I just love watching the red carpet events each year on my TV! It’s when we get to find out which nominees take Best Picture, Album of the Year and more. Plus, we get to see our favorite stars take the stage with their impressive live performances. I can’t help but be star-struck!
Then comes the real fun…watching the award winners on my tablet or hearing the hits at home on my smartphone! I love using two great apps on them to research any actors or bands I’m unfamiliar with. And, if you haven’t used either of them yet, you’re in for a real treat.
Everyone can be a movie critic with IMDb, positively one of my favorite free apps. I heard that Hollywood execs and talent use it to stay in the loop, too. Check it out, and you’ll see why! IMDb stands for International Movie Database, and remains the best way to learn about current, recent or old classic films. TV shows, too!
By far, IMDb is the world’s most popular source for movie, TV and celebrity content. It’s a searchable database where you’ll find info on more than three-million films, TV and entertainment programs and over 6 million cast and crew members. Is that enough for you?
In seconds flat, you can watch the latest trailers to see what’s hitting the theaters. Or, read plot summaries and critic or user reviews. I love IMDb for learning about my favorite actors, getting show biz news and finding quotes from famous films to blurt out around my friends. After reviewing the best theater showtimes, I buy tickets straight from their Fandango link, another great movie app you may recall we covered recently.
One of my favorite aspects of the IMDb app is the Goofs section. Here, viewers point out little flaws in the film, which is always good for a laugh. If you’re like me, you’ll be clicking on the All Cast & Crew section to see all the films an actor has starred in…including many before they made it big!
Some apps never cease to amaze me. One of them is certainly Pandora! It’s truly ‘music to anyone’s ears!’ Pandora streams music from virtually any genre or period, tailored to your personal tastes in bands or musicians. It’s totally free if you don’t mind a few short ads every so often. And if you do, you can opt for the paid version which is 100% ad-free listening.
So after installing Pandora, what’s next? Create a station! Just key in the name of a performer, song, genre or composer. Then without delay, Pandora starts playing any works related to their genre, technique and style. It’s almost as if an actual deejay paired the matches just for you from its vast trove of titles — even tailoring the stations to your preferences as you use its ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ buttons.
On Pandora, you’ll also undoubtedly discover artists you’ve probably never heard of and obscure song versions that will both surprise and delight you and your friends. For a variety we can all enjoy, our family always plays Pandora at gatherings using the shuffle feature.
Be mindful though that streaming music from your phone can use data from your plan quickly, so be sure you’ve joined the Wi-Fi network at home or perhaps at the coffee shop.
Then, you can ‘Pandora’ from pretty much anywhere. Just don’t forget your earbuds….
Enjoy the show!
My phone does not work. Bill is paid & phone is charged, keeps saying, “No Service”. I am elderly and need my phone!
We’re so sorry to hear that, Susan. I took a look at your device settings on our end, and everything looks good to go. Please turn your phone off, then turn it back on. This will allow your phone to reconnect to the nearest tower with the strongest signal. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, please call us at 888-345-5509 from another phone and we can troubleshoot your Envoy further. Thank you for letting us know, and we look forward to getting this resolved for you.
I think I made a HUGE mistake switching from Verizon to Consumer Cellular. I believed the hype on the web saying the customer service was first rate. HOLY CRAP!!!! The customer service is AWFUL! The wait times are ridiculous and the call back feature doesn’t work or they ignore it. I am so disgusted!!
We apologize for the long wait time, PL. At the moment, we are doing our best to keep up, and we have been hiring more representatives to resolve this issue. I’ve passed your feedback regarding the callback feature on to our technical support team, and we are very sorry that this has been such a negative experience for you. We look forward to speaking with you and assisting you with anything you need. Thank you for posting today, and we appreciate your time.
Wait time is totally unacceptable! At least provide a more realistic estimated wait time. And don’t charge my minutes if the wait time is more than about 5 minutes. I waited 52 minutes!!!
