ComplaintsforSinclair Telecommunications

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a phone and plan on ******** The phone arrived on Monday ***** They start charging for their mobile plan the day you place the order, even though you don't even have the phone to use yet. I was not able to get my phone through the initial setup process so I reached out to the only method they have to reach them, a chat box. This is hard because they respond either late, or never. I told them the issue and they said it should resolve by 4pm PST the following day due to them "updating their servers." Well that was 16 hours ago and they have not responded to me since then. I am unable to set my phone up past the language choice page and am still being charged. I paid $599 for this phone and $24.99/month for this plan. I am unable to reach anyone as they do not have a phone or email and have stopped responding via chat. After ******** about this company it seems this happens a lot and I am very upset I spent this amount of money and can't even use my phone. I just want a refund and will happily return the phone. I need to be able to get another phone that works.

  Business response

  10/10/2022

  Consumer Response /* (3000, 6, 2022/10/05) */ Hello, after I let the company know I would be filing a complaint with you the phone magically started working. I don't know what kind of coincidence that is but it is definitely interesting. I am no longer requesting a refund but instead would like be credited for the days I was charged for service when I was not able to use the phone Business Response /* (4000, 8, 2022/10/07) */ Hello ***** , You received your Phone within of 3 business days and data service was provided when you purchased your plan. According to your response here you were able to start using the phone and the service within the week of receiving. We have credited one week of service to your account. If there anything else we can help you with please contact ************************* Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2022/10/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  09/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ************************************************************************* was really excited to switch to Volta Wireless. I signed up on ** July. Well over a week later, I had still not received a SIM card so started emailing inquiries. At * weeks into my billing cycle, still no SIM card. Every other mobile carried I have used always sent SIM cards within *-* days. During this time of me paying for service but having all kinds of problems with the phone, I just assumed it was due to the missing SIM card. I was surely getting annoyed that I was paying for this service yet couldn't use basic phone functions: I could not receive any incoming calls; I could rarely successfully make an outgoing call; NONE of my outgoing text messages reached their destinations. So the ONLY thing that worked with Volta was incoming text messages. By this time I was asking customer service what to do, and I received mostly pre-scripted responses that never did resolve the problems. By * August I began trying to get my # ported away from Volta which was a nightmare. On * August I began sending requests to Volta to cancel / close my account. And again on the ***********. Even though they clearly received my requests, I was still charged on the **th. I sent a number of messages after that asking why I was charged again when I had already CANCELLED. On ** August, I was told I'd get a refund "in a week or so". Still nothing (* Sept). Between the sketchy and/or complete lack of phone services (also as evidenced by other complaints and ******* reviews), along with the mostly very poor customer service, I am amazed this company is still in business. Then there are all the people who have reported continuous charges by Volta AFTER they have cancelled their accounts. This is beyond unacceptable. I want my $*4.** back that they were NOT authorized to take. And for the countless hours wasted plus having my phone rendered useless by Volta, I want my initial $*4.** back as well.

  Business response

  10/10/2022

  Consumer Response /* (3000, 19, 2022/10/07) */ Just checking in. I have NOT received a refund. Thank you (BBB) for your attention to this matter. Business Response /* (4000, 21, 2022/10/10) */ Hello****, We are processing 1 month refund for the month of August as a review of our records indicates a request to cancel on the***** of August and was charged on the ****. Please let us know if we can help with anything further. Best Regards Consumer Response /* (4200, 23, 2022/10/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Sounds like "the check's in the mail"! I've heard this story before many times and still no refund. I have email records showing that I began trying to close this account on 9 August - because the "service" never worked right in the first place, and it took ages to port my number to a new company. I had sent numerous emails indicating that I could not take incoming calls, that outgoing calls may or may not work, and that none of my outgoing text messages ever got to the recipient's phones. Not to mention the absurdly long time that it took to get the SIM card. But by that time I was completely fed up by then with not having a functioning phone. I reject this resolution because I want a FULL refund: $24.99 for Volta rendering my phone useless, and $24.99 for the wrongful charge.

