Sprint's Parting Shot
 

After years of so-so-at-best service, last month I switched from Sprint to AT&T so I could get an iPhone. I made sure I was no longer under contract, paid my current monthly bill right before the switch, and switched. AT&T changed our phones over, and I think that's the end of it. But then, about a week later, the wife reminded me that we had a third Sprint phone. Several years ago, some Sprint asshole cold-called us with the idea of a third phone line, which we could use in the event of emergencies or a lost phone, which wouldn't cost us anything extra. Seems like a good idea, so we made the deal, and got this extra phone, which has been buried in my sock drawer with a dead battery since the last time I lost my primary phone a couple of years ago. I'm sure the amount of calls I've placed on it could be counted on one hand.

Well, I call, and sure enough, the account's still active. So I told the lady to cancel it and my account. I asked if I'd get any refund from the final bill I paid and she says no, because I didn't cancel in time. She mentions nothing about me owning Sprint any further money. She then tells me that she's sorry I'm leaving, that I'm welcome back in the future, and that's that. This was over a month ago. My relationship with Sprint is now over, right?

WRONG.

Yesterday, we get a "Collection Agency Alert" from these shit-sucking lowlifes claiming that we owe them - no shit - $328.38! No explanation, no other bill or e-mail, or even a phone call in the past month - just this ****-you-pay-me letter that says I'm seven days away from collection procedures. Oh, and apparently I'm still a valued Sprint customer! Lucky me. :rolleyes: So I call them, and find out that they're trying to stick me with an early termination fee (even though I was no longer under contract when I cancelled), and of course I owe them for a month's service for the third phone I hadn't used in years, because I cancelled it THREE DAYS into the monthly billing cycle.

Anyway, I finally get them to relent on the early termination fee, yet I still have to pay them $93.12 for a phone that I took no calls on and received no calls on, that wasn't even on, that they know I didn't use, because I cancelled their ****ing service THREE DAYS LATE. I guess the thousands of dollars I've paid them over the course of the last eight years just didn't matter; it was more important for them to bill me nearly a hundred ****ing dollars for three days worth of service I never used.

If you are reading this, and considering using these pricks for your service, I really hope you'll reconsider and use another carrier. I want that $93 they took from me to be a mere pittance of what this story will cost them later in lost business. DO NOT LET SPRINT HAPPEN TO YOU.

**** YOU SPRINT

4321

That is all.

This is exactly why I have a pay-as-you-go phone, (I use it for emergencies only though). Cell phone companies have a rep for fuggin over ppl. Sry u had to go through that BS Frazod. I hope AT&T treats u better.

Sprint is awful. I wish they weren't. I have dear friends who work there. I won't ever use them again.

love me some net10...

Me too. I just cancelled my landline.

Who do you use for your pay as you go?

I like to think AT&T can't be any worse than Sprint, but I think at the end of the day they're all horrible. You've just got to pick your poison.

But even as awful as Verizon was (shitty carrier before Sprint) at least they didn't come back a month later and try to rape me for over $300.

I been trying to tell all of you that forever. The truth of the matter is Sprint's Customer Service now ranks higher than both ATT and Verizon. I am sorry this happened to you. Just file a dispute. Contact the Collection Agency in writing requesting a copy of the bill. They have to provide it to you in 35 days or they are ass out. Again, I am sorry this happened to you as Sprint has really put a lot of time and effort into improving our customer service.

i have to admit it makes me snicker hearing these stories considering i no longer work there and as such, no longer feel compelled to defend them in any way, shape or form.

Verizon did something very similar to me.

How does canceling three days into the month amount to a $93.12 fee?

no elevator speech awards for you pete! ;)

Shit, I am just biding my time until the axe comes back around.

oh well, if the cycle's the same as it's been, you've got at least 6-8 months.

Well, it's just one of those basic Motorola TracFones from Target where u buy the airtime cards to add minutes.

I'm with you on that one. I almost feel like I'm being disloyal to KC, but if anyone asks my opinion, I will recommend against Sprint. I used to have them for my personal phone, and my company used to use them as well (We had Nextel, switched to Verizon after they merged with Sprint).

