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T-Mobile angers customers with tactic to stop plan cancellations

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:51:00 +0000

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T-Mobile (TMUS) , one of the largest phone carriers in the U.S., has struggled to retain loyal customers over the past few months as phone bills have become more expensive nationwide.

After T-Mobile ushered in higher prices for its older phone plans earlier this year, its customers started jumping ship at an alarming rate.

According to the company’s second-quarter earnings report for 2025, its postpaid phone churn (the number of customers who cut their phone service) spiked by 10 basis points year-over-year.

T-Mobile is also battling increased competition from rival phone carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, which have been rolling out an increased number of perks and deals to attract customers.

In addition, T-Mobile is losing customers to cable companies, which are welcoming new phone customers in record numbers through deals that offer bundled phone, internet, and TV services.

According to a recent survey from WhistleOut, the average cost of an unlimited data plan for American families is $244 a month, and 58% of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T customers are considering switching to a different carrier as prices go up.

The survey also found that all three carriers risk losing 230 million customers combined because of high mobile plan pricing.

T-Mobile recently saw a spike in customer losses.

Image source: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

T-Mobile customers sound alarm on a major problem

As consumers nationwide weigh their options for phone carriers to do business with, T-Mobile has angered some customers by making the process of canceling lines more complicated than necessary.

According to recent posts on social media platform Reddit, some T-Mobile customers claim they have had to argue with customer service representatives lately to cancel lines for devices such as smartwatches and iPads.

“I’ve been with TMO for 4 years now and I tried to disconnect my very old smart watch. You cannot do it in store, in the t-life app, or in chat. It has to be a phone call and the rep just kept running me around in circles trying to prevent me cancelling a $10 a month charge. When she finally relented she told me she could not cancel it and had to get a supervisor involved. It took 45 minutes of arguing. WTF, tmobile. It’s like we’re back in 1990 trying to cancel our cable bill FFS. Be better or I’m gone,” wrote one customer on Reddit.

“I’m on Magenta Military (still!) with 6 voice lines and two connected devices. Canceling one of the devices (it’s an iPad) has been a nightmare- my bill went up to $210 from $170. CS is so shady and was told many times ‘oh no sir don’t worry about it’ – well, I was right to worry. I doubt any other carrier can come close to my deal so I’m likely stuck with it, even with the unexpected $40 price jump,” wrote another customer.

“Am an employee and same thing happened, trying to cancel 2 watch line and a voice line took some arguing. The customer service rep kept trying to convince to convert them into a cheaper line instead and i told her this is my account and are my expenses get rid of what am asking you to do. Eventually she ended up doing it but it took almost an hour of talking like am an employee why you trynna convince to keep something i dont have to,” wrote a T-Mobile employee who is also a customer.

T-Mobile customers should brace themselves for a huge change

As T-Mobile’s retention tactics frustrate customers, the phone carrier is quietly planning to make its T-Life app a bigger part of account management.

Last week, leaked documents shared on Reddit revealed that T-Mobile plans to make customers 100% dependent on its T-Life app to handle upgrades, new lines, account activations, etc., by January 2026.

So, customers may soon depend much less on customer service representatives to make crucial changes to their accounts.

More Telecom News:

The move comes as T-Mobile plans to replace CEO Mike Sievert with current Chief Operating Officer Srini Gopalan, effective Nov. 1. Sievert will move on to the newly created position of vice chair of the company.

“Srini has been an incredible partner in shaping the future of T-Mobile as well as instrumental in leading our record growth this year and driving initiatives to serve customers in new ways and win them for life,” said Sievert in a press release. “One fact has become crystal clear: Srini is ready to lead.”

T-Mobile is doubling down on its goal of becoming a “digital-first company,” an initiative that Gopalan will pioneer.

“The company has gone to pains over the last few months to emphasize that Srini remains focused on being an industry disruptor rather than an incumbent, and we expect them to continue to push that narrative,” wrote analysts at New Street Research in an analyst note.

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Got a scary T-Mobile text about your account? Don’t fret

admin — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 17:05:02 +0000

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Joe Maring / Android Authority

TL;DR

T-Mobile sent a text about “Authorized Users” that some customers mistook as a fraud warning.
It was confirmed to be a mass informational campaign, not an unauthorized purchase attempt.
It’s not the first eyebrow-raising SMS from the carrier this month.

If you’re on T-Mobile, you might be starting to get a bit concerned about the carrier’s comms strategy. Following a security-related text from the carrier earlier this month that looked scammy but was real, another mass SMS campaign has caused fresh anxiety among some users.

As The Mobile Report outlines, customers are receiving texts that begin with the line: “Other users on your account don’t have permissions for selfservice access.” The message goes on to explain how you can designate “Authorized Users” who are allowed to get support, make purchases, or upgrade devices.

The mass SMS could have been worded better.

