My sister got a similar letter... in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18618646 en Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:15:11 EDT Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:15:11 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18640502 tc1uscg :
said by Taget See Profile :

said by tc1uscg See Profile :

said by Tarheels Fan See Profile :

Just a couple days ago, for using too much roaming even though they bill it as unlimited. She just purchased a new phone too in February that cost her $150 over the rebate amount. Sprint must be feeling a numbers crunch.
Funny, the fine print says if 50% of your minutes are used as roaming, your roaming too much. Think is says if the MAJORITY (51%?) minutes is roaming, it's BYE BYE..If you think your in a area that isn't covered, go with someone who covers your area.. It's like someone buying a snowmobile and living in Tampa.. :uhh: then going back to dealer and complaining that it's hard to ride in the sand.. :o
A more accurate analogy would be someone buying a snowmobile in Tampa and having the dealer later ask for the snowmobile back so he can sell it for more money in a colder climate.
Good one. But when you think about it.. it's no different then what cable does to their HSI.. Too much bandwidth and they shut or throttle you down.. However, back to the "snowmobile". No one made the person go sign up with Sprint. They should have done just a little bit of homework first. And unlike the Tampa snowmobile seller, Sprint isn't having any issues with capacity so dumping a roamer to suck up someone doesn't flow. Text messaging is another gotcha. People go over those 300 a month messages real fast but they thing Sprint (and others I'm sure) are out to rip them off. But it comes down to this.. Having a cell phone is privilege.. Not a right.. The only thing the FCC REALLY cares about is billing. So.. maybe this person has a leg to stand on if they go to the FCC and try the PUC for their state. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18640502 Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:10:22 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18635359 Cogdis : I agree with Phattieg that it's a blessing in disguise.

I want one. :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18635359 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:03:48 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18635254 phattieg :
said by dibbb See Profile :

It just goes to show that they (and other phone companies) couldn't care less about the customer.
Actually, to me it shows they care. If 3% of your subscriber base has constant problems, and everyone else is ok, then why hassel you with service you hate. They at least release you from your obligations in the contract, and they remove you from the service. If you're either A) too stupid to use your phone, or B) are having numerous issues that prompt you to call more than a normal person would, then I don't see the problem with this. I think it should be this way, and I think more customers should be 86'd for bugging support over issues that are obviously not going away. YOU can think it's poor support, but for me, it shows that Sprint isn't going to continue providing YOU as an individual subscriber with service you don't like, can't use, or want to complain alot about. They are not obligated to keep providing it to you, so it's about time they took that "right" and used it. If you're calling once a month for "credits for lost service" or "issues with your text messages" or anything like that, this is your free card to dump them and switch carriers without being bound to a contract.
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SIPPhone/Gizmo # 17476200648 / PIMPNET Chatline / Ran by Asterisk & Slackware 10.1.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18635254 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:47:47 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18632877 Jason Levine :
said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

Would you want to stick with said company that messes up the bill over and over?
If it's a wireless company, you might not have a choice. Most wireless phone companies sign you to multi-year contracts which require you to pay them if you leave before the contract ends.

said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

Anyways, last I checked Sprint billed each customer once per month. One call per month will not get you terminated, rest assured.
Did you read the Consumerist article? One person called every month because they insisted on adding a $10 unlimited text messages fee which he didn't ask for. Then they only would remove $8 of it. Finally, when his phone had technical difficulties and the replacement phone also had problems, Sprint sent him the letter. Basically, it's too much of a bother for them to fix their own billing and technical support problems so they just disconnect people who complain about it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18632877 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:22:18 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18628319 menumorut :
said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

They're in business to make money. If said customer costs more in support every month than the profit on the plan, the customer is costing money.
That is so difficult to predict, you make it sound like Sprint dedicated the resources of an entire department to this customer (they have a customer service dept. in place, what´s one more customer to attend?).

It is more like a showoff "you piss us off, we cut you off" or at lest that's how is gonna be perceived by the general public.

It is a bad business practice "to bite the hand that feeds you" in public.

I am certain that this behavior is gone cost Sprint more that they anticipated. I know for one I would not use them (if I have a choice)and advise against using them.

said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

If they WERE void of real competition, they'd have higher prices and could afford to keep the customer even with all of the annoying calls.
I beg to differ.
When a business have a shortage of customers (like with a real and pressing competition), it tends to go to greats lengths of trouble to keep them (not to mention attracting new ones).

Clearly that's not Sprint´s case.

said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

If I were your bank, I'd just deny access to your online banking account--not terminate your account entirely.
I´m so glad you are not my bank, cause I would have sued the oxygen out of you.

The fault in the system was platform-wide (every single customer)not to mention that the glitch broke the law and make the system commit fraud (read again my post: online banking system -is general and applies to everyone -I don´t have a unique system assign to me!).