Both Sprint and Nextel's coverage in this area is unacceptable, IMO. Not to mention customer service issues such as this one. I personally never had a problem with billing, but there's a reason they are consistently rated the worst cell carrier for customer service.

In fact, this year they are ranked the 3rd worst company in the country for customer service (Linky). They've been as high as #1 in the last 2 or 3 years in that same survey.

All cell phone companies suck. They care more about getting new customers than they do about keeping their current ones.

so you had the service you wanted, but are mad they expected you to pay for it?


Sorry, but it's not their fault the phone was unused turned off and in your sock drawer.

So, how long have you worked for Sprint?

So the third phone was on a totally separate account? If it was on the same account shouldn't it have been canceled at the same time as the others?

never. what an original comeback though.

Sure, they could have as a courtesy comped the service, but in this economy I don't see how you can blame them for not doing so.

Again, did someone wearing a yellow polo shirt show up at your home with a gun and force you to sign up for an unnecessary phone, put it in a drawer, forget about it, and then cancel your service?

If they did, then I take back my comment.

BTW, why didn't you notice the phone and it's line and number on your bill when you reviewed it?

This. If it was a third line...then it should have been cancelled along with the other two lines.

If it was added at a later date, it may very well have extended his contract and required separate cancellation.


We have about 45 phones here at the office, with numerous different contract dates and they are all cancellable independent of each other.

I've used PCS for going on ten years now and I have never had a problem with customer service, phone service or anything in general.

Sorry for you problems dude. But I have to say they would ALL do the same thing if given a chance as far as your last bill is concerned.

Is it right? Hell no... but that is big business for you. **** the little guy and his mere $100 a month bill.

What bothers me the most about Sprint right now is they have no low dollar plan with lets say 400 Anytime minutes for less than $50 bucks or something equivalent. 800 anytime for $69.99 is the best they offer. :cuss: bastages.


THIS

All Cell phone companies **** you in the ass.. with no lube.
its just the way it is..

This is more anti- sprint bias from frazod that we have come to expect.

Sprint has had to do alot to win me back as a customer but they did, most recently the sprint store rep drove from the P&L District out to overland park during rush hour to personally deliver my new phone.

Sprint is really trying to turn things around, and have greatly improved in the last year or so.. especially in areas of customer service, and coverage - again especially in the KC area.
Its going to take some time, they are going to have to continue to work EXTRA hard to overcome this huge negative perception that they generated for many years, but may I suggest giving them another try - they are NOT the same old sprint that everyone loved to hate.

Verizon was the absolute worst carrier that I ever had - they would put extra charges on almost every bill

ATT's Data network was way too slow and the GSM quality was not that great.

again.. they all suck.. pick your poison and STFU.

I dumped Sprint about a yr ago. I really glad I did now...

I am about to switch from Sprint to ATT for the iPhone too and I'm TERRIFIED this type of thing will happen to me.
VERIZON boned me for $175 when I switched to SPrint because we had moved to a new house where Verizon had NO service.

THey all are the devil.

I think the customer service for all of them is about the same. I think in terms of quality Verizon and AT&T blow Sprint out of the water though. But everybody's story is different.

It was on the same account; but since I didn't transfer that particular number (which I never used) AT&T didn't do anything to it.

Now, a proactively intelligent person FROM EITHER COMPANY might have thought "Hmm, he's cancelling two lines, perhaps we should ask him about the third line. That's the sort of thinking I'm EXPECTED to employ in my job. Of course, I assume looking the other way so the customer gets jobbed is something they tell these people to do.

Yes, it's all my fault. Happy now, dickhead?

It just sickens me how many people refuse to take personal responsibilty these days. It's ruining America.

If that 3rd phone line was on the same account, it should have been canceled by default when the account was closed out. Your contract was obviously not extended by the third line because you were not charged an early termination fee when canceling the account. If the phone line was on a separate account, then that's your fault. If not, it's theirs.

The fact that you had an extra line and phone that was never used is irrelevant. You could have had 1000 extra lines. So long as they were on the account that you closed out, those lines should be closed out as well.

Knowing just what you told us, sounds like you were in the right.

