Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had my telephone number for the past 15 years with ********* Then I switched over to Tello.com (which is by the way a huge mistake, I really regret doing that I now wish I had never done that). Then I went out of the country and couldnt renew my plans for a few months. Since I couldnt renew my plan, Tello expired my number. After coming back to the country, I reached out to Tellos customer service a few times regarding getting my number back. They simply refused to help and provided the following poor response with full of arrogance:Tello reserves the right to expire numbers that no longer have an active plan.Who gives Tello this right to usurp my number I had it for the past 15 numbers. This is my number, I ported over to Tello (a Big Mistake). What a tyrannical response!Now due to their poor handling to the situation, I am locked out of my state unemployment benefits account, PayPal, my online banking and many more sites Ive been using to receive security codes. Not only that, all my family members and friends for the past ********************************************************* One more thing: kudos to ********* I was with them for the past 15 years, despite going out of the country many times and staying disconnected with ********* they never took my number away. Whenever, I came back, they welcomed me and ************** my plan/number without causing any of these unnecessary to their customers. Now I know why ******** is way better than Tello.com.The resolution I am looking for is simply to get my number back. I hope Tello will see the issue on their side and will realize that they will lose customers with their callous and arrogant attitude.Thanks!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2023

  Dear ******, thank you for reaching out.

  7 Days prior to the expiration you were sent both an SMS and an email stating:
  "According to our Service Agreement your Tello number ***************** will automatically expire on 09/13/2023.
  To keep this number and avoid service termination you can go ahead and subscribe to a Tello plan (starting at only $5/month) in the following days. Regardless of any account activity (call, SMS, data usage), your number will expire if no order is registered by 09/12/2023.
  Please note that once deactivated, a Tello number can no longer be retrieved."
  

  Also, our service agreement clearly states: "Tello reserves the right to expire numbers that no longer have an active plan. Customers will receive a notification via SMS or email 7 days prior to the expiry. Your specific phone number will be reallocated to another Customer and will not be available after expiry."
  
  AS already mentioned in the email, SMS, Terms or service and website in order to keep your numbers active you need a valid plan with Tello.
  
  Nevertheless, by pure luck we were able to go out of our way and recover the number ***********. 
  Unfortunately, the other number *********** could not be recovered, since a significant amount of time has passed since it was canceled.

  We're very sorry for the inconvenience, but that was everything we could do in this case.

  Please let us know if we can help with anything else.
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20961875
  
  I am rejecting this response because: you said you are not able to recover the (714) number; this is the critical number I needed the most and quite urgently. You simply recovered the number that is not as important to my accounts online. All my life-line is attached with the 714 number as I've explained in my original complaint (the state unemployment benefits, online banking, amazon, PayPal, my all online accounts, my family members and friends have this number for the past 15 numbers). I verified that the 714 number is still not assigned to anyone yet; how is it that you are not able to recover it. Did this number just disappear in a black hole where it cannot be recovered from? Your explanation does not make sense and not convincing.
  
  You reiterated your policies regarding expiring numbers. You can expire any number you own, but you have NO RIGHT to expire the numbers that customers port over to your network. I am confident customers would agree with me on this stance. That's why I said it was a huge mistake to buy your plan and port over my number to your network. Therefore, restating that I was with ******** for the past 15 years and never faced any such difficulties/inconveniences. I truly regret leaving them and coming over to your network.

  My resolution still stand that I need my 714 number.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  Dear ******,

  As explained before, there is really nothing we can do to retrieve that number.

  You've received several notifications (SMS & email) in the past in order to take the appropriate steps and keep the number active.

  Please note we acted according to our Service Agreement, and despite all our efforts your number was expired. Once deactivated, a Tello number can no longer be retrieved.

  There is really nothing we can do in this case. We apologize and we're very sorry we can not assist you with this request.

