Loading Profile...
T-Mobile Shuts Down Twitter Service for Good?
Would T-Mobile block Twitter users, even if they’re paying for unlimited messaging? I’ve read numerous reports like this of Twitter users missing out on messages from their Twittering friends.
Dozens of people on Satisfaction have been wondering why Twitter was down for them and fuming about the state of Twitter and T-Mobile.
The rhetoric is heating up, and the facts are not all in. But, based on a provocative and sharply worded e-mail response from a T-Mobile representative, things do not look good for Twitter or its enthusiasts:
If legitimate, this e-mail, from Marianne Maestas, of the Executive Customer Relations department at T-Mobile, is striking. First and foremost, it positions T-Mobile as against innovation and against small businesses. What do small businesses have to do to comply with these new rules? What has changed in the past few days that warrants this kind of restriction? Closing systems like this brings to mind the e-mail wars between CompuServe and AOL. Haven’t we learned since then that open standards leads to more innovation and wealth? Besides, it’s services like Twitter that make T-Mobile’s product more valuable and more essential to users. It’s short-sighted at best to try to cut off this usage.
On top of that, it’s just plain mean-spirited. Not only are we not going to let you communicate with your friends via Twitter, T-Mobile is saying, we’re going to charge you as much money as possible if you disagree with our position and try to switch to a new service provider. So there.
Telecom providers cling to technologies like SMS and MMS because they control all the traffic on them. This gives them the ability to coerce companies that want access into their network into shelling out cash for exclusivity. It also allows them to set very high toll prices on the simple use of these low-bandwidth services. Companies like T-Mobile have numerous provisions in their terms of use that seriously constrain what users can do with SMS. For instance, T-Mobile expressly forbids the use of URLs inside text messages, presumably because this could lead to communications that don't use the high-tariff services it controls.
It all sounds shocking, and I hope that in truth this is actually a misunderstanding. I wonder if there is an opportunity to get to the truth of the matter and have T-Mobile clarify so that the thousands of Twitter-using T-Mobile customers (and potential customers) can rest assured that the substantial amount of money they pay to telecom companies to stay connected is worth it.
Thoughts? Ideas? Can anyone else confirm this distressing news — or put it to rest? Can anyone from T-Mobile stand up and speak on this issue?
You can also call T-Mobile at (800) 937-8997 or e-mail T-Mobile’s CEO at rdotson@t-mobile.com.
Dozens of people on Satisfaction have been wondering why Twitter was down for them and fuming about the state of Twitter and T-Mobile.
The rhetoric is heating up, and the facts are not all in. But, based on a provocative and sharply worded e-mail response from a T-Mobile representative, things do not look good for Twitter or its enthusiasts:
“...Twitter is not an authorized third-party service provider, and therefore you are not able to utilize service from this provider any longer.... T-Mobile is not in violation of any agreement by not providing service to Twitter. T-Mobile regrets any inconvenience, however please note that if you remain under contract and choose to cancel service, you will be responsible for the $200 early termination fee that would be assessed to the account at cancellation.”
If legitimate, this e-mail, from Marianne Maestas, of the Executive Customer Relations department at T-Mobile, is striking. First and foremost, it positions T-Mobile as against innovation and against small businesses. What do small businesses have to do to comply with these new rules? What has changed in the past few days that warrants this kind of restriction? Closing systems like this brings to mind the e-mail wars between CompuServe and AOL. Haven’t we learned since then that open standards leads to more innovation and wealth? Besides, it’s services like Twitter that make T-Mobile’s product more valuable and more essential to users. It’s short-sighted at best to try to cut off this usage.
On top of that, it’s just plain mean-spirited. Not only are we not going to let you communicate with your friends via Twitter, T-Mobile is saying, we’re going to charge you as much money as possible if you disagree with our position and try to switch to a new service provider. So there.
Telecom providers cling to technologies like SMS and MMS because they control all the traffic on them. This gives them the ability to coerce companies that want access into their network into shelling out cash for exclusivity. It also allows them to set very high toll prices on the simple use of these low-bandwidth services. Companies like T-Mobile have numerous provisions in their terms of use that seriously constrain what users can do with SMS. For instance, T-Mobile expressly forbids the use of URLs inside text messages, presumably because this could lead to communications that don't use the high-tariff services it controls.
