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Comments on news posted 2013-11-21 14:21:39: Sprint has talked a lot about improving the customer experience after the Nextel fiasco, but judging from the latest Consumer Reports study, consumers don't appear to agree. ..


toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

1 recommendation

toby

Member

Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

Sprint is always promising better service is just around the corner..

T-Mobile always lies saying that they have the best service.

AT&T doesn't say much anymore.

Verizon doesn't say much, just provides the best service as the highest price.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

Partly true. However, Verizon's LTE is a mess in some markets. AT&T's LTE, OTOH, is usually pretty good. Verizon didn't add sites, and now it's coming to bite them in the @$$.
betam4x
join:2002-10-12
Nashville, TN

betam4x

Member

Re: Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

Really does depend on the area. My rural area? 5 bars of LTE. Generator backed cell towers (had full LTE even during Sandy). Very fast (15-30 megs a second down, 5-15 megs/sec up.) AT&T? 3g speeds to this day around 3 megs a second, and 2-3 bars in most places. Also, all my AT&T using iPhone coworkers were borrowing my android phone when sandy killed the power to AT&T's towers. I'm not a verizon fanboy, i think they are committing highway robbery, but if the big V is the devil, the big T is the devil's father.

Sprint? They have the potential to be so great, but will always end up falling flat. Unlike most people, i don't want unlimited data, i want fast internet access at an affordable price. Freedompop 'somewhat' delivers on that, though they seem to be running a scam operation these days. Republic Wireless takes full advantage of sprint's shortcomings by providing wifi calling, but i wonder just how long sprint will tolerate that.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

Yeah, some markets are still better on Verizon, and Verizon does have the most backup gear, including battery and diesel. It often goes by who is the incumbent telco, like AT&T is better in CT, although AT&T took Verizon's lunch money in Boston, which was a traditional Verizon stronghold until AT&T used it as an early LTE launch market, and built off of their better tower density. Sprint is very MVNO-friendly, but nothing can make up for their bad network.

michieru
Premium Member
join:2009-07-25
Denver, CO

michieru to toby

Premium Member

to toby
Verizon points to the map and tells you to deal with it.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

AT&T's coverage is just about as good, almost all of their network is Faux G or 3G, either of which are fine, and AT&T's service gives you more bars in more places.
Rakeesh
join:2011-10-30
Phoenix, AZ

Rakeesh to toby

Member

to toby
Sprint is officially the worst network and now officially has the worst customer support of any major carrier as well. Dan Hesse must be proud.

Did I also mention that they're more expensive than the rest of them too?

Sprint always has been and always will be "the coming soon network". Always talking about how great it will be in a few months, only when the time comes they're shittier than ever.
brad152
join:2006-07-27
Chicago, IL

brad152

Member

Re: Sprint is always promising they're fixing the issues.

Meh I'm in downtown Phoenix and I get approx 20Mbps from the 5x5 LTE Sprint installed so I'm happy.

The east valley is an absolute mess but I do not have any issues once I leave Phoenix and I never go to Tempe, Mesa, or Scottsdale so I don't care, it'll get done eventually

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
Premium Member
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA

spewak to toby

Premium Member

to toby
Nailed it!
robewhitener
join:2001-06-22
Asheville, NC

5 recommendations

robewhitener

Member

I didn't think it was too much to ask for.

IF Sprint delivered as advertised.
IF Sprint would have a consistant signal in areas that they say it's covered completely.
IF Sprint had anything resembling decent 3g, 4g, and LTE speeds.
IF Sprint CSR's were given full facts, or at least a little hint as to what the left and right hands are doing.
IF Sprint gave a damn about it's long term customers anymore...

They'd have been much higher in the rankings.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Give them some time

Remember the Softbank deal is still new. And it sounds like the guy walks the walk. I think he said he wants to make Sprint the #1 phone company in the world. This isn't Sprint/Nextel. This is "New Sprint" which is completely different.
xenophon
join:2007-09-17

xenophon

Member

Re: Give them some time

Sprint won't be competitive until they get 800Mhz rolled out, which will boost coverage and reliability. The rollout has started but no one should really consider Sprint unless they have 800 in their area. Once they get Network Vision complete with 800/2900/2500, they'll be in good shape.

atuarre
Here come the drums
Premium Member
join:2004-02-14
EC/SETX SWLA

atuarre

Premium Member

Re: Give them some time

800/1900/2500

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg to xenophon

Member

to xenophon
There you go again about the 800mhz. It might sound good on paper and in theory however, Sprint has NEVER seen any big project through 100% (ION, Nextel, WiMax). Billions spent, millions of customers lost and nothing to show for it. They were, since they took over Nextel and still are a worthless cell phone provider that couldn't provide us with a good 3G much less LTE signal even if Verizon handed to'em. Just sayin..
Rakeesh
join:2011-10-30
Phoenix, AZ

Rakeesh to amarryat

Member

to amarryat
said by amarryat:

Remember the Softbank deal is still new. And it sounds like the guy walks the walk. I think he said he wants to make Sprint the #1 phone company in the world. This isn't Sprint/Nextel. This is "New Sprint" which is completely different.

