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T-Mobile ripoff Bellevue Washington
I have been a T-Mobile customer since June of 2003, my eldest son started as a VoiceStream customer (and stayed when it became T-Mobile) since 2001. We both decided to up-grade our Nokia's to camera phones. Always happy with T-Mobile, we went to the Willowbrook Mall T-Mobile Store in Wayne, N.J. and picked out the Samsung t309 models. We paid $40.00 for eash phone and extended our contracts to 2 years! Honestly, I had no complaint with T-Mobile prior and the t309s worked great in the store!
It wasn't until we got home that we discovered that neither phone was able to receive calls, and the voice mails were garbled and clipped! We discovered that if we left the house and ran halfway up the street, we MIGHT be able to pick up a call! We also found that the quality of ALL voice mails was pretty bad! The phones do take nice photos.
I called T-Mobile, and found that their customer service people are not very bright overall. I first spoke to Barbara - #7482273 about the problem beginning on June 10. We were cut-off. I next spoke to Ashley - #757793, who arranged a "replacement" phone to see if the problem wasn't just a Samsung lemon! Initially she wanted to charge me $15.00, but she waived it after I complained!
The "replacement" arrived (just a headset you put in your sim card an battery on back) and it worked just like the other t309s - not at all! We tried it on both my son's phone and my t309.
I next talked to an "Account Specialist" whose name was Kenny - who said to fullfill their "Alternate Exchange" process, I would need to receive yet another t309 headset. Of course when the second headset arrived, it worked precisely as did the two t309's already in our possession. I sent that one back too!
Next I spoke to Abby - #0940315 on June 22, 2006. Who transferred me to her supervisor, Tyrus - #0854816. Tyrus was about the brightest individual I have encounered since beginning this process. Tyrus said he would send a Motorola Razr V3 to see if that would work, as I was now beginning the "Multiple Exhange" process. I told him this might work out as my younger son has an "unlocked" Motorola camera phone (and T-Mobile service) and his phone sends and receives calls as always.
In talking to Tyrus, I learned that my whole process insofar as my son's phone hadn't even begun yet! He said the two t309 headsets we received (which we both tried with our sims and batteries and finding no difference in operation) would only satisfy work in my account! I quickly changed my assessment that Tyrus was brighter than the others I had encountered!
Tyrus said to call and provide the information on the box that my son's t309 came in to begin the process! His "Alternate Exchange" would require the sending of two t309 headsets, and if they didn't work (RIGHT!) they would need to be returned and the next phase or "Multiple Exhange" would begin! Hey, I'm not making this up!
Called and spoke with Danny #7481622 today, June 24, 2006, and we were cut off. I redailed and spoke to Jovan #075564 who placed me on hold and never returned! I redialed and was connected to Seth #0956571.
Seth took the information from the box and said he would need to "trouble-shoot" my son's phone (my son is attending a week long seminar in Boston) before the "Alternate Exchange" process can begin! We left it teir "800" number when he gets back on Monday.
I have been told (in talking to this myriad of T-Mobile agents) that a) my house is the fault, b) that the service to my area is only "fair" and c) I cannot back out of my extended contract or I would be subject to a penalty.
I might not be a spoon-bender, but I know what constitutes a contract, and T-Mobile is NOT living up to their end, therefore there is no contract. Furher, the phones are not "unlocked" versions, but equipment that T-Mobile sanctionsed, so shoddy that they are incapable of receiving T-Mobile service! Additionally, we clearly (as we were long standing customers before with Nokia phones hesitate to extend service based on past performance) so we extended our existing contracts and were duped! Imagine, saying that the house (same one we have occupied for 27 years in suburban NEW JERSEY!) is the fault!
I think if I must commence litigation, we have a very strong case....unlike our signal!
Can't believe this is happening to us! I have filed a complaint with the FCC, but but not sure where that will take us!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to vent!
It is my hope this entry will secure us some assistance, but failing that, hopefully will serve to warn someone to be careful in their dealings with T-Mobile!
