Gen Mobile - Reviews and experiences

don’t trust this setup. I went because a friend tipped me and I first saw the flyer on a community board, so I thought it might be legit. I left feeling annoyed and kinda creeped out. The people running it — two women and a man — took my info at least twice, maybe three times, and kept screenshots on their phones. They were set up by their cars with a folding table. One woman had a crying baby and no car seat. The same man and another woman were vaping or smoking nearby. They skipped a handful of people who were waiting. One person’s phone was ready but she had to go to work; the volunteer joked she’d “keep it” if she wasn’t back by six — I mean, weird. I waited two days with an award letter and still nothing. They kept copies of everything on their phones. The sign said “free,” but then they requested payments — fifteen, twenty, thirty bucks — via Cash App or Zelle sometimes, and they even tried to use someone else’s account. Felt unsafe handing over private info. I won’t go back.

calls were solid, texts came through, and I could load a map without watching the spinner forever. At first I fiddled and cursed a little (old habit), then rang support — and honestly the person on the line was calm, explained a couple of settings, asked me to reboot, and waited while I checked things. That step-by-step help is really what flipped my opinion; that’s when I knew I was satisfied. Delivery was faster than I thought, ordering was simple, and the price is exactly what you’d expect from a subsidized plan. I’d tell anyone considering this: don’t assume the box defines the whole experience — try a quick restart, check APN if you need to, and give customer service a chance to actually help. Not glamorous, not perfect, but reliable enough and saves money, which is the point for me. Pleasantly surprised and I’m sticking with it for now.

it insists on sending codes to a number I can't use, despite saying there are other options. I lost work because I drive for a living and couldn't be reachable on one of my phones; had to shuffle meetings and cancel a couple. In the end I switched providers because I couldn't afford more downtime. There's some good — the price was reasonable and the reps weren't rude — but the reliability of support and account tools needs work. If you're tempted by the price, just be ready for fiddly chats and patience. I even went into a store once to ask, and that seemed better but still slow, so yeah, mixed bag.

podcasts on the commute, a decent camera for quick snaps of kids, battery that lasts a workday. So I went for it despite the worry. After the theft I rang customer support to have the device shut down. The call was... weird. At first the rep was almost silent, like they had picked up but didn’t dive in. I kept talking into speaker, filling the gaps, repeating the same info because they wouldn’t volunteer their name or confirm steps. It felt scripted — like everybody’s trained to pass the buck until you beg them to do the job. I told them exactly what I needed, I even pre-empted what I thought they would ask, but at the end I had no clear confirmation that the stolen device was disabled. That uncertainty stung more than the loss. On the product side, though, my doubts softened: it still handles daily life well, apps run fine, and the screen survived a couple of drops. So overall I’m sort of torn. Hardware: thumbs up. Support and accountability: disappointing. I want to believe they’ll tighten up the call scripts and actually verify actions for customers, because right now you get a useful phone with shaky aftercare. For now I’m cautiously satisfied with the device itself, but still wary about relying on their customer service if something goes wrong again.

they sent an old phone with no battery. That’s the gist. I don’t care that it’s an older model, but I do care I can’t make calls. I called up and tried to get a battery sent. The rep I spoke with (he gave his name, but I’m not putting it here) insisted there’s no one above him to ask, and refused to ship a battery unless I returned the whole phone first — and I’d have to pay return shipping. They even cancelled the SIM card so I couldn’t try it in another device. That left me stuck. I explained again that the government pays for the plan and they’re being paid, so sending a battery shouldn’t be a big ask. Nope, apparently not. After a few more calls and a lot of waiting, I had to rely on a kind neighbour who lent me a charger and a tiny battery they had from an old phone. I’m grateful for that help — otherwise I’d still be without a way to call my clinic. So yeah, I’m relieved it didn’t get worse and that I can use something for now, but I’m not happy with how the company handled it. They made a simple situation complicated, and their policy of “return first, then maybe replace” is a real problem for people who can’t afford extra shipping or who are sick and need a phone right away. If you’re on the free plan and depend on this for health reasons, be warned — you may end up doing a lot of extra work to get it sorted.