Problems with Cricket Broadband

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Problems with Cricket Broadband

by Bob
(Tucson, AZ, USA)

Problems with Cricket Broadband:

Problem #1 - You always get dropped.

Problem #2 - Customer service sucks.

Problem #3 - The Web page was very poorly programmed. They say you can pay your bill online; perhaps true if you have a Cricket phone, but false if you just have broadband. The programmers made it impossible to get a password for broadband users. I tried at least 50 times, and each time I was led in a circle on the site. So I called customer service, and the idiot gave me a number to call, but it was someone's voice mail.

If you try to get a password at a Cricket store, again you will get a line of BS.

My advice is to stay away from Cricket. Also, you will never see the rebate Cricket offers. If you send in all of the info, including the UPC codes, you will get a letter stating that something was left out and you need to resubmit.
Believe me, I make copies of everything that is sent; these people are out to get every dime from you!

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Problems with Cricket Broadband

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Jul 24, 2010
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not a cell phone
by: Anonymous

sometimes my broadband messes up and the screen looks like im on a cell phone..!..the connection manager only pops up when IT feels like it, and not all the txt messaging goes thru!!

if it was up to me i would not allow cricket to sell anything.!!!!!

Jul 11, 2010
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What Affects Broadband Speed
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

What affects wireless broadband speed is not an easy question to answer, as there are a number of variables.

There's your computer performance. Your PC needs to have the processor speed, harddrive space, and available RAM to process the video data that you're downloading. The number of applications you have opened also plays into these things. That said, most modern computers should not pose a bottleneck at all. I typically have 4-6 applications opened, as well as 20 or more tabs in Firefox opened, and I've never had it impact my video download/video speed.

There's the video application. What I mean by this is that some applications that are downloading the video will buffer for several minutes or more while you wait, and then start playing. Thereafter the buffering continues but there's ample lead time such that the video streams well throughout the whole video.

Other applications try to buffer is very short spurts in an attempt to start playing as soon as possible. However, what often happens is what you describe, with short bursts of buffering followed by the video playing for a very short period before more buffering is needed.

Personally, I'd rather wait for a number of minutes and not have a problem after that, have the choppy/frustrating experience.

Wireless coverage also plays in. If you're in a fringe area with poor reception, you'll also have problems like you describe.

Anyway, assuming your PC is relatively modern (i.e. no more than 3-4 years old), you're probably ok. If you go to speedtest.net and post your results, I can let you know if the actual broadband speed you're seeing is reasonable. Assuming you're not over your Cricket plan data allowance, your speed shouldn't be throttled, and you should be able to view videos reasonably well. That said, while I was testing Cricket broadband service, while I could view real time videos, it wasn't consistent. i.e. Usable but not fantastic.

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Jul 11, 2010
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Submitted by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Title

Comment
What affects wireless broadband speed is not an easy question to answer, as there are a number of variables. There's your computer performance. Your PC needs to have the processor speed, harddrive space, and available RAM to process the video data that you're downloading. The number of applications you have opened also plays into these things. That said, most modern computers should not pose a bottleneck at all. I typically have 4-6 applications opened, as well as 20 or more tabs in Firefox opened, and I've never had it impact my video download/video speed. There's the video application. What I mean by this is that some applications that are downloading the video will buffer for several minutes or more while you wait, and then start playing. Thereafter the buffering continues but there's ample lead time such that the video streams well throughout the whole video. Other applications try to buffer is very short spurts in an attempt to start playing as soon as possible. However, what often happens is what you describe, with short bursts of buffering followed by the video playing for a very short period before more buffering is needed. Personally, I'd rather wait for a number of minutes and not have a problem after that, have the choppy/frustrating experience. Wireless coverage also plays in. If you're in a fringe area with poor reception, you'll also have problems like you describe. Anyway, assuming your PC is relatively modern (i.e. no more than 3-4 years old), you're probably ok. If you go to speedtest.net and post your results, I can let you know if the actual broadband speed you're seeing is reasonable. Assuming you're not over your Cricket plan data allowance, your speed shouldn't be throttled, and you should be able to view videos reasonably well. That said, while I was testing Cricket broadband service, while I could view real time videos, it wasn't consistent. i.e. Usable but not fantastic.

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Jul 11, 2010
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slow loading video clips
by: Alice

It takes forever to load a video clip from YouTube or any webpage. It loads for a while, then you watch a little while, then it loads some more, and you watch a little more, then it loads so....well, you get the picture (not if it's Cricket). Is it my computer or the broadband gadget?

Jun 12, 2010
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Would probably have better service using 2 tin cans and a string!
by: Sonny Walls

Cricket Broadband has to be the worst "service"(if you want to call it that)out there.....You spend more time redialing after your line was dropped, than you spend online......customer "service" is a joke......when you do finally talk to someone from customer service, it is almost impossible to talk with them unless you speak their language, which definitely isn't English. They want to talk over you with their canned pitch, then as a result never resolve your problem. If I knew of another service comparably priced in my area....I would sign up in a heartbeat! As far as I am concerned Cricket can kiss mt _ss!

