T-Mobile users enraged as “Un-carrier” breaks promise to never raise prices

1,600 complaints to FCC

The FCC told Ars on Monday that the agency received about 1,600 consumer complaints about the T-Mobile price hikes. Following agency policy, the FCC declined to say if it is investigating the price increases.

The Federal Trade Commission declined to say how many complaints it has received. We filed Freedom of Information Act requests with both federal agencies this week to obtain more information.

We asked T-Mobile if it plans to make any changes in response to the complaints, but the company did not provide an answer. Ars was also contacted by two other customers who, like Odean, filed complaints. One of those customers told us that he couldn't even get T-Mobile to honor the promise that it would cover the final bill if a user decided to leave after a price hike.

Georgia resident Michael Moody switched his business and family accounts from T-Mobile to Verizon upon learning of the price hikes and said he called T-Mobile multiple times in an attempt to get the two accounts' final bills covered.

"The first representative I got said they knew nothing about this promise that T-Mobile had agreed to and that the charges were valid and that they would not be reversing any of the charges," Moody told Ars. "Whenever I asked to speak to a supervisor or a manager, they just kept telling me that their supervisor would tell me the same thing and refused to connect the call to anybody else."

Moody said he and his family now pay Verizon about the same amount that T-Mobile planned to charge after the price hikes. "We're not saving money by switching, but at least I'm not dealing with a company that's lying straight to my face anymore," he said.

Moody said he filed complaints with the FCC, FTC, and Better Business Bureau.

Un-contract and Price Lock

T-Mobile's 2017 FAQ described the Un-contract as "our commitment that only you can change what you pay and we mean it! To show just how serious we are, we have committed to pay your final month's recurring service charges if we were to raise prices and you choose to leave. Just let us know within 60 days." T-Mobile discontinued the Un-contract in 2022 but makes the same pledge about currently offered plans with "Price Lock," which has a different name but operates similarly to the Un-contract.

Moody has been trying to get T-Mobile to cover a final-month bill of $153.22 for a business account and a final-month bill of $186.81 for a family account. The accounts have multiple voice lines and other connected devices like a tablet and smartwatch. Like other customers, Moody was notified by T-Mobile via text message in late May about the impending price hikes.

"For the first time in nearly a decade, we're changing the price of some of our plans," a text message about the business-plan price change said. "Starting on your June or July bill, your voice plan will increase by $5/line per mo. and your other connected devices by $2/ line per mo. You'll remain on the same plan with the same benefits and bill due date." Moody received a similar message about the family plan.

Moody said that T-Mobile made the price guarantee for both the business and family accounts. "That is how it was marketed to me by the business account representative I used to have," he said.

We asked T-Mobile for information on why Moody hasn't been able to get the final bills covered. A T-Mobile spokesperson told us, "Customers with Un-contract and Price Lock on eligible plans are still covered by those benefits. We don't share information about customer accounts with others, so I don't have details to give you."

T-Mobile told us on Tuesday that it would get in touch with Moody directly. On Wednesday, a T-Mobile rep sent him an email alleging that he did not notify T-Mobile quickly enough to get the final bill covered.

"Upon review, with Un-contract, T-Mobile committed to its customers that if it were to increase prices and customers chose to leave as a result, T-Mobile would pay the customers' final month's recurring service charges, as long as customers notified T-Mobile within 60 days. Unfortunately, it was noted that notification of cancellation from your end came after the cancellation had already been processed, which does not meet the terms and conditions set forth for the Un-contract promise," T-Mobile wrote in an email that Moody shared with Ars.