We apologize for the wait time, Mary Ann. Please know that we are doing our best to reduce the hold times for our customers, and we are hiring more customer support team members each week to do just that. Any minutes used while on the phone with us are free of charge, and will not be deducted from your plan. I’m glad to see that we were able to answer your questions, but if we can assist with anything further, please just let us know. Thank you for taking the time to post, and we hope you have a great day!
I am beginning to agree with you that the service is bad. And why NO manual or video for how to use iPhone 6s?
We appreciate you taking the time to post, Liz. I’m sorry that you’ve had a bad experience with us recently. We’re happy to help you with any issues you’re experiencing with your iPhone over the phone if you like at 888-345-5509. If you would prefer a different option, you can find answers to questions, videos and more here. You may also be able to schedule one-on-one help at an Apple store near you as well. Thank you for the comment, and we hope you have a great day!
I had this problem also; until I turned on my Wi-Fi. Check in your settings and see if it is ON or OFF.
Just upgraded phones to comply with your new network requirements, and spent the most delightful half hour working with your staff, Paula in Oregon. She could not have been more helpful or personable. I’m a retiree from SWBT, ATT, and lucent tech, (37 yrs), and I shared with her how much I appreciated saving 50% on my cell bill compared with my previous account with another carrier. She also commented on how great your company was to work for, and how much she enjoyed it. You can’t beat your service, your price or your fantastic employees.
Thank you for sharing your experience with Paula, Paul. We do have the best customer service team in the business, and I’m so glad she was able to help you get your new account setup. I will be sure to pass your comments on to her supervisor. If we can help you with anything else at this time, please give us a call at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to comment, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
I am also a retiree from WE/ATT/LUCENT (32 years), and have nothing but great things to say about Consumer Cellular. I love my new Android smartphone (had an LG flip phone). I just wanted a phone to make phone calls and text. I use it with my home wi-fi, when I don’t feel like booting up my laptop. My other provider didn’t have as good a deal as I can get thru CC. I hope you are enjoying your retirement as much as I am!
I just received my new 626 Doro phone. Easy to set up following the step by step information. This is a great Company and I intend to stick around for a long time.
That’s great to hear, Jack. We’re sure you’ll love your new Doro 626. Be sure to check out our How-To videos here as you get to know your new phone. And of course, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have at 888-345-5509. Thank you for commenting!
I ordered on Friday, received it by Monday. Can’t complain about that. A little wait for a service rep but put the phone on speaker. US based customer service is amazing, quick efficient and no annoying “what did you say?” and hope its right.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for letting us know, and for taking the time to comment today!
Is CC support for Nomorobo in the works? If not, would like to recommend that Consumer Cellular support Nomorobo. Enjoying the service from CC!
Any idea if WIFI calling will be offered? Thanks
Thank you for asking! We don’t have that feature available at this time, but if that should change, we’ll be sure to let you know here on the blog. We appreciate you posting, and we hope you have a great day!
I have a flip phone, but it does not hold a charge very long. Can I get a credit toward a smart phone?
Thank you for asking! At this time, we don’t have a device trade-in program available. I took a look at your account, and I see that you are using a Doro 626. We can troubleshoot your device if you would like to keep your current phone. Otherwise, we do offer many affordable smartphones, and our EasyPay program allows you to have the phone you want with easy monthly payments. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 and we will be happy to help you. We appreciate you taking the time to post, and we look forward to speaking with you!
YOU SENT ME SIMS CARD IT IS INSTALLED PLESE CONNECT PHONE TO NETWORK???????????????????????????????
Hi James! I just wanted to follow-up to see if you’re still in need of assistance. In reviewing your account, I noticed that it looks like your device has already been activated. If you’re still in need of assistance, please let us know. Thank you.
I live in Salem and travel the northwest and your service sucks on your I phone 6x please send your coverege area
Hello Jerry. I was able to locate your account and it appears that you’ve already spoken to our of our representatives (Veronica). If you need any additional assistance, please let us know. Thank you!
