This is why we could see a flood of T-Mobile customers report a lost or stolen phone
An incident we wrote about last week might have been the impetus for this change.
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T-Mobile continues to make life harder for its reps. We've told you before about the metrics they are required to meet every month. This has led some of them to add accessories, insurance, chargers, cases, protective screen covers, and new lines to customers' orders without their consent. Lately, T-Mobile has its reps hung up over the T-Life app that could end up replacing the carrier's retail stores and its human sales crew.
T-Mobile is making a big change to how reps handle lost and broken phones
Today, an interesting post on social media caught my eye. According to this post, which was apparently written by a T-Mobile rep most likely working out of a corporate-run location, retail management at T-Mobile just received some news from those toiling in the executive suite. When a customer comes into a T-Mobile store with a broken phone or complains that his phone has been lost, the rep will open a new device and hope that the customer has enough equipment credit or the ability to make the down payment for the replacement.
The dreaded T-Life app, public enemy number one among T-Mobile reps. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Probably the part of this process that will upset the reps most is that they are told to load all of the customer's personal information on the new device. Then, they have to log in through T-Life on the new phone and make the upgrade through the app. Now you might expect that this is a process that has been tested by T-Mobile under real-life conditions, and it was. But as the rep wrote on Reddit, it was tested for "not a month, not 3 weeks" but for only seven days in one city. And yet, the carrier plans on rolling this out nationwide!
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The T-Mobile rep who wrote this said, "To the customers, we apologize. Our company has lost touch with you guys. To the T-Mobile front line who HAS recently been told if you don't do this T-Life stuff you will be fired, and AI will replace you now or later, we have to fight this NOW!"
Another T-Mobile rep who works in one of the carrier's Experience stores (which supposedly focus on educating the customer as opposed to making quick sales) said that these locations received the same memo. This rep typed, "Experience stores got the same message. I feel like this needs to get pushed up the compliance chain." Another rep working at a corporate-run location said that the store's Retail Associate Manager just received the memo as well.
One of the responses came from a T-Mobile salesperson who didn't care whether the company was opening replacement phones before getting paid for them. This person wrote, "If that’s what they want then so be it, not my inventory so idc. Them snatch and grabs about to go crazy."
T-Mobile reps are upset about the T-Life app taking over their jobs. Perhaps the best comment follows:
"I would have loved to have been in the meeting where they were deciding to handle the problem of how to do lost/stolen phone replacements through T-Life.
Boss: "Interesting idea. Any other proposals?"
Person 2: "Oooh! I have a better idea! Let's have the customer open the retail packaging of a new phone that they haven't bought, transfer all the customer's info to it, install T-life, and have them do the upgrade on that device! Most customers might qualify to actually complete the transaction, too!"
Boss: "Brilliant! Let's go with that. Here, have some stock options."
Person 1: "Ooh! I know. The store could have a few old, surplus tablets with T-life on 'em and customers could log in and do the transaction using one of those.
Boss: "Interesting idea. Any other proposals?"
Person 2: "Oooh! I have a better idea! Let's have the customer open the retail packaging of a new phone that they haven't bought, transfer all the customer's info to it, install T-life, and have them do the upgrade on that device! Most customers might qualify to actually complete the transaction, too!"
Is this why T-Mobile is making the change?
Personally, I believe that T-Mobile was forced to make this change after a customer with a broken phone recently came into a T-Mobile store and the rep refused to sell him a new phone because he couldn't access T-Life with the broken handset.
So how are T-Mobile reps feeling these days about the changes they are asked to make? Well, the title of the original post in the thread ought to give you a good idea. It's titled, "New bs thing for reps coming soon."
We have requested a comment from T-Mobile and will update this story if one is received.
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