Poll: What's wrong with Sprint?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 18th 2008 12:12PM
posted January 18th 2008 12:12PM
| Awful handset selection! | |
|---|---|
| Customer service (lack thereof, that is) | |
| If I could get a signal, I'd tell you. | |
| Its data network isn't all it's cracked up to be. | |
| Plan pricing and / or features need some serious retooling! | |
| It's everything, man. Pack it in and call it done. | |
| La la la, nothing's wrong! I can't hear you! |
Customer service. Best $400 I ever spent was the 2-line early-termination-fee I paid to be rid of those knuckleheads. And I was a satisfied customer for over 5 years. It ain't the technology folks, it's plain old customer service. Long term, holding customers hostage or deceiving them is not good for business. I for one eagerly welcome the demise of Sprint.
I was an AT&T/Cingular customer for about 8 years here in Los Angeles. I switched to Sprint for several reasons:
* Sprint has the best & fastest network in Los Angeles. Verizon was only beginning their Rev. A rollout when I switched, and AT&T does not have HSDPA service in L.A. (a lot of people don't know that)
* VERY reasonable unlimited data plan. 'Nuff said.
* Free Google Maps for my handset. It may sound trivial to you, but I was just starting a much longer commute, and I wanted a way to check maps & traffic wherever I was. Verizon does not support Google Maps, thanks to their BREW platform. You've gotta pay for their map service.
* Samsung m610. I wanted a phone that would easily fit in my pocket, and there is no slimmer handset. Glad I picked one up in the two weeks that Sprint offered it. (It was purloined by Helio.)
It's been just about a year since I switched, and I couldn't be happier. The call quality is like night & day compared with AT&T. And really, people, how many large communications companies have customer service that could not be described as "bad"? My experience with Sprint's CS puts them about level with everyone else.
I started having signal troubles with Sprint in 2005 (largely signal in buildings). I always had a much weaker signal than my associates and friends with T-Mobile and Cingular service. I tried a new phone (which I didn't like) and it didn't work. I lost patience with Sprint (whom I'd been with for nearly 5 years at that point). At the time, Sprint offered almost no phones that met my needs so I switched to AT&T (Cingular at the time) and got a Blackjack. AT&T actually paid me to move over by covering my contract cancellation fees with Sprint.
Looking back, I'm very glad I did. It sucks being in the middle of San Francisco or LA on a business trip trying to stay in touch with people and not having a good enough signal to reasonably make a call in some spots. Strangely enough, that happened more frequently with Sprint that I imagined was possible in this day and age. Don't even get me started on my European or South American experiences.
I live in Kansas City (Overland Park, actually), the city which is home to Sprint HQ. I could understand if my experience differs from others.
Coverage here is fantastic, the speed of the EVDO network is fantastic. (I've had two evdo modems, the slightly older rev.0 and the new rev.A) My HTC Touch rocks the house. (aka PPC6900/Vogue)
Any time I've had a problem with a phone, I go to the store and talk to an ENGLISH speaking HUMAN. They fix things lickity split. I've had to get my phone replaced twice. Both times, they take my phone, go to the back, and hand me a new one. Hardly any wait.
I wouldn't change a thing about Sprint.
I disagree with the general sentiment, here. There are NOT too many carriers. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint. That's it. Everyone else just leases space on these guys' networks. Two GSM companies. Two CDMA companies. How little competition do you guys want?
Anybody else in the I-HATE-SPRINT'S-CUSTOMER-SERVICE club? Those guys are the worst possible form of life form there are. I was one of those people who paid to get out of my contract.
I've had sprint for over 5 years and have no plans of switching. I rarely have a dropped call, get service in the mountains, my bill for nights and weekends at 6, unlimited data and text for 53$/month including taxes, etc. I have friends that are sales reps for every phone company and none of them can come close. No billing hiccups either.
I can tell you Sprint has better PDA's than Verizon. And for the $70 a month I save on my voice/data plan, I can put up with the coverage.
I've been a Sprint customer for about a decade, and have used no one else.
The coverage is great, no complaints.
My issue is their handset selection is HORRIBLE.
Excellent example...the upcoming Samsung SGH-F490 that Sprint will sell soon and rename the SPH-M800. They removed the 5MP camera, instead making it a 2MP. Why? People have spouted of their own thoughts on why, but they're all just excuses. Sprint takes a GREAT phone and dumbs it down. Ridiculous.
