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Virgin Mobile Prepaid Cellular
Editor Rating
Overview
Virgin mobile was born in the United Kingdom and has branched out to include the United States. They specialize in mobile solutions and own several brands in addition to Virgin Mobile, including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Megastores and Virgin Pulse.
Pros: Virgin Mobile offers 2 plans. You can either choose a pay by the minute or pay by the month plan. Refill cards can be purchased at retail locations across the nation making it convenient to add minutes. Coverage is nationwide and includes all 50 States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Cons: The plans are kind of confusing and the website is definitely aimed at a youth audience. It can be hard to navigate and understand if you're over the age of 20. The FAQ section of the website was lacking a search function and we had some slight issues with disconnections when calling customer service.
Detailed Provider Information
Plans: Virgin Mobile offers two plan styles; a pay by the minute plan and a pay by the month plan. The first pay as you go plans offer buckets of minutes, which each provide a different calling rate. For 20 dollars you get 200 minutes, for 30 dollars you get 400 minutes, and for 50 dollars you get 1,000 minutes. As long as you buy another minute package within 30 days, your old balance will roll over for an additional 30 days, with a maximum of 5,000 minutes to roll over. As an alternative, Virgin Mobile offers a pay as you go rate of 20 cents per minute. Customers can opt to pay $6.99 per month to have that reduced to 10 cents per minute. Virgin also has monthly plans which mimic traditional contract plans, but on a prepaid basis. The $29.99 plan includes 300 anytime minutes and 1,000 night and weekend minutes (starting at 7 p.m.). The $39.99 plan includes 400 anytime minutes and unlimited night and weekend minutes. The $49.99 plan includes unlimited calling, to any number, any time of day, any day of the week. Finally, Virgin has Texter's Delight plans, which offer voice minutes at 10 cents each. The plans are $14.99 per month for 1,000 text messages and $19.99 per month for unlimited messages.
Customer Service: Virgin Mobile's customer care can be reached via email or through a toll free number.
Credit Check: None
Contract: None
Payment Options: To pay your Virgin Mobile prepaid bill per purchase minutes, you can register a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account for automatic bill payment. You can also buy refill cards at thousands of retailers nationwide.
Text and Picture Messaging: With pay as you go minute plans, there are three messaging package options. It is 5 dollars for 200 messages, 10 dollars for 1,000 messages, or 20 dollars for unlimited messages. With a monthly plan, 1,000 messages costs 5 dollars per month, and unlimited messaging is 10 dollars per month. Without a messaging package, text messages, emails, and instant messages are 15 cents and picture messages are 25 cents. Packages include all types of messaging.
Data Plans: Virgin Mobile offers EVDO data plans. For pay as you go customers, the cost is 5 dollars per month for 5 megabytes of data, 10 dollars per month for 20 megabytes and unlimited VirginXL, and 20 dollars per month for 50 megabytes and unlimited VirginXL. For monthly plans, the cost is 5 dollars per month for 20 megabytes, and 10 dollars per month for 50 megabytes and unlimited VirginXL.
Downloadables: There are a large selection of ringtones, games, screensavers and wallpapers available for download starting at 1 dollar each and going up from there.
International Calling: Virgin Mobile does offer international calling. International charges include standard airtime and the international rate per minute. Rates start at 15 cents per minute and vary depending upon the destination country. You'll want to check rates with customer service for countries you plan to call prior to calling them to get current rates.
Roaming Charges: The Virgin Mobile pay as you go phone service has no roaming charges. Your phone will not work outside your coverage area.
Calling Features: Virgin Mobile service include call waiting, caller ID and voicemail.
Activation Fee: None
Nationwide Long Distance: Virgin Mobiles includes nationwide long distance in their plans including long distance to all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Long distance calls are treated the same as regular calls.
411 Calls: Yes, directory assistance is available for $1.75 per call, plus airtime charges.
Earliest Minute Expiration: To keep your account active, Virgin Mobile requires you add at least 20 dollars of airtime to your account every 90 days, even if you have a balance. If you do not add airtime every 90 days, your phone will be canceled and you will lose your number.