Kerry
North Arlington, New Jersey
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on T-Mobil
8 Updates & Rebuttals
Kerry
North Arlington,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
T-Mobile Customer Service Rep. from HELL!
#9Author of original report
Sun, July 02, 2006
Well gentle friends....I think things are finally winding down to a conclusion. I have spoken to twenty-six (26) T-Mobile representatives since 6/12, and while many were just dumb (and a few quite sharp!) up until today they were at least civil!
Julia #0955449 (not sure what location "09" is as I am aware that "07" is Kansas City, Mo.) actually inferred tht I am a potential liar and thief in her estimation! Swear to God!
Talking to a woman who owns two homes outright (one in Cape May County and the second in situated in BERGEN COUNTY, New Jersey THE most wealthy of all counties in this whole VERY EXPENSIVE state!) actually said that it was "their" experience that SOME customers complain of their phones, reject exact exchanges, only to acquire a more expensive phone!
Forget that the day I got my T309 my younger son also purchased a case ($19.00) and a car-charger ($19.00).....and I purchased a case for my older son's T309 - clearly this was not these were not the acts of people with unscrupulous designs!
In my entire 58 years on this earth, I was never called a liar or theif before! I immediately asked to be connected to her superior, she stalled, and eventuall cut me off.
I redialed and was connected to Mark - #0757872. Mark was such a nice guy, completely understood that as I knew the Service Request found that the problem with the device (the T309) after doing trouble shooting on five T309s already, sending a sixth would undoubtedly also fail! He agreed and arranged to send a Motorola RazR phone (the one sent to replace mine works fine)
He will also investigate fully Julie #0955449's very, very bad customer service techniques and get back! I SO HOPE HE CAN ACCESS THAT RECORDING!
BTW, I realized (in looking at the prices of the accessories we had purchased) that the store staff at the T-Mobile at Willowbrook Mall made some glaring errors! I realized just today in looking at our original receipts at no point did the primary account holder actually sign the agreement extending the contracts by two years!
My younger son purchased the T309 and extended the contract under my account. Further, when my older son liked my T309, I visited the same store and purcahsed a T309 for him and in doing so extended his contract by two years.....but I'm Anthony's mother...not the primary account holder.
So, do we even have valid contracts?
My T309 was purchased against my younger son's debit card (shows last four digits) and my older son's phone was purchased against my debit card (duly signed for!) Funny, this never even occured to me before today!
Had T-Mobile had not starting playing hardball, I'd never have realized that the contracts were struck improperly!
Kerry, 7/1/06
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Kerry, your absolutely right! .. The Samsung is JUNK!
#9Consumer Suggestion
Thu, June 29, 2006
I know this for a fact. Samsung is the LOWEST GRADE phone on the market that has the LOWEST signal/reception strength.
Get rid of the Samsung and you will end your problems, even with the T-Mobile signal.
Get a MOTOROLA or an LG or even a Sanyo. Anything but a Samsung. Samsung is the Toshiba of the TV market. JUNK!!
And most of the reps are clueless as to the specs of these phones. They are worried about commissions!
Kerry
North Arlington,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Catlin, Steve & Leticia,
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, June 28, 2006
Well, the Samsung t309 might be a great phone for a lot of folks, but its a glorified beeper to me! Can't hear callers very well, voice mail messages are almost impossible to discern....so I have no alternative but to read the missed call listings, run to a ground line, and I call whoever back telling them I have a Samsung phone and T-Mobil service!
Yesterday (after having received two t309's) I got a new phone (very thin but a bit longer) and it works great! This phone can send and receive calls, and I can actually hear both the callers or their voice mails! OH HAPPY DAY!
Now I am waiting for the first of two headsets that will be sent for my son's phone. We'll put in the SIM card and battery, but they won't work, we already know from the two t309s that came for mine! Hopefully they will send along a Motorola like the one they sent to me - and all this will be just an ugly memory!
I (and my son!) have re-upped for two years so that we could go through this abuse, and with any luck T-Mobil will go belly-up given the crappy way they do business and value loyal customers (with them since 2003 my son since 2001!)