Legitimate as the message is, that opening line reads quite a lot like a fraud warning. Some T-Mobile subscribers took the text as a sign that someone had already tried to make unauthorized changes to their account. Given the company’s history of data breaches, it’s not hard to see why the alarm bells went off. One customer even told The Mobile Report they rushed home to check their account, assuming the worst.

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In reality, this was simply an informational push. By default, only the primary line on a T-Mobile account can make account-level changes. Other lines are limited to logging into the T-Life app or My T-Mobile, without purchase or upgrade privileges. The text campaign was meant to tell account holders they can expand that access by marking other lines as Authorized Users. Needless to say, the phrasing left much to be desired.

Making matters worse, a screenshot shared with The Mobile Report shows T-Mobile support staff initially telling customers the message wasn’t legitimate, highlighting a breakdown in internal communication. That confusion only amplified the fear.

To be clear, nobody is breaking into your account when you see this text. It was a poorly worded mass campaign, not evidence of fraud. Still, paired with T-Mobile’s shaky security reputation and the earlier PIN-reset text, we can only hope the carrier takes a fresh look at how it communicates with its subscribers.

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Costco to make generous offer to frustrated phone customers

admin — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 04:43:37 +0000

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Costco (COST) , the largest warehouse club in the U.S., has been gaining a leg up on its competitors as its membership numbers continue to grow rapidly.

During the first quarter of 2025, the number of Costco’s paid household members increased to 78.4 million, up 6.8% compared to last year.

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This comes at a time when Costco’s products and deals continue to go viral on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Costco’s U.S. comparable sales also spiked by 8.3% year-over-year during the quarter. This contributed to its net income of $1.7 billion, which is 2% higher than what it earned during the same quarter a year ago.

Costco even outperformed its competitors by drawing in higher levels of foot traffic during the quarter. While Costco’s foot traffic climbed by 6% year-over-year, Sam’s Club’s only increased by 2.7% and BJ’s spiked by 4%, according to recent data from Placer.ai.

A staff member speaks to a customer inside a Costco store.

Image source: VIEWpress/Getty Images

Costco to offer a wild new deal to members

As Costco welcomes new members to its warehouses, it reportedly plans to launch a generous new deal next week that targets members who are frustrated with their current phone plans.

According to a recent report from Costco Insider, Costco’s July 2025 Coupon Book will feature a deal that offers members $450 if they switch to T-Mobile (TMUS) and purchase/activate a new phone on either its Experience More or Experience Beyond plan.

Members who switch from AT&T, Verizon, Xfinity, Spectrum, USCellular, Claro, or Liberty Puerto Rico will receive a $200 Costco Shop card and a $250 Virtual Visa prepaid card, equivalent to $450.

Customers can even stack the deal, meaning they can receive up to 12 $200 Costco Shop cards and a maximum of four $250 Visa cards if they add 12 lines to the account. The promotion is valid between June 18 and July 20.

T-Mobile recently suffered major loss after angering customers

Costco’s upcoming deal comes amid an exodus of T-Mobile phone customers after the provider implemented a series of price hikes.

The phone carrier revealed in its first-quarter earnings report for 2025 that the number of customers who cut their phone service increased by 5 basis points year-over-year.

Also, while T-Mobile added 495,000 new postpaid phone customers during the quarter, that number is 6% lower than the amount it welcomed during the same time period last year.

More Retail:

During an earnings call in April, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said the recent spike in churn is mainly due to consumers becoming more nervous about the state of the economy.

“So overall, you saw across the industry churn was just on the margin a little elevated, and I think there’s a number of dynamics there,” said Sievert during the call. “That probably has more to do with kind of macro questions than with competition. You know, I think there’s a certain element out there where people are in a time of uncertainty about the future, grabbing what they can afford now. And so you’re seeing [more customer] upgrades and switching.”

Amid this concerning trend, many consumers have been flocking to cable companies to sign up for phone plans.

Spectrum, Comcast, and Altice USA have added 886,000 new phone customers during the first three months of 2025, which is up from the 804,000 it added during the same time period last year, according to a recent report from MoffettNathanson.

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5 things I learned after switching from T-Mobile to Visible

admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 10:59:02 +0000

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Joe Maring / Android Authority

In early May, I began the process of switching myself (and my partner and family members) away from T-Mobile. After being T-Mobile subscribers for 10 years and being fed up with price hikes and worsening service, we decided we’d had enough and were ready to move on.

I chronicled that experience in an article I wrote last month, explaining why I left T-Mobile and all of the things that pushed me over the edge to finally switch. But at the time, I wasn’t sure what carrier I’d be switching to.

Following a lot of Googling and research, I ultimately chose Visible as my new cell phone service provider. The pricing was right, the plans had everything my family and I needed, and I’d heard nothing but good things from friends and colleagues.

It’s been about a month since I made the switch, and it’s been a pretty eye-opening experience. After being a T-Mobile customer for so long, here are a few things I’ve learned after my first month with Visible.

When was the last time you changed cell phone carriers?

