The Wonderful World of TMobile, or, Why I'm Tweeting This to Everyone
Where to begin??? This wonât be in chronological order at all, and Iâll try to limit the explanations and stick to the main points. And for the record, just to start things off, I used to be a SunCom customer, and I believe I first signed up for that in 1999 (but it could have been 2000). I loved SunCom, and I would still be with them had they not been swallowed up by TMobile.
I bought a fancy, shiny new Blackberry in February of 2010. I couldnât really afford it at the time, but I was driven by a few things:
My Blackberry was dead, couldnât be fixed, and the insurance deductible was going to be $90. For the record, itâs an old Blackberry Curve, so I could pay the $90 deductible and get the same old Blackberry, or I could âupgradeâ to a new Bold. The salesperson (her name is Allison, and she still works for TMobile) told me that âIf [I] upgrade to the Bold, it will put [me] on the new insurance plan and the deductible will be cheaper if it breaks.â I said, âHow much cheaper?â And she punched some things into the computer and said, âWell, it will only be ten dollars cheaper. Itâs $80 instead of $90.â
My contract was either expired or almost expired, so I would have to sign up for two more years, but at the time I was only mostly dissatisfied, not âcompletely disgusted at the level of âserviceâ I receive from TMobileâ like I am today.
I was told that âBecause the Bold is 3G, the signal will be better, so most of these places that [I said I] donât get signal will be a lot better.â My Curve is not 3G. Signal has been a MAJOR issue for me, so this seemed to be a big improvement.
There is no such thing as âRoamingâ with TMobile, at least not in my area (Southeastern NC). My phone either works or it doesnât. If it doesnât show a bar or two of signal, it says âSOS ONLYâ or âNO SERVICE.â At the time, I was traveling a significant amount, and I only had service maybe 60% of the time in any given week. I asked if this would be fixed if I got the new Bold, and I was told, âProbably, yes, because itâs 3G and is able to use other towers and is a current phone.â
So I bought the Bold. All the supposed features were impressive, but the most important thing to me was that very first one, that my deductible would be cheaper, because phones arenât really made to last. I was put on the ânew insurance planâ (which I believe is called the âPremium Handset Protection Planâ), and my bill increased by about $2 a month as a result.Â
I had NO noticeable improvement on signal quality. I still went through dead zones every single day, and often found myself in areas that simply had emergency coverage only (my phone said âSOS ONLYâ while two people I typically traveled with, who were on ATT and Sprint, respectively, had perfect signal, including data coverage), but I was unable to do anything with my phone beyond 911, and didnât have any option for âyouâre roaming so you can only make phone calls, you canât use dataâ setting. I called about this issue repeatedly. I got a new SIM card. They did all sorts of reboots and service book updates and changes, and at one point even traded out my new Bold for another new Bold. But I still had the same amount of coverage, although in some areas I did have 3G, which basically meant that when it sucked it sucked even worse, because I had paid for this expensive new phone, and when it worked it worked a little faster. I was okay with non-3G speed if I could have eliminated the âsucks worseâ issue, but that wasnât an option.
And then, on July 31, 2010, I dropped my shiny new Bold from a height of less than three feet onto carpet-covered cement. But, since it landed on a corner, it cracked the internal LCD screen, making it completely unusable (sure, it can make calls, but I canât see who Iâm calling).
The next morning, I drive my sad self over to the same TMobile store from which I purchased the Bold, and spoke to the same Allison that convinced me to buy it. I said I needed a phone to replace my broken Bold, and that I had upgraded to the fancy new insurance plan. They had a whole stock of Bolds there in the store, but itâs not that simple to get a phone replaced (although it had been that simple with SunCom when I had broken previous phones), and I had to make an insurance claim and wait for a replacement phone to be shipped to me (it was a Sunday, so the phone wouldnât ship until Monday, which meant I would be without a phone Monday and Tuesday, as I would be traveling and wouldnât be home to get the new phone). They did have a simple, non-smartphone âLoanerâ that I could use, but it had no data capability, which was pretty crucial to me considering that I would be on the road (though, honestly, considering how poor the coverage is, I likely wouldnât have noticed), and because I was on a Blackberry plan, the loaner phone wouldnât be able to send or receive text messages, for whatever reason, unless they changed my entire plan to a non-smart plan for the duration of my loaner phone and switch it back to the Blackberry plan after I got the replacement. But there were two MASSIVE catchesâŠ.
Because I was on a âLegacy SunCom plan,â they couldnât âguaranteeâ that I would even be able to switch back to my existing plan, because it wasnât a currently-offered plan. The only way I could make sure that I would keep my plan would be to use the loaner phone for phone calls only, which was possible even with the Blackberry plan still active. Bad enough, sure, but the second reason is what made me want to cancel my TMobile service immediatelyâŠ..
