Eureka! Kind of...

There's been a continuing saga of my quest with T-Mobile to get a simple answer to the issue of why my T-Mobile phone won't roam to an area near my abode that has no coverage. I've even verified that ATT has coverage in the area. After too many 45 minute conversations that ended with no answers, I've been perpetually emailing them until some conclusion is reached. In my last email exchange, I suggested perhaps someone more technical, like an engineer could get involved here (I'm not sure why the customer has to be the one coming up with the good ideas). Oh, and by the way, I emailed them a link to TNL and showed them that this was more than just one little ol' customer at stake here (shoulda' done that sooner...). Anyway, here's the latest:

Dear Jonas,

Thank you once again for contacting T-Mobile. My name is Mike and I am very interested in addressing your inquiry today. Every issue a customer has is a concern to us, we do care. I do want to see that you always feel relaxed and at home with T-Mobile; you are important to us. I understand the importance of having your account setup to match your mobile needs and to satisfy all your network service needs. I definitely realize that this issue has been a long and arduous process of time and cost. From the emails previously reviewed and now knowing that the handsets in question are not the problem. We come back to the original problem of lack of coverage for your requested location. I regret that this has continued on so long since clear I see a problem way back in June of 2007.

I was also surprised to see that I had also corresponded with you back on February 24, 2008 with respect to the very same issue of no coverage. As I have previously stated the enhancements for the coverage area are scheduled but no date is finalized. Since scheduling is based on agreements, permits and authorization by local authorities to proceed with be it tower install or tower enhancement. The inability to roam manually since you do state ATT is covering that T-Mobile blind spot is not allowed by your handsets which is regrettable and most inconvenient.I have forward this to Technical Care for further resolution.

As a customer care agent in web correspondence I can only make one other suggestion to improve coverage for your current location.

Jonas, a new type of service which is designed to resolve your
particular problem of poor reception in your home is called the T-Mobile HotSpot@Home service. It was launched in spring of 2007.

T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service is based on Unlicensed Mobile Access
(UMA) technology and makes use of your home WiFi network or T-Mobile
HotSpot locations for voice calls and data services, in addition to
T-Mobile's robust GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. The service provides great
coverage in the home and offers unlimited nationwide calling for one lowprice for the calls placed over WiFi connections at home or at any T-Mobile HotSpot location nationwide. Jonas, you can use this T-Mobile Hotspot @Home option without the additional $19.99 per month Unlimited feature. Your usage will be deducted as per normal usage. However, the HotSpot @Home SOC does not give you unlimited international minutes when using WiFi to place calls. All international calls will be charged at the normal rate. Jonas, with one handset you can stay connected to family and friends while at home or away. No more reception problems!

Adding or removing this feature can be done through your online account management My T-Mobile. To change the features on your account, go to www.t-mobile.com and log in using your 10-digit mobile number and password. Once the web page has loaded then:

*Click the Plan & Services link.
*In Your Plan & Services, you can view the details of your current plan and the services associated with your account. Services currently active are check-marked.
*To add a service, place a checkmark beside the service you want.
*To remove a service, remove the checkmark from beside the service.
*To submit the changes click the Add or Change Services button.

If you have any further questions comments or concerns, you can reply to this email, call Customer Care 1-800-937-8997 or dial 6-1-1 from your handset and press the SEND key. Our Customer Care representatives are available 24 hours per day to provide world class customer service for all your T-Mobile needs.

Thank you for being a valued T-Mobile customer Jonas, we appreciate your business and patience.

Sincerely,

Mike XXXXXX
Customer Care Specialist
T-Mobile USA

Well, at least I have an answer as to why the phone isn't roaming. As usual, they're attempting to sell me another service, the HotSpot at Home. I thought at first that they were going to hook me up for free, but apparently not. While he does a great job of explaining the process of signing up on the account, he neglects to mention that I need a special phone that can do VoIP over WiFi so this isn't happening with my current gear. Also, there are no public WiFi hotspots in the area of no coverage, so this really wouldn't help my specific issue.

Still, to be fair, at least Mike reviewed all of my complaints, and came up with a better answer than "it's your phones" when it's not. These enhancements have been promised to be coming to my area since the summer (although I wasn't updated last month about them), so I'm not holding my breath. I think the company has to realize that if they can't deliver the goods before my contract expires in November, I'll find someone else that can, and I would only renew my contract if the coverage significantly improved.

--Jonas

PS: At least I'm not as fed up as this guy!