My Experience with T-Mobile and T-Mobile’s Corporate store
#9324
(8712 W Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa, FL 813-249-5016)
I’m writing to share my recent experience with
T-Mobile. Let me first say that I have
been a loyal T-Mobile customer for 14 years.
On September 26, 2014 I visited
T-Mobile’s corporate store # 9324 located at 8712 W Hillsborough Avenue in
Tampa. My purpose was to upgrade my I-Phone 5 to the new I-Phone 6 using the JUMP program. My son (DS), Daughter (DD1) and Husband
(DH) were with me, as both DS & DD1 wanted to upgrade their phones
as well. So my transaction at T-mobile
looks like this –
JW (me) JUMP from Iphone 5 to Iphone 6 – turn in
my white Iphone 5 received credit on the purchase of a new Iphone 6 (white).
DD1(daughter #1)– Jump from IPhone 5S to Iphone 6 – turn in
her black Iphone 5S for a Black Iphone 6
D DS(son) – Adds his previous Verizon line to my
existing phone plan He purchases the new Iphone 6 (128 gb) and keeps his Iphone
5 that was already paid off
Our service by Rep at the T-mobile store was
labored. We were there a long time. This rep was slow and inefficient. We didn’t think much about it at the time, as
every encounter at the T-mobile store seems arduous and inefficient. It was a busy day with lots of people coming
in to purchase the new Iphone 6. During
the purchase process T-Mobile turns on and sets up the new phone and then
transfer’s date from the old phone to the new phone. Eventually, I’m given a receipt for my
purchase, and we leave the store with new Iphone 6’s and Iphone 5’s left at the
store.
In October/November DH noticed the bill was higher than
normal (our bill went from $158 avg monthly billing to over $400 avg monthly
billing) and made an outreach to customer service. Customer service indicated that it could take
2-3 billing cycles for the correct billing to appear and the phones to be
credited correctly. So we waited. We
have continued to see bills over $400 every month since. DH asked DD1 to take care of it as the
issue was with her phone (or so we were previously told). Over the course of Jan-current, DD1 has
talked to the T-mobile customer service via mobile, visited the T-mobile store
at Citrus Park Mall, and visited the store where we purchased the phones. All with the same run around. T-mobile customer service tells you it’s a
store issue, T-mobile store at Citrus Park Mall indicated we needed to return
to the store where the phones were purchased.
Store #9324 tells us we need our receipt. Round and round we go. Finally I’d had enough. I asked DD1 to take care of this issue Today
(May 29, 2015) now let me tell you about
the experience…
DD1 shows up at the store and starts texting me the issues
– She speaks with the Retail Associate Manager. DD1 reports that he is going through their
physical records, and returns that there is no proof that the phones were ever
turned into the store. This is skeptical
as he is back and forth about not having or being able to see previous sales
receipts, and no inventory of phones ever received, yet he’s showing DD1 documents indicating that there were no phones.
He tells her we didn’t do enough to rectify this issue and can’t provide
proof of the phones so there is nothing he can do. DD1 and the Retail Associate Manager go round and round, and
eventually he indicates that this is our fault for waiting so long. Meanwhile, I call T-mobile customer service
and explain the story above about the phones and Jump and the issue with my
bill. The rep, transfers me to a
retention specialist who offers me two options. 1) return to the store where
the phones were purchased or 2) write a letter or email to customer relations
detailing the issue.
I am completely unsatisfied with the result, and I head to
the store. By this time I’m really upset.
NO ONE at T-mobile has offered any assistance, no one has attempted to
research my issue. No one has taken any
accountability for an error on the account.
On a whim I call customer service back, I’m so angry and frustrated I’m
in tears. Rep #0840259 answers
the line. I lay out my story, express my
frustration and tell her I’m totally appalled at the customer service I’ve
received thus far. T-mobile has taken NO
responsibility for the corporate store, the store takes no responsibility for
an employee’s error, and they infer that we are at fault or lying about turning
in a phone. She provides the necessary
concern and sincerity to me and believes me then soothes me with a promise of
research and hope that potentially a resolution may exist. I’m on the phone with her an hour. During this time She has completed research
and can verify that both phone line IDs have not been used since 9/26/2014
validating that we do not have the phones. She is also able to find in the
warehouse using the phone IMB # that DD1’s phone was received by
T-mobile. She advises that my phone is
unaccounted for, but why would the store only ship back one phone when two were
traded. I can’t tell you the relief I’m
feeling at this point and hopeful that the resolution is in sight. All I want is my phone bill adjusted to show
the proper monthly payments.
While holding for CS Rep to complete whatever actions she
needs to take, I go into the store and talk to Retail Associate Managr. I ask for the Manager and district manager’s
names. He tries to tell me this is my
fault and I explain to him, that the error was definitely on the store and the
poorly trained associate. I advise him
that I will be there when the store opens on Monday morning. He assures me I can see the Store Manager at that time -
CS Rep returns to the line with the following resolution –
1)
A full refund and payment has been made by
T-Mobile paying off DD1s’s phone
2)
She provides information to me about how it will
appear in my bill and when I can expect to see the credits in the system
3)
She advises that I will still need to see the
store manager for the correction to the bills for both phones however she has
credited my phone with 3 months of payments.
4)
She tells me the full account number, the
amounts on each phone and the dates to retro the correction back to.
5)
She advises if I’m unsatisfied with the store
manager’s response to my issue and/or the district manager’s I should call into
customer service while still in the store to have this cleared up
So there is still more to this saga and I will continue to
report my experience.
At this point, I’m hopeful for resolution, but I’m doubtful
it will be initiated by a corporate store that takes NO accountability for it’s
associates error and attempts to shame and belittle valued customers. I also realize it takes more than 1 call to
customer service to receive any help, and that T-mobile overall does not take
accountability for the corporate stores.
This issue could have been resolved at any number of points during the
last 8 months but T-mobile has left me with doubts as to the type of company
they are and even though Amber was a ray of sunshine and helpful and everything
a customer service rep should be, I’m still pondering leaving T-mobile over
this issue. Maybe Verizon or AT&T will value me more as a customer.
6/1/2015 So- Today
As instructed by rep @ T-Mobile customer service – I returned to the store #9324 on Hillsborough to speak with the Manager regarding the credit to my monthly payments for both telephone lines. I arrived at 10:15am and was told that the manager is not in the store and would call me on Wednesday after he’d had time to research the issue. Once again this store failed to meet the expectation I was led to believe on Friday. I was assured I would have the opportunity to meet the store manager today, but unfortunately the manager does not want the story from me directly and is avoiding taking responsibility for his store. I called T mobile customer service and spoke to a CS Rep who was nice and reviewed the account. I explained my conversation with the CS Rep from Friday, my issue with this corporate store and that they failed to meet my expectation yet again. She indicated she would process the refund for the monthly payment back to the purchase of the new phones, and would file a formal complaint against this store. How can you show such indifference to an issue in your store?
I’m left wondering, why I had to go back to the store in the first place? Couldn’t the CS Rep have taken care of all of it on Friday?
I will check my account on Thursday (allowing for time for payments and refunds to be properly adjusted in the system) and will post an update.