My insurance deductible, for which I was paying an additional $2 a month, and which was $90 before but I had been told would be â$10 lessâ if I purchased the more expensive Bold, was not actually â$10 less.â In reality, it was now $40 MORE, and checked in at a staggering $130!!
Now, itâs important, I think, to remind you that I was speaking to THE SAME TMOBILE SALESPERSON (Allison) THAT SOLD ME THE PHONE, THE SAME PERSON THAT TOLD ME IT WOULD BE LESS, AND THE SAME PERSON THAT HAD CONVINCED ME TO BUY THE MORE EXPENSIVE BOLD. When I pointed out to her that she must be mistaken, because she had absolutely told me it would be â$10 less,â her response was,
âOh, no, I must have misspoke. Itâs a more expensive phone. Obviously the deductible is going to be more. Sorry about that.â
It took every ounce of control for me to not completely lose my shit. I took the loaner phone (for which I was âcharged,â although assured that as long as I returned it within a set period of time, which I donât recall specifically, the âchargeâ would be removed), and left the store. On my way home, I stopped to visit a friend who I knew had a Curve identical to mine that wasnât being used (because he switched to Verizon a month or two after TMobile took over SunCom, something I probably should have done myself), to see if I could have his phone. He gave me the phone, and after considerable effort (because it was a SunCom Blackberry and needed to be unlocked by TMobile) I was able to get a working Blackberry again. I immediately went back to the same TMobile store and returned the âloanerâ phone without ever having activated it, or even remove it from the box.
So, in case youâve forgotten, I bought a Bold because I was told my deductible would be less, but instead it was $50 more than I had been told, and the same person that sold me the phone decided that âmisspokeâ was a good enough justification for her actions (and she still works for the company). I left with a loaner phone, but returned it only a few hours later, and it was never even turned on. But I finally had a working phone again, albeit the same model of Blackberry that I started with before buying the Bold.
A month or two later, my service was disconnected. I always, without fail, neglect to pay my bill on time, but I always pay it before my service is disconnected. This time, however, it was disconnected earlier than usual. When I called to find out why this had happened, I was told that it was disconnected early because I didnât owe just for my bill, but I owed an additional $100. I hadnât purchased anything, I hadnât added anyone to my account, I still hadnât sent the busted Bold in for insurance (I still have it sitting here beside me now, because I REFUSE to pay $130 on principle if nothing else), and I had not done anything to explain the additional $100 charge.
âAccording to your account, you didnât return two loaner phones that you got on August 1st.â
I left the store on August 1st with a loaner phone. I returned that loaner phone a few hours later to the same store. The same TMobile representative was still working, but she was with another customer and told me and the other employee working, âIâll take care of that, just sit it on the counter, itâs just a loaner I need to return.â But apparently, instead of âreturningâ the âloanerâ phone, I was charged for a second loaner phone. After a considerable discussion, I finally made my case with the TMobile representative on the phone that I didnât actually have two loaner phones, I was charged for the same phone a second time when I returned it. It wasnât easy to convince this person, but after I dug up the original receipt for the loaner phone, told them the approximate time I returned it, gave them all the identifying numbers to show that it was the same phone (and that it was never activated, not once and especially not twice), they âcreditedâ my account for the return, because they couldnât remove the charge all together. I was assured that âit should take care of itself, but if the next bill is seen as past due before the credit processes, [my] service may be interrupted again.â Amazingly, the credit applied before I was disconnected again, but it was pretty shocking that there was even a chance I could be shut off again because of a mistake that a TMobile employee made.
This is the bulk of the issue that continually makes my blood boil every time I think of it. I am still, to this day, paying that additional $2 for insurance on a phone that I havenât used in more than 16 months because I refuse to pay a deductible that I was lied to about. And yes, I do genuinely feel that I was lied to about this. Since the original issue happened, Iâve explained this same situation to countless TMobile employees, and in every case but one, I was simply given the âmisspokeâ excuse. One single person at TMobile was willing to discuss the issue beyond saying the representative âmisspoke.â At one point I spoke with three different representatives, explained the situation in detail to every single one of them, and they told me that I couldnât speak to anyone that could provide me additional information or assistance unless I requested a callback. I was told this callback would come within either 24 or 48 hours (sadly I donât remember the exact time period), but I finally had to call back after four business days before being able to speak to this elusive person that could âhelp.â He offered me a $50 credit on my next bill, but there was âabsolutely nothingâ he could do about getting my broken Bold replaced, because that was done through the third-party insurance company, and they had no say over those terms.
I rejected the $50 credit that I was offered, because I didnât feel that it corrected the situation. I didnât expect a free replacement, but I am absolutely stubborn enough that I wonât pay $130 for a replacement phone (which is now nearly two years old, even as Iâve been paying that extra $2 for the âpremiumâ insurance plan, and all the while using a much older Curve) when I would still be saving $2 a month if I had never upgraded, I never would have had my service âinterruptedâ had I not been double-charged for the âloanerâ phone, and I would have potentially been a little less dissatisfied with my TMobile experience had I not been âmisspokenâ to originally.
