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Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Philadelphia man took an offer from T-Mobile that seemed ‘too good to be true' — and his next bill proved his gut right
Joe Dipiero was a happy T-Mobile customer for more than two decades when the company offered him an incredible deal — though perhaps a little too incredible. When Dipiero decided to set up a separate internet connection for his plumbing business, he naturally decided to go with his trusted carrier. After all, the Dipiero family had been on the T-Mobile family plan for a long time. Don't miss Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it A few months after that internet connection was set up, a T-Mobile sales rep called Dipiero offering what sounded like an incredible deal if he migrated the family's phone plan over to the business account. According to the sales rep, for just $170 a month, the Dipiero family would get four free iPhones — three iPhone 16 Pros and one iPhone 15 — as well as upgrades to the family's modems. 'I thought it was too good to be true,' Dipiero told NBC10 Responds. Despite Joe's reservations, the Dipieros made the switch. But about a month later, Joe logged into his T-Mobile account and found a bill for $515.90 — more than three times the amount that he agreed to. 'There's just no way this is happening' Dipiero went on to spend several months locked in a battle with T-Mobile over his bill. After struggling to get in touch with the rep who sold him the plan, the rep eventually told Dipiero that the $515.90 bill was an error and that T-Mobile was 'looking into it.' However, Dipiero was shocked when the next month's bill came with a $821.59 charge. 'I was like, 'There's just no way this is happening,'' he said. When he told the sales rep he was ready to send back the phones and cancel the plan, the rep told him not to pay the bill, assuring Dipiero that T-Mobile was 'taking care of it.'' But the rep was wrong. Dipiero then started receiving repeated text messages from T-Mobile threatening to shut off his phone for non-payment, which the carrier eventually did. 'And at that point, I lost it,' Dipiero recalled. Sick of getting the runaround, the Dipieros reached out to NBC10 Responds for help. When the investigative team reached out to T-Mobile for comment, the company once again said it was 'looking into it.' Two weeks later, T-Mobile said the matter had been forwarded to the company's Care Team. A senior manager then reached out to Dipiero and said T-Mobile would take care of everything. Dipiero's next bill, coming in at -$334.45, reflected that promise. That negative balance was the result of T-Mobile clearing the previous bills and crediting the Dipieros's account for fees paid during the ordeal. While T-Mobile told NBC10 Responds that it could not share customer details, the company did provide a statement. 'If customers make changes to their account after their initial account setup without working with our Care Team, there could be impacts to their promo eligibility,' T-Mobile said in its statement. The Dipieros, however, only worked with the sales rep that sold the plan to the family and were never advised to speak with the Care Team. Read more: Americans are 'revenge saving' to survive — but millions only get a measly 1% on their savings. T-Mobile's alleged overbilling is well documented This is not the first time T-Mobile has been in the news over accusations of overcharging customers. In 2024, a T-Mobile customer was overcharged $5,704 over 23 months after he canceled six business lines, according to the U.S. Sun. When the customer raised the issue with T-Mobile, the company said it would only give the customer a refund from the last 90 days. Now, nearly two dozen frustrated customers have launched a class-action lawsuit in California against T-Mobile, claiming the company has been charging customers a hidden fee disguised as a government-mandated charge. The fee in question is called the "Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery Fee," which the company introduced in 2004 and costs $3.49 per line each month. T-Mobile allegedly bundled this charge in the "Government Taxes and Fees" section of its customer's bills. How to fight back against overbilling When facing unexpected charges, consumers aren't without recourse. Several federal and state regulations provide specific protections against deceptive telecom billing practices. The FCC's Truth-in-Billing rules require carriers to describe all charges in plain language and refrain from providing misleading descriptions of charges. State consumer protection laws often provide additional safeguards, as many state attorneys general actively investigate telecom billing complaints, with the power to secure refunds and penalties for violations. If you find yourself in a similar situation as the Dipiero family, here are a few steps you can take to address the issue: Contact the company responsible for overbilling and let them know about your issue Document all communications with the company's representatives Request written confirmation of any promised promotions or rates If the company isn't helpful, file complaints with the FCC or your state's attorney general If all else fails, contact your local news outlet to expose the company's overbilling As the Dipieros discovered, media pressure can be effective when consumer complaints fail. "I think you guys did an awesome job," said Dipiero of NBC10 Responds's assistance. What to read next Robert Kiyosaki warns of 'massive unemployment' in the US due to the 'biggest change' in history — and says this 1 group of 'smart' Americans will get hit extra hard. Are you one of them? How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Solve the daily Crossword
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Citizen
FNB nav» uses gamification to reward and improve money management habits among South Africans
