Tracfone Upgrade Won't Allow International Dialling

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

We've had a tracfone for many years. Not the best phone with echo sometimes and delayed talking but nonetheless did the job perfect for us being Canadians with trips back and forth to the USA throughout the year. Add on minutesfor a hundred bucks before expiration each year and everything was fine. Could call across the USA, dial the international calling number first and call onwards to the UK or Canada etc.

Last year in Oct/Nov 2016, Tracfone said we needed to upgrade our phone due to changing technology to a newer version phone and they accordingly mailed us a Samsung Flip phone free of charge. We had a terrible, terrible time over a week to get this new phone reactivated and be able to dial out to Canada, but nonetheless with a landline in one hand to talk to them on, and new tracfone in other were able to get it "finally" after several days and call backs set up and working at least a handful of times before leaving back for Canada.

Hubby has just gone back down to Florida yesterday, and only has the tracfone and no other type of phone readily available and whilst it says we have 1183 minutes and 84 days to expiry, and he can call his USA phone buddies, he can't call me here in Canada from it (he can receive calls from me on it however). When he dials the international dial number and then tries the 1 - xxx - xxxx it comes up with a message saying "Not enough funds".

I have called Tracfone technical support (sounds like I am going through to a far east country somewhere!!) and they insist he has to call them from a different phone with tracfone with him to trouble shoot.

Off to Walmart (where we buy our top up cards) today, poor guy spent an hour on phone with tracfone trying to resolve and to no avail. Initially the first time he called the first rep said "we don't have international dialling", he called back and spoke to someone else who agreed we indeed do have international calling.

Please can anyone here help us with a phone number/contact name who knows what they are doing, to get this resolved without all this hassle. Or what was done to your phone to finally get it resolved for international dialling. It's really worked well for our needs for years, just switching it on as and when we go in to the USA whether for a day, week, month or longer.

Thanks a million, as I'd hate to lose our carry over minutes by not renewing due to this to find out after the fact there was and I'm sure there is an "easy fix".

Walgreens not interested in assisting, saying "we only sell the cards". So frustrating not having a front store with Tracfone.

[Lorne_Lorraine]

Gene&Ginny wrote:
I found this on the Tracfone website:

Tracfone website wrote:
Call hundreds of International destinations for the same price as a local call, including cellular phones in Mexico, Canada, China, Colombia, India and more.

Basic International comes with your TracFone.
No sign-up is needed. You can start using it right now!

Just start using it by dialing 1-800-706-3839

I am not sure what that last line means. Perhaps a Tracfone in the USA needs to dial 1-800-706-3839 to make a call to Canada.

Yes, dial the international calling number 1-800-706-3839 and follow the prompts to enter the Canadian number one is calling. But this isn't working for the OP.

Another way, which we use, is to log on to your Tracfone account and set up the Canadian numbers in the frequent numbers area. This assigns a 1-800 number to each of the Canadian numbers you wish to call on occasion. To call you then dial the 1-800 number or you can set up the 1-800 number with the person's name in your phone's phone book. This method is more involved to set up but simpler to use afterward if one makes frequent calls to the same people.

Hopefully, the OP can get the problem resolved soon. I'd hate to lose all those minutes too.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Thanks thus far to everyone for their input but in a nutshell we have the problem we never had with the old phone for years, and hubby needs to talk to someone at tracfone that can tell him how to get it resolved or either reactivate the darn thing from scratch, assuming this isn't a bad phone they sent!!

Gene&Ginny = thanks for that Executive Resolutions number in Fla. I will call that tomorrow myself from here in Canada and find out if we can get any further forwards.

FYI: My hubby, has a prepaid cell at $100/year in Canada with a local provider, and every year he ends up carrying over $66+ from the previous year. He hardly uses the thing but needs one for ease now and then. Neither one of us are great users of phones or technology except when necessary. So Verizon or any of the others for him aren't really an option. Tracfone worked well for calling Canada till they changed out the phone 4 months ago - we just need someone to get it resolved one way or another before we don't renew and lose all our carry forward minutes.

Thanks again to all for your useful suggestions.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

2oldman wrote:
Wouldn't internet, texting and Facebook be easier and maybe cheaper?

That's what I do Oldman but alas not everyone knows how to switch on a computer never mind anything else = hubby is one of those for the most part, so old school phone is he, as are some of his contacts.

[owenssailor]

Tracfone has worked fine for us all winter calling Canada from the US. There must be some setup problem. Call them and have the issue escalated to higher tier support.

[Gene_Ginny]

I found this on the Tracfone website:

Tracfone website wrote:
Call hundreds of International destinations for the same price as a local call, including cellular phones in Mexico, Canada, China, Colombia, India and more.

Basic International comes with your TracFone.
No sign-up is needed. You can start using it right now!

Just start using it by dialing 1-800-706-3839

I am not sure what that last line means. Perhaps a Tracfone in the USA needs to dial 1-800-706-3839 to make a call to Canada.

[Gene_Ginny]

I found this for Executive Resolutions: 1-800-876-5753 or 1-800-339-9345. I understand this is a daytime number and in the off hours will ring through to regular Customer Service located far far away .

[Gene_Ginny]

FULLTIMEWANABE wrote:
.... I have called Tracfone technical support (sounds like I am going through to a far east country somewhere!!) .....

You ARE talking to somebody FAR away.

FULLTIMEWANABE wrote:
...Please can anyone here help us with a phone number/contact name who knows what they are doing, to get this resolved without all this hassle. ...

One way to get quicker help is online chat from Tracfone. Try this link https://www.tracfone.com/contactus and click the "Online Chat" box. I have used online chat and they are quite good. There is also a number for "Corporate Resolution" and the people are located in Florida. I will see if I can find that number.

Also, there is a little known option to get a year added for $60. If you buy a $10, 60 minute, 30 day card online from the Tracfone website it will ask if you want to add one year for $50. For $60 you get 365 days plus 30 days and 60 minutes, which may double, all added to whatever you have.

[Mandalay_Parr]

Might be time to go with ATT or Verizon.
Verizon recently came out with unlimited everything plan at less than I was paying.
I have Mexico and Canada.
Might check it out.
If you can afford to travel back and forth to Fla you can afford a good phone.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Tracfone website says Basic International comes with a Tracfone, no sign-up necessary.
http://www.tracfoneild.com/index.html?_ga=1.182627750.1201718840.1484086726

[Lorne_Lorraine]

We had to get a new Tracfone (3G version) a year ago because AT&T was shutting down it 2G network and our old phone would no longer work every place it did before. I bought the new phone at Walmart (was unaware last year that they would provide you with a free phone) and think I called them via Skype to get the new phone switched over.

We have all the Canadian numbers we call set up with 1-800 numbers in Tracfone's frequent numbers list and that worked for us all this last winter. We didn't use the international access number so don't know if that would have worked or not for us. Perhaps try the frequent number list and see if that works?

[2oldman]

Wouldn't internet, texting and Facebook be easier and maybe cheaper?