WTF, T-Mobile?

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fantine33 · #1 Post by **fantine33** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:35 pm

Okay, T-Mobile is the only cell company I've ever had (since back when they were Voicestream) so maybe this is SOP, but I don't get it.

I'm looking at my bill and see I have a text message charge! This is a big deal because I just don't get the whole texting craze and I'm always on the kids about it being unnecessary and a waste of time. So, I am the last person in the world who would send or receive text messages. Every once in a while, I'll get one that is spam because nobody I know would send me one and I just ignore it until it expires and goes away.

So, I call up T-Mobile and she gives me some big song and dance about how I don't have a text package. I don't need a text package because I don't text! Well, she says, taking a deep breath, I've got a lot to explain about text messages. No, says I, you have nothing to explain because I don't care because I don't use it and I don't want it.

Come to find out, you get charged for a text message whether you ever open it or not! Which is total bullshit. Bigger bullshit is that she tells me that they don't refund valid text message charges and it's considered valid because they delivered it to my inbox (God knows how many I've been charged for, since I don't usually look at the bill). What I do or do not do with it is immaterial. "So, I can send 1000 texts to some number I don't even know and they never look at and they'll get charged for it?" "Not if they have a text package." So, can I just block any text messages from being sent to me? "No, but I can set you up with a package...."

What the fudge? I haven't heard of anything so nonsensical since my bank started charging me if I didn't withdraw anything from my savings account (back when I had a savings account, ha!). Isn't that the point of a SAVINGS account?

Anyway, just as that bank quickly became my FORMER bank, T-Mobile will become my FORMER cell service provider once my contract is up in three weeks. (They tried to tell me my contract wasn't up until August 31st. Not!) So, if anybody here has my cell number, it will change shortly.

I guess I'll never get into Chuck's fave five now.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #2 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:40 pm

When I bought my kids their phones, I told them that they weren't allowed to text unless there was an emergency. They were really good about it. Their friends started texting them and I learned that I had to pay for all of these text messages. ( I've heard horror stories about $900 phone bills from texting, but that didn't happen to us.)

Now we have unlimited texting. It's worth it to me because I don't have to worry about receiving a $900 phone bill.

themanintheseersuckersuit · #3 Post by **themanintheseersuckersuit** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:46 pm

fantine33 wrote:O So, if anybody here has my cell number, it will change shortly.

I guess I'll never get into Chuck's fave five now.

I believe you can keep your number when you switch providers.

TheConfessor · #4 Post by **TheConfessor** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:46 pm

Good luck finding a different carrier that doesn't charge the same way.

BackInTex · #5 Post by **BackInTex** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:51 pm

TheConfessor wrote:Good luck finding a different carrier that doesn't charge the same way.

Ed is right. I have AT&T (formerly Cingular) and they are the same way. It is a scam.

ghostjmf · #6 Post by **ghostjmf** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:02 pm

I have gotten a few charges from Verizon for text messages I cannot read & did not solicit. But they have only been, like, 16c (literally) so I haven't investigated it. Largely because the last time I tried to get an illegal $10.00 long-distance charge removed from my land line (this was probably back before my land line was Verizon too) it took about an hour on the phone, & then when I got the next bill I found the liars only removed $5.00 of it. Like, I know someone in Hong Kong & would have called them? Really? Customer service in general just isn't, nowadays.

I speak from working in a customer service dept that is in the process of being reorganized into G-d-knows-what.

And on the good-news side of the equation, I made a bunch of calls from my cell phone the day after my Mom almost went into a diabetic coma a few months ago, & forgot to call my calling-card # to make the calls through (that's how I usually do cell-phone long-distance, as I don't have a "call for a monthly base rate" plan). I did not get hit with long distance fees like I used to. Is this because everyone else in the universe has flat-rate calling plans, so they've just grandfathered me in to one without a rate increase? I'd sure like to know this for sure, but they'll never tell me.

They do charge me if I go over the 30 minute allotment per month, but its a 50c/minute charge, & they do that even for local calls. Need I say I usually don't make more than 30 minutes of calls/month. I should be changing to a T-Mobile in fact, with cheap "$10 worth of calls lives for 3 months" or something like that that someone I know locally has, but, darn it, Verizon still has the best coverage of all the plans. Which is why their prepaid plan is more expensive than my got-it-through-work 8-years-ago monthly rate plan.

plasticene · #7 Post by **plasticene** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:43 pm

I just read a column on this very subject. The major providers each have a way for you to block at least some spam text messages. It looks like you might be able to block them more thoroughly with AT&T or Verizon than with T-Mobile or Sprint.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/ ... hone-spam/

fantine33 · #8 Post by **fantine33** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:37 pm

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:When I bought my kids their phones, I told them that they weren't allowed to text unless there was an emergency. They were really good about it. Their friends started texting them and I learned that I had to pay for all of these text messages. ( I've heard horror stories about $900 phone bills from texting, but that didn't happen to us.)

