TODAY: T-MOBILE
It’s not often you come across something so blatantly absurd that you feel the need to stop what you are doing and write about it, but then again you’re not me. (You are in fact fortunate in that regard, but I digress). Let me start with a little set-up to the story.
I am on the move often and like many of you need to stay in touch with the wired-world constantly. As a result, I have broadband at the office, dial-up as an emergency back-up, and a separate Wi-Fi account through T-Mobile, which among other things is my gateway to the Internet while at my neighborhood Starbucks. As I went to check my bank account online (something I have cut down to three times a day…security you know) I noticed that my monthly charge from T-Mobile WiFI was $29.99 instead of the usual $19.99. Now ten dollars may not seem like a lot but when you have a Starbucks addiction that amount of scratch can set me up for a whole day, maybe two. So needless to say i immediately grabbed a phone to call and complain to T-mobile, a phone company (something always amuses me about that irony, but anyway).
After playing the “press 1 for a maze of self-help menus or press 2 for an actual human” game, I reached my human counterpart in this negotiation. (I should say now that T-Mobile WiFi’s customer line is pretty easy and a person answers fairly quick—it also helps that i know the menu by heart since I have to call several times a week with connection issues).
Once the customer service rep finished her scripted intro I inquired about what I assumed was a billing error. To my chagrin I was informed that their rate plan had changed and that I should have been notified by email in July of the change. Now I don’t know about you but I get anywhere from 100-1000 emails a day in numerous accounts so it is possible I missed this alleged correspondence, so I'll plead guilty to that. But what comes next really puts the smear of Ugh! all over T-Mobile.
I told the rep I had no recollection of an email and furthermore, even if I was notified, I saw no justification for the increase, considering they were providing no additional services or improvements to existing services. Also, I reminded the rep that her competition (AT&T) offers nationwide Wi-Fi for $19.99 and is available at all the places I most frequent. I then finished with the standard “I’m not paying that much so cancel my account.”
Before I had sounded the “t” in account, she countered by apologizing for my being unaware of the change and offered to credit my account ten dollars. I told her thanks and told her I was still leaving. Now here comes the best part.
”Well Mr. Westfall, since you have been a long-time customer I can put you into our special plan back at $19.99.”
“Wow! Just for me you are going to give a special rate plan price, which happens to be the same price I paid up until last month, for exactly the same hit-or-miss service I have been getting for the past 20 months (not exactly ‘long-time’)?”
”Yes.”
”So why raise the price at all if one phone call from me and you’ll put me right back where I was? This sure sounds like a game you’re playing.”
”No game sir, in fact we have a lot customers who prefer to pay the $29.99 rate charge.”
”Why on earth would someone prefer to pay more than they have to for the same service they were already getting?”
Silence. In fact at this point the conversation really deteriorated into a series of starts and stops, “umms” and attempts to get back on script. But the damage had been done. Now it is possible that this CSR really believed the words she was saying, but I venture it more likely she doesn’t. It’s the line she is told to give, in hopes that the receiver of such idiocy will think it actually makes sense. Of course I am not your average idiot—I would say I am leader of the idiots—and even I smell dead fish.
Now I have no desire to get sued, and no, T-Mobile is not a former client that I have animosity towards (in fact after this experience I would say they may need to hire my company), but it sure sounds like a classic “let’s slip this onto everybody’s credit card bill and wait for them to find it” scheme. Exhibit A – Many people pay their cell bills by credit card and amazingly, many of them don’t read their itemized statements. So if you wanted to add a nominal increase to an account this would be a way to do it.
Exhibit B - With such little effort on my part I was immediately offered a “special” plan at my old rate without even one ‘I need to ask my supervisor’ which leads me to believe they have a plan in place for the callers like me who actually monitor their finances.
Again…no proof of a scheme, no attempt to slander T-mobile or cause them harm…just retelling my story. A story, by the way, which I think is being experienced by many T-Mobile customers at this moment. As for harm to T-Mobile I think that will come on its own if it is shown that there really was a plan to deceive or mislead customers.
But it is not my job to investigate, in fact I have many jobs already. Today I am merely taking the role of “consumer advocate” in urging other T-Mobile customers who have seen their bill go up to call them just like I did. As for my regular role of “helper to businesses trying to do things better and smarter” all I can say is that if you are using a business model that calls for deception, disingenuous dealings with customers, and a hope that the public won’t notice what you really are up to, then not only do you face a good chance of getting an Ugh! from us, but you are ultimately destined to fail.
At least one can hope.
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