Forum Discussion
T-Mobile Experts aren't experts. What can be done?
T-Mobile's approach to transparent customer service falls short on many of the basic tenets commonly used in the tech industry today. Rather than continue to gripe about the shortcomings, I thought it might serve me (and other T-Mobile customers) if we could address how a few changes could vastly improve the relationship between provider and customer and bridge the chasms the existing policy causes.
Crear una orden de trabajo (trouble ticket)
When a call is made to T-Mobile continuity on follow-ups is severely lacking. The notes made by the "expert" cannot be seen by the customer to offer any assurance that when they are told something there is a record supporting that statement.
Currently, when a customer calls back regarding a continuing issue they effectively must start from scratch explaining the issue and working their way through layers of repetitive question/answer sessions before getting to where they left off on the last call.
This is a tremendous waste of everyone's time and is the most frustrating aspect of T-Mobile's customer support. To the point that it feels as though this is an intentional tactic to discourage the customer from using the support channel to resolve the issue because it can be so time consuming.
Being assigned a Case Number, and that number being referenced in My T-Mobile so that the customer can verify that the "expert" has understood the nature of the issue and can show the next "expert" where to pick up where it was left off last time would be easy to implement and would increase efficiency significantly.
"Experts" should be willing to verify with a supervisor when something is ambiguous
I was involved in a two hour chat where an "Expert" (Marygrace) consistently claimed the ONE Plus discounted rate of "$10/line/mo for +2 lines" that is advertised only applied to what they called the "Family Plan." Honestly?
Is there even a T-Mobile One Unlimited plan called the Family Plan? No, there is not. In the description of the ONE Plus add-on it clearly states,
"To get ONE Plus, you need to be on a T-Mobile ONE™, T-Mobile ONE™ Military, T-Mobile ONE™ ilimitado 55+, o T-Mobile ONE™ w/ ONE Plus plan"
(why you would want to add ONE Plus to the "T-Mobile ONE w/ONE Plus" is a question I can't answer) Nonetheless, it seems any reference to a "family plan" is in regard to any T-Mobile ONE unlimited plan that includes more than one line.
Despite being unable to provide a link explaining this unique perspective she held, essentially claiming that no T-Moble ONE Unlimited account holder (whether regular, 55+, Military, or other variant) could have this rate applied when adding ONE Plus to a postpaid account of any sort. Every link she provided fell short of supporting her argument and repeatedly supported the ad, my interpretation of it, and at no time was she willing, when I asked her to approach a supervisor to resolve the misunderstanding. When I finally gave up and ended the chat she had the gall to phone me in order to keep her private war to deny a discount to a customer going. Unbelievable.
This is not an isolated incident in my experience. Logic and reason do not seem to be something the "Experts" are trained in applying. In fact, it is seldom that an "Expert" will take a stance that will provide benefit to the customer. Instead they tend to err on the side of increasing the T-Mobile profit stream, even when it obviously contradicts the published offers on the website.
This needs to be turned around. Providing paragraphs of kindly sounding platitudes while obfuscating the facts is not an effective method of building customer trust.
At least make an attempt to take the customer's side
Nearly every contact I've had with T-Mobile Experts has left me feeling as though their directive from above is to thwart providing the customer the thing they asked for, were promised, and fully expect to receive based upon the advertising pitches and published terms and conditions.
At no time has any of the fluff statements and typed niceties ever seemed to me as being sincere. Instead, they come across as a corporate spiel meant to quell any ire the "expert's" actual stance of denying the customer any modicum of actual service will invoke.
Go through this a few times while attempting to understand the responses multiple "experts" provide to any given issue and it becomes clear how this is a script or mandate that is part of their training rather than holding any level of sincerity on the part of the "expert" spouting it. Please stop doing this. It is embarrassing and infuriating when it is so clearly a ploy to avoid addressing the question at hand that further wastes time.
