Pretty messy and frustrating experience at the Ames US Cellular. I wanted to create my own account after sharing a joint plan with my mom, who lives in another town. The process to create this new account was not well explained and required two trips to the store and several phone calls outside of those trips just to transfer the paperwork my mom had signed to an associate at this store. When I went in the third time to finally set up my account, I was told the paperwork could not be accessed even though I had been assured by another associate that they would have no problem getting to it. Fortunately, an associate called the out-of-town store and got an image of the paperwork transferred so I could finally sign it and start the process to open my own account...and then they had technical issues and STILL couldn't open the account. So I left with the understanding that I still did not have my own account or service plan with US Cellular. I went to Verizon to open an account there. Of course, they also had technical issues and did not get my number ported over for another two days. Within those two days, I got a text from one of the US Cellular associates, Joe, saying that my account had been created and that I could finally upgrade, which I took to mean, upgrade to a better phone and choose a plan for it. Lacking the time to once again visit the store and being already invested in Verizon, I did not respond. Once my Verizon service had been activated the next day, I called US Cellular and learned my service had been cancelled. Last week, I got a bill from US Cellular for a full month of service. I did not believe I had signed up for a service plan in the first place and had not signed anything aside from the transfer paperwork (which I was not given a copy of). When I called this store to ask why I had been charged for a month of service, Joe said that by signing the transfer paperwork, I had agreed to sign up for their basic plan. This was not explained to me in store or ever. I assumed I would sign the transfer paperwork, create my account, sign up for a plan, pick out a phone, then get that phone activated with the new plan and on the new account. Nobody at US Cellular told me otherwise. Furthermore, two days had elapsed from the time I was texted about my account being created to the time when my number was ported over to Verizon. So I had inadvertently used two days of service total. And was then charged for the full month. Joe said it was policy to be charged for the whole month regardless of what I had actually used. Great policy. Fortunately, the US Cellular customer service folks were very helpful and got my bill down to less than $5 for my two days of surprise service. So, I guess be careful what you sign at the Ames US Cellular, be prepared to waste a ton of time trying to figure out basic things, and be prepared to be billed for a lot more than you expect. read more

Nov 4, 2019 we went to upgrade our phones..Sales Associate Danny Thomas was friendly, personable and very helpful. I honestly dread the the whole update the phone process, it never flows well! Well, I still dread it and it didn't flow well, it was a very lengthy process due to all OUR circumstances. Danny eased some of the pain of it as he was patient and made several calls to ensure the best for us his customers. Thank you Danny! read more

Went here for my phone since it wasn't working. Tamra helped me out she was amazing and deserves a raise!! Was in and out super quick. Loved my experience!! read more

I acquired my first cell phone back in 1998. It was with U.S. Cellular. 12 years later and I'm still a U.S. Cellular customer. The reason? They've got some the best coverage in Iowa and I've always felt like my satisfaction has been at the forefront of their business operations. They also have very reasonable rates for their services and data packages. I hopped on the smartphone bandwagon early, and I will concede that U.S. Cellular doesn't always have the hottest wiz-bang phones. What they do have is a great 3G network throughout Iowa and technical support and customer service to boot. I've had some bum Motorola Q and HTC Touch Pro phones. Every time I've had problems, the folks at this retail location have been courteous and helpful and have always made it easy for me to get a replacement. I've never had to ship a phone off for repairs, they just get me a new one via next-day air mail. They've also been exceptionally lenient with me when I want to upgrade because of my continued business with them. I know I hear a lot of horror stories about people and their cell phones, I however have had consistent reliable service with occasional burps. When I have problems they always expedite a solution to make sure I am happy. Great data coverage, competitive package rates and superior customer support. If you're in central Iowa, I would recommend U.S. Cellular if you're looking at getting new cell service to making the switch to a company with better coverage for voice and data. I've been happy since day one. read more

I was looking for a decent price on new glasses for my wife and me. We have VSP insurance, and it is difficult to find an in-network store that doesn't have exhorbitantly jacked up prices. We found frames we liked at several of the name brand stores around Ames. You know what convinced us to work with Eye Mart? The friendliest, most helpful, most quality and service conscious group people people I have seen. The selection of frames is great, the prices are fair, and the delivered glasses were just fine. But the ladies who helped us were the best in the retail industry. I wish I could remember the name of the young lady who primarily took care of us... blond, ponytail, works part-time (we always came in on Saturdays)... and I would name her her, but she is awesome. Great place to do business! read more

Generally good experiences here previously. Today an hour wait. May have been more tolerant if employee handnt lied about wait time. And allowed another customer to cut in before us. Amazing how one employee can damage a business's image. read more

This is the worst company I have ever had to deal with. Their employees are poorly trained and don't know what they are talking about. I had originally been told that when my phone bill was going to come in I would pay the rate they quote above and that there where no hidden fees. This is a lie! Yeah you will pay that, a 30 connection fee a month and 40 more per phone you sign up for "smartphone internet access". We live in a world driven by smartphones why am I getting charged for utilizing that? Further more there insurance that they offer is not better than apple care. No apple care is better than what they offer. (Literally they are going to charge me 175 when apple is quoting me 130?) You can ask them any question you want about it. They will lie to you to make sure you go with it because they are getting money by selling their insurance and not apple care. I wouldn't even bother going in to talk to them. The general manager is just as clueless about everything as the rest of her employees are. If you do make sure you remember the employee name that helped you because without it there just as useless as the paperweight you will be stuck with if you go with there insurance. read more