It all sounds shocking, and I hope that in truth this is actually a misunderstanding. I wonder if there is an opportunity to get to the truth of the matter and have T-Mobile clarify so that the thousands of Twitter-using T-Mobile customers (and potential customers) can rest assured that the substantial amount of money they pay to telecom companies to stay connected is worth it.
Thoughts? Ideas? Can anyone else confirm this distressing news — or put it to rest? Can anyone from T-Mobile stand up and speak on this issue?
You can also call T-Mobile at (800) 937-8997 or e-mail T-Mobile’s CEO at rdotson@t-mobile.com.
I’m hoping this is not true.
24
people have this problem
I have this problem, too!
Tell me when someone solves it.
The more people who report this problem, the more it gets noticed.
The more people who report this problem, the more it gets noticed.
The best solutions from everyone
-
I am glad to hear word that this may be, as hoped, a misunderstanding. I think this is an excellent opportunity for T-Mobile to state their official policy, examine the tone of all e-mail correspondence that their representatives send out, and have an open conversation with their customers. I'm sure we can all agree that this kind of conversation would be rewarding for everyone involved.
I’m hoping for the best
3 people say
this solves the problem
-
All,
We've determined that this is an issue between T-mobile and our aggregator, not an intentional block. The service is working intermittently and T-mobile is working to resolve the issue ASAP.
Thanks for your patience!
8 people say
this solves the problem
-
Needless to say, we'll be watching this one closely, as our agency uses Twitter and other tools for the common good of those we proudly serve.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
I’m eager to find the details
9 people say
this solves the problem
-
This is totally par for the course in dealing with carriers. I've heard stories of them doing this sort of thing before beginning negotiations for "official service" status to make it clear who has the upper hand. Sort of like the Myspace/Photobucket war earlier this year. (Not that Twitter has any plans to sell to T-Mobile, hopefully.)
I can think of a few reasons they might turn off the service. All fall within the "be evil" policy of mobile companies.
1. T-Mobile is preparing to launch/support a rival service.
Without any hard facts I'd put my money on this one. With all the Twitter clones out there why wouldn't T-Mo just license one of them, white label it, and replace Twitter with something they own? Remember how the TV networks left all those clips on YouTube until they launched their own video sites? Same deal here -- let a startup prove the market then unplug them and offer your own thing. Of course, you lose the whole community thing, but most companies aren't so smart about that stuff when it conflicts with quarterly profits.
2. They're not making enough money
On Twitter's side it would be good to look at the message numbers and try to see things from T-Mobile's financial perspective. Check the number of Mobile Originated (MO's) messages, on which T-Mo earns money, against the Mobile Terminated (MT's) messages, on which they sort of lose money. If there is one MO for every thousand MT's they are probably losing money by supporting your service, at least in their short-sighted view. If there is one MO per 10 MT's they likely make money on your service, and it's in their interest to give Twitter some of the money to keep the service going. That's where the bare-knuckle negotiations come in.
3. Twitter is a pawn in a larger war.
Maybe T-Mo is in the middle of some fight with Twitter's SMS aggregator (the company that transfers the message from the internet to the mobile network). They could turn off Twitter as a way of hurting the aggregator and strengthening their negotiation position. It's likely that Twitter violates some part of some contract, since all the contracts are lopsided and unfair, so they can basically turn off any service at will.
4. Twitter was too much of a load on the network.
I doubt this one, since even a very popular service doesn't generate enough messages to cause trouble on such a large network. But perhaps there was some load issue and somebody wanted a quick way to lower SMS volume during the holidays. Hey, let's turn off this web thing, I doubt anyone will notice...
5. Some T-Mobile VP just now heard about Twitter.
It's possible that some clueless executive found out that a startup was allowing free text messages and ordered someone to shut down the service. Hopefully this isn't the case, because if it took them this long to hear about Twitter just imagine the wait before they realize all their best customers are gone.
