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T-Mobile is Hurting Chronic Illness Patients; CEO Could Care Less

T-Mobile has recently decided to move along with the decision to remove the five dollar per line autopay discount from users who pay via credit card, apple pay, and Google Pay for the phone bills. For those with chronic illnesses, this is devistating. Let's dive into the problems with doing something like this and continuing to chose to be tone deaf to those begging for this not to happen.

Those who have chronic illnesses are largely just barely, if at all, making ends meet financially. You have families struggling to chose between eating and medications. You have people rationing medications because they can't afford to get all their prescriptions or pay for their treatments. Some of these treatments require cell phones. Having a family remain safe in a modern world requires cell phones. Cell phones contain apps and the ability for people to track their health. The service that comes with this does too.

In a recent patient support group, out of 50 patients present, 35 of them were affected by this change happening. People were in tears and terrified. Why? Because they require the connectivity the company offers them with the ability to keep their family connected together, and to be able to live their lives safely, efficiently, and as healthy as possible. For them, their payment dates don't line up correctly. They have to use credit to make their phone payments so that they have the services they need to work, to attend and find treatments, to track their health conditions, and so much more. Some have watches and connected devices they purchased to be able to help themselves. The only way they were ever able to gain access to these services was because of T-Mobile. Now they're stuck. They have payments due, and with this upcoming change they have no choice but to either cancel service (which they can't do because the company sold them new items before this became a reality advertising to them that well because of the autopay discount you're only really paying X amount per month now, so they were totally mislead.).
Multiple people shared the same sentiments. They had inquired if there would ever be something that these per line discounts would be taken away. They were told no, never. T mobile will always have these discounts no matter how you pay.
But meanwhile, that wasn't the case. They were lied to unknowingly by employees who were mislead to believe this too.

Now I am sitting in a support group with over 20 patients devistated, hurting, afraid. And they all tried contacting T-Mobile and all got the same responses that brushed them off.

The CEO had even said that it's only a smaller number of users who pay by credit anyways so it's not a big deal. You know who that small amount of customers is? It's us. It's those of us with chronic illnesses who missed a day of work this week because of a flare up and are now missing pay because FMLA doesn't Gurantee you any form of pay. It's us who have every last penny budgeted with nothing left over because of the rising costs of groceries and medications, it's us who have multiple lines because we have families, and it's us who are stuck when these payments don't align having to decide if we're going to have our medications or not because our phones double as a medium for us to access treatments and apps that are prescribed as part of our treatments. 5 dollars a line may not seem like alot, but in reality it's a ton for us.

The most disheartening and truly awful part of this is that the CEO could care less. He makes excuses about it and brushes it off, acting like it's totally no big deal. But for us it's a huge deal. For us we don't have the luxury of just simply changing how we pay. For us we don't have the luxury to be able to give up that 5 dollars a line. It's really not much to ask to just leave this the way it is. It's really not. I've been in on earnings calls. I've seen the margins of profit. Anyone can. And they're not hurting by any means. Yet the CEO thinks it's ok to just hurt people like this and not give a single care in the world. His words are empty. Actions are what speak, especially from CEOs. The most basic way to invest in your customers is to not do this. The company constantly touts all these charitable initiatives they participate in. But when their own customers are in great need, it's apparently just too much to ask for them to do the right thing.

To the CEO Mike Sievert, when you have chronic illnesses changes like this can be life or death, housing or no housing, medications or no medications. You don't have to budget to your last penny. You're lucky. You get sick and it doesn't matter to your wallet. But for us? It's like smacking the medications out of our hands. There's nothing left in the wallets. It's so harmful beyond belief. I've never seen people so upset over a change for a phone plan. But they are and it's for good reason. Don't write this off. Don't write them, us, off. I'm begging you. Patients are begging you. Just please listen. I don't understand why you don't seem to care and why you seem to just be plugging your ears and saying, but it's only a small amount of users. There's a reason Mike. It's us. It's those of us with chronic illnesses. It's those of us with rare diseases. We're that small group and it's killing us. Just please stop. You have that power. Exercise it before it's too late. You can't say nobody ever said anything because they have. You just are choosing not to listen. We're begging you to listen. Did you learn nothing from the pandemic we all just went through together?

(Note: it's not as simply as just switching phone plans for people. The company openly has advertised to us for years oh it's only this much a month with autopay and autopay has always meant it's only so much with autopay and it doesn't matter how you pay. They would present it in stores by saying things like "so you're really only paying this much a month.". They mislead people into believing that this was their monthly rates and then lead them to believe they wouldn't be paying more for it. They lead them to believe the price with autopay was the full on price of the plan alot of times. Now people are stuck. They're basically screwed over and the company could care less. They have balances due on devices that have to be paid off to switch networks. Or to switch to a prepaid option, etc. But prepaid options aren't doable for a lot of people. They just aren't. The cost ends up far too much and the service is lackluster at best leaving them vulnerable if something happens medically.)

