Reviews
This profile includes reviews for Tech Friends, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Review Ratings
Average of 24 Customer Reviews
Want to share your experience?
Leave a ReviewReview Details
Review fromRonald B
Date: 06/04/2025
1 starRonald B
Date: 06/04/2025
Recently started a jailatm.com account and have been video chatting and texting a loved one for about a month with no problems until the other day. I had put 20 on my account and had 7 or so something left on my account. All the sudden I noticed my checkbook is off 10$ and to my surprise 2 new charges of $5 each showed up on my checking account as pos debit transactions from jailatm.com. I called of course and got nowhere with their customer service reps who "cannot access any information" and urged me to fill out a refund request. Why would I fill out a refund request when you hit me with 2 unauthorized fraudulent charges to my account? I had to report fraud lock out my bank card and have to wait 7-10 days for a new debit card now. Employees were absolutely no help at all they don't want you talking with a manager and when I first called I asked why I couldn't see my charge history on line like I should be able to and the gentleman's response was "why do you want that?" Well, because you just stole money from me that's why. This business is needed because people want to be in touch with there loved ones and seems they take advantage of that. Horrible business practice, ethics and leadership from the top down and it clearly shows. This place is the epitome of a business you want to stay clear from or interact with.
Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 06/05/2025
Ronald ********, When a JailATM.com user approves the “Yes, Turn On Messaging” button on the web page for signing up for communications services, the following statement is agreed to: “By turning on messaging, you will fund your account with $5.00 and authorize us to charge your payment method for the same amount if you send a message or receive a collect message and do not have enough money.” JailATM.com does not allow messaging to be enabled until the above statement is agreed upon by the website user. Funds are initially added to your JailATM.com account for the whole deposit. The funds remain on your account until you connect to the visit/send or read messages/purchase gold passes. You can audit your deposits for visits/messages/gold passes by following the steps below: Sign in Select My Account Select Email/Video Account History Thank youReview fromJames F
Date: 05/09/2025
1 starJames F
Date: 05/09/2025
I would give it a zero but that's not an option. Don't use this service unless you know the inmate will be incarcerated for a while. I added funds the same day my son was released. They will not refund any portion. Horrible service. Please never use.Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 05/12/2025
Mr. ***, Our records do not show the transaction attempt in-question on the JailATM account using this email address. You can view deposits made on your JailATM account by following these instructions: • Sign In • Click "My Account" • Under the "Tasks" tab, click "Deposit/Charge History" If a deposit to a resident is not in this report, it either did not go through or was not made from the JailATM account that is logged in. If the deposit was done from a different JailATM account, please contact us from that email address so that we may investigate further. If it was done from a kiosk at the facility, please contact the facility to investigate what happened to the transaction. If the transaction was attempted from this JailATM account, it did not process successfully. For more information on other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page. Thank youReview fromKitra T
Date: 09/12/2024
1 starKitra T
Date: 09/12/2024
I added funds to an inmates account and it never showed up so I called customer service and they said the money was applied to his account but it was not. Inmate verified he had no funds and it never showed up on my payment history so I put in a fraudulent claim with my bank. Conveniently after that funds appeared on his account but they have it blocked saying I need to pay a fee for putting in a fraud claim! Excuse me! I’m not paying a fee for someone there trying to steal my money and the only reason it finally got applied was because of my fraud claim. These people are very shady! Customer service is a joke!Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 09/13/2024
Good afternoon, In research of your account, we have found no successful deposits in the past two years due to a disputed transaction on 07/25/2022. In order to remove this fraud marker from your account and deposits to be allowed on your account, please follow the directions provided by our customer support team to repay the funds that need recouped as a result of this fraud dispute. Thank youReview fromMarcella R
Date: 08/02/2024
1 starMarcella R
Date: 08/02/2024
JailATM . My husband requested a video this morning will I did the vist we could bornget connected because of poor connection. I tried two times to video call again didn’t work Try the third time and it tells me I had no money in my account which I did have money account so why will they take it out if my video visit never startedTech Friends, Inc.
