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Subscriber says T-Mobile's customer service has hit a new low

A T-Mobile customer has problems trying to get a simple accessory replacement for his phone.

By Alan Friedman

Updated: Oct 02, 2025, 12:59 AM

12comments

A T-Mobile store on the corner of a block.

The future T-Mobile looks much different than today's version of the carrier. CEO Mike Sievert will be leaving and one month from today Srni Gopalan takes over. Sievert's reign looked much different than his predecessor's (John Legere, a true unicorn among wireless executives) just as Gopalan's vision for T-Mobile will certainly be different than Sievert's was. Whatever that vision is, it must include improved customer service, which has been a major concern for T-Mobile subscribers.

A T-Mobile customer is stymied trying to get a new screen protector

For example, a Reddit subscribers with the username sosobored85 wrote about his frustrating journey as he sought to obtain a replacement screen protector for his Pixel 9 Pro XL. This shouldn't be a major issue but thanks to the carrier's customer service department, it turned into an entertaining, but also cautionary, tale. After contacting T-Mobile customer service three weeks ago, the T-Mobile subscriber was told to visit one of the wireless provider's stores but was informed by a rep that the location no longer carried the screen protector for his phone.

Image shows rear panels of two different Pixel 9 Pro XL models in dfferent colors.

The T-Mobile customer needed a screen replacement for a Pixel 9 Pro XL. | Image credit-PhoneArena

While driving home from the store, the customer called T-Mobile customer service and spoke with, as he put it, "a call center representative whose thick accent made him nearly incomprehensible." The call center rep was told by the T-Mobile customer that he had to order the replacement screen through his insurance, and the customer service rep told him that this would have to be ordered from a physical store.

T-Mobile customer service can't handle a simple replacement

Finally, after going back and forth with the T-Mobile customer service guy, the customer finally convinced him to order the screen protector. A week later, a package arrives from T-Mobile, and it appeared as though this nightmare was over; actually, it was just starting for inside the box was not a screen protector for a Pixel 9 Pro XL, but a phone case! And the next day another package arrives from the carrier. Would it be the requested screen protector? No. It was another phone case!

Will T-Mobile's new CEO be able to improve the experiences of the carrier's customers?

Yes. A fresh start means he can introduce new ideas.

6.68%

No. T-Mobile will not change where it matters.

33.89%

Just bring back John Legere.

59.44%

So, the T-Mobile subscriber called the company again and was told that a manager would be working on the issue and that he would soon receive tracking information. The latter never came, but a few days later another package from T-Mobile was delivered and this time it was a screen protector. However, instead of a screen protector for the requested Pixel 9 Pro XL, the box contained a screen protector for the Pixel 9/9 Pro. In other words, the accessory sent was for the wrong phone.

The T-Mobile subscriber wrote, "It boggles the mind how a multi-billion-dollar company can fail this spectacularly on a basic "point-and-click" order. It's not a single mistake; it’s a systemic ignorance to detail that has wasted weeks of my time."

As crazy as this story is, a T-Mobile rep revealed that there's an app that the carrier has for its sales crew called P360 Lookup that is available on the tablets used by the reps inside T-Mobile stores. This rep says that using the app, it should have taken only five minutes for the original in-store rep to order the screen protector replacement.

With T-Mobile believed to be on the verge of making a huge transition, another member of the carrier's sales team gave his appraisal. "Expect far more incompetence like this as T-Mobile pushes more and more tenured reps out the door in favor of people who don't realize how bad the job has gotten over time. Oh well, this is what the corporate office wants. Saves a few bucks in expenses every year, so it's worth it."

There are a few things that Srni Gopalan will need to fix when he takes over. The monthly performance goals for reps (known as metrics) need to be tweaked to stop T-Mobile's salespeople from adding accessories, insurance and phone lines to customer's orders without their consent. Customer service is another area that needs to be revamped. The incoming CEO has four weeks to come up with some ideas. Let's see what he can do.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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