T-Mobile's chat option was disabled for a little while, but not for the reasons you think
Update: T-Mobile has informed us that its Care virtual chat support channel has been running as normal and was not turned off at any point.
It looks like the reason why it appeared to many customers that the chat feature was disabled is that the virtual sales channel that deals with new customers was off for a short period last week. The company notes that it's now back on as normal and the volume of requests had nothing to do with it being turned off.
The original story continues below.
It looks like the reason why it appeared to many customers that the chat feature was disabled is that the virtual sales channel that deals with new customers was off for a short period last week. The company notes that it's now back on as normal and the volume of requests had nothing to do with it being turned off.
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T-Mobile was allegedly expecting a backlash. The company took several measures to ensure angry customers don't overwhelm frontline workers and support staff. For instance, the company tried to justify the price increase, which is $2 or $5 depending on your plan for each line, by saying only a small number of its customers would be affected.
The company also increased staffing levels at physical locations and asked managers to be present for the full duration of their shifts.
The carrier even staggered the sending of messages notifying subscribers about the price change throughout the day so that the number of people visiting its stores to inquire about the change or contacting it via phone calls would be manageable.
Another step has now been taken to relieve workers of having to deal with frustrated customers: the online chat option has been removed. As Reddit user indyodie notes, the website no longer has the chat option and if you use the app, you will be given a call instead.
HAHAHAHHAHA T-Mobile created a shit storm that it wasn't ready for. They removed the chat feature from the website and when you try to chat via the app they give you a call. I was told by a supervisor that they can't keep up with demand and had to remove all chat capabilities.
indyodie also says that a T-Mobile supervisor told them that the chat capabilities were removed because the company couldn't keep up with chat requests, which have presumably risen in the last few days.
Already, there's a lot of confusion over which plans have gone up in price, with T-Mobile dealing the matter on a case-to-case basis.
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