Comments on: Sprint CFO, other top executives ousted

By: michele troy ny

michele troy ny — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:30:54 +0000

I am an indirect dealer as well, I have to dito what Debbie has just said only I think she put it mild. I am still fighting for pay from March 2007. No dealer support, bad publicity and the service is getting worse makes it impossible to sell the service all together. I as well would like to hear from any dealers having the same problem. Feel free to contact me. joejoe1815@yahoo.com

By: Deb, Kennewick, WA

Deb, Kennewick, WA — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:20:01 +0000

My husband and I are Indirect Dealers and have several locations throughout Oregon and Washington. When we started our business with Sprint over 4 years ago, Alamosa handled our area as Sprint wasn’t interested in the rural areas where we live. Alamosa found a niche and filled it. Sprint has the best coverage in most of our area . . . Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are still sketchy around here. When the Sprint-Nextel merger took place and Alamosa sued and was bought out, we were instantly under the full Sprint umbrella. Sadly, since then, our business has virtually died. Alamosa was heavy into advertising in the newspapers in our area, Sprint dropped ALL advertising several months ago . . . we could buy it ourselves, but how can a tiny company compete with the full-page ads the other carriers were running?

We were also promised that we would have EV-DO two years ago. And we were recently notified that it has been put off again . . . until second quarter 2008. We’ve heard that before.

We have had a lot of tower issues, one area didn’t have ANY coverage for nearly three weeks. Nearly everyone in that small town deactivated. Can’t say I blame them. Our coverage along one of the main interstate corridors has been poor. I personally dropped a call 12 times in the matter of a couple of minutes. Now I am understanding why we are losing customers at an alarming rate.

We have wonderful employees working for us. They are great salespeople, wonderful with our custoemrs, but how can you sell when the coverage and customer service is beaten out by all the other carriers, even the smallest carrier?

At our meetings, Sprint is pushing the PDA, Blackberry, and data service handsets . . . all which work with the EV-DO service. They want to get away from the “free” handsets because they are the ones most likely to deactivate . . . so they tell us. It may be true, but with no EV-DO, and a push to get away from the lower credit class customers, a business like ours can’t survive. We have received little or no help from Sprint. They just don’t care about the rural areas and they are making that perfectly clear to many of the indirects in our Pacific Northwest.

Our sales for January are the lowest ever, actually to the point of only 25% of what it was 2 years ago. Sadly, we have enough deactivations due to the poor coverage, lack of EV-DO and poor Sprint customer service, that we will net only about 25% of our new activations.

Not only that, we are still fighting for pay from July 2007 forward that we haven’t received. Many of our customers are not aware, but Indirect Dealers pay full cost for the phones and are later (at least hopefully) reimbursed by Sprint for the balance of the handset. Once these handsets and aircards are purchased through the third party company we are required to buy from, there is no returning any for stock leveling. So we are stuck with a ton of handsets we can’t return and can’t sell.

Now we are beginning to understand why we had trouble getting paid from Alamosa. They weren’t getting their money from Sprint either.

We have talked with a few other Indirect Dealers in the rural areas, and they are all suffering the same fate we are. Life savings to build a business just to have Sprint put us into bankruptcy.

Thank you Sprint for slapping it to us. When my contract is up, I will be finding another carrier. I have never personally had one issue with my bill, but I certainly have an issue with giving a company my hard earned money just so they can put it to the little guy.

Any other Indirect Dealers out there having problems? I would love to receive your email at debbie@blueshost.com.

By: JL, Bay Area, CA

JL, Bay Area, CA — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:21:45 +0000

Are the last four posts written by the same person? They all sound the same..sorry you didn’t read your contact and they changed you an early termination fee. Guess what, all carriers Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile do the same. Also the person who said outlaw cancellation fine’s should know that there are pre-paid phones that don’t change termination fee’s, plus how do you think the cell carriers are able to give you a free phones?

Lastly for the iphone on the ATT network you have to pay $399 just for the phone and sign a 2 year term that, guess what, has a $175 early termination fee…..

Are you the same people who took out subprime loans and are complaining that you can afford you mortgages?

By: Mark, Alpharetta, GA

Mark, Alpharetta, GA — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:24:06 +0000

I have been with Sprint since 2001. Had very few problems. Rarely ever call in for help. Have dropped maybe 2-4 calls all during that time…with lots of cross country travel. However, they do have very poor phone choices. Hey, here is the fix: Offer great phone choices, great family and friend plans and really show how beneficial the free calls after 6 PM can be. Simple…now Mr Hesse, go do it!

By: Ken, DC

Ken, DC — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:31:31 +0000

I, too, was a Sprint customer who bit the bullet and paid the cancellation charge to get away from poor customer service, inaccurate bills, etc.