I am in agreement with some of the above people about customer service. Consumer Cellular Customer Service has definitely deteriorated. For 3 days I called early morning, mid-morning, morning, afternoon, evening, late night, and late late night. Call back feature does NOT work! Finally, I was able to talk with a rep after a 20 minute hold time.
Also, why can’t I use Wi-Fi to send and receive picture messages? By forcing me to use data it uses my precious data allotment – I am sure that this is your motive so I spend more money.
Hi William. Please accept my sincere apologies for the long hold-times you’ve experienced lately. If you need any additional assistance, please let us know and we’ll be more than happy to help you.
With regards to your comment about picture messaging via Wi-Fi, in order for features like calls, text messages and picture messages to work, a cellular connection needs to be established as those forms of communication are sent directly to your specific phone number. Thanks again for the post, and please let us know if you need anything else.
Got the sim card wrong one of course asked they send the correct one WELL DAH they sent the same one,time to cancel with this DUD company
Hello David, thanks for the message. I was reviewing your account and noticed that you were speaking with Chris, in our customer service team, about this. Is there anything else you need from us? If so, please let me know and we’ll be more than happy to help. Thanks again.
I just purchased your service last week at a Target. I’m an AARP member but didn’t have the membership # that the sales person said I needed for the AARP discount. I have it now and can give to you when your representative e-mails me. (Your call center is overloaded — I’ve called twice.)
Thanks for the note, Robert. Feel free to email that information to us at [email protected] and we’ll be more than happy to get the AARP discount applied to your account. Thank you.
I think the Consumer Cellular app has a bug. The data usage on the web site has my usage as 169.49 MB; however, the app on my phone has to usage as over 300 MB.
Thank you for commenting, Kim. In general, the My CC app has the most up to date information, but please keep in mind that there can be a 24-48 delay when your usage is reported. I took a look at your account, and I’m glad to see that Deborah, your account advisor, was able to confirm your usage with you. If we can assist you with anything else today, please feel free to give us a call at 888-345-5509. We will be happy to help! We appreciate you taking the time to post today, and we hope you have a great day!
The My CC app on my phone now reports my usage as 169.5 which is less that it was reporting on yesterday. That is why I am questioning whether the app is working correctly. Do you think I should reinstall the app? This happens every so often and I find it annoying.
You may want to see if an update is available, Kim. Go to the Google Play store, and search for the My CC app. You may see an option to update, and please select that if so. As a reminder, you will want to make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi when you do so. That way, you won’t need to use any data from your plan. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, please let us know. I’ve also passed your experience on to our app development team for review, so thank you for sharing it with us. If we can assist you with anything else at this time, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-345-5509. Thank you for posting today, and we hope you have a great day!
I just upgraded to marshmellow 6 (SP) everything works but my CC APP. Can’t log on with my phone as it doesn’t take the dialed number. Tried call 3 times, last call 49 minutes and had to give up as I had to tend to something outside my house?
Finally got a hold of Sweet Tori in Oregon. We uninstalled the CC app then reinstalled. Works fine. Thanks Tori.
That’s great to hear, Gary! I’ll be sure to let Tori’s supervisor know what a great job she did. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know!
Thank you for posting, Gary. We’ve responded to your other post, and we’re so glad to hear that our team was able to get this resolved for you. Have a great day!
I have been on the phone for about an hour now waiting for someone to pick-up. This is not what I call a helpful company.
We’re so sorry for the long hold time, Connie. I took a look at your account, and I’m glad to see that Kevin, your account advisor, was able to help answer your questions. Please know that we are hiring new employees every week so that we can reduce the wait times as we know they are frustrating. If we can assist you with anything else at this time, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-345-5509. Thank you for posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
I have a Doro phone Easy 618 with an insurance policy. It will not charge a battery in my phone so I charge the battery in a defective 618 and swap the battery. The hold time with Consumer Cellular was extremely long and then they pass you to Square Trade and they’re so busy they tell you to call back tomorrow. This customer service is really poor.
We’re sorry to hear that, Maynard. I apologize for that experience, and we truly appreciate your patience while we work with SquareTrade on this issue. Thank you for sharing your experience, and for taking the time to post.
What is going on?????? I can not answer calls on my phone have emailed you and tried to call you no answer to email on hold for over 20 min finally gave up. When did your service go from great to crap?
We’re very sorry for the long hold time you experienced, Floyd. I was able to take a look at your account, and I’m glad to see that Alexandra was able to help troubleshoot and provide you with the next steps so that we can get this issue with your phone resolved. Thank you for your patience, and please let us know if we can assist you with anything else. We appreciate you taking the time to comment, and we hope you have a great day!
We have had Consumer Cellular for about 5 years. You used to have great customer service, but it has taken a fast downward spiral, especially recently.Last week, we ordered 2 new phones, but every time we call we are either put on hold for up to 15 minutes, or we get put on a call back list and you don’t call back or we are disconnected.Some of the associates are nice,but others should not be working with the public. Fast becoming VERY ANNOYED with Consumer Cellular.
Thank you for taking the time to post, Donna. We apologize for the long hold times, and please know that we are working to fix that issue. If we can assist you with anything here on the blog, please let me know and I will be happy to help you. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
Just purchased and activated a Doro PhoneEasy 626, with the monthly 750 minute plan. I’ve not used ANY minutes, but my Plans & Usage page shows “0 used of 677 minutes” and “no usage records found.” How did it lose 73 minutes?! Could it be that because the invoice has not yet been processed, the actual minutes I purchased are not posted? Also, do unused minutes rollover each month? Looking forward to enjoying my simple phone to simply talk with family and friends. Thank you.
We’re happy to answer those questions, Lu. First, when you signed up, we pro-rated your minutes for the first month. That is why you are seeing 677 minutes instead of 750. Next month you will see the full plan minutes reflected on your account. Our minutes don’t rollover each month, but with our flexible plans, you can always change up until the last day of the billing cycle. If you find that our 250 minute plan works best for one month, you can always change to that plan, then back to 750 minutes the next month. That way, you never have to pay for more than you need! We’re glad to hear that you’re excited to use your new phone, and we are just as excited to have you as a customer. Thank you for posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
I keep my data is a very low level because I don’t care to text or use the internet. I just want a phone with voice mail (which I haven’t set up yet). But Consumer feels the need to send me messages the eat up data and included are messages that my data usage is getting near the limit and I should do something. What I would like is for Consumer to stop sending me messages unless they can send them to my email OR don’t count your messages against my data allotment.
We apologize for any confusion, John. Please rest assured, our usage alerts do not count against your plan. They are meant to be a helpful reminder so you can manage your plan as you see fit. They are optional, so if you don’t find them useful we’re happy to make that adjustment. We can help you over the phone at 888-345-5509, or you can make the adjustment within the My Account portal, whichever option works best for you. To make the change, go to the Plans & Usage section and select the menu at your right. Then select “Manage Usage Alerts”. That’s it! Thank you for taking the time to post today, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
Do you expect to offer newer smart phones that have the LolliPop OS system? I have the Huawei which is ok but it’s still running on KitKat and Huawei apparently will not be providing an update OS.
Thank you for asking, Rose. We offer a few phones that come ready with Lollipop (like the Moto E LTE, Moto G LTE and the Doro SmartEasy 824), and others that have been able to update to it. As updates are released by the manufacturer, not by us, we can’t tell you whether or not a device you purchase now will be able to update in the future. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about our Android smartphones at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to post today, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
My phone rings sporadically. Some calls I can hear and other calls the phone does not ring. Also, the phone does not make a sound when I receive a text message. What is the solution to this problem?
