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:08/23/2023

  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 purchased a service plan for the price of around 45 dollars and when. I requested a refund for not being able to use their service they only refunded me 31. They refused to refund my money even though their service is a scam!!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2023

  **. ******* ********                                                                August 30, 2023
  *******************
  Cleveland, OH ********
  **************
  Email: *****************************************
  
  c/o BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania
  
  RE: ******************************* Complaint ID# ********
  
  This letter serves as a response to the complaint listed above.
  
  Consumer ******************************* contacted the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania citing that I purchased a service plan for the price of around 45 dollars and when. I requested a refund for not being able to use their service, they only refunded me 31. They refused to refund my money even though their service is a scam!!
  
  Upon review of the complaint, GTL/******* was able to confirm an active Advance Pay (prepaid) account ending in **** for calls originating from **** ****** **-Adult Detention Facility. ******* bills for calls on a per-minute basis according to the rates enforced by the **** This can be confirmed by visiting our website, www.ConnectNetwork.com.
  
  *******,formally known as Global Tel *Link, has no affiliation with these companies as we do not honor or sell any unlimited calling plans, nor is there a need to obtain a new number to accept said calls as the number that belongs to the customer can be activated for calls by adding prepaid funds. GTL/******* is the phone provider for the facility from which you are expecting calls. This information can be confirmed by contacting our **************** at ************, available 24/7, and our website referenced above. ******* does not charge any service fee to refund a deposit as referenced within the complaint. There are other companies with similar names to Global Tel *Link that advertise an unlimited calling plan for a fee, providing a telephone number to the customer to accept those calls. They are then directed to Global Tel *Link/******* to have that for calls. These companies are on websites such as www.GlobalTel.net among others.
  
  We regret ******************** has not had a great experience in using our products and services, however, we remain willing to continue to improve our services and address issues that may arise in a timely manner. In light of the explanation outlined, we anticipate that this will close this complaint, and should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
  
  Cordially,
  
  *****************************
  ******************** | Manager, Consumer Complaints
  ****************************************************
  ***************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/24/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 was trying to open a phone account to talk to an incarcerated loved one, herein referred to as my brother. My brother told me I needed to start an account with Global Tel for him to be able to call me from the prison he resides in. I went to ****** and typed in Global Tel and clicked on the first link, my mistake, instead of scrolling to look through the different links. I went to Global Tel's website and the only options were to sign up or sign in. I clicked sign up. I entered all of my information, including my debit card. It also asked me to choose the prison I wanted to receive calls from and I chose my brother's current prison and pressed sign up. I immediately received an email saying I had been charged $45.99 for that account. It didn't make sense so I signed in to the account I had just created and realized the website was so basic that it couldn't be what I had been looking for. The prison I had signed up for wasn't even an option once I signed in. They allowed me to choose a prison they knew they didn't service before I entered my card information. Once they had my money, they no longer had that prison as an option because they don't service that prison. They allowed me to sign up under false pretenses. They knew if my prison wasn't listed to begin with, I wouldn't sign up. I started digging online and realized I had been seeking ****** *** **** (***) and had been duped for a site who called themselves Global Tel, to trick those of us who didn't know the full company name of ***. Phone number has no live agent and email is an automated response refusing to give me a full refund. I never approved the charge on my card and never agreed to the terms and service. The company pre-checks the terms box so the customer automatically agrees to the terms without ever reading or seeing them (see attachment from their site). In order to get a partial refund, you have to agree to accept their terms and service, bc they know you didn't orginally accept them (attached)