Refund for my returned phone

On October 10, I went to the store and ordered an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

On October 14, I called customer care and paid for the same phone, which had not been delivered to me yet. I spoke with Christie at that time.

On October 16, I still had not received the phone, so UPS returned it to T-Mobile’s warehouse. When I contacted customer care, they assured me that everything would be refunded. However, I only received $130, which covered taxes and the phone activation fee.

On November 4, I called customer care regarding my refund. They told me it would be processed in a week. The manager I spoke with provided the caller ID 58672 and assured me the refund would be issued. That never happened.

Since T-Mobile failed to refund my money, I raised a dispute with my credit card company. They provided me with a provisional credit, but I still had not received my refund from T-Mobile.

On December 9, I suddenly saw an immediate charge of $1,199.99 on my account. When I contacted support, they said it was due to my credit card company’s dispute process. A representative then waived the immediate charges, but now I am being told this was my refund. I need clarity—why was this charge added to my account in the first place?

On January 16, my credit card company informed me that the dispute was not accepted, meaning I had to pay the $1,199 out of my own pocket because T-Mobile refused to issue the refund.

I went to the T-Mobile store with all my proof—call recordings, screenshots, and credit card statements. The store agent called customer care and explained the entire issue. The representative on the phone said she would submit a form and that my refund would be processed within a week. That never happened. I never received a follow-up call.

Three days later, I called customer care again. This time, they asked for my routing and account number and told me my refund would be issued within 24 hours. That also never happened.

On January 30, I called again. The person I spoke with claimed he submitted another form and escalated my case to a higher authority. That never happened either. I even asked for compensation for all the stress and time wasted due to T-Mobile’s incompetence, but the agent refused. It has now been 18 days, and I still have not received my refund.

On February 17, I went to the store again with all my proof. The store agent called customer care on my behalf, but the representative started yelling, insisting that the refund had already been issued on December 9. The store agent tried to explain the situation and provide proof, but the representative refused to listen.

And today, February 18, I received a call from T-Mobile’s backend team, where I was abruptly informed that they had ‘verified’ my case and would not be issuing a refund. Before I could even ask any further questions, the representative told me to ‘do whatever I want’ and then abruptly hung up the call.

At this point, I have decided to file a formal consumer complaint. If I do not receive my refund along with compensation for everything I have been put through, I will pursue legal action.

what do I need to do?