Bad, Really Bad Customer Service
In honor of Evil Week, we're switching up the Hive Five a bit. If you need to report a problem about your device or wireless account the customer service number to call is 1-888-211-4727 or toll-free 1-800-777-4681. As I sat on hold again, I pondered how I had predicted this when I walked out of the Sprint Store with my new phone.
In short, Sprint is learning a lesson taught eloquently by Business Trainer Kate Zabrieskie : Although your customers won't love it if you give bad service, your competitors will.†And, phone carriers - both big and small - are reveling in the billions that Sprint's bad reputation is affording them.
I immediately called and asked for it to be reversed and for the bill to be sent to me. After an hour of being on the phone, the representative told me that would not be a problem. Carriers like Sprint prefer to talk (well, they're a phone company, so of course they would), but that puts you at a disadvantage.
When we spoke with Allan Samson, Sprint's vice president of acquisition marketing, he pushed the point that Sprint is the price leader.†True, Sprint does offer less expensive plans than the other three major providers ( Verizon , AT&T and T-Mobile ). But touting low prices only works in comparison with those companies, as Sprint still charges more than budget carriers like MetroPCS.
While Gleason wouldn't give any specific details on the exact amount of the discounts, he said they would take many forms: device discounts over Sprint's usual subsidies, trade-in fees for older phones, porting credits for making the switch and activation fee waivers.
My family has been a Sprint wireless customer for more than 10 years. During my jet-lagged attempt to get some answers from the guy in the store, I was told that this was somehow my fault because "we told you it would take a month for the credit to show up on your statement".
Back then, I had service in places people wished they did and all calls were clear and no dropping. Sprint clearly identified customers cellphone who had complaints that were excessive and said Thanks, but no thanks.†This prioritized their other customers, while establishing a minimum customer service level for their organization.
Sprint also lets customers who want to use their phones as tethered broadband modems "fly under the radar" and do so for free, as long as you don't overdo it. (Note that the no-charge tethered broadband isn't officially supported, and you need an unlocked phone to do it.) Finally, I find that I can get the slower 1X internet service in most places in the country; while it's slow, it'll do in a pinch.
We came to a price, I was then told a representative would bring the phone to house on March the 9. I called to ask what time on the 9th is the man coming. After several attempts to unlock an Iphone that was bought at a Apple Store , and it supposes to be unlocked , the Iphone is Locked to Sprint.
Newer models will be built to use the network the company is planning and unless you found something really exotic to use on Sprint a new model of your favorite phone will be built to work everywhere there is "new" T-Mobile service. Not only did Sprint let the survivors use those phones for free, but they also cancelled all of the overcharges that my wife and I, along with many other relief workers, had run up during the month of September.
I can't pay my bill on line, upgrade my service, let alone get them to tell me why I'm still under a contract for another 10 months. Talked with Julius in customer service and spent 53 minutes on the phone with him. The nation's four major phone carriers are slashing prices in a bid to attract new customers in a saturated market.