That sounds frustrating, Linda! If you aren’t hearing your phone ring, it could be possible that you pressed one of the buttons on the side when you picked up your phone, which could silence the ringer. If that is not the case, you may want to take a look at your calling settings to make sure that your iPhone will ring many times before sending the call to voicemail or silencing it. As for the text message issue, you can assign a sound to messages by going to Settings, then Sounds. And if you run into any issues, we’re happy to help you over the phone at 888-345-5509. Thank you for posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
Been a CC customer for years, love the company and have convinced many people to switch to it. The only complaint I have is that I don’t get signal in some (more remote) places, like my girlfriend’s house. Her cell phone company offers WIFI calling, and she says that it has solved her problems with the weak signal at her house. Wondering if you guys are planning on offering WIFI calling in the near future. It would make me very happy!
That’s a great suggestion, Jorge. At this time, we don’t have Wi-Fi calling as a standard feature for our customers. As to the issues you’re experiencing with your reception in remote areas, we’re happy to take a look at the area in question and recommend some options for you. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 when you get a chance, and we’ll be ready to assist you. We appreciate you taking the time to share your recommendation with us, and we hope you have a great day!
Like Jorge I could also use WiFi calling. I just moved and my new house has poor to no tower strength. Either a signal booster or WiFi calling would help me a lot. Can CC help me with this problem
We’re happy to help you with that, Andrew. There are a few things we can do on our end to adjust your settings, and we can explore better coverage options. Can you give us a call at 888-345-5509? We will be happy to assist you. Thank you for taking the time to post, and we look forward to speaking with you!
Has my internet phone number ported to my zte wireless phone base yet? Supposed to on may 31 2016. That is through my tv provider.
Thank you for checking in with us, Clarence. I took a look at your account, and it looks like the port is still in progress. Depending on the situation, it can take up to 7-10 business days. We will be happy to notify you when the port has been completed, and you’re welcome to give us a call if you would like an update. The best way to reach us is to call 888-345-5509 at your convenience. We appreciate you taking the time to post, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
Consumer Cellular needs to accommodate Nomorobo. I receive an inordinate number of robo, telemarketing, scam calls on my number. Pls do not ask me to change my number as I have had this number for years and it would be too difficult to alert family/friends/business associations to a number change. Rather CC should afford customers the opportunity to block and permanently stop such annoying calls.
Thank you for posting, Cyndie, and I will be sure to pass your request on to our team. While there are some apps and other options available for our smartphone users, we can understand the frustrations expressed by those using a flip phone. Please do make sure your number is registered with the Do Not Call list, and know that we understand this issue is quite important. We appreciate your feedback, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
I’ve been waiting 55 minutes for customer support. Can you tell me whether you support wifi dialing on Iphone 6? Two of our devices will not hold these settings. The second issue is that our HTC phone will not allow call forwarding. Please reply back at your earliest. I’m tired of holding online. I’ve had to call on my work phone through AT&T since we do not have coverage in this location, hence the request for internet dialing. Thank you.
I was able to speak to someone after an hour and they resolved the web dialing on the Iphones. They have to enable this feature on their side. The call forwarding on the HTC phone was not resolved as of yet.
Thank you for posting, Dawn! I was able to review your account, and I see that our account advisor, Sage, was able to assist you in setting up the Wi-Fi calling on your devices. We’re happy to review the issue with the call forwarding on your phone and do some additional troubleshooting if you like. Please feel free to call us at 888-345-5509 at your convenience. We appreciate you sharing your experience, and we look forward to assisting you!
I am new to consumer cellular, but am not very happy right now. I have VERY poor signal and can’t even get a call through to you without driving elsewhere for more tgan 1 bar signal, THEN told it will be 15 min wait or call back!!! I can’t sit in car waiting up the road. I heard you could possibly send a signal booster to help?
Thanks for taking the time to reach out to us, Sally. We may be able to send some updates to your phone or send you a new SIM card to resolve this problem. If possible, please give us a call at 888-345-5509 from another device so that we can do some troubleshooting. It’s best to call from another device so that we can have you turn the phone off and back on if needed. We appreciate you taking the time to post, and we look forward to resolving this for you!