SPRINT Cellular Service

[MegalosSkylaki]

Ah! SPRINT Cellular phone Company.

Added an unrequested VISION PACK to two of my three Cellular lines at $10.00 a pop, plus Text-Messaging on one of them for $5 more. So $25 a month more --for an unrequested service.

Anyhow, when I requested of SPRINT Customer Service representative at the telephone # on my Bill
#1 Michelle, who responded and inquired as to when that was added and if there is any notation that I requested, she replied "Sept.07" and No there were no notes about my requesting it and yes there would be such notes if I did.

"Would like to delete that Service? We can prorate it as of Dec. the charge."

"NO, I would like to UNinstall that UN requested service and reduce the charge back to Sept," replies me.

Now SPRINT has a scam where if you make any change to your service, they sometimes change other services as of that date, taking the position that "We no longer offer that service/promotional Rate" etc. so it’s like you are starting from scratch. My guess is that other Companies do this also. Of course, SPRINT does not tell you this at the time--before you make some minor change. Actually, as they did last night they say, "Everything else will stay the same." Sure but not the price, time when unlimited begins etc.

Now all of a sudden on HOLD "to see the records" the line is interrupted and
#2 picks up.” How may I help you? What is your numbered and password? In effect, #1 dumped the call and the problems with it --I've had this done before when some respondent doesn't want to deal with an issue.#2 sends me over to

#3 when I complain about this as "they can help you there" This turns not so as #3 claims “this is Billing, you need Customer Service” Huh ?

Irritated I ask to speak to a Supervisor.
#4 come on identifies himself as a Supervisor and after going through introductions again and explaining the problem for a fourth time, #4 tells me I am in the wrong Department, this is NEXTEL and they “must transfer me to SPRINT”

#5 comes on—a Supervisor and promises that he will get someone to resolve the problem “Why can’t you?” “I’ll tell her the problem”

#6 comes on and offers to delete charges back a month for the unrequested added service.
“Unacceptable”, say I.

#7 is a Supervisor who after 5 -10 minutes of arguing agrees to delete charges to compensate for the cost of those two previous months. Not happy with two months remaining on record, and fearing that some other changes will be made in my Plan with the customary SPRINT excuse that “we no longer offer that Plan” or we no longer offer that promotional rate”, Supervisor states several times that this will not be done –just a monetary reduction. This remains to be seen.

Seven people to fix an admitted error is outrageous. Has anyone had to deal with SPRINT cellular ?

If this is how they treat a ten year customer, I would be seriously concerned about becoming a new customer at SPRINT Cellular.

MegalosSkylaki

[RobRich]

http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=195574

[MegalosSkylaki]

Called SPRINT again tonite: after the first customer service representative discovered he had a problem to deal with, I was put on Hold,like yesterday. And then discovered call was disconnected..like yesterday. Odd.

Discovered that a phone I purchased in year 2000 is still under contract, which will not expire until June of 2008. This is an eight-year "two-year" Contact with a $200 penalty with SPRINT.

Discovered that the January 2008 edition of Consumer Reports reported that the State of Minnisota is suing SPRINT for "Consumer frued" for practices like this.

Ther was a Survey of twenty major markets in CR. Too tired to report results on Consumer service of major Cellular Companies. Will do so soon.

[MegalosSkylaki]

PS. If you entered intoa Two-Year contract with SPRINT -- or any other Cellular carrier --call your carrier soon and find out when your two-year contract expires.
Even if like me, you bought your phone more than 2 years ago. You migt be surprised that 2-years has , what a SPRINT representative told me "a tendency to extend the Contract whenever any change is made".

And in my case, I didn't make the change --it was made for me, either by SPRINT or maybe one of their venders. Since they have no record when checking my Notes of my requesting an added service, SPRINT claims it doesn't know why the change was made. This itself is scarey.

MegalosSkylaki

[MegalosSkylaki]

Consumer Reports [CR] did a survey of its reader and with 47,000 respondents provided the ratings of five major Cell-phone Companies in its Jan. 08 issue, which probably just now on newstands.

