Ugh here we go again
I switched to T-Mobile when Verizon tried to the same thing a few years ago
I switched to Verizon when AT&T tried to do same thing a few years before that
Sellers: "If it ain't broke..." 💰💰💰
The best remedy: When one is wronged by any seller, hold it against the seller. With plentiful choices of cellular service providers- one could "punish" some for life.
I once had a bad experience with American Airlines. They chose "maximize profits" over doing the right thing for a plane full of people including me & mine. I still go out of my way- some 12 years later- to NOT fly American Airlines, including paying more to competitors for some flights to NOT give AA new revenue.
When I was younger, select banks started fee'ing "too small" accounts... which- when young- is typically normal account sizes. I dropped those banks over that issue and now- many years later and with much more cash (and thus a much more desirable banking customer)- still go out of my way to never do business with them... even if they are just one of several banks in on some transaction/deal.
If enough consumers would "punish" the wrong-doers with
ACTION, sellers will learn to change or eventually be replaced. Unfortunately, too many consumers "just pay" or switch back and usually get it put to them again... and again. Why this keeps happening is it is more $ucce$$ful than not doing such stuff. Consumers reward bad behavior in the most tangible of ways... which naturally leads to
more bad behavior.
Consumers withholding money is a VERY POWERFUL tool to shape how consumers are to be treated, correct bad behaviors or even put particularly exploitive entities out of business...
IF consumers as a
group use that tool. As a side note: it is also the ULTIMATE, fasting-acting way to tame inflation... even drive pricing
DOWN (but that's for another thread).
If I were you, AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile would be on my "do no more business with" list... probably for life given how many other choices there are for cell service. There's
plenty of fish in that sea. Find one that cares about their customers enough to not try such shenanigans and/or keep adding brands to that list until you do. And if you do find a good one that is later acquired by one of the brands on your list, immediately change to another independent because you'll know what's coming.