911 Calls: Yes
Phones: Available phones start at $9.99 and include color displays. Flip phones and some camera phones are also available. One model offered by Virgin Mobile has a full keyboard for IM, email and text messaging.
Some Available Cell Models:
LG Flare
UTStarcom Arc (shown)
Kyocera Wild Card
Samsung Slash
Audiovox Slice
Kyocera Cyclops
Coverage Map: Virgin Mobile Coverage Map
Activation Guide: Virgin Mobile activation guide
Latest News: News about Virgin Mobile Prepaid
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Virgin Mobile
Ive always disliked VM from the beginning becuz of their extremly
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Brandon
2009/11/15 |
Ive always disliked VM from the beginning becuz of their extremly cheap phones and lack of services (bluetooth to different phones, can only use VM ringtones that THEY provide...) but usually overall pretty decent. But then for the past couple weeks ive been trying to get a new phone because all the 'replacement' phones they send me dont work correctly and i sent it back. I am on my 2nd replacement phone and i have just recieved one Last monday and that one is also messed up. So I called them up to get a new phone and the guy i was talkin to hung up on me while I was on hold. I called back there the next day (because on was on the phone with them for so long that they closed) and talked to a different person and they said they were gonna put me on hold they just hung up again. Then my phone service got stopped for no reason, I was pissed and has een like that for a week now. SO i am stuck here waiting for my 3rd replacement phone and then i might get my service back working. If i had money to buy a new phone I would switch.
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Virgin Mobile
I like VM because it is very flexible - you can change plans
3
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Rex
2009/11/14 |
I like VM because it is very flexible - you can change plans easily or buy extra minutes or texts one month, and cut back the next. It works well for my daughter, who uses about 300 texts and minutes per month. She gets a $20 minute pack and 200 text pack every month automatically ($26.25 with 5% sales tax). When her minutes run low, she switches to 1000 minutes for $50 (only ~5 cents each), then switches back to $20 after 30 days. Each $50 adds $30 that month, or an average of $2.50/month. When the texts run low, she buys 200 more. If there is a lot of texting expected, she switches to 1000 for $10. Home from college, she switches to 200 texts or even 30 for $2 (you get this option within your account). It works for her. Customer service reps are well trained and polite, and their English is pretty good. TIP: Do not buy the $30/400 minute pack. You will always save money to use the $50/1000 pack when needed, then switch back to $20/200. Do the math. I would try Page Plus 1200-1200 TnT for $30/mo. if her usage goes way up, but their roaming system is tricky, and their phones are all older models, mostly refurbs. I can use any Verizon phone (including a $20 prepaid model), but they only guarantee talk and text - OK for us.
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Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile has four things going for it. 1)Cheap phones2)Sprint
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Mike Freeman
2009/11/14 |
Virgin Mobile has four things going for it. 1)Cheap phones 2)Sprint prepaid/mvno native network coverage. 3)Texters Delight Unlimited. 4)Kickbacks promos. Thats it. Everything else, their rates, their customer service is a joke. If you want a better deal with WAYYY more phone choices, try the new Tmobile Even More Plus Flexpay monthly prepaid plans. 29.99 for 500 minutes/unlimited 9Pm nights/weekends/mobile to mobile. 39.99 for that plus unlimited regular phone internet. For 39.99 with VM you get 300 anytime, 1000 minutes 7 pm nights/weekends, no mobile to mobile and 50 megs internet. Not even close. Plus Tmobile has roaming. Sprint does not.
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Virgin Mobile
@Matt: Thanks for the comment. I have tried Straight Talk and
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Nikki
2009/11/13 |
@Matt: Thanks for the comment. I have tried Straight Talk and wasn't able to port my phone number from VM. Thank goodness Walmart allowed me to return the phone and the minutes. I would give them another shot if they had a tank (and by that I mean an account balance as opposed to having to reload it once a month, or subscribe to autopay-which I don't like). PlatinumTel seems like a good option for me. I used to have a Katana on Sprint, and I think I would like to use it again.
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Virgin Mobile
@Nikki: I have PlatinumTel and StraightTalk. I like them both
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Virgin Mobile
Forgot to add this: When I meant that VM is not a bad company,
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Nikki
2009/11/12 |
Forgot to add this: When I meant that VM is not a bad company, I'm talking about pricing, phone selection, reception, and download options.
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Virgin Mobile
I agree with JJ Ramone. Smashing VM phones is extremely therapeutic
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Nikki
2009/11/12 |
I agree with JJ Ramone. Smashing VM phones is extremely therapeutic LOL. I've been using VM for almost a year. I've switched to and from other services, and the only reason why I am currently using them now is because a few months ago they sent me a "random act of kindness" in the form of $40, no joke. $40 for free. The phone I was using was just sitting inactively in my drawer. I got an e-mail, (and later on a flyer in the mail notifying me) and checked the account. Sure enough, it was true. However, my history with VM is too rocky (wiping my account out, months to get refund and had to involve the BBB at that, horrible customer service, denying me the right to speak with a supervisor, putting me on hold unnecessarily, number portability problems) to stay with them. I like the phone I have now which is the Arc in red. I got it from Wallyworld for $20 on clearance. Swweeeeetttt. But, since they've changed their website its really turned me off. It's too....young if you know what I mean. I also think there are much better deals out there. I don't think VM is a bad company. I've had enough bad customer service experiences to know that absolutely no company is perfect. It's just that there are much better deals out there. I'm thinking Page Plus or even PlatinumTel. I've got a lot of money to burn through first though.
To prepaidreviews.com: This website has been extremely helpful at selecting a company that is best for me. It's an invaluable resource. Thank you.
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Virgin Mobile
@ffmom - You would save money by going to PlatinumTel. PlatinumTel
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Virgin Mobile
"Award-winning" customer service? HA. Have had phone
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LeAnn
2009/11/10 |
"Award-winning" customer service? HA. Have had phone 10 days. Six emails (no response) and 6 phone calls, 6 trouble tickets and 2 hours on hold, I'm done. Ask for a supervisor and they send you to Hold Hell. Terrible service.
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Virgin Mobile
Grrrr! I was only supposed to be topped up when my account reached
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Dawn
2009/11/09 |
Grrrr! I was only supposed to be topped up when my account reached a very low level, but money was taken out anyway. Like Lisa, I tried to get a refund on the $200+ already in my account. Oh, they were willing to transfer it to a low, low 35 buck-a-month plan, on top of my already sizeable surplus, so that I could have the pleasure of paying extra just to access my own account! Thieves! Is this what funds RedBeard's across-th-world balloon trips? And don't get me started on the insolent bastardettes in customer service! Zero Stars, and damn them to call waiting Hell!
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Virgin Mobile
its strait && whatever the phons are cool stupid that
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Virgin Mobile
I just use virgin mobile for a month, i hate it the service,
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Virgin Mobile
I've had VM for almost one year, 2 lines. Paying my bill thru
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Debbi
2009/11/04 |
I've had VM for almost one year, 2 lines. Paying my bill thru website is horrid. I've been charged as many as 5x on one visit. takes forever to get refund. This month instead of my month to month plan they switched me to roll over minutes @ .20per. I noticed this right off could not switch my service to my REGULAR plan with out losing what I had just paid for 10 minuteas ago. they appologized gave me 1000 bonus minutes and said they hope to correct the internal error soon. I can't wait to be able to afford new phone and get out from this company!!
