In-store Customer Service & Support, Negative 5 Stars, Thinking of Switching Carriers

T-Mobile used to have a US based support center, I think in El Paso, it was great.  On several occasions calling 611, I was connected with the same agent, which never happens with any other company.  This was a few years ago, pre-Covid, but I learned than that as a long time customer, I had VIP support, which included talking to the same agent if they were on duty.  Those days are gone.  At the end of the day, I don't care if support is in the Philippines, India, Costa Rica or Walla Walla, or whether or not English is their first language, as long as they are able to resolve my problem.

My issue is slightly different, in Dec 2022, I "upgraded" my Pixel 3A , which has been fantastic, for a Samsung Gal A53, which I am disliking more and more each day.  I paid ifor the A53 n full.  Because of Xmas, it was 17 days before I was able do get back to the store in South Pasadena, CA to return/exchange the A53 for a newer Pixel or OnePlus, all of equal or higher price than what I had paid for the A53.

The Store rep said I had missed the 14 day return period and he could not process the return, but also elevated it to the store manager who said his hands were tied and nothing he could do to override the policy, even for a 9 year, 4 line customer.  Together we called 611/VIP cust serv, who indicated the store manager absolutely had the discretion to waive the 14/17 day rule, but the store manager continued to claim they did not.  I asked to elevate this to the District Manager and was promised they would contact the DM that evening and I would be contacted.  That was on Dec 27, 2 weeks ago, and I've have heard nothing since.  Given this experience, if the DM did contact me now, I expect they would probably claim that it was now more 30 days since the original purchase and any return/exchange was past.   FWIW, compare the in-store return/exchange policy with the more generous on-line purchase/exchange policy, which I would have been eligible for if I had used that channel and the level of idiotocracy just increases.

@Jon Frieier (President US Consumer Group) and @Mike Katz (President, Marketing & Experience), can you hear me now?  In the next week you are about to lose this 9 year customer to Verizon, where I can trade in all four of my phones for new ones with the new service I am going to establish there.  And when it comes to calculating year end bonuses, I only hope that the bonuses to the South Pasadena,CA location and district manager reflect the loss of a $200/mo 9 year customer.