In the last year, AT&T did away with early upgrades for customers, then announced AT&T Next, an early upgrade program. Verizon was the first to get rid of early upgrades, but its soon-to-be-announced Edge program is expected to encourage early upgrades. Meanwhile, T-Mobile recently showed off its JUMP early upgrade plan to allow subscribers to get new devices up to twice a year. Why all the sudden, and seemingly contradictory, focus on early upgrades? [More]
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T-Mobile’s New JUMP Program Offers Phone Upgrades Twice A Year
By 7.10.13
T-Mobile a new early upgrade program today called JUMP! — Just Upgrade My Phone — that will allow customers to buy new phones at subsidized prices twice a year, instead of every two years or so. What’s the catch? There’s a $10 a month fee, which isn’t too bad for those customers who always want to get a, well, jump on newer phones. Pun totally intended. [More]
Walmart Erroneously Labels Me ‘Credit Risk,’ Won’t Send Data Plan Code
By 6.28.13
Kirk shops online a lot, but has never made a purchase from Walmart before. Apparently, this is some kind of crime, and has held up his online order of an activation code for his new T-Mobile prepaid plan. Walmart customer service calls him a “credit risk,” but T-Mobile thinks that his credit is peachy keen. [More]
T-Mobile Has A $30 Unlimited Data Plan For People Who Aren’t Very Chatty, But Can Current Customers Get It?
By 6.7.13
A growing number of smartphone users — especially younger folks — almost never use the “phone” part of their wireless device, but many of them have monthly plans that include a ton of voice minutes they will never exhaust. If that describes your phone behavior, you might want to look into a bottom-dollar prepaid option being offered by T-Mobile. [More]
Turns Out That $99.99 Upfront Price For T-Mobile iPhone 5 Was Only A Monthlong Promo
By 5.13.13
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]
The EECB Gets T-Mobile Off My Back, $300 Refund
By 5.3.13
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 4.26.13
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]
MetroPCS Shareholders Give Their Blessing For Company’s Marriage To T-Mobile
By 4.24.13
May 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] [More]
Today Was The Deadline For Wireless Companies To Enact Bill Shock Alerts. Did Everyone Make It?
By 4.17.13 — Updated: 4.18.13
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 4.10.13
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 3.29.13
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 3.25.13
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 3.7.13
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 3.6.13
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 2.22.13
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 2.13.13
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 2.12.13
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]
