Lately, it seems we’re being bombarded with commercials from all the major wireless phone carriers, including my provider Metro PCS, which is actually, according to Wikipedia.com, a part of T-Mobile US. Inc. (one of the so-called Big Four carriers). Both Metro PCS, and its parent company T-Mobile, have really been playing hardball with offers of free phones and great rates (for four lines) if you switch to their plans.
For example, during the holidays, T-Mobile was actually offering a free Samsung Galaxy Note 8, or a Samsung Galaxy S8, when you buy one, at the regular price. This is pretty astounding, when the Note 8 goes for a whopping $820, and the S8 goes for $750. Metro PCS was offering a free Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, with a free year of Amazon Prime, which allows you to watch movies and TV shows (Metro is still offering the free phone). You can also get the LG K20 Plus free if you switch to Metro. While not as exclusive as the Note 8 or Galaxy S8, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, and the LG K20 Plus, are both good phones in the $200 range, so they will not break the bank (The J7 Prime retails for as much as $269.99, when you buy it at Best Buy, and, for some reason, which the rep at a local T-Mobile phone store could not explain to me, they are selling the K20 Plus for $200, double the price as Metro).
For existing Metro customers, like myself, we can get the Galaxy J7 Prime or the LG K20 Plus for $99.99 plus an upgrade fee of $15. For those of you being wooed by those attractive sounding offers, I would warn you that, once, you’ve made the switch, and bought their phones and service, Metro PCS may very well forget about you after that.
Back in November 2015, when I had been with Metro PCS for about a year, I posted a glowing review of them on this blog (you can read it for yourself under the category “Customer Reviews”). In fact, for probably the first two years I was with Metro PCS, I was very satisfied with BOTH their mobile service (particularly the internet part) AND their customer service, particularly the customer service provided by their local store, near where I work, and where I also purchased the phone, after being referred by a coworker.
As you can read for yourself, in my previous review, I stated that “Whenever I pop into the Metro Store, next to where I work, the young workers there are always very pleasant and surprisingly knowledgeable, both willing and able to answer just about any technical questions I have.” But oh what a difference a year makes.
Recently, in an online training I had to do at work, I was reminded of both the Platinum Rule and the Double Platinum Rule, the latter of which was instilled in me throughout my over 15 years of customer service experience for several major companies, including a Fortune Top 200 health insurance company. As defined by Bryan K. Williams, on http://www.hotel-online.com (June 2007), there are actually three tiers of service, with the lowest being the Golden Rule, something about which many of us are familiar. The Golden Rule states that you should treat “others the way you want to be treated.”
The Platinum Rule goes a step further in stipulating that you should “treat others the way THEY want to be treated,” which implies an ability to anticipate or ascertain what your customer is seeking. In the recent online training I took, as well as in Mr. Williams’ essay, “The Double Platinum Rule” states you should “treat others the way they don’t even know they want to be treated.” The Double Platinum Rule is about going above and beyond or exceeding customers’ expectations.
During my first two years with Metro PCS, the local store, where I purchased my phone (a new store recently opened up near where I live, about 20 miles from where I work), treated me according to The Double Platinum Rule. For example, when I purchased my phone, the store gave me a free case and screen protector. I ended up buying my own holster (hybrid) case, but the basic case from the store was pretty decent. Whenever I would go to that store with one question, about using my phone (for example how to resolve the buffering I was experiencing), they would go a step further and offer to help with something else they noticed might need to be adjusted, or updated, on my phone, while they were checking the phone over.
One day, when I came into the store with a technical question/issue, the worker in the store noticed I was on the highest priced plan with no data cap (Metro now runs a disclaimer saying speeds may slow down once you’ve used 30 gigs –gigabytes- of data in a month, which is pretty generous). This plan was $60 a month ($66 when you add on the insurance premium). She asked me if I had heard about the special promotion Metro PCS was offering, in which they would instantly lower my bill to the $50 a month promotional rate.
When I said no, the representative adjusted my rate, right then and there. As I had been paying my bill (all Metro plans are prepaid) via their website, I get a text message, about a week prior to the due date, reminding me of my monthly bill due date and amount.
This was on February 20, 2015, two days before my due date, and when I had only been with Metro for three months. I had received a text, on February 15, reminding me to pay $66 by February 22 (a belated Metro Valentine lol). Seriously, while I was in the store, I received the following text from Metro: “A change was made to your account. New amount will be $55 on the 22 [22nd];” it’s actually $56 a month now. Wow, talk about observing The Double Platinum Rule!