If instead, the expert had the resources to investigate the customer's claims regarding how T-Mobile has not delivered what was promised and expected, then, lead the customer to the best way to achieve their expectation, or, at least provide documentation to support what is preventing resolution. This seems to be a rarity and many who post here regarding their experiences are left feeling as though the support offered was only a sugar-coated attempt to do anything to keep from addressing the issue in any satisfactory manner.
And again, there needs to be a way to document what happens in each instance that both the customer and the next "expert" can mutually access, and which can be referenced by number. How many times I've heard "this will be done in the next 24 hours" only to have to call back in when it hasn't, only to be told that "it will be done in the next 24 hours" as if I wasn't told that already three times over the past week. It is bordering on the insane, which is so often defined as "doing the same thing over and over while expecting to get a different result."
If a customer has already been through the designated period of time, take their word for it and troubleshoot why it didn't happen. Don't put them through the same endless loop over and over again.
The customer should be the one to decide when an issue has been resolved
Each case should remain open and available to all parties to review until the customer closes it. This would prevent the inconsistencies I have experienced where one "expert" tells me this, and the next one contradicts them. Without a record of what has transpired before the customer does not know who to believe.
- tmo_amandaBandwidth Buff
I just wanted to swing by to toss in my two cents, @whatsthedeal! Your feedback isn't falling on deaf ears -- I completely understand what you mean and most definitely agree with the suggestions you made in your original post. I'm SOOOOO sorry you had to not only go back and forth via chat for a while but then it moved to a phone conversation that was just as unproductive. 😥
I took a look at the plan you currently have and the feature you're wanting. For two lines on the 55+ plan con ONE Plus and AutoPay, you should be looking at $90/month which is what it sounds like you were wanting. The exact plan name is T-Mobile ONE c/ONE Plus para familias ilimitado 55+ (TI) and if you need to reference it to T-Mobile employees, it can be found on DOC# 443182. I wish I were personally able to assist you with your account to get this added for you without as much of a headache that has already been caused but we do not have access to customer accounts via the Support Community.
Again, I'm truly sorry you've been going around in circles to have a simple question answered but please know that I will most definitely forward your feedback of how we can improve our TEX teams.
- whatsthedealTransmission Trainee
Regarding the issue mentioned above where I asked about adding the ONE Plus to the T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ plan, after not finding the discounted rate for +2 lines in MY T-Mobile app.
T-Mobile Expert Marygrace told me, repeatedly, over two hours of a chat session, how the discounted rate only applies to "Family Plan" accounts, I have finally found in a search where the term "Family Plan" is a valid reference only in regard to the Simple Choice accounts, and, as I suspected, has no correlation with any of the T-Mobile ONE accounts, nor, with the ONE Plus adder I was interested in.
This "Expert" was confused about which options apply to which plans and was unable to grasp the concept that THEY MIGHT BE WRONG in order to actually help the customer. Despite my leading her to published websites describing the discount and to which accounts it applies and her being unable to provide any link to support her stance on the matter.
This complete waste of time for both of us is exactly the sort of thing that exemplifies how their expertise is often based upon one misunderstanding after another. It is rare that any "expert" has not left me feeling as though they think I'm the bad guy and their defensiveness toward their misunderstanding of current plans is somehow justified enough that they won't question their own competence. (look up the Dunning-Kruger effect to better understand such a mindset)
A restructuring of the support channel that would include accountability regarding issues, and, that can be mutually accessed by both "experts" and customers would solve this.
Thoughts?
Comments regarding other's experiences when multiple calls for a single issue are essentially echos of the previous call that netted no resolution?
Can these suggestions reach someone at T-Mobile who is in a position to consider and implement them?
- skymorenaTransmission Trainee
Sorry that you've had this experience. When a T-Mobile Agent says "Family Plan" it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a Simple Choice Plan. It can be an account with T-Mobile One Plan but with multiple lines. The One Plus feature is now at $15/line.
- whatsthedealTransmission Trainee
Mine is a T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ plan with multiple lines. This was clear to the "expert" as they had my PIN and were looking at the account.
