You may not be aware that Safelink Wireless/Tracfone are subsidiaries of a Mexican cell phone company named America Movil. It’s the world’s fourth largest cell phone company and the largest provider of wireless service in Latin America. It’s owned by the richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, worth about $74 billion. America Movil racked up $30 billion a year for him.
Slim may lose a billion dollars if the charges filed against him stick. AP reports:
Mexico’s anti-trust commission has hit billionaire Carlos Slim’s cellphone subsidiary with a 12 billion peso ($1 billion) fine, parent company America Movil announced.
The Federal Competition Commission said the cellphone subsidiary, Telcel, engaged in monopolistic practices associated with call terminations, America Movil said in a filing with the Mexican stock exchange late Friday.
The company said it is studying the fine and all options for appeal.
His businesses have been charged with monopolistic practices in the past.
Source: EarthLink – Business News.
Mary Lea Dailey says
Guess the Safelink people blocked my comment SO ID GREATLY APPRICATE A CALL FROM SOMEONE IN THE APPROPRIATE OFFICE 870-227-**** THANK YOU MUCH
Free Government Cell Phones says
You’ve made a common error. This is an independent informational website that has ZERO affiliation with any of the Lifeline free government cell phone companies. You need to reach out to your service provider by calling 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone.
Bg says
The safelink is not free, the govt welfare gives 30$ of your from your welfare funds
To phones company’s. It’s your money that welfare takes from you and give to Carlos slim. In new your you get 120$ every two weeks but they take 30$ off for your phone.
So you get 90$ . Rip off give me my 120$ and I will get free phone from metro and pay 30$ a month. Unlimited everything. Watch out nothing is free. Ask for your budget letter and you will see 120$ – 30$
Free Government Cell Phones says
Nothing you said is correct, BG. You do not get charged $30. It is not taken from your welfare income. That $30 is a subsidy that the government pays directly to the internet service provider.
Donald Holmes says
This is just like in the pharmaceutical business. It’s just a bunch of rich white shirts (mostly men) thru their greed making their own rules. He is worth 74 billion dollars. The company makes 30 billion dollars a year. This means that he makes a lot of other people money on both sides of the law and in between. Do you really think that he is worried about 1 billion dollars? Which he will never personally pay. Even if he does, we the poor consumers will never see or benefit from it. In the end, he and those in power will become richer.
Free Government Cell Phones says
This is the kind of comment that really pisses us off.
Do you really think “rich white guys” are any better or worse than rich black guys or rich Asian guys or rich Martian guys? You are what is known as a bigot, asshat.
Besides, the “rich white guy” you are referring to is Hispanic. And you are a moron.
Any other questions, genius?
Henry says
“Slim confesses to preferring the simple life, and his lifestyle may seem less extravagant than other billionaires..”
“his philanthropic mission to donate much of his wealth to that help better his home country of Mexico and Latin America may be his biggest investment and certainly a lasting legacy.”
So why are so many trying to cross the border from Mexico?
Free Government Cell Phones says
Divvy Slim’s wealth up among all the poor Mexicans and you still wouldn’t make any of them rich. If you lived in Mexico, wouldn’t you want to come here? That’s not an opinion regarding the mess at the border, just a comment on how good we all have it here. We don’t know this for a fact, but we’d be willing to guess that there is no free government cell phone program in Mexico.
Henry says
That’s true. Not many free handouts in Latin America. Now some of the border crossers have ended up on Martha’s Vineyard! I do not think the Kennedys are hiring manual laborers.
Carl says
I live in the United States 6 months of the Year in Mexico 6 months of the year. It is true that there are no free cell phone plans in Mexico whatsoever. However the Telcel plan that I use costs me about $7.50 a month and has unlimited text and calling and two or three gigabytes of data. Telcel even works in the United States once you have it set up in mexico. In the United States I have used SafeLink for about 8 years and and am extremely happy with them. I tried to switch over to q Link for a while but their tech support is a joke and I never could get any action there so when I moved to Oregon I found out that SafeLink now supports this area and the Verizon network they are on is 100 times better than the T-Mobile or AT&t network I had at my house before. I know that’s a subjective comment based only on the network coverage and Network crowding that I am on am I particular location in Medford oregon. However count me a friend of SafeLink for life! They have been nothing but perfection for me.
Free Government Cell Phones says
If there is an international plan out there we are unaware of it, Carl. But other than that issue, we’re happy to hear that your service is going well.
