T-Mobile likes to consider itself the ‘uncarrier,’ but it sure acts like the mega-corporation it is, according to employees. The company is facing serious allegations of knowingly allowing deceptive sales practices and creating an oppressive work environment for its retail staff.
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An employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that T-Mobile stores are misleading customers (via Phone Arena). The deception involves tricking customers into thinking they are getting free services and accessories with their
new phone
, when, in reality, employees are bundling the costs into the contract.
Complaints are ignored by management
Customers get misled into thinking they’re getting extra services, such as third-party insurance and international roaming, with their plan. In reality, store employees are adding the services to the customer’s plan without their knowledge.
Employees also bundle accessories with the phone, and sometimes customers end up paying more for the accessories than the phone itself. Meanwhile, the customer is led to believe the accessories were free.
The whistleblower claims this problem exists in official T-Mobile stores as well as third-party retailers. Employees who raised concerns to higher-ups at T-Mobile were reportedly ignored, or even dismissed. T-Mobile seems to see this as an easy revenue stream.
Report claims employees are also treated poorly
The exposé claims it is not only the customers who are being ripped off by T-Mobile. Employees are treated inhumanely and face severe workplace conditions, according to the anonymous source.
For example, employees are forced to stay on the sales floor without breaks for their entire nine-hour shift in some stores. Workers report being pressured to mislead customers about T-Mobile home internet availability, that is, falsely selling 5G home internet to customers when the service isn’t available in their area. Employees who raise concerns put a big target on their backs.
These allegations are especially troubling because T-Mobile is one of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. The company appears to embrace these deceptive and harmful practices, instead of cracking down on them. T-Mobile has not publicly addressed the accusations.
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