Here comes SLAG the Sprint cheerleader to explain why getting ****ed over by a company you've used and supported for years should not only be expected but QUIETLY accepted.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAY SLAG!!!!!!

Hey, perhaps you and Mikey could get together and think of more cool and sneaky new ways **** over Sprint's customers.

Just be sure to clear them with legal first.

I'd like to say that you'll probably get better service out of AT&T....or Verizon....or Sprint.....or **enter name of cell phone carrier here**, but I doubt it. Like you said, pick your poison. Regardless of who you are with, they'll screw you.

I'm with Sprint - and have been for nearly 10 years - only because I have personally never had any major problems with them.

No, it was all on one account. But apparently each line is regarded as a sub-account. I guess the sea monster won't die until you kill ALL of its tentacles.

The justification for charging me the whole $93 was that I went into the next "billing cycle." Another great tactic they use - whether I use the phone for an hour into the billing cycle or 29 days, I get charged the same $93.

$93 for a single line, with no extra features, that wasn't even used, for three days. Hey, that's fair!

:whackit:

Same or different account number on the third phone?

Same account number.

I won't go into my story about Sprint, but all I'll say is that I will never, ever even consider going back to them. Ever.

Then that sounds like they messed up and you should not owe.

BTW,
I just fired ATT. But that was my land line and DSL account. I'm actually fairly pleased with my cell service from ATT.

Yeah, you'd think so. But the Sprint manager thinks otherwise, and I don't want my credit rating nuked over $93.

Alltel has been pretty good to me, but they were just bought by Verizon so we'll see how that goes I guess.

Sprint sucks balls. I canceled my cellphone and a year later they hit me up for fifteen bucks. I decided it was easier to pay them than to argue about it. They then hit my parents up about THREE years later, for FIVE FRIGGING BUCKS. I think it's a scam they're running, to see how much free cash they can trick out of people...

You should just be happy that through your $93..um, contribution.., SPRINT was able to keep the "R" and the "N" in the big SPRINT Center sign downtown lit up for another night. Otherwise, it would read SPIT Center and then just imagine the kind of hell that would break loose, caused by all of them smokeless dippin' redneck tourists in the Power & Light District!

That is where you should have employed the ChiefsPlanet-ism "go eat a bag of dicks". But you're new here, so you get a pass. (Still, I think I might have told them to **** off, that they're wasting more money in salary trying to collect the money than what they're going to get)

They should tell you this when you're canceling. If they don't/didn't, then that's poor ethics on their part. Not illegal or anything, but it's a poor business practice. But, since they know you're not going to challenge them in court over a matter of $93, they have the upper hand because they can send you to collections.

It sucks, I agree.

I think we all know, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.

Had I poured over the fine print, examined my bill in detail AND called these morons three times a day for a month to make sure everything was taken care of correctly, I'm sure I could have weaseled my way out of this $93 expense.

This might be the smartest thing ever posted on Chiefs planet. :)

That sucks. I mean, it IS your fault, but that still sucks. However, did you really expect them to be lenient when they were no longer receiving any money from you at all?

I left Sprint a couple of weeks ago and went with the I-Phone from AT&T. Fired Time Warner and went with AT&T U-Verse.

Because of license overlaps the FCC is going to force Verizon to chop Alltel into pieces. Hopefully you will get to stay with Verizon.

are you in lee's summit? is u-verse available for lee's summit now?

They need to prorate your bill and charge you for 3 days worth of service. If they try and charge you for more you can sue them for damages to your credit rating for refusing to pay. Get paperwork, and line it up, you're not obligated to pay an entire months service when you cancelled 3 days in.

Boy, it sure seems like this should be correct. I really should check with one the attorneys here to see if anyone knows for sure. God I don't want to pay these ****ers anything.

My brother is in Lee's Summit and has had U-Verse for some time now.

Just got my sprint bill and noticed there are tons of one dollar and two dollar charges that arent usually on there for god knows what...any one have any ideas

DLC. Ringers, games, etc.

And if i havent downloaded ringers, games, etc?

They're trying to recover the money that Frazod just ****ed them out of.

EECB is your friend..

Take this complaint to consumerist.com..

They might be able to help you or tell you how to help yourself to get all charges dropped..