Now, Metro PCS does not even treat me according to the Golden Rule. My problems with the Metro PCS store (the one located near where I work), began about a year ago. When I had had my phone (I have a Samsung Galaxy Avant, a less expensive version of the S4) about a year and a half, I inquired if the store carried replacement batteries, as I knew cell phone batteries only last for about two years, and I didn’t want to wait till the last minute, as my smartphone is my only phone (like many people, I gave up my landline so as not to have two bills).
As usual, the store was very helpful and advised that the store’s supervisor (I believe he may be one of the store’s owners) could order the battery for me. When my phone all of sudden stopped holding its charge, I stopped into the store, on October 25, 2016 (yes, I actually keep track of these things) to ask if they could order a new battery. The rep in the store (Louis) was someone I was not familiar with.
When I asked him about ordering a new battery, he said the store didn’t do that. When I then advised another rep, in the store, had said the supervisor could order the battery for me, the new rep said he knew nothing about this and initially stated that the manager (Derrick, whom I have dealt with and is actually very nice; I believe he is actually a co-owner of the store/franchise) would not be able to order the battery and I would have to order myself via eBay or Amazon.
As if that were not bad enough, when. I asked the rep for Derrick’s phone number, or if the rep could call Derrick, he refused to give me the number and, at first, demurred about calling. After I complained, the rep finally called Derrick and I was told he could order the battery, but the rep was unable to tell me how much it would cost.
The rep finally did give me the owner’s phone number, and I left two phone messages for him, but never heard back. I then specifically asked the rep to call the owner, to see how much the battery would cost, and call me to let me know before ordering the battery. Louis (the rep in the store) promised he would do this. Again, I did not hear back from either the owner or the store.
I ended up being overcharged $40, at a place called Batteries & Bulbs (now called Batteries+ Bulbs), to which I was referred by Best Buy. Batteries& Bulbs actually lied to me, telling me Samsung did not make original equipment batteries (I later found out Samsung does, but you would have to order it via Amazon and would have cost about $8), but that’s a story for another time.
Fast forward to about two months ago. I first went back into the local Metro PCS store to seek help with my e-mail and Twitter apps, both of which I had been having trouble with. I wanted to de-install and re-install both apps, but needed help (I since have learned how to do this myself).
When I first went into the store, one of the reps (I believe this may have been Charon Hernandez, who since has advised me he’s now the store manager) advised me he didn’t know what the issue was with the apps as he was still in training. Yes, he really said this. I don’t know about you, but when I’m going to my local mobile carrier, for help with a phone issue, I don’t want to be told by the rep he/she doesn’t know what they’re doing! By the way, he didn’t offer to check with another, more experienced rep, who did know what they were doing. This is simply unacceptable.
As I recall, I ended up either getting help, with one of the apps, at a later visit, but was advised they didn’t have time to help me with both apps. Again, not exactly the response I wanted and did not seem acceptable to me.
Whenever I have talked to a client, either on the phone, or in person, who had more than one issue or question, I have never, nor would I, advise that I could only help with one of their questions or issues. If I had, I suspect I would have been fired, or at least been counseled or written up.
This prompted me to go back to the store a third time. During one of the recent visits, I also asked about slowness/buffering and requested assistance with that, as, previously, when the store still had helpful reps, the reps would always help me with this.
On the more recent visit, one of the two reps checked my phone and immediately told me, incorrectly I might add, that the problem was with too little storage space and that the phone’s operating system takes up much of the storage space, so she recommended I upgrade to a newer phone, like the Samsung J7.
In the first place, the J7 has the same amount of storage space (16 gigabytes) as my Galaxy Avant, so upgrading to that phone would not have been a help to me, with regard to the storage space issue. To say the least, this suggestion from the rep in the store (didn’t get the rep’s name, but it was a young lady), was misleading. Secondly, I have, and believe I advised the rep at the time of this, an SD card, which provides over 30 gigabytes of extra storage. It seems obvious the rep just wanted me to buy a new phone.
Perhaps more importantly, however, is the fact that the rep’s comment, about the storage space, was patently false, so either the rep was lying, or she did not know what she was doing. I first discovered this was false because, by playing around with the phone, I was able to free up over 7 gigs of data (5 gigs by uninstalling the Google Chrome app, which I did not need as can use the regular Google Chrome app already on the phone, and over 2 more gigs by “clearing the cache).
I cleared the cache under “Settings” by simply: 1) clicking on the Storage icon, under “System,” 2) clicking on “Cached data,” and then 3) clicking “OK.” Pretty straightforward right? I couldn’t help wondering to myself why on earth one of the reps in the store couldn’t have helped me do this.
Later, when I finally got to talk to Derrick (more about that later), he advised the operating system only takes up about four gigs, on my phone (a helpful Verizon rep, at BJ’s, showed me that the operating system, on his phone, a Samsung S7, I believe, takes up 9 out of 32 gigs, or 28%, but that would still leave 23 gigs free on his phone; I plan to talk about my Verizon experience in future post).