--
My advice to Twitter: contact T-Mobile as if this were a technical error and play nice. At the same time contact every friend you have in the mobile industry, especially those who make $$ on you (like your aggregator and your ad company) and ask them to contact T-Mobile and advocate for you. This decision probably comes down to a product manager or VP's strategy opinion, so friendly encouragement and the promise of high revenues can go a long way.
I’m sadly familiar with this situation
12 people say
this solves the problem
-
Hey folks. T-Mobile has definitely turned us off without notification. At Twitter we make great effort to be in compliance with all the carrier "playbooks." We're still trying to find out why T-Mobile has taken this action—as soon as we find out, we'll let you know.
I’m confused
18 people say
this solves the problem
Create a customer community for your own organization
Plans starting at $19/month
-
Inappropriate?Hey folks. T-Mobile has definitely turned us off without notification. At Twitter we make great effort to be in compliance with all the carrier "playbooks." We're still trying to find out why T-Mobile has taken this action—as soon as we find out, we'll let you know.
I’m confused
18 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?This is a really big mistake on T-Mobile's part! Good luck getting it sorted out with them
I’m grim
-
Inappropriate?This message from T-Mobile is shocking, but perhaps not surprising given the reputation of telecoms for sleazy business practices. This is the behavior of a monopolist--and as the #4 telecom provider T-Mobile really can't afford to position itself as the company least concerned with customer satisfaction. Come on, T-Mobile, step up and explain yourself! Are you really going to degrade yourself by picking on a startup with passionate users?
I’m disgusted
-
Inappropriate?I am experiencing the same problem...we need to unite and voice our concern collectively to T-Mobile....I've been with them since 1997 (Omnipoint days).....and if they are willing to be uncooperative over this, who know what else they will do?
I’m ready to switch carriers!
-
Inappropriate?I am not under contract with them and up until now I've been a big fan. I will have to call customer service, and investigate this. I may be forced to switch, which I do not want to do!
I’m disgusted
-
Inappropriate?How can a T-Mobile sign on with Google's open Android platform and block third party services? Obviously they don't support open use so my excitement level for Android on T-Mobile has considerably diminished.
I’m pretty hacked off!
-
Inappropriate?Hey all, we still don't know the what's and why's. But reports are coming in that T-Mobile has been resolving the problem.
How about you? Is your T-Mobile phone working with Twitter now?
I’m cautiously optimistic
-
Inappropriate?What exactly does this prevent T-mobile users from doing? -
Inappropriate?This is totally par for the course in dealing with carriers. I've heard stories of them doing this sort of thing before beginning negotiations for "official service" status to make it clear who has the upper hand. Sort of like the Myspace/Photobucket war earlier this year. (Not that Twitter has any plans to sell to T-Mobile, hopefully.)
I can think of a few reasons they might turn off the service. All fall within the "be evil" policy of mobile companies.
1. T-Mobile is preparing to launch/support a rival service.
Without any hard facts I'd put my money on this one. With all the Twitter clones out there why wouldn't T-Mo just license one of them, white label it, and replace Twitter with something they own? Remember how the TV networks left all those clips on YouTube until they launched their own video sites? Same deal here -- let a startup prove the market then unplug them and offer your own thing. Of course, you lose the whole community thing, but most companies aren't so smart about that stuff when it conflicts with quarterly profits.
2. They're not making enough money
On Twitter's side it would be good to look at the message numbers and try to see things from T-Mobile's financial perspective. Check the number of Mobile Originated (MO's) messages, on which T-Mo earns money, against the Mobile Terminated (MT's) messages, on which they sort of lose money. If there is one MO for every thousand MT's they are probably losing money by supporting your service, at least in their short-sighted view. If there is one MO per 10 MT's they likely make money on your service, and it's in their interest to give Twitter some of the money to keep the service going. That's where the bare-knuckle negotiations come in.
3. Twitter is a pawn in a larger war.
Maybe T-Mo is in the middle of some fight with Twitter's SMS aggregator (the company that transfers the message from the internet to the mobile network). They could turn off Twitter as a way of hurting the aggregator and strengthening their negotiation position. It's likely that Twitter violates some part of some contract, since all the contracts are lopsided and unfair, so they can basically turn off any service at will.