Service is decent...and if you're like me, if there is ever a problem and call them and ask for them to fix it, don't take no for an answer, they work with you 99% of the time. I know a lot of you have had bad service...i've never seen it though...you just have to know how to talk to the rep..and if you don't succeed, hang up, and try, try again!
I have been with Sprint for 9 years.
I’m a very satisfied customer.
Here is what I have to say about the whole issue.
They started from scratch around 1997. Even t-mobile had an earlier start than Sprint (I’m talking about Arial, omni-point and other GSM players that operated in various cities ). They did not have huge analog cell phone customer base as Verizon or AT&T did. Besides sprint did not have a local presence like Bell companies did (Except may be in Las Vegas and Orlando). Even the spectrum (1900) at which sprint operates isn’t the ideal one. They have to overcome so many odds to build a network from scratch.
Mistake 1: Over sold their service when the network was only half complete (2000 -2003). Most these pissed-off customers will never ever come back to Sprint.
Mistake 2: Lousy customer care. They now realize that this is an issue. They are working on it, not sure when they would get this fixed. My personal feeling is that may be 10% of Sprint’s customer base is made up of cheapies/ free loaders/ tech savvy folks with over expectation. These folks are the ones who take up disproportionate amount of CS time and bitch about it in the internet.
Mistake 3 (This biggest):
They took over Nextel right at the point Nextel was crumbling. (Ever seen the movie Money Pit?) Sprint took the bait thinking they could sell more stuff to the wealthy Nextel customer (Highest revenue per customer in the wireless industry). Sprint ended up spending a lot (a billion or 2) just to keep the Nextel network from falling apart.
Sprint should have gone the path T-mobile took. A value player- instead they were aiming for the sky. It is not too late. Currently, they probably have close to 4 to 5 mil customer under SERO. I’m thinking it would hurt sprint sell a plan that is cheaper than T-mobile’s plan. Yes– cut your price and start marketing an add-on plan like “Un-limited to five” or something similar.
Their Customer Service has been bad for probably 3-4 years now and their employees have even been telling them this the whole time and their response was always "You just have to be patient, but we need the company to save $1,000,000 today" and they are JUST NOW trying to fix it? I love EVDO and the price, the mogul is great if you use your phone more for a laptop than a phone. And all this bad press probably keeps the prices low, so I'm pretty happy, it's just the quagmire you have to go through to get to where you want to be.
It is because they decided to change two minor fees on Jan 1st and customers are seeing this as a ay to get out of contracts without paying an Early Termination Fee. Simple as that.
What's wrong with Sprint? Having to fix your bill every month, that's what. GAAAAH!
This is a great example of why small businesses remain competitive.
No small company could afford to treat their customers with disdain or indifference as the big corporations like Sprint do.
As a former Sprint customer I can say that my main reasons for switching were poor customer service (both at the stores and over the phone) and dropped phone calls and inferior reception. I think that executives who make decisions should at least try to do what former Qwest CEO (Richard Notebaert) did when he first moved to Denver. Notebaert called Qwest customer service to schedule his own phone service. He discovered that it was impossible to get through the maze of Qwest telephone system.
I think that Sprint executives need to visit some of their overcrowded stores and try to deal with often ignorant and rude employees.(Before firing more of them) Perhaps, Sprint CEO should call customer service and try to understand somebody with almost incomprehensible accent, who obviously cannot resolve any issues because they do not have ability, authority or knowledge. It is as if systems were designed to prevent customers from resolving any problems. Maybe if Sprint brass would do that they would understand why customers are leaving them... However, I doubt they would hear my advice, since they get paid regardless of their performance there are really no incentives. They just want to calm down the largest shareholders and placate board of directors.
I used to work at a Sprint Exclusive dealer (or Agent, as they call'em), and man was it a horrible experience. Everything was basically done in a shady way, and most sales had to be forced out of a phone call from relatives or friends of friends, etc. The few people that came in that weren't already customers, would ultimately end up really confused even after we explained everything to the best of our abilities.
Sprint needs to reorganize their activation/porting/upgrading systems (SNAP, FDT, ETC) and do a better job at merging everything into one. SNAP is a start but it all takes too much time.
