The point of having a smartphone that can use wi-fi networks is so the device uses less data, right? Especially at night, when you’re at home snoozing, enveloped in the comforting waves of your home Internet connection. Yet Anthony’s phone and his father’s phone sneak off, accessing the mobile data network in the wee hours of the morning and pushing them over the limits of their T-Mobile data plan. They could just turn the phones off at night, but this is far from their only problem with these phones. Far. But T-Mobile won’t let them have different, functional phones or cut them loose.

I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile 3 months ago and I’ve been having nothing but problems from them the whole time. I opened up a family plan for my parents, my sister and myself. I got my sister and myself the 2GB unlimited (not really unlimited) data plan. My dad is retired, but he expressed interest in being able to check his email on his phone, the sales rep lured me into getting both my dad and myself a T-Mobile g2x smartphone since they are running a promotion where they are free, big mistake.

The phone has been freezing 5-10 times a day, I basically tried everything including running the phone stock for a few weeks by not installing any apps (which defeats the purpose of having a smartphone) but it still had issues. The GPS loses signal all the time. But the biggest problem is that I tried to use the phone to call into my daily teleconference for work, and it won’t pick up the keys that I enter for the access code, I’ve tried calling using my sister’s phone and it works perfectly fine.

They told me I had 30 days to return the phone without being charged anything, I was on day 20. I called them up and asked them what happens if i get the phone on the 29th and the same phone has issues, the rep told me that I would get 30 days on that too. What he did not mention was that only the factory warranty kicks in, and I’d be stuck with that phone until their computer system deems it necessary to switch phone models.

My dad and I have been through a total of 4 phones already, and after the first time, I had to threaten to pay the 800 dollar cancellation fee (200 for each line) for them to waive all processing fees for 60 days on exchanges. I told them that it’s wrong for me to pay for processing fee every time I exchange the phone if you keep sending me a faulty product and refuse to allow me to switch models.

Few days ago I got a text telling me that I have reached my data cap limit and now I’m being throttled. I wondered how, since last month I wasn’t even close to the cap. I looked at the data usage and it says I’ve been using 77 mb 100, and a bunch of of other random amounts of data at 12am-6am in the morning the past 2 weeks when I’m asleep with WIFI setting ON. I called T-mobile up and they said they can’t do anything about finding out what’s using that data. I figured maybe it’s my fault on my end and ignored it.

Tonight, I got a text saying that my dad’s line is over the data limit of 200 MB too. By the time I got the text my dad already has 1.5 Gigabyte in overages, T-mobile automatically charged me for the maximum $30 data plan. I got my dad the cheapest 200MB plan because I know for a fact he doesn’t know how to install or use apps. I only taught him how to sync his Gmail contacts and send/receive emails. The rep suggested something ridiculous like maybe he received a bunch of emails with huge picture attachments while he was asleep 3am in the morning and it synced with the phone.

My mom and sister with different phones doesn’t have any of these issues, I’m starting to think the phone has an issue with not being able to stop using data even while on WiFi or having the data disabled setting on in addition to all the freezing issues.

To summarize T-mobile lured me into getting 2 free smartphones that have constant freezing and data usage issues with them, attempted to charge me a processing fee for every time they keep sending me a faulty replacement, and only “waived it out of courtesy” when I threatened to pay the $800 dollar divorce fee, then told me basically to avoid future overages from my phone using data while i’m asleep with WiFi on or data disabled I have to upgrade to the line to an 2GB unlimited plan that is only used for checking email. As much as I hate AT&T, I’d advise everyone to stay away from T-Mobile or at least don’t sign up for a contract with them.

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