4. Twitter was too much of a load on the network.
I doubt this one, since even a very popular service doesn't generate enough messages to cause trouble on such a large network. But perhaps there was some load issue and somebody wanted a quick way to lower SMS volume during the holidays. Hey, let's turn off this web thing, I doubt anyone will notice...
5. Some T-Mobile VP just now heard about Twitter.
It's possible that some clueless executive found out that a startup was allowing free text messages and ordered someone to shut down the service. Hopefully this isn't the case, because if it took them this long to hear about Twitter just imagine the wait before they realize all their best customers are gone.
--
My advice to Twitter: contact T-Mobile as if this were a technical error and play nice. At the same time contact every friend you have in the mobile industry, especially those who make $$ on you (like your aggregator and your ad company) and ask them to contact T-Mobile and advocate for you. This decision probably comes down to a product manager or VP's strategy opinion, so friendly encouragement and the promise of high revenues can go a long way.
I’m sadly familiar with this situation
12 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?I have a feeling that this won't last long. Between Twitter contacting them and tons of tmobile customers complaining I foresee twitter becoming unblocked. Probably the most popular add on is getting unlimited texting. Twitter is a service that makes you get the unlimited texting. It helps people decide to get unlimited.
I’m not a tmobile customer thankfully
-
Inappropriate?I just sent the VP an email - I hope something is done about this soon. I upgraded to unlimited text messaging when I started using Twitter, so they will definitely be losing that monthly bit of money. Now might be a good time to look at the iPhone...
I’m irritated
-
Inappropriate?Needless to say, we'll be watching this one closely, as our agency uses Twitter and other tools for the common good of those we proudly serve.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
I’m eager to find the details
9 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?Brian: I am blown away because I had not even considered that firefighters might be harnessing Twitter to help with instantaneous messages, but it makes complete sense now that you've opened my eyes to it. Please, if you have any time, feel free to add your station to Satisfaction. I am excited by the idea of public agencies on Satisfaction. We have a few already, but no firefighters, and I can't think of a better addition to our site. Thank you for this very interesting new idea!
I’m discovering something new!
2 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?Eric, thanks for the invite and your kind words... I actually registered our agency at getsatisfaction.com/LAFD earlier this evening!
I'm hoping that Biz won't hesitate to give me a call if he needs support in helping T-Mobile understand the wake of their decision.
I’m humbled by your kind words
-
Inappropriate?Is it possible to send a message out via @twitter_status regarding the fact that T-Mobile has blocked Twitter? I'm sure there are still people out there that aren't watching these sites and are thinking Twitter is the ones with problems.... we need to get the word out so more people can voice their opinion to T-Mobile that Twitter does matter. -
Inappropriate?I am especially bothered that the return message received by T-Mobile customers is coming from 40404, and states:
"Service is temporarily down. Please, try again later."
This led me to believe that the problem was with Twitter, not T-Mobile. I had no idea about the block till I was tipped off by a fellow Twitter user- which I recevied via my Sidekick!
I’m out of contract, and ready for an iPhone!
-
Inappropriate?twitter_status posted about it last night.
Initially, I thought that the problem was with Twitter and not T-Mobile too. Maybe they could post something to their blog as well? -
Inappropriate?It was posted that they were working on an issue. It would be nice to update that with the fact that T-Mobile is, in fact, blocking twitter.
-
Inappropriate?Ah, I misunderstood what you meant. Sorry about that.
-
Inappropriate?i called t-mobile last night. they said it was twitter's problem and to contact them. obviously not the case.
the message i am getting from my sidekick says:
"Service temporarily down. Please, try again later."
how can we escalate this when we call customer service?
I’m pissed
-
Inappropriate?Tim O'Reilly, in today's NYTimes, explains why cell phone companies are being incredibly self-destructive when they pursue closed, anti-competitive systems like T-Mobile is doing here. He also expresses why there is so much to gain by an embrace of openness in its network. Here's a relevant excerpt:
And what if this phone company opened up its databases to developers of software applications? ... Consumers would flock to the best software, made by independent developers that a cellular network would enable by building a true Internet-style open platform. Goodbye to user-unfriendly service contracts as a way to keep customers captive. Who would switch carriers when so much knowledge about your social network resided on your phone company’s servers?
