Cell phone plans in the United States are incredibly expensive, with astronomical data costs that make the country an outlier in terms of money spent on mobile internet.
For example, as of September 2023, the average price for a gigabyte of data in the United States was $6 USD, per Cable.co.uk. In contrast, a gigabyte of data in France costs consumers just $0.20 USD on average, and in Italy, that price can reach as low as $0.04 USD per gigabyte.
At the same time, mobile customers in the United States frequently find themselves paying not only for their mobile plan, but for a variety of fees and promotions that they may not have initially agreed upon.
For example, one internet user sparked discussion after alleging a Verizon store tried to charge her a $35 activation fee for her phone; another claimed that her mobile provider quietly began increasing her bill without her consent.
Now, a user on TikTok has viewers angry after recounting a negative experience she had trying to buy a phone at a T-Mobile location.
One phone, one long argument
In a video with over 217,000 views, TikTok user Brandi (@miss.brandiii) recalls how an attempt to buy a phone from a T-Mobile store became a long ordeal, despite her knowing exactly what she wanted.
According to Brandi, her 15-year-old daughter had broken her phone, and so, Brandi decided to replace it at the T-Mobile store. Knowing that her daughter could break it again, she knew that she wanted to get a lower-end model that would still allow her to do what she needs to do without breaking the bank or posing too much of an issue if it, too, gets destroyed.
However, when she arrived at the T-Mobile store, they immediately attempted to upsell her.
First, the salesperson tried to upgrade her plan, claiming that he could not upgrade a phone on her “old” plan. Brandi corrected him and said that was not true.
The salesperson persisted.
“He’s like, ‘Oh, well, here’s what I’ll do for you. Since you’re on an old plan, we’ll upgrade the plan. I’ll add an extra line. I’ll give you the additional SIM card. You just take the SIM card, you don’t have to use it. You get a free phone, you get this free Galaxy, and you get two free tablets,’” the TikToker recalls.
“I just look at him. I’m like, ‘No, no, no. I don’t want a new Samsung Galaxy. I don’t want that. I want the $300 phone that is equivalent to this phone. I know that they exist because I’ve bought multiple of them,’” she continues.
While the salesperson insisted that such an offer was a better deal, and that she could not get what she wanted on her current plan, Brandi countered that it was not a better deal as it would substantially increase her monthly payments, and that she could, in fact, get the deal she requested on her current plan.
At this point, the salesperson claimed that they did not have such a phone in stock and that they could not order one. This led to another argument before the salesperson conceded that they did, in fact, have a phone in stock that they could sell to Brandi.
“The Devil works hard. T-mobile employees, they certainly work harder,” Brandi concludes.
@miss.brandiii #fyp #storytime #tmobile #fypage #stopit #phone #fypシ ♬ original sound – Brandi ✨
Commenters explain these sales tactics
In the comments section, users offered views on why this T-Mobile employee may have used such aggressive sales tactics, as well as their own experiences with such methods.
“I also work for the pink store and unfortunately it’s the pressures of management pushing us to be this aggressive. Every month we have a 1on1 chat with higher up’s about our goals and metrics,” noted a commenter.
“They just did this not too Long ago to my MIL who doesn’t speak English very well. she tried to replace her phone thru insurance but they took upon themselves to do this way and she had no idea,” offered another. “My husband and SIL had to go down there and tell them to reverse it. they worked it out, but yeah, t-mobile is kinda s***.”
Some offered ways to avoid this.
“Next time the first time they tell you they can’t do it just say ok I guess I’ll cancel the whole plan and go to a different carrier who can give me what I’m looking for,” wrote a user. “They stop pitching real quick after that.”
“We started buying unlocked phones and skipped over the whole phone companies process. it has saved us from this headache.. plus has been cheaper,” added a second.
We’ve reached out to T-Mobile via email and Brandi via TikTok DM and comment.
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