Forum Discussion
T-Mobile breaking promises to seniors who were offered price-lock guarantee for life on 55+ rate plans
In 2017, I signed up for a 55+ rate plan with the assurance that my monthly rate was price-locked for life. This incentive was a primary reason that I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile. Now, T-Mobile is trying to raise my monthly rate by $10.00. When I spoke to their customer service people this morning they told me that there was nothing that they could do to fix the problem. I also noted that they changed all of the marketing information on their web site to delete all references to the price-lock guarantee which I was offered when I set up the account. We need to find a way to complain loudly to T-Mobile about this breach of contract and breach of trust. If we do nothing, they will raise our rates again in the future. Let's fight back. Thanks for listening.
I submitted a complaint to the Washington State Attorney General, who relayed my complaint to TM. I received a call back from a "Customer Resource Specialist" who I reported on previously on this chat group. Today, I received the response that TM sent to the AG's office and am including it here. For anyone who lives in the State of Washington, I urge you to file a complaint with the AG's office. There is not much else they can do unless they receive numerous complaints. For the folks at TM who are monitoring this chat group, know that what you have offered is corporate double speak, gaslighting, and broken promises. We are boomers and not dead yet.
8 de julio de 2024
VIA EMAIL
Consumer Resource Specialist
Consumer Protection Division
Washington State Attorney General
800 Fifth Ave. Ste. 2000
Seattle, WA 98104
Your File No. 669988
T-Mobile Account No. 960596759
To Whom It May Concern:
T-Mobile USA, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) is in receipt of your correspondence dated June 20, 2024, regarding the above-referenced account.
T-Mobile regrets any concerns Mr. M may have experienced regarding their account, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond. T-Mobile records indicate M activated service on September 9, 2017, and maintains two voice lines of service ending in 4365 and 3448, subscribed to the ONE Plan Unlimited 55 rate plan at the monthly cost of $80.00, including taxes and fees. Additionally, M is enrolled in AutoPago, in which they receive a monthly discount of $5.00 per eligible line while using an eligible payment method.
On January 5, 2017, T-Mobile announced Sin contratos. Sin contratos is one of many ways T-Mobile showed our commitment to providing the best value in wireless. Con Sin contratos, T-Mobile committed to its customers that if it were to increase prices and customers chose to leave as a result, T-Mobile would pay the customers' final month's recurring service charges, as long as customers notified T-Mobile within 60 days. Consistent with that commitment, customers who activated on an eligible rate plan between January 5, 2017, and April 27, 2022, can request to have their final month's qualifying service charges reimbursed if their rate plan price increase and they choose to cancel service. Customers simply need to request the reimbursement within 60 days of the price increase.
From April 28, 2022, to January 17, 2024, T-Mobile began offering Precio Fijo on new account activations on qualifying rate plans. Precio Fijo guarantees that accounts activated with a qualifying rate plan, within the enrollment period, would not be subject to a price increase, so long as the account remained in good standing and the customer remained on the qualifying rate plan. If a customer migrates to a new plan not covered by Precio Fijo, la Precio Fijo guarantee will fall off the account given the customer is no longer on a qualifying rate plan. As M's account was activated before the above mentioned enrollment period, their account is not eligible for the Precio Fijo guarantee. Consumer Resource Specialist July 8, 2024 Page 2 of 2
P.O. Box 37380 Albuquerque, NM 87176 www.t-mobile.com
T-Mobile periodically reviews our plans and services to ensure that customers receive our latest benefits and features. As costs continue to rise, T-Mobile has made some small adjustments to the pricing of some of our older rate plans. On May 22, 2024, T-Mobile began notifying customers enrolled on older rate plans that their plan's monthly recurring cost will increase as of their June statement.
T-Mobile notified Myers that their ONE Plan Unlimited 55 will increase by $5.00, as of their next bill cycle, June 10, 2024. M's plan type, benefits, and due date will remain the same. If M is interested in shopping for a new rate plan or would like to review our current rate plan offerings, we encourage them to contact Customer Care or visit T-Mobile.com/cell-phone-plan.
On June 25, 2024, our office contacted M and advised them of the information above. T-Mobile regrets any inconvenience to M
Based upon the above, we respectfully request that this matter against T-Mobile be closed.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the address listed below or at 425-***-****.
Very truly yours,
T-MOBILE USA, INC.
