I've found that when people say, "I don't mean to..." they usually do.
Prepaid customers are often either penny pinchers, less affluent, or have been declined standard accounts due to a history of lack of payments.
I am none of the above and find it insulting that a representative of T-Mobile would characterize me as a penny pincher (= cheap) or as someone with poor credit. I don't wish to get roped into a contract when I live in an area that is poorly served by all carriers. The reason I went with T-Mobile Prepaid is so I could try out the Wi-Fi calling and go without a land line. It's a mixed bag so far. But if I want to change, I can do so without paying a fee to get out of a contract. I'm not a "penny pincher" by any means, and I pay my bills on time, but I have limited disposable income, as do most of the "less affluent" (we used to be called middle class) who choose to use prepaid instead of locking themselves into a contract.
And do you really think an opinion piece in "Prepaid Phone News" is picking on poor little T-Mobile? T-Mobile is like any other company and will try, using whatever means necessary, to maximize profits. The only thing that keeps them in check is competition. The article was merely pointing out that they were doing things that their competitors didn't seem to be doing. To me, it's a valid criticism. Being a prepaid user, I don't expect all of the great stuff that comes with a contract, but if T-Mobile thinks they can offer better deals on their contracts by upping the fees for Prepaid, then I can switch to a different carrier without much cost or trouble.
BTW, you do know that the plural for potato is potatoes, right?