changing phones! I don't care about having a camera, so that narrows the choices. When I get a bluetooth phone, I will have to download my wallpaper and ringtone again! Uggh! You can enroll in a service that stores your contacts on their computer and downloads them into your new phone. I'll use that service for one month when I switch phones! Did you know there is a place in the phone to enter 3 emergency numbers that you will be able to call even if the phone is locked or has limited service? The problem with programming those 3 slots, is that you cannot see what is programmed into them after you are done, AND you cannot edit the information EVER! I don't recommend using these, especially if you end up upgrading your phone later! Somebody else will end up with your phone and they will not be able to delete your numbers or change them, and since they don't show, they won't be able to call them either - this is a good thing! Also since you can't see them, you have to know which ones you put in there, since in order to call them when the phone service is limited, you have to dial the exact number you entered! I am pretty sure 911 works from most cell phones even when they have been out of service for years! Keep an old phone (charged) in your glove box to use in those circumstances. Most of us have at least one around! Also, I don't like the 6-digit code you have to attach to your phone along with the normal 4-digit one. That sure makes it complicated to switch phones. You have to remember to change both of them to something easy for the next person, and to tell the next person what they are or they can't do things with the phone. Did you know you can mute the ring of an incoming call by pressing the * button? Also you can change the phone to vibrate pressing the # button until the phone vibrates in your hand. These buttons work like a toggle - on or off. You can also use the volume controls on the side, and the very lowest position is vibrate only, and the very highest volume includes ringing and vibrating. This can use up your battery! The booklets that came with the phone do not include the user manual for the phone. You have to download that yourself from their site! That must make it really hard for people who don't use the internet (yes there are still some out there!). The booklets are very informative about the different plans and the Terms of Service. I recommend that you read these before you start! VM was recommended by a friend, and had I read the booklets, I could have signed both of us up for kickbacks when you use the referral option. I missed out on that one! Hope I get good reception!

i had them take the top up right out of my credit card what a mistake they kept adding on charges that i didn,t ok could not get them to credit my account for over billing they suck lousey service i disputed charge with my credit company so they cut my phone service off

Well I for one like Virgin Mobile. I get about the same or better reception than I used to get with AT&T. After taxes and service charges I only pay $94 a month for unlimited calling and text to any number with no roaming fees.

Customer service has always been good to me even though you may have to wait a while. The 1st VM phone I had did malfunction after a couple of months, but that may be from me dropping it, but they got me a new one out free of charge and quickly.

I have the LG Flare which is a simple and convenient phone. With the basic phone keypad is does make texting a challenge but I don't do a lot of that anyway. I think what people need to realize before they run out and buy these brand new top of the line phones with all these new capabilities is that the more options an electronic device has on it, the more there is to malfunction.

I know people who are with more larger and better established wireless companies who are constantly having problems with their fancy Blackberry-esque phones with the built in camera and mp3 player, and most of them are paying at at least $120 a month just for unlimited calling. Heck I know one girl who's basic cellphone bill is $180 a month.

Another thing that I think may be affecting peoples opinions of wireless companies is their own inherit electronic illiteracy. If you're not tech-savvy, why would you go out and buy a phone that looks like a mini-laptop? I know another girl who was one of those dummies in line waiting to get an I-Phone when they debuted and to this day she doesn't know how to work half of the functions on it. Someone earlier said something about their VM phone being complicated. I've seen all the phones that VM offers, and they're about as simple as simple can be with still keeping up with the small sleek cellphone trend. You can't blame VM for you not knowing how to work your personal wireless device, considering that they all come with instruction manuals.

As for as their website, I use it all the time, and I've yet to get anywhere on it that dumbfounded me. Almost everything on there is labelled and it has pictures.

It to days constantly advancing technological world people are expecting to have more and more done for them. What people need to realize is that you get what you pay for and you still have to think for yourself.

Good job Virgin Mobile, I'm a satisfied customer.

BIG ZERO STARS After several calls to find out why they were charging our account for extras and getting several different answers as to what they were for, I finally asked to speak to a manager. He was very rude and never would let me speak and in the end he hung up on me. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I would not reccommend this company. They charge your account for things you didn't authorize and say they can't credit you back. BS! They can charge your account, but have no way of crediting. Our account was somehow set up for a monthly game contract, but when you go online to check your account and see what your plan has on it, it never said anything about games and they would not credit me anything. This company is dishonest and will steal from you. Don't be a victum!

We like virgin mobile alot, They have great pricing and good phones for the price. I have been with them for more then a year and we like every thing about them. And it is so easy to actavate your new cell phone. I say give them a try. There a great pay as you go or monthly plain, cell phone provider. and there really affordable too.

Be careful if you need text messaging and read the fine print under legal matters. Turns out if $9.99 is not in your account then the text messaging is not charged and you are charged $.05 per message untill the following month even though you thought you were on the messaging plan and even with auto topup turned on... "If you do not have sufficient funds in your account to pay for your monthly subscription, you will be charged 10¢ for each text, email and instant message and 25¢ for each picture message." Virgin is not cheaper, I have moved my phones to a AT&T Family.

I feel that I have had a couple of occasions where I should of had more balance than I did before. Does anyone know: If you didn't buy a minute pack but are just using the regular 20 cents per minute, do left over minutes still roll-over?

I find telephone service good. Coverage is not so good. Customer service is good. Website sucks. Don't ever top up from the website. I can't find any service that comes near Virgin's $95.00/year.

I have been with virgin mobile for 2 years the plans are a great deal, your any time min's start 7 pm they use sprints service.You cant loose on the price for prepaid.CONS I had no signal in a small town called Newberg Wv as well as in the mountains in Wv.But in Baltimore the signal is great. They also need better phones.

