T-Mobile #Fail
So in February this year I decided to get myself a new phone with my T-Mobile subscription. Since an iPhone 4 was way too expensive, I decided to get a high-end Android phone. The idea is that I give either that phone or my Samsung Galaxy S, to my girlfriend in the US as a birthday present. After some careful considerations I decided to get the HTC Desire HD as it packs almost the same specs as my Samsung.
Now, one would think that the easiest way to order a phone would be online: after all it is 2011, right? Well, as it turned out getting my new phone was kind of an ordeal.
Actually “ordeal” is a gross understatement: it was the most frustrating customer experience I have had in years and a total #fail on the part of T-Mobile: and a week long ordeal.
It is amazing how a company can totally screw up even though you only have to deal with them once a year – or in my case: after two years. what an epic fail!
Here’s what happened.
Sunday
It is Sunday night Feb. 20th when I go to the T-Mobile website, and use their online configurator to get my new subscription and the HTC Desire HD phone. After filling out all the required information I get a confirmation email telling me that I will receive more info within 24hrs about the delivery of the phone and my payment options for it.
Monday
I receive an email around 9am confirming my new subscription and a link to the online payment system. I fill out the required form and options: the phone should be delivered to my work and I decide I want to pay for it with my credit card since I get bonus miles and free insurance with it.
I fill out my credit card information including my security code and press submit. The website gives me some vague error code and I get stuck in the payment screen.
So, I call the T-Mobile helpdesk and explain my problem. The lady on the phone is very helpful. After she looks at my order and it shows cancelled (for whatever reason) she says that she will do everything by phone so I don’t have to bother doing it all over again online. Good: whatever helps me out right?
So she looks at my (cancelled) online order and repeats all the options to me I had previously filled out online. I even get good news: the phone should have a delivery time of a bout two days – oh joy!
At the end of the call she says I will receive a confirmation of my order soon. At that point I am happy that it all went through and I assume she means I will receive an email. Since we did my order by phone, I will have to pay on delivery instead of online. So I ask her if it is possible to pay with my credit card. After being put on hold for 15 minutes she tells me this is possible.
So far so good – or so I thought.
Wednesday
Wednesday arrives and I still haven’t received any email confirmation for my order. I decide to call T-Mobile (again) to find out how and what.
After being put on hold for about 30 minutes they re-assure me the order is in the system and I will receive a confirmation soon.
“Delivery time should be a week and a half, or so” the lady on the phone tells me – to my suprise.
“What? I thought it was about 2 days?” The lady apologizes and says she looked at the wrong phone, and yes: “it should be about 2 days”.
I also have her confirm to me that I can pay on delivery using my credit card. After being put on hold again for about 10 minutes she confirms that that will not be a problem.
So I feel reassured and I figure I just need to give it a day or so.
EPIC fail!
EPIC fail!
Friday: the #FAIL continues
Thursday passes by without any news.
I get home Friday after work, and find a letter in the mail. Snail-mail that is.
It confirms my order, except there are numerous errors on it.
First of all, the delivery address for the phone suddenly is my home address and not my work address.
Second; the amount for my internet access suddenly is 9,95 a month instead of 6,95.
Last but not least the letter states I can pay cash or using my debit card (using my pin-code), not a word about paying with credit card.
In other words: they got everything wrong.
For a third time I call the T-Mobile service desk. By then its 19:50 Friday night.
After explaining everything a third time, and being put on hold several times as they figure out what is going on. The guy tells me he corrected the wrong information for my order.
I ask what my payment options are: can I pay with my credit card on delivery.
Again they put me on hold.
They tell me I can’t pay with my credit card. Even though I was told twice it was possible?
After some apologies he cancels my order – again – and arranges for me to try and order online – again – so I can use my credit card to pay for it.
The alternative he adds, would be to go to a T-Mobile shop and order everything there.
However, I know that is something you want to avoid at all costs: the shops are always overcrowded and it takes hours and hours to get some help.