Five Cell-phone companies were reviewed: Alltel (not in every market), Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint. Results were given in 20 major markets, nationwide. The results were as follows, generally out of 4 Companies:

MARKET----First Place---Last Place

Atlanta---Verizon-----------Sprint
Boston----Verizon-----------Sprint
Chicago---Verizon-----------Sprint
Cleveland--Verizon----------Sprint
Dallas-Ft.Worth--Verizon-----Sprint
Denver------Verizon----------Sprint
Detroit------Verizon---------Sprint [Out of 3 Companies]
Houston------Verizon --------Sprint
LosAngelos----Verizon-------Sprint
Miami--------Verizon--------Sprint
Minn.-StPaul---T-Mobile-----AT&T
New York------Verizon------Sprint
Philadelphia----Verizon------Sprint
Phoenix--------Alltel--------Sprint
San Diego------Verizon-----Sprint
San Francisco---Verizon----Sprint
Seattle--------Verizon------Sprint
St. Louis--------Verizon-----Sprint
Tampa-St.-----Verizon------Sprint
Wash. DC------Verizon------Sprint

Results:

FIRST PLACE: Verizon:18X; Alltel:1X;T-Mobile:1X
LAST PLACE: Sprint:19X; AT&T:1X

I hope this information is useful to you.

Meanwhile, I have to find out why a phone purchased in year 2000, lost a year ago, and line held, is still under contract 8 years later, with another half-year to go. If history is any judge, the first Customer service representative who picks up the phone and is presented with this Question, will put me on hold "to find out" -- from which I will be disconnected.

MegalosSkylaki

[excuzzzeme]

I switched to Sprint from when I had what was then Bell South due to unwanted charges among other complaints. When my 2 years was up with Sprint I canceled and stated I was not happy with the service and do NOT continue my services. I went with Verizon and have never had any complaints to them.

I received a bill from a lawyer demanding "3 months of service charges, early termination fee, his fee, and 1 year of service to be fulfilled or another early termination fee would be imposed". This occurred 6 months AFTER I had requested my account to be canceled and had dispatched the phone with a hammer.

I had to take all paperwork and send to AG Office to file complaint about deceptive and fraudulent practices. I have been with Verizon for 5 years and got a call from Sprint 3 months ago demanding payment yet again! I told them to "FO and sue me as you ain't getting another penny from me, ever!" That's the last I have heard from them. If I hear from them again, I will once more file complaints to AG.

At what point do we as consumers find protection from these mega $ business'? Especially when we are not "allowed" to cancel an unwanted service?

IMO - Sprint is like the mafia, once they get you the only way out is death!

[MegalosSkylaki]

Originally Posted by excuzzzeme

I switched to Sprint from when I had what was then Bell South due to unwanted charges among other complaints. When my 2 years was up with Sprint I canceled and stated I was not happy with the service and do NOT continue my services. I went with Verizon and have never had any complaints to them.

I received a bill from a lawyer demanding "3 months of service charges, early termination fee, his fee, and 1 year of service to be fulfilled or another early termination fee would be imposed". This occurred 6 months AFTER I had requested my account to be canceled and had dispatched the phone with a hammer.

I had to take all paperwork and send to AG Office to file complaint about deceptive and fraudulent practices. I have been with Verizon for 5 years and got a call from Sprint 3 months ago demanding payment yet again! I told them to "FO and sue me as you ain't getting another penny from me, ever!" That's the last I have heard from them. If I hear from them again, I will once more file complaints to AG.

At what point do we as consumers find protection from these mega $ business'? Especially when we are not "allowed" to cancel an unwanted service?

IMO - Sprint is like the mafia, once they get you the only way out is death!

Proabably they neededsome bonus money for their execs.SPRINT has put an $800 collar on me --plus of course the cost of the phones which would now useless. What I have read is that they keep charging you the monthly fee as well, untill you buy out of celluler INdenture.

What I suggest is that you check your credit rating to see if they have put anything adverse on it. Even if you think that they have "cancelled" a , say a 3 month charge you never should have had in the first place, what some Companies do is to report to the credit agencies that you owed 3 months of bills and that you finally paid --not that they erred in reporting you as oweing for the three months.