You should call them and ask for a breakdown of charges. You could do that online as well. It should tell you exactly what you're being charged for.

I am thinking of switching from verizon to sprint just because I will get a 45% off discount on my bill..

What?? You know all you had to do was tell them that you were moving to a part of the country that they offered no services and it is free???

How is one phone 93 dollars a month?? You need to call and say that you closed those accounts when you transferred.. If it is not closed, then that is on your end and not mine.. I am not paying for it, I will see you in court, in the paper and writing a letter to your CEO about your behavior.. Make sure you get he persons name..

I actually just spent some time talking with one of our litigation attorneys and digging around on line, and it doesn't look good. From what I was able to find, pretty much all major cellphone providers will NOT prorate the last month of service (the exception being U.S. Cellular, at least a couple of years ago). It's just an industry practice, and is probably there in the fine print of their policy to be read by anyone with a magnifying glass. The attorney told me that as long as they aren't violating their own legal policies, I have no recourse.

I could keep calling and grovel and beg and eventually if I'm nice (granted, I wasn't terribly nice to any of them yesterday) I might be able to find a manager who is nice enough to give me a discount, but it probably wouldn't happen since I've already left and they have no vested interest in making me happy, and frankly didn't seem to give a shit about making me happy at any point during the last eight years. Which is just as well, because I'm not going to grovel to these pricks anyway.

But I'll definitely rub that $93 check on my ass a couple of times before sticking it in the envelope.

Verizon did almost the exact same thing to my brother. Seems to be an industry standard. My brother was actually able to get his Verizon rep to yell "fuck Off!" :)

Yep, meadows of winterset area over by the college.

I payed them $199.00 to go away. Probably legitamate but who knows?:shake:

take them to small claims court.

If more people did then do you think all these shiester's would be making deals like that?

FYI, supposedly you can avoid the $175+ early term fee by cancelling after a materially adverse change in contract by your carrier. Here's Sprint's contract provision on the matter.

When You Don't Have To Pay An Early Termination Fee
You aren't responsible for paying an Early Termination Fee when terminating Services: (a) provided on a month-to-month basis; (b) consistent with our published trial period return policy; or (c) in response to a materially adverse change we make to the Agreement as described directly below.

Our Right To Change The Agreement & Your Related Rights
We may change any part of the Agreement at any time including, but not limited to, rates, charges, how we calculate charges, or your terms of Service. We will provide you notice of changes that may impact you in a manner consistent with this Agreement (see "Providing Notice Under This Agreement" paragraph). Except as provided below, if a change we make to the Agreement is material and has a material adverse affect on you, you may terminate each line of Service materially affected without incurring an Early Termination Fee only if you: (a) call us within 30 days after the effective date of the change; and (b) specifically advise us that you wish to cancel Services because of a material change to the Agreement that we have made. If you do not cancel Service within 30 days of the change, an Early Termination Fee will apply if you terminate Services before the end of any applicable Term Commitment.
The following, without limitation, will generally not be considered changes to the Agreement as contemplated in this provision and will not result in the waiver of applicable Early Termination Fees: (a) changes to our Policies; (b) changes to rates or charges that are not a core part of the rate plan package for which you contracted - for example, incidental, occasional or casual use charges and other options that do not require a Term Commitment; (b) changes to Taxes & Government Fees; or (c) changes to Surcharges, including assessing new Surcharges.

http://www.ucan.org/telecommunicatio...hone_contracts

Heh. Me too. I got into a cussing match with a Verizon manager once who actually told me that my cellphone was not designed to work indoors. While I was watching a commerical featuring the Can-You-Hear-Me-Now? guy talk on his cellphone in an elevator.

Over $93? I know your time isn't worth dick, but for the rest of us, that's not realistic.

Sprint cancled my service by mistake, I had to use My minutes to get it taken care of, they were stoopid and rude as hell, and THEN tried to bill me for early cancelation and to start my service over again. IT WAS THEIR STOOPID MISTAKE!!!!

F them-I would NEVER use their pos service-EVER!

I had dropped calls right by their towers-they suck beyond belief-and treat their customers like shit to boot.

Excellent. :thumb: