T-Mobile on Monday announced plans to do away with expensive overage fees for all customers on consumer plans. CEO John Legere took the initiative a step further by publically inviting AT&T, Sprint and Verizon to do the same.
The outspoken T-Mobile chief said the act of charging overage fees is a greedy, predatory practice that needs to go. He added that the worst thing about them is the fact that they're often inflicted on those who can least afford them.
Traditional wireless plans would include a fixed bucket of talk minutes, text messages or data bandwidth. Once a subscriber had eaten through the allotment, they'd be hit with an additional fee for the overage which, depending on the plan, can get expensive pretty quick.
It's a scenario that T-Mobile said has created a culture of fear, worry and surprise every time the wireless bill arrives.
Of course, that's only partially accurate as the Federal Communications Commission launched a "bill shock" plan a few years ago that requires carriers to alert users as they approach or exceed a specific threshold. Sure, bills can still arrive with overages but you're much more likely to be aware of them now compared to before.
Legere said he wouldn't personally be satisfied until they obliterate the shameful practice from the entire wireless industry. To help drive the point home, he launched a Change.org petition that calls on the top three carriers to follow his lead. The petition has more than 2,000 signatures as of this publication.