I later visited a new Metro PCS store, which opened near where I live (this one is NOT connected to the store near where I work, so the apparent customer service issue, with the local Metro PCS stores, is not merely an issue with one franchise), on both 11/4 (a Saturday), and 11/11/17 and had several negative experiences there. I went to this store to look at the new phones, as they have demonstrator phones there (phones which are on so that you can test them out). When I showed up at 4 PM on 11/4 (the store is supposed to be open until 5 PM on Saturdays), initially the door was locked, no one was inside, and there was no sign indicating the rep would be back.
Within about five minutes, the rep, named Garrett, murmured, apologetically, something about how he had to go next door (I discovered, on my 11/11/17 visit, that the other rep for that store, Sake, and I believe Garrett, actually work at both the Metro PCS store AND a Boost Mobile store next door; this would explain the absence and seems to be a clear conflict of interests). Garrett also told me, incorrectly, that the operating system on the phone takes up most of the space and stated there was no way I could free up any space on my phone. I should note Garrett didn’t even offer to look at my phone.
On my next visit, 11/11 (I actually went over to the Boost store first, to see what offers, if any, they had on phones and plans for people switching) and spoke to Sake. When Sake asked how he could help me, I advised I actually was with Metro PCS and wanted to know what phones and plans Boost was offering. Sake immediately said he worked for both stores. When I then mentioned I had some follow up questions about the new Metro phones (the Samsung J7 Prime and LG K20 Plus), Sake said he didn’t know anything about the phones as he only worked weekends. Yes, he actually said that! So, for the second time, I was advised by a Metro PCS rep that he did not know what he was doing. Not a good feeling.
Additionally, when it was about 4:25 PM (on 11/11), Sake asked if I had any other questions as he was going to be closing the store. When I asked why, as I thought the Metro store was open till 5 PM, he said the power was out. As I was walking back to my car, I saw Sake go into the Metro PCS store, with another couple, which was looking to switch to Metro. So, I casually walked back into the Metro store, to find that the lights were on AND the demonstrator phones were up and running. Apparently, the power was not out, and Sake simply wished to leave early. Yet another lie!
I would add that both Metro stores (the one near where I work, and the new store, near where I live), advised there is an upgrade fee of $30 for Metro customers. Derrick later told me this is incorrect and the upgrade fee is only $15. After all the above negative experiences I decided to call Metro PCS Customer Service on 11/21/17. The woman who answered, name Laarni, opened the call by thanking me for being with Metro and asked “How can I make your day awesome?” When I proceeded to say I thought Metro should give me a new phone, like they were doing for customers who switch to Metro PCS, as a result of all the hassles I had been through, I heard dead silence.
Am not sure if Laarni was trained by Metro to say “How can I make your day awesome?”, but if Metro does train their customer service reps to ask this, I would recommend they be prepared to back up this statement with tangible offers. At any rate, Laarni seemed genuinely interested in helping me, and asked for all the details, which I gladly provided (including store locations, dates of the visits, and the names of the reps I had dealt with in the stores). Although Laarni said she could not actually offer me a free phone or anything else (like a credit) to make up for my bad experiences, she did indicate she would initiate investigations into both stores, and that I would hear back, from either Metro, or the actual stores, with an update/outcome. Almost two months later, I have yet to hear back from anyone at Metro, about the formal complaints/investigations.
Laarni then transferred me to someone named David, ID 705759, with Metro’s Customer Retention department, to see if Metro could do anything for me. After 75 minutes of being on the phone with Laarni and David, David took a callback to me regarding what Metro could do. David called me back, about half an hour later, when I was on the road, so I asked if he could call me back the next day, as David said he wanted to talk to me for about 20 minutes (not clear what he had to tell me that would take 20 minutes). David promised to call me back between 5:30-6 PM, my time, the following evening (4:30-5 PM his time). I never heard back from David. To me this was just another lie.
Eventually, by chance, I was able to reach Derrick, on 11/28/17, when I called one of his other stores close to where I work. He was very nice and seemed genuinely concerned about the way I had been treated in his stores, and my overall experience with Metro. Derrick took a callback to me, for the following day, to see what Metro could do for me. This time, I actually heard back from Derrick. Although he advised that Metro Corporate (in Connecticut I believe) was unwilling to do anything for me, Derrick stated he would waive the upgrade fee for me, if I switched to a new phone, as well as provide a free holster case, which was pretty decent I thought, but speaks to Derrick’s character, not Metro, as Derrick decided to do this one his own.