In short, the race is on for competitive advantage in the truly open cellular phone network of the future. Verizon hasn’t moved far enough — yet. If the cellular carriers don’t act, Google and its partners will beat them to the prize.
Tim is talking about market leader Verizon. But if T-Mobile wants to survive it better stop trying to emulate these cruel anti-customer tactics and start creating network value for its users. The full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/opi...
I’m waiting for T-Mobile to respond here
-
-
-
-
Inappropriate?Did you see this from Bob Mertz? T-Mobile does seem to be blocking. Outrageous that they would say it is Twitter's problem!
Dear Mr. Mertz:
My name is Marianne Maestas and I am with the Executive Customer Relations department of T-Mobile. I am contacting you on behalf of Mr. Robert Dotson in regards to the email that you sent him yesterday evening.
In your email, you express concerns, as you are not able to use your service for Twitter. As you have been advised, Twitter is not an authorized third-party service provider, and therefore you are not able to utilize service from this provide any longer. You indicate your feeling that this is a violation of the Net Neutrality.
T-Mobile would like to bring to your attention that the Terms and Conditions of service, to which you agreed at activation, indicate "... some Services are not available on third-party networks or while roaming. We may impose credit, usage, or other limits to Service, cancel or suspend Service, or block certain types of calls, messages, or sessions (such as international, 900, or 976 calls) at our discretion." Therefore, T-Mobile is not in violation of any agreement by not providing service to Twitter. T-Mobile regrets any inconvenience, however please note that if you remain under contract and choose to cancel service, you will be responsible for the $200 early termination fee that would be assessed to the account at cancellation.
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Customer Care at 800-937-8997. Thank you,
Marianne Maestas,
Executive Customer Relations Specialist,
Office of the President,
I’m frustrated by the control wireless operators want
2 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?Exactly. My T-Mobile contract just expired, so they won't get a $200 cancellation fee from me. Goodbye, Dash, hello iPhone!
I’m looking forward to my new phone!
-
Inappropriate?Tmobile sucks! I already have close to no coverage in or around my home-and now this! I initially was just mad about the twit alert service, but now that i read about the actual problem, im soo frustrated! T mobile is scandalous-I can't wait to get off contract. Spead the word people!
I’m MAD!
-
Inappropriate?This is identical to the response I received when I wrote to the Executive Customer Relations at T-mo (only mine was from a Barbara McGuire) - and I emphasized that I have a business acct with them (5 lines) for 5+ years. They clearly do NOT care.
Here are some other links to blogs that are addressing these issues:
http://blog.bibleboy.org/2007/12/resp...
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/14/...
http://getsatisfaction.com/tmobile/to...
http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter/to...?
Anyone who has this problem & wishes to write to T-mo, send to:
ExecutiveResponse@T-mobile.com
I included "Voice Forum ID 0623630" in the subject, as they have opened a ticket under this number.
-JD
I’m waiting for t-mo to do something
-
Inappropriate?In my opinion it's not enough for T-Mobile to simply capitulate and turn back on Twitter. They need to answer for the cold, antagonistic tone they're setting with customers. Ms. Marianne Maestas, as the public T-Mobile representative handling this, I don't blame you personally. However, your name is on this correspondence that is notable for its unfriendly, defensive tone. I'd encourage T-Mobile to let you to respond directly here to show that it is committed to cultivating honest human conversations with its community. It would also allow you, Ms. Maestas, to minimize your personal association with this policy and the botched way it was handled by the company.
All business is personal, Ms. Maestas. Just try Googling your name [http://www.google.com/search?q=Marian...] and you'll see what I mean.
I’m impatient for T-Mobile to start acting human
-
Inappropriate?At the time of writing, this doesn't seem to extend to T-Mobile in the UK.
I’m unsurprised by network stupidity, and not convinced that the iPhone operators will be any better.
