Is T-Mobile waging war against itself with its latest antics?
Transitions are often bumpy but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't lead to a positive outcome. T-Mobile is trying to streamline its store operations by mandating the use of a new in-store system. Additionally, the company appears to be discouraging store visits, and all these factors combined could make for an unpleasant experience for customers.
Going to a carrier store to upgrade your phone should be a straightforward process and shouldn't take more than a few minutes. However, Reddit user Constant-Gap9982 has discovered that getting a new device at T-Mobile could be an hours-long, tormenting and futile process.
Constant-Gap9982, who is not a primary account holder, went to a T-Mobile store to upgrade from their Galaxy S10e to the Galaxy S25 256 GB.
The first shock came when they discovered that the store didn't carry higher-capacity variants. They let that slide and complied with a store employee's request to provide their ID and phone number to find out if they were eligible for any promotions. This apparently took 20 minutes, after which, they were told about the recent legacy plan price hikes. Since Constant-Gap9982 isn't the account owner, this piece of information was essentially useless for them as they didn't have the authority to switch to a new plan.
After that, they were again asked to switch their plan and consider a monthly financing plan to save on the phone, which is something they never asked for. They just wanted to pay in full and get a new phone.
When the employee finally understood, they informed Constant-Gap9982 that they needed to download the T Life app for the upgrade process. They did that and set their account up, only to find out that since they weren't the primary account holder, a parent would need to use their T Life app to order the phone from the very store they were standing in.
In short, this T-Mobile customer drove to a T-Mobile location and spent more than two hours trying to buy a phone, only to be told that an account owner would have to order the device using T Life.
This is a poor example of customer service and the store employee may not necessarily be at fault. Ideally, a customer visiting a store shouldn't have to rely on an app for a phone upgrade. If T-Mobile is still insistent on this policy, it should at least make sure that customers are told about this as soon as they walk in.
Moments like these make you yearn for simpler times when fancy technology wasn't around but things were a lot smoother. For instance, Constant-Gap9982 says that the last time they bought a phone was when Sprint was still a separate company and they say their experience was stellar.
That said, as we mentioned before, it may take a while before employees get used to the new system. Also, requiring an authorized user to sign off on a purchase is a security measure. But all of this should be communicated when a user first sets foot in a store.
Spent 2hrs plus driving to do absolutely nothing with t mobile but waste employees and my time.
Who the hell designed this mess, if i need to upgrade an existing lines phone, it should not be this ... complicated to simple purchase a new phone and activate it.Constant-Gap9982, Reddit user, March 2025
The first shock came when they discovered that the store didn't carry higher-capacity variants. They let that slide and complied with a store employee's request to provide their ID and phone number to find out if they were eligible for any promotions. This apparently took 20 minutes, after which, they were told about the recent legacy plan price hikes. Since Constant-Gap9982 isn't the account owner, this piece of information was essentially useless for them as they didn't have the authority to switch to a new plan.
After that, they were again asked to switch their plan and consider a monthly financing plan to save on the phone, which is something they never asked for. They just wanted to pay in full and get a new phone.
When the employee finally understood, they informed Constant-Gap9982 that they needed to download the T Life app for the upgrade process. They did that and set their account up, only to find out that since they weren't the primary account holder, a parent would need to use their T Life app to order the phone from the very store they were standing in.
This is a poor example of customer service and the store employee may not necessarily be at fault. Ideally, a customer visiting a store shouldn't have to rely on an app for a phone upgrade. If T-Mobile is still insistent on this policy, it should at least make sure that customers are told about this as soon as they walk in.
I understand the frustration and I, as an employee, am also frustrated with it. But what you gotta understand is that we are doing our jobs. None of us like it.
And as salesmen, these are the tasks our employer (T-mobile) has demanded of us with threat of loss of employment for lack of compliance or lack of results.
We are specifically trained to “overcome customer objections,” so when you just get to the point and say you want the phone only, leaders don’t accept that. They expect employees to try several more times or ways to produce growth on customers accounts.
We don’t like it, but it’s our job and they pay pretty decent. And in this economy, that does a lot for those of is trying to make it.Upset-Cheesecake8884, Reddit user, March 2025
We went in last week, my daughter's phone broke. It's definitely ridiculous to sort with a sales person just to buy your phone through the app. Seemed to take twice as long as it used to.
Mommabroyles, Reddit user, March 2025
T-Mobile's priority should be a frictionless experience for customers, otherwise, unconventional competitors will continue to be the preferred option for many consumers. It's believed that the company is encouraging the use of the T Life app to scale back its retail presence. This could alienate some people, especially in the age of AI where devices may feel unfamiliar and customers may need help with them.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: