I absolutely despise T-mobile now.

As the old saying goes:  The grass is greener on the other side.  Similarly,  the grass grows greener over the septic tank.

Getting a service that both works where you need it, has functional customer service for when you do need it, and doesn't break the bank.  At one time, i had an At&t for life plan...it too had fine print, i.e. new devices required new contract … this was in the early 2000s.  Similarly,  texts were free, until they weren't.   Texts weren't initially part of the service plan…. Calling/roaming was.

Shop around.  At&t and Verizon may give new perks, and prepaid may also be an option