SOLVED Not receiving text verifications/website verification codes?

I feel you: I’ve been a customer for a few years and had a great plan. T-Mobile treated me great to lock me into a 2 year plan, but things went sideways on day one.

I specifically asked whether the iPhone I got for signing up could take both my personal and business line in the store and the guy assured me it wouldn’t be a problem.

Well… activating both eSIM slots required the phone to be unlocked. That took a day to resolve.

A few years go by and things are fine, meaning I don’t have to talk to anyone at T-Mobile.

One of the family had issues and needed to go to the store. I made them an authorized user. For whatever reason that changed my number as the primary account holder and I spent multiple calls and hours over months to get that “resolved.”

That means they send the texts and calls to the home internet routers or everyone BUT me.

I finally resolved that with someone that knew what they were talking about yesterday as I was porting out my family and canceling all service.

This is because over the last month, between chat and calls, I have spent 18 hours (documented) with customer service over multiple problems T-Mobile’s incompetence created.

It started after my grandfather passed earlier this year. I needed to turn off his line and port my business line in to replace it and keep our pricing. 

Instead of porting it to my second eSIM slot as I told them to do, they ported it to his phone… which was at my mom’s house four hours away. So, having her recently deceased dad’s phone ring constantly was a bit traumatic just a few days after his passing.

Back on the line with “service.” This was a 6 hour chain of phone calls with a “tech expert.” He was trying to reset my eSIM while on the other line of the phone. It wouldn’t work. Ever.

Finally, I got in touch with someone that knew what to do. I called from my Google Voice line (low priority business contact number) over VOIP, problem solved.

Earlier that day I contacted T-Mobile to add a third home Internet router to our plan and was told it was perfectly fine. Cool. Order the router.

Router shows up, won’t connect. I called customer service. Two hours later the router connected to the network, but instead of adding a home internet line they ended up turning off my business Internet router and assigning that number to the “third” router.

I call back, explain things, give them the IMEI and SIM of the original router to turn back on, get told everything’s fine, and transferred to the rudest sacks of garbage in India to activate it.

It'll be a 30min wait.

90min later.

After being rushed, insulted, and jumping through credit card verifications (my wife has the physical card and was in a meeting), they tell me they can’t add it because I can’t have three internet lines on my account.

I blew my top and demanded to speak to someone that knew what the F they were doing. I dressed Fred and his supervisor down in a way you only learn when crossing the wrong Chief on the wrong day. 

The Navy would be proud.

I was transferred to a lovely gal named Ambrosia. She was really helpful, overrode the system to activate a third home internet and it was as simple as assigning a new number to the very first router I activated as soon as their wireless internet service was available in my area.

We just need to talk to activation. But she’ll stay on the line. It’ll be a few minutes.

She was disconnected, but called me back after 45min when she realized, so my phone number worked just fine.

She tells me I can go on with my day and will handle everything as long as I authorize her to speak on my behalf. I stay on the line until I pull into my driveway to get dinner started for the family. Since I had been on hold all day, my wife had to carry the load for work… but I still lost another day of productivity.

That’s two days of lost work due to TMobile’s incompetence, or about $1200 of lost revenue.

Ambrosia never calls back.

The router never gets turned back on.

I receive an inquiry from customer service via email the next day and tell them all of this, my level of frustration, and give them a timeline to fix it or I’m leaving.

There is no reply. There is no change to my router status. Crickets.

I move on to cable internet, which is now the same price as wireless internet in my area.

In order to port out my numbers, I need to be authorized to request a temporary PIN from my device. I’m the primary account holder: after all, Ambrosia called me back correctly… until she didn’t.

Nope. The home internet router that’s no longer connected to the internet is the primary account device.

Back to customer service. Another two calls and hours later I’m creating a third email address to link to the account from my phone because… god only knows… but eventually I get it done.

Then I have to call back to cancel my watch’s link to my phone, of which I’ll be billed for a full cycle rather than having it prorated from the date of cancellation.

Same goes for the remaining routers.

But is there anything I can do to change your mind and keep you as a customer? Lol… not costing me $1500 in lost productivity due to systemic incompetence and hostile stupidity would be a big help, especially now that my wife is down for two months recovering from surgery.

I specifically shopped multiple carriers and NVMOs to make sure I never give T-Mobile another dime.

In the end I’ll pay a little more every month and I know ALL customer service anywhere I go will be as bad as T-Mobile’s, but if I’m going to get screwed I want it to be quick and honest.

T-Mobile is neither. They’re a complete joke and I’ll never do business with and/or recommend others to do so.

Between my family and friends I signed up enthusiastically (and never received any of the promised referral credits for doing so) when I moved my grandpa, mom, and wife over with me years ago T-Mobile has lost 18 accounts.

Avoid T-Mobile at all costs: they just care about getting you in the door. Once you contact customer service for anything, everything will get messed up and you’ll waste hours of your life on the “make it so frustrating to get help they just quit and accept it” protocol.

Never again.

It is 2-11-2025 and I have to agree that T-mobile is offering horrible customer service experience. We can't understand what their representatives are saying and when we do understand they use double meaning words to snuck in and get us to pay for charges we do not want to pay for!! I am desperately looking for a better service as of now!! 

I miss the days of having a specific business rep that we worked with when we had Sprint. I would call ONE person, who knew the account and what was going on with it… As it is now, I have to call, get dumped into a que, get an individual that often doesn’t know how to tie their own shoes and get told incorrect information over and over…. It’s pathetic… 

I’ve been with T-mobile for like 14 years, honestly it wasn’t bad before Covid, but after Covid is when I started having issues. My first complaint is that there’s no upgrades on phones for existing customers like me, unless you add a line. I still have the iPhone 10x that I actually had to replace because I drop it 2 feet from the floor while vacuuming my house, and the screen got a bad line in it that was neon purple, I use my phone for work so I ordered a replacement phone using the insurance. New phone came came pretty fast, but after a week the battery would die I couldn’t go anywhere without a charger, so I called and customer service was nice they sent me a new phone, but told me if it shows that there’s nothing wrong with the phone battery I might be responsible for paying full price for the 2nd replacement phone. The 2nd replacement phone worked much better. 
 