Alton L
Respuesta ejecutiva
Husband received letter 55+ rate was $30/month but when we went to T-Mobile store it was $115/month for husband plan & $40/month for my plan There wasn't a $30/month plan unless get 2 lines for basic coverage and both people had to get exactly same plan? My $40 wasn't $40 month either but $51.07/month! Just like you I feel 🙃
I believe it might be time for a class action lawsuit against T-Mobile for raising rates on a promised fixed rate, never to change, Magenta 55+ plan. I realize that T-Mobile has incurred additional expenses as they say but if they think that this plan was a bad deal for them then I'm sorry to say that they made their bed and must lie in it (no pun intended for the lie).They are the third largest cell phone provider in the nation with 98 million customers. I don't know what share has the Magenta 55+ plan but I'm sure it's a lot. Please let us know if we have support out there. We mean no harm to T-Mobile but they have certainly harmed us as we incur additional expenses in our lives as well. ¡Gracias!
As a final action on my part regarding T-Mobile's lack of honesty and integrity, I have written an email to Mike Seivert, CEO. For what it may be worth, here's the text of my email:
Dear Mr. Seivert,
My name is XXXX. Up until a few days ago, my wife and I were part of the T-Mobile family in that we each had our cell phone service through the Magenta 55+ Unlimited plan. We signed on to the plan at your store in North Myrtle Beach, SC in November of 2020. The process of switching was easy, and the folks in the store were very helpful. One of the main reasons we made the switch from Verizon to T-Mobile was that we were PROMISED that our monthly rate would NEVER increase as long as we maintained the plan. We made no changes to our plans at all, and we paid through autopay every month. $90 each month, including taxes and fees and "Netflix on us". We always got good service, and we enjoyed the benefits of the plan.
Then, several months ago, I received a text informing me that our rate would be increasing. I thought it had to be a mistake since we had been promised that the rate would never go up. I called your customer support several times and was basically told this: "Yes. We did promise that your rate would never increase, but we now find that with the cost of everything going up we must impose a small rate increase". That nonsensical reply angered me. So ... I went onto the T-Mobile community site to find out if I was the only one who felt I had been lied to. The answer was a resounding "NO"! It seems that many senior citizens were in the same boat as my wife and me. Again, I reached out to customer support for help, but the rate was increasing and that was that.
My next steps were to file complaints with the FCC and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Each of those received a written reply from T-Mobil which was laden with lies and "blowing smoke". No where did the reply say that we had been promised that rates would not increase. I continued the battle through those two entities and with the SC Attorney General's office. T-Mobile stood fast in it's denial of the promise that it had made.
Eventually, I came to a conclusion: It's obvious to me that T-Mobile has decided to trade its integrity for the few dollars it would get from seniors who had been promised a stable rate forever. That's when it dawned on me that I didn't want to fight this decision any longer. Honesty and integrity are important in any relationship, and I don't want to do business with a company where those virtues are meaningless.
The bottom line is this: I have now severed my relationship with T-Mobile, and I've switched the service for my two cell phones to a competitor. They seem to honor and treasure their integrity. Please know this: It was NEVER about the money! It was about an agreement between me and T-Mobile, and a promise that your company decided not to keep. Most of the folks involved in this issue will be dead in a few years, and the added income to you would be negligible anyway. The true colors of what you stand for have become abundantly clear for me, and as I told one of your reps, if you came to me with a promise of free service for the rest of my life, I would not do business with you. Integrity is highly important to me. I have an expectation of integrity of those I do business with, and your company has not met that expectation.
I hope the results are worth it to you.--Manofintegrity wrote:
levi1111 wrote:
File the complaint with the FCC using the link provided in one of the posts. It was easy. Maybe the FCC can pressure them to honor their promise and a lawyer will pick this up and file a class action suit.
When I called, the agent tried to get me to change and then offered to pay the lasylt month if I chose to leave. The minute I do that, I break the contract and cannot hold them to their contract going forward. I will hold out, pay my bill so their is no lapse and hope the FCC and or a lawyer can help hold them accountable.
I filed with the FCC weeks ago. Also with my state Dept. of Consumer Affairs and AG. All of them are responsive, but they all say they're simply acting as a "go between". They forward the complaint to T-Mobile, then T-Mobile is required to respond to them and the complainer. The responses have been mostly lying and blowing smoke … which the agencies see as a reasonable reply. They'll end up doing nothing. As for a class action suit, the attorneys will be the ones who make the $$, and we consumers will get a check for $22.58. In the end, T-Mobile lied to us, and … at least for me … I've decided that is enough to make up my mind. I'll let all know how my service with Patriot Mobile is, but the process of moving my phone and phone number so far has been wonderful. I'll receive sim cards later this week, and I'll activate my phones. At that point, I'll contact T-Mobile to request that they credit the final monthly bill. I've already stopped the "autopay". Good luck to all, and I'll post a "review" on this forum later.
