Exactta Group ,Communications, Latin American Enterprises Grossly overpriced SIM Card that didn't work - no response from customer service. Miami Florida

 On June 21, 2013 my travel companion and I arrived from the US at Rome airport. We were approached by a man offering SIM cards for cell phones. Since we had two phones that needed SIM cards, we listened to what he had to say.

At his kiosk, the man talked a lot – among other things he said that we could use the SIM card anywhere, that this was a very special deal (turns out it was indeed special), and that we were getting a huge discount.

He categorically refused to tell us how much this SIM card was going to cost, even after our repeated and insistent asking.

We clearly stated that we only need to use the phone in Italy and that we must have an Italian number. After repeating that we could use the phone anywhere, he said yes, it was an Italian number.

He then proceeded to write (complicated) instructions BY HAND on a piece of paper. Still we did not find out how much this SIM card was to be.

Finally, with much emphasis on what a smoking deal this was, he revealed the cost of the SIM card: € 129.45. We were somewhat taken aback – especially since he wanted to sell us two of these SIM cards. We declined taking another one. Then he revealed that we would receive 100 minutes for this amazing deal.

FYI: When we eventually were forced to get a different SIM card because this one didn’t work, we paid € 20 for 100 minutes, got an Italian number, and were able to use it with no problem.

Then, the SIM Card Man activated the card and showed us how to make a call (a cumbersome process, by the way). In his presence (to see if it worked) we called our Italian friend who was supposed to pick us up at the airport. The call lasted 55 seconds. That was the last time we were able to use the phone.

• Later when we attempted to make another call, closely following the directions, no call could be placed.
• When we attempted to call the customer service number repeatedly, we could also not connect with the company.
• We then emailed the company and received an automated response thanking us for our purchase.

Furthermore, it turned out that the phone number associated with the SIM card was a British number. This meant that our Italian friends would have to make an international call to reach us. We had been specifically told we were receiving an Italian number.

To summarize:

• We were sold a SIM card at a grossly exaggerated price (which we didn’t know at the time, but were all the more shocked when we found out what SIM cards actually cost).
• We were not able to use the phone, place a call, contact customer service. In other words, the SIM card we were sold did not work.
• Our email to customer service of Exactta Group regarding the failing SIM card went unanswered.
• We were lead to believe by the sales representative that we received an Italian number when in fact we had a British number, therefore rendering this service fairly useless for our communication IN Italy.

We are disputing the charges for this SIM card directly with the bank. Obviously, getting the money back from this bogus company would never happen.

Alicia

Port Orange, Florida