Sprint has been saying that they've got something new and good just around the corner for the last 10 years. Even when they do announce something good, the execution is always done just plain horribly wrong. First 4g carrier right? Except their first 4g was on a band with horrible building penetration and the coverage was spotty at best all throughout its lifetime.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Give them some time

Like I already said, it's not the same company. Not even close since about 80% of it is owned by another company. Just because the name is the same shouldn't detract from what they're trying to do.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

Re: Give them some time

Until they fully change, yes they are the same company. Who in their right mind shuts down their tech support option when calling in??? You call into *2 or any number and go to Tech Support- any time of the day- and you get they are closed. You have to be transferred into them now by Telesales. Sprint even will tell you they know about this but nothing that can be done, and it ONLY happened AFTER the buyout. Stop trying to sell your customers new products when they have products already that don't work.
TBBroadband

TBBroadband to Rakeesh

Member

to Rakeesh
They could have taken Wimax and deployed it all over the country. but they didn't and sold that network off to ClearWire and become an MVNO. Clear couldn't fund the deployments anymore. But the network did work. If they had the $$$ they could have went with it. They even offered out door modems.
openbox9
Premium Member
join:2004-01-26
71144

1 recommendation

openbox9 to amarryat

Premium Member

to amarryat
A third-rate wireless carrier buying another third-rate wireless carrier doesn't make the "#1 phone company in the world". As a current Softbank customer and a previous Sprint customer several years ago, they're a perfect match.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Give them some time

I thought I read that Son turned Softbank from the #3 phone company in Japan to #1 in a matter of afew years.
openbox9
Premium Member
join:2004-01-26
71144

openbox9

Premium Member

Re: Give them some time

Hah, no. NTT DoCoMo is king in Japan.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband to amarryat

Member

to amarryat
Same company, new face. They'll still have the same issues until someone steps up and redoes management in the US. And they still are Sprint-Nextel.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Give them some time

They aren't. They are Sprint Corporation. There is no Nextel.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

Re: Give them some time

They call themselves Sprint-Nextel. Call and listen to their ads on their system. Now with Sprint-Nextel and Thanks for choosing Sprint-Nextel.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Give them some time

That just means they haven't updated that system. The name was changed in July and Nextel is no longer.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

Re: Give them some time

The system was updated, but they're corp offices even say Sprint-Nextel. Including emails from their Executive Team say the same.

And yes, we get it that Nextel is no longer, but they still use the brand on many things is the point.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Give them some time

My reply to you up above was they are not Sprint-Nextel any more. Your quote was "And they still are Sprint-Nextel". That's why I said they're not, and you just said "we get it that Nextel is no longer", so I don't understand your point now.

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

guppy_fish

Premium Member

You get what you pay for!

It doesn't matter if Sprint has "unlimited" data and there prices are lower as at least for me, I couldn't even do web searches with the data service, and most of the time wouldn't connect at all, laughable except I was paying for this!. Back to Verizon, it isn't low cost, but it always works.
xenophon
join:2007-09-17

xenophon

Member

Re: You get what you pay for!

Well it depends on area. They are showing they can outperform the others in some markets but have not completed the rollout.

Sprint is showing better performance in their home market...
»www.netindex.com/downloa ··· y/?tab=3

I use over 10GB/month and get 6-20Mbps consistently, up to 30. The new triband network can 60+. When they get 800mhz out more broadly, they'll compete better with ATT/VZW on coverage. Overall I wouldn't recommend Sprint until they complete the rollout.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: You get what you pay for!

Yes, they can outperform my 300 baud Commodore modem in my area, by a hair--that is if you can get a signal.

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg

Member

Re: You get what you pay for!

LMAO

delusion ftl
@comcast.net

delusion ftl to guppy_fish

Anon

to guppy_fish
Did you try any other carriers in your area?
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn

Member

Just Words

"We're working to deliver an advanced wireless network that we believe over time will deliver unmatched speed and performance to our customers."

Unmatched in which direction? Better or worse. Currently Sprint is unmatched because everyone else is better.

FreeBSDuser
join:2013-05-15
Somers, NY

FreeBSDuser

Member

Sprint is dead.

The only reason why Sprint survives today is because they're MVNO friendly, and most MVNOs use Sprint. Other than that, Sprint is dead.

•••••••

Bartt
@107.14.56.x

Bartt

Anon

At&t

Been with sprint for the last 4 to 5 years they sucked so bad I couldnt take it anymore.