Now we have unlimited texting. It's worth it to me because I don't have to worry about receiving a $900 phone bill.

I remember my sister having fits a few years ago because of all the text messages she had to pay for that were sent by the boys' friends. According to them, there was 'nothing they could do about it', so my sister ended up caving and paying for the unlimited texting thing.

I'm surprised there hasn't been suit filed against the companies. Not by the kids running up bills because they read them, but by people like me who never asked for the service and don't use it even when unsolicited texts are sent.

It reminds me of when I walked out of Best Buy because they had to unpack and set up the computer before I could buy it "to make sure it worked" and, for some reason, they needed my driver's license and credit card in order to do so. That must have been some damned tough packing tape! I do believe that a class action was eventually filed against Best Buy and MSN internet for that nonsense.

fantine33 · #9 Post by **fantine33** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:41 pm

BackInTex wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Good luck finding a different carrier that doesn't charge the same way.
Ed is right. I have AT&T (formerly Cingular) and they are the same way. It is a scam.

I'm just going to piggy back onto my Mom's plan for $10/month. She can have up to five and I think I'm the fourth. I know she hasn't gotten any text messages (solicited or otherwise) because she would have called me wanting to know what it is and what is she supposed to do?

themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:I believe you can keep your number when you switch providers.

I kind of want a new number. Besides the spam text, I've been getting a lot of scam and telemarketer calls lately. I don't answer them, but they are out of area code numbers and I've looked up a couple and found out they were car warranty scammers and such.

Back before I had a land line I had to give out my cell number for stuff and I think that's where they finally got hold of it.

fantine33 · #10 Post by **fantine33** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:46 pm

ghostjmf wrote:Customer service in general just isn't, nowadays.

Ain't that the truth? When I walked out of Best Buy, I went over to Circuit City to purchase my computer (this was 2001) and they were great. I also bought my laptop there a few years ago and basically go to them first if I need electronic or computer type stuff.

But I've walked out of Circuit City the last two times I've been there, so they've now sunk to the level of their competition. I recently read about them having financial woes as well. You'd think companies would start putting two and two together.

plasticene wrote:I just read a column on this very subject. The major providers each have a way for you to block at least some spam text messages. It looks like you might be able to block them more thoroughly with AT&T or Verizon than with T-Mobile or Sprint.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/ ... hone-spam/

Thanks for this! I'll be proactive when I get my new number (I think it will be with AT&T).

kayrharris · #11 Post by **kayrharris** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:15 pm

You can also put your cell number on the "Do Not Call" list now. I haven't received any spam text or calls since I registered mine a couple of weeks ago.

Bob Juch · #12 Post by **Bob Juch** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:34 pm

I had the same problem with AT&T. I asked them to shut off TXTing and haven't been charged a dime since.

TheConfessor · #13 Post by **TheConfessor** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:53 am

I recently joined Facebook (I don't plan to use it much, but there are occasional special circumstances where it might be useful). In order the confirm that my registration was valid, I had to enter the verification code that was sent as a text message to my cell phone. Whether people like it or not, text messaging is becoming assumed as a standard communications mode. I'm still paying 20 cents each for every one I send or receive.

peacock2121 · #14 Post by **peacock2121** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:30 am

I don't get unwanted text messages.

I also don't give my number out much.

I know verizon charges the same way your company did.

gsabc · #15 Post by **gsabc** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:24 am

BD is the only one with unlimited texting of our family group (Verizon). GW doesn't understand it, so BD will when necessary send me a message. I pay 20 cents each, but get so few that it's not worth the monthly charge to extend the unlimited service to my phone.

This may change when BD heads to California. If we keep her on our system, she can call us with no minutes charged, and it's only another $10 plus tax/fees. Dunno if texting will become a significant part of the communication from there.

peacock2121 · #16 Post by **peacock2121** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:27 am

gsabc wrote:BD is the only one with unlimited texting of our family group (Verizon). GW doesn't understand it, so BD will when necessary send me a message. I pay 20 cents each, but get so few that it's not worth the monthly charge to extend the unlimited service to my phone.

This may change when BD heads to California. If we keep her on our system, she can call us with no minutes charged, and it's only another $10 plus tax/fees. Dunno if texting will become a significant part of the communication from there.

If she gets a Verizon cell phone plan on her own she can also call you for free- she will be IN.

You really thinking of continuing to pay for things for her once she is a married woman?

Can I be your daughter?

MarleysGh0st · #17 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:37 am

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote: Now we have unlimited texting. It's worth it to me because I don't have to worry about receiving a $900 phone bill.

So you gave in to the scam.

#18 Post by **littlebeast13** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:39 am

I'll say it again for the millionth time.....

