Read The Fine Print

I've never been great at asking for things, sometimes I don't know what to ask for. That is not the case when a company has tried to rip me off and I want a correction.

I've been a T-Mobile customer for as long as I've had a cell phone. Last summer I upgraded my phone, which seemed to be defective. The phone was still under warranty (less than 2 months old) and I called to arrange for a replacement, which had to be mailed to me. The person on the phone said they will charge me $9.95 to ship the phone. I griped. Later I read the details of the warranty which specifically state T-Mobile will not charge for shipping for replacement parts or phones. I called back and was put on 2-6 minute hold at least three times (!!) during the call. The customer service agent tried every angle to weasel out of what the warranty clearly said. Frustrated and insulted, I ended the call. When the bill arrived they added an extra 78-cents to the $9.95 for "tax"!! Later I wrote a dispute letter and included a photocopy of the warranty with the related text hi-lighted. The next bill showed a credit, but annoyingly, only for $9.95; they did not credit the tax.

I know this is a long boring story but the point is I read the fine print, then asked for them to remove the shipping charge and they did. I had to send a letter, but it worked. Most of the time when I phone in to ask for something like this it's handled right there on the phone. Sometimes it pays to ask for what you want. It would be great if the county and state were so cooperative.