  Tello

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20961875
  
  I am rejecting this response because: of you refusing to help I am forced to take a legal action against Tello.com since you said you cannot help with retrieving my number. As I said, it was not your number and you have NO RIGHT to take it away from me. I need this number for the reasons I've already explained multiple times in my previous correspondence. Your irresponsible actions have deprived me and my family from my state unemployment benefits and may other essential life-related benefits. I am going to share my experience with the online community so people will be aware of tyrannical policies.
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Good afternoon. I hope you are doing well. I attempted to port my number out of Tello and my new provider is having issues with completing the transfer. For a few days now, I cannot receive calls on the number. I am missing important calls. This number is very important to me as I have had it for over a decade and my friends and family have this number. I am very worried about the situation. I would appreciate your help on the situation. Also, respectfully, please do not make any changes to the port at this moment without confirming with me. I would like to thank you for your time and I look forward to resolving the issue.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2023

  Hello ****,

  And thank you for your patience!
  

  We checked the issue that you reported, and can see that you initiated the port out on November 19th, and it was completed on November 20th.

  Therefore, the number is no longer on our side and only the new provider can check for any issues on their side. If they need any other information from our side, they can also contact us directly: ******************************************

  Thank you very much for your understanding!
  

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2023

   
  Complaint:
  
  Good afternoon. Thank you for your response. Respectfully, I would appreciate it if you could contact me at the number provided on the complaint to discuss this further as the new carrier is having issues.  I have had this number for over a decade and my friends and family have this number. I am very worried. Please help. Thank you again.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2023

  Dear customer,

  Our agents from Customer Support will contact you back as soon as possible and see how we can help. 
  In the meantime, you can also contact us or ask your new provider to get in touch about this directly at ***************.
  
  Thank you for your patience!
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Myriad of issues including Chrome informing me of malicious network behavior, as well as phone calls not coming in, and phone calls being routed to numbers that were not the numbers I had dialed.Dropped calls while full bars, etc.Am also coordinating with ******** although phone is new, updated, not sharing pin or password, etc.Have done all troubkeshooting multiple times.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2023

  Dear ********,
  
  Thank you for choosing Tello and we apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced.

  Our Customer Support agents tried to contact you several times at the number ending in *648 but were not able to reach you.
  
  Kindly provide us with a Contact Phone number and a suitable time to reach you in order to assist you with the issues mentioned regarding your Chrome browser and calls.
  
  We are looking forward to your updates.
  
  Thank you in advance,

  Tello

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20818313
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have not received satisfactory correspondence from Tello. Most of the representatives do not properly address the issue.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2023

  Dear customer,

  We tried to contact you many times, even during the weekend, but we received no response to our calls or emails.
  Lastly, we sent you a detailed troubleshooting email in hopes you could see it and go through the steps to resolve the issues mentioned.
  
  During our latest attempt to assist you you were not cooperative and did not want to perform the troubleshooting actions required.

  We are very sorry for the inconvenience, but some of the steps have to be taken by you, from your phone.

  At this point we don't have enough information provided by you in order to assess your situation properly.

  Thank you for your patience!
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 20818313
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have responded to Tello Mobile and have even spoken to them as early as yesterday evening.

  I am now waiting for a specialist to contact me at a scheduled time tomorrow A.M.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My Tello phone number ************. For the past year I have had missed calls that never registered on my phone. People have called me and said that their calls go to voicemail and I never heard the phone ring or got the voicemail. I really don't know how many phone calls I missed, how many opportunities that passed me by because I was not reachable. Tello told me to check my network setting every time I called to complain. I did and there was nothing wrong with my phone. Another agent said that my 5G sim card was a gen 1 and that maybe it should be change to a new one. He had a new sim card shipped to me. He said I would be properly compensated several months for the terrible service if the new sim card fixed the problem. The new sim card seems to have fixed the problem. It seems the first sim card that they gave me was defective. I called Tello to be properly compensated afterwards. After paying almost to a year on what was suppose to be great service and getting the opposite the agent offered me a measly one month refund. Sorry that is not fair or right for providing a sporadic and unreliable phone service because of a defective sim card they made.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Dear customer,

  By checking our logs, we can see that you have contacted us numerous times since you joined Tello and every time you were provided with professional and accurate assistance. You also received compensations and exceptions for your account whenever it was necessary.
  In regards to the issue presented (that some of your calls go straight to Voicemail) you only reported this on the 25th of August 2023, and you also stated that the issue started only in August.
  We have sent you a free SIM to see if that could solve the problem and also offered you a free month of service as compensation.
  We are glad to see that the new SIM solved the issue, and we have refunded your last order, as a compensation for the issue you encountered.

