Where is Trump’s phone? We’ll keep talking about it every week. While waiting, we tried ordering a Trump Mobile SIM card so we could test the service on a different device. Here’s how it happened.
Signing up for Trump Mobile’s wireless service felt a bit like engaging in spying.
Let’s just say I don’t fully trust the Trump Organization to be great stewards of my credit card information, so I used a virtual number provided by my bank. Once I handed over the virtual money, I got this message: “Thank you for your order of the physical SIM, we will ship the next business day via First Class USPS Mail, no separate tracking number will be sent.” Exactly what I was looking for from my wireless service: a sense of mystery! Fast forward two weeks, and that SIM card is still on the way. My relationship with Trump Mobile’s wireless service? Bad start. I would have been annoyed by this – if the customer service wasn’t so good.
If I wasn’t travelling, this whole thing wouldn’t have taken so long. I signed up for the service on a Thursday, left for a short work trip the following Tuesday, and returned home on Thursday. It was a bit surprising that the SIM hadn’t arrived by then, but I gave it the weekend before I started trying to track it down. By Monday afternoon, I figured it was time to call customer service. I called around 5pm PT – within the 8am to 8pm CT hours listed on the website, but they were actually closed for the day.
I called around 5pm PT – within the 8am to 8pm CT hours listed on the website, but they were actually closed for the day.
The next day I contacted someone and he said my SIM card should have arrived by then. She pursued my case, and although she couldn’t tell me when I should expect to hear from anyone about the issue, she said, “Have a great day, sweetheart” as I hung up the phone. Well, at least it was good. But at this point, I paid $51.99 for a service I couldn’t use and felt bad about it.
Later that afternoon an email arrived from Care@trumpmobile.com saying my SIM was being shipped via two-day FedEx. “Once you have received this and activated your phone, please let me know so I can adjust your start date,” “Care Team, B” began the message. The next day, an email arrived from FedEx containing details about my package arriving from Liberty Mobile – the MVNO behind Trump Mobile. Sure enough, it’s on track for delivery by the end of this week.
Without any prompting, “B” told me yesterday that the package was arriving soon, and they would refund my payment. When I get the SIM card, I’ll be able to log in, activate it, and then we’ll “start from scratch” billing-wise. This is extremely thoughtful – I didn’t even have to yell “speak to a representative” into my phone. The refund came the same day, at which point I felt less salty.
My interactions with customer service have felt less like yelling at a computer and more like emailing a man
I should admit here that I signed up for the service under my work email. I don’t know if it had any effect on my treatment, and I think I should have used something more anonymous. Then again, I’m not putting too much trust in a company that sells steaks and condos with my private email address under lock and key. I also emailed Trump Mobile’s media relations to ask about the delayed SIM, but this happened after “kh” had already arranged for FedEx delivery.
Call me naive, but I think my email address makes me look like a member of a crooked, coastal media elite, which has nothing to do with how I was treated. That’s how MVNOs are supposed to be, right? They don’t deal with Verizon or AT&T customer numbers, so it tracks that my interactions with customer service felt less like yelling at a computer and more like emailing a guy. Or girl. Sorry to give away your gender, B. Anyway, the real fun starts when my Sim shows up, which should be any moment now.