Their brochures are overloaded with information, yet are not informative enough. It has a bunch of different plans easy to understand for employees, but one that takes over two explanations for customers to fully understand, and a salesman that's wasted time that i could use to make money.
I worked T-Mobile and now Helio, and the best thing is for the company to make their products sell themselves(like Verizon and AT&T do so well), so the sales reps can focuse on actually making sales, and not edxplaining 3 to 4 times the same thing to existing customers or new customers dumbfounded and overwhelmed by all of it.
It needs reorganization, to fix customer service, even their internal channels for reps are horrible.
SPRINT, VERIZON, ALLTEL and any other cell companies you can think of are ALL stealing bastards .. They are all a JOKE , Ever look at your bill and try to figure it out ?? THEY ALL SUCK
I have had Sprint for about 6 months. Here in Atlanta I have no problems. Reception is fine, my SERO plan is reasonable. Then I went to NJ to visit family over the holidays. In their house my phone did not get enough of a signal to make/receive calls but enough of a signal to prevent it from roaming on VZW. I had to go deep into the settings of my phone to force roaming and then I had a full signal from Verizon. Other than that hiccup I have had no issues. I have not had to call customer service though, thankfully.
The only reason I'm still a sprint customer is that I still have my calling plan from 4 years ago. Looking at the prices they list now, I can't imagine why a new subscriber would sign up.
Gotta be customer service. I don't have any problems with coverage or service. Data works great and is priced reasonably. I dread the CS but I tough it out a few times a year when its renewal/plan change time. After I get a bill come through correctly I don't talk to them for the next 23 months.
I really think their back office setup is crap and not consistent across locations. Thats why each rep gives a diff answer and they can never seem to get the right billing codes on the accounts. The system is supposedly incapable of making any changes mid cycle. I called to cancel and they tell me I have to pay for the rest of the month cause they can't prorate. Now I am pretty sure they will charge me for the next month even though I canceled automatic payment.
Its the same problem for the last 8 years. They've made good moves with their investments in data but the thing chasing customers away still lingers.
AT&T and Verizon seem to try harder when it comes to advertising trendy new handsets. Phones are huge parts of everyday lifestyle, and people go nuts off the latest new phone with all the bells and whistles. I see Verizon giving Chocolate some burn, AT&T did the iPhone, T-Mobile does the Sidekick... what does Sprint really offer? Only thing that comes to mind is after the merger with Nextel, the "chirp" might've been a selling factor... not anymore.
Yeah Verizon at least sees the value of cool handsets and tries hard, whereas for the last 10 years I have always wondered who would buy the fugly POS phones Sprint was offering.
But I think in the end, Verizon will also either switch to GSM or die. And I think they know that and will switch to GSM-3G which is CDMA based, sort of like Australia's Telstra did it.
It's 2 things.
1. Reception. It's got to be the carrier with THE worst reception in the U.S. Now, not all Sprint/Nextel customers know this - but they're slooooowly coming around. For some reason they think they have the best of the best. To put it into perspective, I've called a friend beside me once and had it go to voicemail because 'it couldn't locate the sprint/nextel customer I was calling'. I know 5 people with the service, 4 of which have now changed. I'm not saying my service is great (Tmobile), but I've never had someone tell me they called me and not seen the call on my phone, ie: it always has reception (as long as I'm not in the sticks I guess?).
2. Customer Service. Of course, you never go by 'hearsay' but boy have I heard horror stories about Sprint's CS...I've also experienced it 2 times. Once when my friend gave me his phone to deal with an issue, since I didn't initially believe him and it is BAD. The second time was actually in a store.
I'm not sure where they can start with their reception issues, but the customer service thing is pretty easy to fix.
My biggest gripe with Sprint was their CS. I'd rather take razorblades to my arm than have to deal with that automated system. 2nd to that was coverage; it wasn't bad, but there were some dead spots and it could be better. QC on their phones could be better too; I refuse to touch another Samsung phone as a result. I left for VZW in 2005 and Sprint still sends me some crazy bill every now and then for a few cents; I should probably look at my credit report to see if they're doing anything screwy.
I pay a $50 premium for the same service to be with VZW. Coverage is much better and I've been very careful on selecting a phone so I don't end up talking with CS. I'm interested to see where Sprint and VZW actually do with next gen tech. I hope they both stay on track with what they say they're going to do (VZW with LTE and Sprint with WiMax). I'm personally tired of paying a premium for VZW and their 5Gb max on their Unlimited plan is BS. I want real unlimited for a reasonable price.