  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

  Please let us know if you need your help with anything else.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20700647
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Only one time ever have you ever refunded me for poor which was for a measly $8. You guys are so stingy that even when you provide sporadic service you are extremely cheap to even make it right by refunding beyond one month. It as though your poor service is just contained to only one month. It's $8 a month service yet you are never reasonable to do anything other than that to leave the customer in a better state.  

  Why are you as a company always looking somehow to put the blame on the customer in order to not make yourselves accountable. You act like we have endless amount of time to call your company and complain about your poor service. Clearly even in the this case /you are saying in August where I said called customer service. Well that clearly is not just one month this poor service was occuring and clearly this poor service didn't just magically start in August. Yet you as a cheap, unfair, and unreasonable way think it fair to only refund one month when this poor service occurred well outside of just one month. Yet I was paying the full amount in good faith assuming that I was getting all my calls when I didn't even know I had this problem until someone took the time to tell. Start being fair and reasonable to your customers.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2023

  Thank you for your reply. 
  
  We take transparency very seriously.
  Please note that, at no instance did we try to blame you for the alleged situation. 
  
  Simply, we are providing well-founded answers, based on the data collected from our records.
  Among the several attempts to assist you after the situation was reported in August, we shared the pertinent troubleshooting steps to follow a proper investigation process. However, there was no follow-up from your side until mid September, where we, as part of our investigation protocol,  decided to send you a free replacement SIM which would later result in success resolving the issue. 
  
  From our perspective, and reviewing the normal/successful traffic presented in your records for calls, SMS, and data during the Aug - Oct 2023 period, no further compensation is merited.
  
  Instead, we emphasize how quickly and effectively our agents followed the investigation protocol to resolve your alleged situation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/10/2023

   
  Complaint: 20700647
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Anyone  reading this compliant please do your self a big favor and go to ************ This company is ridiculous they are not accountable to their poor service.  The try to blame you repeatedly, then tell you they are not blaming you,  and then blame you again for why they are *********** full payment for months their service plain out sucked.  They cannot comprehend that once a attempt to fix an ****** is tried it takes time to see how the fix goes, it takes time. File your complaints against this stingy company on BBB as well as the ****  You need to refund me at least 2 months.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I been a customer of ********************** account Number #******* and due to it didnt work in most of the area my family m=used it after trying it out i decided to move out the company just living the phones that actually worked but they froze my account and now my numbers that i own and ported into tello they dont whant ro port out this is crazy i owned does numbers i want them back help

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2023

  Dear customer,

  After checking the information provided, we can confirm that no Tello number with the account number ******* is active on the ********************** side. 
  If you have an active Tello line that you want to transfer to a different provider, we suggest logging into your online account and retrieve the necessary details from there. 
  For security reasons, all customers are required to retrieve their porting information (Tello Account Number & Temporary Port Out PIN) directly from their own online account.
  If you have any questions or issues, our Support Team is available 24/7!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid for a service I'm not getting to use my wife is handicapped I need a phone and I paid for service that I cannot use cause they won't activate phone

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2023

  Dear ********************,

  Based on our records we can see you opened an account with us on 06/15/2023. Your line was activated on 06/22/2023 and you were able to use the service on 07/06/2023.
  
  We do see that on 06/21/2023 you contacted our Customer Support team via chat and you asked how to activate the service. The agent who attended you provided the steps that you needed to follow. You contacted us again via ******************** and social media and we explained that we can see that the service was activated and asked for additional information, to be able to further check the issue you were experiencing. Also, we explained that you should be able to use the service if the device is unlocked.
  