Date: 08/05/2024
Marcella, Our records showed that the 2 calls in question were a direct-dial call that did connect. Though your card may be billed to fund your JailATM account for the video call, your JailATM account is billed on a per-minute basis during direct-dial calls. This means that you were only billed for the amount of time that you spent on the call. For this reason, direct-dial calls cannot be credited back to a JailATM account. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you experience technical issues when on a direct-dial video visit, we recommend disconnecting immediately and troubleshooting both the device being used and your internet connection before attempting the visit again. For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page. Thank youReview fromEbony R
Date: 02/19/2024
1 starEbony R
Date: 02/19/2024
I hope this gets in the hands of upper management. If not, I will continue to ensure it does. I waited on hold for 30 minutes before someone came to the phone which is perfectly fine. My issue was the many attempts I made last night for purchases but the system kept declining but taking the money. The customer service rep answered sounding not so friendly at all!! I explained my issue and he told me it’s my address. I explained that my sister had the same issue and he got smart with me. I asked if he can check my acct and he said very nasty that he did. I told him may I state one recommendation and he blatantly said” have a nice day”. I am NOT an inmate. I do not deserve to get treated with disrespect. He is not a standard for customer service. I am hopeful you are able to locate this gentleman and explain what customer service is because what he portrayed was poor training. He didn’t mention his name but he answered my call on 2/19 at 12:04. He claimed to access my account so I am hoping you are able to locate him that way. Horrible horrible customer service!!!!Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 02/26/2024
Ebony R*********,
I found that your order was declined due to suspected AVS fraud. Address Verification Service checks (AVS) are performed by credit card associations and issuing banks typically when you request authorization for a credit card purchase. AVS checks work by comparing the cardholder’s billing address (street name and number, ZIP code, etc) against information in the credit card issuing bank’s databases.
Any funds that were taken out of your account were placed on hold by your financial institution. We have not and will not receive the funds. They should be released back to your account within 5 -10 business days of the hold taking place. For more information, please contact your financial institution. To Edit Or Remove Your Payment Method
Click My Account
Click Settings
Click Payment Methods
Select The Payment Method That You Wish To Edit Or Remove
Click Edit
You Can Change The Details Of The Card Here Or Click Remove To Delete The Card
For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page.Thank you
Review fromGail M
Date: 02/02/2024
1 starGail M
Date: 02/02/2024
To add to my previous review, jailATM is a subsidiary of Inmatesales. I didn't know this until I researched a number for the "phone provider" the rude rep from jailATM told me I had to call. Instead of explaining how this all worked, he was just rude and said they aren't the phone company. I have no problem dealing with Inmatesales, they are always so helpful and patient. This whole thing is ridiculous.Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 02/06/2024
Gail M*****, We are not a subsidiary of Inmate Sales or its parent company. We do not provide phone services and are unable to provide support or information about phone systems. It is not possible for our technicians to explain how other companies' systems work or what services they offer. For assistance with any services or features outside JailATM, please contact the company providing that service. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this has caused you. If there is anything that we can assist you with JailATM, please let our support team know. Thank youReview fromTroy M
Date: 12/28/2023
1 starThey got a nice racket going, no customer service and just tell you it's something wrong with your bank or visa or some lame excuse. Living without them is hard showing them you care isn't. That's there moto what a joke this place is. There bottom feeders. Just tell it like it isReview fromMichael R
Date: 12/23/2023
1 starMichael R
Date: 12/23/2023
I would LOVE to file a class action lawsuit against JailATM for the various fees that are associated with its "service": 1) the $3.50 fee transaction fee, 2) the cash advance fee credit card companies charge, and 3) the fees that are taken from a balance if it isn't used on particular days.Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 01/02/2024
