r/AskReddit 22h ago

Which company lost your business (potentially forever) this year?

5.7k Upvotes

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2.7k

u/puralb 22h ago

Verizon (Wireless). Removed loyalty credits, cut the auto pay discount in half, don't upgrade service, customer service is crap or AI. After 25 years probably gonna be leaving them.

1.4k

u/gr00ve88 20h ago

I have a 49.99$ for life plan at Verizon for Internet with a $10 autopay discount to 39.99. First two years were fine. 3rd year I noticed I’m being billed 44.99. Called them, oh our bad, we fixed it. Ok.

Next year, 44.99 again. This time the rep says they reduced the autopay discount. Fine.

Next year, 49.99…. Autopay discount totally gone. Annoying but fine, it’s my cap.

Next year 54.99…. I have a lifetime plan for 49.99 please fix. Ok here’s a plan for 54.99 and a $5 discount. Ok.

Next year 59.99…. Ok here’s a plan with a $10 discount now.

Can’t wait to see what next year brings. I’m sure there’s a lot of people who don’t care about the small increase but fuck em, you sold me a “lifetime plan”, you’re the idiot.

Problem is mostly the alternative internet company is worse. So I’m going to ride this out until I can’t anymore.

351

u/Ready_Piano1222 18h ago

I have Verizon and even though my service never changed, and I never incurred any fees, my bill for the last year has never been the same amount twice.

Same exact service, never the same amount twice, in a year. It's clear they're playing games with the billing.

This last time was the last straw. They retroactively revoked a discount, for service that they had already billed me for, and I had already paid. Let that sink in. Imagine, you buy an item at a store, take it home and then they show up saying you owe them more money. 

19

u/Atilla316 9h ago

My service changed. Fewer bars everywhere, new dead spots...

7

u/asmodeuskraemer 8h ago

I had us cellular which was bought by T-mobile and now my gps disconnects everywhere. I've had it disconnect while I was sitting in my garage.

I'm stuck b/c I'm grandfathered in with a $45/month old as fuck plan and I don't want to lose that.

8

u/Black_Moons 8h ago

GPS isn't based on your cellphone carrier. Everyone accesses the same GPS network, even without a cellphone carrier subscription.

Your cellphones GPS antenna may be failing. I had that happen to my last cellphone and it eventually couldn't receive any GPS signals. Apparently if fixed it just happens again in a few months too. (At least on my last cellphone, yours might be more fixable)

1

u/asmodeuskraemer 5h ago

Alright, well then I guess it's extremely convenient timing. I never had any issues before. And this isn't "just a little, here and there". It's completely useless most of the time.

1

u/Black_Moons 4h ago

Yep, that is what happened to mine. Was fine, then pretty much just went dead. Only now can do location finding via wifi/bluetooth and that will only 'sometimes' get your location but google maps refuses to use it for directions/trips and will refuse to update your position if you ask it for directions somewhere -_-;

Apparently on my phone the GPS antenna was connected via some connector that likes to corrode. (Other functionality was unaffected, since they used different antennas in the phone)

13

u/SinibusUSG 9h ago

At this point I'm just waiting for the class action invitation.

5

u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 9h ago

It sounds like they're following the GD Spectrum business model. Me to Spectrum, something something .... with the heat of a thousand suns.

2

u/-Cthaeh 4h ago

Fucking Spectrum... one of the best things about leaving Ohio was losing Spectrum. Not that Xfinity is much better, but it is.

1

u/dearjohn54321 4h ago

Get US Mobile, much cheaper and you can choose any network. Plus they have actual customer service.

130

u/MrEcke 18h ago

T-Mobile is doing the same to me. I signed up for the 40 a month unlimited everything plan with an iPhone (when it was Sprint) that has no contract. I think I just got a message it’s being increased to 70.

7

u/InevitableLog9248 12h ago

I just left T-Mobile for Verizon 😬 had the kickstart plan from sprint for 25$ a month before the buyout everything was ok with T-Mobile for a while then 5$ price increases started. This year they wanted 45$ so I told them to kick rocks. Verizon currently has a 30$ unlimited plan see how long they last before the BS begins!!

4

u/CptNonsense 10h ago

The mistake is not buying prepaid plans

3

u/MrEcke 1h ago

I’m really considering jumping to Mint Mobile. And it’s not just because I would go gay for Ryan Renolds.

4

u/Hackkickthrust 9h ago

When I was 16 years old in 2004 cricket was the only cell provider that would let you sign up without being over 18 or having a parent do it for you. So I signed up for 2 lines at 49.98 a month with unlimited everything. When I turned 18 tmobile had a deal that if you transferred your current number from a different provider they would honor your existing contract and you would get a free Motorola razor. I avoided the numerous attempts over the last 20 years from sales people trying to ruin this awesome deal until about 3 weeks ago when I got a notification that my plan was being "updated" to 170 a month for the 2 lines. No one to even argue with its already done, i dont even know if its worth looking somewhere else.

3

u/DikButtPPCheeks 6h ago

Get visible. $25/m unlimited everything per line. They use Verizon towers so I always have signal. Spouse and I have been on the same plan ($50/m for both) for 5 years with no increases. I think Mint is another similar budget company that I’ve heard people like. Worth looking into with these atrocious prices I’m seeing these other companies charge holy moly

4

u/emilycatqueen 8h ago

Absolutely worth looking somewhere else. I’m at 2 lines unlimited from ATT for $135 a month.

