Customer Service Nightmare: Sprint

[RevolutionStartsNow]

Argh!

That's all. Horrible terrible rotten customer service, including a supervisor who offered me a meager credit, but when I told her that it wasn't satisfactory, she took it back. Unreal.

I paid what they wanted, just to get them out of my life, but anyone have experience issuing a formal complaint? This is truly the WORST customer service I have ever had.

[Squatch]

1. It takes up to three weeks to mail a formal complaint to India

[Roon]

18. I had to call India the other day about my cell phone account

I couldn't understand a word they were saying.

[Snarkturian Clone]

23. Hello breeze, this is the fish calling...

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/3409/

[hlthe2b]

2. Yes... sadly, I switched to spring in July...

so now I'm stuck for the next two years. I needed high speed data and it was sprint or verizon, period. Verizon appears now to be marginally better, but so much more expensive and it pissed me off that verizon specifies they can cut your "unlimited (yet expensive) data service if you exceed whatever they consider to be excessive mb per month (of course they don't tell you what excessive is).

[TomInTib]

5. I refuse to go for bundled services.

Cable, land line, internet, cell, all are separate carriers.

Comcast once disconnected my cable/high-speed because they had applied four prior months of payments to someone in Livermore, CA.

And, after admitting same, the burden of proof fell back on me.

Even after they discovered what they had done, they auto-disconnected me every few days for a couple of months.

I would have to call back every time. They blamed it on "the Computer" and said their hands were tied.

So I told them that my hands were sure as hell not tied and that my next call was going to be to Dish Network.

Never happened again.

[hlthe2b]

6. I use virtually no voice time(have to carry a blackberry for work)

and I am really "talked out" when I get home, but I do like being able to connect my laptop anywhere on the high speed network, which for $40 more/month I can do, unlimited. I don't use a wired phone at home anymore (again, I'm chained to a work blackberry). I watch little enough tv that I turned off cable, so no bundling here, either.


Qwest did that to me on DSL years ago--hence no more home phone. I just got fed up and disconnected.

[TomInTib]

8. I would love to get shut of my landlines.

But they all serve separate purposes.

I would also like to get rid of my teevee, but I would hate to miss The Andy Griffith Show.

[hlthe2b]

13. I actually do see some tv online and I rent seasons on DVD

of some of the newer shows (e.g., HBO and Show offerings). I do still have over-the air tv access for at least until 2009 when the HD signals kick in. I must admit, I loved seeing Northern Exposure reruns on my PBS channel and there are a few network shows I'll tune in for if I think about it.

I must admit though, it is much more fulfilling to watch an entire season of Sopranos, or Curb Your Enthusiasm or Weeds or whatever at a time, via DVD. Seems the best shows are off now, anyway,yet available forever on DVD-- as with Andy Griffith show!

[hang a left]

32. I bundle with cox cable

land line, high speed internet, and cable. It is pricey, but between the three of us we use all the services.

[hang a left]

33. Verizon...I have a bone to pick with them

I am trying to handle a couple of family member's bill with them right now and I can't even find a contact number that will allow me to speak to a customer service rep. It is all automated. And if your need is not addressed by pushing a number well...your SOL.

I finally ordered a copy of the last bill (through an automated push button thingy). I am hoping they will send me a number that I can access a human being through. I would be grateful for a human in New Delhi right now.

[TomInTib]

3. I got rid of Sprint around three years ago.

They wouldn't let me pay my sons' phone bills because my credit card billing address was not the same as my sons' mailing address.

They wouldn't take my effing money.

[hang a left]

31. That is weird.

My oldest has t-mobile. I pay his bill rather frequently as he is always calling me asking for money. All I say is I want to pay my kid's bill and they have never given me trouble.

I had AT&T mobile, that then turned to Cingular, and then back to AT&T. I have to say that it is very cheap. I have thousands of roll over minutes and free long distance. I just watch what I say ;-).

[kansasblue]

4. Were you working with a local service office.....

or the main national support number?

