Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)!!

I purchased a Jitterbug phone as a gift. Jitterbug and GreatCall Inc. targets Seniors as their customer base (because of the elder-friendly designed large buttons and supposed ease of set-up and use of their phones). This phone is advertised as "Affordable, No Contract, Simple Phones". This is far from the truth. It seems that this company takes advantage of Seniors, because of their age and their vulnerability to be convinced/tricked/coerced into agreeing to things that they don't quite understand.

Here are the hidden fees which the customer is not made aware of when buying the phone:

1) A one-time $35.00 activation fee - (which you discover ONLY after purchasing and opening the box, after reading all included literature)

2) Additional fees for voice mail! Voice mail with any other mobile/cellular provider is inclusive with service.

3) Additional charges for operator assistance. 5 extra minutes are charged per call ($1.75), in addition to regular minutes used). One minute of use is 35¢. Customers are not aware of the high cost of each minute before signing up for a plan.

4) A voluntary recall on certain phone models. 9-1-1 emergency calls do not work with certain models.
For service and exchange, the customer assumes responsibility of paying for the return mailing of the phone (in like new condition) to the company.

5) Additional fees for:
a) Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge
b) Components of the Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge
c) Federal Universal Service Fund Fee
d) State Universal Service Fund Fee
These charges are normally associated with local landline telephone fees. For a supposed "no contract" service, a physical address is required, as well as a billing address, AND credit card number, as well as other personal information.

If the Jitterbug / GreatCall Inc. / Verizon service is truly "Pay As You Go", then why are all of these ala carte charges hidden? Buried would be a more accurate description. These extra fees and charges were found after extensively plowing through all of the literature, and website links.

The activation fee and other surcharges were not even discussed or disclosed when I called Jitterbug's customer service number to activate the phone.

I assume that I would be "surprised" by these charges on my first billing to my credit card (as with other customers). Or perhaps the other customers did not notice the additional charges. This wreaks of predatory business practices. To prey on the elderly (the majority on fixed incomes) is a terrible breach of trust, and a crime.

Shame on Jitterbug and GreatCall, Inc.!!

Did I mention that this service is a monopoly? These Jitterbug phones cannot be used (unlocked for use) with other mobile / cellular providers.

I am now stuck with a phone that I cannot return, and do not want to use because of their practices.