Total Wireless Struggles with Billing Issues as Promo Prices Disappear Again

In late August, Total Wireless launched an exceptional promotion for customers switching from a T-Mobile brand. The offer provided an unlimited 5G data plan with priority data for just $15 per line to multi-line customers, accompanied by a five-year price lock guarantee. Although this promotion expired on September 30, 2024, another attractive deal was introduced in September, which remains available today. This new offer extends the same unlimited 5G data plan to single-line BYOD customers at a rate of $25 per month, also with a five-year price lock.

However, these promotions appeared to be rolled out rather quickly, before Total Wireless's payment systems and customer support were fully prepared to handle them. Many customers, including myself, encountered issues where the plans initially did not display the correct renewal rates in their accounts. For example, as a two-line customer on the multi-line plan, my renewal rate should have been $30 per month. Instead, my account showed a renewal rate of $85 for two lines. Customer support was unable to help in fixing the pricing and could do nothing more than say everything will be fine and call us back near renewal date if it hasn't updated.

Frustrated, many customers took matters into their own hands by contacting the company's corporate office or filing complaints with the FCC and BBB to try and get their prices fixed. While some customers had their billing updated automatically in time before their renewals, others, myself included, had to resort to these alternative methods to correct the pricing.

Ongoing Billing Issues Surface Again

Recently, new complaints about similar billing issues have emerged. Subscribers took to Reddit to report that their multi-line promo pricing had unexpectedly reverted to standard pricing. The thread now has over 100 comments. My account is among those affected, once more showing an $85 upcoming renewal rate for November instead of $30. If you have been impacted, you can let me know by leaving a comment below or by discussing it in the BestMVNO forums.

Comment
byu/Own-Regret-2255 from discussion
inTotalWireless

I contacted customer support about the issue and it's hard to say how helpful they really were. When I first explained the problem, the representative stated that I didn't see the $30 rate for two lines because the promotion had expired. While it's true that the promotional period ended, the plan included a five-year price guarantee, which I pointed out. I also mentioned that I had paid $30 for my first two bills, information they should have been able to verify.

Support then went to check some things in my account and then they asked me a couple of questions that to me seemed unnecessary. One question they asked is if I'm the one who activated on the website. They then asked where I see this payment info. The rep then proceeded to tell me that everything is ok and my next refill will be for the same amount and nothing has changed until the next bill. The comments made by support were rather vague and unclear to me. I had to reiterate that my bill showed $85 for the next cycle when it should be $30. Eventually, the agent claimed to have escalated the issue to a higher department and told me I should see the correct payment information on the website in about four days. Given the ongoing billing problems with their recent promotions, I remain skeptical.

Update: Total Wireless Responds

A representative from Total Wireless has reached out to issue the following statement:

"We are aware of an issue affecting a small number of Total Wireless accounts, in which customers who were eligible for promotional pricing did not receive it. We have identified the root cause and are in the process of correcting the issue and refunding any customers who may have been incorrectly charged."

Since originally publishing this article, my account has been updated to have the correct promo pricing. Some Reddit users are now reporting the correct pricing for their lines has been restored as well. 

Total Wireless’s Billing Issues Tarnish Otherwise Attractive Promotions

It's unfortunate that Total Wireless is experiencing so many issues with their billing system, and their customer support seems unable to effectively address the problems. These issues detract from what are otherwise great promotional offers.

As both a Total Wireless subscriber and an industry observer, I hope the company will improve its communication with customers regarding these issues. Providing clear explanations about the problems and outlining how and when they will be resolved could help alleviate customer concerns and build trust and loyalty with their user base.