Adding to Ryan’s comment about outsourced customer service – - Five years ago I set-up a 300-seat call center in India. First tier support = BS in Computer Science, $350/month. Second tier = MS and $400/month. Hired 3 ph.D’s at $450/month. So, yeah, they’re educated, but unfortunately must read from scripts or get fired, and their ‘average handle time’ metric means they need to get you off the phone or face bad internal reviews.

God works in mysterious ways, but he gets there all the same.

By: Rosemary, Salem, OR

Rosemary, Salem, OR — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 04:23:59 +0000

Sprint has the worst customer service imaginable! I wanted to add additional lines to my family plan and was told I was not eligible to do so because my service had previously been disconnected. It had never been disconnected but I could not get anyone to listen to me or fix this error. I was transferred repeatedly but never helped. I finally paid the $400 to cancel two lines! I couldn’t take it one more day!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:01:48 +0000

I have 5 phones since i renewed my contract 2 years ago. They have all
been defective. Sprint continues to replace the phones with refurbished phones. I did take a replacement contract with sprint. When Nextel and Sprint merged, my phone usage and my bill increased according to my bill. I have 1000 anytime minutes and 3000 night and weekend minutes starting at 8pm. I know that i have been over charged and I have made numerous calls
to Sprint but they will not correct this. My 2 year contract is up in February and I am going to shop other
carriers. I have been very disappointed with the customer service. It is obvious that they are instructed not to give customer service. This has taken to much of my time to correct the overcharging and incorrect billing.

By: Mary D, Denver Colorado

Mary D, Denver Colorado — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 02:57:20 +0000

As a former Sprint Nextel employee (legacy Nextel), I can honestly say Sprint is the worst company I have ever worked for. Management had more desire to micro-manage underpaid/overworked employees than fix major issues such as horrendous customer service, fraud, and questionable credit approval practices. When I left the company for a much better job, I continued to receive free cell phone service for nine months after I left, despite making monthly calls to advise them of their mistake.

Even with the free service, I cancelled my line and went with another provider. Even free cell phone service is not worth dealing with that company.

By: Kacey Williams, Mascoutah, IL

Kacey Williams, Mascoutah, IL — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:03:40 +0000

I have been a Nextel customer for 4 years. Every month I have had to call and get my bill corrected, because of charges that were applied to my bill, and to top it off they cut my phone off and charged me for calling customer service and other nextel phones. The customer service is HORRIBLE and I wish they could find people that speak english to take the calls, which would make easier for me and them to understand each other. They claim I didnt have the mobile to mobile on my phones and that it would be another $5 a month to add that feature. Just last year I spent $4,578.88 for 2 phones with sprint/Nextel for my small buisness. I dont know how people can afford these phones. The so called customer service also told me that they were legitimate bills and have sent me to collection, Over a $650 bill for 1 month. And everytime I pay my bill in full the next month they add charges and tell me I didnt pay the entire balance, but when I did make the payment the customer service agent told me I had paid the bill in full, then the next month same thing. I have spent over 10 hours on the phone correcting my bills each month. And one person will tell me Its taken care of and then they shut my phones off. And like I said, in the past 2 years I have paid over $10k for nextel’s rotten service. What can you do? I reccomend that no one sign up with NEXTEL unless your pockets are deeper than the oceans floor.

By: Ryan, Annapolis MD

Ryan, Annapolis MD — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:29:19 +0000

I have had sprint wireless service for almost 15 years; I can honestly say that I had better customer service and coverage when they were the analog sprint spectrum back in the early 90’s. I managed to get most of my friends and family, 4 years ago to go with sprint so that we could all have free pcs to pcs service. That was a huge mistake. I have put all of them through hell, dealing with sprint. I have had extra charges for music downloads on a phone that isn’t capable of downloading/playing them. I have had my contracts automatically renewed by sprint without my consent, TWICE!!! I have had bogus charges for text message fees that exceeded the “UNLIMITED PLAN”!!! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN ? Idiots! Customer service is horrible. A caveman could have resolved my issue quicker than the individual from Asia did. As for the comment that Asian’s who work for sprint are smarter than America’s CS rep’s is a joke. I have called there customer support numerous times only to be hung up on because I speak english and the rep on the other end doesn’t. I’m pretty sure that when I picked 1 on the menu, that I meant english. Needless to say I’m the last one left of friends and family that still has sprint, everyone went to Verizon. AS of July, I am leaving. Sprint’s a joke, for all those affiliated with sprint start praying that the next overpaid
CEO will save this company that’s determined to hit rock bottom.

