Letter To T-Mobile Executives Results In Fees Waived, Charges Reversed
Chris was surprised to find that T-Mobile didn't cancel his account as promised a few months ago. What's worse, the note on his account that mentioned his cancellation request was missing, and nobody at customer service would help him. Chri works for a "very large consumer electronics company" that he won't name (we're pretty sure it's Apple) and thinks customer service is important, so he gave up on the CSR angle and instead came to our site to find contact info for T-Mobile executives. One EECB later, Chris is free from T-Mobile and the ETF they tried to apply.
First, here's the backstory from Chris:
I wanted to cancel my [T-Mobile] account and return to ATT and I also wanted to get a sim unlock code for my previous T-Mobile Phone. I found a plan on ATT that would satisfy my cellular needs and I wanted to continue to use the little flip phone that I purchased with my T-Mobile account.
I called T-Mobile's customer support about 4 months ago and spoke with a very nice gentleman and he assisted me in SIM unlocking my phone and apparently canceling my account. Since I was on a Flex Pay account I was told that I was not under a "contract" like most phones but if I didn't pay my bill I would not receive a bill for the next month, kinda like a Go phone right? Wrong...
So I checked my checking account a few months back and sure enough T-Mobile continued to debit my account with a total of $51.14 each month for a total of two months. I immediately called the T-Mobile Customer Service number and expressed concern with my findings. I was told by another Customer Service Representative that under no circumstances would they ever cancel any account and not charge a early termination fee.
I was flabbergasted to say the least. I work for a very large consumer electronics company that will stay unnamed, and we pride our selves on customer service. I basically was told "you cannot speak to my supervisor because she is going to tell you the same thing I just told you." After about 45 minutes of getting a run around I politely ended the conversation and told the gentleman that I would contact an Executive for T-Mobile and I would get things straightened out myself.
Well here comes the good stuff! I immediately went to your website and searched for T-Mobile executives' emails or phone numbers. I found a great email listing for Executive Response.
Chris sent a detailed email that basically repeated what he just described above, although in greater detail including the dates and times of each discussion he had with a T-Mobile rep. He also explained just why he was frustrated by the experience so far:
I know what customer service is and I pride myself on making a situation right for the customer no matter what. So when I was told that I was going to have to pay a 200 disconnect fee to cancel my plan that I thought had already been canceled or continue to receive debits from my account, I was less than thrilled to say the least. Now I understand that business is business but I will not be responsible for an error made on the CSR's part. The other thing that I realize is that the Customer Service Team is the voice for your company to the public. So if an agent over the phone told me that everything was taken care of, but there is not a single note regarding canceling my plan but sure enough there are notes about me wanting to unlock my phone for another carrier, why do I become responsible for it? I wish I had noticed my account was being debited last month as well because this email would have been sent sooner. So far I have been charged for a phone that I no longer use nor do I have access to and to a phone number which has not been used in over two months, and the charges add up to $102.90. So it seems I have payed for 2 months of usage and I haven't even used it.
[...]
In closing I would like for you to understand what I, the customer, would like to see happen. First I would like to no longer receive debits from my account, thus canceling the account completely without paying a disconnect fee. And I would like at least one month of a credit back into my checking account. I do feel that I have been unfairly treated and unfairly charged fees that should not be there.
Here's what happened after he sent the email:
I just received a phone call by a very polite and professional woman who claimed to be from the Executive Response Team and she said she would be more that pleased to cancel my account, not charge me a termination fee and get this, refund the 2 months worth or account balance back to me in the form of a check.
All in all I just wanted to pass along the word to you guys because even though I just check the website a lot just to see how screwed up big business is in America I just so happened to be a victim and without this website I would not have known where to turn. Maybe this will be posted online and let other individuals know that there is a way to get the outcome that is right and that all we need is the resources to find out how those outcomes come to light.
If you don't know what an Executive Email Carpet Bomb (EECB) is, or how to write one, read How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb.
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Comments:
Don't ever give anyone access to your bank accounts. Use a credit card or request a paper bill.
@MisterE: You might get the added 'convenience' of being reported to a credit agency when they don't think you've canceled AND you're not paying.
@MisterE: I recall working for a credit card company and there was this lady who had set up auto pay for a certain amount to come out of her checking every month.
Thing is even though she was no longer using the card and had called to get the auto pay cancelled, it was never done right and kept deducting. As a result there would be a deduction and she would get sent back a check every month. It only seemed to end when a manager seemed to know the right way to cancel the autopay (managers can do things reps can't), funny enough the other managers who she talked to earlier didn't know how to stop it.
Lesson of the day, use billpay from your bank where applicable.
I use paper bills. It's a bit of a hassle but I don't have to worry about bloodsucking morons debiting my checking account without my knowing it. They would prefer that I do automatic payments (I get reminders of this regularly), so I get a tiny bit of spiteful satisfaction each time I pay by mail.
"Chri[s] works for a "very large consumer electronics company" that he won't name (we're pretty sure it's Apple)"
Why imply Apple? I have had a pretty decent time with Apple's customer service on the lower level but not at ALL with their executive folks, which is the opposite of Chris's experience. I'd be surprised if he worked for Apple--they have the worst executive support and responses (none!) in my dealings with them.
Having spent a lot more time than I would have liked in wireless customer service, I know for a fact that the only people who really have common sense AND the power to help you are the executive team.
Even most call center supervisors I knew were beyond useless when it came to ANY common sense.
@MisterE: For any account I have set up with an auto-debit, I cancel the auto-debit 2 billing cycles before I cancel the account.
@Tamar Weinberg: I think part of their non-existent executive response is that they've tried so hard to get the lower level support to do things right the first time.
But if Chris is really an Apple employee, how could he not have an iPhone? :)
When did people start misspelling "paid"? Suddenly I see "payed" everywhere, even from people who seem like they actually went to school, like our friend Chris here.
Yep, same thing happened to me; if you get ahold of a T-Mobile higher-up's e-mail, they back down instantly and without fail, which is most likely a sign that they know what they're doing ain't all legit. When they e-mailed me, they said that they were going to waive my "valid" termination fee; a little dig to let me know "hey, we're allowed to do this, but we're going to give you a break just because we're so nice." Uh-huh.
@MisterE: The ONLY time you should accept an auto-debit plan for ANYTHING is when they offer you something of value to offset the risk of letting them have access to your account.
Case in point: Get a mortgage and they want auto-debit of the mortgage payment? They have to lower the rate a quarter of a percent to get it, or else they will get a check mailed to them and like it.
I don't understand why it is relevant or warranted to guess where Chris works, especially if he was unwilling to disclose it himself.
The one that bugs me the most is "isle" for "aisle." You're walking down the island?!
I don't use auto-debit for anything but Netflix. So far I haven't had any problems with them.
I do pay my phone and satellite bill online, but not through auto pay. I have to go in and manually click it through to make it go.
So does he want to keep using the phone, or does he not have access to it?
@HogwartsAlum: Don't forget "que" for "queue." Holy Moses. Even though I don't speak Spanish, I always read it as "what?"
Boss: "You've got old tickets in your que."
Me: "Que?"
@HogwartsAlum: Mine is rein and reign. It's free rein (as in leaving a horse to its own designs).
I've also seen people 'pouring' over paperwork isntead of 'poring'. Just.. what?
And scan vs. skim.
There are more, but I'll stop now.
These auto debit plans to & from bank accounts are too damn easy to set up and impossible to stop. I'll sacrifice the "convenience" of auto bill pay so I don't have to have the hassles of trying to stop it.