Mat has a sad story. He’s a gentleman variety show performer (pictured) who travels throughout Europe during the summer and wanted a good way to stay in contact with his wife.

A T-mobile store told him he could get a Blackberry with an unlimited email plan. It was the perfect solution and Mat bought it.

The only problem being that such a plan doesn’t exist. When he complained to T-mobile HQ, he was told there was nothing they could do as he had no proof in writing.

Ouch. T-mobile really drops the ball on this juggler, after the jump…

Matt writes:

So…I’m a British variety performer who travels extensively in Europe during Summer, and I have a delightful wife who has a slightly less delightful recurring back injury. I wanted a way of being able to email her from wherever I was in Europe, as much as I needed to, so I could check she was ok while I was working away.

I talked to a very helpful T-Mobile staff member who told me that there was a price plan for my Blackberry that would give me unlimited email for a flat monthly fee. Brilliant. I checked that I would be able to use the free unlimited email from other countries in Europe and the helpful staff member didn’t just say yes, but even started to list all the countries I that my free email would work in. Excellent. I bought the contract.

A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile started charging me for emails. I got in touch with them and they said it was their mistake and corrected it. Fine. While I was talking to them on the phone, I double-checked that my email would work in Europe and was told that it would work, but I’d have to pay for each email sent. Not good. I explained that I had been told that I had free unlimited email in Europe, and was told that no, I didn’t.

Time to contact customer service.

I regailed them with my tale and was told that they never offer free unlimited email outside of the UK. I told them that I had been told by their customer adviser that I would get the free email outside of the UK, and that was the sole reason I had purchased the price plan.

They apologised and offered to credit my account with

60. I said thanks, but that didn’t really solve my problem and what I really wanted was the free email outside the UK.

They said no and seemed to imply that I was making up the bit where the staff member tells me inaccurate information.

I mentioned how I understood that customer service calls are recorded and how this would confirm my story – I actually mentioned this several time, they always seemed to ignore it. I wonder why?

After a little more to and fro, they offered another

25 credited to my account. I explained that this still didn’t solve the problem.

All I want – I told them – was the price plan that I had been led to believe I already had.

This morning I got a terse email from them. They said that as there was no written evidence that I had been misled (not sure how there could be..) there was nothing else they could do.

Looks like the customer doesn’t come first.

It’s a great shame that their choice of customer service strategies brings results that leave all parties annoyed, where they could have taken alternative action and created a very happy and satisfied customer.

I wouldn’t have bought the price plan I am now saddled with had it not been recommended by the customer service staff member I talked to on the phone. I have been best misinformed and at best lied to in order to make a sale.

Crappy crappy crappy.

Mat Ricardo, Gentleman Juggler
Impossible feats with impeccable style
www.MatRicardo.com“

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