9/23/2008
I've been using Virgin Mobile since 2004 and love it. I have done lots of comparison shopping and they keep on coming out on top for me. Today I was double checking my options and I think I'm going to stick with Virgin Mobile. The phones aren't the greatest, but they suffice. The service could be better but I really haven't had any negative issues with them (and I talked to them A LOT with a recent phone issue I was having).

So, I highly recommend trying them out. If you don't like them, you won't be out much money. Just read through the website and turn off the data rate of $.15/day!

The service is good but in the beginning when you are trying to get to live support they wont give you a real person until the computer named "simone" understands what you want, if she doesnt understand you like on the 2nd time she hangs up on you! but other than that it is pretty good, also they take money out of your account that is ment for our mintues and they take it out for our monthy payments or for texting! also there prices are outragous for ringtones and games. there customer service is really helpful when you get past "simone" they give you the best advide and problem solving or truoble shooting your phone.

y daughter has had a prepaid phone through Virgin for some time, the past month we noticed she seemed to go through her minutes really fast.
She put $20 on her phone on Sept 5th and kept track on line of how many minutes she used. Grand total of calls should have been LESS than $5, but out of the $20 put on the card about 2 weeks ago, less than $5 is LEFT. Actually the remaining amount of credit is nearly equal to the calls she actually had with the phone!

We called this evening to get help,and correct the problem. She got a run around, and by the time she was done with customer service she felt humiliated and angry. She's going to close the account, and is considering whether and from whom she will get a replacement phone.

Find someone else to work with, or at least don't get attached to your number or your phone, so you can easily change services when you've had enough of them.

Virgin Mobile has a phone called the Slash. I had one purchased in minnesota another one purchased in Georgia amazingly enough neither phone could be activated. They were purchased at Best Buy's half way across the country and they have the same problem with the serial number. that is too much of a coincidence to me. I would not buy a Virgin Mobile Slash phone ever again and I would not reccomend any one else buying one.

I've had Virgin Mobile for years, and have always been pretty happy with it. Customer Service is terrible, sure, but it's not much better anywhere else.

There's a million different pricing plans, which can be confusing, but the flexibility is nice.

The signal is fine here in Southern California.

The phones are cheap as hell - You can't expect a lot of features, but they work and they start at $10 or $20... Not "$20 with a two year contract", but actually $20.

They have a really nice website that makes adding money to your account really easy, which is critical to this whole thing working. Buying time from your phone is also really easy.

I've used Virgin Mobile several times since 2006 and everything has been pretty good. The service runs on Sprint's wireless network, so anywhere that Sprint is available, you will have coverage. I've never been double charged or had a top-up occur without my consent on any of the accounts I've had. I'm sorry so many people have had problems, and to be honest, I'm shocked. My only complaint with them is their phones are pretty crappy. It would be nice if they would use some of Sprint's phones. I don't mind paying a little more if the phones are good quality. Other than that detail, it's the cheapest prepaid service in the US that I've found, and it's easy to manage your funds online. And I've called customer service numerous times over the years with questions, and I've never gotten anyone from India, nor was it difficult to get to a live agent. I'm actually switching back to VM at the end of the week because GoPhone sucks.

Phone Service: not bad. i get service in most areas- except for the subway, very deep basements, small remote sections of buried suburbs, and certain libraries.

Customer Service: could be quicker, but not bad.

Plan: confusing. VM's been coming up with too many plans and had been rendering a bunch of them defunct. I am on the 18centsTALK plan (18 cents a minute any time). VM has allowed exciting users of the plan to continue but from now on, it's defunct and a new similar plan states that the minutes are 20 cents a minute. I don't know any wireless service that go ahead and make minutes MORE expensive. usually it's the opposite. Overall, the VM isn't bad for someone who uses a cell phone a few times a week for a few minutes.

Website/account management: confusing. I'm computer savvy and even I get stumped sometimes by how the website lay out its information. Increasingly, it's taking more time to top-up, browse through and read new plans.

BEWARE OF VIRGIN MOBILE FRAUD!!!THEY CHARGED MY CREDIT CARD $800. & REFUSED TO CREDIT BACK THE MONEY!I had this phone service set to top up automatically whenever the balance went below $5.00 so my so would never be stranded anywhere with out a phone. I went on line & added unlimited texeting for $19.99 to the service & set the top for $30.00 to the monthly fee.The service was automatically paid through the phone for 3mon. then all of the sudden my son told me mom my phone keeps topping up. I thought no that can't be right.At the time my computer was broken and i could not go on line to check the payment history,& customer service is almost impossible to get when you call so I had no way of checking what has happening.When I did get my computer back & check the history I almost threw up! they had charge 27 top ups to my card costing $845.!!! When i called they refused to credit the money, telling me I had to call to update the service monthly, in which it was automatically updated already for 3 mon. then someone explained that at the time the service was due there was only $7.00 in the account (it was not to top up it was not enough money to cover the $20. fee & that is why it went back to charging for every text!This is a scam!!! After this happened I checked other web sites such as the go phone & they cairify right from the begining that the servicee would change back if funds are insufficent, where as virgin mobile does not carify anything!! I was deceived with their automatic top up & my card card was abused by this company!!CONSUMERS BEWARE!!

Phonetastic ! 09*15*2008 After researching lots of services, i decided to go with Virgin and love this company. For 25 bucks i get 700 minutes and for 5 bucks more i get 20 mb of data ! PLUS i get free minutes for watching ads on their website. I am totally satisfied. I will never go back to any con*tract.

