Update: I've had to since knock off a few stars.
As it turns out, Brandon switched me to an unlimited data plan WITHOUT talk and text. So my phone was no longer useful as a phone, and I was unable to make phone calls or texts for over 24 hours, which was inconvenient. Luis instructed him to give me the unlimited plan WITH talk and text, but I guess there was a miscommunication there. I had to return to get the issue fixed, again by Brandon, the very next evening on 12/04/2024, which was also inconvenient.
This is not the reason why I am knocking off two stars. Mistakes happen. Miscommunication happens. I am very understanding about that, and I never have an attitude about expecting everything going perfectly all the time, NOR having a fit about a mistake that might happen in good faith.
I told Brandon that he gave me the wrong plan. No apology, no "Sorry about that!". I even told him I don't blame him for it, as mistakes happen, miscommunication happens. He just didn't want to take responsibility for his mistake. I don't mind bearing the brunt of someone's mistake, but they MUST give some placation in the form of a simple apology, which is sufficient and appropriate. Not doing so is just rude. So minus one star for that.
I probably wouldn't even be writing an update to my review if the drama didn't just end there. He then proceeded to tell me my plan was fixed. So of course this time, having learned my lesson, I tried texting a contact to test it out. Message blocked. The problem was not fixed. So Brandon did something else, and said okay it's fixed! No, another test text message was blocked.
He finally fixed it. I then told him I would like to put my new credit card onto my account, and my online portal isn't allowing me to do so. He then lied to me and said that "Oh, T-Mobile doesn't allow credit cards anymore, only debit cards." I found this statement perplexing. So I politely pressed him for more information about this very untrue seeming policy. He told me he doesn't know why, but it is a new policy at T-Mobile. I asked him for how long it has been this way, and he told me a couple months. I said "Hm! That's strange, because I was able to put another credit card onto my account merely three weeks ago!" He shrugged his shoulders and didn't have an answer, because of course, he was telling me a big, fat lie.
I really hate being lied to. I don't mind if an employee doesn't know the answer to something, and I don't expect an employee to know every little detail all of the time.
But if an employee doesn't know the answer, and then makes up a lie to make it SEEM like he knows the answer, just to "save face" at my expense, then that's where I'm going to have a problem with it. Bad and dishonest information serves to confound and confuse the customer, and make his life more difficult, as Brandon did mine.
So I called the Walnut Creek T-Mobile at 1345 South Main Street. I asked them about T-Mobile no longer allowing credit cards to be added to T-Mobile accounts. They told me they haven't heard any such thing, and I said to them that's what the Sun Valley Mall T-Mobile just got through telling me. They invited me to come into their store so they can discuss it, and I agreed.
The T-Mobile store in Walnut Creek likewise did not know why I was not able to add my credit card to my account, but unlike the Sun Valley Mall location, they did not lie to me. They said "We don't know, but we're going to find out." So they called someone, and the lady on the line told me the exact reason: that it was within three days of my recurring payment, and I was therefore unable to add a new credit card during that time.
The way the Walnut Creek location is the way to handle a customer's problem, not the way the Sun Valley Mall location did. They did not pretend to know the answer, and they did not lie. They simply said "We don't know, but we're going to find out." And then, they solved my problem.
So my advice to the the Sun Valley Mall location is, know your policies better, but more importantly, do not lie to the customer. Take responsibility for your mistakes and whatever lack of knowledge you might have. It's not a big deal to make a mistake here or there, or to not know EVERY aspect of your job. But it becomes a big deal when you are dishonest with the customer. The customer in turn has to make a bigger effort to get to the bottom of whatever you're not telling him, and also is disrespected for being lied to.
Anyway, the main takeaway here is: do not waste your time going to either the Sun Valley Mall in Concord location, nor the 25 Crescent Drive location in Pleasant Hill. Save yourself a LOT of trouble: learn from my mistake, and just go straight to the Walnut Creek location at 1345 South Main Street. Those guys are really great! read more