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Virgin Mobile
A cautionary word to people who have a $20.00 every 90 day top
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JJ Ramone
2009/11/03 |
A cautionary word to people who have a $20.00 every 90 day top off plan, Virgin has put in a deceptive NEW MENU ITEM that will lock you into a 200 minute ($20.00) every 30 days when you go to top off! When I called from my phone right after I hit that wrong key, I used up 3 minutes, thus according to Virgin does not allow them to transfer that $20.00 to my former plan because it no longer is 200 minutes! But according to the rep I spoke with if I waited until just before the 30 days ended they would credit me the remaining minutes back into my 90 day plan. I called after 30 days and was told that they don't offer any such credit. But after much haggling, they would give me $7.50 of my remaining $16.00! Then they hung up on me. I called back and was told nothing in my account info showed any credit offer and they were not going to give me any of my remaining $16.00 back! Told the very rude service "manager" that I would like to transfer my balance from what is a 10 CENT-PER-MINUTE PLAN to a higher 20 CENT-PER-MINUTE PLAN and if I couldn't get her to do that Virgin would lose a customer. SHE DID NOT CARE! We're sorry sir, but we don't want you to have a service plan that meets your limited calling needs even though we'll be making twice as much per minute! As Spock would say... Very Illogical. I took my two active Virgin phones out to the garage and smashed them to bits! (surprisingly very refreshing!) Then I went down to a T-Mobile store, bought a phone and a $100.00 (1000 minute) top off card that does not need to be refreshed for 1 YEAR! The very helpful rep set up the phone on the spot, filled me in on the plan and gave me a half price discount on a protective case. So I went from Virgin's 20 cents to T-Mobile's 10 cents per minute, don't have to top off every three months and most importantly I don't have to deal with less than honest Virgin reps who don't care about long time customers.
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Virgin Mobile
A cautionary word to people who have a $20.00 every 90 day top
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Virgin Mobile
Customer service has gone downhill. Rates are not competitive
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Bill
2009/11/02 |
Customer service has gone downhill. Rates are not competitive anymore . They also to offer features like parental controls and GPS locator (similar to Kajeet) .
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Virgin Mobile
Beware! It's cheap, but you get what you pay for. The website
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JC
2009/10/29 |
Beware! It's cheap, but you get what you pay for. The website is absolutely horrendous and buggy. Totally unreliable. It continued to draw money from my PayPal account for several months even though each month I would go online and cancel the AutoTopUp ( the website always indicated I terminated the autotopup successfully). Finally today I called to speak to a live human (on distant shores) who stopped AutoTopUp, but also broke the link to my paypal account. And now I can't restore a paypal link on the website! Oh and it's randomly locked me out several times. And it's clearly designed for 13 years old, not grown adults. I'm so frustrated and angry that I'm very close to switching to someone else.
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Virgin Mobile
I am so sick trying to get through the robot to a "live
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bobbity
2009/10/27 |
I am so sick trying to get through the robot to a "live advisor". It is so frustrating. I hate this company.
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Virgin Mobile
No problems with reception. No problems with customer service.
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Virgin Mobile
Customer service is poor. Returning a phone is difficult and
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dragonheart
2009/10/25 |
Customer service is poor. Returning a phone is difficult and took forever to get a return mailing address. Their phone selection is better than some and plans are good, all be it complicated. The poor customer service is what really makes vm annoying.
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Virgin Mobile
Average service. No better Customer care
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Ranjan Rahul
2009/10/24 |
Average service. No better Customer care
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Virgin Mobile
I have been with Virgin Mobile for 4 years now. I only use the
5
Virgin Mobile
They <bad word> suck!!!!! They have consistantly stole
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Jack Stawle
2009/10/22 |
They <bad word> suck!!!!! They have consistantly stole money every time I Top Up my account. Just recently they took $7 dollars for no good reason. I pay the $6.99 a month, they took that $6.99 from my Top Up money two months ago instead of my credit card, because they did that, my Top Up account was low and they would shut down my pre-pain cell phone if I didn't Top Up again. These people a re just sweet hearts! Anyone want to contact me on this crap, email thecontinuumaatjunodottkom.
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Virgin Mobile
Used to be decent but after 6 years with them, I am switching.
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Disgusted after 6 years
2009/10/17 |
Used to be decent but after 6 years with them, I am switching. I advise you do not give them your credit card number and especially do not choose automatic top up (they claim they will withdraw from your account when your balance is low, but they make too many "mistakes", taking the $ but stopping service, anyway.) Use only a Top Up Card to pay. Also, make sure too check your daily activity records frequently and save them using "Screen Grab" or print a hard copy (each page) because they have become dishonest in charging for services never used. You will need records going back 90 days, and they only make them available for the last 60 days. Customer service is now horrible.
