WAS a long-term customer...now no longer | Reviews | Consumer forum

Just wanted to share my unfortunate experience with Speakout. I am what you would call a regular visitor to Canada, but I live in another country. Hence, the fact that I could keep "alive" a Speakout SIM for 365 days by simply keeping adding value at the right times remains quite attractive to me as I can keep the same phone number and also know that it is ready to use the minute I return to Canada. The online access and ability to manage my account is also attractive. The fact that no LTE service is provided is a disadvantage, but I typically did not miss the faster data (much).

I have been a customer of Speakout for the past five years, and in fact had two Speakout SIMs. Because I typically visit Canada every 6-12 months, I try to keep a minimum balance in my account until I need to use the phones again. I have been able to maintain my numbers for five years this way....until around 2 months ago.

As many have pointed out here and in other forums, one of the principal issues customers have with Speakout is the "911 fee" of $1.25 they collect every month. I might add that Speakout charges the highest such fee of any Canadian mobile network, even though the actual provincial charge varies from zero (e.g. BC) to 75 cents (Newfoundland). I imagine this is an important source of revenue for Speakout/Ztarmobile. If your account balance is insufficient to cover the $1.25 a month, the account is "suspended", but you still have a little time to add value to re-activate it. After that time, your SIMs and numbers are de-activated and assigned to other customers.

Important note here: Speakout chooses not to notify you in any way (no e-mail, no SMS) if there are any changes to your account status, not even when they are about to cancel your number!

Unfortunately, Speakout also revamped their website earlier this year. I was not able to check the balance of my account and two SIMs online. When I contacted customer service via e-mail:
1. They did not acknowledge that I was even a customer of Speakout ("cannot find any records in our database"), even after I gave them my phone numbers.
2. They demanded the serial numbers of my SIMs, as apparently providing the e-mail address and my Speakout numbers are not enough to prove that I had given them my business for the past five years.
3. With the SIM numbers, they finally admitted that yes, I am their customer, but my numbers were cancelled because they couldn't collect the 911 fee. "Please buy new SIMs."
4. I replied that it was unreasonable for Speakout to cancel numbers without giving the customer the opportunity to retain them (by adding value, and hence giving them new business). I also pointed out that it was unreasonable that I am not able check my account status and balance online - in order to ensure my balance is sufficient and that my numbers would not be cancelled!
5. The reply was that "your numbers are cancelled; you need to purchase new SIMs."

The e-mail dialogue with Speakout spans around a dozen messages. At no point did customer service even apologise for any inconvenience caused (Isn't that just standard service best practice? Even if you don't actually mean it?). When I told them I would never again give them my business, there was not even a "sorry to see you go" reply.

I understand that the Canadian prepaid mobile market is rather uncompetitive but Speakout's "customer service" is truly terrible. This fact, as well as the state of the new website - check out the ONE flip phone available, as well as the promoted "Figo" Android phone for which there are no clear instructions on how to purchase ("in stores only"?) - makes me wonder if existing customers should be worried about Speakout's ongoing viability.

I won't be worried; Speakout has made darned sure I won't be their customer ever again.