-
Inappropriate?All,
We've determined that this is an issue between T-mobile and our aggregator, not an intentional block. The service is working intermittently and T-mobile is working to resolve the issue ASAP.
Thanks for your patience!
8 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?T-Mobile and Twitter, Friends Again? http://tinyurl.com/3ysbzg
-
Inappropriate?I am glad to hear word that this may be, as hoped, a misunderstanding. I think this is an excellent opportunity for T-Mobile to state their official policy, examine the tone of all e-mail correspondence that their representatives send out, and have an open conversation with their customers. I'm sure we can all agree that this kind of conversation would be rewarding for everyone involved.
I’m hoping for the best
3 people say
this solves the problem
-
-
Inappropriate?I am glad to hear that Twitter has worked hard to sort out the problem. But I'd call attention to two aspects of this event that companies like T-Mobile should pay attention to -- 1) their own customer service was woefully unprepared to deal with this issue and, at least according to reports, treated their own paying customers in a hostile fashion and 2) they were completely absent from the forums and the blogs as this story evolved.
I’m wondering if t-mobile will evolve its approach to the market
-
Inappropriate?I am again having trouble sending SMS to 40404. Just happened now (at 1:05AM EST). I thought everything was fixed?
-
Inappropriate?Ted this tends to be the Fad with the Nuevo Rich...Companies.
It sort of reminds me of Ford, Alcoa, Dow Chemical, and GE how they dealt with the public in the 80s and early 90s. Now a days the Blue boys doing it with some care and gentle aproach, but the Newbies, are Gone Mad...
Their lesson awaits them, and unfortuanitly it is not going to be a Gentle One.
Here Comes Another Bubble by Here Comes Another Bubble - The Richter Scales
This infamous video has recently been Banned by the Google Police while Racist Videos are condoned and promoted, without any inhabition what so ever!
Anyway as a VC, you will enjoy it, if you have not seen it yet..:)
Memory lane of Nasdaq Crash 2001 - Rude Awakening, better be like Warren Buffett, and George Soros and guard your Eggs!
I’m waiting
-
Inappropriate?Jonathan,
I dig your reasoning. The core of T-Mobile's actions lies in a combination of reasons 1,2, and 3 of your post. Further, Twitter will do well to adopt your approach to resolution because sadly T-Mobile does have the upper hand for now--that is, until someone comes up with a way around these short sigthed Telcos. -
Inappropriate?I just tested a SMS to 40404 Twitter and it worked.. I am in the Washington DC area -
Inappropriate?Worked for me too, and I'm in New Orleans.
1 person says
this solves the problem
-
-
Inappropriate?absolutely. i'm on vacation, so can't go into a lot of detail.
but, yesterday, i spent 30 min on the phone with a very polite, very circumloquitious and very clueless rep from the CEO's office.
he kept insisting that t-mobile had the right to shut-down twitter, and was using a b.s. smokescreen argument that it was for customer's own good. right.
i agree. this left a bitter taste in my mouth. (see emoticon below)
I’m bitter
-
Inappropriate?~twitter~ is working for me in santa cruz. however, t-mobile's customer service still isn't working for me.
if i want to be hated by my cell provider, i can get an iphone from at&t.
I’m not satisfied with t-mobile
1 person says
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?Working in the extended metro DC area again!
Something I find interesting... the same person that responded to me (Marianne Maestas) from the executive office apparently created another PR nightmare just a few months ago by rubbing people the wrong way and having them take it to small claims court, which T-Mobile lost. Apparently she isn't doing too much positive for them :)
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messa...
Thanks to not only the Twitter team but to all the loyal twitters... This is an amazing example of how a community of people that aren't affraid to stand up for something can really make a difference. I'm very anxious to see T-Mobile's response :)
To all the T-Mobile subscribers: "What are you doing?" :)
I’m thankful
-
Inappropriate?Excelent, it is nice to see customers organize together to deal with a common problem they have with a company.
Even if customers are small they still have rights, and by bring the issue to the open the problem can be mitigated and resolved.
An informed minority is more powerful than an ignorant majority!