Cell phones are evil....

lb13

gsabc · #19 Post by **gsabc** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:42 am

peacock2121 wrote:
gsabc wrote:... If we keep her on our system, she can call us with no minutes charged, and it's only another $10 plus tax/fees. ...
If she gets a Verizon cell phone plan on her own she can also call you for free- she will be IN.

True. I forgot about that. Still, she can send me $10 a month for the phone, a much better deal than she could get with her own plan. FWIW, FSIL has the same deal with his family. It's a good way to save some bucks overall.

fantine33 · #20 Post by **fantine33** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:07 am

TheConfessor wrote:I recently joined Facebook (I don't plan to use it much, but there are occasional special circumstances where it might be useful). In order the confirm that my registration was valid, I had to enter the verification code that was sent as a text message to my cell phone. Whether people like it or not, text messaging is becoming assumed as a standard communications mode. I'm still paying 20 cents each for every one I send or receive.

For Facebook's demographic, yes. I am not in their demographic so their standard doesn't really involve me to that extent. Other than being a money machine, most places offer an alternative (Idol, DwtS, the gameshow thing I forgot the name of because I stopped watching it, etc.).

If something requires texting (like those dumb 'trivia quizzes' they advertise that you used to be able to play on a per minute charge on the regular phone, pre-internet), I don't need it.

fantine33 · #21 Post by **fantine33** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:10 am

peacock2121 wrote:I don't get unwanted text messages.

I also don't give my number out much.

I know verizon charges the same way your company did.

That's one reason why I didn't want to keep my number (plus I'm not sure that you can transfer a number when you're just being an additional phone on an existing plan).

The only people or establishments getting my new number will be ones who might actually need to call me when I am not at home.

trevor_macfee · #22 Post by **trevor_macfee** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:07 am

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:When I bought my kids their phones, I told them that they weren't allowed to text unless there was an emergency. They were really good about it. Their friends started texting them and I learned that I had to pay for all of these text messages. ( I've heard horror stories about $900 phone bills from texting, but that didn't happen to us.)

Now we have unlimited texting. It's worth it to me because I don't have to worry about receiving a $900 phone bill.

We didn't get a $900 bill, but we did get a $300 one.

My son now has unlimited texting. He also worked off most of the $200 texting charges (we gave him a break on some of it).

I was resistant to the unlimited texting thing, but that is the way adolescents apparently communicate now, at least in HS. (He's a senior next year; we have not - and will not for a while - gotten my 6th-grade -next-year daughter a cell phone at all). Sometimes he'll be simultaneously texting 5 or 6 people at once.

Texting is also the best way to for me to ask him to do something during the summer when he's home and I'm not - it's "in writing" and so there's no chance for miscommunication about the deadline for cutting the grass.

ToLiveIsToFly · #23 Post by **ToLiveIsToFly** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:46 am

3 weeks is nothing, but if you (or anybody else) wants out of their T-Mobile contract without a penalty, here is a way to do that.

As for me, I'm recently back with them after 2 years of Verizon. I agree that their stance on received text messages sux, but I don't think you're going to find any other company that's any better.

I find T-Mobile has, comparatively, the cheapest plans out there - more minutes for less money, unlimited data for $20/month, and coverage, while not as good as Verizon, isn't really that noticeably worse either. And I think they're they only ones with the Wi-Fi option - get the right phone, and you can connect to any Wi-Fi network and the minutes don't count against your limits. Which means I have unlimited minutes at home, and my coverage here is better than any other carrier, and at Dad-in-law's in the middle of nowhere it's the only way I can get any coverage at all.

I liked Verizon, but they were too expensive. I tried AT&T briefly but they were a bunch of liars and crooks and I vowed never again to do cell business with them. Sprint I've heard way too many horror stories about. This time around it was between T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, and I went with T-Mobile because their phone plan is cheaper and their data plan is WAY cheaper. Which is a shame because I've never heard anything but good things about U.S. Cellular, and it might have been neat to have a phone that (so they say) works in the subway. Then again, I'm a Cubs fan, so that might have sealed the deal right there.

ToLiveIsToFly · #24 Post by **ToLiveIsToFly** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:15 pm

Also, when I called T-Mobile, they said that starting in mid-July there'll be a lot more options on text message control, including blocking all of them, blocking incoming or outgoing, setting a limit above which they're blocked, etc.

ghostjmf · #25 Post by **ghostjmf** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:42 am

I spoke to soon about not getting majorly ripped off yet by Verizon Wireless. This month I got a $12.00 bill for roaming charges. Not for long distance calls, as I didn't make any, but, apparently, for calling my Verizon calling-card # (& making the long-distance calls through it) while in roaming-areas. Sooner or later I am calling them on this. Not from the cell-phone while out-of-non-roaming area, though.

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WTF, T-Mobile?

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