I had a Tracfone for years and never had problem one. Like an idiot, one day I decided I "just had to have" a fancier cellphone. I wasn't impressed with what Tracfone had to offer but their website gave me the option of selecting a Net 10 phone. It turns out that Tracfone and Net 10 are the same company. Since I had good luck with my Tracfone I figured that, being the same company, Net 10 would be equally satisfactory. WRONG! I bought a 'spiffy' Motorola "slider" online and it was in my hands three days later. This was eight days ago. The day I received the phone, I went online to active it. But, since I wanted to keep my "old number", the website informed me that it could take up to "three days" to "port my number into my new cell phone". Six days later, I received a message that my old number had been "ported" and that now my new phone was ready to activate. Yippee, right? WRONG. I engaged in repeated attempts to activate my phone online. Each time, I wound up with an error message asking me to call the Net 10 Customer Service line. I did. Welcome to Hell! I spent the next 50 minutes (no - no exaggeration - 50 MINUTES) answering the same questions OVER and OVER and OVER: what's my name, what's my email address, what's my home phone number, what's my birthday, what's my new phone's serial number; do I want to receive special offers on my home phone number and what is the zip code where I will be using the phone the most? Here is the routine I came to despise almost as much as I came to despise Net 10: I would answer all these questions speaking to a particular person (always identified by name - e. g. 'Alexandro', 'Selina', 'Roberto', etc.) with a heavy Latin accent whom I could not understand very well. This rep, once I finished answering the 'string of questions' placed me on hold for from one to ten minutes. After being on hold, another person would come on and ask me the exact same questions again - then place me on hold, etc. etc. etc. Finally, I gave up - hung up - figuring I would (surely) be able to activate my phone online the next day. WRONG!!!

The next day - the same thing (honestly!). Give the information to the "string of questions" - get some 'gooble-de-gook' about 'being very busy' 'asking my supervisor' 'needing to contact an agent' etc. etc. etc. The third day I, once again, joined into the "Net 10 Dog and Pony Show". Only, this time, I called from my workplace where my phone has a speakerphone and a 'hand-free- hold option. Here again I am not exaggerating - but it was THE SAME THING AGAIN. Only this time, I had vowed to "wait them out". Forty minutes into this tired routine (made a bit more infuriating but the rep who actually picked me up from hold EVERY two minutes for twenty minutes - to ask me one or two of "the questions") - I was actually connected to a female who spoke understandably and proceeded to (what else) ask me the "string of questions". After twenty minutes with her - MIRACLE OF MIRACLES - my cell phone actually became activated. She thanked me for "chosing Net 10". Such is life.

Bottom line - it took nearly two weeks from the time my credit card was charged to being able to make and receive phone calls. If I had been told by Net 10 "up front": hey, Buddy, here's how it works: "you send us your money and you will have a working cell phone in two weeks", I could have, simply, ordered the damn thing two weeks before I needed it. As it turned out, I was without my cellphone service for two weeks. I'm a therapist who answers crisis calls from people in life threatening situations. Sometimes a person's life may actually depend on me receiving a call immediately. This is why I carry a cell phone. Of course, during those two weeks I had my crisis calls routed to my land line. No big deal you say? It was to me because that meant I was "anchored" to that landline and could not, in good conscience, 'run to the store'; take the dog out for a run or take the grandkids up to Dairy Queen for a milkshake. Couldn't do it because of the ineptitude and incompetence of Net 10. As part of buying the cellphone, I got 300 "free minutes". You can bet that long before those minutes are 'used up'; I will quit being such a 'tightwad' and contract with AT&T for a reliable cell phone. It's the old adage: "you get what you pay for". Believe me - the little bit you might save with a Net 10 'no contract" phone won't be anywhere near enough to make up for the frustration, heartburn, dismay and lost time you will incur by dealing with Net 10. Spare yourself - profit from my experience - stay away from them!