T-Mobile breaking promises to seniors who were offered price-lock guarantee for life on 55+ rate plans

WFREYVOGEL wrote:

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.

If we did it! We would be put in jail

I have now spoken to different representatives from the T-Mobile Executive Response Team, multiple times.  In addition to reaching out to all of my local TV and Radio stations which has a consumer action reporter, and sending a demand letter to T-Mobile, I've also filed complaints with the FCC, the BBB, the US DOJ Anti-Trust Division, the State of California Attorney General, and with my own U.S. Congressman. 

I feel bad for the members of the T-Mobile Executive Response Team, because they are obligated by their company policy to reach out to each customer who files a complaint. Sadly for them it's reached the point where the way in which they reach out to me is via email. The last message they sent me says:

Hola XXX,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to inform you that we have received complaints to the Attorney General of California regarding the recent price increase. Regrettably, our stance on this matter remains unchanged. We will respond to these complaints in accordance with our established procedures and policies. I hope you have a productive rest of your week.

Respectfully,

 XXXXXXXX

Sr. Specialist, Team CEO

I know that there is a Class Action suit that has been opened on this matter in New Jersey. I expect to be contacted at some point as a member of the affected class, offering me the choice to 'opt in' to become part of that suit. My inclination would be to opt-out of that class.

My experience with class action suits is that the only folks who profit are the attorneys, as evidenced by the fact that the last class action suit I participated in was against Google. I was a member of the class that won, and I received a settlement check from Google by mail, in the amount of twelve cents.

I opened a case in Small Claims court this past Monday, and I have a hearing date at the beginning of December. Unless T-Mobile offers a settlement which includes an NDA, I’ll keep you posted on what happens. 

I was told that the T-Mobile Executive Response Team has no authority to deal with this Price Lock Lie Scam. The Company is simply breaking their guarantee and imo, T-Mobile is stealing money from their Customers.

In 2017, I also 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 to T-Mobile.  In June, T-Mobile raised 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.  They said a mass-text message was sent to me but I never recall seeing any notification. My bad for not checking my bill sooner to even notice the issue. Crazy for a company to out and out LIE about their pricing practices. I know they have experienced cost increases, but so has everyone and they never should have promised to maintain no-increase pricing in the first place. This reminds me of George HW Bush's "no new taxes" promise which he didn't keep.  T Mobile probably (and correctly) figured they would not lose many customers since they did retain pricing for 7 years or so, and customers won't want to go through the hassle of changing carriers - since there still are not many lesser-cost options available.

I am a journalist working on a story about T-Mobile's scams against its users, agreeing to contracts at listed prices either not indicating or directly promising no increases, and then hiking the prices. Please send me your information about developments, including what T-Mobile, FCC and FTC tells you when you file complaints. LK@lucykomisar.com.

Some of my past stories about corporate corruption: 

The NYTimes, Miami Herald, The American Prospect, 100Reporters, Consortium News, A Game as Old as Empire and Inside Paradeplatz .

• “How the Food Industry Eats Your Kid’s Lunch,” New York Times, Dec 3, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/school-lunches-and-the-food-industry.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=all
• "State Aided Suspect in Huge Swindle" (about Allen Stanford), Miami Herald, July 5, 2009. Winner of Gerald Loeb, National Press Club, Sigma Delta Chi, and National Headliner awards. http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/Documents/areas/adm/loeb/10-597.pdf
• “How the GameStop Hustle Worked,” The American Prospect,” June 22, 2021. https://prospect.org/power/how-the-gamestop-hustle-worked/ “The GameStop Mess Exposes the Naked Short Selling Scam,” The American Prospect,” Feb 25, 2021. https://prospect.org/power/gamestop-mess-exposes-the-naked-short-selling-scam/ 
• “Risky Business: How Insurance Companies are Chasing Profits over Policyholder Security,” 100Reporters, Dec 30, 2022.  https://100r.org/2022/12/risky-business-2/ “Captives of Industry: How Wall Street is Cashing in on Your Insurance,” Sept 12, 2022, 100 Reporters. https://100r.org/2022/09/insurance-company-captives/
• “DOJ Buried Allegations that Cheney’s Halliburton Subsidiary Paid Bribes for Venezuela Contracts,” Consortium News, Nov 21, 2019. https://consortiumnews.com/2019/11/21/doj-buried-allegations-that-cheneys-halliburton-subsidiary-paid-bribes-for-venezuela-contracts/ 
•  “BCCI's Double Game, Banking on America, Banking on Jihad,” chapter in book A Game as Old as Empire, (Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, 2007).  https://www.thekomisarscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BCCIs-Double-Game-Banking-on-America-Banking-on-Jihad-by-Lucy-Komisar.pdf
• “Scam in the Caribbean: Evidence shows that International Bank UBS Bahamas took clients‘ money and made fictitious stock trades to U.S. markets,” Inside Paradeplatz, Aug 10, 2024. (Inside Paradeplatz, based in Zurich, focuses on Swiss banking. Paradeplatz is where UBS and other big banks have their headquarters.) https://insideparadeplatz.ch/2024/08/10/scam-in-the-carribean/ 

We have been paying $60/mo on the senior plan since at least December 2017. We did the usual calling T-Mobile and contacting the FCC. T-Mobile sent us a gibberish letter about rate locks and such and asked us to withdraw our complaint. i am ignoring their letter. That's about all that I can do for now over $10/mo. If anyone finds a good way forwards, please let us all know.

I also got screwed from T-Mobile with their false add 55+ years ago. I contacted a rep lastnight and spent 45 mins. on the phone and got no where.

I also contacted the FCC and got a replay saying T-Mobile rep will have to contact me.

I was with T-Mobile at least 30 years now and liked their service till this.

I leave T-Mobile, I’m tired of being screwed as a senior.

SpookWarrior wrote:

And I presume you are a Pulitzer Prize winner?  You just made my day - what a joke - have a happy.

Dear SpookWarrior,

    It appears as if your focus is now on me and no longer on the original topic.  You still have poor writing skills.

Atentamente,

ImNoAngel

And I presume you are a Pulitzer Prize winner?  You just made my day - what a joke - have a happy.

Dear SpookWarrior,

     You have poor writing skills.

Atentamente,

ImNoAngel