Joe Dipiero has been a happy T-Mobile client, though perhaps somewhat incredible, when the company offers him an incredible deal.
When Dipiero decided to set up a separate Internet connection for his pipeline business, he naturally decided to go with his trusted airline. After all, the Dipiero family has long been in the T-Mobile family program.
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A few months after establishing an internet connection, a T-Mobile sales representative called Dipiero’s price, which could offer incredible deals if he moved his family’s phone plan to a business account. For just $170 a month, the Dipiero family will get four free iPhones — three iPhone 16 Pros and one iPhone 15, as well as an upgrade to the family modem, according to sales reps.
“I think it’s so good,” Dipiero told NBC10.
Despite Joe’s reservations, Dipieros switched. But about a month later, Joe logged into his T-Mobile account and found a $515.90 bill, more than three times the amount he agreed to.
“This is impossible”
Dipiero continued to spend months fighting with T-Mobile for his bill. After trying to get in touch with a representative who sold the program to him, the representative eventually told Dipiero that the $515.90 bill was a mistake and that T-Mobile was “investigating”.
But Dipiero was shocked when the bill charged $821.59 for the next month.
He said: “I was like, ‘This is impossible.’
When he told the sales rep that he was ready to send the phone back and cancel the plan, the rep told him not to pay and assured Dipiero that T-Mobile was “taking care of it.” But the rep was wrong. Dipiero then began to receive repeated text messages from T-Mobile, threatening to turn off his phone to make no payments, which the carrier did eventually.
“At that time, I lost,” Dipiero recalls.
Tired of getting running, Dipieros got in touch with NBC10 for help. When the investigation team contacted T-Mobile for comment, the company again stated that it was “investing”.
Two weeks later, T-Mobile said the matter had been forwarded to the company’s nursing team. A senior manager then contacted Dipiero and said T-Mobile would take care of everything.
Dipiero’s next bill is -334.45, reflecting that commitment. Negative balance is the result of T-Mobile clearing previous bills and attributes Dipieros’ account to fees paid during the torture.
Although T-Mobile told NBC10 that customer details could not be shared, the company did provide a statement.
“If clients do not work with our care team after initial account settings to make changes to their accounts, it may have an impact on their promotional eligibility,” T-Mobile said in a statement.
However, Dipieros only works with sales reps who sell the program to families and never advises talking to the care team.
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T-Mobile’s so-called excess bomb has been well documented
This is not the first time T-Mobile has become news on allegations of charges accusing customers of charging.
According to the U.S. Sun, in 2024, a T-Mobile customer charged $5,704 in 23 months after canceling six commercial lines. When a customer asked a question with T-Mobile, the company said it would only refund customers from the past 90 days.
Now, nearly twenty frustrated clients have launched a class action lawsuit against T-Mobile in California, claiming that the company has been charging customers implicit fees disguised as government allegations.
The fees discussed are called “regulatory plans and telecom recovery fees,” which the company launched in 2004 and cost $3.49 per line per month. T-Mobile allegedly bundled the allegation into the “government tax and expense” section of its client bills.
How to fight too much
When faced with unexpected allegations, consumers are not without recourse. Several federal and state regulations provide specific protections for deceptive telecom billing practices.
FCC’s fill rules require operators to describe all allegations in normal language and avoid providing misleading descriptions of the allegations. State consumer protection laws often provide additional safeguards, as many state prosecutors generally actively investigate telecom bill complaints and are entitled to refunds and fines for violations.
If you find yourself similar to the Dipiero family, there are some steps you can take to solve this problem:
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Contact the company responsible for overselling and let them know about your problem
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Record all communications with company representatives
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Require written confirmation of any promised promotion or rate
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If the company is not helpful, please file a complaint with the FCC or your state attorney general
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If all other methods fail, please contact your local news outlet to expose the company’s charges
As Dipieros found, media pressure may work when consumer complaints fail.
“I think you guys did a great job,” said Dipiero of NBC10.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is without any warranty of any kind.