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Virgin Mobile
Thieves!I enrolled both my mother and my husband in Virgin Mobile
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Lisa
2009/10/09 |
Thieves! I enrolled both my mother and my husband in Virgin Mobile "pay as you go" because both required very limited use of a cell phone. My elderly mother has since moved in with us, and my police officer husband had to quit the force because of brain cancer. I THEN discovered that Virgin Mobile had continuously automatically withdrawn funds from their checking accounts - Mom has a balance of $163, and my husband a balance of $215. I was told that Virgin Mobile doesn't give "refunds" - I don't consider it a REFUND to expect to have my UNSPENT money back. I call that stealing. Instead, I was told that our only recourse is to use up minutes, and we would now be charged A HIGHER RATE PER MINUTE. What a crummy way of treating people. I will never use Virgin Mobile again and will warn others not to, either.
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Virgin Mobile
Been with Virgin Mobile for 4 years, gone through 3 phones. Last
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Virgin Mobile
I had two phones with Virgin for about 6 years. For light users,
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ex virgin
2009/10/06 |
I had two phones with Virgin for about 6 years. For light users, they USED TO BE great! Coverage is not so hot, but I can live with that. Their customer service USED TO BE great. Now it doesn't exist. I ordered a new phone, couldn't activate it on line; couldn't activate it through the phone, made 3 attempts to reach by land line and was on hold for over 20 minutes each time before giving up. Sent 3 e-mails. The first time I got a response saying the e-mail wasn't working. The other two generated autoresponses but not any answers. Amazing! There is no way to contact these people! I wonder if they've gone out of business?
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Virgin Mobile
I have been a customer for 5+ years and have been on the same
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Virgin Mobile
I have tried for 3 days to talk to a customer service rep and
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george
2009/10/02 |
I have tried for 3 days to talk to a customer service rep and all I get is a recording asking me what do I want Then it states it didnt hear my response and starts all over again then it kept me on hold for ove 30 mins playing the same thing all over again if this is what the company has to offer I will never have them as my phone carrier
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Virgin Mobile
This is a good company and it works better than any company.
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Virgin Mobile
I have a teenage daughter and we LOVE Virgin Mobile's 20.00 a
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Virgin Mobile
basic calls work ok but texts arrive days late. bought a smart
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hoffel
2009/09/27 |
basic calls work ok but texts arrive days late. bought a smart phone and have had endless problems customer service say contradictory things. have never been able to use vidcalls and internet is intermittent. coverage poor. reception poor. customer service condascending . best avoid this carrier.
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Virgin Mobile
I have been dealing with this company for the last 6 months.
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mt
2009/09/27 |
I have been dealing with this company for the last 6 months. Their plans are not fully explained on their web site and the customer service rep I talked with gave me misleading information, costing me more money. I've read a number of comments on this site and would some up Virgin Mobile with this, cheap prices cheap company. If going with this company keep in mind you get what you pay for. I'll still use their cheap plans until they price me out, keeping in mind what a cheap company I'm working with. I doubt I'll be with them a year from now.
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Virgin Mobile
I have used virgin mobile for many years. It was good for light
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se
2009/09/27 |
I have used virgin mobile for many years. It was good for light users averging less than $ 10 per month. Some shortcomings like losing service after crossing border was minor. But plan detail changes that effectively raising prices has went over my tolerance. I was on 18 cents/min plan(which has been replaced by 20 cent/minute). There was a time daily usage over 10 minutes gets a discount to be 10 cents/minute after 10 minutes on a given day. That discount is gone. I recently bought a 400 minute pack for travel use. Only to found out 400 minute pack only work as 167 minutes because this long-time customer was on 18 cents/minute plan (not 20 cent/min plan). Now that I don't need to use 400 minute pack any time soon in the future, the customer service kindly put me on the 20 cent/minute plan! I will give T mobile a try
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Virgin Mobile
Wow, I was just about to transfer to Virgin Mobile (VM) when
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JimInPhila
2009/09/24 |
Wow, I was just about to transfer to Virgin Mobile (VM) when I read the statements below. Exact same "night-mare" w/ Customer Service @ Straight Talk. Nobody speaks English, everyone says whatever they want, one contradicts the other. "Supervisor" will get back w/in 24 hours--still waiting 2 weeks later for that to happen. Got my phone, can't connect Bluetooth. Took it to two phone centers, they couldn't do it either. If I send the phone back, I'll be without service. Stay away from "Straight Talk," you've heard of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