  Soon after, we could see that you successfully managed to use the *** and **** services from your line.

  
  In case you still experience issues or have any other questions, please get back to us so that we can further assist you. Our Support Team is available 24/7!
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/28/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for new Tello phone plan yesterday and also requested my phone number port into Tello from my old carrier ************ My phone number to be ported in is ************.However, it has been two days but the phone number port-in is still not completed yet.I request Tello to complete my phone number port-in immediately without any further delay.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/29/2023

  Dear customer,
  We're sorry for the inconvenience. Our sole purpose is to provide affordable, quality services to our customers. 
  Based on our records we can see you tried to port your mobile number to Tello starting on June 27th. However, your first three attempts failed and were canceled, because we received the notification that the number you wanted to transfer to Tello was no longer active.
  Soon after you initiated another port in on June 28th, after you contacted your old provider, and the port was completed a few hours ago, on June 29th.
  We understand you wanted to have the number transferred as soon as possible. However, the speed of the port-in process depends on the previous carrier and can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 working days for regular mobile numbers.
  
  We apologize again for the inconvenience and please let us know if you need any other details.
  Thank you for your understanding!
  
  Kind regards,
  *********************************
  Communication Manager
  Tello LLC
  *******************************************
  Suite A 236
  ******* ** *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/29/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Tello is pretty much false advertising on their website. How do you only give 25 gb of 5g data but then reduce it to 2g one that data is done. Not even 3g? In this day and age 2g is practically useless and my phone is unusable. There are better services

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/19/2023

  Hello ******! Our ************** plan provides you with 25GB of high-speed data. Once you've used up your data balance, the speed will be reduced to 2G. This information is mentioned in multiple places on our website, including the Dashboard, Plans page, ************ and the Terms and Conditions.
  When you visit the Plans page and select the ************** + Unlimited Minutes Plan, you will see a message displayed right below the "I want this Plan" button. It states: "The unlimited data plan offers 25GB 4G LTE/5G. All data plans come with unlimited 2G data after you've used your 4G LTE/5G balance."
  If you require high-speed data before your plan automatically renews, you have the option to manually renew it at any time to include high-speed data. Additionally, you can purchase Pay as You Go Credit, which can be used until your plan automatically renews.
  We hope this clarifies the details of our ************** plan. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My Tello text, talk and data service is extremely inferior and problem causing. A very important phone call from a state agency to my cell phone was attempted yesterday for over an hour! My phone didn't ring once! The caller said every call attempt went directly to voicemail... I never even received their voicemail messages! This occurs frequently with Tello. Every day. Every location. This was in **************.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  Dear *****,
  
  We understand the problems you are facing while using our service and how frustrating it is, we checked your account thoroughly and found some signs that make us believe the installation of a firmware update affected the proper connection with your device and our network.
  In previous interactions with our customer service team by email, we also asked you for the complete current address on which you experienced the problem so we can investigate possible network issues, to which we did not receive a reply from you.
  
  Tello is committed to providing the best possible experience with our service, therefore we would like to start a complete investigation into the issue you reported.
  
  To achieve that we need you to provide us with the following details:
  
  - The complete address or addresses on which you experienced the issue
  - Firmware information of your device, you can find the information under your phones settings, look for an option called "About Phone", then select "Software Information":
  
  Baseband version:
  Service Provider Software Version:
  Android Security Patch Level:
  
  We have refunded the last month of service while we wait for your response and the results of our investigation.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My credit card from ****** had fraudulent charges on it from ******** The charges are similar to what Tello charges for phone service. ****** made a mistake and disputed the charges from Tello. I called ****** and had the charges overturned. ****** is stating that they have already refunded the money. However Tello is refusing to restore my service after I proved from ****** that the charges have been overturned. They cut my phone off leaving me destitute in an emergency.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/11/2023

  Dear *****,
  
  We restored your service already and sent you an email to confirm this
  earlier. We received confirmation today that the dispute was dropped and
  your service has been re-enabled.

  We apologize for the inconvenience. If there is anything you need assistance with, please let ** know.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************