So the moral of the story is perhaps that if you know you qualify and stick with it, you will probably eventually get your refund. I put a lot of work into it, but it was worth it to me to take that $100 out of T-Mobile’s pocket and to let everybody know via this blog and others that T-Mobile is trying to cheat people. Good luck to everybody still stuck on the scam treadmill.

Well, I did read the contract. I made it all the way through law school and can say assuredly that I am a great reader and even have reasonably decent comprehension skills. I offer that information not to demonstrate that I am somehow superior to anyone, but to offer proof that I can indeed read a contract, as repeatedly suggested by the posts above, and that I am positive I understood the contract and the requirements for the rebate. The nature of my problem is not that I did not qualify and am now angry that I was scammed. I did qualify, T-Mobile acknowledged several times that I qualified, but will not provide the rebate.

I purchased a Blackberry Pearl on August 10, 2009, and met the conditions for the $100 rebate. I submitted the requested documentation by mail on August 11, 2009. I waited 8 weeks. On October 13, 2009, I had not received the rebate. I called the T-Mobile rebate center to discuss the problem and was connected to a young lady so mentally slow it amazed me she had figured out how to answer the phone. Usually those dear people with such limits are relegated to tasks that don’t require problem solving skills– like greeters at Walmart or grocery sackers. Kudos to the T-Mobile rebate center for bringing them into their workforce as phone representatives.

Over and over we ticked through the list of requirements to earn the rebate. As she named off one, I read from my receipt the entry showing I’d purchased it. We checked off each item and I had every necessary element for the rebate. This sad little dolt agreed that I appeared to qualify based on what I read from my receipt and her incredible feat of computer research into my account, but somehow could not make the transition to explaining why my rebate was denied. It just was.

I decided that I needed to have these conversations via email in order to preserve the record of T-Mobile’s refusal to grant the rebate I earned and was promised. I began by emailing a bullet pointed list of the rebate requirements and confirmation that I had met each one. I encouraged the reader to investigate and report back to me. The next day I received an email from “Michelle D.” simply saying I didn’t qualify.

Hoping to point out her error, I scanned copies of my rebate documentation and added in color shading to highlight the rebate qualifying purchases. Children’s toys are always colorful and have big numbers and letters on them, so I knew this tactic would work in getting their attention. I attached the scanned documents to a reply email with text very simply and clearly laying out my case for the audience of witless elementary school level individuals receiving it. I prayed the reader would be competent enough to open the attachments.

Two days later I received in return, another email from “Michelle D.” acknowledging that I did indeed qualify for the rebate and apologizing for the confusion. She claimed the rebate would be authorized and that I should wait another 6-8 weeks.

That “another 6-8 weeks” is now. I still don’t have the rebate. I checked the website and saw the rebate promised to me via Michelle D’s email on October 15, 2009, had been denied on October 22, 2009. Again I received nothing from T-Mobile explaining this. I assume they rely on people forgetting and wouldn’t want to alert someone that they are being scammed by sending a letter explaining that they are being scammed.

I called and spoke to “Martha”. She was kind but still an unnecessarily slow thinker. After sorting through my entire account in detail, she pressed me AT THE END of the call to confirm more personal information to verify my identity. That defeats the purpose, dear sweet Martha. One confirms a caller’s identity BEFORE releasing private account information, honey. Got it a little out of order, but you can try again next time and do better. At any rate she too agreed that I qualified for the $100 rebate, was mystified that it had twice been denied and said she would manually override the system to see that it was issued and in my hands within 30 days. Sounds like a complicated transaction for you, Martha, but I’m counting on you.

I’m no psychiatrist, but solely based on the conversations I’ve had with the T-Mobile rebate representatives, they couldn’t collectively figure out how (or why) to pull a hand off a red hot stove. So will my rebate finally come? I don’t know. But I’ve tried. I haven’t cursed or been discourteous or raised my voice as some of the earlier T-Mobile posters said is to blame for bad service. I know it isn’t their fault they were lobotomized or have water on the brain or had pre-natal oxygen deprivation or whatever. I just keep patiently plodding along. Waiting. It’s the principle. And if that rebate ever comes, I’m going straight to the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) thrift shop to spend it. That money’s coming right back to you T-Mobile rebate reprsentatives! Because I care!

I have been t-mobile customer without contract for 4-5 years. My phone finally broke down and I wanted to get new cheap/free phone, and I ribbed off.

There are two lines on my family plan. The number that I got a free phone is samsung t819, and it turns out to be 79.99 even I have talked to the representative and said I want this “free phone”(both according to t-mobile under my account, and talking to the rep.) It required me to do a mail-in rebate for that $50.00 which I had no idea that I had to do. Plus, on the rebate form, it states it requires a 9.99 or higher data-plan serivce. Otherwise, I will not get the rebate.

When I called t-mobile customer rep., that person told me that the other customer rep I talked to who put in my order has no idea about this rebate would require the 9.99 or higher data-plan serivce, so here is what he said, “I understand it may seem like we’ve tricked you…” But the fact is, THEY DID.

By reading so many people’s comments/complains all the way back to a few years ago, I am sure this is nothing new. However, the rebate thing still stinks.

I will call them again.