Tim’s World

Dear Sir,

I’m writing to find out what Sprint is doing to increase their customer service skills in these tough economic times. I have been a loyal Sprint customer since 2004, and have recently experienced a lot of problems that I feel should not have happened to begin with. Last year about this time….this happened (posted on my blog.)

Ok well I’ve been using Nextel phone service for a year and a half now, and all of a sudden I do not have a signal in my house. So I called Nextel and after being transferred 6 times from customer service to tech support to Corporate Accounts back to customer service, I finally got to why my phone does not receive a signal in my own home. Apparently the Sprint / Nextel merge is now final, while my Nextel phone uses IDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network) technology the Sprint network uses CDMA ( Code division multiple access) and now that the merge is final the Sprint / Nextel cell towers are being “retuned”. Which means in Sprint Speak, switching from IDEN to CDMA, which also effectively renders a regular Nextel phone useless near any “retuned” cell tower. So in order to receive “full” compatibility Sprint now offers hybrid phones that use both IDEN and CDMA. hmmmm. Ok I say “what do I do to get the service back that I once had”?? Sprint says that since my contract does not expire until June ‘08 that they could give me a discount……. the phone is “regularly” $499.99 but for me LOL they can give it to me for $299.99. hmmmm. So I have a pretty new phone that doesn’t work on the new “retuned” cell towers and now I have to pay I HAVE TO PAY? 299.99 x 2 (my wife also has the same problem with her phone) to “get back to normal” SERVICE??????? I spent 3 hours talking to various” stupoidvisors” managers, corporate office, account specialists, etc….. to all have them confirm that due to the” UPGRADED RETUNED” TOWERS, it would cost me 599.98 to use my phone like I’ve always had. So I gave up. and thought about my options for a while then had an idea!! Call Sprint / Nextel back and talk to Tech support. Talked to a guy named Alex. Alex understood my dilemma from the start, read all the pages of notes that previous experts had written, laughed and told me to hold on. A few moments later he advised me that 2 new ic902 hybrid phones were enroute to me via UPS. WOW, 3 hours on phone with customer care specialists and a tech guy fixed the problem in less than 15 minutes. Well, that’s freaking amazing. Phones get delivered tomorrow. Thanks Alex!!

OK so I received the “Hybrid” phones and guess what?  Those worked fine near the “retuned towers, but, yes bet ya guessed not near the non-retuned towers. I work at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where I believe Sprint has a tower onsite……no signal, dropped calls, you know the story……. So I avoid the middle man and call Sprint Corporate directly and after another hour or so a very nice man (forget his name, wish I could remember, he could probably fix my currant problem!!), advises me to get rid of the Nextel portion of my service (direct connect, I still kinda miss it…) and just go with a pure phone PHONE. SO the VERY nice guy sends me a Mogul and my wife a Palm 755, and life is good, very good actually for a while.

In the course of my duties at my job I use my phone a lot….. calls, emails, text message, portable PC. But we are not allowed to carry out phone visibly. So in my pocket it is, And I bump into something one day and the screen cracks right down the middle. No problem I think, I have insurance. So the next morning I go to the local Sprint store w/ service and repair. (Sprint Store

Lansing Square 17545 S. Torrence Avenue Lansing, IL 60438 (708) 889-2900 This is a ReadyNow store

Sales Repair Se Habla Español Bill Payment

2.4 miles Directions Make an appoin

)

I walk in start explaining the cracked screen story to a Wackenhut security Officer that apparently runs this Sprint location…. and without even a thought points to a sign and hands me an Ensurion card. The sign states (I believe it was dated September 8^th 2008 and I was there September 13^th 2008) that my insurance no longer covers cracked screens or broken flips. GREAT!! So back to the phones and after 10-12 Sprint “experts” and hours of MY time they agree to send me a “NEW” phone. I received a refurbished Mogul. Ok …… In the following weeks, things are not working properly. Spots on the screen (LCD known issues according to Sprint tech support) upper row of keyboard (letters p,o,i.u, and y work intermittently), dropped calls. With my work schedule (11 am Central time to 8 pm) I have to leave by 930 am and get home about 930 pm….. 6 days a week…… Stores are not open then …… I go back to the wonderful world of Sprint customer careen the phone !! * 2 try it sometime you might not like it…… So I do this in February 2009, my earliest convenience due to work, holidays and life in general. They send me another Sprint REFURBISHED PHONE. Guess what, same problems and more, more = when you hang up a call the phone (the cell connection) shuts off. In a loud airport environment (the phone makes a gong sound when it shuts off the cell connection) I am unaware the phone is shutting off. Then my boss tries to call and it goes to voicemail. So he comes or calls on the Radio and says “Why the hell are you not answering your phone!!!!!!!!!!” And here I am with another dysfunctional phone. ……………… and maybe almost without a job………………