Nothing is wrong w/ Sprint which is why reading this is surprising to me. You would think with the way they present themselves (on web, in print) that they are doing well. My very first cell 7 yrs ago was a Sprint phone (Samsung Uproar) and I am still with them to this day, same number and all. In fact, I now have a second line with them for business. I never had a problem with CS even though I rarely need to contact them. I'm paying just over $50/month for both phones 500min/each, unlimited text, unlimited data. You can't get that kind of deal ANYWHERE ELSE. Reception for the most part is good. It's spotty in certain areas but what phone isn't? I travel to LA, it works. I go to Vegas, it works. New York? Yep. And in Hawaii eating Kalua pig @ Paradise Cove...hell yeah. Their only downside is their phone selection but even that has improved over the past year. I'm getting ready to upgrade to a Mogul or HTC Touch, two of the baddest smartphones out right now.
I have 2 Sprint phones and a data card, I'm pretty happy with the service/network. I used Verizon for years before switching to Sprint because Sprint is cheaper and they both are essentially the same. Except, and it's HUGE exception, Sprint's customer service sucks, sucks big time. As long as I don't have to call their customer service, I'm fine.
I have 2 Sprint phones and a data card, I'm pretty happy with the service/network. I used Verizon for years before switching to Sprint because Sprint is cheaper and they both are essentially the same. Except, and it's HUGE exception, Sprint's customer service sucks, sucks big time. As long as I don't have to call their customer service, I'm fine.
This is wonderfully refreshing. I've been with Sprint for 5 years and I've hated it immensely every single day, and now I read all these comments and it's nice to see that I'm nowhere NEAR alone in this sentiment.
Their phones are ABSOLUTELY horrible. Everyone who's seen the phones I've had for years now has laughed at how ridiculous they are. I am fed up with sending text messages to friends only to have one out of five of them disappear within the network. I have a finished basement where I spend most of my time, and I can't get a good signal EVER. This isn't the first time that I've had terrible signal where I live.
My friend's contract was recently up and he told me so the other day. The only thing I could do was dejectedly shake my head and say, "Congratulations, dude. Consider yourself lucky."
My contract is up in May, and I'm giddy for the thought.
How about every time you call customer service they 1) don't help you and then 2) change your contract negatively followed by 3) telling you they can't change your contract back because those codes are no longer valid.
I was going to go with public perception.
I tried Sprint twice in 3 years. What turned me off were the service plans. They SUCK. The voice-mail system is horrible and in general, it just felt like I was using my grandfathers cel network.
My roommate swears by his Sprint service and his Q. Why, I have no idea. He won't accept any multimedia messages and won't use his Q to browse the internet because it costs too much money. And right there is the answer. He spent $300 on the phone and can't afford to use it.
There are so many things wrong...here is just a couple...
The worst customer service! Do I need to say more...
Sprint treated their employees poorly and unfairly...sad employee moral.I feel, directly reflects out to customers. Plus then they lay employees off, especially older employees...Instead of utilizing them into the new Wi-Max project...Sprint forgets those laid off employees have friends and family the bad word spreads fast...translates to loss of customers...
Then Sprint says whats wrong? Idiots!
I've been a customer for 8 years and have never had any problems. From living in Boston to New York. While my friends have switched from company to company. I sometimes feel like hating sprint is just the popular thing to do, even though they're one of the better phone companies out.
They've debuted technologies before the other carriers (Digital Network, Free-long Distance, Camera Phones, Picture Mail, etc..) and seem to be the most hassle free when it come to billing as well.
Maybe I've just been lucky? Who knows....
Most of the above. My 2 year nightmare had many multiple dropped calls in a single conversation. I never went thru a week without 2 or 3. Some tech managers admitted they oversold their network capabilities. It is not unusual to be lied to during support calls and have the next person you talk to cough and stammer so they won't have to admit it. This tries the patience of those willing to wait thru a twenty minute phone tree. I once waited, got someone pick up the phone, then hang up. The phone tree changed my language to Spanish and kept prompting me to do ** Something ** I don't speak Spanish so I don't know if what it was requesting was obscene or not. My reply as I hang up was. Did I mention the fragile crappy phone from Samsung, a company I usually like. Pepe
Not sure if anyones said this or not, and Im really late posting in this discussion... But Sprints problem is the P2k to Ensemble billing system conversion. People bills are out of control with errors... Everyone calls in, call centers get slammed, a semi-result is high turn-overs in the call centers leading to poor customer service... I work in a multi-carrier store, and I see this stuff and deal with it all day long.
i've got the sero plan and it's wonderful. i couldn't really afford a smartphone with a decent text and data plan any other way. the two times i've called customer service i've gotten through with relative ease. signal quality is excellent in the bay area, however my data speeds average only 180 kbit/s on my Treo.