After reading all these reviews, decided to take the plunge for myself. I hope these aren't fighting words, but I doubt any unsatisfied customer read nor understood the way Virgin setup their billing options. Everything is very well explained in the documentation provided, and on their website. They do not trick you into any agreements - I had to click OK to agree to any service that begins charging .15 per day, which I clicked no and was not billed (nor could I continue to that area of service). So long as you understand English and have a basic level of common-sense, this phone service is a great deal. Whether or not it's the best plan for you completely and totally lies in your level of phone use. Low to moderate use (depending on type of moderate use), I cannot find a better plan with more savings! For moderate to high use (again depending on the level of moderate use), you could find MUCH BETTER rates on other plans. I never came close to using the 1000 minutes on my previous phone bill that cost $65.00 every month (bye-bye left over minutes). I now spend $20.00 to top up every month, + $5.00 for 200 texts per month and I am now saving $45.00 per month!!! This is a no-brainer. Ohh, by the way, all the complaints about customer service should be completely ignored because ALL CELL PHONE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE SAME - HORRIBLE. Thanks for reading my post :-)

I am 100% satisfied with Virgin Mobile. I only lose money whenever i call or text. The texting bundles you can get with the top up cards are also a more than fair bargain. VXL deals are also good. The only thing i can think of that is wrong with Virgin Moblie is that they dont have a sliding phone. GREAT SERVICE

Virgin Mobile screws people royally!! My nephew has approx $26.00 bal on his phone, but virgin mobile turned it off! they didn’t send out a notice via email, instead they sent a phone alert on the same day they changed their "plan" services, informing him that he must add additional monies to his account monthly now to continue service. They will not apply his current balance toward their new "plan" services and insist that to restore service he pay an additional $20 (min)... and that he zero his $26.00 credit by purchasing ringtones or within the next 30 days in minutes. Bulls&*( my nephew is 11 years old, he uses his phone responsibility and should not be forced to use his credit for bulls^*(&%.
Additionally, he got a new phone from them! the phone had a options labeled Xtras, once he clicked to see what "Xtras" was or when he was forced to used the "Xtras" option to get the ringtone he purchased for his new phone... without notice or agreement, virgin mobile started charging him .15cent a day, for a service he never used or wanted. he just wanted his one ringtone! That’s crap, when someone buys a ringtone; they should be notified that once they download the ringtone (which wasn’t free) that they will start charging a .15cent a day to browse!! If wasn’t browsing, they shouldn’t charge! If I hadn’t checked him account, I would have never known! and if you don’t call virgin mobile, they will not stop the service and no matter what they will not refund you the money! .15cent a day, may not sound like much, to many people, but that adds up to millions of dollars for Virgin Mobile, for fees that customers never agreed to and services not rendered! Screw that!
i'm pissed, so i missed a word or whatever!! so what :) lol

If the option of ratings was from 0 to 5, then of course I would give it a ZERO. This prepaid service sucks. The Plans suck and it's too expensive. I've had tracfone, Virgin mobile and Verizon Wireless prepaid these all suck. The best one to use is Alltel U. Although the activation charge is a bit steep the service is great.

Virgin Mobile USA customer service is shady at best. As others here have warned, do NOT provide this company with any credit or debit card information nor your checking account info. The company's payment software is seriously flawed and steals from its customers. If you do not receive the product or services for which you have been charged, then you, BY LAW, can refute the charges and have them reversed. Stick with the top-up plan, if you must, but buy the cards from a retailer.

Ugh worst service ever imaginable! I had two virgin mobile phones both were cheaply made and high priced. Not to mention the service was crappy & expensive. I would go with ANY other pre-pay phone company other than VMobile. Worst customer service and rates.

Service was fine. Just be careful about paying with a credit or debit card. The carrier may decide to Top-up without your consent. Check your credit card statements carefully.

Man, oh man!.....I have been with VM at least 5 yrs. now and I have NEVER, I repeat NEVER had a problem with my phone(s) and have NEVER had a CS issue. I really feel bad that the rest of the reviewers have had bad experiences.

I have had at least 3-4 VM phones....not because of any problems, but just for newer phones that they come out with.....I've been able to transfer my # with no problems at all.

This pre-paid plan works very well for me. I am one of the lucky ones, I came along when they offered the the "minute2minute" plan (.10cents).....and in my opinion, still remains the best plan they have and with each phone I purchase, I continue to receive the "M2M" rate.

As for "top-up", it can't get any easier than being able to buy a card or doing it online.....when I first started, I bought cards and now I top-up online (with my registered debit card) and have NEVER, I repeat NEVER had an issue with my debit card.

I will remain a VM customer until I decide to go for a "contract" phone.

So, if you are looking for a pre-paid plan, VM is definitely the best out there.

08/25/08

I have been with VM since 2005. At first coverage area was spotty, but it has steadily improved. I average fewer than 10 minutes a month and pay only $15.90 every 90 days. I have blocked incoming text messages, so I never have money "disappearing" from my account.

My husband lost his phone and they let us use his accumulated funds to purchase a new phone with free shipping.

I think it's a perfect plan for older folks who don't use cell phones much (except you need your reading glasses to read the phones' screens). :-)

I've experienced the same fees and taking money from my account. They do not repond to email, calls, their web site..I was hoping someone here could tell me how to reach them and anyone else who has a prepaid Virgin Mobile Phone to tell them the Cell Service Bites

We have been with Virgin Mobile for about 1 yr. My son is only 11 yrs. old so we need the phone to keep in contact and for emergencies only. I usually spend about $20 per month in minutes and I could not be happier. The service is great and now we can purchase a text card so that he can text his friends. Anyone utilizing the plan is only under obligation to spend $20 every 90 days. It's wonderful. Some months we only use $20 other months we may use more, but we are in controll. There are no fees, surcharges or any other trumped up charges that the other providers hit you with (i.e. Verizon). Parents, buy your young children a Virgin Mobile Phone!! You won't be disappointed.

Virgin Mobile help you within 24 hours, being youth, it makes it easy to understand how to control and buy your phone. virgin mobile is cheap but great. i pay 20 dollars every 3 months or whenever it hits 5 dollars, it is great

35 bucks a month, no contract, for 200 anytime and 500 night/weekend, and unlimited text. It can't get much better than that. Cheap phone, but I'd rather save money than have tons of useless features. Customer service was nice.