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was attempting to use their Volta wireless service. I ordered a phone and service plan. They charged me a total of $1048.74 and I waited to hear from them. After two weeks nothing had come in the mail and they had not contacted me. I emailed their customer service department since there was not a phone number on the site. Customer service kept avoiding my questions and giving me the run around. I month went by and I could not get anywhere and then they charged me for another month of service when I had not been provided anything. Another $49.99. There is not a place on the site to cancel your account so I had to cancel the card and get a new one. At this point I believe the company to be a scam.

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/08) */ Hi Customer, We apologize that you've had an unfavorable experience when ordering a Volta product. As Volta does not retain subscriber contact details we are unable to track your order and provide a status update regarding your claim using your first and last name. Please email **************************** with the email address you used to create your order. It's only with this information that we can access your account. Again we sincerely apologize and want to work with you resolve any issues you may have with our products and services. Best regards, Volta Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/08/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I have emailed the company several times and there is never a response. Business Response /* (1000, 18, 2022/10/07) */ Hello ****** please send us the phone back to the address below. We can provide you a refund for the phone+shipping and for the service you were charged for after requesting to be canceled. Hopefully this resolution is acceptable. Thank you! ************************************************************************* Consumer Response /* (2000, 20, 2022/10/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Business Response /* (1000, 18, 2022/10/07) */ Hello ****** please send us the phone back to the address below. We can provide you a refund for the phone+shipping and for the service you were charged for after requesting to be canceled. Hopefully this resolution is acceptable. Thank you! David Sinclair Volta Wireless ******************************************** Consumer Response /* (2000, 20, 2022/10/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Consumer Response /* (3000, 26, 2022/10/24) */ The phone was delivered back to the company on October **. I still have not received a refund from the company. Business Response /* (1000, 32, 2022/11/08) */ We have received the phone and would like to offer a 600$ refund after taxes and fees this would also include our restocking fee. We hope to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible for you. Consumer Response /* (3000, 34, 2022/11/08) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I was promised a refund for the phone plus shipping and services I was charged after requesting cancelation. 600 dollars does not cover it but 1100 would. Business Response /* (4000, 36, 2022/11/10) */ Hello ****** , After we reviewed the charges we can issue an amount of 968.04 this is the total charges after transaction fees. We can refund this to your card . Hopefully this is an acceptable solution. Consumer Response /* (2000, 38, 2022/11/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  07/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered into a month to month agreement with Volta Wireless whose parent company is Sinclair Telecommunications of ************ ** at a price of $49.99 per month which included unlimited encrypted telephone service, unlimited data and text. Volta offers no way to contact sales, customer support, or technical support except through email. The problem is the process of getting setup on your existing phone is poorly explained on the website you are directed "after you have paid" and you are initially directed to a page of FAQ's. With normal telecommunications companies you are up and going immediately. With Volta you have to do the setup yourself, and you have to research the FAQ's to find the information necessary to get going. The email address for customer service is there, but hidden in plain sight... it is not obvious. It basically took a week plus to get my phone operating. After that week I was so frustrated by the agonizingly slow responses from customer service, that I decided to return to my previous wireless provider. Cancelling your account with Volta is the problem. You have to go through customer service. They stall and evade, and ignore your requests for cancellation. I am including my email correspondence wherein I ask then demand they cancel my account and I also revoke permission for them to charge my card for any future service. That was May ** through May *** They debited my account on June *** and July **** My resolution included Cancelling the service, refund June and July debits, stop attempting to debit my account.