By: Jason Raleigh, NC

Jason Raleigh, NC — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:24:45 +0000

I guess I am lucky; I have never had one single problem with Sprint, and I have been with them for years. I was even able to get out of my contract with the ETF waived this past month since they made a change to the contract. I have never had any problems. Great coverage. Hardly ever call customer service. I love that everyone is leaving them because it will mean better deals for me.

By: One SERIOUSLY unhappy Sprint employee Dallas, TX

One SERIOUSLY unhappy Sprint employee Dallas, TX — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:15:42 +0000

Bring back Mr. Donahue!!! Hey Hesse! Don’t get too comfortable. We have gonr through 3 CEOs in less than three years…. You too will be horrible!

By: One SERIUOSLY unhappy employee Dallas, Texas

One SERIUOSLY unhappy employee Dallas, Texas — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:02:22 +0000

From a Sprint employee point of view, Sprint has destroyed what we built up in Nextel. They took a perfectly good company and flushed it ruining it for thousands of Nextel employees.

This year we were asked to kick butt. We, as employees, did and we just got word that there will be NO MERIT increases. No merit increases? Nice. The cost of living is at an all time high. The cost of gas is ridiculously high… and there will be to raises for anyone? I bet the ousted upper management took it with them as they brown nosed their way out the door. Ever since Sprint took over, all we have heard is “do it or you can be fired” that is the Sprint moto. We do it and for what. Nothing. HEY SPRINT!!! THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!

By: John, Signal Hill CA

John, Signal Hill CA — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:23:31 +0000

My story is very similar like everyone else here. I ended up jumping ship to T-Mobile and my coverage and customer service have made a 360 degree turn and very happy. I when from 1 bar to 4 bars in my home. Customer service is excellent , my calls have been less than 15min. I guess thats why they won the “Best Customer Service” JD award several times.

By: Marvin, Wesley Chapel, FL

Marvin, Wesley Chapel, FL — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:57:59 +0000

I was a loyal Sprint customer for 7 years until they merged with Nextel. The customer service was poor and the coverage went from great to Horrible which I can’t figure out why?
I experienced WAYYY to many dropped calls. I became so frustrated with the service, I was so HAPPY to pay the $150 breach of contract fee. Thank God I SPRINTED my way over to Verizon. I’m so happy now. Verison plans are a bit more expensive but I pay my bill with great Joy.

By: RJ - Florence, SC

RJ - Florence, SC — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:52:28 +0000

Those bastards extended my contact again….come monday morning, they can have th 250.00 cancellation fee…I’m out. Service sucks, plan are terrible especially if you have a Black berry…OH MY GOD……I’m out. I hope they fold to be honest…..Nextel was great, why in the hell did they merge.

By: Renee, Houston TX

Renee, Houston TX — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:27:47 +0000

OMG! Sprint customer service is a misnomer and a huge joke. I can relate to the experiences that others have had because I used to spend hours on the phone with customer service only to discover later that the promised resolution was never processed. To add insult to injury, Customer Service would hang up on me only and I would be forced to wait longer yet for a manager so that I could report the poor service.

After more than three years, I yanked my account and paid the cancellation fee just to transfer my numbers over to Verizon and get away from such a poorly run company. If Sprint fails, then it is merely the hand of the market intervening to eliminate those who fail to remain competitive and customer oriented. I feel sorry for the employees, but after all, they are responsible for the reputation the company has within the industry.

I feel more sorry for the rest of my friends and family who are stuck in the plan because of the $200 cancellation fee per phone line. Some of them have four and five lines connected to the service, so cancellation would run a whopping $800-1000 in fees.

I would love to see our elected officials do something to eliminate such outrageous fees/fines. Many people have already invested a small fortune in a cell phone by the time they get it turned on. I don’t see why the cell phone company should be allowed to rip us off a second time just because we need to cancel the service.

To all law makers:
OUTLAW CANCELLATION FINES NOW!

By: Anonymous, Bolingbrook, IL

Anonymous, Bolingbrook, IL — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:13:11 +0000

Sprint…hmm..change the name to Crawl. I have been calling their tech support for a week to figure out why it takes almost an hour to recieve mails on my phone and the response, is “that’s the best they can do!!!…So much for Sprint Speed. hehehe..As for billing, am sure they deliberately mess up the billing, so they can make the extra bucks. They have made cheating a science!!

By: Dee, New York, NY

Dee, New York, NY — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:34:28 +0000

Why don’t those of you with sever problems complain to the Better Business Bureau? Companies do *not* like to be investigated by BBB.

By: New Jersey

New Jersey — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:05:24 +0000

I really do not like the phones Sprint offers… Therefore, because there is no iPhone, I plan to change ASAP and move to AT&T.