T-Mobile to roll hidden fees and taxes into advertised rate

[Shawn Knight]

T-Mobile announced on Thursday that it is tackling yet another pain point in the wireless industry that most (but not all) have ignored for years: hidden fees and taxes.

As it stands today, most wireless providers advertise a set rate for a specific plan but once your bill comes in, the amount you owe is actually a bit more once you factor in various hidden fees, charges and taxes. Come January 22, T-Mobile says it’ll effectively eliminate those price hikes by rolling them into the advertised cost of the rate plan.

Speaking of plans, T-Mobile really wants people to use the T-Mobile One unlimited plan that rolled out back in September. On January 22, the company will be eliminating its older plans, electing instead to only offer new customers its One plan. Current T-Mobile users on different plans can be grandfathered in if they so choose.

For light data users that may not utilize an unlimited data plan to its full potential, there’s a new program called Kickback in which T-Mobile will give those who use 2GB of data or less each month a $10 bill credit.

Last but not least, T-Mobile announced a “tax rebate” promotion in which it’ll offer $150 to every customer that switches from another carrier to team magenta – no handset trade-in required. The offer applies to every line transferred, not just $150 for a family of four, for example.

T-Mobile’s latest moves are no doubt a welcomed change but nothing here is really groundbreaking or industry-shaking. Cricket, a pre-paid provider that operates on the AT&T network, has been providing a flat rate with fees and taxes rolled in for years now while Google’s Project Fi, an MVNO powered by Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, provides its customers with a refund for data that goes unused each month.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67671-t-mobile-roll-hidden-fees-taxes-advertised-rate.html

 

[MoeJoe]

Fun with numbers.

What a joke.

And to think people still get fooled by this BS ...

 

[mctommy]

Fun with numbers.

What a joke.

And to think people still get fooled by this BS ...

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

 

[Uncle Al]

Same old crooked dealings from the same old companies ..... nothing new under the sun.

 

[SirDigby]

I've always been thrown off by things like this on American products and charges.
In the UK we don't have this, all VAT and Tax charges are always included in the price.

I see this most on US computer with websites that say $300! ($350 inc VAT)

Like just say the price ffs...

 

[MikeAcker]

Next thing they need to do is find out that a month is not = 30 days.

we want the payment due the same day each month

 

[MoeJoe]

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

The mere fact that you think that this discount means you are not paying taxes and fees reveals much.
Proof positive that 'fun with numbers' marketing works.

Now I am being totally serious here. How old are you?

 

[p51d007]

Hidden fees. LOL...that's why I stick with straight talk.
Personally, haven't had any issues, I never come close to using 5GB,
and the price is just under fifty bucks, with all taxes, fees and what not.
One price, in and done!

 

[Theinsanegamer]

So T mobile joins the ranks of cricket, straight talk, Fi, and Tmo's own metroPCS in not tacking additional stuff onto monthly bills.

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

The mere fact that you think that this discount means you are not paying taxes and fees reveals much.
Proof positive that 'fun with numbers' marketing works.

Now I am being totally serious here. How old are you?

Probably older then you, given your immature comments and responses.

It is pretty obvious for anybody with critical thinking skills that OP was talking about not having to pay fees and taxes ON TOP OF the price of the plan.

 

[mctommy]

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

The mere fact that you think that this discount means you are not paying taxes and fees reveals much.
Proof positive that 'fun with numbers' marketing works.

Now I am being totally serious here. How old are you?

I'm older than you think with a kid, a wife, own 2 houses in the state of Washington so yeah? If you bother to read up on this or the press conference (instead of snarky comments), someone had asked T-Mobile whether they would be raising prices and they said no.

T-Mobile One today = $70 + tax.
T-Mobile One on 1/22 = $70 + 00.

Let's say tax is $12, so today you are paying $82 instead of $70 when 1/22 arrives and you switch. That's about a 15% discount on 1/22 vs. what you are paying today.

Now if you have some legacy T-Mobile plan, then the legacy is likely better than this.

 

[mbrowne5061]

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

The mere fact that you think that this discount means you are not paying taxes and fees reveals much.
Proof positive that 'fun with numbers' marketing works.

Now I am being totally serious here. How old are you?

I'm older than you think with a kid, a wife, own 2 houses in the state of Washington so yeah? If you bother to read up on this or the press conference (instead of snarky comments), someone had asked T-Mobile whether they would be raising prices and they said no.

T-Mobile One today = $70 + tax.
T-Mobile One on 1/22 = $70 + 00.

Let's say tax is $12, so today you are paying $82 instead of $70 when 1/22 arrives and you switch. That's about a 15% discount on 1/22 vs. what you are paying today.

Now if you have some legacy T-Mobile plan, then the legacy is likely better than this.

Something tells me your kid is the more mature one of your family.

 

[mctommy]

How is it fun with numbers if they are not increasing the rates on their One plan?

I wouldn't go to the One plan anyways since I have a better simple choice plan but if you are already on One plan, this is a discount as you are not paying taxes and fees.

The mere fact that you think that this discount means you are not paying taxes and fees reveals much.
Proof positive that 'fun with numbers' marketing works.

Now I am being totally serious here. How old are you?

I'm older than you think with a kid, a wife, own 2 houses in the state of Washington so yeah? If you bother to read up on this or the press conference (instead of snarky comments), someone had asked T-Mobile whether they would be raising prices and they said no.

T-Mobile One today = $70 + tax.
T-Mobile One on 1/22 = $70 + 00.

Let's say tax is $12, so today you are paying $82 instead of $70 when 1/22 arrives and you switch. That's about a 15% discount on 1/22 vs. what you are paying today.

Now if you have some legacy T-Mobile plan, then the legacy is likely better than this.

Something tells me your kid is the more mature one of your family.

*ding ding* he is more mature than me and he knows how to count

Aside from my maturity and age at question, is this not a discount for people who currently paying for T-Mobile One plan today vs. on 1/22?