Sprint's Woes Are Well Deserved - Why I left after 10 yrs.
So the news of Sprints recents lay offs are being talked about far and wide. What's funny is that days before the rest of the world started talking about Sprint, I posted the below on a Sprint User's Forum. I think it's self explanatory, but explains why Sprint may never recover from its current situation without a major overhaul in innovation and customer service and retention.
Now, I've had problems with Sprint before, like not giving me proper phone rebates, over billing my account, fake "phone insurance" where you pay a ridiculously high deductables despite your monthly insurance premium. But I stayed, mostly because of their lock-in contracts.
I remember pitching to an asset manager just last week in his office and showing him my company's application on my former Sprint BBRY. He says "What service do you have?" I say "Sprint." "Wow, so you are the one guy who's still with Sprint, huh."
That gave me something to consider, because I honestly couldn't remember who of my friends were on Sprint. It used to be everyone I knew was on, and They had a great - in network feature where your calls didn't count towards minutes. Now, nobody is on the network so the cost of the in network feature wasn't worth it. Then I had the most aweful customer servicer experience of my life. Below is what I wrote days before Sprints Announcement.
Why Spint Lost me as a customer after 10 yrs, and why you may want to leave too.
posted on 01-21-2009
Dear Sprint Fans,
After 10 years, I decided to leave Sprint. Which is sad because I used to defend Sprint to those who use to ask why I haven't joined AT&T or Verizon, besides having better phones, and better customer service.
In September, I had 2 phone numbers but decided to split my account. Over the next 3 months, my overages went through the roof. Many of the calls were mine, but many of the calls were foriegn to me and I asked for an investigation.
Here is where it gets crazy.I got an alert that the fraud dept said they were valid calls. Really? I don't remember calling Jersey City 20 times in one day for a minute each. I wanted to speak to someone about the methodology of the review, or maybe simply reasess how I was using the phone...I was speaking to an Operator by the name of " LAKESHA." She then says that she can offer me 50% off the overage charges. I said, sounds good, but what other options are there? She responded that I could speak to a supervisor if I wanted more off. OK, sounds good, lets do that...
I am then forwarded to "Supervisor KENDRA." She says what I already heard, that the fraud dept said the calls were legit. I said, OK, now what?
Now nothing.
What about the 50% offer?
Supposedly it was now "OFF THE TABLE.
"What?"
She "explains" that because I "refused" LAKESHA's offer, that I was no longer offered the discount and I had to pay the full amount. I asked to be escalated to a manager.
Manager NICOLE gets on the phone. She says only 2 things. 1 - That the calls were deems legit (which I dispute) and 2 - that they are no longer offering the discount. I try to explain I was never told that if I escalated further that I'd be denied the discount. She doesn't care. She says operators are not obliged to explain that....WHAT? We go back and forth for 20 minutes and SHE HANGS UP ON ME!
I call again, and get Operator JOSHUA. I'm thinking, let me start from scratch. Again, Joshua offers to discount about $191 from my bill. Knowing the previous conversation, I say - OK, let's do it....
He then asks that I hold. I hold, for 10 minutes.
He gets back on - Says "I need to forward you to a manager." Great, should be resolved then.
NICOLE gets back on -Then says to me - NO OFFER.
WHY? Your operator just offered it to me - AGAIN!
She says that JOSHUA put in the notes that I refused the discount for a 2nd time...
THIS IS CRAZY! I tell her, in no way did I refuse a second time. I even challenge her to pull the voice recording tapes so we can check the conversation. She then slips that they all sit by each other, and that she even mentioned all their names.
OK, I say, please give me their operator numbers as well. She refuses, saying that the operators will only volunteer those #s when I speak to them directly.
I said - well, give me those operators again.
No.
OK, can you please ask them their numbers please.
I don't sit by them - She says.
Wait, you JUST SAID you sit by them, so you are lying. I ask her - so you are saying, that after offering me the discount, 2 times, you are reneging?
Manager NICOLE, # 45751 (I asked her this time) said that is correct, gave her "thank you for calling sprint" and hung up on me.
I signed on to Verizon's service within the hour, and got a great phone as well, the Blackberry Storm.
If this was my experience, as a 10 yr customer, multiple phone buyer, and former supporter, I can only imagine what other's have gone through. And for what? Dead zones, second rate phones, and bad phone applications? It is no wonder why AT&T and Verizon are poaching all their customers. They must move from a "how much can we get from our customers" to a more "how can we service our customers" mentality - and that whole service discount "deal or no deal" scheme...that has got to go.
