> my cellular needs have always been modest, even
> before I retired, and I thought that $30 per month would serve me very
> well, especially since the "smart" phone was costing me over $70 on each
> bill, with it's postpaid plan.
>
> The phone came with the box: an off-brand unit made in China. I set up
> the account, agreed to the monthly debit, and turned it on, and ... >
> Then, problems appeared, and nobody at Verizon knows how to fix them... >
> Bill Horne
It's like this with T-mobile, and many other retailers. I've heard others echo your findings. Basic and flip phones are a very small market now, and they are of terrible quality.
When my old Nokia 3390 started to give up about a year ago, I found a used iPhone SE model, and got used to it. As I understand it, there aren't any quality basic phones still made.
That being said, there are industrial-type flip phones that are still of good quality, if you are willing to pay. Here's a Verizon example, on Amazon.com (I shortened the URL):
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