My other complaint is that my kids dad got them iPhones 14 for Christmas without taking to me, but changing my son’s phone over to his dad’s account was a nightmare. They wouldn’t let my son keep his number, and I got charged for 3 months after canceling his phone line, and had to call into t-mobile 3 times every time I was told it was fixed, it never was, finally got it fixed but was never offered any kinda credit for being overcharged multiple times. 
 

my final complaint is that I use my phone for work I’m self employed, I’ve tried multiple different times to get my phone plan switched to a business line, the first time I asked about this, I was transferred to the business department, only to be told there was no one there after being on hold for 30 minutes and to call back later, I was Surprised because it was around 3:30 pm central time. The second time I called in to change to a business plan I was told I need to go into the store. I’m honestly thinking about leaving T-mobile the last two years have been a pain and my phone bill is outrageous I have one line and I’m paying $100 a month for a crappy iPhone 10x because the upgrade really aren’t upgrades unless you are a new customer to T-mobile. I don’t feel appreciated as a long term customer. 

• CharlieB78 :

Thank you for the reply. I was actually very happy with T-Mobile until this happed. 

Now I am with ATT, they had issues right out of the gate. The ATT Rep lied to me about my deal and i had serval phone calls with ATT to get it mostly resolved. - Mostly

The ATT CSR admitted that the “ Rep had lied to me and they were aware of this issue and that individual no longer works for ATT.”  Paraphrased. 

So in 30 months I am switching to what?  I don’t know.

Thank you for the response.  G

@Greg B The truth regarding loyalty to customers is that it’s no longer a primary focus. When a company grows as large as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, you are merely a drop in the financial bucket. Unless you are a Large Volume business customer, you are an accepted financial loss, should you choose to leave.

Please understand, I mean no disrespect by this statement. I was a tier-2 tech-support rep for Verizon wireless for many years. VZW’s complacency within the cellular market allowed T-Mobile to make large gains in their cellular footprint within the US. I could see the writing on the wall with tech-support being outsourced to 3rd parties like Asurion, so I left VZW in 2018 and became an OTR truck driver, driving all over the US. I kept Verizon service, as it worked where I needed it to. Furthermore, I also learned that T-Mobile’s service had vastly improved across the US. (truck drivers gossip more than a sewing circle) I switched to T-Mobile, and I’ve been impressed with their cellular service. Customer service still leaves something to be desired, but it doesn’t surprise me. Call centers are more concerned with having asses in seats and less concerned with the quality of the person attached to said ass.

With the issue you have with the iPhone 8 replacement and the watch, have you contacted Apple support? (Speaking from experience) if it isn’t a service related issue (meaning the device/s connecting to the cellular network), Apple is the go to for device support.

Ladygraceqtea wrote:

Hi Greg B.  We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile last year.  We have never had better service.  If I have a problem I just go to the local store.  The folks who work there are always ready to help and are very knowledgeable.  I only spoke to someone on the phone when I first got the service.  We actually already had our IPhones we had gotten from Verizon.  We pay less now than we have ever paid for any other service.  We had AT&T for years before we switched to Verizon.  Anyway, you might talk to the people at your local store.  Hopefully they’ll be able to help you.  Good luck!

This sounds like someone that works for them trying make them look better 

The first couple years of t mobile were ok, but now idk who changed the system but hour long waits, no one keeps their word even w proof, no one give u call backs when they say, if line drops no one care to call back.  They hang up on u constantly for no reason , n tell u cant speak freely on phone or they will hang up to avoid helping you ... ill never buy anything from thid company again.

Their customer service went to the crapper when they started the 'team'. Before the 'team' you could call in ask for tech support without having to beg for 30 minutes for them to transfer you then with at least 5 apologies for not listening in the first place because they have to transfer you.  Before the 'team' one person with tech support is all it took. Now the people with tech support know 1 thing only. Home Internet knows nothing about phones etc... tech support use to know everything including customer service. 

When you call its always an hour or more and half of that hours is full of BS. No worries, we are so sorry but I will make sure to take care of your issue so you don't have to call back. We appreciate you being a 19 year customer. 

Issue still not corrected.

Last 5 months bill has been wrong.

The last thing I feel is appreciated. 

I understand staying with t mobile even though the service wasn't the greatest and at times the worst because I'm right there with you. 

I use to have this thing about hanging up on people but no longer. It has gotten to the point if I can't understand the person, I just hang up and call back. If I don't before I know it 30 minutes has passed and I'm still saying excuse me I didn't understand what you said . I don't feel bad any more because it's like this. I've lived more of my life than I have left and I don't appreciate anyone wasting it. Especially when a load of time has gone by, I'm still on the fone and nothing accomplished.  

I do understand your frustration.  I have been a t mobile customer for 15 plus years.  Pass February 2023 I called inquiring about WiFi in my home town in Lincoln County. The customer service representative said  with WiFi my monthly bill would increase by 50.00. I agreed, the representative said there is a special on Samsung 22 this month.  She said my bill would increase by 5 dollars for cost of the phone.

This Great deal only to find out WiFi is Not in this area and the Samsung 22 was not the 22 but some refurbished phone I failed to get because I did not the sign the email.

I am definitely leaving T-Mobile. Because The customer service today apologized I know 15 times yet offered nothing for their  mistake but  to send the label to to return the WiFi tower .