May 21, 2010
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overpayment
by: Anonymous

I sent in a payment to them instead of to my credit card company. Of course I sent it electronic and didn't catch it in time. So I overpayed them over $300.00 tried to get the money back. They said they couldn't refund the money. So I cancelled the account, they said that they would also take next months payment and send, it will take 14 days. Still waiting. Customer service is terrible I couldn't understand them. Kept telling me my phone was cutting out. How? I was on a land line! Would not recomend these people.

Jan 01, 2010
Rating

Cricket Issues
by: Tom

Recap: Cricket Customer service is setup to route communications to insecure and unintelligent personnel that can only give minimal answers. Upon politely requesting a Supervisor, the Customer service rep. hung up the telephone...and a repeat hangup, on a recall.

A visit to a Cricket store approximates the feel of a sleazy check cashing store, with nice employees, but minimal customer service.

This may not be a bad product if you have no issues, however this is never the case with electronics. Wise to avoid this service.

Dec 31, 2009
Rating

Billing errors & impossible customer service
by: Lynn

Paying by phone - no problem except I don't like being charged a $2 for using a credit card to pay.

Paying via bank's bill pay feature - seemed easy, except on July 3rd I was disconnected. The payment made June 30 for July has NEVER been credited to my broadband account to this day. I've since provided bank statements to prove payment, but talk to a different rep each time to no avail. My niece had just died and I didn't want to bother with this so I quickly paid it again, by phone this time, and paid the late fee. I foolishly assumed the error would be corrected and I'd be credited the following month, so I let it ride.

For the next few months I paid by phone and remained unaware that a payment hadn't been credited.

Then I made the mistake of paying via the website in late Oct for Nov. I get an email thanking me for my payment, and I see the payment cleared my bank immediately. Yet service was disconnected on Nov 2. I called customer service, couldn't reach anyone so on Nov 5 paid for Nov AGAIN, complete with a late fee AND the credit card fee. I MUST have internet access to send data from a heart monitor every evening to my doctor, and there aren't multiple options for access where I live. I NEED the service and I PAY for it. This 2nd payment should have been credited to Dec's bill. Anyway, I finally reached a rep named Tammy or Pammy and she extended my service for a week in Dec while this could be sorted out. I wanted to know where my money is going since it isn't going to my account. In mid-Dec I took Cricket receipts, email and all my bank statements to a local Cricket store, confident that this would soon be resolved. The store clerk was confused by the extension I'd been granted so proclaimed the account was paid late but current. Paid late? Since when does paying 26 days early mean it's late? She would not compare my bank statements to the online account, which was what Tammy/Pammy told me to request at the store. My service had again been disconnected the day before for "nonpayment", and she couldn't explain why that was. But she did have it turned on again.

I took the store clerk's word that I was current. However, I just checked my account on the website, expecting to see a $24 credit for being charged late fees when in fact I'd paid early those two times (via website and billpay), plus credit for 7-10 days that I was without service despite having paid. But instead, it shows that 2 months are due today. This just blows me away. My social security income won't stretch enough for me to overpay repeatedly and I don't see why I should be limited to paying by phone and have to pay extra fees for doing so, simply because my account is not being credited for payments made any other way. This nightmare has to end. surely there is someone who can straighten this nonsense out; it is Cricket's mistakes that I'm paying for, after all.

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Dec 31, 2009
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Submitted by: Lynn

Title

Comment
Paying by phone - no problem except I don't like being charged a $2 for using a credit card to pay. Paying via bank's bill pay feature - seemed easy, except on July 3rd I was disconnected. The payment made June 30 for July has NEVER been credited to my broadband account to this day. I've since provided bank statements to prove payment, but talk to a different rep each time to no avail. My niece had just died and I didn't want to bother with this so I quickly paid it again, by phone this time, and paid the late fee. I foolishly assumed the error would be corrected and I'd be credited the following month, so I let it ride. For the next few months I paid by phone and remained unaware that a payment hadn't been credited. Then I made the mistake of paying via the website in late Oct for Nov. I get an email thanking me for my payment, and I see the payment cleared my bank immediately. Yet service was disconnected on Nov 2. I called customer service, couldn't reach anyone so on Nov 5 paid for Nov AGAIN, complete with a late fee AND the credit card fee. I MUST have internet access to send data from a heart monitor every evening to my doctor, and there aren't multiple options for access where I live. I NEED the service and I PAY for it. This 2nd payment should have been credited to Dec's bill. Anyway, I finally reached a rep named Tammy or Pammy and she extended my service for a week in Dec while this could be sorted out. I wanted to know where my money is going since it isn't going to my account. In mid-Dec I took Cricket receipts, email and all my bank statements to a local Cricket store, confident that this would soon be resolved. The store clerk was confused by the extension I'd been granted so proclaimed the account was paid late but current. Paid late? Since when does paying 26 days early mean it's late? She would not compare my bank statements to the online account, which was what Tammy/Pammy told me to request at the store. My service had again been disconnected the day before for "nonpayment", and she couldn't explain why that was. But she did have it turned on again. I took the store clerk's word that I was current. However, I just checked my account on the website, expecting to see a $24 credit for being charged late fees when in fact I'd paid early those two times (via website and billpay), plus credit for 7-10 days that I was without service despite having paid. But instead, it shows that 2 months are due today. This just blows me away. My social security income won't stretch enough for me to overpay repeatedly and I don't see why I should be limited to paying by phone and have to pay extra fees for doing so, simply because my account is not being credited for payments made any other way. This nightmare has to end. surely there is someone who can straighten this nonsense out; it is Cricket's mistakes that I'm paying for, after all.