Done! Yesterday I received my two sim cards from Patriot Mobile. Within a short while, I have used my T-Mobile app to obtain a porting code, used it to activate my two lines with Patriot Mobile, deleted my T-Mobile app, called T-Mobile to ask them to credit my final bill (as they have promised we can do if we move), and am now fully "hooked up" through Patriot Mobile. Their reps are VERY cordial, my account website is clear and concise, and their prices are fair. With T-Mobile I was paying for two lines on their Magenta 55+ plan, which included Netflix basic. My monthly bill with Patriot Mobile will be about $12 less than my T-Mobile bill INCLUDING paying for Netflix basic on my own. AND! … my Patriot Mobile sim card package contained a copy of the US Constitution! So far, the process has been reasonably straightforward, and I'm happy to have walked away from a company that has ZERO integrity. Sayonara T-Mobile!
I also went through this when they dropped the credit for using your credit card. Now that costs me $10 more a month. They want us to use our bank accounts for the credit, are you kidding? They just had a breach not too long ago, I don't want them to have my bank information, just ridiculous.
I checked my account this morning, now $70 a month for two lines for the 55+. I looked further and I saw that the next billing cycle is now going to be $80 a month! Totally ridiculous!
I will be looking at Consumer Cellular, seeing better plans there but will also check all the other forms of plans out there.
T-Mobile did NOT keep its word regarding my plan. I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile's 55+ Plan IN 2018 which GUARANTEED that the rate would NEVER increase while I had this plan. T-Mobile broke the agreement by raising my monthly fee by $10. I am thoroughly disgusted by T-Mobile's action which shows the company's untrustworthiness and betrayal towards its customers many of whom have this same plan and also have complained to T-Mobile. T-Mobile only needs to check its Community site to see the reactions of many of these dissatisfied customers. Shame on T-Mobile. Shame on those T-Mobile individuals who decided to betray their customers.
levi1111 wrote:
File the complaint with the FCC using the link provided in one of the posts. It was easy. Maybe the FCC can pressure them to honor their promise and a lawyer will pick this up and file a class action suit.
When I called, the agent tried to get me to change and then offered to pay the lasylt month if I chose to leave. The minute I do that, I break the contract and cannot hold them to their contract going forward. I will hold out, pay my bill so their is no lapse and hope the FCC and or a lawyer can help hold them accountable.
I filed with the FCC weeks ago. Also with my state Dept. of Consumer Affairs and AG. All of them are responsive, but they all say they're simply acting as a "go between". They forward the complaint to T-Mobile, then T-Mobile is required to respond to them and the complainer. The responses have been mostly lying and blowing smoke … which the agencies see as a reasonable reply. They'll end up doing nothing. As for a class action suit, the attorneys will be the ones who make the $$, and we consumers will get a check for $22.58. In the end, T-Mobile lied to us, and … at least for me … I've decided that is enough to make up my mind. I'll let all know how my service with Patriot Mobile is, but the process of moving my phone and phone number so far has been wonderful. I'll receive sim cards later this week, and I'll activate my phones. At that point, I'll contact T-Mobile to request that they credit the final monthly bill. I've already stopped the "autopay". Good luck to all, and I'll post a "review" on this forum later.
reedb wrote:
Manofintegrity wrote:
Just a quick note to let all know that I've pulled the trigger. I am in the process of awaiting the arrival of two sim cards from Patriot Mobile. When I get them, I'll activate my service for my wife and me. I wish you all the best in your dispute with T-Mobile. I have decided that it is their lack of integrity as a company that is most important to me. I told one of the reps I spoke to that if T-Mobile offered me free service for life, I would not take it. At my age, I can choose who I deal with and why I deal with them. Honesty and integrity have gone out the window for T-Mobile.
Take care, and good luck!
If you don’t mind checking back in here I would love to hear how it goes with Patriot Mobile.
Will do!
File the complaint with the FCC using the link provided in one of the posts. It was easy. Maybe the FCC can pressure them to honor their promise and a lawyer will pick this up and file a class action suit.
When I called, the agent tried to get me to change and then offered to pay the lasylt month if I chose to leave. The minute I do that, I break the contract and cannot hold them to their contract going forward. I will hold out, pay my bill so their is no lapse and hope the FCC and or a lawyer can help hold them accountable.
