Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Just Tryin' to Roll with the Flow (Stay Away from T-Mobile)

After many years of using prepaid cell service, I decided to bite the bullet and subscribe to a T-Mobile plan. Big Mistake. I order the service online and get the phone very quickly. Well, at the end of the first day, I knew it was going back. I liked the phone, and the prices weren't bad, but the service range stunk. I had service at home, but at my office--just ten minutes away--there was no service. So, well within the two-week trial, I contacted them to tell them I was cancelling. A rep replied with information on the procedures to follow, and I returned the phone.

Jump ahead about a month, and imagine my surprise when I received a complete bill from T-Mobile. When I contacted them, the rep apologized if I had gotten incorrect information, but informed me the I was still under contract because I did not return the phone to the place of purchase. Now tell me, I did what the first rep told me to do and followed the return instructions enclosed in the box. According to this second rep, I will have to pay an early termination fee. I suggested rather strongly that if their reps were so poorly trained, perhaps the one who gave me the information should pay the fee.

There is a moral to the story: run away from--don't walk--T-Mobile. They are incompetent.