Deposits on JailATM have a fee, which is added onto the transaction itself. This fee does not come out of the money that the resident receives, but is rather added onto the final price of the transaction. With deposits made from a facility's kiosk using cash, the fee is taken out of the amount of cash inserted. The fee for a JailATM deposit varies depending on the amount being sent and is either a flat rate, which varies by facility, or is 10% of the deposit amount if this would be higher than the flat rate. For example, if a facility's flat rate is $3.00 then a $20.00 deposit would cost $23.00 while a $100.00 deposit to the same facility would cost $110.00. This fee varies by facility. Regarding cash advance fees, if you check your statement or contact your financial institution, you can see this fee was not charged by JailATM.com. Rather, it was charged by your credit card company due to this type of transaction being considered as a cash advance and it being their policy to charge a fee for this. The money collected for this does not go to JailATM.com. Instead, it is collected by your credit card company, so it may be more appropriate for you to lodge your complaint with their customer service. The possibility of this happening is discussed in the terms you agreed to when making the deposit, namely, the paragraph stating "I understand that certain card issuers may charge additional fees including "cash advance" fees as a result of transactions processed through this service. I understand that neither Tech Friends, Inc. or the JailATM™ service is responsible for any fees assessed by the card issuer." These terms can be viewed by clicking on "Terms of Use" at the bottom of each page or in the link given when you check the box to agree to the terms. JailATM does not charge fees "from a balance if it isn't used on particular days." Once you place money on JailATM on your own account for messaging/video calls/gold passes, those funds remain on your account until you use them. If a resident receive daily, weekly, medical or other various fees that deduct from their account balance at the facility, that is not controlled or done by JailATM. For any deductions on a resident's account, please contact the facility for information.Review fromBrian H
Date: 11/06/2023
1 starBrian H
Date: 11/06/2023
Someone is using JAILATM to steal money from my bank account. Over the past few weeks, $20 was removed from my account 35 times. I have nothing to do with this business, but this business has 'allowed' some thief to steal $700 from me. How did they get my card number and pass code? How could JAILATM not know what's going on? JAILATM contact me now. It shouldn't be too hard to see who's receiving my money.Tech Friends, Inc.
Date: 11/07/2023
Good afternoon,
If you believe that your card was fraudulently used on JailATM, please go to JailATM.com, select "Contact" in the bottom left, select any subject, and then click "Contact Us" to submit a ticket to start a fraud claim process.
Thank youReview fromashok v
Date: 11/04/2023
1 starashok v
Date: 11/04/2023
JailTM is stealing money I sent three to four payments of $15 to $20 each They charged me $3.50 fees which is fine Not a problem But my credit card company charged me $10 for each transaction because it is considered a cash advance because JAILTM charges the CC company as cash advance Therefore, sending $`15 costed me $3.50 fees by JailTM and $10 cash advance fees by CC so it costed me $28.50 for a $15 sending to someoneTech Friends, Inc.
Date: 11/07/2023
Good afternoon,
If you check your statement or contact your financial institution, you can see this fee was not charged by JailATM.com. Rather, it was charged by your credit card company due to this type of transaction being considered a cash advance, and it being their policy to charge a fee for this. The money collected for this does not go to JailATM.com. Instead, it is collected by your credit card company; so, lodging a complaint with their customer service would be more appropriate.
The possibility of this happening is discussed in the terms you agreed to when making the deposit, namely, the paragraph stating "I understand that certain card issuers may charge additional fees including "cash advance" fees as a result of transactions processed through this service. I understand that neither Tech Friends, Inc. or the JailATM™ service is responsible for any fees assessed by the card issuer." These terms can be viewed by clicking on "Terms of Use" at the bottom of each page or in the link given when you check the box to agree to the terms.
For more information on this and other issues, please feel free to check out our Support page at any time by clicking the Contact tab at the bottom of the JailATM web page.
Thank you
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.