  Business response

  08/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/07/26) */ Hi Customer, We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while using our products and services. Like any SIM product technical set up is required to ensure your outbound calls are routed through the proper phone number. The porting process is a federally governed process which must be followed by all carriers. We would like to address your specific concerns however as Volta does not request or retain personal information from our subscribers I can not view the details of your account using your full name. Please respond with the email address used to create your Volta account and we will respond. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you experienced. Best regards, Volta Wireless

• Initial Complaint

  07/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a monthly mobile cell phone service subscription plan from Volta Wireless a few months back. The internet was extremely slow, so I chose to upgrade my service from the basic $19.99 promotional rated basic plan service to the Digital Nomad plan @ $49.99/month bc it was advertised to provide 4G LTE or 5G mobile data speeds. My internet speeds never improved. I searched all over the Voltas web site to find a telephone number to call to receive technical support, yet the web site makes contacting support only possible via email communications. So, I sent a number of email s attempting communicate my experience, yet each response was off base and poorly written. So I finally started looking at my bank account transactions online to see if a telephone number existed in the description of the transaction when the debit occurred. The transaction did contain a telephone number, so I called it. Nobody answered, so I left a message expressing my frustrations. I received a phone call the next day, and the tech identified a conflict with service being upgraded to the high speed service plan, and stated that she would call me back as soon as the issue was resolved. I never received a call back, and my internet service with my mobile plan never changed. On the plan renewal date, my bank account was debited for both the basic plan @$29.99(And it was supposed to be $19.99 per the promotional rate) and the digital nomad plan @$49.99. I emailed Volta support and informed them what had happened and that I wanted to cancel my plan and that they did not have my permission to charge my account. Volta is still attempting to debit my bank account to this day! I had to block them at the bank fraud protection level.

  Business response

  08/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/07/26) */ Hi Customer, We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while using our products and services. We would like to address your specific concerns however as Volta does not request or retain personal information from our subscribers I can not view the details of your account using your full name. Please respond with the email address used to create your Volta account and we will respond. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you experienced. Best regards, Volta Wireless

• Initial Complaint

  07/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up to try their cell service and when I received the SIM card it did not work. I tired many times to con tact them about this and they kept saying the same things which we had already tried. I decided to just call it off. Lesson learned, cancel my account and I'll write off the first month service fee, to heck with it. That was all fine and good but then a few weeks later a see ANOTHER charge to my checking account. They charged me AGAIN!!! I have tried and tried with these people so I had to cancel my card at my bank and ask that no more charges be allowed to my account with Volta Wireless. It's really pretty hard to believe how crooked these people are. I would simply like my money spent on a service that didn't work at all refunded.

  Business response

  08/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/07/26) */ Hi Customer, We apologize that you've had an unfavorable experience using a Volta product. As Volta does not retain subscriber contact details we are unable to track your order and provide a status update regarding your claim using your first and last name. Please email **************************** with the email address you used to create your order. It's only with this information that we can access your account. Again we sincerely apologize and want to work with you resolve any issues you may have with our products and services. Best regards, Volta Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/08/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) There was no response from the business even after I emailed them last week asking again for a refund Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/08/08) */ Hi Customer, We would really like to work with you to resolve your concerns, however we really require your username in order to look up your account to disclose the status of your refund. As Volta does not store the information of its users, we really need this information to resolve your concern. Please send an email to **************************** and enter your BBB complaint number in the subject line. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Best regards, Volta

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May XX XXXX I signed up for Volta Wireless. After trying their service and being let down by their service, I started emailing requests to have my service cancelled. I would have called, but there isnt any customer service phone number listed anywhere, I'm assuming by design. I received emails back from Volta stating that they were going to escalate my request to their Customer Service team and that they will contact me once they get my request. But nobody ever contacts me. I tried to cancel before another billing cycle as I do not want to pay for a sub par service that I do not want to use. But the company has made little, if any attempt to rectify the situation. For a month now I have made countless attempts to contact them but I just keep receiving the same auto generated emails. I have all of my emails and the corresponding emails if they need to be reviewed.