Tried tmobile and theyre are great in NYC and 5 boroughts of NYC. Travel outside of the city and there is no 4g service only 2g.

Now Im with at&t my service is pretty good pricing is close to my sprints pricing with my corporate discount.
In NY, my serivce is very good. Traveling thru NJ, PA, DE and MD i was not dissapointed. Vacationing in Hawaii and my service is great all over Hawaii. I couldnt be more happy I finally made the right choice.
betam4x
join:2002-10-12
Nashville, TN

betam4x

Member

Re: At&t

How long ago did you try? I cancelled T-Mobile due to billing issues (and they sent my account to collections, refused to listen to me...I'll never pay them. They can take it up the ass) but at the time i cancelled, they had HSPDA throughout most of the burbs. Even as far away as I am from NYC I was getting decent speeds. This was a year ago.

McShaken
Premium Member
join:2006-02-20
Olympia, WA

McShaken

Premium Member

Just Left Sprint

I gave Sprint a try, but after two years of struggling with their marginal service, it was their "employee discount" policy that actually pushed me out.

* Employee discount - verification needed every 20 months which also locks you into another two year commitment.
* Employee discount verification broken - If your employer isn't in the system, they require you to upload documentation. Oddly enough, a 75KB file resulted in an error message of "File size cannot exceed 4MB"... I tried this on two different computers at different locations, using three different browsers and three different file formats. At that point I was done. Marginal service, empty promises for a better network, and a broken verification system was enough for me to go elsewhere.

Oddly enough, both Verizon and AT&T recognized my employer through their automated system. No hoops to jump through, no automatic two year commitment re-up if/when they verify employment later down the road, and MUCH better coverage/data speed.

Sorry Sprint, I gave you a chance...

•••

nightdesigns
Gone missing, back soon
Premium Member
join:2002-05-31
AZ

nightdesigns

Premium Member

Most improved...still last

It bugged me how much they touted their "Most improved" ranking like it was a good thing. We sucked before, now we suck slightly less. Looks like they suck more again.

As a long time customer they used to give me some decent incentives and I had a nice company discount. All of that is pretty much gone now.

On the bright side, I am starting to get 4g locally.
Rakeesh
join:2011-10-30
Phoenix, AZ

Rakeesh

Member

Re: Most improved...still last

said by nightdesigns:

It bugged me how much they touted their "Most improved" ranking like it was a good thing. We sucked before, now we suck slightly less. Looks like they suck more again.

As a long time customer they used to give me some decent incentives and I had a nice company discount. All of that is pretty much gone now.

On the bright side, I am starting to get 4g locally.

I remember that, originally their discount was actually what it sounded like: 15% off of your bill. Then all of a sudden "oh, we're just kidding, it's actually only the first three lines." Then that became two, then one, then they took it away entirely. Then they got rid of premier and a bunch of other discounts I had that were supposedly forever. After they took away my discounts and promos over time my bill went from $200 a month to $300 a month for 1500 minutes of talk time. That, in addition to having the slowest data rates and the worst customer service. I switched to t-mobile earlier this year and my bill is now $115 a month for fully unlimited on all 5 lines.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco

Premium Member

Consumer Reports....

Consumer Reports is the same organization who claims to be independent, yet openly supported Obamacare. I don't care what political party association goes with Obamacare, you don't endorse government programs when you are an independent consumer satisfaction organization. They weren't reviewing it, as this was years before it even went into effect. They were voicing an outright, groundless opinion.

What the organization says about Sprint is irrelevant. Consumer Reports is not neutral and should not be taken seriously.

•••••••••••
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

AARP & Consumer

Does Consumers Cellular have anything to do with winning since they're "endorsed" by the AARP. After all, it would seem that more of that generation would be members of AARP than younger ones. Besides they'd be the only ones to buy into the whole Consumer Reports and take the time to do the surveys. Younger people could careless to do those for the most part.

•••

FifthE1ement
Tech Nut
join:2005-03-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

FifthE1ement

Member

Sprint blows!

I just switched from Sprint and I love T-Mobile! On Sprint in South Florida I would get like 0.20-0.60 download and half that for upload on 3G and that was when the test didn't time out. On LTE I would get between 1-2Mb down and half that up. So Sprint was providing 3G speeds on LTE and some towers simply broadcast LTE and have no throughput. I would sometimes get a burst of up to 6Mb if I was within sight of the tower. Also I live in a Spark Sprint area which is supposed to get 50Mb down but I couldn't even get normal LTE! I just left two weeks ago so they haven't upgraded since then either. How are they going to do 50Mb down when they can't even do more than 2Mb?! What a joke! With T-Mobile I get 10-20Mb down and 1-5Mb up on HSPDA+ and 10-30Mb down and 5-15Mb up on LTE! Its amazing! And LTE is everywhere but if I reach an area that's not I get HSPDA! YAY! Plus the signal penetration is so much better as I get signal indoors everywhere now! I got a Note 3 and I'm actually paying less than Sprint now (and I was getting a 25% discount with Sprint too)!

