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Angry T-Mobile customer looking for advice/resolution

op913

Mar 31, 2011, 9:09 PM
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As a former employee of t-mobile I know a lot of employees frequent this forum so I am looking for insight or input. I have a unique situation that t-mobile does not seem to want to resolve.

Issue:

I purchased a blackberry phone for the first time several years ago, the blackberry 8220. When I purchased the phone I added the data, which I was told and it did...support tethering...I used it and was very pleased with the service and convenience of using my blackberry as a modem.

My phone like everything else wore out over time so I went in to get a new phone (June 2010)...when I arrived at the store I told the rep I needed a new phone and we went over the options. At this time I wanted a windows based phone but was told it...
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Jayshmay

Mar 31, 2011, 11:17 PM
How can that be? I thought T-Mobile has the best customer service in the wireless industry?
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nextel18

Mar 31, 2011, 11:27 PM
Highest churn doesnt help 🙂
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Jayshmay

Mar 31, 2011, 11:30 PM
Oooohhhh I'm sure the churn will only skyrocket in the next 12-18 months as the ATT merger comes to a close. I'm sure Sprint will welcome Tmo's customers. Cause Sprint will be the next best bargain.
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nextel18

Mar 31, 2011, 11:33 PM
It will be interesting to see 1. If the merger will go through and what kind of conditions will be attached. And 2. What percentage of the 30+ million will stay with AT&T.

Price is key but network has to be up to par.
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Jayshmay

Mar 31, 2011, 11:36 PM
Well the combined networks will have a whole lot of spectrum, so why wouldn't the network be better?
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nextel18

Mar 31, 2011, 11:39 PM
Ideally but you saw what happened to Sprint/Nextel. They had an abundance of spectrum and assets and look how they are now. Of course there will always be people who decide not to stay with the company as they might defer to another. It really depends on how they execute on network integration and transformation. LTE is of course key so that’ll be interesting.
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Jayshmay

Mar 31, 2011, 11:42 PM
Well, the IDEN network that Sprint bought isn't being turned off until sometime in 2013. So maybe then the spectrum eutopia will be realized, when the IDEN spectrum is freed up.
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nextel18

Mar 31, 2011, 11:46 PM
True but remember the whole Qchat, dual mode type devices that will utilize both spectrums and how awful that was? Also, IDEN was going to be stopped way before 2012 a few times , but then they decided to extend its life.
We had these conversations before that with spectrum you have to be careful and utilize it to the fullest if they don’t, they are in trouble. Hopefully, AT&T will be more successful than the Sprint/Nextel merger. Of course utilizing similar technologies might help them; however, 1.7 is going to be interesting to see how they (AT&T) implements into their network.
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Jayshmay

Mar 31, 2011, 11:48 PM
Yep! The next 2yrs are going to be very, very interesting!
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nextel18

Mar 31, 2011, 11:51 PM
Interesting to see the divestitures and conditions that will be if this merger goes through. Maybe something like the Sprint/Nextel merger conditions might be applied to this one with the addition of heavy divestitures. Of course, I don’t think Sprint/Nextel has followed their main conditions, but they are an exception to the rule since they were probably doomed to start.

This merger, I do not like but it makes sense.
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cstone

Apr 1, 2011, 8:48 PM
Sorry dude but you are out of luck. T-Mobile was the last major carrier that would allow you to tether without having an additional feature for it. Well that option went away. This is nothing like them saying that they are going to charge you extra for using your camera, as that doesn't effect them. Here are a couple of reasons why carriers charge for tethering. 1. It uses more bandwidth than your phone does (generally speaking.) 2. People will pay for it because the other carriers make them so why not make the extra money. 3. Having free tethering makes mobile broad band stupid. Why would someone pay between $40-90 a month for mobile broad band when you can pay 30 for web on your smartphone and tether it. Carriers love selling mobile broadb...
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op913

Apr 1, 2011, 10:17 PM
But what yo are failing to see is that was a feature of the phone when I was sold it. I wanted to get a windows device but he said tethering was not an option...however if I purchased a Blackberry I could tether it as long as I had the BB data plan....so instead of buying the windows phone I wanted originally I got the blackbeery...strictly because for the price of the data plan I could use tethering...thats how the phone was sold to me. Now years later I am being told I need to pay for that feature...that is not fair.

