RALEIGH – Verizon’s response to a new T-Mobile campaign and an effort to induce customers to switch wireless carriers by offering up to $1,000 in incentives and a “Price Lock” on certain plans is to fire back with their own campaign to “expose” what it says are myths in T-Mobile’s marketing language.

Last month, T-Mobile announced a new program, Price Lock, days after an announcement from AT&T that it would raise fees on certain wireless plans that was first reported by Bloomberg.

Verizon would announce a planned change in an administrative fee on some plans in May, as well, which the carrier describes as a Economic Investment Charge.

A Verizon spokesperson said that the company would begin to notify the “impacted wireless postpaid customers that the monthly administrative charge will increase by $1.35 per voice line to $3.30, effective their next bill cycle.”

“From time to time, we review and make adjustments to the wireless administrative charge that helps recover some of Verizon’s administrative and telco expenses, and costs of complying with regulatory requirements,” a Verizon spokesperson told WRAL TechWire this week.  “This is not a price plan increase,” the spokesperson said.

Price war: T-Mobile offers up to $1,000 to AT&T, Verizon customers to switch

T-Mobile issues a challenge; Verizon responds

But on Tuesday, T-Mobile released a statement that issued what it billed a “carrier callout” to its competitors, Verizon and AT&T, and called the Verizon fee “a new made-up fee.”  The company also shared an incentive program and corresponding advertising campaign promising up to $1,000 in incentives for any customers switching carriers to specific T-Mobile wireless plans.

Verizon released its own statement today, which implied that T-Mobile, which the company did not refer to by name, “continues to hoodwink consumers by dazzling them with one catchy announcement after another.”

The Verizon statement called this a #CarrierClapback and indicated it sought to “expose” what it called “TMyths.”

Bloomberg also reported last week that T-Mobile had raised fees in recent months.  T-Mobile agreed to a three-year rate-price plan freeze when it acquired Sprint, Bloomberg reported.

Verizon’s statement also notes that T-Mobile’s latest Price Lock “[s]ounds great if it wasn’t one of the ways they sweetened the pot to get their merger complete.”

This statement from Verizon claims that T-Mobile will increase the cost of assisted support later this week.  The T-Mobile website indicates the service cost is $30 per line, and Verizon’s statement alleges this will increase to $35 on June 3, 2022.

T-Mobile has not been reached for comment.