Lisa fisher says
Hello listen to Carlos Slim I am calling on behalf of my son Jason Greiner and this is about your wonderful company SafeLink you’re probably making money off the poor because your representative from your company or rude and disrespectful and do not know how to be professional I know all about professionalism as I used to work for a lawyer who’s also my cousin so definitely I know how to be professional my son was rudely really disrespected he had called about an issue with one of your phones that he had and actually bought from you guys and the issue was resolved and he was transferring above heads because everyone has a boss and we will go all the way to the FCC with this and when he was transferred they said because of the behavior he was giving you would get a gift card of some sort but today my son called and again was transferring 5 or 6 times I was told he was not going to get a gift card or any kind of compensation because of the behavior total disrespectful Behavior he was given yesterday now you have to be able to do something professional about this because you can’t keep making money off the poor and uneducated people this is why I help my children know that everyone had their boss yes you do to you have to answer to someone to keep your company going or tell me something down and like I said my cousin is a very top well-known lawyer who had never lost a case I would like to be able to get some sort of reply from you of what can be done about this sincerely missing Lisa Fischer
Free Government Cell Phones says
Tiger Mom.
Omar isa says
Safelink was the best company who provided free phone under the lifeline program now its left million of people without the service who desperately need it I would love to see it back in action specially with the pandemic hitting USA harder than any nation on earth
Free Government Cell Phones says
We are unaware of any changes to the Safelink program. What do you know that we don’t, Omar?
Debra Grosse says
APPARENTLY THIS IS TRUE!!! I’VE CALLED SAFELINK 4X’S ABOUT A PHONE I PURCHASED IN JUNE!!! IT WAS “SUPPOSED” TO BE A “NEW” PHONE!!! RECEIVED A “USED” PHONE WHICH BEING “SO CALLED BRAND NEW” IS A USED PHONE!!! THEY “STOLE” $139.00 FROM ME!!! DO NOT “EVER” PURCHASE A PHONE FROM THE “SAFELINK” SITE!!! TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE FROM BEING “RIPPED OFF!!!”
HYMAN WIEDER says
THEY HAVE YOUR MINUTES,TEXT,DATA AS 0 & THIS IS THEIR UPDATE. YOU CAN CALL 100 PEOPLE THERE BUT TO NO AVAIL. DO THEY TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK!
Kriss Caro says
they have stolen money from me twice now within just a few days span of time…. this new year 2020 January…..and they are shameless about it….while pretending politeness…..i am so angry..and i did NOT use good manners about it…they’re like f….ing robots….robbing the poor…
Free Government Cell Phones says
How did they do that, Kriss? Here’s an article that tells you how to file official complaints about your service:
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/faq/file-official-complaint-about-your-lifeline-service
Jessie Lewis says
I would like to read the actual contract that allows Safelink to defraud the American People like they do. I believe it is fraudulent to stop giving phones to lifeline recipients without offering rebates for phone cost. The U.S. Government should withdraw any contract with safelink and sue for damages and repayment.
lynn says
write the better business buearu.
bbb
get them shut down
Grandma S says
Safelink Wireless, a.k.a Tracfone Wireless, a.k.a AMERICA MOVIL is a giant corporation that is out to screw Americans using the government phone plan while it screws the American government who contracts and pays them for a phone service they barely provide.
Safelink/Tracfone/America Movil’s “Customer Service” is NON-EXISTENT. It is staffed by a bunch of Pacific Asians with one day of training and ZERO English speaking ability! Their tech support is NON-EXISTENT. They are NOT providing what the US Gov’t pays them to provide. They cut off my phone service after TWO DAYS NOTICE- through a text! When, by contract THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO NOTIFY their SAFELINK CUSTOMERS AT LEAST 60 DAYS PRIOR THAT IT’S TIME TO RENEW/REACTIVATE THEIR ACCOUNT AND PHONE SERVICE!
It took two days and six (6) different pass-offs to different employees just to get a Safelink employee who was actually intelligent enough to understand my problem – Regardless of her basic command of the English language, ‘Vanessa’ (fake name, I am sure) still refused to properly or honorably solve my phone re-activation issue. She instead extorted some money for minutes. Fake ‘Vanessa’ also tried to get me to give her my FULL social security number – this was AFTER I made it clear that I was going to fill out the account activation application by MAIL. [A good employee from a good company NEVER asks for a customer’s full SS number]
Never, NEVER give ANY company or corporation your full Social Security number. Ever !
Said with utter contempt and sarcasm: NICE EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE THERE, TRACFONE, I mean, SAFELINK, oops, I mean America Movil Corporation!