I have have a Virgin Mobile more than two month and they had taken from us more than $20.00 with out any explanation. Also they don't give a good custumer service. Most of the people are gross with the Spanish speaking people.

In short, I have reported them to BBB twice this year for lack of customer service, charging (back) my account and misuse of my credit cards.

Virgin Mobile are crooks. I bought a phone and a card which clearly states that it was for 200 minutes for $20. I followed their instructions precisely on adding the value to my account. But, they proceeded to charge 20 cents a minute. When I called to complain, not only didn't they correct the problem, their "customer service representative" hung up on me. Don't use that company. Their are out and out thieves.

07/03/08

I have had Virgin Mobile since October, 2006 and I've been very pleased. I am on the .18 per minute plan. I've never given them my credit card number--I just buy top up cards at the store. I will admit they seemed expensive before I discovered Sugar Mama. Now, I'm only having to top up every three months because I usually earn more bonus minutes than I use. My husband is now a Virgin Mobile customer also. We're both retired and trying to pay off some bills. We don't want another bill for cell phones. Prepaid is great. I rarely have to call them because you can take care of a lot of things on their website. You can e-mail them with questions and usually get a response by the next day. I'm surprised by the all the negativity from customers because I've had a great experience with them.

A very evil company. Their customer service is a bad joke and they try to keep you from canceling. If you try to cancel your service they keep hanging up on you and at one point I was told that I couldn't cancel from the phone I have the account on. Stay away from this company!

Their phones are so cheap I could hardly hear if I was outside, in my car or on the train. So what's the point using their crappy phones if you can't hear?

Maybe this plan works if you live in a city. In rural areas there is no coverage. I live and work in a rural area of southern Oregon, fairly near a medium size city. There is coverage in the city, but not outside of it. The 'hip' attitude of this company is just contrived and annoying. There are better choices.

072708 I use 2 vm phones. Aloha for biz / Flare for personal. Been with vm for 3 yrs. Huge savings vs any contract. Best thing I can go from $5 per mo per phone for low usage to unlimited mins as needed w/o bs @ contracts. Several months have paid only $10. Like the fact that $$ build up if not used *great to upgrade phones if i see a new one that i'd like. Have bt phones @ WM, Rdo Shk, & vm website *best to buy online bc of bonuses. Cstmr svc is better than others. I highly recomend VM.

Customer Service is substandard to put it nicely. They just can't get it right after exhausting explanations, you receive canned responses and no resolutions. Seems I cannot get Virgin to automatically take my payment without a 2 1/2 hours spent talking to someone in India every month. It's always someone elses fault...you or your bank! They even go so far as to say that if you had money in your account, their charge would go through. This is infuriating when you also have your account up and opened and there is enough money in it to buy the MILLION MINUTE plan. By the way, As I'm typing this my bank called me to say that Virgin was making a transaction and I made it clear ONLY THE AMOUNT of my monthly charge was to be deducted. Also seems that after your 2 1/2 hours of crueling conversation with India they deduct more than the monthly charge. You can't win. Amazing that a customer has to argue about giving them your money I like my phones and would like them to get the payments right and change customer service but think they never will at this point. I do not blame the Indian people but the company for allowing this to happen.

7/25/08

I've been using VM since 2006. I like it pretty well for what it is: a cheap prepaid service for teens, 20-somethings and people with credit problems. You can't expect advanced features with a company like VM.

My first VM phone was the Kyocera Switch_Back which was so buggy that it would reset itself when I was composing text messages. I got rid of that and switched to the Audiovox Snapper. It was an improvement, except that whenever it would lose its signal, it would emit an annoying beep that could not be silenced except by putting it to vibrate. Now I'm using the Kyocera Wild Card (an upgrade for the Switch_Back). So far, it seems to do the job well.

My main complaints are that VM cripples blutooth to prevent you from editing the phone with Bitpim or uploading graphics and MP3s to it for free.

My other complaint is that if you switch phones, you have to repurchase all your ringtones, games, graphics, etc. All that stuff should be freely transferable from phone to phone.

So far, I've never had any problem with them stealing money that I know of. I will certainly keep a closer eye on my account after reading some of the reviews here.

And yes, I do dislike their Simone answering system. Ah, for the days when a human would answer the phone and actually address your individual problems. Now you'll probably get someone in India who just reads from a booklet or something. To be fair however, this also happened to me when I used Sprint. I got some guy in Jamaica whose voice I could barely understand.

Cell phones are a huge friggin' ripoff as far as I'm concerned, but they have nifty features that make you love them anyway. It's like a love-hate relationship between the human and the technology.

I got a Virgin cell for an additional phone for my husband. Lent it to my sister for a couple of years but kept topping it up. Bought a second VM phone for husband. Sis used up most of the minutes in calling me, as I suggested, and gave it back to me. I had bought a couple of top-up cards over a year ago and used one but the other phone kept getting topped up automatically. I went to use the top-up card on the original phone, which had under $6 left on it, and they told me the card had expired. There is NO indicatiuon on the card that it will expire. Maybe the FCC needs to know about this. Anybody else had a similar experience?

Why don't any of the reviews have dates on them? It's hard to evaluate the accuracy of the review without knowing the date. (Virgin service could have changed since the time the review was writen. )

PLEASE INCLUDE DATES ON REVIEWS! (best would be if this happened automatically) Thanks!

Best for if you call and do not text a lot. Operates on Sprint Network.