You would still have denied me access to my online account?
said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

Do you think they're in the business of satisfying every single customer, or trying to satisfy the majority and making money doing so?
I try so hard not to contract services and/or goods from business that are run by people that think like you.

To answer your question:yes, you have to satisfy every single customer (to a reasonable extent possible)make money in the process, and in the same time and most important not tarnish you image (like with this customer)especially in US where a class action suit is so easy to put together.

Your remark about the online banking gave me a insight about where this conversation is going so don't expect me to answer to your posts anymore.
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Give the world changes at a pace it can absorb.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18628319 Sat, 07 Jul 2007 06:09:45 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18627053 CMoore2004 : Would you want to stick with said company that messes up the bill over and over? Anyways, last I checked Sprint billed each customer once per month. One call per month will not get you terminated, rest assured.
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Sprint Mobile Broadband PX-500 | Windows XP MCE SP2 | Mobile AMD Athlon 64 4000+ | 1.5GB RAM | ATI Mobile Radeon X600 128MB | 120GB HDD]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18627053 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:29:21 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18627045 CMoore2004 :
said by menumorut See Profile :

I am all pro-business but where you draw the line between annoying and discrimination.
Take all the clients/customers away and see what Sprint (or any business for that matter) is left with.
It seams that some companies forgot why there are in business in the first place.
This is the direct result of void in real competition, companies start to get picky about customers.
I don't want more laws, but I have been at the end of the stick where my bank wanted to terminate my account because I was complaining about a flaw in the online banking system. It was cheaper for them to terminate my account (they failed) than to fix the problem.
Get yourself in such situation and came back and tell us how trilled you are about it.
They're in business to make money. If said customer costs more in support every month than the profit on the plan, the customer is costing money. It's not a government agency that's there to benefit the consumer. If they WERE void of real competition, they'd have higher prices and could afford to keep the customer even with all of the annoying calls. If I were your bank, I'd just deny access to your online banking account--not terminate your account entirely. Do you think they're in the business of satisfying every single customer, or trying to satisfy the majority and making money doing so? I've had many Sprint phone calls to support, replaced a data card twice, and my account still stands. Perhaps it's because it's still profitable. Plus, I have referred many customers and not begged them for things for free.
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Sprint Mobile Broadband PX-500 | Windows XP MCE SP2 | Mobile AMD Athlon 64 4000+ | 1.5GB RAM | ATI Mobile Radeon X600 128MB | 120GB HDD]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18627045 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:28:17 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18625206 menumorut : Damned if you do , damned if you don´t.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18625206 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:04:23 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623776 jsimmons :
said by jester121 See Profile :

...they'll all have plenty of churn to go around. The people that get mad at Sprint go to AT&T, and who hate AT&T go to Sprint. It's much cheaper to do business that way, think of the marketing dollars they can save.
And think of all the cancellation fees and activation fees they've now built in to make money on "churn". :(
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"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." - Albert Einstein ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623776 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:03:55 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623290 Jason Levine :
said by the summary :

it appears that Sprint will dump you as a voice or wireless broadband customer if you call for assistance (or to correct billing issues) too frequently
said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

You're right. There should definitely be laws that makes them keep unprofitable customers, even though the contract clearly states the reasons you may be terminated.
So if my wireless provider insists on messing up my bill over and over I should choose between getting it corrected (and getting myself cut off) or keeping my phone service (and paying the wrong bills)?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623290 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:19:58 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622839 menumorut : I am all pro-business but where you draw the line between annoying and discrimination.
Take all the clients/customers away and see what Sprint (or any business for that matter) is left with.
It seams that some companies forgot why there are in business in the first place.
This is the direct result of void in real competition, companies start to get picky about customers.
I don't want more laws, but I have been at the end of the stick where my bank wanted to terminate my account because I was complaining about a flaw in the online banking system. It was cheaper for them to terminate my account (they failed) than to fix the problem.
Get yourself in such situation and came back and tell us how trilled you are about it.
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Give the world changes at a pace it can absorb.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622839 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:15:35 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622777 Taget :
said by tc1uscg See Profile :

said by Tarheels Fan See Profile :

