A short while ago T-Mobile did something many of its customers were not expecting in the slightest: it introduced “pricing updates” for a large number of existing plans. These pricing changes, which were just increased costs, were also applied to old plans being used by legacy customers.
Worst of all: these price hikes also affected plans that T-Mobile had once marketed as price locked. Users who thought they would pay the same amount each month suddenly saw higher bills and this even led to many customers leaving T-Mobile for greener, and cheaper, pastures.
A decision no one was a fan of
Many are not, I'm afraid. | Image credit — The New York Times
The affected price locked plans had been in use for a very long time. In some cases they were the only reason many T-Mobile users were still sticking around with the network. When the price hikes happened T-Mobile users ditched their grandfathered plans and signed up with other networks for a much more affordable bill.
Online forums dedicated to discussion about T-Mobile were absolutely full of posts calling out the company’s latest move. A large number of users claimed that the days of T-Mobile being the “un-carrier” were now definitely over and done with. Others tried to defend the carrier and said that such a minor increase was not a big deal and that T-Mobile was still the best choice.
One of the funnier reactions was when users dug up old T-Mobile ads about price locked plans promising fixed costs forever. These ads, much like the revamped Siri ad by Apple, can no longer be found using official sources. To many T-Mobile users the company’s pricing update was the last nail in the coffin for their trust as a customer.
T-Mobile has a new price lock plan
T-Mobile employees asked customers to be kind after price hikes. | Image credit — T-Mobile
Perhaps in a slightly tone deaf move T-Mobile is offering a new price lock plan for fiber customers even when the previous controversy has barely died down. After its acquisition of Lumos the company wants to provide a price lock guarantee for new customers given that they comply with one very important rule.
T-Mobile is saying that the price lock will remain in place for 10 years as long as customers keep the same plan for a decade. Seeing as the plan is for 2 Gigabit internet I doubt there will be many who will want to change it any time soon. The problem is the fact that the pain of losing out on price lock guarantees is still very fresh in customers’ minds.
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Can T-Mobile deliver this time?
It is worth mentioning that 10 years is not the same as previous price lock plans which promised a lifetime guarantee. Secondly bandwidth costs are usually going down across the world almost each year while carrier plans keep getting more expensive. It is very probable that T-Mobile will be able to deliver on its promises of a 10-year price lock.
However I am still wary. T-Mobile has learned that it can go back on previous promises without facing any serious trouble. I would not at all be surprised if five years from now the company decides to void this price lock plan. Doing so will likely only lead to more online backlash before everyone just accepts it and moves on.
If you are in an area where you can make use of this plan I would still urge you to give it a try. It is genuinely a very sweet deal and will keep you happy for however long T-Mobile honors its price lock. But I would also not go into this expecting to be paying the same bill a decade from now.
Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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