Earlier this week, T-Mobile publicly criticized AT&T and Verizon for increasing the prices of their phone plans with “made-up” fees. The self-proclaimed Un-carrier described the price hike as “downright disgusting” because it directly transfers the burdens of the global inflation crisis to customers. Verizon has now hit back, alleging that T-Mobile has made false promises one after another. The Big Red, as Verizon proudly called itself earlier, has exposed the Un-carrier’s #TMyths.
“The Un-carrier continues to hoodwink consumers by dazzling them with one catchy announcement after another, only to Un-ravel and Un-do them just as soon as people forget,” Verizon said in a press release Wednesday. The release includes a timeline of events that shows how T-Mobile has failed to follow through on its promises multiple times in the past.
On January 5, 2017, T-Mobile announced that its phone plans now come with taxes and fees included. It was a great deal for customers as they could see the total cost of their monthly phone bill upfront. But on August 6, 2018, the Un-carrier introduced the Essentials plan which did not include taxes and fees. Verizon suggests this was a deliberate move to deceive customers who might assume that all T-Mobile plans are tax-inclusive.
Earlier this year, on January 22, T-Mobile increased the prices of its tax-inclusive plans, for both voice and data lines. While it wasn’t a huge price hike (up to 31 cents per line per month), Verizon says it “sure seems like a lot of fees” for a carrier that cut its customers out a few years ago.
T-Mobile followed up with another phone plan without taxes in March 2022. The new Connect by T-Mobile prepaid plans start at $10 a month but the price doesn’t cover taxes. Of course, Verizon wants to remind you of the Un-carrier’s “tax-included” announcement from more than five years ago.
Verizon also doesn’t approve of T-Mobile’s Price Lock model
Last month, T-Mobile announced its Price Lock campaign that promises fixed prices forever. The Un-carrier will not increase the prices of its phone plans even as costs for everything else increase. It has also challenged AT&T and Verizon to adopt this model while trying to induce their customers to switch to T-Mobile by offering them some attractive discounts and benefits.
Verizon, of course, doesn’t like this. The company says while the Price Lock model sounds great for customers, it is T-Mobile’s attempt to “sweeten the pot to get their merger complete”. It also points out that T-Mobile is increasing the assisted support and upgrade support costs starting tomorrow, June 3. It now costs $35. “Ok, so your plan price may not change, but your admin fee has gone up,” Verizon says. “Seems like just another name for a fee.”
Verizon sounds bitter throughout this press release where it looks to expose T-Mobile’s myths, or in its words, truths that hurt. “What else will they Un-do?” it concludes.