Keep doing the good work, standing up for your rights as a customer, user, and as a person.
I’m thankful
-
Inappropriate?It is nice to see the problem had nothing to do with T-Mobile, although the clueless responses about them thinking it may have been their doing were odd. T-Mobile has been one of the few companies in the past 5 years that has provided me with nearly flawless customer service. They have solved every problem i have had and bent over backwards to go an extra mile. The only other option for my phone would have been to move to AT&T, which has miserable customer service and much more expensive rates.
2 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?I agree with Vaderwal. The reason I've been a Tmobile customer for as long as I have been, even as other companies pull ahead in the technology race, is that T-Mobile's customer service has been awesome. Over the past couple years, I do feel that its quality has eroded a bit, but I still have much better time speaking with their reps than I do speaking to any other company's reps.
2 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?While I agree and have for quite a while, this... well, I dont know if it made me laugh to hard or if it is just really scary..... I'll just let you read:
http://blog.bibleboy.org/2007/12/omg-...
I’m shocked
-
Inappropriate?I sent an email to the VP Friday night, and I just now received this response from Ms. Maestas (author of the email to Bob Mertz). I have removed my last name from the email, but otherwise, this is exactly what she sent:
Dear Ms. *****:
My name is Marianne Maestas and I am with the Executive Customer Relations department of T-Mobile. I am contacting you on behalf of Mr. Robert Dotson in regards to the email that you sent him over the weekend.
Twitter users are welcome to stay connected through T-Mobile service. Rumors that T-Mobile blocks the service are false. T-Mobile confirmed with Twitter that there was a technical issue between the two companies’ systems that temporarily prevented some customers from utilizing the service this past weekend. That issue has since been resolved and the companies are working to prevent such incidents from re-occurring.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact Customer Care at 800-937-8997. Thank you.
Marianne Maestas,
Executive Customer Relations Specialist,
Office of the President
What got me was this: "Rumors that T-Mobile blocks the service are false."
She explicitly stated in her email to Mr. Mertz that "...Twitter is not an authorized third-party service provider, and therefore you are not able to utilize service from this provide any longer."
Uh-huh.
I've never had a problem with T-Mobile until now. When someone from the office of the company's president says one thing in one email and then turns around and sends something completely different after the situation has been resolved, it makes me edgy. Did T-Mobile block Twitter, then after much pressure and pushing from customers, un-block them? Or was there really a technical issue that has been repaired?
I just want some honesty. I know that may be a bit too much to ask for.
I’m trying to figure out the truth
2 people say
this solves the problem
-
Inappropriate?I just received the same email - see below. We must have posted at the same time. :)
-
-
Inappropriate?There is no argument there..... its the, well, stupidity coming from T-Mobile now.... they are absolutely contradicting what they said.... in my case, the SAME person.
-
Inappropriate?I've always had warm feelings towards T-Mobile. However, if their customer service is *still* so awesome, why have they been so silent in the aftermath of this (except, that is, for the flat out contradictory statements from their office of the President)? How come Twitter, a wee startup, is doing damage control for them?
Is it right that we have such a lower standard of response from corporate behemoths than we have for small companies? This is a moment of truth for T-Mobile.
I’m grossly disappointed
-
Inappropriate?Today, I received the same form letter that others have received. I am disappointed, to say the least. I've invited T-Mobile to join in this conversation and elaborate. Hopefully they will.
I’m not a fan of form letters.
-
Inappropriate?Looks like they have seen the light!
Hope is a lesson well learned for all of us. -
Inappropriate?With the new info from T-Mobile I'll add a #6:
6. This is a technical glitch which T-Mobile handled with the mobile industry's normal level of hostility towards their customers. While "Marianne Maestas" has changed her tune (see link below) there has been no acknowledgment from T-Mobile of their original response. While they have said that "the companies are working to prevent such incidents from re-occurring" they haven't said that Twitter has any right to use their network for message transport.
Link:
http://talkback.zdnet.com/5208-10537-... -
Inappropriate?J.D. Power and Associates Reports: T-Mobile Ranks Highest in Customer Care Performance Among the Largest Wireless Carriers
T-Mobile has been ranked number one in the 2008 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study by J.D. Power and Associates out of all wireless providers in the United States. This is the seventh consecutive first place finish for T-Mobile in this annual study.
