Straight Talk is the worst cell phone company in history. Go ahead and buy a real cell phone plan - the hassle of dealing with this company is worth far more than the extra dollars you will spend each month.

When I initially subscribed to Straight Talk around Christmastime, I bought three phones, one for each member of my family. Three weeks later, one of the phones was mysteriously still not turned on - unable to send or receive calls and text messages.

Since then, my own phone (and all the phones are paid off the same credit card on automatic billing) has NEVER once automatically been rebilled. Every single month, the two other phones enroll automatically while my phone goes dead for a period of 2-5 days while I try to get it up and running again.

Customer Service is a joke. First, they have found the most ignorant individuals in Punjab or wherever the hell their call center is, because nobody - NOBODY - speaks English in the customer service call center. I can say this with confidence because I have made more than one call every month since December. Secondly, these are the worst kind of customer service reps - the kind who are trained to massage you emotionally rather than actually do anything about your problem. They read their script (badly), they can't understand what you are saying, and if you ask any questions they simply move on to the next part of their script. Again, I know this because I have talked to several different customer service reps in a row and heard the exact same words, over and over again.

My phone turned off on Saturday because, again, the automatic renewal feature failed to work on my phone (the other two phones are still working just fine). I figured I would outsmart the system this time and by pass customer service entirely. So on Sunday night I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a prepaid card to fund my phone for the next month. I went to the website and dutifully entered the information required at about 6 p.m. on Sunday. I received a message that stated that my phone would be active in four hours. It is now nearly 6 p.m. on Monday, and the phone has not been turned on, though the funds are showing in my account.

I have called Punjab/Customer Service 17 times thus far today. Every time I have received a message: "Due to the extreme level of calls, we cannot help you." The line is then cut.

Then I went to the website about 10 minutes ago and it is now down for maintenance.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON STRAIGHT TALK. For the extra five or six bucks you spend on getting a real plan, you will avoid an incredible amount of trouble. I myself use my phone to help support a family. Tomorrow I will be purchasing a real phone with a real phone company.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. If you get a phone with Straight Talk, you are going to be disappointed, harassed, and you will have only the most intermittent of service. And rest assured, if you ever have a problem, nobody in this company will care one whit about you - if they can even UNDERSTAND you!