So when I turn 60 (just turned 58) I'll be free of T-Mobil....as my birthday is in May I'll be sure to remember its over in June! I will not permit myself to forget the Summer of 2006 and the T-Mobil debacle.
So far I have spoken to sixteen (16) T-Mobil representatives, and invested between 10 and 12 hours to this! I have four pages of names and numbers, and discussion log-in time and out, and I am exploring who I should send this bit of hitory to. Co-workers are suggesting "Ask Asa" a consumer troubleshooter.
We'll see.....so far haven't heard from the FCC!
I'm pretty resourceful!
Again & again, thank you all for your imput, I still feel I am correct (despite the disclaimers) I should not be made to pay $69.00 monthly a beeper service w/photo making abilities!
Kerry, 6/28/06
Caitlin
Salem,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Samsung phone/service
#9UPDATE Employee
Tue, June 27, 2006
I do understand the issue that you are having with the phone and understand why you would be frustrated. However that particular phone is a good phone and can count on one hand the number of exchanges I have done on the T309 (which is a very good thing). Problems can arise when switching to a new manufacturer. Nokias work on a higher frequency and carry signal better. In cases like this Samsung is the next best carrier but it depends on your coverage area. Some manufacturers work better in certain areas.
That being said, your contract with T-mobile is valid per the contract that you signed. I would invite you to go to the web site and read the terms and conditions. The article you are looking for is 13 and reads as follows: "Disclaimer of Warranties. EXCEPT FOR ANY OTHER WRITTEN WARRANTY THAT MAY BE PROVIDED, AND TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ALL SERVICES, PRODUCTS, AND THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS", AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMIT, WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ALL OF WHICH ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FOR USE OF THE SERVICE OR PRODUCTS. WE DO NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO MAKE A WARRANTY OF ANY KIND ON OUR BEHALF, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH STATEMENT. ANY STATEMENTS MADE IN PACKAGING, MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTS, OR BY ANY OF OUR DEALERS (EXCEPT FOR ANY WRITTEN LIMITED WARRANTY THAT MAY BE PROVIDED), ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT WARRANTIES BY US OF ANY KIND. WE AND OUR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, DEALERS, SUPPLIERS, PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES ("T-MOBILE AFFILIATES") DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, PROCESSES, OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ACCURATE, COMPLETE, USEFUL, FUNCTIONAL, BUG OR ERROR FREE. IF YOU RECEIVED A WRITTEN "T-MOBILE LIMITED WARRANTY" WITH YOUR PHONE, IT IS THE ONLY WARRANTY MADE BY US WITH RESPECT TO THE PHONE. IF APPLICABLE STATE LAW DOES NOT ALLOW THE DISCLAIMER OF CERTAIN IMPLIED WARRANTIES, THE RELEVANT PORTIONS OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU."
While this may be frustrating T-Mobile is not legally responsible for the phones that Samsung sells to us. If they send us buggy phone we will do an exchange and honor the MANUFACTURER warrenty only. Instead of making you go directly to Samsung, have them send your phone in (on your dollar), be without your phone for 2 weeks to a month, and then have them send the phone back (again on your dollar) we are the go between for you and Samsung. T-mobile is not honor bound to be the go between for you two, but we do it to save hassle and money for our customers.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Kerry...Actually Leticia hit the nail on the head! The problem IS with your SAMSUNG phones.
#9Consumer Suggestion
Mon, June 26, 2006
I had the EXACT same issue with T-Mobile and Samsung phones. I am not kidding here.
I went through similar headaches, and I can assure you, it is not a T-Mobile service problem.
Each phone model and manufacturer operates under different technical specifications. Those "free" phones and the "almost free" phones are junk and should be avoided at all cost!
Samsung has the weakest reception strength of any phone on the market. I had the Samsung $29 special and had the same problems you mentioned. I purchased a Sanyo and the problem was gone.
You get what you pay for. This is obvious, as the Nokia phones you had on your same T-Mobile accounts worked fine, right? Think about it.
