"Thanks for the warning!! I almost went for
T-Mobile..Now no way!!

T-Mobile shafted me a few times too, about warranty exchanges for
handsets (plural...handsets) and other issues. A recurring thing I
notice is that the CSRs always claim they are making detailed notes,
but when it's something major for the customer they seem to have no
record of any notes when you call back. If its something for the
company, they are on you like a bad smell and threaten you with things
from service interruption to collections actions.

Having experienced the "vanishing" account notes, I recorded 14 calls
to customer service, 9 about problems and T-Mo's promises to correct
and credit my account, and 5 with them arguing about why they havent
adjusted my account and them not knowing what Im talking aboout.
Nothing that would stand up in court I reckon, but nice to know I
caught them. If any of you want to email me, I will encode the
conversations onto mp3 or wav format and email you back, after editing
my name and account number. The various reps' names and ID numbers I
will leave intact.

For you anal types that will lecture me about the legality of this, I
fall back on the generic message at the beginning of each call that
states "your call may be recorded for quality ..." etc. The message is
not specific as in "We may" (record your call..)or who or what can do
the recording, just that "your call may be recorded"...implying to me
that it is an open ended permission. Whether T-Mobile intended this or
not is not my concern. If the T-Mo CSR's didnt keep "losing" my
"detailed" notes I would not have to resort to such measures to
protect my interests.

. One hr later I received a text

1. Stop calling them and start writing letters.
2. Tell them that if they want to collect, they can meet you in court, and
yes, you plan to call on them to produce the actual phone matching your IMEI
(which you have recorded. Right?) to show the judge that it was not water
dammaged. Universal rules of evidence are that if someone has/had evidence
and fails to produce it when called. That evidence is presumed to be
prejudicial to the case of the party not producing it.

There is an executive office number where the people can help you. Search
around, you will find it. I did.

I'll tell you what - I had crap service when they were voicestream.  I
bitched and moaned and groaned - gosh you'd have slapped me for all that if
I were doing it to you.  Anyhow, I made such a nuisance of myself that now,
not a peep - everything works, and when I ask, I get.  I even get free
phones every now and then - like the 3650 etc.  Seriously, there is a class
based level of service.  Being a pain in the butt won't work - but being a
pain in the butt AND showing that you're a loyal customer is valuable to
them - they want people to pay them - and so they'll try to keep you.  Most
items, they can accomodate.  For instance, they knocked off $500 from my
phone bill coz they rated the calls incorrectly - but it wasn't easy.  They
gave me a new phone for free - with one letter to them - and a copy to the
manufacturer of the phone.

Here is an update on the situation:
I contacted BBB. Now they do not even want to talk to me. This company
sucks.

Their mail:
Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile. We understand that
this issue may be frustrating but we have reviewed the information
from our handset exchange department and they informed us that
Motorola phones have a water damage indicater located inside that
shows the presence of moisture at any time durring the life of the
phone. Unfortunately we are unable to retrieve your original handset,
once they return to the warehouse we have no way of knowing which one
was yours. We do apologize for any inconvenience that this issue may
have caused you. If you have any other comments, questions, or
concerns, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for choosing
T-Mobile.
Sincerely,
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Steven
Customer Care Specialist

My mail:
You stated that you have no way of knowing which phone is mine. That
directly contradicts a previous statement I have received from your
company. I was told that every phone has a serial number and I was
told that the water damage on my phone was confirmed.  So what you are
telling me is that there is no way of knowing which handset is mine
and therefore water damage was actually not confirmed. Dear Steven- I
have heard so may contradictory statements from your company.
(Starting with the claim that your company actually did not receive my
phone). I think you know that there was no water damage. I have
notified SAMs club were I bought the phone and the contract.
Furthermore I have notified BBB. I have listed all the
inconsistencies. I don't know why your company is giving me such a
hard time. I want my phone back.

Their mail:
We apologize for any misunderstanding you may have had with T-Mobile.
We are no longer able to comment on this issue anymore due to the fact
that you have filed a complaint with the BBB.  You will need to handle
any further inquiries regarding this issue with your BBB
representative. Again, we are very sorry for any inconvenience this
may cause.
Sincerely,
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Cristine
Customer Service Specialist

T-Mobile Customer Care <voicestream@custhelp.com