Gadgetronics - San Francisco, California 94133 - Pier 39

I purchased their $90 Unlimited 4G LTE Speed SIM plan from Simple Mobile The shop attendant Johnny charged me $89.99 for the Nano Sim Card & Unlimited plan, plus $20.79 Tax, so I paid a total of $110.78. I was told it’ll be activated in 15 minutes, then found out when it’s activated that the plan doesn’t include Hotspot data, and he said “Sorry Guys, that’s not included in the Unlimited Plan” That’s my first issue because the advertisement on his desk stated “Simple has data plans for your hotspot”. It was late and my child was tired, so I let it go. I went back to my hotel and did my own research and found out that he registered the Nano SIM with a Simple Mobile $50 Truly Unlimited 4G LTE Speed Data plan without Hotspot, and $10 International Calling Credit. So basically Gadgetronics paid $60.80 for my plan and charged me an additional $29.19 for a Nano SIM card that doesn’t include Hotspot. That is blatantly false advertising and profiteering. I also researched on their $20.79 Tax. It turns out San Francisco has a $20.1% Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services (MTS) Surcharge Tax, which is the highest in USA. At $89.99 sales value, 20.1% tax should be $18.09. So the shop has definitely overcharged me $2.70 for the tax. It may seems a small amount, but it goes to show the dishonesty of this business. I went back the next day to question Johnny about his tax charges and his questionable business practices. He said he couldn’t do anything about the Hotspot and he had to Google the MTS Tax Rate for San Francisco. When I showed him that it is 20.1%, he tried to offer me $5 for compensation, which I refused as a matter of principle. I could lodge a complaint to the California State Board of Equalization, but I doubt the penalty will make Gadgetronics change its ways. As a business owner myself, I understand the need for profit margin. But this kind of deliberate misinformation and overcharges is outrageous. I have evidence to prove all of the above is factual. It is too late for me, but I want to make sure others are well informed and avoid this shop for any mobile SIM plans. And I’ll report my experience to every review sites online to warn others from falling prey to their dodgy practice. Avoid this shop for SIM card plans and use alternative stores or online outlets.