Literally within minutes I can access the T-Mobile website so I can try and order yet again.
But low and behold: I get to the payment page and for whatever reason it’s only showing a Mastercard logo instead of VISA.
So I immediately call T-Mobile and I while I am on the phone with them I walk through the options with the lady from the helpdesk.
We try some things and yet again I get stuck in the same payment loop where it just redirects me back to the payment page over and over again.
Great!
As it is after 8pm by now and the lady from T-Mobile can only cancel my order.
And I get the – dreaded – advice to visit a T-Mobile store. “They surely will be able to help you there”.
Oh well, I guess there is no way to get around that, so I accept my faith.
Saturday
Saturday morning comes and I get up early to visit the T-Mobile store, hopefully to beat the crowd.
As expected the store is full, crowded with people and busy as hell. In fact I need to get a number and get in a long line to be “helped”.
After a long annoying 50 minute wait it’s finally my turn.
I head up to the desk and explain to the guy what I want to do (get my subscription renewed and a new phone).
T-Mobile guy: “So you want the HTC Desire HD? Uhm, let me look if I have any left.”
After 30 seconds he emerges again from the back room:
T-Mobile guy: “Sorry we don’t have any in stock right now. I think it will be in within the next 1,5 week or so.”
Me: “Ok, that sucks, but I guess I can get the paperwork out of the way and just pay everything and then pick it up later, right?”
T-Mobile guy: “Uhmm, no I’m sorry we can only do everything at once when the phone is here as well.”
Me: “Ok, again: that sucks, but can you guys give me a call then when the phone comes in so I know when I can drop by?”
T-Mobile guy: “Uhm, no I am sorry we can’t”.
Me: “Ok, I’ll call you guys then to find out when it is in, what’s the number for the store?”
T-Mobile guy: “Sorry we can’t give out our number: we would get calls all day long.”
Me: “Well, I understand that, but what are my options then? Just randomly walk in here and hopefully get lucky?”
T-Mobile guy: “Well, uhm, yeah”.
Me: “WTF dude! So you have me waiting here for an hour to get no help whatsoever, and now I just get send home without any help or solution?”
My first instinct is to punch the guy in the face and let out my frustration like that. But off course I don’t as I understand he is only telling me what T-Mobile can do in this situation.
After this surreal conversation and total waste of time – I walk out of the T-Mobile store vowing I will get another provider instead of T-Mobile.
Media Markt p0wns!
Mijn Winkel
Still disappointed and frustrated I walk into the Media Markt a huge electronics store comparable to the Best Buy chain of stores in US. They have everything you want when it comes to electronics. And I do mean everything!
I walk by their telecommunications department: to add insult to injury I see the HTC phones are literally stacked up to the walls.
Including the HTC desire HD I want.
So I start playing around with the HTC Desire HD that’s on display there, still mad about the total #T-fail.
A sales guy approaches me and asks if he can help me.
I tell him “I doubt it” and after he asks me “why” I explain to him what happened this last past week and how utterly disappointed I am with T-Mobile.
To my surprise the guy tells me that they can also renew subscriptions for T-Mobile and can give me the same deal – with a phone.
Literally 15 minutes (!) later I walk out the Media Markt with my subscription renewed and a brand new HTC Desire HD in the bag.
In other words: they accomplished something that T-Mobile themselves could not do even though they had a week.
Talk about an epic fail!
T-Mobile responds
After all this crap, I post my story on the T-Mobile forum. A T-Mobile rep gets in contact with me. After some emailing back and forth, he comes up with an apology for my bad customer experience and tells me they will compensate by giving me my internet access for free till June 2011 and then for 3 months free after that.
In other words: I get compensated for some 21 Euros for my all frustration.
Well: thank you T-Mobile. Thank you for the worst customer experience ever and the lousiest compensation for that.
Next year I am going to stop using your crappy service and I will go with another provider.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
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