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Dec 11, 2009
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Cricket Prepaid Broadband Issue Resolution
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Great info; thank you for sharing! Just to clarify, you're saying that when you close down IE, the Cricket connection is closing as well and causing the problems your having. You suggested that we close down IE completely before closing Cricket broadband. How do we close it completely? Or did you mean to say that the Cricket connection should be shutdown before closing IE? Thank you!

Dec 10, 2009
Rating

More on XP shudown problem...
by: Stephen Bell

I have discovered one case which has been common for me that causes this hang on shutdown to occur (although there be other issues). This is when you are online, and shutdown explorer before closing Cricket. It appears that Cricket Broadband is closing itself down as well, but it leaves mPhonetools behind. Solution: always shutdown explorer completely, then close your Cricket link to the internet. This seems to basically solve my problem.

Nov 21, 2009
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XP Shutdown problems with Cricket Broadband
by: Stephen Bell

I have not yet determined how frequent this problem is, but I have confirmed that it is the cause of Windows XP hanging on shutdown. When Cricket Broadband loads, it calls up a program called mPhonetools.exe. This can be found in taskmanager. When Cricket has been closed, this program remains and causes the shutdown command not to function. During shutdown, XP tries to shutdown the process but fails. Use taskmanager to locate and shut off the process and shutdown will complete nicely. (opening a dos command window and typing shutdown -L also works when the freeze happens; selecting Log Off from Start menu doesn't help)

Oct 20, 2009
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Cricket Wireless Issues
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Sorry to hear about your problems with Cricket's service. Your experience with logging in online sounds extremely frustrating! I expect that they didn't fully integrate their prepaid broadband product with their core voice offering, which is unfortunate. Hopefully they received your feedback when you called them, and will eventually fix it.

As this site grows, and I receive more and more feedback, my plan is to invite carriers to review the comments to help them learn about what their customers want, and the pain points they're experiencing. I'm starting to see the necessary growth starting to happen, so please have your friends also leave their reviews...good or bad! In the meantime, I have been reaching out to various carriers to let them know of issues that people tell me about, either by directly contacting me, filling out the survey, or via these prepaid wireless reviews.

With respect to rebates; wow, do I hate the idea of mail in rebates! If you're going to give me a deal/discount, just give it to me! I understand that part of a company's financial analysis involves calculating that only a certain proportion of customers will actually follow through on the rebate, which makes it more affordable for them. Unfortunately, as you noted, some of the rebates that they never end up having to give out aren't due to people not submitting for it, but rather that they're missing some piece of information or document here or there that results in them not being eligible.

So while the rebate can be a great savings for customers who follow through, and are actually successful, it can be a long (3-4 months) and frustrating process!

Personally, I think it would be an overall better, and more satisfying customer experience if companies simply applied instant rebates, or basic conditions, like buy and use the product for X number of months, and we'll send you the rebate; no hoops to jump through!

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Oct 20, 2009
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Submitted by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

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Comment
Sorry to hear about your problems with Cricket's service. Your experience with logging in online sounds extremely frustrating! I expect that they didn't fully integrate their prepaid broadband product with their core voice offering, which is unfortunate. Hopefully they received your feedback when you called them, and will eventually fix it. As this site grows, and I receive more and more feedback, my plan is to invite carriers to review the comments to help them learn about what their customers want, and the pain points they're experiencing. I'm starting to see the necessary growth starting to happen, so please have your friends also leave their reviews...good or bad! In the meantime, I have been reaching out to various carriers to let them know of issues that people tell me about, either by directly contacting me, filling out the survey, or via these prepaid wireless reviews. With respect to rebates; wow, do I hate the idea of mail in rebates! If you're going to give me a deal/discount, just give it to me! I understand that part of a company's financial analysis involves calculating that only a certain proportion of customers will actually follow through on the rebate, which makes it more affordable for them. Unfortunately, as you noted, some of the rebates that they never end up having to give out aren't due to people not submitting for it, but rather that they're missing some piece of information or document here or there that results in them not being eligible. So while the rebate can be a great savings for customers who follow through, and are actually successful, it can be a long (3-4 months) and frustrating process! Personally, I think it would be an overall better, and more satisfying customer experience if companies simply applied instant rebates, or basic conditions, like buy and use the product for X number of months, and we'll send you the rebate; no hoops to jump through!

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