I use to have Virgin Mobile from 2006- the middle of 2007. The minutes were 18 cents, then it was raised to 20 cents! Which 18 cents was already expensive! I decided to to cancle out after that. Not to mention how their phones were either crappy dirt cheap, or they were overprised not so good phones. Wouldn't reccomend

the service is great and it is the only company that has more options and a section of phones to pick also the phones are cheap and have bluetooth in them i have invested two super slice and two slice phone, one flare phone, k10 royal, the cyclops and i am hoping to see more phones also the new phone the slash from samsung a great phone and the newest is the arc phone which is the same company UTstarcom their best phone is the super slice it has a big memory it is 25600kb the first slice is good it can hold 55 ring tones with clear song super slice is fast respond to the touch but i love the flare LG phone looks great and that phone is a flip phone the only thing it does not have is a camera to take pic also the colors and limited edition phone i still have my first phone K10 royal before i go i hope LG upgrade the flare with a camera and a big memory Virgin Mobile a great company and also under the company SPRINT the best company i Had lol.

virgin mobile is the best you can change your plan anytime you want if you dont want a plan you can choose to talk 10 cents a call for 6.99 a month and the text messaging bundle is great and the phones are cheap and last long well at least my phone last long. and if you just stop paying for they wont right nothing bad about you on your credit report unlike if you had a contrack

There customer service definately sucks. And they steal your money from your phone. And all there phone are very ugly.

I was surprised by all the neg reviews left here about VM, but then I've only had service with them for a few months, since early 08. I'm located in the mountains north of Fresno, south of Yosemite in a fringe service area. Weak to no signal indoors but still get txts indoors, strong signal outdoors.

I bought a Kyocera k127 Marbl on eBay rather than in town (more expensive in town) or on the Virgin website. At the website the price included postage but I needed it delivered by Postal not UPS or FedEx.

The phone was new in an open package, but battery discharges RAPIDLY. Have to recharge it over and over again during the day with use and it won't hold a charge overnight in park mode, so am sure the batt was used but that's a risk of buying on eBay. It may also be that since I'm in a fringe reception area and operating in digital mode all the time, it makes it run down faster, the manual says it will in that mode.

I haven't bought a new battery because it's a 'tester' phone to see how I like the service, and a new battery could cost more than the phone WITH a battery. Don't need two of the same phone.

This is my 1st experience with VM. I wanted to test the service on a cheaper phone before buying a more expensive QWERTY keypad device from them like the Wildcard.

Impression of the phone is, it does amazing things for the price. My Tracfone doesn't have a WAP browser, and the MARBL has a 2.0 3G fireball browser, the 3G emblem is on the case. My more expensive AT&T phone is a 3G phone. I can do email, eBay, My Spaces (says My Space is down a lot), visit PayPal's site but haven't used it yet, and a variety of other things including a Dictionary.com site. The browser pages loaded fast, look clean and the text is large and easy to read. The scrolling is kind of slow to a bit jerky and delayed. I sometimes accidentally click the wrong link due to the delay. BUT the browser works if you're patient with the scrolling. I can get 5mb of web access for $5 and the 15c a day VXL access fee.

I pay $10/mo for 1000txts, and can insert emoticons. ONLY complaint with the txting so far is SLOW TYPING speed, way slower than my AT&T prepaid GoPhone. Same with email typing speed using the WAP. I do so many txts that fast typing speed are a must. My costs for the prepaid GoPhone and the VM phone paks is the same at this point and the GoPhone is much faster at everything. But GoPhone doesn't offer a prepaid QWERTY device so want to stick with VM to try one someday. T-Mobile offers the prepaid Sidekick but it's much more than the Wildcard, twice as much to buy, so not soon.

I would like to know if any of VM's phones is faster at typing txts than the MARBL. Is the Wildcard faster? I wouldn't want to pay $100 for it and find out it's slugslime slow to type on.

I haven't had txts not send/receive on the VM, they send instantly. I don't think I've been overcharged for anything, and so far no debit errors on my PayPal account, it's fast to topup by website or cell via PayPal's $10 topup option. I topup when I want it rather than doing autodebit or I could get unlimited messaging for $10 instead of 1000 txts.

I DO get annoyed by receiving voicemail for the previous owner of my phone number, called VM and they said no way to get rid of those except to change my number. And I don't like the advertising texts that come through, sometimes I get txtd by people I don't know, maybe trying to call the last owner of the number.

So far I like their service though, cheap rates on the texting and browser paks if not too cheap at 18c a min for calls and checking voicemail. I don't use the phone for calling much, so I didn't opt for a cheaper talk option, I use it for txting and browsing mostly.

I'd like to get a camera phone and much faster texting, a QWERTY keypad, so I might stick with VM unless I have neg experiences like the other reviews.

I have had three different Virgin Mobile phones at different times. I like their rates and have not had any complaints about their signal but customer service doesn't even exist. When you call them, there's no way to get ahold of a customer representative (that I've found going through their menu things) unless you're activating a phone. The phones are very cheaply made and slow. The way they aim at a younger audience is horrible, annoying, and abnoxious. At the age of 17, I hate that, so I can't imagine how adults would feel about it. The only thing really good about this company is the rates and versatility. There are many different plans to choose from and even at pay-per-minute, you can get as low as 5 cents a minute. If they had as good of phones as Verizon, I'd go to them just for the rates.

I have just found out that the phone I lost and they put on vacation for me ran out of time to be on hold and I now have no account, phone number, and they kept the money I had on that account. I hate their ustomer service and "Samone". They gave me a wrong disconnect date so I lost my account.. Their employees are not trainned well and you the customer pays the price for their actions. I also had a problem with texting that was coming TO my phone. They took my money for the messages and they also took money daily for some ringtones I supposedly did. I NEVER downloaded anything, I do not even know how to. I did turn them into the better business and they took care of the issue. Virgin did finally give me some of the money back for the ringtones. You can put a block on test messaging on line, I suggest people do this to stop them from taking your money without your knowledge. I can say one good thing about Virgin and that is that I did have no dropped calls and the service area is much better than TMobile. My boyfriend has their most expensive phone and hates it. His calls drop all the time and if it is not dropping the call it breaks up all the time.

They have good rates and currently like three free phones (w/ purchase of airtime)so thats pretty good. However, they're owned by Sprint and SJA mobile likes to scam Sprint users into thinking that they subscribed to something and charge you money. You then have to send an email to them asking for a refund and that takes a while. I decided just not to bother w/ Sprint

NEVER I Mean NEVER give virgin mobile a credit card,debit card or pay pal acct number. I was so unhappy with the service at virgin that I cancelled and they still stole money from my acct. after I had cancelled!! and then refused to put it back! One of the many reasons I stopped my service was the way they rip people off by charging you "before" you use all your minutes. I had a 300 min plan and when i got to 290 they started taking money from my acct. The customer service is non exsistant and when you do reach someone they are absolutely clueless. I would not recommend Virgin Mobile to my worst enemy.

While being affordable as a prepaid service, the automated phone "customer no service" system is extremely frustrating(live advisers are few and far between)to access. They are helpful should you be willing to wait through the "Simone" voice options. The phones are cheap(affordable)but the voice quality seems to be okay. For those who only use a cell phone infrequently or text moderately, the 90-day/$15 or $20 prepay option is just fine. The lack of a contract weighs more heavily for this server against the call-in frustrations experienced every time I need "live adviser" help. I'll stay with VirginMobileUSA for now, but would like to see higher quality phones and quicker live adviser contact.

viragin mobile wildcard phone has lot of nice features but poor software. calculator is useless, scheduler works but is hard to navagate input data. can not hear phone ring in mall or grocery store. solution: buy bluetooth ear phone. love games, but charge network subscription to download; can be turned off and retain games. problem: my vkey, voice mail answer machine password quit working. can not get any of my voice mail. called 3 times and stil unresolved. last person is resetting the voice mail itself as opposed to entire phone which did not help. said i might require a new phone through mail. can not exchange at local store. I email photos to my home computer and works fine @ 25 cents each. tried text message but friend never got it. has 3 types of crappy internet but is almost useless and super slow. lots of entertainment which i have no use for. if the software was improved in the phone it would be way better. full keyboard is nice. have not tried any of several messenger services it has. microsoft, yahoo chat, vm own community chat. *note chat is live and realtime -not to be confused with message board or email postings. I would really like the idea of email on the phone .. but my frineds and me do not have it set up yet as it is too complicated. could not find a comment section on the web page. password would not function for my phone web page. if virgin would actively take user reviews and actually repair fix all bugs and make the features actually useful and fully functional .. yea it wold be a great phone. a really cool feature would be to have my work schedule transferred in my phone directly from work staff but at present it is too dificult enter all the data. it is faster to hand write it. there is no way to transfer data between computer or with blue tooth. vm requires sent through network and charges. phone does not have memory card or transfer cable due to lockout from vm. reason i bought kyocera m1000: was no monthly contract $80 phone, $90 1 year minuts. no monthly charges. I dont call much. 4 months 2 games at $10... and i stil have $45 in my account. yes the phone has more features than i need but biggest complaint is very low volume ringer. good software ideas but hard to use. like the voice memo recorder sound is so poor that i can not use it. it was great for short trips around town. text pick memo would be more useful like bank, gas, grocery, post office, work at time x. i really hate the fact that repairing software and problems is so terrable today. real customer service is almost a thing of the past. customer service is a money maker selling point. I can not understand why they all but dropped it.

TEXT SCAM ALERT! and Virgin don't care. My sister likes to top up $10 about twice a month, but this past month she has been force top up 6 times! She Called Virgin to see what was going on. Turns out theres this text number that charges her $9.00 after ever time she tops up. Virgin knows of this problem and tells her that the only thing she can do is to text them back and ask them to stop. My sister asked about a refund after all Virgin knows of the theft and Virgin Tech Help said "UH.NO! HAHA I don't think so." Then told her she need to text them and ask them to stop and that is it. My sister is out $54 dollars.

I recently went with Virgin after my dissatisfaction with Tracphone. I am ending my relationship with Virgin, also. Virgin steals your minutes. I bought a minute pack in advance of a vacation so I would not run out of minutes while away. Now I discover that I will lose the entire minute pack because I bought it before the prior minutes had all expired! What a load of crap! It would be cheaper to just buy an entire new Virgin Mobile phone than to buy a new minute pack. This just does not make sense.

I just spent an exhausting hour on the phone w/a virgin rep (in nicaragua) w/o any satisfaction or answers! My spouse & I each have a virgin phone charged to our Visa. All I wanted to know was which charges were for his phone & which charges were to mine as his calls are tax deductible. I was referred to this website where I was told my account would appear. It has not!

Horrible customer service as many on the board state. Phone support is non-existant. Had to send multiple emails to even get someone to answer questions and then the responses did not fix the problem. I would call their service a vampire plan. Charges and extras magically appeared and sucked the money from accounts. Brought my 12 yr old girl to tears as her baybysitting money was stolen from her account by the Virgin vampires. Beware to all who are considering using this service, I have used many of the prepaid services over the years and Virgin far and away the worst I have ever encountered.

I gave them 1 star only because 0 stars was not an option. My son was signed up for unlimitted texting for several months, and then all of a sudden the other day we realized they were charging him for every text, going through over $45- in one day. after we finally got through to someone on the phone, they claimed we had to call every month to sign up for the unlimitted texting!We never had to do that before. They refuse to do anything about it. They are horrible people to deal with, and it is SO hard to even get ahold of a human on the phone. Needless to say my son now has another provider. Customer service is not their priority, no wonder the owner is a billionare, if this is how they operate.