Just a couple days ago, for using too much roaming even though they bill it as unlimited. She just purchased a new phone too in February that cost her $150 over the rebate amount. Sprint must be feeling a numbers crunch.
Funny, the fine print says if 50% of your minutes are used as roaming, your roaming too much. Think is says if the MAJORITY (51%?) minutes is roaming, it's BYE BYE..If you think your in a area that isn't covered, go with someone who covers your area.. It's like someone buying a snowmobile and living in Tampa.. :uhh: then going back to dealer and complaining that it's hard to ride in the sand.. :o
A more accurate analogy would be someone buying a snowmobile in Tampa and having the dealer later ask for the snowmobile back so he can sell it for more money in a colder climate.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622777 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:04:56 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622555 Corehhi : It's the A-Holes that screw everything up. If I were ATT I would do the same. There are real issues and then there are BS people who call constantly trying to get free stuff. Same A-Holes who always try to get a free desert. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622555 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:56:23 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621955 Steve B : I already hear about problems with combining the billing system. If that is the cause of these billing errors of people getting booted, then wtf is Sprint booting them for? The first 30 days don't mean nothing will happen on day 31 and over. The whole gotcha thing is true. Like I said either here or on another forum, the people involved don't exactly expect things to get done legally, but they are expecting to hurt Sprint in the court of public opinion which could be just as bad.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621955 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:54:09 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621905 tc1uscg :
said by Steve B See Profile :

Having SERO or any other plan has nothing to do with it. It is a plan that Sprint offered and agreed to give customers. Go over to Sprint Users to see where the crap storm that Sprint is going to get started from. If Sprint keeps messing up the bill, which they have been notoriously known to do, a customer has a right to call in until its fixed, no matter how many times it will take and not have to worry about their account getting terminated.
Oh.. just wait.. they are "combining" nextel and sprints billing system. I can't wait to see what kind of shxx-Storm this is going to create.. Went through it with Excite @Home and Comcast.. But just the same.. If people would read the WHOLE TOS (terms of service), they can avoid most of the gotchas. Heck.. Sprint is kind enough to give you 30 days to do it before your locked in.. so there isn't no excuse for the "gotchas".. Lots of people start second guessing when a new phone comes out or a "friend" got a better plan and they want it to.. Here's a thought.. why doesn't Sprint just give everyone free service and a phone? People will still find something to bitch about. Here's one more thought.. Hang up the phone and keep your mind on the road.. :p]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621905 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:44:43 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621850 tc1uscg :
said by Tarheels Fan See Profile :

Just a couple days ago, for using too much roaming even though they bill it as unlimited. She just purchased a new phone too in February that cost her $150 over the rebate amount. Sprint must be feeling a numbers crunch.
Funny, the fine print says if 50% of your minutes are used as roaming, your roaming too much. Think is says if the MAJORITY (51%?) minutes is roaming, it's BYE BYE..If you think your in a area that isn't covered, go with someone who covers your area.. It's like someone buying a snowmobile and living in Tampa.. :uhh: then going back to dealer and complaining that it's hard to ride in the sand.. :o]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621850 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:36:43 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621051 Steve B : True, you can't please everyone but, not everyone is like that. Sprint has been known to be shady before. They will only waive the ETF and bring any balance to zero. That's it. The issue with your statement is that you assume everyone is how you describe and that is not the case and not all of them have SERO. Don't forget there is more than one person involved in all this.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621051 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:07:05 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621027 The Monkey :
said by CMoore2004 See Profile :

And it's a contract the customer agreed to. Have you read it?
Yes, it's a contract, but that certainly doesn't mean all of it is enforceable. It's a contract of adhesion and these boilerplate agreements will be construed against the drafter in cases of any ambiguity.
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The Monkey]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18621027 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:02:58 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620957 Matt :
said by Steve B See Profile :

The problem with what you're saying is that Sprint agreed and willingly gave the customers what they wanted. All Sprint had to do was say no. Customers have the right to get the best deal and if Sprint gives it to them even though they know they shouldn't give the freebies away....then Sprint should take responsibility.
SERO = Sprint Employee Referral Offer

The people on the forums begged, borrowed and stole Sprint employee email addresses to get it.

Heck, they reduced his balance to 0, waived the early termination fee and offered to assist him move to another carrier. That's pretty generous. I've worked customer support for a Big Blue company and there were some customers who you had to simply tell to buzz off and doing everything possible to help them. The old adage definitely applies, "You simply can't please some people."
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Oh I'm so creative and all my programs are so easy to use ...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620957 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:46:40 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620712 Steve B : Yeah actually, I have but, just because something is in writing, doesn't mean its not bad business practice. Nothing may not be done in court if it goes that route but, Sprint will be crucified in the court of public opinion which could be just as bad.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620712 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:57:06 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620662 CMoore2004 : And it's a contract the customer agreed to. Have you read it?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620662 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:47:06 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620641 CMoore2004 : You're right. There should definitely be laws that makes them keep unprofitable customers, even though the contract clearly states the reasons you may be terminated.
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Sprint Mobile Broadband PX-500 | Windows XP MCE SP2 | Mobile AMD Athlon 64 4000+ | 1.5GB RAM | ATI Mobile Radeon X600 128MB | 120GB HDD]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18620641 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:44:32 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619771 menumorut :
said by KrK See Profile :

