T-Mobile store manager accused of ripping off customers by a rep who works under her
A T-Mobile rep throws his store manager under the bus as he accuses her of "slamming" and "cramming" customers.
T-Mobile store manager is slamming and cramming | Image by PhoneArena
It's bad enough when a T-Mobile rep pulls off a "cramming" scam. That's when the carrier's employee, in order to reach his performance goals, adds items to a customer's purchase without the latter's consent or knowledge. This is often accompanied by a little lie such as, "You won't see any change to your monthly bill," or, "This will actually lower your bill each month."
T-Mobile store manager uses both "cramming" and "slamming" to make herself look good
When the customer asks about all of the extra accessories he is receiving, the rep will tell him that the charger, case, screen protector, P360 Insurance plan, and smartwatch are all part of a special promotion. The customer doesn't know that this is such a special deal, it is only in the mind of the rep. But he will find this out later, right?
The beginning of this article alluded to something worse than a T-Mobile rep cramming a customer, and yes, there surely is something worse. That is when a T-Mobile store manager is not only cramming a customer, but is also "slamming" a customer. "Slamming" is when a customer's plan or even carrier is changed without the customer's permission.
If you were this T-Mobile rep, what would you do?
When you get a T-Mobile store manager cramming and slamming T-Mobile customers, it is worse for both the customer and for the company. It's like the fox guarding the hen house because the crooked store manager is the one who was hired by the company to look out for illegal actions like slamming and cramming. Since the store manager is representing T-Mobile, the actions taken by a crooked manager do not reflect well on the company.
This manager will "often" add a new line to a customer's account without their consent or knowledge
According to a T-Mobile rep who posted on social media, he is working for a store manager who has started to insert herself into every transaction involving a customer seeking to upgrade or replace a lost phone. The rep who works for this manager says that she often adds a new line to a customer's transaction without telling the customer, activates the new phone purchased on that line and then moves the customer's existing number to this line.
The rep alleges that the sales manager explains to the customer that the phone is free and that their bill won't rise much, but she doesn't give the scammed customer a full explanation of what is going on. He also adds that she will "routinely" add P360 Insurance to a customer's bill without discussing it with them.
Here's a recent example of what the sales manager does
As an example, this rep mentioned that last week an elderly couple came into the store after their iPhone 16e was stolen. Instead of filing a claim for a replacement under the P360 insurance policy, she sold them a new phone by having them add a new line. The rep knew what was going on because the manager had used his REMO (the handheld tablet used by salespeople to handle transactions on the sales floor) to write up the order.
Apparently, she wasn't always like this and according to the rep who works under her, at one time she was "very ethical and customer-focused." The salesperson blames the change on pressure from T-Mobile's upper management and from the sales goals that she needs the store to achieve in order for her to keep her job.
This manager works at a T-Mobile that is "slow" and she is feeling pressure from the top
The rep admits that the store is slow and that the manager has talked about leaving. He also feels bad for the customers who don't understand what is being added to their accounts. When discussing this with other reps in the store, they talk about the victimized customers eventually realizing what happened to them and returning to the store all upset. They discuss how this can lead to chargebacks and escalations while the customers will always remember having a bad experience at T-Mobile.
Sign promoting T-Mobile. | Image by T-Mobile
This is turning into an epidemic, not just for T-Mobile, but for the entire industry. As other reps in the same thread pointed out, reporting this to the T-Mobile Integrity Line is more likely to get the complaining rep fired instead of the store manager. As another T-Mobile employee said, "Also reporting any fraud will get you fired because the ones who are already doing it look great on the ULB (Un-carrier Leaderboard) and no upper management cares."
Executives at T-Mobile and other carriers need to stop looking the other way
The ULB measures sales metrics for retail employees and managers tracking products like device insurance, accessories, credit card applications, and new phone lines. It probably is the tool that the company looks at to determine the value of an employee.
But this has to stop. How can top executives look the other way when consumers are getting ripped off? The reps are fearful for their jobs so it is understandable that they keep their mouths shut. But I know that these articles do get read by employees at T-Mobile who do have the power to stop this from continuing.
And this has got to stop.
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