Customers shopping around for a good deal on an iPhone 5 might be a little confused if they’re checking out T-Mobile’s site: Clicking on the “Buy Now” button below the promo will garner one downpayment amount for the 16GB phone, $149.99, while choosing “Learn More” touts the phone for $50 cheaper at $99.99 upfront. So what gives? [More]
Turns Out That $99.99 Upfront Price For T-Mobile iPhone 5 Was Only A Monthlong Promo
By May 13, 2013
The EECB Gets T-Mobile Off My Back, $300 Refund
By May 3, 2013
By harnessing the power of the executive e-mail carpet bomb, D. was able to end a nine-month “saga” with T-Mobile in less than 24 hours. “Go away,” they said (we’re paraphrasing.) “We didn’t take $297 from you without your permission.” Only they kinda did. [More]
Washington State AG To T-Mobile: Not So Fast With That ‘No-Contract’ Advertising
By April 26, 2013
Last month, we pointed out that while T-Mobile’s new pricing schemes are a lot better than the standard handset subsidy/contract model in the United States, it’s not perfect, and it’s not totally commitment- and contract-free. The Attorney General of Washington state agrees with us. They got T-Mobile sign a court order that applies nationwide and lets customers get a full refund on their handsets and plans if they believe that they were misled into signing up with T-Mobile. [More]
mazel tovMay yours be a long and happy marriage: MetroPCS’s shareholders blessed the union of the company with T-Mobile. All it took was a bit of a sweetened dowry on behalf of T-Mobile’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission last month, so it’s full steam ahead from here. [via Bloomberg]
Today Was The Deadline For Wireless Companies To Enact Bill Shock Alerts. Did Everyone Make It?
By April 17, 2013
In October 2011, the FCC and the nation’s major wireless providers agreed to put systems in place that would alert subscribers when they neared and passed their plans’ thresholds for things like calling minutes, texts, data, and international roaming. Per the agreement, all the providers were supposed to have all their alerts in place by today. So did everyone finish on time? [More]
T-Mobile iPhone Preorders: A Few Glitches, But Not A Disaster
By April 10, 2013
T-Mobile are pretty excited about the iPhone coming to the carrier, and many customers among our readership have pre-ordered the device. On Monday, we shared reader Richard’s preorder report that he wasn’t able to order at all, no one was able to place a preorder for him, and nobody knew why. We called in for some help from T-Mobile, and asked our readers how their preorders are going. [More]
About That Un-Carrier Thing: Technically, T-Mobile Still Might Make You Sign A Contract
By March 29, 2013
T-Mobile CEO John Legere told reporters at a big media event recently, “If you come to T-Mobile, you’ve signed your last [mobile phone] contract.” Only this is not, strictly speaking, true. If you lay out cash or bring your own device, then no, you will not have to sign a contract. when switching to Big Pink. However, customers who buy a new device on an installment plan do need to sign a contract binding them to T-Mobile for as long as they’re still making payments on the phone. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Comcast Vs. T-Mobile
March 25, 2013
Another big name steps into the WCIA semicircle of crippling depression and generalized anxiety, as a former tournament champ takes its first step toward retaking the title. [More]
T-Mobile Unveils New “Unlimited” Data Plans Starting At $50/Month
By March 25, 2013
Over the weekend, T-Mobile posted a new slate of rates for what it still calls “unlimited” (though that term is highly debatable) data plans for smartphones, with the lowest tier starting at only $50/month. [More]
Former Lovers T-Mobile And AT&T Now Blasting Each Other In Bitter Ad War
By March 7, 2013
Way back in 2011, everything was coming up roses for AT&T and the object of its affection, T-Mobile. The two companies were trying to merge, and the air was filled with sweetness and light. Love songs wafted over the radio and — you get the point. It didn’t work out, and the two parted ways. Cut to this year, when T-Mobile CEO John Legere included a dig at AT&T at the Consumer Electronics Show saying its network was crap. Oof. [More]
Looks Like DOJ Is A-OK With T-Mobile/MetroPCS Merger
By March 6, 2013
The proposed marriage of underdog T-Mobile and upstart MetroPCS is one step closer to the altar today, as the Justice Dept. was given the chance to speak out against the merger but appears to have decided to forever hold its peace. [More]
FCC Yells At 2 Million People To Turn Those Darn Cell Phone Signal Boosters Off, Changes Its Mind
By February 22, 2013
What’s an average citizen to do if they can’t get a cell phone call to go through, perhaps because they live far from cell towers or their network is just shoddy? About 2 million people in the United States currently use wireless signal boosters, devices that can help strengthen cell phone signals. The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules on those yesterday, at first saying everyone would have to turn them off and get permission from carriers, but backpedaling shortly after. [More]
T-Mobile Won’t Refund Peace Corps Volunteer’s ETF Because South Pacific Isn’t ‘Overseas’ Enough
By February 13, 2013
Naseem is a Peace Corps volunteer, serving in the South Pacific. She had once been told that as a U.S. government employee sent to an overseas posting, she would be freed from her T-Mobile contract when the time came for her to leave the country. She had nothing to worry about, all of the company representatives she talked to assured her. It would be fine. She would have to pay an early termination fee. Until someone at T-Mobile decided that the South Pacific doesn’t count as “overseas,” and she has to somehow prove that she’s not still in the United States. [More]
T-Mobile Wants $250 ETF After I Move Out Of Their Towers’ Reach
By February 12, 2013
Smoo has been a loyal T-Mobile customer of more than a decade, but it’s time to go. She just moved to a town where T-Mo has next to no service, so obviously she needs to cancel. There was a catch: she had just signed a new contract to get a better deal. No problem, said T-Mobile! Just send proof of her new address along, and they would let her out of her contract. Oh, if only it were that easy. [More]
T-Mobile Can’t Provide Me With A Free Micro SIM That’s Micro, Or That’s Free
By February 8, 2013
Teri is a T-Mobile customer, and she needed a micro-SIM for her new unlocked Nexus 4. This is supposedly a free item when you order it from T-Mobile’s website, but is not free when they send you the wrong SIM, and you call to complain and get them to rectify the situation. Then it costs $27. [More]
T-Mobile Promises Not To Extend My Contract After Replacing Phone, Extends Contract
By February 7, 2013
Philip’s wife’s phone wasn’t working very well. It would power-cycle and drain its own battery, and her texts get delayed. So he set out to get her a new phone, but this was a bigger challenge than he had expected. A replacement phone without extending the family’s contract apparently wasn’t an option. He managed to get a comparable new phone at no cost without extending his contract by calling the retention line to cancel, but this concession came with a price. [More]
This T-Mobile Chat Transcript Shows Why Online Customer Service May Not Be A Huge Improvement
By January 25, 2013
More and more businesses are pushing customers toward online chat as a preferred form of customer service. Best Buy even ditched its e-mail contacts in favor of chat. But is chat really any better? [More]
T-Mobile CEO Says Shared Data Plans Could Be Felled With All That Porn You’re Watching
By January 9, 2013
Everybody likes a CEO that says outrageous things and talks smack about the competition while wearing the “Look, I’m a regular guy like you!” outfit of a T-shirt and blazer. The above reasons are all part of why John Legere of T-Mobile scored a win with his recent Q&A session during the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And also he mentioned pornography, a guaranteed ear pricker-upper. [More]
