iPhone 12 incompatibility with Net10 Verizon

[Sluggo]

This is both a complaint and a warning. I recently purchased the new iPhone 12pro max from Apple to replace the old iPhone I had been using on Net10’s Verizon network.

First issue: setting up the APN.

Because I had no data (Internet, text messaging, etc) I contacted Net10 support. As usual, getting this issue resolved was far more difficult than it should have been. The half-wit insisted I needed to update my APN settings. Apparently, they (yes there were many) had no idea that the APN settings have to be set by the carrier (Verizon/Net10) and cannot be set or reset by the customer on their iPhone. Though my SIM card worked for phone calls on the new phone and for everything on the old phone, I was told the problem was my SIM card.

Of course, after running to Best Buy to buy a new SIM card and activating it, I still had no text messaging.

Again, all I got was bad support by people that insisted the problem was everything that it wasn’t. Eventually, after many wasted hours on chat and phone calls with tech support, I finally got someone who knew something and low and behold (as I had been insisting) the issue was my APN profile that needed to be updated on the carrier’s end.

Second Issue: No visual voice mail

Trying to get my visual voice mail to work (which worked fine with the old phone with the old SIM card) proved every bit as challenging for Net10s in knowledgeable tech support. Not only are these people completely unqualified, they would get frustrated and just abandon chat or hang up insisting there was no problem.

Over and over again, my phone was spammed by text messages that said:

“Your device must be using the latest iOS version. If iOS is up-to-date but you still have problems with data, please contact customer service.”

Not only was my operating software up-to-date, every time I contacted support I got the same automated response that everything was fine followed by that text message.

Finally, I got my problem kicked up to someone who had a clue and, after several hours on chat and by phone, I finally got my visual voicemail.

Third Issue: Visual Voicemail stops working

When my account was renewed by autopay, I no longer had visual voicemail.

Basicly, I had to go through the above problems all over again. Rude tech support, with no idea what they are doing, and hours on chat and voice calls. The most frustrating part is they refused to listen when I told them I’d gone through this before. The idiots pulled the dumbest reasons for why I wasn’t getting visual voicemail while I kept insisting I needed to talk to someone who knew what they are doing.

Again, after hours on chat and on the phone, I finally got someone who quickly had my visual voicemail restored.

Fourth Issue: See third issue.

Yep. As soon as my account renewed by autopay, my visual voicemail stopped. Again hours on chat and on the phone has only reinforced how poorly trained Net10’s tech support staff are. It’s really quite incredible. As I write this, I still have no visual voicemail but the newest dumb response is I need to contact my prior carrier. Trying to explain to a brain dead person that my phone worked before and that it had never been used on any other carrier was a waste of time. All I got was, there’s nothing that can be done.

But wasting more time, I finally got a “call back” from a supervisor who said he fixed the problem and hung up.

Of course my problem was not fixed but I did get the automated text message telling me my iPhone, running the most current version of iOS, needed to be updated.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Net10 doesn’t give a damn about it’s customers. I can’t speak for android users but it’s definitely not a service for iPhone users. Given the issues I’ve had with a brand new unlocked iPhone, I can only guess they are even worse with being your own phone users who, unlike me, trying to port a phone that actually was used on a different carrier.

[Sluggo]

Net10 still has made no effort to sync my phone up. Is it bad customer service or do they lie when they list iphones as compatible for bring your own phone plans?

Instead of visual voicemail, I get text messages like this when a caller leaves a message:

//VZWVVM:SYNC:ev=NM;id=266;c=1;t=v;s=15303616921;dt=16/02/2021 09:46 -0800;l=77;dev_t=5

And, then I get this after I call my own number, listen to the message (usually robo call), and delete it:

//VZWVVM:SYNC:ev=MBU;dev_t=5

[Net - Maria]

Hi Sluggo. This is NET - Maria. Our sincere apologies for the bad experience that you have gone through with our service. It breaks our heart to see you feel this way, customer satisfaction is our number one priority. We would love the opportunity to help you in any way we can. Please check your Forum inbox for a message. Click on "New Messages" beside User Control Panel to view your Forum inbox. You can use our self-service menu by simply texting the word HELP to 611611. Thank you.