T-Mobile USA review: Service

On July 14, 2026, I lost my Samsung S-25+ phone and immediately contacted the T-Mobile helpline. I was informed that the phone could not be disabled through the helpline alone and that I would need to visit a T-Mobile store to report the phone as stolen and have it disabled. I followed those instructions and went to the store.
Upon arriving at the T-Mobile store located at 300 S. Highland Springs in Banning, I explained that my phone had been stolen. The representative requested the phone number so the device could be disabled. I then asked whether I could purchase a replacement phone because I did not believe my original phone would be recovered. The representative did not inform me that another solution may have been available and instead asked whether I wanted to purchase a phone at that store or at Best Buy. Since I was already at the store, I agreed to purchase the replacement there. I paid a $135.00 down payment and agreed to monthly payments of $45.00 for a Samsung S-26+ upgrade because I was told that S-25+ phones were no longer available and were no longer being sold. When I asked whether the representative could set up the phone, he stated that he could not, and I left the store without receiving setup assistance.
The following day, I received a call on the new phone informing me that my original phone had been recovered and that I could pick it up at 10:00 a.m., which I did. I then attempted to return the S-26+ phone; however, the same representative refused to accept the return because the phone had not been restored to its original factory settings. When I asked whether he could reset the phone for me, he said he could not and stated that I needed to do it on my own. I explained that I was not familiar with the process and asked for assistance, but he stated that he did not know how to reset the phone to factory settings. Because he was a T-Mobile representative and was unable or unwilling to assist with a basic return requirement, I found the response unacceptable. I informed him that I would contact the corporate office. He then requested the S-26+ phone that I was attempting to return and removed the SIM card. When I asked why the SIM card was being removed, he stated that it was store policy.
When I contacted the corporate office, I was informed that my recovered phone was not operational because the store representative had not enabled it for use. After several attempts to restore the S-26+ phone to factory settings, corporate support was unable to complete the reset because verification codes were required on my S-25+ phone. Since the S-25+ had been disabled and could not transmit data back to the corporate office, the issue could not be resolved in the manner expected. As a result, corporate support decided to provide me with a replacement phone.
Based on my experience and the information provided by T-Mobile corporate support, the store representative should not have failed to assist me. He was not helpful, did not provide appropriate customer support, and did not make a reasonable effort to resolve the issue. His primary concern appeared to be completing the sale rather than assisting with the return or helping restore the phone to factory settings. I do not believe customers should be placed in this type of situation, and I would caution others before doing business at the T-Mobile store located at 300 S. Highland Springs in Banning. In my opinion, the store did not treat me fairly and failed to provide the level of service that customers should expect.