I've had 10 years with nextel phones. The phones have always sucked- but we loved the PTT and the lovely alert sound from hell. i370 where are you now? You probably still work- even in that landfill. The i305's just won't die and my users still hate me for buying the bricks.
Nextel had excellent customer service for business accounts. I guess we were too high-maintenance for sprint. It's too bad Motorola could not make iden phones in line with current industry features and form factors, they had over 10 years to figure it out.
In one year there will be nothing to differentiate them as CDMA 2-way PTT type communications will be available on all carriers. I'm going to miss the boost commercials.
I've been a Sprint customer for 12 years. I've had the displeasure of dealing with Sprint's customer support many times and I suspect the posters who say they haven't had any problems with CS haven't called much or didn't have any complex issues. To be fair, I know people who work in CS and it is a thankless, stressful job.
The main reason I stay with Sprint currently is SERO w/ unlimited EVDO and I think that plan and the family plans are the only reason they've retained any business at all. Also, I appreciate Sprint not crippling phones to the degree that Verizon does.
Many consumers have 15 second attention spans and buy phones purely as a fashion statement so offering current models is essential and Sprint needs to make upgrades less painful in this regard. A loyalty/rewards program would also be helpful along with simplified calling plans and a more efficient software ecosystem for billing, accounting, customer tracking, etc. Corporate seems much more focused on rolling out WiMax hoping that if they build it, customers will come than focusing on why they are losing so many customers in the here and now.
HAH! Sprint sux they've been sending me a bill for 4 years for $5, I'm never going to pay it. I'm Not going to let them know about it either. If you add it up they've already spent more trying to get me to pay that bill then they would have gotten from me.
I also have sprintpos service and if I had a dime for every drop call, I wouldn't have a bill to pay every month.
There is to much automation for customer service. A live person needs to come on 20 seconds into the call.
I have been using spring for 7 years. There service has gotten better over the years but there dropped calls annoy the heck out of me. Maryann, go to buildwealthfromyour home for a better electric service.
I was with Sprint from 1997 to 2003. At that time I wanted a Bluetooth camera phone and Sprint had zero. I was tired of Sprint's crappy handsets. I switched and never looked back.
1. Sprint's customer service is notoriously bad. (See recent JD Powers surveys, Consumer Reports, etc.)
2. No service outside the USA, because they use a non-standard system rather than GSM.
3. Poor range of handsets, for the same reason.
4. Sound quality is awful. Every time I hear a really nasty, tinny voice, I ask if they're on Sprint, and they almost always say yes.
I don't understand how they've survived this long.
Sprintuser, you must be smoking crack! I have never had to give a deposit to any cell phone company, but a few of my friends have had to give Sprint a $250 deposit to get started. I have never heard of anyone but Sprint doing that. And regardless, their customer service licks monkey balls!!! I have been hung up on, laughed at, swore at, and worse - given misleading or just plain wrong information from Sprint CSRs. I started out with T Mobile, and I have to say I was sad to have to give up their service. Their customer service was the best by far. The phone service was a different story... I have Verizon through work, and I love the phone and the service is excellent. Never had to call customer service, though, so I'm not sure about that. I'm currently screwed and stuck with Srint/Nextel for another six months (work bought me a cell after I had signed the Sprint contract like an idiot). Can't wait til the day it's up, it's circled on my calendar!
Voted La La La. I love Sprint. :( Hate to see it doing so bad in most peoples eyes. Customer service has always been great to me. I do wish they'd upgrade their signals in rural areas and sometimes I can't get a signal in some areas in some buildings. When You do have service, which in the city is no where as bad as people make it out to be, it's excellent. Their EVDO service rocks. Untouched. I can synce my Cell phone to my PC and great amazing internet speeds. I wish Sprint well!