Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
The Hello Mobile nightmare has somehow managed to get even worse
- Hello Mobile customers are stranded once again, this time with no service at all.
- Customer service through Liberty has been largely silent, though one Reddit user was able to get in.
- Reportedly the problem is a billing issue in the system, though a lack of response leaves us to recommend switching to another carrier.
About a month ago we reported that after basically giving its customers the silent treatment, Hello Mobile had suddenly shut down and shifted its customer base to Liberty Wireless. Unfortunately, it seems this saga isn’t over as now customers are reporting issues with their service suddenly not working. Even worse, attempting to call customer service results in a message stating “All agents are busy” before the line disconnects.
While I was alerted to this issue through my last article’s comments, I dug a little deeper. My own attempts to email Liberty have gone unanswered but I was able to learn a little more through other users on the No Contract subbreddit. Reportedly, one customer finally was able to get through to customer service after multiple attempts.
So what’s going on here? According to Liberty the people who lost service over the weekend were due to issues in the billing system where the service cut off (January 11) and the renewal date (January 15). The reps claim the issue should resolve itself. Should doesn’t necessarily mean will, however. Liberty is far from one of the bigger prepaid carriers so we can understand some level of integration issues with Hello accounts as these things can happen, but the lack of online updates and transparency are very concerning.
Complicating matters further, while some customers were able to pay for the next month through Liberty, many Hello customers have been unable to renew their plan due to issues logging in (as logging in recovery requires a phone number verification code for a number that obviously isn’t currently working correctly). It’s unclear what will happen to these accounts, or the numbers that are associated with them.
As a customer stuck in limbo, what should you do?
Should former Hello customers jump ship from Liberty Mobile?
You could wait. It’s very possible that after the 15th you’ll at least be able to find a way to pay for your service and if you already paid, it should be working again. You could also try contacting Liberty customer service about paying over the phone if you haven’t been able to renew.
Honestly, though, Liberty has limited customer service agents and seems bogged down at the moment, so there are no guarantees here. If the number associated with your former Hello Mobile service is important to you, you’ll want to port out while you still can. While it’s not likely to happen, it’s just not worth risking losing access to the number permanently.
The good news with Liberty is that you don’t even need to contact them to transfer. You just need your account number and PIN, which reportedly for the vast majority of customers is actually just your full phone number for the account and the last four digits for the PIN. To say that’s a very insecure process on Liberty’s part is an understatement, and honestly highlights why you are better off leaving now.
As for who you should jump ship to? If you came from Hello, value is likely your core concern here.
Tello (Sign up now!) is a more reliable alternative to Liberty with fairly similar pricing as well. US Mobile and Mint Mobile also provide excellent value without significantly higher costs.