Having been a happy T-Mobile customer for probably about 5 years now (minus a disastrous 12 months with Cingular in 2004/2005) I am typically a pretty big cheerleader for these guys. When I bought my T-Mobile MDA Smartphone several months ago, I took every opportunity to talk it up to friends, colleagues and pretty much anybody who would listen. In my opinion this phone stacks up quite favorably to the iPhone (MP3 Player, Stereo Bluetooth, WiFi, EDGE support, great mapping and email functionality and even a real, physical keyboard!) Some friends of mine had purchased Blackberry Pearl phones, Sidekicks or the T-Mobile Dash, but I’ve always feld that the MDA (while bulkier) offered a much more complete package than any of these.
In my opinion, a large part of the MDA’s success owes to it’s Windows Mobile operating system. Microsoft may be having a hell of a time trying to patch togeher a decent desktop OS these days, but their mobile offering has really come into it’s own in the last few versions, and when I found out that a new version was now available, I anxiously awaited my opportunity to upgrade. Several weeks ago, I found out from a friend that T-Mobile was offering Windows Mobile upgrades for their T-Mobile Dash device, and so I rushed over to their website to grab the upgrade for my MDA. Surprisingly, it was nowhere to be seen. After waiting a few more weeks to see if it was forthcoming, I began to grow suspicious, and decided to call customer support.
After tunneling through the first few levels of scripted nonsenses, I finally got a hold of a very knowledgable guy who broke the bad news to me. T-Mobile was no longer carrying the MDA, and there were NO PLANS to offer the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for my OS. If I was willing to part with another $350 of my hard-earned money (as well as re-up for another 2 year contract) I could move to the MDA’s successor, the T-Mobile Wing, which comes with Windows Mobile 6 installed by default, but otherwise I was stuck with the MDA until sometime in 2009. Given that T-Mobile Dash users could upgrade to the new OS version for ZERO dollars, I asked whether they might be able to give me some kind of discount on the Wing, but they (very politely) informed me that it was just my misfortune to have bet on the wrong horse with the MDA, and there was nothing they could do to help me out.
At this point, I began to ask about cancelling my contract, but they dashed my hopes (pun intended) on that front by invoking the dreaded $200 early termination fee (over which they’ve been taken to court before). Even after acknowledging that they were no longer supporting my MDA (which to me seems to constitute breach of contract) they refused to waive this fee.
To be perfectly clear. I do not WANT to leave T-Mobile! I’ve enjoyed using all the geeky phones that I’ve purchased from them over the years, and would have gladly seen out the remainder of my contract with the MDA, if only they had taken the simple step of providing me with a software upgrade that (as I understand) they get for FREE from Microsoft.
Instead, I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth and while I’d rather wait out the remainder of my contract than pay them $200 in blood money, I can assure you that I’ll waste no time in finding a new carrier on the day my contract expires. In a day and age where number migration makes it more difficult than ever for cellular providers to keep their customers, I am absolutely astounded that T-Mobile can’t be even just a little bit flexible for a long-time subscriber and shameless booster of their company.
But enough ranting for now, it’s time for pizza. Thanks for listening, Internet!
0 Responses to “Customer (Dis)service from T-Mobile”