So, yeah, this is now Part 1 of a series!! If I had to estimate, Iâd say there will be at least five more parts to the series, because my overall TMobile experience has been absolutely dismal. That is why I feel absolutely justified in admitting that Iâm âdisgustedâ with the service, thatâs why I have no problem using any number of derogatory TMobile hashtags, and I have absolutely no problem sharing my experiences with everyone that I come in contact with (including anyone who comes across this Tumblr page and anyone who follows me or sees a retweet on Twitter).
But, because I appreciate your willingness to interact, my wonderful @TMobileHelp follower, Iâll give you a chance to pick the next part of the series. Hopefully Iâll be able to write it either later tonight or tomorrow morning, but either way Iâll be sure to tweet it loud and clear so that youâll know where to read it. So what would you like to read about?
TMobile signal/coverage: Why I still go through the same dead zones that I went through 10 years ago, despite countless complaints, and the various claims of âroamingâ and âupcoming improvementsâ and âoutdated SIM cardsâ and such.
TMobile Customer Retention: How that âearly termination feeâ doesnât include the mysterious taxes that I would have to pay, because I got the phone on a âupgrade discountâ so I actually have to pay taxes on the full purchase price of the phone as a form of sales tax, even 16 months after I paid the original sales tax, because you didnât get those taxes paid to you a tiny bit at a time over the course of my contract, and when I ask for an explanation your representative says, âWhat do you mean? Itâs taxes! You have to pay taxes! It doesnât matter where you live you still have to pay taxes! Why canât you get this through your head? Call the president and tell him you donât want to pay taxes and see what happens to you!!â
TMobile Roaming/Coverage Levels: How there is no distinction between average/moderate signal and âabsolutely nothing,â and how âit wonât work if youâre inside somewhere, like a building or a carâ when asking why I lose signal on Interstate 40.
TMobile Financial Care: How you can pay your bill (albeit late) between the 13th and 15th of the month for OVER TWO YEARS without any problem, until the ânew systemâ decides to shut off your service on the 5th, and how you canât do any pre-dated draft payment with anything but a check, despite a debit card being much more convenient and widely used.
TMobile âRanked Highest in Customer Satisfaction by JD Power and Associates:â How I had to sit through this announcement every time I called, despite almost NEVER being satisfied, and never, to this day, knowing a single TMobile customer that would agree with this claim, not just in my region but everywhere that TMobile offers service.
TMobile âAmericaâs Largest 4G Network:â Even when nobody in my area could get 4G signal in town, despite the maps and claims made by the local store. Oh, and how when the New York Times reports on the attempted ATT/TMobile deal and says, âThis would solve a major problem for TMobile, who has struggled to implement a 4G solutionâ (that is paraphrased, because I donât have a photographic memory, but the essential statement is the same), and I call in to TMobile to ask them about this, the representative says, âAccording to our system your device doesnât support 4G, so obviously you wonât get 4G service.â And when the New York Times corrects the story to say, âTMobile does not currently have a 4G service,â and I call in again to ask TMobile about this, the representative says, âWeâve got the largest 4G network compared to every other carrier, but it depends on where you live. The New York Times is obviously wrong. You canât just believe everything that they say.â I know the whole idea of â4Gâ is a bit of a misnomer, because every US carrier fought like hell to prevent a standard being implemented, and I know that every area is different, and I know that my phone is not 4G (itâs not even 3G, as weâve already covered), but Iâm much prone to believe the New York Times, because theyâve never lied to meâŠwait, sorry, theyâve never directly âmisspoken,â to my face, about their service or their reporting.
So, yeah, Iâve got six more parts to this series, AT A MINIMUM, but Iâm willing to accept suggestions on what I should touch on first, if you want to let me know. Just in case you miss my tweet about this, Iâm going to keep tweeting the link to this post, and Iâll probably go ahead and share it on Facebook and such. I wouldnât want you to miss anything, naturally. If you canât decide which part you would like me to write next, Iâm happy to ask people on Twitter which they would prefer I explain. I know you might be eager to correct the situation quickly, since I am extremely dissatisfied and my contract expires in a few months, but I would encourage you to wait until Iâve explained each and every one of these issues. They are equally frustrating, and each one could have been the proverbial âstraw that broke the camelâs back,â but Iâm still under contract, and Iâve had this same phone number (and pretty comparable $100+ a month plans) for more than a decade, so I donât just want to jump to any conclusions and switch companies and lose my number.
**EDIT: I left off plenty of upcoming parts to the series, but here's one I just remembered:
"Lets [sic] start with your phone. What's happening with it?" "Your SIM card is outdated." "You need to call us back from a different phone." You know, sometimes it really IS a problem on your end, despite how you ALWAYS want to blame me and my phone for being the reason that your entire network is down in my area! Â Let me know if you want to hear that issue first!!
