T-Mobile: The opposite of Brand Harmony.

I just got a text message on my T-Mobile phone that read:

"Free T-Mobile msg: Try a text message package. 1000 messages for just $6.99/month, FREE for the first month! Visit www.t-mobile.com/text or dial 611."

First, I find it ridiculously hypocritical that a mobile carrier who undoubtedly puts significant effort towards preventing text message spam (or at least publicly whines about the phenomenon) would itself send text message spam to its own customers!

Second, I already have a text message package from T-Mobile. They're spamming me on my mobile phone about a service I already pay them for monthly!

So, in my infinite anger, I write a surprisingly calm email to T-Mobile and attempt to submit it via the contact form on their web site:

I just got a text message from 7077 that reads "Free T-Mobile msg: Try a text message package. 1000 messages for just $6.99/month, FREE for the first month! Visit www.t-mobile.com/text or dial 611."

Please do not send advertisements to my phone. I'm sure you spend significant efforts to prevent sms-spam, so why would you generate it yourself? If I ever receive sms-spam from you again, I will cancel my T-Mobile service and move to a different carrier. Please forward this to whomever came up with the genius idea to spam your own customers.

First, their site helpfully tells me:

Look what we found! These articles have helped other people who had a similar question. If none of these answer your question, click "Continue" below and we will collect your contact information.

Nokia N-Gage QD Troubleshooting

Samsung D415 Troubleshooting

Motorola C650 Troubleshooting

Motorola V600 Troubleshooting

Samsung E715 Camera Phone Troubleshooting

Nope. My problem isn't with the N-Gage or a Samsung E715 Camera Phone. Let's ignore their "findings", and click Continue!

Here goes . . .

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We are experiencing temporary web site issues. Please try back again later. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

I don't need to express my frustration at this point, because it's undoubtedly a feeling you've all experienced at some point or another! It's the antithesis of what Steve Yastrow refers to as Brand Harmony in his wonderful book.

T-Mobile has really screwed this one up big time.