Jitterbug Phone Review

46 Comments

1. I bought a Jitterbug flip phone on July 9, 2018. I had trouble with this phone from day one! The phone would not charge on the cradle. I was sent 2 new cradles over a couple of months and the phone still wouldn’t charge, so I gave up and charged it without putting it on the cradle.I noticed that the charging sensors on the bottom of the phone were out of place and not connecting to the cradle sensors. The phone is hardly used but I have to charge it everyday. Yesterday some symbols came on the front window of the phone. I called Jitterbug and was told the phone is out of warranty…by 19 days and would not be replaced for free. I cannot afford to buy a new one so I will have to use this one until it no longer works. These phones are cheaply made and I would not recommend this product to anyone.

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2. I was seriously thinking of buying a Jitterbug flip phone. I am 75 and just need a basic phone for keeping in touch with family and friends. After reading all of the negative comments on this site, I don’t think I will buy from Great Call. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of aggravation I need at this point in my life. Seems like whatever we try to do , any more, results in some sort of a “scam like” situation. Thanks to all of those that provided this very needed feedback. When things sound too good to be true, they usually are.

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3. I want to give 5 plus stars to the customer service agents who helped me to set up my grandmothers new Jitterbug flip phone today. Michael helped to create the account and Mary in Reno assisted us in activating and transferring the old phone number. This process was smooth and both agents were extremely helpful and friendly. I will recommend this company to all!!! Thank you very much!!!!!

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4. Got this Jitterbug phone for my elderly parents. The speaker phone option has never worked since day one. Were told that a new upgrade was coming and that it would be activated automatically. That was 6 months ago and it still does not work. Now, my dad realized that the phone needed charging, but it won’t take a charge. These phones are a piece of junk, refurnished for something. NOT FOR SENIORS OR ANYONE ELSE. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE COMPANY!

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5. I just got one of these about a week ago and HATE it. I got it because of the cheap GreatCall plan ($14.99/month for 250 minutes) because I don’t expect to use it much. The phone itself is far TOO simple, with the “Settings” menu item basically being useless: allowing you to change only things like the color scheme, ring tones, etc. So you have to contact Greatcall customer service for everything else (like shutting off texting capability). The REALLY bad problem is that the phone doesn’t have any type of call blocking, and Greatcall doesn’t offer any type of call blocking service. So I’m getting probably about 10 robo-calls every day, with no way to prevent them. I’m also getting several calls a day for someone named “Deanna” — I assume she previously had the number they assigned to me for this phone. I’d gladly pay extra for call blocking, because it is so very annoying to get these types of calls so many times every day. I wouldn’t recommend this phone to ANYONE other than someone who is completely unfamiliar with any type of technology. I wouldn’t recommend Greatcall service at all — PERIOD.

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6. If tech people can design a flip phone that can accommodate seniors 75 and older with very basic functions like : call/ receive and dial only with speakers so they can hear the caller. If tech can create voice activated calls with phone numbers of loved ones programmed in the flip hone so the senior won’t have to dial the number. Elderly senior don’t want to text and are limited in their abilities and don’t want all that data to further confuse them. Bottom line just call and receive calls only and ability to input family/friends and just press the name with no dialing. Seniors motor abilities get more limited as they get older. Please design flip phones for for limited abilities. ( no texting? Data, cameras)

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   1. I completely agree, Patricia. I’m in the same boat, only my mom is 96! She just needs a PHONE that is easy to make calls with, including voice dialing (legally blind) and speed-dialing frequently used numbers. Spare me the texting, camera and data plans!!!!

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      1. With Jitterbug phones you can sign up for plans that include texting, or cheaper plans that do NOT include texting. So if you don’t want to receive texts, just don’t sign up for a plan that includes texting. This it will cause the phone’s menu item TEXT to disappear completely. All features involving TEXT are then gone off the phone forever (or until you call Jitterbug service number and request to change over to a texting plan). Doing that will make the TEXT features in the phone menu list reappear). For anyone who wants a phone with no text features Jitterbug is a great product. Also, Jitterbug plans all include voice mail so people without text can still hear the calls they missed. Just press the huge DOWN ARROW button until the VoiceMail line in the menu is highlighted. And then press YES to listen to the voice mail. To end a call or to end the voicemail connection, just close the lid on the flip phone. The Flip model is very simple to use. And very rugged, you might be able to run over it with your car and it probably would still work. There are Youtube videos where people did that as a test.

