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T-Mobile has problems

Let’s Confuse the Customers

On May 22, 2024 this SMS message arrived on the phone from T-Mobile:

T-Mobile: For the first time in nearly a decade, we’re making a change to the price of some of our monthly service plans. Starting on 06/05/24, your rate plan(s) will increase by $5 per line per month. You’ll keep all the benefits you currently enjoy, and your rate plan type and bill due date remain the same. For more information, visit sms.t-mobile.com/NGqUR4F4

Soon after that SMS message I’m greeted with this voice message when calling 611:

Welcome to T-Mobile. Hi Bruce. I notice there are charges on your account causing your bill to be slightly higher. You have questions about that?

Charges, in addition to a rate increase? I talked with T-Mobile reps and they could not find any additional charges. Then they said the voice message really refers to the RATE increase. But, according to one rep, the rates are really charges, per the “MRC”. What is MRC I asked? “Monthly Recuring Charge”. The SMS message never used the word “charge”, instead referring to a “rate plan”.

This kind of inconsistent terminology is a great way to confuse customers and drive up the number, length, and costs of calls to customer service. Mike Sievert needs to get his act together.

And if that is not enough of a problem for millions of customers, Mike Sievert should also pay attention to this absurd T-Mobile suggestion from a supervisor.

Ask a stranger for the PIN

In the Spring of 2024 someone used one of my email addresses to start prepaid service with T-Mobile. I called T-Mobile and said there is some fraud going on using my email address without authorization.

The first rep said I needed to talk to the Prepaid Department.

The first rep in the Prepaid Department could not get her brain to understand that someone used my email address without authorization, as many ways as I tried to explain it. She kept asking if there was someone — like a friend — I had given my email address to.

I asked for a supervisor. The supervisor had a brilliant idea so that she could get into the account and look at it. This was her idea: I should call the phone number in the account associated with my email address and ask the person for the PIN, which I would in turn give to the supervisor.

So there you have it, T-Mobile personnel suggesting I be part of a process to try to improperly obtain a PIN from a stranger. I declined to be a part of this process.

Mike Sievert really needs to get his act together.