Some T-Mobile employees are claiming that the company encourages a predatory work culture with bill cramming and other fraudulent practices that take advantage of customers.
Former and current T-Mobile workers have reached out to BGR to detail worrisome practices within the company. According to the employees, T-Mobile customers are getting more than they bargained for - and not in a good way.
Back in December, a labor advocacy group published an alarming report [PDF] accusing T-Mobile of aggressive upselling, misleading customers and engaging in downright fraudulent practices. The report pointed out how T-Mobile's "hard selling" hurt both employees and customers.
T-Mobile Employees Speak Out
The T-Mobile employees that have spoken to BGR confirm the previous report, offering more details on the matter. According to the sources, some T-Mobile sales reps are tricking customers into signing up for unwanted services and cramming their bills without notifying them of the extra payments.
The sales representatives who engage in such fraudulent practices are reportedly doing so in order to fulfill unrealistic goals they wouldn't be able to meet otherwise.
"[A]cross the country, certain unscrupulous T-Mobile sales reps lie to customers and open lines on their accounts without permission, all to meet unrealistic sales goals," BGR reports. "Management doesn't just turn a blind eye, but uses a 'Right Fit' guide to ensure salespeople are pushing extras like insurance onto as many customers as possible."
This occurs in numerous T-Mobile stores nationwide, according to the report. Employees are reportedly encouraged to shove unwanted services down customers' throats either by finding a need for them or creating one out of thin air.
T-Mobile Jump Takes Bill Cramming Crown
The employees further detail that the carrier's Jump insurance and upgrade program was the most-crammed add-on, and that's because some T-Mobile stores expected sales reps to get a whopping 80 percent of customers on a Jump subscription. Sales reps were encouraged to convince customers by any means so they crammed the service on unsuspecting customers.
According to one source, the crammed extras such as Jump didn't usually cause much fuss. Customers would either pay for the unwanted service without even realizing it, or they would request a cancelation without making a big deal of it.
Other T-Mobile Fraudulent Tactics
The sources also allege that another tactic sales reps frequently used entailed selling smartphones, tablets, and accessories by telling he customers they were free, but adding them to monthly bills. This tactic was reportedly a huge success, as T-Mobile has a 15-day window during which customers can return hardware and most consumers would not notice so soon because they'd get the first bill after a month of getting the allegedly free item.
The purported practices could explain why T-Mobile has more complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission than its rivals do. The report from last month revealed that of all four major carriers in the United States, T-Mobile had the largest number of total complaints per subscriber, as well as the largest number of complaints regarding fraudulent enrollment per subscriber. Overall, T-Mobile has nearly 30 percent more complaints filed against it than Verizon, and seven times more complaints per customer than Sprint.
T-Mobile has yet to offer a statement on these allegations or offer any comment on the matter.