And this type of crap will continue as long as there are no consumer protection laws put into place.
Here they have all the flavour (consumer protection laws) you want.
They don't work.
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Give the world changes at a pace it can absorb.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619771 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:06:10 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619747 Nanoprobe : They are losing customers at the rate of 100,000 per month. If not corrected soon I would expect to see them go belly up. Wouldn't bother me at all. They were my first provider back in the analog days and their CS was horrible then. I don't know how they've survived this long.
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If you're a Republican,Raise your hand.
If you're a Democrat, raise both hands.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619747 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:00:16 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619630 Steve B : The problem with what you're saying is that Sprint agreed and willingly gave the customers what they wanted. All Sprint had to do was say no. Customers have the right to get the best deal and if Sprint gives it to them even though they know they shouldn't give the freebies away....then Sprint should take responsibility.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619630 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:38:46 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619592 PhoenixDown : Did they offer her a refund for the price of the phone?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619592 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:32:34 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619578 flankspeed8 : I challenge some of you to go into HOFO or SU and read some of the posts about what these people have managed to pretty much extort out of Sprint. Not that it was the case with this person, but many users (including people on forums such as slick deals, fat wallet, consumerist, etc) will literally call and call until they get what they want. They want 6pm Night and weekend. Do they feel they should pay for it? Heck no, I will call and badger the rep until they give it to me, if that doesn't work, I will hang up and call again. Each of these calls costs Sprint dearly. Look at SERO. When it came out, the terms very clearly said it was for NEW activations only. Did that stop the hordes of people from calling over and over and over?? No. It is Sprint's fault for creating this culture of entitlement.

This aside, Sprint does have HORRID support and it does take several calls to get stuff fixed sometimes, but not all customers are worth their effort and they have shown this.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619578 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:29:49 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619203 KrK : And this type of crap will continue as long as there are no consumer protection laws put into place.

We need reform in a lot of areas in regards to consumer protection; Rebates, for example. These cellphone contracts is another area. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619203 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:29:17 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619148 jester121 : That's the beauty of customers now -- there are plenty of them to go around, and if Sprint and all of its competitors continue to degrade the service they provide, they'll all have plenty of churn to go around. The people that get mad at Sprint go to AT&T, and who hate AT&T go to Sprint. It's much cheaper to do business that way, think of the marketing dollars they can save.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619148 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:20:52 EDT Re: Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619105 Steve B : Having SERO or any other plan has nothing to do with it. It is a plan that Sprint offered and agreed to give customers. Go over to Sprint Users to see where the crap storm that Sprint is going to get started from. If Sprint keeps messing up the bill, which they have been notoriously known to do, a customer has a right to call in until its fixed, no matter how many times it will take and not have to worry about their account getting terminated.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619105 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:15:04 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619037 new2sbcdsl : I had file with the FCC to get my money back after rude cusomter service and i was sop [issedo ff i actually paid early termination fee to move to another carrier.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18619037 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:04:53 EDT Consumerist RTFA... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618951 Jerm : First off I always take the Consumerist with a grain of salt - they're about as shady as a telco PR campaign...

But some key points surrounding the guy who got this letter are missed... he was on SERO, or the Sprint Employee Referral plan basically - $30 a month gets you 500min, unlimited txts, data, pic mail, etc - if you do it right, heck some people have got EVDO teathering to work with this plan and get fast mobile broadband also.

Part of the SERO plan's orginal intent was to work deals for people who *would not* require a lot of hand holding. Terminating someone because they are dumb and call support five times a day I would agree with. Now if it's a problem on the carriers part, well then the customer should be able to fight this.

I'm currently on a Verizon Employee type plan, and I would *never* call in... besides I like my haxor'd Razor and the EVDO inet on my laptop ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618951 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:51:52 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618841 hottboiinnc : I was told this on the phone. If you correct their mistakes to much it will flag your account. When you question it they won't tell you anything but hang up on you.

Edit Add- In order to get their mistakes fixed you have to file a complaint with Sprint or the BBB and then let some office in Texas call you a month or two later to actually tell you that it was fixed- etc but the system says the billing error is still there.

I added a phone to my account back in Nov. and was charged $500 all on my account- it ended up shutting my services off. They're excuse; we're sorry but it was an error in our billing system it will take 3 months to clear this up. And it still is an issue; but regardless i like sprint. my service works, i have service everywhere I go, and my service is cheap.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618841 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:33:23 EDT Re: My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618682 dibbb : It just goes to show that they (and other phone companies) couldn't care less about the customer.
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»myhax0r.net
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618682 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:11:50 EDT My sister got a similar letter... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618646 Tarheels Fan : Just a couple days ago, for using too much roaming even though they bill it as unlimited. She just purchased a new phone too in February that cost her $150 over the rebate amount. Sprint must be feeling a numbers crunch.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18618646 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:06:56 EDT