I should add that, in addition to waiving the upgrade fee, and providing a free holster case, Derrick stated that he would be re-training the staff in the store I had been using, and he wanted to hear back if the service there did not improve. This to me was just as important as the “free stuff,” as my primary complaint had been about the customer service, or lack thereof, in the store.
Nonetheless, as I still had not heard back from the Metro PCS Customer Retention Department, I decided to call them back. As the customer retention rep was unwilling to do anything for me either, I asked to speak with a supervisor in that department. She also was unwilling to do anything for me either, but, after some more screaming and complaining, from this blogger, the supervisor in Metro’s Retention Department agreed to waive my December bill. She noted , however, that this was primarily due to the cost I had incurred from having to buy a battery.
So I still got the feeling that Metro really was not willing to do much to make amends for the poor service I had been receiving at the local stores, even though I threatened to e-mail the CEO’s of Metro and T-Mobile about my experiences. I recently read, online, that in my state of Connecticut, as we are located in between New York and Boston, two large markets, that the internet service, among the Big Four carriers, is pretty comparable, with Sprint maybe lagging a little behind the other three. This indicates, as in many industries, the primary difference separating the mobile cell carriers is their customer service.
One would therefore be inclined to think the mobile carriers would be paying a little more attention the this aspect of their business. Although it’s true that Metro still has the best price for “true unlimited,” data (i.e. no data cap), for one line, at $50 (tax is included, one only pays for insurance on the phone), Boost (Sprint’s prepaid carrier) and Cricket (AT&T’s carrier) are both offering similar prices for unlimited service, although Metro PCS uses the T-Mobile network, which is more robust than Sprint, and AT&T now runs a disclaimer that network speeds, on even their unlimited plan, may be once you reach 22 gigs (see below regarding AT&T’s download speeds).
Additionally, both T-Mobile and Verizon are offering their own more affordable pre-paid plans with higher data caps, and T-Mobile and Verizon both, I believe, offer a pre-paid,no contract plan, with no data cap, for $75 and $80 a month, respectively, although the price, for Verizon, does not include taxes. The new price points for Verizon are particularly impressive, as three years ago, when I was first shopping around for a smartphone, and mobile carrier, Verizon was very stingy, offering only one gig of high speed data at $70 a month. The one downside with Verizon, is they don’t offer more affordable phones like T-Mobile, Metro, Cricket, and Boost.
I should add that I nearly switched to Cricket (the reps at the local store I visited were extremely nice and professional, and Cricket was rated high for customer service, according to one source I read on the web), until I read that both Cricket (and it’s parent company AT&T) both artificially throttle (cap) their download speeds at a much lower level than the other major plans.
But at least I know there are more affordable options now, and I am seriously considering, at some point, switching to Verizon (they offer 10 gigs of high speed internet on their $60 prepaid plan, which is not too shabby), although I do not want to bite my nose to spite my face. I am e-mailing this blog post to both Tom Keys, President T-Mobile Indirect Channels tkeys@metropcs.com and Chief Executive John J. Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile john.legere@T-Mobile.com and will let my readers know if either of these gentlemen respond.
To summarize, my recommendations to the mobile cell carriers: 1) train your front line workers, in your stores, on both technical matters and on providing good customer service, 2) place a greater value on customer retention, not just attracting new customers and selling new phones, and, 3) whatever you do, don’t lie to your customers. My recommendations to potential mobile carrier customers: 1) do your homework when shopping around for a mobile carrier, 2) don’t be afraid to ask questions, when you talk to the reps in the stores, and 3) don’t settle for sub-par internet or customer service. EVERY customer deserves to be treated like they matter.
One final thing I wish to mention. After I spoke with Derrick on 11/29 (which is when he promised me the free holster case and to waive the upgrade fee), I spoke to Derrick once more, right before the New Year, just to firm up his offer, and to confirm at which location I would need to go, to get the free case, as Derrick oversees at least three stores, two in the town where I work. We agreed I would come in to the store which is a little further from my workplace, as I believe this is their main/flagship store.
During that last conversation, Derrick also promised to honor the sale price of $99.99, on the LG K20 Plus, even if the price were to go back up. Derrick also assured me that it would be OK if I came in after the New Year, and that I did not need to worry about coming in by a certain date.
As a final insult, when I called the store today, the date of my revision to this post, the rep in the store advised me that the price of the phone had gone up, by $19 dollars and, after texting Derrick, he advised her he would waive the upgrade fee and give me the free case, but that he could NOT honor the original price. Did I mention how much I hate being lied to?
I don’t know about you, but I much prefer to deal with companies that are honest and demonstrate a respect for and wullingness to help their customers. And I definitely don’t like being disrespected and cast aside like an old shoe, which is how I feel Metro PCS is doing to me now.
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