By Elias Schisgall

T-Mobile accused Verizon Wireless of misleading customers about how much they would save by switching to Verizon in a countersuit filed Friday, escalating a legal battle between the two telecommunications rivals.

Verizon's "Better Deal" campaign, which suggests that customers could save hundreds of dollars a year by switching from T-Mobile or AT&T, misleadingly inflates the price of T-Mobile's services, the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said.

"The Better Deal Campaign is a classic 'bait and switch' by which Verizon lures many consumers through the door with a false promise of savings and then tries to upsell them on more expensive products and services," T-Mobile said in its complaint.

The move from T-Mobile follows an initial lawsuit from Verizon last month, which accused T-Mobile of promising customers more than $1,000 in annual savings by inflating estimates of Verizon prices and using misleading comparisons.

T-Mobile asked the court on Friday to bar Verizon from receiving equitable relief, saying that the company had taken legal action over conduct it was also engaging in.

"Because Verizon's own comparative advertising has relied and continues to rely on headline savings claims, ancillary benefits, and disclosures that are materially indistinguishable from the features it now attacks in T‑Mobile's campaign, Verizon's conduct is directly related to the equitable relief it seeks and barred by its unclean hands," T-Mobile said in the lawsuit.

Verizon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

T-Mobile said Verizon's advertising campaign, including a savings calculator posted on its website, falsely implies that AT&T and T-Mobile customers would pay less for a comparable plan for Verizon. T-Mobile said the savings calculator had been removed from Verizon's website shortly before the countersuit was filed.

The suit accuses Verizon of false advertising and deceptive and unfair trade practices in violation of state and federal laws.

It is asking for a preliminary or permanent injunction blocking Verizon from disseminating advertising claims T-Mobile says are false or misleading, as well as damages and payment of gains or profits obtained as a result of the campaign.

Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2026 14:19 ET (19:19 GMT)

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