Question

AutoPay Change Causes Us to Lose Phone Insurance Benefits

U
Userlevel 2
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By forcing autopay users to pay with a bank account or debit card we are going to lose the phone insurance provided by our credit cards. In my case I get a $40/month autopay discount. So I have to choose between an extra $480/year or the phone insurance on my credit card.

I understand that credit card processing is more expensive than bank or debit, and I’d be happy to pay an extra 3% of my balance to pay by credit card (and thereby keep my credit card insurance benefits), but $40/month is extortionary.

Can T-Mobile please reconsider this policy, and perhaps keep the autopay by credit card option for a small surcharge instead of the $40/month that I’d have to pay?

Thanks

10 replies

F
Userlevel 1
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I pay 99 cents a month for phone insurance. I will lose this because of this stupid autopay policy change. I will go back to AT&T, which has better 5G coverage anyway.

5

By forcing users to use bank data it also is a greater exposure to fraud if tmobile servers are hacked.   With a credit card you have some consumer protections.

This change by tmobile management looks like a money grab.   Definitely not equable to their customers.

gramps28
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Userlevel 7
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Luckily I only have 2 lines on my account and my credit card pays for insurance on our phones so I'm keeping my cc to pay my bill.

B
Userlevel 2

I do not like the Auto Payment Rule Change!!!

GIVE A BIGGER DISCOUNT!!!

Another ‘stick it to the consumer’ change.

What protections do consumers get/have for bank account withdrawals due to company breaches??

Other cell companies are looking better and better all the time!!!

D
Userlevel 3

By forcing users to use bank data it also is a greater exposure to fraud if tmobile servers are hacked.   With a credit card you have some consumer protections.

This change by tmobile management looks like a money grab.   Definitely not equable to their customers.

 

I agree.   Subscribers should share this concern on Twitter and Facebook tMobile channels.   
Consider low income customers for whom the monthly autopay discount is very important.  This change is especially harmful to customers who may not have bank accounts/debit cards or have bank accounts with frequently low balances.  A data breach exposing banking information to criminals would hit these customers especially hard.   Even when fraudulent charges are disputed, banks may continue to make checking account funds unavailable to customers for several days causing considerable hardship.  
 

When I asked a T-mobile “expert” in an overseas call center about data security, he replied that T-mobile had secure ways for customers to send bank account numbers to T-mobile.   What?!   If T-mobile doesn’t even  understand the problem, how can customers entrust such sensitive personal data to them.
 

B
Userlevel 2

I agree with 55 and older;

I joined t-mobile several years ago and used the same small/cheap/smart-phone for those years. only recently did I visit a t-mobile store where the ‘sales’ person talked me into another smart phone, much inferior, ‘AND’ a new contract; it was insinuated things would remain the same for the length of the new contract. Not so when now t-mobile changed ‘their’ terms for auto-pay using credit cards - no discount.

I for one am looking at other carriers and will continue to look for a change. Now ‘not so impressed by t-mobile’ and what they state that their customers are a concern to the company.

Just another company that uses ‘enticements’ to get customers and then change their requirements of those customers.

In the past I have ‘talked-up’ t-mobile to family and friends but that is changing fast.

There needs to be a consumers union to ‘require’ company’s to maintain those enticements offered when soliciting customers.

E
Userlevel 1

I agree with 55 and older;

I joined t-mobile several years ago and used the same small/cheap/smart-phone for those years. only recently did I visit a t-mobile store where the ‘sales’ person talked me into another smart phone, much inferior, ‘AND’ a new contract; it was insinuated things would remain the same for the length of the new contract. Not so when now t-mobile changed ‘their’ terms for auto-pay using credit cards - no discount.

I for one am looking at other carriers and will continue to look for a change. Now ‘not so impressed by t-mobile’ and what they state that their customers are a concern to the company.

Just another company that uses ‘enticements’ to get customers and then change their requirements of those customers.

In the past I have ‘talked-up’ t-mobile to family and friends but that is changing fast.

There needs to be a consumers union to ‘require’ company’s to maintain those enticements offered when soliciting customers.

I couldn't agree more! I've been with T-Mobile for over 9 years and I've always had great experiences with them up until the last I would say year to a year and a half. Not sure exactly what changed around then but customer service has fallen off. This new auto pay thing is definitely a cash grab and is also away for them to try to get us to buy insurance through them at a highly inflated price rather than for free or very cheap through our credit card. I talked to a supervisor earlier this afternoon and he actually called me back after I spoke to a regular representative and said that they're taking note of all the accounts that are considering changing to other carriers and the representative himself told me that they're not in agreement with it and they're trying to let corporate know that it's going to cost them a lot of money in the long run. Hopefully it'll be enough for them to make the change back! I won't hold my breath though! 

K
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I purchased a new iphone through T-Moble. Autopay change causes not only the loss of credit card Insurance coverage and 2% cash back dividend, but loss of extended iPhone warranty. Apple phone warranty is for one year, credit card extends the warranty for an additional year. I call the whole mess a T-Mobile Tax! I’m leaving T-Mobile.

A

TMOBILE NEW AUTOPAY POLICY SUCKS! We have 10 lines and We get insurance through our credit card company, we are moving to either ATT or Spectrum, goodbye Tmobile you are going to lose thousands of dollars and customers with this new stupid policy!  

M

How many of you are shopping around for a new carrier?  It’s been 1 scam- lie- & the company feeding us mis-truths after another!!!!

Not to mention loss of service on 2 recent occassions! # 1 event for > 1.5 days

#2 event for >  1.25 days

How dare them threaten us with the loss of our discount unless we acquiesce to their demand to give the our bank account (debit card) information!!!!! (They’re entirely inefficient to be trusted with such sensitive information!!!!)

In addition, their cust svc people r trained to be as rude & ruthless as they can be!! The days when T.M. Was a good company is over!!!!

We need to stand up & revolt!!! They r in violation of breaking multiple contracts they’ve promised to us!!!

I am convinced there’s more than meets the eye here & in essence They Are In Big Trouble!!!

 

 

 

 

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