Iv'e been with Virgin mobile For about a year now, and I must say it's pretty good. I never had problems with customer service, and I have the Oyster phone, which is a real reception hog-it holds a call like nobody's business!! Granted, the phones aren't as hip as some of the other companies, but my Oyster does what it's supposed to do, and does it well. Reception is crystal clear most of the time as well. I use my paypal acct. to pay, and no problems there either. I'm on the 34.99 plan, and it seems to do the trick for now-I rarely go over the limits. Overall, Virgin Mobile is a pretty good company for what it offers, just be patient, and know what to ask the cust. reps. when you're on. Also-do research on whatever phone you're interested in getting. Look into battery life, reception, etc...
I'm sticking with these guys-better than those rip-off scam contracts

Customer Service is weak.
Topped up online thinking I was getting 200 mins for twenty bucks.Turns out you have to top up (paid with credit card)and then go back and purchase a minute pack. Otherwise you pay 20cent a min.
The point is I was responding to a text from them to "top up now" so i wouldnt lose unused minutes(10pm 6/11-unused min were due to expire 6/12). On 6/13 I had a cash balance (minus 20 cents a min)and 500 min balance. I called to make sure that the cash(top up) was credited to min at 10cents amin (min pack).The rep changed my cash balnce to mins and my roll over balance disappeared. I CALLED BACK RIGHT AWAY AND WAS ASSURED THAT IF i WAITED 4 HRS THE "ROLL OVER MINs" AND THE MIN PACK MINS WOULd be combined and if not call back. I didnt check until the next day ,the 14th, They werent.So I called again and after 45 mins the best they could do is tell me that the min pack was purchased on the 13th so I lost the 500 unused mins and they cant stand by anything the other reps told me.I asked for a supervisor twice and never got one on the phone.Finally the rep said the supervisor would apply yhe unsed mins to "mins" that could be used whrn the minute pack nins were used up,\. I asked how I could check my account to see were the bonus mins were and she couldnt tell me. She said "I dont know, trust me youve spent too much time on the phone for me to lie to you about it." She also said "This is a one time concession and it would not be granted again", according the supervisor who would speak to me directly. The bottom line for me is that "prepaid "with VM at 10cents a minute is a good deal BUT the coverage in Eastern Virginia is not great and the customer service is Very Bad, I tried to do it right ,I called as soon as I realized something wasnt right and after speaking to three diff reps AND NOT GETTING A SUPERVISOR OR BEING TRANSFERED TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY THE TELLYOU TO ASK FOR ,AND I DID, I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH VIRGIN MOBLE AND I WILL CANCEL MY SERVE AS SOON I CAN AFFORD A BETTER SERVICE.

After taking money from my prepaid card Virgin Mobile also charged my bank. They have refused to issue a refund for the double charge, My bank did a fraud investigation and got my money back right away and now Vigin <obile has suspended my servive. Remember they double charge me and now I can't use my phone and it was already paid for by a top up card. I am reporting them to as many agencies as I can for fraud.

I'm a big fan of the Virgin brand...especially their airplanes, which I fuel. I cut my cellular teeth with a Virgin Mobile phone, and the pre-paid idea was very young and full of bugs then. I recently went back to Virgin after two years of hell with a Sprint contract planand there's not too much Virgin could do to upset me after that, but here's the good and bad:

The service, in terms of function, is good. I recently traveled, and there were a few places I lost signal. (mainly in the middle of nowhere), but otherwise pretty reliable. Customer service, however, can be a pain. If you hate talking to computers like I do, you'll want to throw your phone through the window. Just hit the 5 button a few times, and the stupid computer voice will finally direct you to a human after declaring, "hey, I must be having a bad day..." No, I just hate computers! Also, they have limited help hours, so if you have a problem at night, good luck.

I'm on my second "Wild Card" phone, which is pretty cool except the flip on my first one lost all spring to it. It would fall open too easily. They replaced it immediately, which impressed me. Otherwise, it's a cool phone.

If you go past your due date and the phone is shut off, you have to manually restart many features. I blew $10 I had topped up thinking it would automatically restart my text messaging, only to have it eaten up at .10 per minute! I had to fight like hell to get any credit back for that, and heard the phrase
"I'm not authorized..." about a hundred times. I was finally compensated with 200 texts instead of the 1000 I would have gotten had I known. Small effort, but it saved them a customer.

Cell phone plans are like politicians...they all suck, but this is one of the better of all the evils.

Reading through some of the reviews here, I was a little surprised. I've had my service ($59.99/mo plan) and I have absolutely LOVED it! (North Florida Panhandle area). The ONLY time I've experienced a dropped call has been upon entering a freezer in my stores interior (understandable). My calls have been crisp and clear and I've been told by people I talk to all over the US that I SOUND crisp and clear as well. I LOVE the free nights and weekends starting at 7pm (instead of most other carriers' 9pm)and 600 anytime minutes. This has ended up costing me LESS per month than what I was spending on calls on my Double Minute (even using promo codes from online) card. When I DID have a small problem (adding minutes one time)...VM's customer service was quick to respond. So, I don't understand the negative comments because it's NOT been MY experience *shrugs* It came recommended from a friend...and I've recommended it in turn and folks have been as pleased as I've been *shrugs again*

I have two prep-paid cell phone swith Virgin Mobile. It seemed likethe ideal service for my 12 and 13 year old sons. I always top up their accounts online. Recently I wasn't able to do so. I called customer service who tried to do the Top Up manually using my credit card and they told me there was a problem and to call my bank. I called my bank which told me Virgin Mobile didn't try to run any transaction through. After countless hours with Customer service they tell me I made too many attempts with my card and for my safety I would no longer top up with my card unless I faxed a copy of the front and back of my credit card and any other cards I might use as well as my driver's license. They are the ones who kept trying to run my card manually. Then I told them there was no way I would send that type of information via fax. I was told that was my only option. I felt like I was being pulled in to some kind of identity theft scam. I now have to buy top up cards because I will not fax my credit cards to them or let them register my credit card info on their website. BUYERS BEWARE. Something is fishy with Virgin Mobile.

