T-Mobile is about to do one of the most egregious acts a carrier can do: it’s going to force subscribers of select unlimited plans onto more expensive plans and then grant the subscriber a limited opportunity to revert the carrier’s forced changes should they be unhappy with it. This sounds about par for the US carrier course, if you ask us.
Originally shared to reddit and then reported on by CNET, next week T-Mobile intends to notify customers on One, Simple Choice, Magenta, and Magenta 55 Plus plans that they are getting forced onto newer plans in November. These plan migrations will result in a $10/month price increase for all customers, according to T-Mobile. Those looking to minimize the price hit can sign up for AutoPay which will save you $5/month.
In a statement from T-Mobile, the carrier says, “We’re always looking for ways to give our customers more from our services so we’re moving a small number who were on older rate plans to newer plans that will deliver them enhanced features.”
The weird part is, T-Mobile is forcing this move, but subsequently allowing customers to go back to their old plan for an undisclosed amount of time. To revert, you’ll need to contact customer service. Let’s assume most people don’t like the idea of having to pay more per month. Instead of forcing the change and causing all that work for the customer and the service reps, why don’t we incentivize people to upgrade to newer plans? If they’re so much better and can be had for as little as an extra $5/mo, I’m sure T-Mobile’s mighty marketing team could come up with something better than a forced migration.
In 2020, T-Mobile and Sprint completed its merger. It was at that time that T-Mobile promised not to raise any prices for 3 years. Well, check the calendar, people. It’s just over 3 years now and so begins the fun process of reporting on news such as this. On a related note, T-Mobile has Price Lock, which locks in the price of your plan, but that only applies to select newer plans, not these older ones.
Are you one of the customers affected by this upcoming change?
// CNET