The reason I ask is a friend of mine had a lot of trouble with a local service center and started working we the national Sprint tech support. They ended up calling the local office and overrode their decisions and made things right.

It helped that when he walked back in to the store the national support center stayed on the phone and listen to the poor service and treatment as it happened. They then placed the phone on speaker and the support center chewed out the local manager over the speaker phone.

on edit.... I think my friend has Verizon. Never mind!

[hlthe2b]

7. I don't know of any local offices for sprint service...

SO, we all have to bounce around the world on their call lines, it seems. I don't mind speaking with someone in India or the Philipines, but inevitably, they don't have a clue. They read from a script which never covers the problem at hand (and certainly offers no solution).

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I live in their hometown

The world headquarters is just a few miles from my house. But when I call I get someone in another city. I had better luck going to the Sprint store but last time I was in there I waited 30 minutes and there were still a bunch of people in front of me. So the next day, I called and canceled my contract.

[porphyrian]

9. I fired Sprint long ago because of how bad they suck. - n/t

[flashl]

10. Sprint Argh!

While trying to resolve erroneous billing the clerk stopped mid-sentence and ACCUSED me of being a phone bill mediator disconnected the call. When I called back, I got a message that said I had exceed my call time to customer service. Several months later, finally got it resolved.

Recently, there was a news story that Sprint had dropped thousands of customers because of too many calls to customer service. I had to chuckle.

[tammywammy]

11. I never had problems with them until I tried to cancel

I had Sprint for many years. My contract was up and I found this awesome Sony Ericsson phone that was on Cingular. I decided to switch providers.

When I called Sprint to cancel the guy kept going over and over why I should stay. I was like look dude, I got this new phone that you don't have and it's on Cingular, so I want to cancel. That was a hassle to cancel.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

17. Indeed...

my problem was with cancelling as well, and after I expressed my extreme displeasure with the fact that they didn't record my cancellation back when I originally did it, the rep had the nerve to try to sell me a phone, saying "we are the only ones with the Razr whatever".

Also when I asked the supervisor who I could speak to above her, she said "No one."

I just can't believe a company that is not a monopoly would treat customers this way. Why would I ever use their service again?

[Roon]

19. Have you ever tried to cancel AOL?

They are just as bad.

[tammywammy]

21. Thankfully, I never fell into the abyss of AOL.

:)

I got him to cancel Sprint, but he really was trying hard to upsell me to another phone. I really like the Sony Ericsson one I got a year and a half ago, so it was a no go. Sprint didn't have anything like it, otherwise I probably would have stayed with them.

[LeftCoast]

35. I had the same issue with them

The customer service experience while trying to end my service was so bad that I don't think I'd ever reconsider them as a carrier. Just like you, the only reason I'd switched was because Sprint wasn't providing the phones I liked.

[LiberalAndProud]

12. It's easy to file a complaint w/ the FCC.

Alltel got into a bit of a mess with the FCC a while back for very poor customer service.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html

[CrispyQ]

14. When I got my cell phone with Sprint,

they issued me a phone number that was long distance in my local area. :wtf: When I called to complain & tell them I wanted a local number, their response was, "But you have x number of free long distance minutes, so it doesn't matter." It does matter when local people call my cell -- it's not a free call to them!

When I got my bill, they charged me $300 for 'cancelling' my contract, even though I had a second contract with my new number. It took a grueling session on the phone with some dumbass to explain what had happened & to get a credit.

I'm still with Sprint simply cuz I hardly ever use my phone & no one has a plan as cheap as the one I have.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. I paid to get out of my contract

My phone never worked in my house and was sporadic in my neighborhood. I got tired of complaining and getting nowhere so I canceled my contract.

Sad, their customer service used to be great. But it has gone downhill badly in the last year or so.

[conscious evolution]

20. I did an upgrade of security cameras in

a bunch of sprint stores a few years back.
Instead of focusing the cameras on the cash registers or merchandise most of the cameras were focused on the customer service areas.
Apparently it is fairly common for customers to go ballistic and assault the reps.