Man, i ve had vm for about 4yrs.Its gr8 if u r conservative. its helped me save alot of money. no credit check. i contrl the way i talk. but remember no prepaid co is perfect

I got this phone and at the same time bought a 30.00 top up card I was only suppose to get charged 7.5 cents a min. but was getting charged over .20 put it this way. I maybe had the phone for a week and my balance showed that I only had 10.00 dollars left in my account and get this I still had a my net10 phone and had two towers for service and had no service on my virgin phone it not only charges the incorrect price but you can bearly get service any where.

we have 3 virgin phone for over a year now! We've had great service and great prices no hassles when returning one we were shipped another one at no charge. I like the fund my phone on face book and the sugar mama free air time i earn at least 30 min a month every month with that! I also like that they give back to the community a lot and have hot concerts! I never have to call in for anything!

Bought a Virgin Phone from Target the type of phone was a Kyocera Wild Card. Did some research prior to buying it. Ultimately decided to go with Virgin and with that phone. Went to store bought it. Then went to the website https://www.virginmobileusa.com/activate/activate.do?page=0

to activate it but could not because had hard time getting open the battery to put battery in. Went back to a different Target other than the orig one bought at to exchange phone and they told me they could not take back because when they scanned the reciept computer stated return rejected they told me it because it was just bought and needs time to activate. So I leave fustrated. Later I manage to open the back of phone to get battery in. Then went to website to activate phone. When I tried to activate the phone i got message

Oops! This phone wasn't "unlocked" when you bought it. Before you can activate it, you'll have to bring the phone and the receipt back to the store and have their customer service department "unlock" it for you. Sorry about that.

Apparently phone was not unlocked when purchased from store. As a result i called 1-888-322-1122 and was told the same thing. So I ask the Virgin rep on phone what is it that Target has to do to unlock phone. They say they have to scan it and open box and do something on computer then its unlocked. So then i go back to another Target store and they tell me it should already be able to active one it is scanned. The lable on box reads "Phone cannot be activated until purchased at register" and on my sales receipt it states activated successfully. From this point i ask the Target manager to to call the number 1-888-322-1122. They go thru prompts till a live person is reached she gives the rep the MEID# and the Virgin rep tells the Target manager the same thing phone needs to be unlocked. At this point the Virgin rep apparently tell Target manager to return item via register then repurchase. However it cannot be returned because some message comes up on register unable to return failed return merchandise to customer. They then tell me i have to wait 24hrs to return product. Item purchased on 05/25/2008 at 11:28 am Northern California pst time. As a result they tell me i have to wait till 05/26/2008 after 11:28am then i could return. So the story will continue. My belief is its possible that the phone item i bought could have been a return item but was never entered into their database correctly either that or it could have been pilfered inventory or inventoried incorrectly example while on delivery truck phone is meant for store B but actually went to store A. I will be back to post my end result

reading half to wait 24hrs

I have had my Oyster phone for over a year now. I have been satisified with my phone until now. I've noticed that money dissappears on my account even when I haven't used my phone. I've decided that I would check my balance every day to see how much is taken when I very very rareley use the phone. I didn't use if for three days and it had 45cents less on the account. what's up with that? Do we have to pay them for not using the phone. I was going to call customer service but after reading through the previous messages I feel that my time is more valuable than dealing with them. This is just a recent thing with them and I don't know what to think.

Tracfone is horrible , it is so stinkin hard to remember the numbers. and Virgin mobile needs to lower their prices. Its not worth it to waste all that money on rediculous plans. I would rather have US cellular and a fireflie.

the phone i got was a super slice, and i absolutely love it. My e-mail is on there,i can go to my myspace page, and the minutes are soo cheap! but if im in the middle of the country, i can't be in a house because the service is bad in counrty houses. Besides that small detail(im a city chick) it gets great service and it works great with e-mail, which is exactly what i wanted. The selection of ringtones, wallpapers, and games is absolutely wonderful. I would recomend Virgin Mobile to everyone whose looking for a phone(unless they live in the middle of the country)!LOL

I give half rating because the phones are good basic devices, but i figured it through and i can get more out of my phones through altell for a few bucks less. I always ended up also getting the "malfunctioning phones" they do jack a few cents from you from tie to time also. I'd sit there watch ym phone and the picture that indicated u were in a call would come on and i check my balance afetr and a few cents were missing. The customer service when and if u could get to a real person is difficult , the "Real" people are all indian people that hardly know any english and then they dont know what they are doing. its like they pick up homless people and give them a job for the night. its good that you dont need to sign to a contract and it is very easy to change numbers when somehow phone solicitors find my number! the Sugar mama featur does work but instead of minutes i wish they added a money ballance so i could accumulate it and spend it on ringtones and such, other then that i have no bad things to say. i get calls and make then fine and send and recieve texts. sometimes the text are little delayed sending and receiveing, which could cause problems with emergancies.but anyways. if your not a picky customer it is a good company also for the uneducated , but if u want a professional phone company soend the bucks and get a legit one.

I've had nothing but problems with this company. Once they get your money, it's gone and you probably won't get what you thought you paid for. Very confusing plans, and purposely so, I think. If you change plans, you lose everything you have in your account. Don't ever give them a credit card or a paypal account.

PAY as you go phone review...
Virginmobile is trying to get your money! be careful! you get a 1000 minutes card for 50$ thinking that you will have these minutes by entering the pin number but NOOOO! there is another step you need to follow. you have to pick voice minute package which is not among any of the instructions. if you do not pick that plan, you are paying 20 cents a minute. You call them and they do NOTHING about it. The people are extremely rude and they even hang up on me! they also threaten you by saying that your call is monitored?!?! Never ever use their services for pay as you go phones... I would give them negative starts if I could...

I've got their 18 Cent TALK plan with auto-pay. It's great for people who make few calls. It works like this: Pay $20 and get a phone, free shipping, and 122 or so minutes. Three months later, and every three months from then on, they charge another $15 to your card, and give you another 83 minutes. Minutes roll over forever. So as long as you average less than 25 minutes a month, you pay only $5 a month.

I contacted customer service for help setting up the phone. It was fine.