When you are sold a phone under the impression it can do X features and down the road they start charging you for one of those features that is not legit.

I understand if I got the phone today, when that charge exists, ...
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tmorep03

Apr 2, 2011, 8:13 AM
Well when you bought ur phone did they tell you can tether? I have been in tmobile sales for 2 years and before the 14.99 came out tether was not something we were suppose to sell about the phone or tell people if they could or not.
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op913

Apr 2, 2011, 9:25 AM
That's the reason I even got a blackberry, was I could tether it as long as I had the data plan. That was a feature listed off just as if it was speakerphone, or a camera. And considering the software to tether it with comes with the phone, stock in the box, as a consumer it seems tethering is supported. Its not fair to now, after I'm under a new contract, after my discounted handset is exhausted, take that feature I was pitched as free away from me unless I want to pay more. And the fact t-mobile is doing absolutely nothing to try and make it right is insane. I'm so sick of people acting like a robot and just saying what t-mobile trains them to. It would be nice for someone to finally say that is pretty bad. I wish that's not how it was but...
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smylax

Apr 2, 2011, 12:59 PM
Until the tethering plan came out, tethering was NEVER officially supported by T-Mobile. Just because the phone had the capability, T-Mobile as a company never promised it would work and never sold that ability. I equate you situation more to the likes of NFC. Phones are coming out now with NFC, but nobody supports it yet. When it does eventually launch, the carriers could opt to charge for its use. Just like tethering with the blackberry. T-Mobile did not offer tethering, and the blackberries had their own way of getting around the fact that T-Mobile doesn't support it. However, tethering is a service and not a feature in my opinion. Whoever is providing the service is the one who gets to decide how to deliver it and if/how to charge for it...
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op913

Apr 2, 2011, 1:27 PM
I have had T-Mobile/VS/Ariel for 12 years..so please don’t act like I am some idiot that thinks this is a non-profit company. Over the years I have paid this company approximately $30000 with anywhere of up to 5 lines at one given time.

And if you didn’t see where I don’t think that it is a valid point to say "blackberry had a work around". That workaround was not some hack that the consumers took advantage of...it was software that came with the phone stock in the box, so let’s not treat it like we were using some off the beaten path method to connect to the internet via the blackberry.

Stop being a robot and sounding like I did when I was 18 and working for them. What they have done in this case is very unfair an...
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tmorep03

Apr 2, 2011, 1:44 PM
Well i know what you saying but customer care or retentions isnt going to always give every customer what they want. I am sorry a store rep told you that but alot of the times if its not notes in the account their not going to do it automatically.I have helped customers fix the issues but they cant always believe a customer when they call in a say a sales rep told me this. If they did that everyone would be calling in a telling sales reps or store reps told them this and get their bill cheaper or credits.
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op913

Apr 2, 2011, 1:59 PM
And I know what you are saying but the fact a supervisor/retention employee will not even just give me the price of a handset upgrade is ridiculous. When I worked for T-Mobile I would say about 99% of customer issues were handled with 1 call or store visit. It may not be the solution the customer wanted but it would be something both parties could agree on and the customer would walk away knowing we cared and gave a ish about them.

If it were me I would just want to get a monthly credit for the $15 but I am willing to be fine with just getting the price I would have paid in June when I wanted the phone. But they are just saying no. Flat out no.

That is just a big corporation pushing their weight around because they can. When I sold T-...
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tmorep03

Apr 2, 2011, 2:09 PM
Well i know from experience tmobile cares alot more than the cell phone companies out there. Is every customer going to have a good experience no. No one is perfect in the industry and they cant always do everything the customer wants.
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TMO-MAN

Apr 2, 2011, 3:43 PM
I think the biggest reason for them blocking it for those customers that were using it for free and beginning to charge is because speeds are tons faster than what they were when you bought your 8220 and even when you upgraded in June of 2010. Plus with all the android phones out now there are tons of apps that allow pretty much anyone with an android phone with 2.2 or above to tether. So you had your few people with the BB tethering and then you add the people who now have android devices tethering. Then I decide to try to get on the internet on my phone and its slower than molasses because of all those people out there tethering and using up all my bandwith for free.

I completely understand where you are coming from. It does suck but an...
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