What this company needs in a bad way is a class-action law suit. They need to learn that they CANNOT continue with their sleazy, shoddy, incompetent, and I strongly suspect ILLEGAL actions. The bigger they are, the harder they fall…………
carol says
Please call the FCC number for complaints..also your local state may have an agency for telecommunication complaints , in FL. it is the ” public service commission” also BBB
emily says
SafeLink sucks. The people are stupid and are not trained AT ALL! They know nothing about the phones or the plans, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. They are all a bunch of fucking idiots. Don’t waste your time. You will go berserk. Trust me. A BUNCH OF F**KING IDIOTS!
carol says
The “workers” are from the Philippines a country that has allowed the muslim terrorist training camps to proliferate , so what do you expect ! What is the term President Trump uses for these places ? Asshole countries ? Pretty damn accurate if you ask me. This is one of a dozen reasons Trump wants to fine the hell out of American companies who send work to other countries, not only do we lose jobs but the service is TERRIBLE to NONEXISTENT and when you threaten to call the FCC or any other govt. office to lodge a complaint.. they don’t care…they have no clue how America works.
Free Government Cell Phones says
If we’re not mistaken, Trump’s terminology was “shithole” countries, not “asshole” countries.
Tami Corona says
What can I do if my Safelink wireless account, an ‘Obama’ phone, gets shut off?
Free Government Cell Phones says
Renew it.
Shawn says
Why is a us gov program not an American company?????. Let’s just call ourselves the United States of Mexico.mr president let change this I mean come on !!!!
Free Government Cell Phones says
Absolutely! Right on! We’re behind you all the way, Shawn! (Actually, we don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about, but your enthusiasm is infectious.)
Grandma S says
What Shawn is trying to say, in his awkward way, is that it ISN’T RIGHT that Americans getting the benefit of an ‘Obama’/ Gov’t phone are actually enriching a shoddy, scandalous company like the MEXICAN corporation, AMERICA MOVIL. The US government should contract with a US company – and enrich them! With that change, it would provide us poor folks with a better phone service. ANYTHING would be a better phone service than Safelink, Tracfone. Alvin and the Chipmunks could provide a better service than SL/TF! Dumb and Dumber could provide a better service….
AND I AGREE WITH SHAWN 1000% !!!!!!!!!!!
To hell w/ American Movil and their crappy quasi-criminal employees mining you for ID info, crappy tech support, sporadic service, and bad overall attitude towards customers.
jan says
i am a safelink customer and the service here where i live at is Horrible, you can’t use your phone if your in your house cause it does not pick up service, and if you leave out of the town limits you have no service at all. and the customer service is so bad you can’t understand anything they say, i always ask them can i talk to someone that know ‘s english please and i still get a non-English speaking person.
Claudia says
As I’m Living in Florida, I have not been aware of any shinanigans or monopolies that Tracfone has been related to and I have always found Tracfone to offer the lowest out of pocket cost for service compared to any other cell phone plan in the US and I’ve always experienced great coverage on my travels using myTracfone phone.
It’s not just seniors who are getting government aid that need cell phones for emergency use but also seniors who are living on a small pension that also need a low cost phone for emergencies.
This is why it was a no brainer for me to get my mom a special Tracfone for seniors which is hearing aid compatible with larger keys and letters which made dialing allot easier. This cell phone for seniors Tracfone Samsung T155G cost us $15 and the service only costs my mom $7/month.
I think every senior should keep a Tracfone on them at all times.
Tracie says
Geez Claudi? Are you a tracfone stock holder??? An employee? tracfone retailer?
All I can say is both Virgin and Att are cheaper prepaid options here in WA. and my exerience with Safelink, a governent supported tracphone program has been nightmarish.
They stink!!! Horrible customer service if you speak english. Cheap, unusable phones!
I’d say go ANY WHERE else.
antag says
Claudia —– does that Safelink emergency service ithat you need include calls to international locations — or long distance for that matter and do you foresee the need toi send 911 a text message? Do you think they’ll call you back and leave a message on your voice mail. And do you think you’ll have 250 free minutes of emergencies every month (which you can carry over from month to month)? Bull.
Lora says
Your comment makes no sense to Me?
I have no Idea who Claudia is but I 100% agree with her.
I live in Florida and have never heard of any problems or had any with the Safelink phone I signed my mother up for.
She is on a fixed income and instead of the lifeline discount on her home phone she now has a “free” Safelink phone which is a tracfone which i call her on long distance all the time. The coverage is GREAT!
They have went out of there way to work with my mom in walking her through and setting up her phone because i could not be there to do it for her. Yes, just like any other company it is hard to get someone on the phone. But when we did they spoke plain and were very helpful.
And no I do not work for them in any way and I am not a stock holder. Just believe it is a great product and recommend it to all the seniors i work with!
My opinion and it is a great one! Happy New Year to all!