T-Mobile TPR reportedly turns away customers seeking plans "not profitable enough"
T-Mobile authorized stores run by Arch Telecom turn away seniors who want the lower-priced +55 plan.
You might not be old enough to remember when T-Mobile was dead last among the four major U.S. wireless carriers. Not only were they among the last of the majors to offer 3G service, they also were among the last to flip the switch turning on 4G LTE. The carrier was not relevant until September 2012 when John Legere was named president and CEO of T-Mobile in the U.S.
Taking a customer-first approach, Legere did away with customer pain points such as subsidized phones and the two-year contracts that went with them. He gave T-Mobile the Uncarrier brand to differentiate it from the competition and helped T-Mobile offer zero-rated perks such as free streaming music and Netflix "on us." Legere also made fun of T-Mobile's competitors calling Verizon and AT&T "Dumb and Dumber," respectively.
Legere turned T-Mobile into the most innovative and fastest-growing of the major U.S. carriers.
Who would have thought that taking care of customers would turn T-Mobile around? Legere did, obviously, and after acquiring Sprint and making other smaller acquisitions, T-Mobile became the most innovative and fastest-growing wireless provider in the U.S. But after Legere left following the closing of the Sprint deal, his former right-hand man Mike Sievert took over; while T-Mobile continues to report spectacular numbers every quarter, as you probably know, there has been a huge drop in customer service as the current regime has put more emphasis on certain metrics that reps must meet to keep their jobs.
Current T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert (L) sits next to his predecessor, John Legere. | Image credit-T-Mobile
Reps barely make any money for selling a new phone unless they also get the customer to add items such as a charger, a case, insurance, and a new line. Since the "suits" frown upon sales of a "naked" phone, a few rogue reps have felt the pressure to add accessories to customers' invoices without their consent. T-Mobile Mobile Experts have gone on social media to detail some of the ways that they trick consumers in order to hit their metrics requirements.
As bad as it is in corporate-owned stores, things are worse with the carrier's TPR (T-Mobile Premium Retailer) stores which are owned and operated by third-party companies with authorization to use the T-Mobile name. These stores look like they are owned and run by T-Mobile, but they are not and many of them have been accused of seriously shady sales tactics. Among the worse of the TPR locations have been those units owned by Arch Telecom.
Even after promising to act with integrity, Arch continues to be at the center of the storm as far as T-Mobile customers are concerned. A rep working for Arch recently posted on social media how the company wants reps to turn away customers and potential customers. In his Reddit post, this rep says that people are walking into his TPR store owned by Arch with flyers for the carrier's 55+ plan which offers two lines at a price as low as $30 per line and are being turned away.
According to the Arch employee, the top brass doesn't want him or other reps to sell this plan because "it's not 'profitable' enough." For some working at stores like this, it doesn't matter to them that seniors with low income are being turned away from buying a plan designed just for them. But the Redditor obviously doesn't think like some of his colleagues and management since he writes, "Never mind that many of these customers are seniors just trying to save money in this economy. Management would rather we push more expensive plans to hit inflated sales goals than do what’s right for the customer."
"This isn’t about good business anymore. It’s about manipulation, greed, and corporate hypocrisy. The same upper management that pushes these toxic practices praises reps who follow them—until T-Mobile 'discovers' what's happening. Then suddenly it's, “We had no idea!” and they fire that rep on the spot like they were never complicit. I’ve seen it happen too many times to count."
-Anonymous Arch Telecom rep on Reddit
The post goes on to note that Arch has cut commissions even while reps are being forced to handle the "skyrocketing" numbers of customer complaints. Things look bleak for those reps working for this T-Mobile TPR and most likely others as well. Don't expect T-Mobile to force Arch and others to make any changes. As long as the stock holds at its current level, just 14% from the 52-week high, CEO Sievert and the T-Mobile Board have no incentive to clean things up despite many complaints from T-Mobile subscribers posting online.
We've asked T-Mobile for a comment on this, and if we get a response we will add it to this article.
![T-Mobile Starlink beta’s list of eligible devices reduced, some phones no longer allowed [UPDATED]](https://m-cdn.phonearena.com/images/article/170719-wide-two_350/T-Mobile-Starlink-betas-list-of-eligible-devices-reduced-some-phones-no-longer-allowed-UPDATED.jpg)
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: