T-Mobile Sucks Balls In Customer Service

I recently purchase a new phone from T-Mobile.  Being nearly destitute, I've been using prepaid phones the past couple of years.  I've never had any major problems until this phone.  It has been a nightmare of insults an humiliation attempting to deal with T-Mobile's customer service department.  Hence the following letter:

Philipp HummCEO and President

T-Mobile Corporation

3720 128^th St. SE

Suite D

Bellevue, Washington 98006

(425) 378-4000

August 18, 2011

Dr. Richard A. Vail PH.D.

Pikesville, MD

Dear Mr. Humm,

Last week my wife, Cheri D. Vail, purchased a “refurbished” phone; Samsung T-359 “Smiley” for me to replace the phone I’m currently using. She made the purchase via the T-Mobile’s website; and having been a customer who has enjoyed T-Mobile for about 10 years, she trusted the company and the product without thinking twice about making the purchase.

We received the phone about 3:00 pm on the 17^th of August, 2011 and we thrilled that we got it a day earlier than what we thought. She waited for me to come home so that we could put my current sim card into the new phone and start using it immediately.

I put the sim card in and called the customer service line because the phone was not working properly and then was informed to “Just put the sim card in and it will work”; they then hung up on me. (Hold time 45 minutes.)

I told my wife that the phone wasn’t working and she asked me if they asked me for my phone number and other information to ensure that the phone indeed was working properly.

I told her what had happened and she then called them back. (Hold time another 30 minutes.) After speaking to about 4 different people and all having different solutions and one supervisor telling my wife that she didn’t know what she was doing and was told, “If I was there and looking at the card, I could tell you what the number is.” This basically telling her she was incorrect which just made her even more upset and angry. My wife has her degree in Electronic Technology and Telecommunications as well as being a retail manager for 20+ years.

After all the disputes and two hours on the phone the supervisor (#811075) told her that it would take up to two hours for the phone to work. By this time it was late and we would wait until the morning to verify that the phone was indeed working properly.

The following morning we checked the phone and of course the phone was not working as promised by the supervisor (#811075).

When my wife, Cheri, arrived home from work she was on the phone again, trying to get someone who could assist her in getting the new phone to work correctly. Only one person was kind enough to actually try to assist her to correct the issue with the phone.

This process took another 3 to 4 people transferred twice put on hold for another 1.5 hours, was told by one of the “customer service reps.” that she could go to any T-Mobile store and would have no problem exchanging the phone for one that worked (not the case). In each case she was also told that she could return it due the “Buyer’s Remorse” policy; but as she had been explaining from the beginning that we had not even had the phone for not even 24 hours and that an “exchange” is all we wanted.

She was not given the opportunity to explain what she had in order to expedite the return of the phone for an “exchange”. She was told that in order for her to receive another phone that she would have to purchase another and then get a credit for the phone that was being sent back when received by the claims department and then would have to wait another ten days after they received it to get credit.

(This by the way for someone who is on a budget and using a prepaid phone may not have “Extra” money to just places an order for another and then wait to get credit for the one that is being sent back.)

This process needs to be addressed and that all functions of the T-Mobile company; whether it be via the Internet, the phone, a “brick and motor” store, or a kiosk, they all should be able to take care of any issue and no matter how one obtained the product, they still all say “T-Mobile”.

Please review and inform of any compensation.

Thank you,

Dr. Richard A. Vail PH.D.

Cc: file

Jim Alling
Chief Operations Officer

Cole Brodman
Chief Marketing Officer

Peter Ewens
Chief Strategy Officer

Dave Miller
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

Larry Myers
Chief People Officer

Neville Ray
Chief Technology Officer

Feel free to click on any of the above names and send them an email expressing your opinion on this matter.  After all, the squeeky wheel gets the grease.

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