Around 5 months ago the coverage in and around our house has gone from 1-2 bars to no bars. We have a family plan with 5 phones, so it is not device related. In order to have consistent service, we now need to drive at least 2 miles from our house. Two weeks ago I finally decided that I had no choice but to change to the only carrier that has consistent service in our area, even though it will cost me more than twice as much as TM. The CSR I spoke too said that because my coverage had changed as described, that I was eligible for an ETF waiver, and instructed me to send a fax with my information.
Yesterday I received a form letter stating that my request was denied because "coverage is not guaranteed". I spent several hours last evening being transferred from CSR, to Technical Support, back to another CSR. The technician confirmed that we have no coverage, and in fact attempted to enter an internal service ticket which he said was rejected because they said there were no towers in the vicinity. The final CSR I spoke with said that our coverage may have changed because another cell provider in the area were no longer letting T-Mobile use their towers.
Given our circumstances, it's unconscionable that T-Mobile will not let us out of our contract, particularly since it is a service-only contract using phones I had purchased on my own. I am not looking to get out of my contract because I do not have service, I am doing it because I DID have service, and do not now.
Regardless of our situation, TM's bait and switch customer service is really questionable. Everyone I spoke to on the phone was truly helpful and seemed genuinely to care about my situation. But... they are powerless to do anything actionable, and are forced to pass things off to a group that can only be reached via fax or snail mail. Is there really no one from the appropriate group who could call me back and deal with me on a personal level, rather than sending a form-letter response to my faxed request?