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Sprint Realizes That Helping Customers Is Good
New 'Ready Now' initiative teaches users how to use their devices....
After the Sprint/Nextel kerfuffle led to a huge number of angry customers, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was quoted as saying that the company has been highly focused on improving customer service -- and that they are willing to sacrifice some quantity in subscriptions to increase the quality of their service. The latest effort involves Sprint's Ready Now initiative, which hopes to improve customer service by -- get this -- actually talking to customers and teaching them how to use the device they just bought. From the announcement:
quote:
"This is so important, we closed our stores for a full day to train associates on Ready Now," said Kim Dixon, senior vice president of retail for Sprint. "Everyone’s trained – not just a few people. That’s a benefit you may not find at another wireless company’s store. Already, the feedback from Ready Now trials in select stores has been phenomenal – and positive across the board. Every aspect of this program, from certifying our associates to helping our customers understand which phone is best for them, is about providing quality service.:
A full day of training! Impressive. According to the Associated Press, the company tested the new "talk to customer" system in St. Louis and Pittsburgh in July, and customer satisfaction was so improved they decided on a national launch.
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jc10098
join:2002-04-10

3 edits

jc10098

Member

Spring REALLY HAS BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE / BILLING

I've been a Sprint Customer since Early 1999. That's quite a while and some customer loyaly, ay?. Anyway, in this time I've switched ONLY once to try cingular for a MONTH. The reason? Customer Support. Sprint has VERY GOOD service. They are reliable for the most part. I mean, as reliable as one can get. I like the free roaming. I love the tv / radio on my phone. So what's the problem.

Sprint screws up my bill NONSTOP. It's been like this for a LONG TIME. I've been charged 50+ Dollars for roaming then told its not included. After arguing they see I have it and credit. Yet, it takes a few hours to sort.

Sprint charges me for the WRONG PACKAGES, REMOVES THEM, or OVERBILLS. This has been NONSTOP ISSUE. I have to call EVERY MONTH only to have the person make a BIGGER MESS. Sprint outsources their help to a company called Teleperformance. Well they aren't performing me a service. If I had a dollar for every call I got to sprint and 2 dollars for each hour I was on the phone, I'd be a RICH MAN.

End Result. I've been left Calling the Attorney General in the past, who got my problem Sorted for a year. Now, I am complaining again as I've had it with my bill. Sprint has good service but their customer support and billing is crap. I spend 140 a month for a family package with this company and have been with them 10 years. I am so almost ready to leave for good this time OVER the above.

kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL

1 recommendation

kapil

Member

Re: Spring REALLY HAS BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE / BILLING

It's gotten a whole lot better. It really has. Not only is "regular" customer service better, but in the event you need to escalate your concern, they have a whole army of "executive escalation" people to help you.

Plus little things like emailing confirmations every time an account change is made, following up when promised help a lot

It's not where it needs to be, but it's getting better. In my opinion, their customer service is better than AT&T and T-Mobile now.

But, perception always lags reality and for many people perception IS reality...and therein lies Sprint's problem.

Give them a chance. They're trying very hard.
jc10098
join:2002-04-10

jc10098

Member

Re: Spring REALLY HAS BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE / BILLING

I noticed the Emails when changes are made. It's a good touch. Still, they need to LEARN how to sort issues. I don't know HOW MANY supervisors I've spoken with or HOURS I've been on the phone. For about a year to 1.5 yrs after the Attorney General got involved, I had a correct bill. The past 2 or 3 months it's returned to the same crap I experienced for about 1-2 yrs prior. In those 1-2 yrs, I had to call MONTHLY to fix my service. Now, I am having to do the same again. I am totally unwilling to go through these hoops. This isn't me being unreasonable. I mean this is a customer who has had 10 years with one company. That's a LONG TIME considering Sprint has only offered Nationwide Wireless since 1995. I called this time around and I really hope this is the LAST CALL I MAKE. Otherwise, my next is to say Goodbye. My only real hesitation has been not wanting to buy new phones and the fact i LIKE their service itself.

Too bad Sprint CEO and Other Execs don't read this. I'm sure I speak for many customers. You won't find a better description of this companies downfalls. I'm sure that I'm not the only horror story. I wonder how many customers they have had who stuck it out this long. If my experience is any bit reflective of their service, I'd say not many. I know sprint has a VERY HIGH turnover rate. I have also asked people who used this company, and they tell me similar stories. Therefore, I know it's not just me.

kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL

kapil

Member

Re: Spring REALLY HAS BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE / BILLING

Go to consumerist.com and search for Sprint's "consumerist hotline" number. It goes to their executive and regulatory services department. They will help you. If your matter can't be resolved in one call, they will give you a case number and a direct contact number and the same person will follow up with you.

You've been there and with them for all the crap, why not give them a chance to redeem themselves? Especially since the grass isn't really any more green with any of the other carriers.

rbrussell82
join:2003-04-19
Elgin, IL

rbrussell82 to jc10098

Member

to jc10098
You might try using their email feature on the website. The e-care reps are ALOT more competent than the phone reps. Anytime I need to change my account, I send an email to e-care. I've been with Sprint since about 2000 and have NEVER had a billing issue.

Everybody's experience is different though. T-Mobile always wins the award for having the best customer service, and yet they screwed me over and I got a $2000+ bill one month because they didn't explain the area-wide plan I was on. So my experience with them was horrible, but my experience with Sprint has been generally good.

