Jitterbug Cell Phone - Easy Phone For Seniors?
A Jitterbug phone was recently given to me as a gift. This is a cellular telephone specifically designed for seniors - but as I found out it is ideal for anyone needing a simple cell phone without all the complications of modern-day cellular plans.
The Jitterbug came in the mail just a couple of days after my daughter ordered it for me from the Jitterbug website, and not only was it packaged well but once I opened it it was easy to get started. The setup (getting your new cellphone “active”) only took a few minutes and it was an easy process. I like that - easy is good!
As soon as my new Jitterbug had active service and a new phone number, I wanted to try it out. I really liked using this phone - and I always hated cell phones before. The numbers are big and beefy, meaning they are easy to see and easy to press. On other cell phones I used in the past, I would always hit the wrong numbers because they make the buttons so small. Not with this one - because it was designed with ease of use in mind it really is easy to use.
Next, the earpiece was cushioned, which is a nice touch. But it was easy to hear which was important to me. I talked with my daughter on the “test call” for only a minute, because I didn’t want to use all the air-time in one sitting. (This is mainly going to be used as an emergency cell phone - not a phone for idle chatting!)
The plans are easy to understand. I have a basic $15 per month plan which allows me to make 30 minutes of calls each month - which is all I need. There’s no fancy text-messaging, no video games on the phone, and no camera. (I have a real camera if I want to take pictures, for Pete’s sake!) But the phone does exactly what a phone should do - make calls, clear and loud.
So do I recommend the Jitterbug? Absolutely. It’s a great product and if you’re a senior or if you just want an easy to use cell phone - this is it.
Jitterbug may be fine as long as you don’t require customer service. If you need customer service (to correct billing errors, to repair phone malfunction, to receive itemized bills, etc.), you will most likely not receive any satisfactory resolution. Their customer service is horrible and I only got run arounds for months. I could not even get one bill with itemized calls after asking them half a dozen times. There are 65 complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau and Jitterbug phone has only been on the market since Oct. 2006. There are also numerous customers as well as former employees who have posted complaints on various sites — just google “Jitterbug phone complaints.” I cannot recommend this phone to anyone.