You only had the problems when you went to the cheap Samsung phones.
I NEVER take the cheap or free phones from any carrier. I always pay retail for a good phone, and I never have a problem.
ps..Just yesterday T-Mobile cancelled my Wireless Internet card account that was still under contract without any penalty. All because I wasn't happy with the quality of service at my new address.
It is all in how you deal with people. T-Mobile actually has one of the best customer service depts of any wireless carrier I have dealt with. And I have dealt with most of them.
Is T-Mobile the only carrier in your area?
Kerry
North Arlington,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Complaint with Samsung?
#9Consumer Comment
Sun, June 25, 2006
Dear Leticia,
While I very much appreciate you input, I don't agree the issue is with Samsung! I view this as a breach of contract by T-Mobil. They are not living up to their offer to provide service! Its that simple!
Consider please....if I rented a Buick from Hertz and the car would not operate! My complaint would not be with GM (though something was clearly wrong with a car they manufactuured!) but with the company that was providing this equipment/service! I'd have entered the contract with the expectation that I would be provided with equipment that worked!
T-Mobile, in their inability to provide the service promised in their contract, must therefore find a suitable means to deliver that service, or the contract cannot be fullfilled, and therefore is void.
To my way of thinking, T-Mobile (who I will for the sake of argument was not aware that the Samsung t309 was inadequate for their service) now is abundantly aware that they cannot provide service as they formerly did with Nokias! T-Mobile therefore has two options, either supply equipment that CAN provide their service, or end the contract w/o prejudice!
As I see it, if I had purchased an "unlocked" phone and it didn't work, MY BAD! But as I was in strict compliance with what T-Mobile required of me, even to purchasing phone equipment they recommended, the ball is in their court!
Therefore, my argument is solely with T-Mobil and their inability to provide a strong enough signal or readily replace the inadequate equipment!
Again, thank you for your comments, I VERY MUCH appreciate your taking the time to respond.
Kerry
Leticia
Anytown,Other,
U.S.A.
I think your problem is with the phone manufactuer.
#9Consumer Comment
Sat, June 24, 2006
I say take this complaint to samsung.
Since you have had no problems with the cellular service until you got the new phones and then got replacements that didn't work as well, this is not a problem with your cellular service but with the phone that was purchased. Take it too Samsung and get a refund and then buy another a phone from another manufacturer.
Good luck!
Kendy
Rkfd,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Cust Serv Call Center Jobs are the Worst in America
#9UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, June 24, 2006
I used to work for one of the cell phone companies in a call center. I would rather suck out port a potties than ever do this job again. First off your real complaint should be with Samsung, they are the manufacturer of the crappy phone you received. It is in the best interest of ALL the wireless companies for you to have the best phones with the best reception possible. That is what T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, U S Cellular and Sprint all sell; wireless service. As far as the employees, they have to follow policies laid out by the company they work for if they want their job. (which they probably don't!) Most likely the employee was thinking that they would like to just get you a better phone right off the bat rather than dink around with "multiple exchanges". These policies can run 7 layers deep in the company's website that the employees have to read through while the customer is on the phone. (and if they don't pull up the proper policy while you are on the phone they get scored poorly and then don't get their bonus, anything not to pay the employee) That makes the rep seem incompetent. These policies change constatntly and you are told in training to memorize nothing because of that. Also, all of these companies have a buyer's remorse period. Some are 14 days and some are 30 days. If you were unhappy with the phones you should have immediately taken them back to the store where you bought them. In my case I was happily doing data entry for VOIP, when my job was suddenly sent to India and voila I was then dumped in to taking inbound calls. Over 60% of the center quit immediately. This company came in, cut our pay by 10% and raised the cost of our benefits. Our every second was timed. If you went to the bathroom that had to come out of your break time. Calls are timed and rated and your pay is based on that. The supervisors were always pushing you to turn the calls over quicker. These centers are just a smidgeon over sweat shops. You know where these jobs are all going to go soon don't you?