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7. Bought this for my 88 year old mother and getting it set up is interesting. First off, I wanted to keep her old phone number. He said OK but I found out later that they gave me a new # and the only way to change it is to give them the Acct # of the old including PIN, and Password along with several other pieces of info. You also need to keep that acct active until the change which can take up to 3 business days. While I do understand why this is, it would have been nice if he told me. The thing that angers me the most, is that to get voice messages, you have to purchase the middle package which is $10.00 more. Nowhere did I see that listed. The agent kept trying to get me to buy more items. Not sure I trust the company

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8. This is the most difficult phone to activate. First the service person was selling a service I did not want or need, then when I gave up, the charge for activation was 35.00 plus tax. The service would have cast my Mom, on a fixed income, 69.99 per month. Once the activation started, it gave an error message “code 5”. I have tried to get the service through my Verizon account, but because of the IMEI, it was not compatible. I have tried for over 30 days to get the phone working, it is now past the date of return. I am now stuck with a phone that I can not activate and a service that is too expensive for my Mom’s pocketbook. The ads look great, the phone looks great, but I guess I will never know how it operates. Shame on you GreatCall, yes, I do believe you are taking advantage of senior citizens. I sure would like to know what other options are available.

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9. My cousin got a Jitterbug Smartphone. She liked it at first, but not now. She hit the 5 Star button 2 separate times and police arrived at her house. I probably would do the same so I’m afraid the new Jitterbug Smartphone that I’m not using yet. I bought it in Feb. but am waiting to get out of my current contract.. But if I can’t deactivate the 5-Star feature, I don’t think I want it. I’ll just call 911 if I need help. Can I return it for a refund. It’s new.

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10. I received a Senior Jitterbug and I heae what the person is saying BUT, I cannot answer them because it sounds sooo wavey like I am talking under water !!! i FOUND MY OLD ONE AND GOT A BATTERY FOR IT AND AM CHARGING IT NOW. I HOPE I can replace it with my original one ! Please

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    1. Is it possible that you got your phone wet? Sometimes water damage, or any kind of damage really, can make the speaker sound funny.

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    2. My dad’s brand new jitterbug flip phone sounds like he’s under water too. What can we do??

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11. I’m on my 3rd Jitterbug phone in 4 months. My first one worked for a few months, then stopped ringing when calls came in. When they tried to fix it, it wouldn’t start up at all. They sent me a 2nd phone. The Speaker never did work and last week it started dropping calls. Then it stopped ringing when calls were coming in. They are going to send me a 3rd phone in a few days. I wonder how long that one will last!

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12. Great Call has discontinued the Jitterbug 5, saying it’s been replaced with a new version and no longer works in their system. They advised me to recycle the phone. 03/12/19

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13. This is amazing.The Jitterbug has been one of the most popular senior friendly phones on the market. “The Samsung Jitterbug is incredibly easy to use and easy to buy. thanks for evryone to this artical.

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14. This is assumptive selling at its worst. It’s called taking advantage of your target market – senior citizens. Pricing is a deep secret when you call and try to get a simple answer to pricing and plans. There is a non-refundable set-up fee of $43.48 with tax (didn’t see that in the ads!) . The $14.99 plan plus 300 texts for $3.00 costs $23.61. The phone is not simple and the help is not good. There are forms all over to sign up for 5* health and safety but you can’t just buy it. You have to sign up for a bigger package. the minimum is $24.99 plus all the tax and less minutes than the $14.99 plan.. If you call they can’t give you numbers unless you give them your entire life history and kids. We just needed an emergency phone for my husband – I have an iPhone – and the screen and format seemed like it would be easier for him than a flip phone. He doesn’t use the phone very much at all – uses my iPhone with help if he has to. We own this piece of junk. He cannot use it, I have had a terrible time getting it set up for his needs and I set up a very complicated iPhone for myself. I was going to upgrade my iPhone and give him my old one with a minutes plan. Wish I had done that because now we are stuck with this. Two very unsatisfied senior customers.

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15. I live in the caribbean & purchase the jitterbug 3 touch phone via Amazon, i would like to know if i got the phone unlocked if it can be use in my country or if i can call greatcall toll free to assist me in having it activate if it can work. Please help. i really like the phone.