When I was leaving Sprint they didn't even offer me anything to stay. Also I had two friends who left around the same time I did and they ignored us all. One account had 3 phones on it too! Sprint doesn't care about its customers and it shows which is why they are losing customer s hand over fist! All you have to do is read any site online or forum and you'll see Sprint is always being complained about, mainly because of their slow network. Maybe one day they will have a great network due to their superior spectrum setup, but I don't see that happening in the next 5 years as they are so far behind! They also need to stop selling to so many other MVNO's! There are literally like 50 companies who use the Sprint network!

5th

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx

Member

Issues, Issues, Issues

I was moved to Sprint from T-Mobile by my employer back in 2011. They pay the bill so I basically have to put up with whatever Sprint does. Except for when Sandy hit, I have never had good data speeds and have been leaving the data switch on iPhone turned off for almost two years now. I have consumed probably a grand total of 500MB in all that time costing about $1/MB considering how much we have paid for my add-on account data service in that time ($10 data + $10 premium data times 25 months). I find that I cannot even reliably stream 128kbps audio feeds while driving in a well covered area of Long Island.

My second gripe is not being able to unlock my paid off iPhone 4S. Sprint had been claiming it was their policy to never unlock it. Then they claimed even if it was unlocked it would not work with T-Mobile or AT&T. Now they are claiming it is a specially engineered version of the 4S they sell that cannot be unlocked and cannot work with domestic U.S. GSM carriers. Honestly, I am tired of their BS. People have their Sprint iPhone's unlocked through alternative means and they work fine. Put a foreign SIM into your Sprint iPhone 4S and it works fine roaming on either AT&T or T-Mobile. Screwy Sprint firmware? Maybe. If so and it is true their firmware somehow has problems with domestic U.S. SIM's, then Sprint iPhone's are a crippled Apple device IMHO and not worth the money being paid for them. They already have the lowest resale value.
chrisbmoore
join:2003-08-28
Elkins Park, PA

chrisbmoore

Member

I dont see it...

I switched from Verizon to Sprint back in June. I have to say I've had no issues and they have constantly improved the network in my area just as promised. I honestly don't understand why this is true. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones, but everything they have promised me thus far, they have done and the price is much better than Verizon was. My phone operates 100x times better than any of the crappy proprietary software Verizon bogged all their phones down with.

linicx
Caveat Emptor
Premium Member
join:2002-12-03
United State

linicx

Premium Member

Uh...

I was with Sprint LD when Ma Bell couldn't stand 1 byte of competition. I had several cell phones with Sprint and had excellent service for 20-years. I've had better service nationally with *pure* Sprint than I ever did with AT&T, VZ, T-Mobile or US Cellular.

And I spent $1000 on the exact appliances recommended in Consumer Reports because it was what I was looking for. It was reconditioned junk that I paid to repair so I could use it. Needless to say I don't believe a word they print.

I looked at every phone Consumer Cellular offers, before I finally bought a TracFone. They're over-priced for low-end phones that do not work well with deaf-blind, brain injury, MS, and those with other limiting physical problems. Yes, we do read forums. Thank you, Justin. I learned a lot about cell phones and carrier quality as a drove through America on her byways and two-lane highways.

AARP cares more about selling a membership than they care for the seniors they "claim to represent." Mother bought an health policy that was 'grandfathered' as they changed carriers and limits. They tried for years to con her into a more expensive policy, with larger deductions, and less options.

I had AARP auto insurance. it was more expensive than my local agent for the same coverage. If you're a senior you can get nearly identical room rates as AARP if you ask.

It is all about bottom line profit just like Wall Street, PETA, and the various *begging* campaigns you see on TV. The person who cares about your welfare is the guy in your mirror.
JerryTimes
join:2002-01-09
Clinton Township, MI

JerryTimes

Member

So annoying

I had AT&T for about ten years and changed to Sprint in 2010 due to price and the fact that Sprint gives you more. I had zero complaints until four months ago. I always had good call connections and while their internet isn't the fastest it was always constant and operational. So I got a notice that they were going to start upgrading the towers in metro Detroit and it's gotten unusable at times. Yesterday while in an area where there is always three bars or more of signal I dropped a call 9 times. I was outside. There are also areas where I have signal and my iPhone 4 says 3G, and there will be no internet at all. Yet they refuse to credit my bill.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned)

Member

Bisbee, AZ has lte.

If Bisbee has coverage who cares about large metro areas.