greatcall actually pretty terrible
May 2, 2017 1:05 PM Subscribe
For my Mom's birthday in December, I got her the jitterbug smartphone for seniors. Now it turns out that they no longer have any international service, and this stupid thing won't work in Canada, despite the fact that when I bought it I asked several times, and was assured that it would. What is my best course of action here?
My parents spend winter in Florida, and summer in Canada, so when I bought it I asked again and again if it would work in Canada, and they always said that it would. As soon as they crossed the border, the stupid thing died. I just called customer service and they tell me that they discontinued their international service in March of 2016. Whoever assured me that it would work here was lying!
So, is there any way to get it working? and if not what recourse do I have? if this phone is hopeless, can anyone suggest another phone that will work seamlessly in Canada and the States, and be simple to use? My mom is very sharp and intelligent, but complex digital technology is just not something she's used to, so I was really hoping that the nice simple layout on this phone would work for her. So disappointed! I just wanted to be able to text my mom.
My parents spend winter in Florida, and summer in Canada, so when I bought it I asked again and again if it would work in Canada, and they always said that it would. As soon as they crossed the border, the stupid thing died. I just called customer service and they tell me that they discontinued their international service in March of 2016. Whoever assured me that it would work here was lying!
So, is there any way to get it working? and if not what recourse do I have? if this phone is hopeless, can anyone suggest another phone that will work seamlessly in Canada and the States, and be simple to use? My mom is very sharp and intelligent, but complex digital technology is just not something she's used to, so I was really hoping that the nice simple layout on this phone would work for her. So disappointed! I just wanted to be able to text my mom.
Im a bit confused why a more conventional provider wouldn't work for you/them? Would an iphone stripped of most of its apps not work?
Our family in Toronto uses Rogers and their phones work fine when they visit us in the US (I think rogers calls this "roam like home"). Similarly we don't incur any additional charges with our regular Verizon plan when we visit.
I get that these plans are marketed for folks who visit one country or the other, not like your parents who live part time in each, but its not clear to me why that would matter (maybe the fine print says Verizon would cut me off at some point, it hasn't been an issue yet).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:43 PM on May 2, 2017
Our family in Toronto uses Rogers and their phones work fine when they visit us in the US (I think rogers calls this "roam like home"). Similarly we don't incur any additional charges with our regular Verizon plan when we visit.
I get that these plans are marketed for folks who visit one country or the other, not like your parents who live part time in each, but its not clear to me why that would matter (maybe the fine print says Verizon would cut me off at some point, it hasn't been an issue yet).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:43 PM on May 2, 2017
Best answer: Unfortunately, the Jitterbug is a CDMA phone - which means you can't just buy a new sim card and switch it to another network. You could complain to their customer service and see if you can get a refund for the service time during which the phone was useless, but other than that you're stuck.
TMobile is probably the best carrier for your needs - their One plan covers calls/text/data in the USA, Mexico and Canada. As for phones, there's a ton of great budget Android options out there right now. Wirecutter currently recommends the Moto G4 (~180 on Amazon). Add a senior-friendly launcher, and you'd have a pretty good setup.
posted by givennamesurname at 1:44 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
TMobile is probably the best carrier for your needs - their One plan covers calls/text/data in the USA, Mexico and Canada. As for phones, there's a ton of great budget Android options out there right now. Wirecutter currently recommends the Moto G4 (~180 on Amazon). Add a senior-friendly launcher, and you'd have a pretty good setup.
posted by givennamesurname at 1:44 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: great, that's very helpful! thanks!
and I'm thrilled to get more recommendations, so keep them coming - especially any ideas to make replacing it go smoothly - I am not super technical myself...
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:14 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
and I'm thrilled to get more recommendations, so keep them coming - especially any ideas to make replacing it go smoothly - I am not super technical myself...
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:14 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Be forewarned: if your parents live anywhere that's not a city or town or enjoy spending time in more rural locations, T-Mobile is not a great carrier for them. They're a city-oriented carrier. If you need any rural coverage, Verizon is the way to go.
posted by purple_bird at 2:56 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by purple_bird at 2:56 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: T-Mobile's coverage has gotten a lot better of late. You can check out the coverage map here.
(No particular dog in the fight except that I'm a happy T-Mobile subscriber)
posted by straw at 3:02 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
(No particular dog in the fight except that I'm a happy T-Mobile subscriber)
posted by straw at 3:02 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Add a senior-friendly launcher, and you'd have a pretty good setup.
I just came to this thread out of curiosity, but thanks, givennamesurname for that tip!! I had no idea such a thing existed, and it is exactly what my parents need.
posted by pangolin party at 3:44 PM on May 2, 2017
I just came to this thread out of curiosity, but thanks, givennamesurname for that tip!! I had no idea such a thing existed, and it is exactly what my parents need.
posted by pangolin party at 3:44 PM on May 2, 2017
Response by poster: sigh, so I have been in touch with t-mobile, and it turns out that they need a phone to connect to their towers in the US at least once every 3 months in order for the phone to stay active. My parents stay in Canada for 6 months at a time, so it's not going to work. At least they told me this upfront!
If anyone has any other suggestions for a provider, I'm all ears!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:29 PM on May 5, 2017
If anyone has any other suggestions for a provider, I'm all ears!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:29 PM on May 5, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:31 PM on May 2, 2017