The use of gamification is key to influencing behavioural change in the financial services industry. The most critical tasks and habits for better life outcomes are often the most difficult to implement. In fact, the world's largest online behavioural science destination, Psychology Today, outlines that bad habits are easy and good habits are hard. This reality extends across all parts of the human experience, from forming habits and rituals that cultivate a healthy lifestyle to those that ensure healthy personal finance and money management. Fortunately, global experts like game designer Nick Pelling, who was once tasked with developing game-like interfaces for ATMs and vending machines, developed the theory of 'gamification' after realising that game mechanics and concepts could be applied to non-gaming contexts. 'The use of gamification is key to influencing behavioural change in the financial services industry, where good habits can mean the difference between a healthy, secure bank balance and serious financial troubles. As we seek to provide meaningful help in the day-to-day lives of our customers at FNB, we combine integrated advice, technology and gamification to help them manage their money more effectively,' says Jolandé Duvenage, FNB's Chief Imagineer for nav». Milestone for FNB's nav» platform Incidentally, FNB recently announced a major milestone for its flagship nav» platform. Housed within its banking app and with USSD integration, the bank announced that 5 million customers now use its nav» Money tool, empowering millions of users with smart resources for personal finance management like budgeting. 'As we celebrate this milestone, we're also excited to give back to our customers by adding value to their lives beyond banking and rewarding their loyalty,' says Duvenage, adding that the success of nav» is also the success of the bank's customers. To mark the celebration of this milestone, FNB has designed a nav» Gamification Campaign geared towards encouraging customers to explore the nav» hub, take advantage of its powerful tools, and enter a competition for a chance to win amazing prizes, including: Mission 1: Win 1 of 10 PlayStation 5 Slimline consoles + 20 x R2000 KFC vouchers Mission 2: Win 1 of 10 iPhone 16 Pros + 20 x R2000 Nike vouchers Mission 3: Win the Haval H6 GT + 5 x fuel for a year in eBucks valued at R60 000 each 'The campaign went live on the FNB & RMB Private Bank App on 10 March — and we're already seeing some amazing engagement on social media. And it's more than just a competition, it's a chance to engage customers through exciting missions and tasks while, most importantly, improving their money management skills,' adds Duvenage. How to boost campaign entries The campaign, ending on 9 June 2025, has three missions allowing multiple entries per person – meaning better chances to win. Customers can boost their entries by: Completing app tasks on nav» (1 entry each) Finding and sharing the special competition badges on social media using the hashtag #FNBnavLife (100 entries each) Clicking and viewing offers in nav» (100 entries each) Switching their cheque account and transacting (100 entries each) To start playing, users can simply log on to the FNB Banking app, go to the nav» tab and follow the prompts. 'The success of FNB's nav» tool reflects the bank's commitment to delivering true help to our customers' lives in an innovative way that can really make a difference. And, as the platform continues to evolve, FNB remains focused on leveraging technology to create solutions that address the evolving challenges that South Africans continue to face – from financial inclusion to sustainability,' concludes Duvenage.
TimesLIVE
22-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Game on: explore FNB's powerful nav» tools and stand a chance to win
'The use of gamification is key to influencing behavioural change in the financial services industry, where good habits can mean the difference between a healthy, secure bank balance and serious financial troubles. As we seek to provide meaningful help in the day-to-day lives of our customers at FNB, we combine integrated advice, technology and gamification to help them manage their money more effectively,' says Jolandé Duvenage, FNB's chief imagineer for its flagship nav» platform, which is housed within the FNB Banking app and features USSD integration. The nav» platform includes 'innovative digital tools that are designed to simplify life for FNB's customers and help them make smart financial decisions for themselves and their businesses'. FNB recently announced that 5-million customers now use its nav» Money tool — a major milestone that sees the bank empowering millions of users with smart resources for personal finance management like budgeting. 'As we celebrate this milestone, we're also excited to give back to our customers by adding value to their lives beyond banking and rewarding their loyalty,' says Duvenage, adding that the success of nav» is also the success of the bank's customers. That's why FNB has designed a nav» gamification campaign geared towards encouraging customers to explore the nav» platform, take advantage of its powerful tools, and enter a competition where they can complete missions to stand a chance to win amazing prizes. This includes: Mission 1: Win 1 of 10 PlayStation 5 Slimline consoles plus 20 x R2,000 KFC vouchers; Mission 2: Win 1 of 10 iPhone 16 Pros plus 20 x R2,000 Nike vouchers; and Mission 3: Win a Haval H6 GT plus 5 x prizes of fuel for a year in eBucks valued at R60,000 each. 'The campaign went live on the FNB and RMB Private Bank App on March 10 — and we're already seeing some amazing engagement on social media. And it's more than just a competition; it's a chance to engage customers through exciting missions and tasks while, most importantly, improving their money management skills,' says Duvenage. The campaign, ending on June 9 2025, has three missions allowing multiple entries per person — meaning better chances to win. Customers can also boost their entries by: To start playing, users can simply log on to the FNB Banking app, go to the nav» tab and follow the prompts. 'The success of FNB's nav» tool reflects the bank's commitment to delivering true help to our customers' lives in an innovative way that can really make a difference. And, as the platform continues to evolve, FNB remains focused on leveraging technology to create solutions that address the evolving challenges that South Africans continue to face — from financial inclusion to sustainability,' says Duvenage.
