TracFone TCL Flip 2, 8GB, Black – Prepaid Flip Phone (Locked)

It worked out great!
Purchased this phone after my husband was having issues receiving/sending calls on his very expensive Smartphone. He could only text and have internet access, which was really weird. Our carrier was unable to troubleshoot/resolve, so new phone was on the way but it meant 3 to 5 business days to arrive. The TCL Flip arrived next day.Very easy to activate, set-up was a bit clunky if you are used to Smartphones, but he loves that it’s a flip phone-he’s using it for all his phone calls and loves that it fits in his pocket. Texting on early 2000s Tech is not easy, but the Flip Phone goes with him to work. If he has to text, it’s short and to the point.Calls are loud and clear.The plastic doesn’t seem as robust as early Flip Phones, I remember them being thicker and heavier, but so far so good.Battery life is good so far.Tracfone is now owned by Verizon (we use another carrier) and cell service on Verizon is similar to our normal carrier, at least in our area.

3 months old, phone doesn’t work anymore
Bought in June 2023 for my elderly father who has always had Tracfone instead of a regular “billed” cellular service. This was to replace the “Smart” Tracfone that he lost, so we decided to go back to an old-fashioned flip phone like he had previously as the smartphone just wasn’t a good fit and he felt he managed with his previous flip better because he thought it was easier to use. Plus, it was relatively inexpensive, this is his 4th phone in as many years (he loses them) so replacing cheaply is a plus.Well, I wouldn’t put THIS flip phone anywhere in the easy-to-use category. It just didn’t work “logically.” He’d make a call, close the phone to hang up and instead of it going back to a main menu it STAYED on the last call he made or received. Which is not a huge problem for us in the “younger” generations as we know how to navigate to the other menus, but an elderly man in his 80s just can’t figure these things out. Initially I thought he was doing something wrong, but it wasn’t user error, it is 100% how the phone functions. You must exit all the way out to the main menu each time you use the phone otherwise when you engage the phone next it opens right up to wherever you were last. None of the menus seemed “easy” to get to. There is no “home” type key so it’s a matter of backing out multiple times to get to “the beginning” again. Maybe I’ve had a smartphone for too long and I don’t remember this kind of difficulty going back to the analog days. But then I started to think there WAS something wrong with the phone in general when it just seemed to get stuck in particular menus and the only way to get out was to force a restart.Fast forward to September 2023, he asks me to come look at his phone (a weekly occurrence in the last few years) because “It’s just not working.” He’s complaining because the small outside screen on the flip will not “turn off.” So I look at it and he’s right, the outside screen was staying “on” instead of timing out when inactive. So I start looking through the menus to see if there is a time out setting for that screen that may have “mysteriously” been changed. I can’t find anyway to adjust that particular feature. So I figured I would power it all the way off then back on thinking maybe it would reset. I can’t power it off at all. The “red” button won’t engage at all to force the restart. Strike one. So I start checking other things I grab my own cell and call his number, it never rings and he gets a notice of a missed call. And not that it’s on silent or vibrate, the phone never indicates an incoming call just the immediate indication of a missed call. Strike two. So I try to make a call FROM his phone, it tells me it is unable to connect the call. I try to call 611 to connect to Tracfone support, tells me it is unable to make a call. I reset the network. Still says it’s unable to connect the call. Strike three. The man literally keeps this phone in his chest pocket on his shirt or on his nightstand. It hasn’t gotten wet or been dropped or used beyond calling his lady-friend 5 times a day. It’s all but brand-new and “dead” already.So this phone is three months old, nothing but a useless paperweight now, and I’m stuck looking for another easy to use phone for my father. This is a exercise in futility in today’s world because “easy to use” is subjective.I will not buy this one again and would advise anyone against buying it if looking for a reliable and easy to use phone, particularly for an elderly person. We are stuck with Tracfone now because he paid for a whole year of airtime up front and they don’t prorate/reimburse if you “cancel.” Which is bad business. Stay away from from this phone, honestly I’d say stay away from Tracfone in general. Further, the multiple times I have had to get on the phone with my father to Tracfone in the last few years is a struggle, customer service is “overseas” and difficult for him to deal with (language and hearing issues and the lack of the CSR understaning that they are dealing with an older person who is not “tech savvy”).Get your grandparents a Jitterbug or the “Alzheimers” phone.

A straight talk flip phone
I bought it for a friend and he likes it it works very well he lives in the country and needed a cell phone in case of emergency it always works picks up good reception very nice phone

Tracfone
Phone feels cheaply made. Not user friendly. The last model was much simpler for my mom to use.