The ad I'm referring to is on the main T-Mobile site (not Support.T-Mobile) and found after clicking the PLANS link, then scrolling down nearly to the bottom.
There is a Terms link as well, and there are no caveats beyond the requirement of being a postpaid account and having a minimum of "+2" lines, which my plan meets.
There is no mention of "family plan" on the related Support page links she provided referencing the ONE Plus adder, other than indicating that when applying for ONE Plus that all lines must be upgraded. Which was my intent.
What about this kept her attempting to prove to me that this would not apply to my plan for over two hours of chat is beyond me. I later called back in and the rep at that time confirmed that the plan I have is eligible for the discounted rate.
One of these reps is mistaken. You can decide which one. Either way, at least one of them is not an Expert.
- whatsthedealTransmission Trainee
Here is the text copied from the ad with the discount bolded and underlined:
Amplifica T-Mobile ONEBoost your data speed abroad, stream Netflix in HD, and more when you get ONE Plus.
+ $15 por línea/mes
Solo $10 más al mes por línea al agregar ONE Plus a cada línea en tu cuenta de más de 2 líneas.
con ONE Plus- Streaming HD.
Disfruta de contenido de alta definición en Estados Unidos. - 20 GB de datos para hotspot móvil 4G LTE
Con datos 3G ilimitados. - 2 veces la velocidad de datos en el extranjero.
En más de 210 países y destinos comparado con T-Mobile ONE.
- Wi-Fi ilimitado en los vuelos.
On Gogo®-enabled flights to, from and within the US. - Correo de voz a texto.
Lee tus mensajes de voz dondequiera que estés. - Name ID.
Identifica llamadas de números desconocidos. - Solo pospagado. Se requiere servicio elegible. La experiencia HD requiere dispositivo compatible y activación. Streaming de video en resolución nativa; es posible que algunos proveedores de contenido no transmitan sus servicios en HD. Servicio internacional: La cobertura no está disponible en algunas áreas; no somos responsables por el desempeño de las redes de nuestros socios. Velocidades estándar de 256 Kbps aprox. No es para uso internacional prolongado; debe residir en los Estados Unidos y el uso principal debe ser en nuestra red de los Estados Unidos. Debe registrarse el dispositivo en nuestra red de EE. UU antes de usar en el extranjero. El servicio puede ser cancelado o restringido por uso excesivo de roaming. Enlace: 20GB high-speed data then unlimited at max 3G speeds. Name ID: Capable device req’d; information for some unknown numbers not available. Gogo: Wi-Fi & texting on Gogo-equipped flights of U.S.-based airlines requires a capable smartphone. Para SMS/MSM/VVM es necesario tener función Llamadas Wi-Fi, dirección e911 válida y 1 llamada Wi-Fi previa c/tarjeta SIM actual. Family Pricing: Price requires ONE Plus for all lines on 2+ line account.
- gramps28Router Royalty
I would suggest contacting them through social media. 😉
- whatsthedealTransmission Trainee
Do you not remember suggesting this to me in another thread?
The one where I explained how not everyone WANTS to participate (as the product being sold) in a data-mining scheme. I do not subscribe to the Social Media channels that T-Mobile have a presence on. I'm not a good little sheep that flocks to Facebook to have my data sheared and sold.
Still, thanks just the same, as your suggestion may be helpful to others reading this to find a solution for their issues.
- gramps28Router Royalty
Do you not recognize the sarcasm with the winky face.
- whatsthedealTransmission Trainee
LOL, thought it was a smiley. Good one.Got me.
The rant was therapeutic. 😀
- hobbitTransmission Trainee
How come there isn't any good communication between TMo staffers here and the people at 611??
Customers frequently raise very valid points here, and the ideal path would include immediate
retraining so callcenter reps aren't giving out bogus/inconsistent answers. They could also use
to be more willing to admit when they don't know and escalate appropriately.
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