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Virgin Mobile
I totally regret choosing this plan. Their "customer care"
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Virgin Mobile
Wow, I really wish it was an option to give Virgin Mobile negative
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Pissed Off
2009/09/21 |
Wow, I really wish it was an option to give Virgin Mobile negative stars. They put me under so much stress, it's ridiculous. I've had six Virgin Mobile phones, and after a while they all have the same problem. At first, I reasoned it was because I got the really cheap phones, so I just waited until I got the money and got the X-Tc. I had the same problems. I got the majority of my messages late, my messages would send late, my phone would turn off randomly, and the sound would just turn on. The other day, my friend sent me a picture message. She just sent it once and I got it ninety three times. It would NOT stop sending to my phone. I restarted it, activated it again and everything, and the messages still wouldn't go through. The majority of their phones are Kyocera, and their chargers break extremely easily. No one in their customer service department speaks English, and they'll only help you if you say that you want to go somewhere else. Virgin Mobile SUCKS. I can't wait until I get on a real plan, where service providers speak English, and I don't have to get three replacement phones. I hate Virgin Mobile.
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Virgin Mobile
The voicemail feature is atrocious. You must use 2 message units
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Bunky
2009/09/21 |
The voicemail feature is atrocious. You must use 2 message units just to access the feature. After listening to the voicemail you must quickly press a key to erase it; otherwise your phone will be ringing hourly displaying a message indicating that you have a new message-actually it's the one you've already listened to. The coverage maps are also a fantasy since they bear no relationship to reality.
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Virgin Mobile
I have been on the phone for two days with many different people.
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Cindie
2009/09/12 |
I have been on the phone for two days with many different people. Most I could not understand. I want to activate my phone online so I can use a referral code. Won't ork. They can't get it to work either. One said they can activate it online, but won't get our bonus referal minutes. One told me to shut down whole computer, try again - nope didn't work. After 2 days the last lady said they are having problems. They are working on it. Maybe it will work again in two days...
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Virgin Mobile
September 10TH 2009 Trying to add mintues to my cellular phone
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Somone Wyatt
2009/09/10 |
September 10TH 2009 Trying to add mintues to my cellular phone with a prepaid calling card of $50.00 dollars that I purchased from Best Buy Store at Crossgate Mall.
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Virgin Mobile
i give them four stars cause ive had good service through them
4
Virgin Mobile
Always coming out with new stuff...surprisingly quick web browser
4
Virgin Mobile
Virgin was good, but their prices have gone up too much and their
4
Virgin Mobile
I've had virgin mobile for 2 years now and the company has been
4
Virgin Mobile
The phone is fair, the service is fair. If you need help with
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Douglas
2009/09/04 |
The phone is fair, the service is fair. If you need help with your Virgin Cell Phone, forget it no one talks or understands english and if you forget or loose your Vkey number no one will help you. They will tell you to close out your account and re-open. This means you loose all the money you have invested. do not buy virgin
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Virgin Mobile
gee, i've been using this company for about 5 years now. have
5
Virgin Mobile
I wouldn't give them any stars if it were an option. Their plans
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Bianca
2009/09/03 |
I wouldn't give them any stars if it were an option. Their plans may be competitive but everything else is horrible. Their phones are cheap and have to be replaced on a yearly basis. As my year was coming up I decided to buy a phone online (big mistake). After I received my phone, I tried it out and really didn't like it. I called customer service as instructed. After struggling to get through a 'live agent' I got a return number. I mailed my phone back and 2 months later I still haven't gotten my money back. I have emailed and called several times (and am still doing it) and still nothing! I paid $90 for that phone and do not have it. I was a customer of theirs for almost 3 years. I think it's time to move on!
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Virgin Mobile
Hi, just a tip I figured out. I bought a $20 data plan for 50bytes
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Virgin Mobile
Just email them, don't call! We live in a digital age now. I
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Virgin Mobile
I dont think VM treats their customers very well. I read that
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Bobby
2009/08/30 |
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.
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