Amid pressure from the FCC and lawsuits, carriers have been easing their early termination fee (ETF) structures; T-Mobile has joined the effort and amended its fee policies.
T-Mobile will begin prorating fees for customers with new or renewing contracts starting on June 28. For customers with 91 to 180 days left on their contracts, the $200 fee drops to $100; customers with fewer than 91 days will be charged $50, and customers in the last 30 days of their contracts, the fee will be $50 or their standard monthly charge, whichever is less.
“T-Mobile continues to set the pace in offering customers a number of flexible plans and services that don’t require a contract to help them stay connected to those who matter most,” said Sue Nokes, chief customer and operations officer at T-Mobile USA, in an e-mail. “In addition, by providing this flexibility and choice, our hope is that T-Mobile customers will be happy customers for years to come.”
Verizon Wireless announced it was prorating ETFs nearly two years ago. AT&T began prorating the fees last November, and Sprint Nextel also has announced plans to revamp its fee structure, though it has yet to implement the policy.
