What T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all have in common? A very strange obsession with pennies
– freedomwider, Reddit, July 2025
– Difficult_Ad_5528, Reddit, July 2025
And it's not just one or two cases. Some people end up ignoring the whole thing because, seriously, who has the time to deal with this nonsense?
– akhil1980, Reddit, July 2025
What's the most ridiculous thing a phone carrier has done to you?
Charged me for literal pocket change.
Sent endless bills for $0.00.
Made me jump through hoops just to cancel.
Promised a deal, then disappeared.
Honestly? I've blocked it out for my own sanity.
Charged me for literal pocket change.
0%
Sent endless bills for $0.00.
0%
Made me jump through hoops just to cancel.
0%
Promised a deal, then disappeared.
0%
Honestly? I've blocked it out for my own sanity.
0%
It's wild to think these carriers are actually spending more chasing these pennies than they're worth. And for what? From what most users say, anything under $20 usually doesn't even go to collections – let alone hit your credit report. But that doesn't stop the flood of reminders, which means your account just keeps hanging around, never fully closed.
It's wild to think these carriers are actually spending more chasing these pennies than they're worth. And for what? From what most users say, anything under $20 usually doesn't even go to collections – let alone hit your credit report. But that doesn't stop the flood of reminders, which means your account just keeps hanging around, never fully closed.
– a_PRIORItastic, Reddit, July 2025
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Honestly, with all the billing errors , weird fees and shady charges that sometimes show up , wouldn't it make more sense for the carriers to just waive these tiny leftover amounts and let people go in peace?
But nah – that's not how it works. So expect the cycle to continue: users getting annoyed, switching carriers, or simply roasting them online for these absurd little things that somehow turn into big annoyances.
We've reached out to
T-Mobile ,
Verizon and
AT&T for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
And of course, people are starting to fight back… with creativity. Some are suggesting mailing in 33 pennies. Others are writing a check for 34 cents, which then leads to even more mail from the carrier – this time to let them know they now have a 1-cent credit. One person even suggested marching into a store with the exact number of pennies in hand.
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All phone carriers have a special talent: driving people up the wall. Doesn't matter where you live or which one you're signed up with – T-Mobile Verizon or anyone else – they all somehow manage to make things more complicated than they need to be.Maybe it's because we depend on our phones so much these days that we expect everything to run smoothly, or maybe… just maybe, these companies have some kind of secret pact to make things just a little bit harder for everyone.Now, that is a joke — but after hearing what users are sharing online, you'd think it's actually true. Some of the stories are so ridiculous they're almost funny… almost. Recently, a T-Mobile customer shared online that they were stuck trying to pay 33 cents on their final bill. Sounds easy, right? Nope.Turns out the minimum payment allowed over the phone is $5. Online? Minimum is $3. And if you try to pay in-store, there's a $5 fee just to do it. So yeah, it's not the setup for a sitcom, it's just reality.Sure, if you get lucky and land a helpful rep in-store or contact's T-Force support team on social media, the fee might get waived. But honestly, the fact that you even have to go through all that for pocket change is just plain annoying.
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