[mb7588a]

22. I'm experiencing their crap service right now!

I've been trying for two weeks to upgrade my phone. My phone is 3 years old. I became eligible for an upgrade in March of 2006. I rather liked my phone until it started dropping calls, the alarm stopped working, keys started sticking or not working, and the exterior started to look like the surface of the moon even though I treat it nice.

So I tried up upgrade online. "Your account is currently not eligible for phone upgrades online." The phone I want, the Motorola KRAZR is $59.99 to upgrade online, and you don't have to pay the $18 activation fee. Unfortunately the computer system informs me I am not eligible for an upgrade.

So last weekend I stopped in a store at the Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, VA (I have to believe it's one of their most busy stores), where I would have to pay $79.99 for the same phone, along with the $18 activation fee. I explain to the nice fellow working there I couldn't upgrade online. He had no helpful advice to offer other than, "Call customer service." I finally swallow my pride and say, "Ok, I'll just buy it here." The nice fellow then explains that their in-store upgrade system has been down for a couple days, which might also explain my problems online. So I left, with nothing to show for my half hour trip to the store, plust 15 minutes browsing the phones and discussing options with the nice fellow.

I try to upgrade again online the next day. No luck. Not eligible. I called customer service, "Hi, I can't upgrade online, can you confirm for me I am eligible?" "yes, sir, you are eligible, would you like me to transfer you to sales?" "Ok, sure, thanks for your help!"

"Hi, sales." "Hi, I've been trying to upgrade online to the KRAZR phone, and it tells me I'm not eligible, can you help me straighten this out?" "I'm very sorry about that, I have confirmed that you are eligible, would you like to upgrade to that phone for $79.99." "Um, I'm calling to get my online eligibility straightened out. I'd like to pay the online price of $59.99 with no activation fee if possible." "Sorry, I can't do that." "Ok, can you transfer me to someone who can?" "No, try it online again tomorrow." "I've tried for several days on different computers, I also stopped in a store. I want this fixed now." "Can't...." End of discussion, basically. Nothing resolved.

I try again online two days later. No luck. "Your account is currently not eligible for phone upgrades online."

I tried just now. "Your account is currently not eligible for phone upgrades online."

I'm not sure what to do about this now other than cancelling and switching providers.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

24. Egads

Seems like a major left hand-right hand issue with them.

The first rep I talked to told me he could cancel my service, but apparently he didn't. A rep today (in the cancellation dept) told me that a regular customer service rep "can't" discontinue my service.

Me: "Well, he told me he did"
Rep: "Well, he's not able to, so he didn't."
Me: "But I canceled my service, it's right here in my notes on July 17."

They immediately assume I am lying. To me this is the heart of the problem. They assume the customer is lying. Even though they were able to look at my account and see I haven't made a single phone call or downloaded a single KB since then. Their response was: "Well sometimes our customers go on vacation for a few months and don't use their phones."

Sheesh.

[mb7588a]

25. It's remarkable.

Sprint is hands down the worst.

I was on a 58 minute call to customer service after I posted this. Not lying.

First person I spoke to again confirmed my eligibility, and again transferred me to Sales, even though I asked for Online Sales. Sales people tried again to sell me the $79 version, and a laptop card, and a data device. I explained to her twice what I wanted to do. Third explanation she put me on hold for the online sales people. This was at minute 16 of the call. I spent the next 42 minutes on hold, listening to the same song.

I finally gave up. Hung up. And by that time, my shitty phone's battery was nearly dead.

I think it's time to cancel.

[LiberalAndProud]

26. Sprint

slammed my long distance service on somebody else's cell phone. Never once contacted me for permission. How the hell do they get away with this crap?

[Blackhatjack]

27. Been there, done that.... here is my nightmare story

I was a business customer for over 2 years, never missed a payment due date, always used the same credit card which was set up for automatic payments through their office. Clients could always leave a message in my voicemail if I was unavailable.