Sooooooooo I think, hmmm my wife just started working for AT&T let me see what they have to offer, as well as T-Mobile, US Cellular, etc…. and While I’m at it pay my sprint bill….. (On March 9^th 2009 I dropped my wife’s Sprint line since she receives an ATT employee phone for $30 a month and I switched to a $99 Simply Everything plan.) I get charged a month in advance and pay my bill usually well before it’s due…. SO I’m preparing to pay Aprils bill about March 13^th. I look at my bill and it’s over $200.00 I LOSE MY MIND for a few moments and get on the phone. 2 hours later and 12 Sprint Representatives later (WHO DO I CHARGE FOR MY TIME???? my time is very valuable and Sprint seems to take a lot of it from me My hourly rate is $32.65) the 12^th Sprint Reprensentive discovers that whilst my Simply Everything Plan was prorated for March the $146.51 that was already paid in advance, was not….. So my bill was 236.50. After the 12^th representative fixed it, it was 108.48 a DIFFERENCE OF $128.02 PLUS 2 HOURS OF MY TIME $65.30 in which no one offered to reimburse me for while I’m sitting there talking on my dysfunctional phone………… .. I explain my dysfunctional phone story to him and my plans to switch carriers. He says he has an idea, they do not carry the Mogul any longer in stores and to take it to a repair center ( see above Sprint Store for details) and if they can’t fix it they can replace it on the spot for a similar phone, I believe he mentioned the Sprint Touch Pro. So I go to the Sprint store, waste 2 more hours of my time (65.30 – Sprint now owes me at least $130.60) and after all is said and done the phone (after being on a diagnostic machine has issues) cannot be repaired. I jump for joy!! I explain to the tech to read the notes on my account, which if it was not repaired that I would get a new NEW not refurbished phone. He reads and states “well I see that in the notes, but cannot do that”. HE says that that person that wrote that note cannot override Sprint policy. He says that he must try and order another REFURBISHED MOGUL……..that most likely have the same issues that the broken one has.

I do not understand…… I pay my bill on time, never missed a payment, bought phones full priced, and stuck with a REFURBISHED NON_FUNCTIONAL PHONE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO back to *2…… probably to cancel account….. transferred around again …….lost track of time on phone another hour 2? More of MY TIME that Sprint does not pay me for…….. And spoke to numerous SPRINT REPRESENTATIVES, some names taken for your review also,

Lisa employees #352 – Needs a new job, terrible customer service skills …

Ruth number not given Supervisor – Cut overhead Fire HER!!!

Valencia.A.James @sprint.com – Promote her to Ruth’s very very knowledgeable fixed billing oversight. PROMOTE HER!!!! Or at least put her in charge of teaching the 100’s of other bad employee’s customer service skills.

And last but not least – Farrah “direct line” 505-771-7675, who, if, for a limited time only ( stated a decision must be made prior to the end of the phone conversation, UPON RENEWEL OF A 2 YEAR CONTRACT, would sell me ( her words – “ and outside the box price” I’m thinking an out the trunk of a car price) A Sprint HTC Touch Pro for 129.99 with a mail in rebate of $100 for the low low low bottom line price if you act now WITH A 2 YEAR CONTRACT. $29.99…………………

Think something is fishy here…… you decide.

What I would like to see happen, I would like a phone that works (Preferably new not refurbished for the 4^th time) I would like to remain a Sprint Customer, without having to renew my contract. I would like the overall *2 phone Customer Service Department looked into and actual Customer Service provided!

Is that a lot to ask? In our tough economic times? Doesn’t Sprint want to retain customers? Doesn’t Sprint want to be better than their competitors?

I’ll sit here and wait for a response….. See what happens……. But not too long

You may contact me here via an email response, on my home phone 708.***.****, or my Dysfunctional Sprint Mogul if it works 708.***.****…….

Please fix my problem and I’ll keep sending you money!!

Timothy A. Wachowiak