There is a difference to the Credit agencies that you were 3 months behind in payments and you finally payed and that you never owed in the first place.

If this were a house, you would be in foreclosure; if a car, it would have been reposed --so don't believe them when they tell you they have "fixed your credit report". They never want to put it in writing that it was their error.

The emails I received from SPRINT were worded that I was in some service and that they canceled is as of now --not that they rescinded a service back to when it was (deliberately?) added without your request or acceptence.

When I called SPRINT again today, I was again placed on hold "to look into it" --and then the phone was disconnected for the fourth day in a row. I even gave them my home number and they agreed to call me back if we were "disconnected when on hold". Guess if anybody called. When I called back again and asked for Corp HQ and the Dept. that deals with matters that are not resolved in Customer service, I was transferred to SECURITY as an intimidation tactic, like it was a threat.

[The Merg]

I'm sorry that you are having such a difficult time with Sprint. One comment I have is regarding your 8 year two year committment. Most cell phone providers have a clause in their contract that when you modify your plan or get a new phone for free or reduced cost, it will automatically extend your committment for a period of time (usually two years). Verizon Wireless has the same thing. If I take advantage of their New in Two program, which gets me a new phone every two years, I automatically extend my committment by two years.

Because this clause is in the contract you signed or verified on-line when you started your service, Sprint is not required to tell you everytime your account changes that your committment is being extended.

Also, companies are not necessarily responsible for incorrect charges on an account 2 billing periods past the incorrect charge. So, if your first bill with the incorrect charge was September's, once you receive your October bill, you have implied acceptance of the charges in September. This is one reason why you should always check your bills and credit card statements each month in case there is an error. If you had called Sprint in September after receiving your bill, you might not be in the situation you are in right now.

That being said, it appears the treatment customer service is giving you is far below anything that a major corporation should be striving for. Good luck in resolving your issue.

- Merg

[MegalosSkylaki]

Dang! This should have occurred to me sooner, but I didn’t think they would have a listing for a Cellular Carrier at ResellerRatings, but they do.

Probably others thought the same, as there are only seven Ratings for SPRINT Wireless.

All of them are Very Unsatisfactory.

Lifetime Rating: 0 out 0f 10.
Last Six Months Rating: 0 out of 10.

MegalosSkylaki

[MegalosSkylaki]

Originally Posted by The_Merg

Verizon Wireless has the same thing. If I take advantage of their New in Two program, which gets me a new phone every two years, I automatically extend my commitment by two years.

I didn't take advantage of any new phone every two years situation. When I purchased a phone, it was to add a line. I specifically asked about changes to my plan and this was consistently denied. Many of theses purchases were from Radio Shack, which is a major vender for SPRINT and may draw a blink for their practices.

However, being a cautious person, I asked to speak to the SPRINT representative on the line and was told that only the new hone was subject to a two-year commitment. My commitment on the other lines would stay the same.

I suggest you look at a thread I posted on another Site in regard o SPRINT about six years ago.
http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthr...ghlight=Sprint

I am not unfamiliar with their practices. They use a carrot and a stick to keep you in Cellular Indenture . As I am a person with disabilities, I need the several phones for my safety.

In regard to your monthly bill comments -which sounds like blaming the victim --please note that this was listed on p.3 of a 15 page (!) complicated Bill, and like most people I have to have some trust in my suppliers and not have to be constantly on the defensive lest some unrequested change be made somewhere. Please read the seven comments cited above at ResellerRatings to learn about other peoples'...err...”failings" (?) in regard to SPRINT Wireless.

If such a heightened level of vigilance is necessary with SPRINT, this is a reflection on that Carrier, and not the Victim. I do not think that SPRINT was rated by 47,000 readers of Consumer Ratings as LAST in 19 of 20 markets without having earned that status.

The CR article states p.35:

SPRINT. Bottom-ranked of carriers we rate Consistently among the lowest-rated for satisfaction, dropped calls, and customer service.

MegalosSkylaki