I was busy for a couple of days and noticed that I had not received any calls from a Friday through a Tuesday morning. WHen I checked my voicemail, I got a recording that the number was no longer in service.

I called Sprint, and customer service told me that they tried to bill my credit card and it was declined(which turned out to be a lie as my credit card company confirmed that my bills had always been paid and that no claim for payment had been sent that month and that there had been no declination of any request for payment ever on the account). The customer service person told me if I paid my bill I would not be having a problem.

I asked him why they had not sent me a message or called me? He said it was not their policy.
I gave him my credit card information and he put the charge through while I was on the line. AFTER I PAID for the upcoming month's service, he told me by the way they would have to open a new account.

I asked about all my client messages and telephone numbers. He said sorry but they had all been erased. I spoke to his supervisor, his Department Manager, and they refused to allow me to speak to management.

When I bought the cellphone I told them I was using it for business use. They basically shouted at me that I was being unreasonable and said it was my fault that the bill had not been paid on time.

I cut them loose the same day, and never looked back.

The truth is they did not care, and had no interest in helping correct the problems they caused.

YOu are better off without them....

[Selatius]

28. Go with T-Mobile. They have better customer service.

2006 JD Power and Associates report lists Verizon and T-Mobile as the best as far as overall offerings and performance goes:

http://www.wirelessguide.org/plan/service-comparisons.htm

[LeftyMom]

30. Tmobile drops calls like they're going out of style and has network issues.

I've been trying to call my favoritest tmobile victim for an hour and a half, and I'm getting some kind of weird "all circuits are busy" message. Nothing weird is going on over that direction and I doubt the towers are overloaded since it's the middle of the night out there.

They do this nonsense all the time.

[Selatius]

34. I guess it depends on location, I generally don't have that with my T-Mobile account

I do have problems calling Cellular South folks though. I do get dropped calls, but nothing approaching what you're experiencing with your T-Mobile friend. If call doesn't work, have you tried texting? I remember here in Katrina, texting often worked when phone calls failed.

[Greyhound]

29. Dumped Sprint (interesting story behind how they arrived at the name) back in the 90's,

for the same reasons I'm reading here today, so sorry to hear that nothing has changed. I went with Verizon for the same reason I'm a Democrat, they suck slightly less.

[radfringe]

36. possible help

although I don't know the issue you have with Sprint or what it involves - you may try writing to your state's attorney general. (they usually have a form you can download/fillout on-line at their website)

The place where we use to go for our dog/cat supplies and vet services changed hands. We were not impressed with the new owners, but we did like our vet who worked there. the new owners raised cross-bred dogs for police/security use.

about 2 1/2 years ago, the kennel/pet supply place where our vet had her practice ended up being closed down due to a parvo outbreak. 20-30 puppies/dogs died.

Our vet was not involved with kennel problem, but because she was an "employee" of the kennel, the pet's records were property of the kennel.

according to an article in the newspaper, and a phone call - we were told we could get copies of pets records by sending a SASE with a letter listing the pets names. We did this - and after a month - still no records. We left messages on their answering machine until the phone service was cutoff, and visits to the place at different times of the day showed that they had closed down and no one was around.

We contacted the AG's office, and were told to file a complaint and if enough complaints were received thne the AG office would do something. My partner had contacts with a local newspaper reporter, passed the info along asking that if she did a follow up story to include info about AG complaint procedure. We also told co-workers and friends who used same vet to do the same.

Within two weeks of filing the complaint we received a letter from AG's office saying they have subpoened the records and we would be getting our copies soon.

I'm sure with a large company like sprint - your AG's office must have a file cabinet or two just on Sprint. Worth a shot - at the most it will cost you a little time and a stamp.

(to follow-up on the kennel: the owners were charged with various health and animal code violations, as well as failure to have proper licensing and inspection certs. They got a hefty fine and 6 months in jail - all are under appeal)