'No': California woman goes to T-Mobile store to buy a new iPhone. Then a worker directs her to Best

Mon, November 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM

Want to buy a new phone? According to this T-Mobile customer in California, your best bet is to go to Best Buy.

After saving up money to buy a new phone, TikTok creator Molly (@talking2molly) was excited to go to T-Mobile and purchase a new model. However, after arriving at the store and speaking to representatives, she apparently found out she couldn't.

"Like, I went to T-Mobile and finally they were like, 'If you want a new phone, just go to Best Buy and buy a phone. Like, why are you here? Why are you at the phone store trying to buy a phone from me?'" Molly explains.

"They're like, 'We either want you to trade yours in or finance a phone through us. But if you're just here to upgrade your phone, no.' Like, you have to do it yourself on the T-Life app and then go to, like, Best Buy or just somewhere else and buy your own phone," says Molly.

In the end, Molly ended up going to Best Buy to purchase her new phone.

California Woman Goes to T-Mobile to Buy an iPhone

It's not exactly clear what Molly was trying to do at the T-Mobile store. She mentions she wanted to upgrade her phone, but it's not clear why she didn't want to, or was unable to, trade-in her old phone or finance a new phone.

It is also unclear why she was told going to Best Buy to buy a phone was the best option by the representatives. In fact, T-Mobile is no longer a carrier offered at Best Buy after the companies' "corporate break up" in 2023. This means that customers who buy phones at T-Mobile need to get their phones unlocked and then get it connected at T-Mobile.

However, you can trade in your phone for a new phone and finance it through the T-Mobile T-Life app, as mentioned by Static Media BGR.

Where Should You Buy a New iPhone?

In the comments section, most viewers seem to agree that carriers like T-Mobile are no longer the best place to buy new phones outright.

"They don't even have cute colors. I'll only buy from them if my phone breaks and it's an emergency," says one comment.

"If you want to buy a phone outright, the last place to go is your carrier. There's literally no point for you or the salesperson," says another.

"They don't even have phones in the store anymore. They want you to order the phone online and then come into the store to get it," another viewer notes.

"I mean, yeah, it makes sense carrier pricing is set up for you to make payments on," another person said. "So it's going to be more expensive to buy a phone out right from them than like the Apple store or Best Buy. If they had attitude about it that's a different story. Ultimately, you saved like $100-$200 buying it at Best Buy," some else mentions.

Buying a Phone at T-Mobile

Prices may vary whether you buy the phone at T-Mobile or another retail store, T-Mobile does offer the JUMP program. That allows you to trade in your old phone when you owe less than 50% on it.

This constant ability to upgrade your phone with ease is one perk to do trade-ins and upgrades directly with T-Mobile vs. buying the phone new from a retail store.

All Hip Hop has reached out to T-Mobile for comment via email. We also contacted Molly for comment via TikTok message and comment.