Normally I wouldn't write about this here, but the sheer number of times in support groups this has come up lately is beyond alarming.

#consumer
#affordability
#ChronicIllness
#PhoneAnxiety
#PhoneAppsForPain
#cost
#PatientAdvocacy
#advocate
#LGBTQIA

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No one talked about it.

No one talked about it. Yanno talk about mental health, any aspect relative to it..

My parents didn't tell me about any of it. They didn't give me any warnings or prepare me for what life could throw my way. They were too caught up on their own messy life struggling with their own mental health, but forgot the ones who relied on them were struggling too.

Adults in my life didn't talk about the reality of how hard life can be, all the emotions you will feel and how to deal with them especially pain (personally the hardest one), the confusing series of events you may go through, or how to even cope with loosing someone you loved.

There was too much left unsaid, not understood, lingering questions with no one to give answers I desperately needed as a child. I had to learn everything the hard way when it never had to be that way, it could've been so different.

So here I am talking about anything and everything. I couldn't continue the cycle which was never acknowledged to even have the chance to be broken..

Here I still am. I'm still here and there's a reason for that. I've gone through so much trauma, hardship, health issues, and pain by age 26. Neverminded the struggles and difficultly navigating my way through life and healing as a single mom of two beautiful daughters, ages 7 and soon-to-be 3 year old.

No one talked about it, but I talk about it now. I will continue to always discuss mental health and every aspect relative to it, especially with my children.

#Childhood #Stigma #genrationaltrauma #Breakthecycle #Family #MentalHealth #Awareness #Parenting #Life #Pain #Communication #Children #Singlemom #hardship #survive #speakout #childrensvoices #Health #advocate #makechange #Hope #childrenarethefuture #teachchildren #selfawareness #healingjourney

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My Documentary: Diagnosis Uncertain #viisquad #HealthDocumentary #advocate #justice #HealthcareProviders #Documentary

Hey guys, this is my Documentary. We're hoping to turn it into a series since I have a lot of ongoing things and discoveries. If anyone has any recommendations on where to submit this, please let me know. Also, please let me know if you have an interest in sharing your story. I've been treated TERRIBLY by the healthcare system, and I'm the one suffering and paying for it ultimately. There's some sinister stuff happening within the system, and I'm making a stand. youtu.be/z2janL-IySY

Diagnosis: Uncertain

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Dear illness

Dear illness,

I remember that day in November 2009 the night the stage lights went off…
When you couldn’t act anymore,
Couldn’t hold your head up
Breathe
As the panic of your thoughts and going on another day were choking you.
I remember you thinking, “people like me don’t go crazy” as you sat locked up in your dress clothes and lies.
I remember them taking off your makeup and how you felt exposed
How you felt you failed everyone.
I want to say
Thank you.
For telling the truth, for being vulnerable, for continuing everyday...

Thank you for not giving up.

Love always, Wellness

#Bipolar #BipolarDepression #MentalHealth #Depression #Healing #Recovery #wellness #advocate #SuicidePrevention #MentalIllness

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I am new to The Mighty

Hi, my name is Alex Hatch. I had a stroke when I was 10 & I never fit any of the normal molds with my disability. If anybody has ever felt this way please reach out to me. I would love to exchange stories with you & let you know that you are not alone.

#TheMighty #mystory #Stroke #PediatricStroke #advocate

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Advocate for yourself. #advocate #TreatmentresistantDepression #TRD

If you could stand up at thanksgiving dinner and tell everyone one thing that you’d like them to know about your illness, what would it be?
I would tell them that TRD is a real thing and it’s extremely exhausting.

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Surviving

hello my name is saida i am 25 years old and I am diagnosed with mental health disabilities and other disabilities as well

I struggle a lot and I also have been through so much in my life I know what it is like to struggle with mental health and so much more

I wrote all about my struggles because I want others to feel that they have support and a strong advocate too

Here’s the links to all of my writing materials I have done

www.wattpad.com/story/259234397

drewsloversmoon.wordpress.com/2021/01/03/my-journey

#MentalHealth #Disabled #PTSD #advocate #Autism

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CURING HUMANITY

I’m a 19-year-old college advocate hoping to reach the FDA to promote the accelerate of cures/vaccines for incurable diseases. Please help by signing the petition and promoting it to your social media if you agree with my petition. We can start by passing the Promising Pathway Act Bill.

For more information read my petition…

www.change.org/p/janet-woodcock-m-d-accelerate-the-developme...

iamals.org/action/promising-pathway-act

** TAKES LESS THAN 3 MINS COMBINED TO COMPLETE **

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