15 votes

Porting numbers was (mostly) a piece of cake

Joe Maring / Android Authority

Prior to my Visible switch, the last time I subjected myself to the cell phone number transfer process was a decade ago — and I don’t have fond memories of how it went. As such, I was pretty apprehensive about how things would go transferring six lines away from T-Mobile.

Amazingly, it all went as smoothly as I could have asked for.

When you’re setting up your Visible account and indicate you want to transfer a phone number, all you have to do is enter the phone number you want to move, your current carrier’s account number, and a transfer/port-out PIN from your carrier. Once that’s entered, Visible submits the transfer request, alerts you when your number transfer is approved, and then prompts you to complete activation.

All told, the entire number transfer process took all of 10-15 minutes for every number I ported to Visible — all except for one. I accidentally entered an old port-out PIN when transferring my partner’s number, which strangely locked their Visible account for the rest of the night. However, we were able to get their number ported the following day without issue, so it all worked out fine in the end.

My cell service hasn’t gotten any worse

Joe Maring / Android Authority

Switching from one of the nation’s largest carriers to a much smaller MVNO, my primary concern was that my cell service was going to take a hit. It’s well known that many MVNOs are deprioritized during heavy network congestion, and going from T-Mobile to Visible (a Verizon MVNO), I was worried my service wouldn’t be as fast or reliable as I’m used to.

Thankfully, that worry has been for nought. After a month with Visible, I’ve not noticed any degradation in service quality compared to what I had with T-Mobile, nor have my parents or my partner.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well Visible has performed so far.

If anything, my service has actually been a bit better. In the laundry room and gym at my apartment complex, which were virtually dead zones for T-Mobile, I’ve had no issues getting a strong signal with Visible. Your mileage will obviously vary depending on where you live and your local Verizon coverage, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well Visible has performed so far.

Not having family accounts isn’t a big deal

Compared to T-Mobile, one of the most significant differences about Visible (other than it using Verizon towers) is that it doesn’t support family plans. That means everyone is in charge of their own account and bill, and after being on the same account with my partner, parents, and grandmother for so many years, I wasn’t sure how this would go.

Once again, it’s been a smoother transition than I anticipated. Visible’s autopay system means no one has to worry about accidentally missing a bill, and unlike T-Mobile, I can set up autopay for my partner and myself with a credit card — no need to link our bank account.

And should any of us ever leave Visible for something else, everyone having their own account (and, therefore, their own port-out PIN) will make things easier, too. I made the mistake of transferring my phone number first to Visible, and as the primary account holder for our old T-Mobile account, that resulted in a headache-inducing evening of working with T-Mobile’s (very bad) customer support to make my partner the new primary account holder so we could continue transferring other numbers. I’m really glad that won’t be an issue with Visible if/when we ever switch to something else.

Visible’s Android app is much easier to use

Joe Maring / Android Authority

Ever since T-Mobile launched its T-Life app in 2023, trying to access and manage my T-Mobile account from an Android phone has been a nightmare. The app is slow, unresponsive, and unbelievably buggy.

While Visible’s Android app isn’t perfect, it’s been significantly better than T-Mobile’s. Account settings are easier to find, bill/payment information is easily accessible, and it’s not overloaded with heaps of unnecessary fluff — something T-Life is notorious for.

Although the Visible app isn’t the prettiest to look at (or the fastest), I appreciate how much better organized everything is compared to T-Life. If I want to switch my plan or access features like Global Passes or HD video streaming, they’re just a couple of taps away. T-Life, by comparison, likes to hide almost everything under a mountain of convoluted menus. I’m very happy not to be dealing with that any longer.

Don’t be afraid of changing carriers

Joe Maring / Android Authority

This last point isn’t specific to Visible itself, but rather a more general point I learned throughout the carrier switching process.

Especially when you’ve been with one cell carrier for multiple years, the idea of switching to something else is daunting. You’re familiar with the carrier you currently have, you don’t want to go through the headache of transferring numbers, you’re worried about what another provider’s coverage will be like — the list goes on and on.

Switching carriers is far simpler today than it’s ever been.

I’d been unhappy with T-Mobile for about a year before I decided to leave, and I stayed with the company largely out of familiarity and convenience. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of changing carriers, and even though I wasn’t thrilled with T-Mobile, I toughed it out anyway.

If you find yourself in a similar position, whether with T-Mobile or another company, my advice is to go for it. Switching carriers isn’t the most entertaining thing to do, but it’s also far simpler today than it’s ever been, especially now that eSIMs are more widely adopted and easier to use.

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

I was hesitant about leaving T-Mobile after 10 years, but I’m happy I finally did — and I wish I’d done it sooner. You don’t owe your current carrier any loyalty, so if you’re unhappy with your monthly bill, service, or something else, go ahead and leave. You’ll be glad you did.

Visible – Plans starting at $25 a month for a limited time!

Aiming to simplify and reduce the costs of mobile connectivity, Visible by Verizon is a simplified carrier that offers limited plans, no hidden fees, and connectivity to the Verizon network.

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