Lifetime price lock. Or maybe not.
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When T-Mobile announced price hikes of up to $5 per line on older smartphone plans last month, many customers were shocked because of T-Mobile's years-old promise that their price would never rise as long as they stuck with the same plan.
"New rule: Only YOU should have the power to change what you pay," T-Mobile said in a January 2017 announcement of its "Un-contract" promise for T-Mobile One plans. "Now, T-Mobile One customers keep their price until THEY decide to change it. T-Mobile will never change the price you pay for your T-Mobile One plan."
Unfortunately, the promise wasn't as simple as T-Mobile claimed it to be in that press release. T-Mobile also published an FAQ that answered the question, "What happens if you do raise the price of my T-Mobile One service?" It explained that the only guarantee is T-Mobile will pay your final month's bill if the price goes up and you decide to cancel.
The FAQ stated, "The Un-contract is our commitment that only you can change what you pay and we mean it! To show just how serious we are we have committed to pay your final month's recurring service charges if we were to raise prices and you choose to leave. Just let us know within 60 days."
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The headings give and the fine print taketh away.
Big Al
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Ain't that the truth.
I was recently in the market for a portable dehumidifier and was checking the warranty language. Several manufacturers gave longer warranties, anywhere from three to six years versus one year. The catch was that you had to get a malfunctioning unit to a certified repair center and pay for having the problem identified. Then they would pay for the repair. The repair centers were few and far between, and in most cases you'd have to ship the unit back to the manufacturer at your cost. Plus the problem identification cost.
We're fortunate to have Abt in the area. Huge appliance and electronics store that has become known nationally. We almost never buy an extended warranty, but dehumidifiers have such awful performance records that we make an exception when we buy one. Abt's warranty is $50 for four years. If it breaks during that time they give you a credit to your acct in the amount of the original purchase price. You can use it to buy a new dehumidifier or against some other purchase.
Still aggravates me that these units seem to have such a short lifespan, but at least it only costs me $50 to use it for two or three years before I have to replace it.