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16. My mother is over 80 years old and is blind. She has trouble with complicated technology such as cell phones requiring that she navigate several menus; she also can neither see nor use the buttons on most cell phones. After considerable research, I bought her a Jitterbug cell phone and added the 5-Star service; this is a private service that responds to an emergency when someone presses the dedicated red button on the phone. This phone has been a disaster from the beginning. First of all, although I asked that it be activated when I ordered it, it arrived NOT activated. It took me three days on Customer Support to get it activated. Second, despite what I was told on the phone, the speakerphone could NOT be made into the default. Since my mother is too blind to see the screen or any message on it, I needed the phone to be in speakerphone mode every time it was opened. As it turned out, the Jitterbug can NOT be put into speakerphone mode by default. Third, if the phone is not answered within three or four rings, it rolls over to voicemail. I challenge you to find a single senior who can answer any phone within three rings. I don’t know that I could, and mine is in my pocket. The next time someone opens the Jitterbug phone, it displays an alert: You have a missed call, redial yes or no?” IF YOU DO NOT DISMISS THIS ALERT SCREEN, YOU CANNOT USE THE PHONE. And the only way to dismiss the screen is to punch the No button. Which blind people cannot see. The No button is next to the on/off button, which means that even blind people with sensitive touch might mistakenly turn their phones OFF, instead of dismissing the screen. Needless to say, the fact that a blind person cannot even see the screen, let alone turn it off, renders the phone useless until a sighted person can assist. I contacted Customer Support about this issue, was routed to Tech Support, and was told that if we closed the phone, waited a few minutes, and re-opened the phone, the alert would be automatically dismissed. This did not happen consistently. I tested this solution several times, sometimes waiting as long as five minutes, and only about half the time did it work. Again, for a blind person who cannot see the alert or dismiss it, this is a show-stopper. Fourth, and most dangerous, the 5-Star service DOES NOT WORK as it needs to. My mother accidentally pushed the 5-Star service button, which is a dedicated button. I received a robo-call from 5-Star, which rang once and then went IMMEDIATELY to voicemail, making it impossible to answer. The call alerted me to the fact that my mother had hit the emergency button. I called my mother, who never heard the phone ring. 5-Star followed up, per protocol, by returning my mother’s call and asking for confirmation. And this, folks, is where the trouble really begins: 5-Star could not hear us. Several times, the 5-Star service called my mother’s phone. I answered it each time. At no time could the service hear us, although anyone else who called the phone could hear me just fine. Somehow, any response to 5-Star was blocked. The result, per 5-Star’s protocol, was to send an emergency response team when they did not get a cancellation. Despite calling 5-Star personally (they could not hear me), and responding to their direct calls to the phone, we could not prevent FOUR emergency response teams showing up at my mom’s house. While I appreciate their zeal, and I appreciate that 5-Star followed through on their promise, I have to say that this was a collossal and frustrating waste of our time and that of the emergency personnel. I called GreatCall to cancel the service and get my money back. I was informed that the 30-day money back guarantee period had passed. I told the service agents, and the tech support agents, that this was not a matter of me changing my mind, THIS WAS DEFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY. The alert message renders it useless to the blind, and the 5-Star button apparently mutes the microphone. This is dangerously flawed technology, and I wanted my money back. I didn’t get it. My service was cancelled. I still get to pay the bill for however many calls to and from 5-Star were made. Be warned, consumers. If you are buying this phone for a senior, or worse, for a blind person, there are serious and dangerous flaws in its design and function. Unless you are certain that the person who will be using this phone can see the screen and understand the directions, can differentiate by touch between one button and the one next to it, and will never press the 5-Star service button by accident, DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE. This phone is not suitable for elderly or blind persons.

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    1. Thank you for a thorough write-up Sarah. I’m sorry you had difficulties with the phone, but perhaps your education may help someone down the road!

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17. I’m confused about the GPS tracking. Some places state that there is no GPS tracking, however, when explaining how 5* works, it says uses GPS tracking technology. Worried about my father with dementia in a case where he might not know where he is or how to call for help. Not at this point yet, but you never know. He always has the phone in his pocket. In a scary situation would police be able to track this phone?

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    1. Hi JH – Sometimes the GreatCall folks will come on The Senior List to answer questions like this. To get a timely response however, make sure you get in touch with them. This page outlines the Jitterbug 5 services, as well as a contact number. See —> GreatCall Jitterbug 5 info Hope that helps!