Now, I've had problems with Sprint before, like not giving me proper phone rebates, over billing my account, fake "phone insurance" where you pay a ridiculously high deductables despite your monthly insurance premium. But I stayed, mostly because of their lock-in contracts.
I remember pitching to an asset manager just last week in his office and showing him my company's application on my former Sprint BBRY. He says "What service do you have?" I say "Sprint." "Wow, so you are the one guy who's still with Sprint, huh."
That gave me something to consider, because I honestly couldn't remember who of my friends were on Sprint. It used to be everyone I knew was on, and They had a great - in network feature where your calls didn't count towards minutes. Now, nobody is on the network so the cost of the in network feature wasn't worth it. Then I had the most aweful customer servicer experience of my life. Below is what I wrote days before Sprints Announcement.
Why Spint Lost me as a customer after 10 yrs, and why you may want to leave too.
posted on 01-21-2009
Dear Sprint Fans,
After 10 years, I decided to leave Sprint. Which is sad because I used to defend Sprint to those who use to ask why I haven't joined AT&T or Verizon, besides having better phones, and better customer service.
In September, I had 2 phone numbers but decided to split my account. Over the next 3 months, my overages went through the roof. Many of the calls were mine, but many of the calls were foriegn to me and I asked for an investigation.
Here is where it gets crazy.I got an alert that the fraud dept said they were valid calls. Really? I don't remember calling Jersey City 20 times in one day for a minute each. I wanted to speak to someone about the methodology of the review, or maybe simply reasess how I was using the phone...I was speaking to an Operator by the name of " LAKESHA." She then says that she can offer me 50% off the overage charges. I said, sounds good, but what other options are there? She responded that I could speak to a supervisor if I wanted more off. OK, sounds good, lets do that...
I am then forwarded to "Supervisor KENDRA." She says what I already heard, that the fraud dept said the calls were legit. I said, OK, now what?
Now nothing.
What about the 50% offer?
Supposedly it was now "OFF THE TABLE.
"What?"
She "explains" that because I "refused" LAKESHA's offer, that I was no longer offered the discount and I had to pay the full amount. I asked to be escalated to a manager.
Manager NICOLE gets on the phone. She says only 2 things. 1 - That the calls were deems legit (which I dispute) and 2 - that they are no longer offering the discount. I try to explain I was never told that if I escalated further that I'd be denied the discount. She doesn't care. She says operators are not obliged to explain that....WHAT? We go back and forth for 20 minutes and SHE HANGS UP ON ME!
I call again, and get Operator JOSHUA. I'm thinking, let me start from scratch. Again, Joshua offers to discount about $191 from my bill. Knowing the previous conversation, I say - OK, let's do it....
He then asks that I hold. I hold, for 10 minutes.
He gets back on - Says "I need to forward you to a manager." Great, should be resolved then.
NICOLE gets back on -Then says to me - NO OFFER.
WHY? Your operator just offered it to me - AGAIN!
She says that JOSHUA put in the notes that I refused the discount for a 2nd time...
THIS IS CRAZY! I tell her, in no way did I refuse a second time. I even challenge her to pull the voice recording tapes so we can check the conversation. She then slips that they all sit by each other, and that she even mentioned all their names.
OK, I say, please give me their operator numbers as well. She refuses, saying that the operators will only volunteer those #s when I speak to them directly.
I said - well, give me those operators again.
No.
OK, can you please ask them their numbers please.
I don't sit by them - She says.
Wait, you JUST SAID you sit by them, so you are lying. I ask her - so you are saying, that after offering me the discount, 2 times, you are reneging?
Manager NICOLE, # 45751 (I asked her this time) said that is correct, gave her "thank you for calling sprint" and hung up on me.
I signed on to Verizon's service within the hour, and got a great phone as well, the Blackberry Storm.
If this was my experience, as a 10 yr customer, multiple phone buyer, and former supporter, I can only imagine what other's have gone through. And for what? Dead zones, second rate phones, and bad phone applications? It is no wonder why AT&T and Verizon are poaching all their customers. They must move from a "how much can we get from our customers" to a more "how can we service our customers" mentality - and that whole service discount "deal or no deal" scheme...that has got to go.
Comments
I probably will never go back especially after hearing what they did to the Iceman!
I calculate they made about $35,000 during my time as a customer. Too bad.