ObamaPhones didn't replenish minutes on November 1st, according to Two Friends of mine....

I tried to call a friend today and was able to leave him a voice mail. He has been on unemployment and Food Stamp benefits since earlier this summer, and qualified for the Lifeline (ObamaPhone) that gives him 250 minutes per month. Well he emailed me back and said he couldn't check my voice mail because the phone minutes didn't replenish like they always have on the 1st of the month. He normally can call customer service directly from his phone, even with out any minutes left, but this didn't work for him today.

He said there is a way to manually add the minutes into the phone, yet when he tries this, and has kept trying all day, he gets some error message stating System Unavailable, try again later. He said that two people in his family also have the Lifeline service and didn't receive their free minutes today either.

Before I posted this I checked with another friend that has this Lifeline service, by email, and she confirmed she has not received her minutes, and lives across the country from us. I've searched news outlets and found nothing about this, so I thought I would post this here, and see if anyone else knows anything about this. Their service is run by a company called Safelink.

Could this be due to the Budget Crisis I wonder? Or possibly related to the lowering of Food Stamp benefits beginning November 1st, for some 100 million beneficiaries?

reply to post by AlchemistSwami


You're supposed to keep it on for the first three days of every month. Give it another day.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


He did tell me that, but that for 4 consecutive months his minutes came right onto the phone at midnight or so on the very 1st day of each month, which is why I find it interesting. So do you have one of these phones, or know anybody that does, and if so, what happen with the minutes today?

I'm all about helping people with food stamps, health coverage and many other ways, but I don't feel sorry for those that lose Obama-phone service, for whatever reason.

Last time I lost cell service, it was due to the bill I had forgot to pay. If you can't pay for a cell yourself, it's not the gubments job to get you one.

*This comment is not meant to be mean to anyone or to cause issues with the OP. It's just my opinion*

reply to post by AlchemistSwami


Perhaps this is related to the SNAP food stamp budget cuts that went into effect today.

I can't find anything on it either.

There is a huge white tent set up across the street from the hospital in Shreveport, LA offering a free phone pre loaded for anyone who will sign up for Obamacare. They will fill the paperwork out for you while you wait. They have special freebies for folks here to sign up because we have a charity (completely free if you can not afford it) health care system. Maybe you can sell some of your food stamps on craigslist for gas money and drive there and get you a free phone. LEACH.

All they have to do is go to the add air time place on there phones, hit that then type in 555 an when it ask for a code select no an it should say something like activating . an the minutes will add. they can also go to the safelink website an it will walk them thru the process of getting there minutes if they did not add.

p.s I only know this because my elderly neighbor is a shut in an i check on him daily (he has no family, an if he does they do not come around) an had to fix his phone for him since his minutes did not add. I would have went out an bought him minutes if they did not add, since that phone is his only link to the outside world.

sheepslayer247
I'm all about helping people with food stamps, health coverage and many other ways, but I don't feel sorry for those that lose Obama-phone service, for whatever reason.

Last time I lost cell service, it was due to the bill I had forgot to pay. If you can't pay for a cell yourself, it's not the gubments job to get you one.

*This comment is not meant to be mean to anyone or to cause issues with the OP. It's just my opinion*

I have to agree here. I no longer have a phone thanks to my hours being cut and cutting out what isn't necessary. I don't mind helping those that TRULY need it, but tax payers footing the bill for cell phones isn't needed. We the tax payer already pay for the food, rent, and medical care of the poor. Why and who in the hell thinks phone service..cell phone service at that..should be an entitlement program?

Lol! Oh Noez my bama phone aint werkin! I don't feel the least bit of sympathy for anyone who loses their bama phone. If your on the government dole get a subsidized land line and an answering machine, there is no reason for modern comforts at the cost of the tax payer.

reply to post by thetimewasright


As I stated above, both friends did this "add minutes" step and got an error message saying system unavailable, try back later. Did this elderly person you speak of get there minutes? You didn't mention if they did or not.

reply to post by Simon_Boudreaux


To answer your question, the US Government thinks this program should exist.

FCC Link

AlchemistSwami
reply to post by Simon_Boudreaux

 

To answer your question, the US Government thinks this program should exist.

FCC Link

How nice of them to ask those of us that have to pay for it huh?

And I highly doubt the whole U.S. Government thinks it. I'm betting it was one group.

That's it, time to riot!

An oldy but a goody...check please!

wait obamaphones are real? i thought it was a joke....people are actually getting free cell phones from the government.....no wonder were broke i wonder if the phones are American made or Chinese.......

www.freegovernmentcellphones.net... ah ok so it was a program dating back to 1996 and originally only for land lines but now covers cell phones


www.forbes.com...

www.factcheck.org...

Q: Has the Obama administration started a program to use "taxpayer money" to give free cell phones to welfare recipients? A: No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it.

so does that make them clinton phones?

reply to post by BABYBULL24


This chick is only worried about a handout.

reply to post by RalagaNarHallas


No, I believe the program actually began under Reagan. Don't have much time to dig into that, but I believe that is the case.

Also, I believe the telcom companies pay initial costs, but it is subsidized by the gov.

sheepslayer247
reply to post by RalagaNarHallas

 

No, I believe the program actually began under Reagan. Don't have much time to dig into that, but I believe that is the case.

Also, I believe the telcom companies pay initial costs, but it is subsidized by the gov.

edit on 1-11-2013 by sheepslayer247 because: (no reason given)

I may be wrong but I think it was originally intended for the sick or for households with sick children. But it was the basic bottom of the line home service. No call waiting, long distance, or extras such as that. I can't remember if it was for just the sick or the poor as well. Reagan was many moons ago and my memory isn't what it once was.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


and just how do you think these people would get a job if there's no phone for prospective employers to call them on?

Kr0nZ
reply to post by sheepslayer247

 

and just how do you think these people would get a job if there's no phone for prospective employers to call them on?

That's a good question and I do not have the answer for that. Perhaps a land line, which runs about $10 around here.

I don't know.

What I do know is that there is nothing in the constitution that says the Federal govt has the right to tax people for this sort of service. It could be provided by the states if they so choose, but it is not the Feds place at all.