T-Mobile Customers Rally Behind Store Employees in New Survey

A surprising number of wireless customers are willing to reach into their wallets to help T-Mobile store employees avoid using the carrier’s troublesome app. The show of solidarity comes as T-Mobile workers face potential job loss for not meeting strict app usage requirements.
According to a recent PhoneArena survey, an overwhelming 85% of nearly 5,000 readers said they would pay cash during T-Mobile store visits to help employees avoid the problematic T-Life app. The poll highlights growing customer frustration with T-Mobile’s push to force both workers and shoppers to use the often-crashing application.
T-Mobile has been requiring its store representatives to process between 60% and 90% of their transactions through the T-Life app, depending on location. Workers who don’t meet these targets risk losing monthly bonuses or even their jobs. The problem is that the app frequently crashes and doesn’t work properly, especially for customers with broken or lost phones who can’t access it.
The situation has become so difficult that some T-Mobile employees have been secretly asking customers to bring cash (even just a penny) hoping it might help them avoid the app requirements. However, these workarounds don’t actually work, and T-Mobile management is watching for employees who try to game the system.
The survey results suggest customers understand the bind that T-Mobile workers are in. Many respondents appear willing to support store employees by paying cash instead of using credit cards, even though it means extra inconvenience for shoppers.
Industry observers believe T-Mobile’s aggressive push toward the T-Life app is part of a larger plan to eventually close most physical stores and lay off retail workers, transforming into a primarily digital carrier. This would reduce the company’s overhead costs while forcing customers to handle everything through the app.
For now, the survey shows that T-Mobile customers are largely on the side of store employees rather than corporate management when it comes to the controversial app requirements.
Source: PhoneArena