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ZCarroll
Posts: 4 |
 
Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:33 pm |
I signed up for a family plan with them, got my first bill, mailed my check in, and then one day I went to use my phone and I couldn't make any calls, just got redirected to an automated must pay now message. I tried to call customer service, but I kept getting redirected to that message... because it was the first month bill including activation charges it was a lot of money and I didn't want to pay it twice so I persisted in trying to get ahold of a live person. It finally came down to the fact that they never received my check so they suspended my account.
After confirming with my bank that the check had not been cashed, I went ahead and paid the bill and paid in advance as well so as not to have that happen again. I was frustrated that they had suspended my account, especially without notifying me because it had only been 6 days past the due date and I really thought they should've at least called me so I could've taken care of it... but besides the headache of trying to get through to someone to figure out what had happened and not having my service for half a day it seemed easily resolved.
Fast forward to over five weeks later I get $20/line reactivation fees which they didn't bother to inform me about. I called customer service and the rep was very nice, she saw that they had never contacted me to let me know my account was past due and said she would get those charges taken off for me, she just needed to speak to a supervisor. Well, she came back and told me according to their contract they can suspend the account any time without any notice so I'm out of luck.
I found this incredibly horrid customer service... I understand their viewpoint my bill was past due and they had no idea I tried to pay, however they never bothered to let me know and so I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with T-Mobile. I had had service with them in the past and had paid late on a bill and it was never a problem so this was really a big surprise to me. I was told I need to constantly check on a daily basis to make certain my bill is paid or it can happen again, so now I'm really very nervous about the whole thing.
I will be paying online from now on, but I feel like this is going to be a two year battle for me afraid of what they will do and what sort of outrageous charges I'm going to find on my bill. I wanted to dispute those charges, but they told me if I don't pay in full immediately they will cut my service again without notice, as is their legal right according to their terms and conditions, and then charge me additional $20/line charges, possibly even more.
I used to think T-Mobile was a great company, but after being treated this way... well, I have absolutely no trust for them at all.
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Tommus
Posts: 51 |
Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:02 am |
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You posted this on howardforums and the general consensus is that it's almost impossible that you were not notified that your payment was due, since T-Mo sends a SMS to you when you're behind. Also, as mentioned in the replies at HoFo, your seniority (so to speak) at T-Mobile was reset when you terminated your previous service and got new service on a family plan, so you can't expect to be treated any different than any other "new customer," as far as late payments go. It isn't T-Mobile's responsibility to make sure you make your payments on time--it's yours.
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ZCarroll
Posts: 4 |
Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:08 pm |
| Tommus wrote: | | You posted this on howardforums and the general consensus is that it's almost impossible that you were not notified that your payment was due, since T-Mo sends a SMS to you when you're behind. Also, as mentioned in the replies at HoFo, your seniority (so to speak) at T-Mobile was reset when you terminated your previous service and got new service on a family plan, so you can't expect to be treated any different than any other "new customer," as far as late payments go. It isn't T-Mobile's responsibility to make sure you make your payments on time--it's yours. |
I've also posted this elsewhere, actually that wasn't the general consensus, and I don't expect to be treated differently than any new customer, I don't expect anyone to be treated this way just because they are new (it's far worse to have this happen while you are new, then towards the end of the contract to be certain!). And you are correct that it's not T-Mobile's responsibility to make sure my payments are on time, this is just very extreme treatment, having been less than a week late, and as you know if you've read the other forum, my biggest frustration with them is not being notified. I also pleaded with them to notify me in the future and they refused, saying it is my responsibility to keep checking vigilantly.
Even if I had had a text message (which I did not receive one), according to them they only send those out a day or two in advance if they do send them out at all, since I don't carry my phone with me every day this would have done me no good. I don't think it is unreasonable to desire a company to give it's customers at least a week's notice if there is an issue. Yes, they have every right to do what they did, including not notifying, as they explained to me many times... I'm just a poor lowly undeserving customer and therefor I have to pay up significantly because of something that happened due to no fault of my own. I expected more of T-Mobile, from my past experiences with them over the years, but I guess in the last couple of years their customer relation practices have seriously gone down hill.
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ZCarroll
Posts: 4 |
Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:01 pm |
From looking elsewhere I'm beginning to think a big part of the reason they didn't bother to tell me that they would be charging me an extra $20/line (not including additional taxes and surcharges on top of that charge!) is because at that time I still could have gotten out of my contract without being charged ETFs.
I really think they should at the very least have the courtesy to inform new customers about these exhorbitant fees and harsh policies... I find the 1.5% or $5.00 late fee, which is the only mention of any sort of fees of any kind in any of the paperwork I received from T-Mobile, to be very misleading. Had I just been a complete deadbeat customer who thought I would just not pay them on time, I still find a more than doubling of monthly charges to be exhorbitant, but certainly if they gave forwarning or let new customers know of these policies that would be more reasonable. But I'm not a deadbeat customer, I was acting in good faith. Either way, I wouldn't trust T-Mobile, you definitely have to keep a close watch on them.
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gerio
Posts: 389
Phone Model:
3G iPhone, by Golly!! And a couple of Razrs
Service Provider:
AT&T & Cellular South |
Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:35 pm |
I'm a Cingular customer, but frankly, you're gonna get this treatment in some form or another from ALL of the phone companies. This is the 21st century and most courtesys intended to help or remind customer of billing issues have gone by the wayside. I know some carriers send text messages and that's fine, but but what good is that going to do my 69-year old mother who doesn't even know what a text message is (although that woman hasn't been late paying a bill for 45 years now!)?
This is absolutely not a slam on any carrier and I've found this to be mostly the case with all businesses, not just cellphone carriers. We just o be more vigilant with attention to details these days and not ASSume anything....kinda like don't ASSume that the guy coming down the interstate is going to move over and let you enter the highway!
Geri O
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ZCarroll
Posts: 4 |
Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:56 pm |
I know, I wonder about that too considering besides a teen aged neice of mine I'm the only person I know that even knows how to access a text message on my phone. Your mother is much better organized than I (or my mother) am (and more reliable post office I guess!)... I'm a little bit late quite frequently, the worst was when my spouse was in the hospital getting cancer treatment, I just let everything go. Fortunately everyone was incredibly kind and understanding at that time, but I was with AT&T then... it is unfortunate that this sort of treatment is becoming common place, but I'm starting to see more and more people think customers should be grateful to service providers, rather than that service providers should be grateful they have customers.
Oh, btw, thanks for the bit of perspective, Geri O
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