No Text Messages Please

I'm in the middle of a problem with T-Mobile. Sometimes, I receive text messages (or phone calls) from wrong numbers. Sometimes, I've given my cellular phone number to friends or acquaintances or students or cast members that text me instead of calling me and I have to tell them that I don't have text messaging on my calling plan and that each text message costs me 15 cents. They don't text me any more, but it's still an annoyance that I was charged 15 cents for something that I didn't request and that I have absolutely no control over.

I called T-Mobile Customer Care last week and argued with a person I couldn't understand (he needed to speak more slowly and enunciate) and this person's supervisor. The bottom line was that it's "not currently possible" for T-Mobile to block text messages from my account. I sent an email to T-Mobile's customer care explaining how this was not acceptable to me and received the following response:

Dear DeShawn Smith,

Hi DeShawn, my name is ***** and thank you for contacting T-Mobile and giving me the chance to help you today. I see you emailed online customer care about blocking text messages. I know how frustrating it is to receive unwanted messages, I am sorry that you are considering cancelling your service because of this safety feature.

Regrettably, DeShawn we cannot block text messages as this is our primary way of providing you with updates, passwords and reminders; you will not be charged for any text messages sent from T-Mobile. This is done for your security to ensure that you are notified of any account changes to help protect against unauthorized changes. I am sure you would be unhappy if someone made changes to your plan without your permission and we never notified you.

It is not possible to adjust any text messaging charges DeShawn, I am sorry you were not aware of this before. Please alert the police if you are being harassed for that would be a legal matter.

DeShawn if you cancel before your contract end date there would be a $200.00 Early Termination Fee for a $400 total. If you still want to terminate your service your request must be done over the phone as we are not able to do so via email. I regret I am unable to fulfill your request today. We value your business and our customer care team is on hand seven days a week to discuss your service.

If you have any new questions DeShawn, please reply referencing case # #######. You can call business care toll free at 1-800-375-1126 or 611 then SEND from your phone and we will be happy to help you. Thank you DeShawn, for being a valued T-Mobile customer since September of 2006.

Sincerely,
******* *. Rep ID ########
Customer Care Specialist
T-Mobile USA

Yes, that email was completely useless. It didn't give me any information that I didn't already have. I was relieved that he didn't cancel my contract (I hadn't requested that my contract be canceled, just that I wasn't going to continue after my contract lapsed), but I wasn't given a satisfactory reason for the lack of ability to block text messages. So this morning, I sent this response back to customer care:

Case # #######

Thank you, *****.

What you are telling me makes absolutely no sense from a logical standpoint. My previous cellular phone service blocked all text messages, yet still sent me text messages about updates, passwords, and reminders and did not charge me for the text messages. Another previous cellular phone service did not charge me for the first dozen (or so?) text messages I received each month, realizing that I was probably receiving text messages meant for another number or that sometimes, inconsiderate people would send me text messages even though I had specifically asked them NOT to do so. If the first option is not available, why would the second option not be available? It's really not a difficult thing.

I never requested that my contract be canceled before the contract end date, so I'm certainly glad you were unable to fulfill what was incorrectly perceived to be a request.

As a software engineer and Certified Information Systems Security Practitioner, (https://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/content.cgi?category=97) I am constantly concerned with the security of software. I am always looking for the latest exploits and attacks and how they could be used to compromise the security of the software that I write. I know how easy it would be for a hacker to write a simple script that could send a flood of hundreds, or even thousands of text messages to a phone number (via a service such as Yahoo! Instant Messenger) that would each appear to come from a different number, therefore making the "feature" of blocking single numbers useless against such an "attack." Someone would need only my cellular phone number to write such a script and cause hundreds of dollars worth of charges to appear on my account without my consent. From a security perspective, not allowing a customer to block text messages not originating from T-Mobile is a potential nightmare.*

I know that you are a customer care specialist and that your job is to handle jerks like me who call/email and complain about things that you have absolutely no control over. Is there someone else that I could contact in a product management or marketing type role (i.e. NOT customer care) that would be able to discuss this situation with me?

I'm happy to have been a valued T-Mobile customer since September, 2006. I can assure you that I will continue to be a valued T-Mobile customer until September, 2008 when my current contract expires. Unless something is done to make me a HAPPY T-Mobile customer before September, 2008, I will opt against renewing my contract.

Thank you,

DeShawn Smith

*Please do not misconstrue this hypothetical situation as a threat of any kind. As a Certified Information Systems Security Practitioner, I am bound by a code of ethics that would preclude me from any such illegal or unethical behavior.

We'll see what they have to say. I doubt they'll ever give me the contact information for anyone who can actually make any kind of decision. If anyone reading this has T-Mobile and wants to invite me to send them 10,000 text messages within a 24-hour period as a proof of concept, it would be a fun exercise to try. If you invited me to write a script that would send you 10,000 text messages, it would be neither illegal nor unethical behavior to do so. Of course, don't do such a thing unless you have unlimited text messaging as part of your rate plan.