  Business response

  07/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2022/07/26) */ Hi Customer, We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while using our products and services. We would like to address your specific concerns however as Volta does not request or retain personal information from our subscribers I can not view the details of your account using your full name. Please respond with the email address used to create your Volta account and we will respond. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you experienced. Best regards, Volta Wireless

• Initial Complaint

  06/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed up for a Volta wireless account. However, after a month I decided I wanted to cancel it because I really didn't like how complicated the process of switching phones and SIM cards was. I'm older and this tech stuff is too complicated so I went back to ******** So I inquired about how to cancel my account and I was told you can cancel in the app. So when I log into the app there is NO WAY to cancel or stop the billing. So, I then send numerous emails asking to please cancel my account. One of the representatives said they would take care of it in early April. So I figured my account was closed and no further billing would happen. Then on April **** they billed me again. I wrote another email requesting I get a refund because I had already requested to cancel my account weeks earlier! Then they tried to bill me AGAIN for May. I stopped the payment on it because they were NOT authorized to use my card for payment at that point. They continue to ignore me and they still haven't refunded my $49.99 for April! They have very poor, unprofessional customer support. In my opinion, this is a shady, sketchy company who only wants to take your money and make it IMPOSSIBLE to talk to a reperesentive in person or to cancel your account! Please help!!

  Business response

  07/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2022/07/26) */ Hi Customer, We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while using our products and services. We would like to address your specific concerns however as Volta does not request or retain personal information from our subscribers I can not view the details of your account using your full name. Please respond with the email address used to create your Volta account and we will respond. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you experienced. Best regards, Volta Wireless Consumer Response /* (2000, 17, 2022/07/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) The email I used to create the Volta account is:************************** Business Response /* (4000, 20, 2022/07/28) */ Hi Customer, Thank you for providing the requested information. We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. As your information is private, we have sent you a direct message from our Customer Service department. We are happy to have resolved this matter and wish you all the best. Best regards, Volta Wireless Consumer Response /* (2000, 22, 2022/07/29) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased the basic Phone service coverage on or around April 2022. Received the SIM Card in the mail but was the wrong SIM. Contacted the Company via email with no response. Requested in email to Company to cancel and return funds on five (5) emails before ** May. On May *** emailed the Company to submit request number 6, request cancellation and return of funds. On** June 2022, Company replied back that they have elevated the request to get this resolved. At this time, the Company is a fraudulent service provided and has no dignity to do the right thing. Now they owe me two month of charges without any service at all.

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 13, 2022/06/21) */ I'm sorry to hear you that you are not satisfied with your Volta Wireless service. I am escalating your request to our Customer Care team. Our goal is to provide products and services that meet the needs of our subscribers. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. Best regards, Myra Customer Service Volta Wireless

• Initial Complaint

  05/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  NO ONE, I REPEAT, NO DECENT PERSON SHOULD USE THIS SERVICE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SCAMMED, ROBBED, NEGLECTED, AND HAVE YOUR MONEY MISHANDLED IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!! I AM INVOLVING MY ATTORNEY AND SUING FOR EMOTIONAL DAMAGE, WRONGFUL CHARGES, AND NEGLECT/FRAUD if they do not give me my money back for something I had thought was cancelled over 4 weeks ago! ************** has DESTROYED MY MEASLY PAYCHECK WITHOUT WARNING AND FOR A SERVICE THAT HAD BEEN CANCELLED. ************** has ROBBED ME OF $50, ALL OF MY GAS FOR THE WEEK, WHICH I NEED IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO WORK, CANCELLING MY POTENTIAL INCOME IMMEDIATELY! THEY HAVE TORTURED MY MENTAL STATE, AND NEGLECTED ME, ALL WHILE MAKING FRAUDULENT CHARGES FOR SOMETHING I DO NOT HAVE AND DO NOT WANT, AND WITH BLATANT DISRESPECT!!!! they will not refund me or handle this and there is no phone number or person to speak to available, which makes this even worse. I HAVE SENT OVER 40 EMAILS.

  Business response

  08/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/06/08) */ This matter has been settled with the customer. To ensure transparency, we re-connected with the customer to confirm the details of the outcome were as agreed. Sincerely, Sinclair Telecommunications

*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. ↩