T-Mobile is playing by "IGBYGB" rules?

I am sorry and this is not directly Sidekick (4G or any other model) relate but in an indirect way it is!

If you have been a long time Sidekick user you are surely frustrated at MS' move to buy Danger Inc. and now the fact that T-Mobile is (forced to?) discontinuing your Sidekick specific services.

At the same time for many of us "SK users" there seemed to be "light at the end of the tunnel" when the Sidekick 4G Android based phone was announced. Many of us thought wow, there is something we can move on to after all. We pretty much "knew" after some time that our so precious $19.99 all-you-can-eat DATA & TEXT packages were doomed, as they have been for years now, for new "signup-ees". Yet we it seemed maybe there is hope as various blog sites including my own calls to 611 (numerous of times) indicated that long time SK users would be eligible for special promotions and discounts.

Well having talked to customer service (611) and loyalty department now about 4 hours total in the past 2 weeks, and having purchased two SKs in my local corporate store on two different numbers, I can say there is ZERO consistency within T-Mobile right now. Not only does not one department have any clue what the other department is offering/promoting. One prime example is the screen-shot (and link by clicking on it) above. This was tweeted on April 28th no-one within T-Mobile sales was able to located such a package and insisted that I had misunderstood something! 

Now if you start looking at the numbers you will soon realize that T-Mobile is just shuffling figures around to distort the true picture! For instance if you take a look at T-Mobile current Family Plans you will notice that all and any plans that have DATA included also have UNLIMITED TEXTing included. Including the "low end" ones I chose to include in the screen-shot below (clickable picture takes you to their site):

So why is this important? Well remember the $19.99 all-you-can-eat DATA and text plan mentioned above? Well it appears that T-Mobile is CLAIMING to be grandfathering these to some Sidekick 4G users. However with a twist they charge for TEXT. For instance long time Sidekick user Mike Chapman  /ncmacsl was one that got treated to such a "deal" and while he seems to be perfectly content with it, to me it is just added proof how T-Mobile is joggling numbers around to their benefit and to create a vast smoke screen to the users!

When I called in to check what my options are for some cheaper monthly plan from the $80+ I originally signed on for with 500 minutes and 5GB ($30) data plan, I too was presented with a $10 option where they would "give" me the data not for $30 but for $20 however after he talked about a number of other things he at the end added "there will be a $10 fee for unlimited texting"bringing the end total to the exact same figure! At this point I finally then got the information about the VB (voice barred) package for $49.99 (after pushing for alternatives or&informing him I would "have to leave" T-Mobile if not) and this is what I am on currently as of the past five days. But now I run into this information:

This (if accurate?) would not only indicate that they in fact do allow for $19.99 data packages for the SK 4G (as was 100% denied to me over at TMo Loyalty Department, indicating "If I could do it for you I would") but even that they are allowing DATA ONLY packages not even at the 2004 price rate of $29.99 but even lower!?

T-Mobile at this point I feel you need to do some explanations as to what is up with you UP FRONT PUBLIC plans & rates and the ones you offer "behind closed doors" (read when people call in and really threaten to leave you!)

I am sure this all has to do with the AT&T acquisition pending and the half a million customers having left T-Mobile the first quarter of this year:

But frankly that should be of no concern to the consumer / user (not at this time nor frankly at any point). These HIDDEN PLANS and offerings are just creating a jungle that it appears not even T-Mobile internally has any clue what they are up to. To me it just seems like everyone there is running in their own direction prior to the ship sinking!? Seems to be a case of IBGYBG if you ask me!