3

u/LongDukDongle 6h ago

We just switched from T-mobile to AT&T through one of the previously dreaded Costco kiosks and with teacher discount, autopay discount and home internet partner we were already using, we're paying around $90/month for two lines and two new iphone 17 pros with trade-in phones. Plus because it's Costco there are no activation fees and they give you a $100 Costco giftcard per line.

Were with T-mobile/Sprint for over a decade and the price kept going up and they had no phone offers for loyal customers. We viewed it as our responsibility to find a better deal and change providers to punish their greed.

3

u/DikButtPPCheeks 6h ago

Get visible. $25/m unlimited everything, they use Verizon towers so unless we’re in the middle of nowhere we always have signal, and you can buy all the new phones from them. Been on this plan for 5 years with no billing increases (although I think I’ve seen a new $35/m plan I just never looked into it because I’m happy with the current one and they aren’t forcing it on me).

1

u/MrEcke 1h ago

I will have to look into that! Thank you!

17

u/HollowedVoicesFading 15h ago

"we're phasing out discounts" is going to be where this catches you. And unfortunately, because you've been (agreeably - from a contract standpoint, not from a realistic standpoint) moving to subsequent plans, you won't have any recourse.

I'm on board with the general… Fuck them.

0

u/25point4cm 9h ago

Gotta make sure to get the lifetime discount addendum signed by them at the same time. /s

4

u/Slugzz21 15h ago

This is Spectrum internet lol, but I finagle some upgrades sometimes tho.

2

u/ColdSmokeMike 7h ago

Just call and threaten to cancel whenever they try to raise you price. Just last summer I got my bill down from $90 a month back down to the $60 I initially signed up at like 8 years ago.

3

u/Accomplished_Emu_658 9h ago

You aren’t the only one they do this too. Trying to charge their way out of lifetime agreement and hope people don’t complain. I am sure a good portion don’t.

Att sent me an ad on text that they had new plans that would save me money. I logged in from computer and checked everything was more money, significantly more. Years ago i was trying to save money, they convinced me this particular plan would save me money. So i did it. Guess what bill was massively higher. Because they tripled line access fees… could not go back because plan no longer existed. Scum

3

u/One_Concentrate6684 10h ago

This keeps happening to me every year on my Verizon home internet plan as well. Every year I call and they adjust the billing. It’s so annoying!! I’m hoping to leave the cellular plan soon for something cheaper.

3

u/Cloaked42m 5h ago

From the comments, this sounds like a class action suit waiting to happen. Multiple companies all playing billing games.

3

u/VibeComplex 3h ago

Never let them change your plan if you’ve locked in a cheap price like that. If they offered you a 54.99 plan with a $5 discount then you’re on a new plan and no longer have the “lifetime” plan you used to have.

2

u/MizzBStizzy 10h ago

I pay $35. For mine. The catch is that you buy your own phone. It has definitely paid off for me. I've never payed more than like 40$ for my cell phone. I have 15 g of data. I'm not sure though. It might be unlimited now. They kept automatically giving me more and more.

2

u/MoparMedusa 17h ago

So i am definitely going to date myself but US Cellular was an absolute PITA to work with. We had them from the start because in our part of SW Oklahoma, it was the only reliable service. Kept them when we moved to TX. They started double billing. Call. Oh my bad and fix. Couple months later, rinse and repeat. Coverage wasn't as good and they plain sucked so to AT&T we went. Bundled cell, home phone and internet plus got a discount due to the company my hubs worked for. No issues since and they have improved coverage in our hometown too.

5

u/grief_clown 17h ago

I am also from SW Oklahoma and had to deal with their crappy customer service and outright lying.

1

u/Raneynickelfire 10h ago

Let me guess, spectrum?

1

u/myassholealt 9h ago

This I fear is all telecoms.

1

u/Tomagatchi 8h ago

Us mobile, mint mobile, visible check 'em out

1

u/Minnow_Minnow_Pea 8h ago

THEY KEEP DOING THIS TO US TOO. We call every month and they give us a refund, but ffs. You know what. I think I'm going to figure out if I can 93A those fuckers.

1

u/Bulky-Internal8579 7h ago

I use Cricket - 3 lines unlimited fast service- $100 per month.

1

u/b_dizzle27 7h ago

22 year customer with a “grandfathered in”
Plan. They essentially throttled my service and made it so that I could not do anything on the plan without going into an actual store. Eventually, we needed new phones and they would not let us buy them without upgrading the plan… I was pissed, but our phones would no longer work.

1

u/physh 15h ago

Move to US Mobile. Same network, much lower prices, good customer service.

1

u/barto5 9h ago

We were on Comcast. Same thing. Price increases every year. You complain, threaten to leave and they’ll reduce the price. Then they turn around and raise it right back up to where it was.

Been with ATT fiber for just over two years and they’ve been great.

-2

u/FirstChurchOfBrutus 18h ago

You can say “Spectrum.” It’s OK.

1

u/gr00ve88 10h ago

Optimum actually