For all those that are thinking of switching to Tmobile's "No Contract" offer -- make sure you think twice. That is the exact reason I switched to Tmobile (because they were offering no contract if you buy your smartphone for FULL price) I did just that. I paid the full retail price for my Samsung GS3 in order to have the peace of mind to be able to leave if/when I chose to. I paid an extra $20/month on my bill to pay for my phone (totaling approx. $550). IF I HAD SIGNED A CONTRACT WHY WOULD I NOT HAVE GOTTEN A DISCOUNTED PHONE FOR $100-$200?
The other reason I know I never signed a contract is because I knew once I moved back to Idaho from IL and began working for a family member's business, that I would be able to be on their corporate plan from Verizon that was significantly cheaper.
By the way - I gave them a TON of business during the time I was with them. I also paid an extra $40/month for 2 years in order to have a Netbook through them. I constantly got asked why I didn't add on my boyfriend to my plan "since I was eligible for up to 10 lines." I finally gave in. Hey - why not right? Since the customer service reps continually told me we were not locked into any contract by adding someone to my already contract-less plan....
Once I switched to Verizon 2 months ago, I was called by numerous Tmobile reps. The first one simply told me I owed a final balance of $120. That seemed accurate so I paid it immediately. 6 weeks later I kept getting calls from a random number that refused to leave a message. I finally looked it up and found it was Tmobile. When I called the number back they said I owed $710?!?! I found out that I still owed $120 for my phone (which is fine - I get that). Another $120 for was the last week or two we were with them (they were charging me the entire month instead). I wasn't even going to fight that although I didn't think it was fair to charge me for 4 weeks when I was only with them for 1. But the extra $400??? Those were from mysterious termination fees. Since I never signed a contract and paid full price for my phone I figured it was an innocent mistake. But I have to say I was treated horribly by the Tmobile rep when I called to explain my situation. After 25 minutes of putting my foot down they finally agreed to take ONE of them off.
I could go on forever but my point is this. I have talked to 5 different people in the last 2 weeks and they ALL tell me different things. The one thing that seems to be consistent however is that they all agree it is incredibly odd that I paid full price for a phone if I was indeed on a contract. They refuse to take off the second termination fee and it's infuriating. Especially because they know full well that my boyfriend and I were both considering coming back to Tmobile's service prior to this debauchle.
And yes, I know that if I come back now, the $200 fee will be waived but it is the principle of the matter that is frustrating. Why would I go back to a provider that lies to its customers to get more business and then has customer service reps that all tell me different things?
It's incredibly disappointing because I WOULD have come back to Tmobile. But not after being treated so poorly.
All I'm saying is be careful before you jump into something that seems too good to be true. Because from my experience -- if it seems too good to be true...it actually IS too good to be true.