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How does FreedomPop make money?

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Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#61

Post by tehlike »

pbnjay wrote: post #32

I tried FreedomPop a few months ago. The service was terribly unreliable and call quality was poor. I cancelled after 2 weeks, and surprise the renewal still charged me. Which I contested with my cancellation confirmation email. Then a got a message from a collections agency about the still unpaid charge. Still no closure, worst experience I've ever had with a phone company! I used straight talk for years, and I'm no…

No idea how payments work, but was it through credit card by any chance? Since you mentioned colections agency, but wanted to ask.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#62

Post by z2 »

jgh wrote: post #52
pbnjay wrote: post #32

I tried FreedomPop a few months ago. The service was terribly unreliable and call quality was poor. I cancelled after 2 weeks, and surprise the renewal still charged me. Which I contested with my cancellation confirmation email. Then a got a message from a collections agency about the still unpaid charge. Still no closure, worst experience I've ever had with a phone company! I used straight talk for years, and I'm no…

Project Fi seems cool and something I would happily subscribe to. Too bad it only works with Google phones.

I can't speak to any agreements or conditions of use, but technically you need only a supported Google phone to activate the SIM card and tie it to a Google account. Afterwards, the card works in any phone.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#63

Post by e40 »

jgh wrote: post #52
pbnjay wrote: post #32

I tried FreedomPop a few months ago. The service was terribly unreliable and call quality was poor. I cancelled after 2 weeks, and surprise the renewal still charged me. Which I contested with my cancellation confirmation email. Then a got a message from a collections agency about the still unpaid charge. Still no closure, worst experience I've ever had with a phone company! I used straight talk for years, and I'm no…

Project Fi seems cool and something I would happily subscribe to. Too bad it only works with Google phones.

Agreed. And currently available phones are really expensive. Supposedly the Moto X4 will work on Fi soon, but that's gone from a lower cost phone to a higher one, last I read. Around $400. I was hoping for $250-300, in case one of my 3 5x's bootloops or dies.

At this point, I really, really like Project Fi. Too bad Google can't get more phones out, though.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#64

Post by PascLeRasc »

Ting costs just a little more than this, but I had amazing customer service when I was with them, and pretty good coverage. They were super helpful with porting over from Verizon and back to them a few years later. Back in 2013 when I started with them they would help you look on eBay for a compatible used phone, but I can't find that on their website today.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#66

Post by jgh »

z2 wrote: post #62
jgh wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Project Fi seems cool and something I would happily subscribe to. Too bad it only works with Google phones.

I can't speak to any agreements or conditions of use, but technically you need only a supported Google phone to activate the SIM card and tie it to a Google account. Afterwards, the card works in any phone.

Fair enough, but that means I have to find someone who has one of those phones ;)

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#67

Post by mindslight »

ingenium wrote: post #24
walterbell wrote: post #4

Is the Sprint/FreedomPop network compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile phones?

FreedomPop sells AT&T SIMs. The phones they sell are for Sprint. I have accounts on both. I use the free AT&T SIM in my car and get 1GB free/month, which is more than sufficient for my Google Maps/Earth and directions usage.

BTW how does that "LTE SIM" actually work? I have a few of their pre-LTE "global" SIMs. The MNC is actually some UK company, and it actually does route through the UK. Horrible latency (and they marketed this for VOIP, lol), it's NATted, and the IP address actually ends in 0! (not wrong under CIDR, just unusual). But it does roam onto both AT&T and T-mobile towers.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#68

Post by pasbesoin »

z2 wrote: post #62
jgh wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Project Fi seems cool and something I would happily subscribe to. Too bad it only works with Google phones.

I can't speak to any agreements or conditions of use, but technically you need only a supported Google phone to activate the SIM card and tie it to a Google account. Afterwards, the card works in any phone.

My Nexus 5X (purchased through Fi, by the way, but recently using my Verizon SIM because of certain network coverage, etc.) bootlooped. I'm waiting for the Pixel 2, unless I decide on something else, and I picked up a Motorola G5+ to tide me over until then or I "unbootloop" the 5X and decide I can trust it.

Anyway, comments on Amazon and/or Newegg about using the G5+ on Fi state that it works but that calls can only be made on the T-Mobile network. IIRC -- this wasn't a factor, for me, so I didn't make a mental note to self to particularly remember that detail.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#69

Post by samstave »

eclipxe wrote: post #56
wlesieutre wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a shitty system, but they openly admit to doing this: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680 If you have a plan that doesn't offer unlimited calling, calls made over Wi-Fi Calling count against your plan minutes. For Pay In Advance prepaid lines, calls made over Wi-Fi deduct from the plan bucket just like regular calls.

That’s one thing but he’s saying it’s counting Data. I can’t believe that.

Believe it. They confirmed it last night when I spoke to them, they changed my plan without permission - tried to swindle me, but I got them to revert my data plan... too much to type on mobile, I'll come back and post more.

Re: How does FreedomPop make money?

#70

Post by samstave »

ac29 wrote: post #57
samstave wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they can. Of course you cannot. T-Mobile, for example even monitors and freaking blocks your usage to certain sites when on airplane mode and on wifi - even when you have wifi assist disabled. Further, they even deduct from you data usage wifi use! It's provable! I've proved it and T-Mobile Philippines call center says "oops let me reset your data plan" when called on it. I proved it by only being in airpla…

Thats a pretty bold claim. Can you name a single site Tmobile blocks when using WiFi?

Yes I can, but don't care to do so here.
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