Lycamobile USA
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I am just one customer, but the service I received from Lycamobile USA was far below acceptable standards and even outright dishonest. They could not port my old number, because their network does not cover many areas in terms of porting existing numbers, but you the customer cannot tell anywhere from their website. Later 3 Customer Reps promised to refund my money after reviewing my case individually, but at the end the refund was still denied.
I bought a $29.9/month Unlimited Everything Plan and a new SIM card from their website and planned to transfer my old number from Verizon to LYCA. Here is my bad experience since:
1. On Nov 27 2013, I received the SIM card, activated it and tried phone calls, texting and data to make sure things work before porting my number. Their website specially says that you have to first use the new number they provide to activate your account, and then ask the Customer Service to do the number porting. Failing to do so may make you permanently lose your old number. Then on the same day, I called in asking for porting. The Rep checked and told me they could not, because they did not cover my old area code yet. I was surprised but did not want to lose my cell number for more than 10 years. The guy sounded nice. He checked my usage history and said “Don’t worry. You will get the refund in 24 hours, because it is not your fault.”
2. About 1 week later on Dec 5 when I almost forgot it, I found out the money did not come back to my credit card. So I called in. A Rep named Sarah discussed my usage history again and said sorry for the delay, you would receive the refund in 72 hours.
3. About another week later on Dec 11, the money was not back. I called again, and the Rep was Tuned. He discussed my usage history again and said: Sorry for the delay. The money was returned, not to my credit card but mistakenly to my LYCA account. I would receive the refund in 48 hours.
4. On Dec 13, the money was not back, and I called in, first talked with a 4th rep Abidi and later his manager Sherif. Sherif said that I used the phone on Nov 27 (A couple of voice calls each for seconds or minutes, a couple of texts and Internet for about 30 minutes) so they would not refund me.
I told Sherif that I had to test it before porting my old number, and the 3 reps already individually evaluated my case and promised the refund. He was most concerned with the 30 minutes Internet use. I probably tried to setup APN/MMS and tested Internet while talking to their rep on the phone line. He became very unreasonable and arrogant. First he blamed Verizon for the unsuccessful porting. Then he said I should buy pay-as-you-go to test before porting. I told him that their website did not say anywhere that they have limitations in porting from certain areas. I could not anticipate the problem before really trying to port. Last he said that their Internet costs 6c/minute and my 30 minutes use is worth $18 dollars. I later found out that his math is wrong. Even if the 6c/minute is correct (which I did not find on their web), 30 minutes use is only $1.8 dollars, not $18 dollars.
Now I lost the money and the 3 hours I had to spend on the phone with them. I feel they are way sub-par in customer services. Their business practice is outright exploiting trusting prospects/customers. Just to share my unpleasant experience with everyone on this forum.