I’m confident
-
-
Inappropriate?Carol, this note seems out of context in this discussion. Perhaps you should post this as a separate topic for people to comment on separately.
-
Inappropriate?Dear Ms. Susan Nokes, Chief Customer and Operations Officer, T-Mobile,
I am sure that you recognize T-Mobile does not always provide a dropped-call-free service. Because of this, customer service is important.
I have been a customer of T-Mobile for many years longer than my account shows, 5 years. I have had to speak with customer service personnel in the past to request credit for dropped calls and my having had to reconnect which has resulted in additional minute charges to my account.
Today, the customer service personnel were mis-interpreting T-Mobile policy attempting to tell me that credit is not given when calls are dropped unless they are dropped within one or two minutes of FIRST having initiated the original call. By that I mean, I was told that T-Mobile's credit policy is different if the call drops one minute after making connection or if the call is dropped thirty minutes of having made the connection. This makes no sense at all. If a call is dropped, the call is dropped.
T-Mobile's credit policy should allow for crediting back the time required to re-establish the connection. In the past, I have received credit of one minute for re-establishing connection if my second call was made within three minutes of the first call being dropped.
Now, Sara (T-Mobile employee ID 8474274), a supervisor, refused to provide credit for having had to reconnect unless the first call had been dropped within two minutes of having been made. Sara refused to let me speak with her supervisor or any other supervisor to resolve this matter. I informed her that I wanted to resolve the matter at that time (since I had already spent a considerable amount of my time on the phone with the customer service department, about twenty minutes. I was flatly told that there was no supervisor available for me to talk with which I could not believe as truthful. I received the clear impression that she merely wanted to brush me off and hope I would go away.
I am entitled to credit for dropped calls. If T-Mobile refuses to do so due to its poor telephone service, then I should be allowed to cancel my contract with T-Mobile without penalty to me. Would you be willing to provide such authorization?
All I ask for is that you ensure your personnel properly know and apply crediting policy and that I be credited for my dropped calls.
I am very dissatissfied with the customer service I received today. It appears that T-Mobile is penny-wise-and-pound-foolish when it comes to crediting minutes for customer complaints. I wanted you to know that I attempted to telephone the executive offices and the switchboard operators would not put my calls through as they related to a complaint.
Regards,
Eric Metz -
Inappropriate?I just started service with TM, and love everything about it, including my SK-LX, (best phone I ever purchased) but I also have received a lot of running around, and passing the buck, from one department to the other.
Out of the four to six hours i also spent trying to resolve the use of short code, this is what I gathered.
Tech Support said that short code could be used on either a "post pay" or "flexpay" account, but not on a "prepaid" account - After switching to flexpay, from "prepaid", guess what ? No access to short code.
Called CS again, and this rep, after speaking to her supervisor, as did the other prior reps, came back with the heart breaking news that short code is only allowed with a "post paid" account.
I find it aweful and a bad business practice, for all this running around from one department to another, with finger pointing, among themselves. (TM is spending a lot of money on supporting this issue instead of resolving it, silly) I think they should just tell us flat out what the issues really are, money, spam, etc., period.
My other thoughts are TM has found a way to push customers to a contractual "post pay" style of account.
I am still on flexpay, and am not switching to post pay.
My overall staisfaction rating, including support for TM, is GREAT.
PS: If enough people chatter, maybe they will give us back the "short code".
1 Comment Add a comment
This solves the problem
-
miamipete001: Sorry to hear you're having this frustration. Your problem might get more visibility if you start a new topic. This conversation about T-Mobile is pretty old, and I worry that your problem may get lost tacked down here. -
Inappropriate?t-mobile suck rigth now i can not call it been 5days i anit call no one but i go pay when u go im think say !@#$ t-mobile
I’m !@#
-
Inappropriate?twitter is still down on the G1 (using Twidgit)
it says your username/password is wrong, which i know is untrue
I’m slightly aggrivated