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18. I have a question: This phone works on the telephone system in Brazil? Brazilian system is GSM (3D, 4G & LTE) Thank you.

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    1. We asked the folks at GreatCall to respond to your inquiry right here Luiz. If you don’t hear from them- you can find their support page here –> www.greatcall.com/support

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19. I am on my 3rd day of trying to get my Moms Jitterbug phone activated. The technical support team keeps doing the same obviously wrong thing over and over.. I talked with them again over the lunch hour and he said that if it was not activated to call them at any time. Apparently he is not aware they are not available half of the time. I will try yet again tomorrow at their convenience. I am glad they were able to charge my credit card without any glitches!!!

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20. I live in the Caribbean…. Can I purchase one of these units and will it work on our local networks… At least to receive and make calls? Our local networks run LTE and 3G/4G

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    1. you should be able to if where you are has cellular coverage thru Verizon – Jitterbug uses the Verizon network

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21. I purchased a Jitterbug for my mother today and I haven’t been able to register it or activate it online. I get a sorry that screen is not available message. So I called customer service and hung up after 10 minutes on hold. I’ll try again tomorrow and if i face the same problems with the web site and customer service, I’ll return it assuming the company is going out of business.

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    1. Let us know how it goes with GreatCall today Rozanne, we’d be very interested to hear! thx – A

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22. I’m looking for a phone with voice activated calling for a blind person. Can this phone do that, say “call Bob”? Does it have voice activated text messaging?

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23. Can this phone block calls? I would like to get my mother a phone that would only receive calls from known contacts so that she does not get confused by slick telemarketers

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    1. Hi Lulu! You’d really want to check with Greatcall Support for that. You can reach their Jitterbug page by clicking here. Keep in mind that blocking all numbers could restrict some of her friends from calling her, as well as emergency personnel and/or caregiving helpers. I think I’d see how it goes without restrictions and having frequent reminder discussions before altering the phone’s inbound/outbound capabilities. Just my opinion – Best! A

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    2. Hi Lulu – It depends on which Jitterbug phone your mom has. – Jitterbug5 flip phones do not have this option available. – The Jitterbug Touch3 smartphone has the option be operated using either our “Easy to use Jitterbug home screen theme” or the standard “Advanced Android home screen theme.” The Jitterbug Touch3 smartphone does have this option available, but only through the Advanced Android home screen settings. The easy to use Jitterbug home screen theme will not have access to this setting. The Customer can switch from the Easy to use JB home screen to the Android home screen to access the call blocking feature and then switch back to the easy to use JB home screen theme for everyday use of the phone. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact customer service at: 1-800-733-6632 any day of the week between 5am and 9pm PST.

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       1. Great stuff- Thanks guys! – A

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24. Just want to thank you for finally getting my calendar to show on my phone after many service calls.

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25. Jitterbug 5 design flaw. Who would design a phone that places the 5star emergency button directly above the YES button. So any person with a slight shake in had can intend to push YES but accidentally hit 5Star which calls 911. Stupid Stupid design and the person who or team who did the design should certainly not be called professionals.

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    1. While it may not be ideal, it does NOT call 911 immediately. It connects you with a 5Star operator who you can simply say – oops I didn’t mean to do that.

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       1. Good point Tommy. You’re right on!

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    2. Agreed!

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26. Bought for my dad. He never goes anywhere without it. Works great. Peace of mind for my mom.

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    1. Great to hear Vicky! These are nice little phones.

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27. I am looking for an android phone that is simple to use and that has gps tracking ability so that I can find this phone no matter where it is by using my Samsung Galaxy with the 360 gps locator app. I have that ability now but the android phone that I need to track and locate is too complicated for my senior family member. I need an android or some other phone that will ping off the same satellite as my 4G phone. Please advise.

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    1. I need a cell phone that will store 100 telephone contacts with the contacts telephone number, name and address. Is this possible on the Jitterbug5? THANKS. John

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       1. Hi John, We spoke to the folks at GreatCall. The answer is that the GreatCall Touch3 does allow you to have name, address and phone in the contacts area. The Jitterbug 5 only has room for name and phone number. Hope that helps- A

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    2. I bought a Smart Bracelet Excelvan to track my steps…how do I charge it and use it with the Jitterbug 5? Or, is it incompatible…I really just want to track my steps (count)

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