Matt3
All noise, no signal.
Premium Member
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC

Matt3

Premium Member

I'd be laughing

Between the word "kerfuffle" and the fact that this could EASILY have been a satire article, I should be laughing.

Sadly, this is true and that just makes it sad. Yay Sprint?
expert007
join:2006-01-10
Buffalo, NY

1 recommendation

expert007

Member

Re: I'd be laughing

"kerfuffle" caught my eye too. Never came across that one before.

If today is "Make Up Your Own Words Day", I submit my invention: wimblytimbly.....as in "After a long night of drinking and debauchery, I feel a bit wimblytimbly this morning.

kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL

kapil

Member

Re: I'd be laughing

»www.timesonline.co.uk/to ··· 8949.ece

NY Tel
Premium Member
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY

NY Tel to expert007

Premium Member

to expert007
Never heard of kerfuffle? That's because you don't hang around with a "foofey" crowd.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode to expert007

News Guy

to expert007
But "kerfuffle" is real!

»dictionary.reference.com ··· erfuffle
Rob2647
join:2008-08-12
Rochester, MI

Rob2647

Member

Sprint gets too much crap.

I'm a Sprint/Nextel customer, and not had an issue with billing or their customer service. The few times I have had to call customer service they have been very helpful and kind.

Do Right
@comcast.net

Do Right

Anon

Re: Sprint gets too much crap.

I hope it works because we tried the old survey cards when I was there and that was a joke... I miss my job.. It was fun being in management there.. Good luck Sprint.. U will need it..
Do Right

Do Right to Rob2647

Anon

to Rob2647
I see you deleted my post.. Did I say something wrong? I do not think so as it was all true.. Sorry I offended u..
scantor
join:2004-08-11
Columbus, OH

scantor to Rob2647

Member

to Rob2647
said by Rob2647:

I'm a Sprint/Nextel customer, and not had an issue with billing or their customer service. The few times I have had to call customer service they have been very helpful and kind.
Sure, but what fun would it be if the people around here had to actually, you know, acknowledge that their service is just as hit or miss as any large company? I mean, imagine that...millions of people just using their service and never responding to surveys baiting people to complain.

At the end of the day, I look at it like this. At some point, enough people might jump ship and cause Sprint to start charging more or their network quality might be compromised. But we ain't there yet. So I'm happy to take advantage of all the capacity apparently being vacated by all the people jumping ship to companies with nowhere near as nice a network and paying more for the privilege. Bon voyage.
LineNoise
join:2006-06-25
Downers Grove, IL
(Software) pfSense

LineNoise

Member

No Improvement

I came over from Nextel and I never had any billing issues until I ported to the Sprint side for the Curve. I would have been the first one out in front defending Sprint and Hesse. I honestly have not seen one improvement in Customer Service. I had another account that had a billing issue since day one, i'd call in every couple of months and get a credit, til finally Saturday they flat out refused and said "Cancel the line". That doesn't sound like improving customer service to me.

Hey Hesse, you wanna improve customer service? Drop all your contracts with the insanely horrible outsourced call center and bring some Jobs back to America. Not only will it improve your image, but you'll get people that can think for themselves, not read from a flowchart.

danclan
join:2005-11-01
Midlothian, VA

danclan

Member

Massive Improvement

Ive been with Sprint since day 1 and have had few issues. The issues I did have were during the Nextel Merger. Since then every time i have called not only do I get a live person but superior service and call backs.

I for one have noticed a massive improvement in service and response. They have gone out of their way to solve the problem then and there on the phone.

I received a callback from an executive after I wrote a letter regarding how well my billing and new phone issues were all resolved. They wanted to personally notify the person who handled my call to reinforce the fact that good service pays.

OSUGoose
join:2007-12-27
Columbus, OH

OSUGoose to LineNoise

Member

to LineNoise

Re: No Improvement

hate to break it to u, but telepeformance has call centers in the usa too!

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

1 edit

tc1uscg

Member

Re: No Improvement

said by OSUGoose:

hate to break it to u, but telepeformance has call centers in the usa too!
Level 2 and you have to ASK for a US center 9 out of 10 times....
LineNoise
join:2006-06-25
Downers Grove, IL
(Software) pfSense

LineNoise

Member

Re: No Improvement

OSU: Yes, Executive service, Account Services, Premier Care (business)and tech support, when you call in and get GENERAL customer service, you get india. You can only get to the other ones if you call to cancel or know the phone numbers.

tc1: exactly!

SteveLV702
Premium Member
join:2004-04-22
Las Vegas, NV

SteveLV702

Premium Member

Jumped Ship

when I was with sprint everytime I needed to call them which was atleast once a week they couldn't even find my account. I would be put on hold for atleast 3-4 hours while they find the 1 person in the entire company that has access to the new billing system. As when I was with them they had 3 different billing system.

Sprint's Old Billing System

Nextel's Old Billing System

Sprint/Nextel's New Hybrid Billing System - the one I was in the nobody has access to.

Come on now put everyone on one billing system and just use the one... I jumped ship to AT&T and haven't been happier...
splat1622
join:2008-09-08
Cave Spring, GA

splat1622

Member

Re: Jumped Ship

I agree I had the same problem,also when sprint took over the service went to hell never had as many lost calls in my life.voice mail would come in 1 or two days later,couldn't get service hardly anywhere in my area,and it was great before the takeover.the only thing that would work was the direct connect,but you could forget the phone service,and their customer service was awful,so sprint doesn't get my money anymore verizon wireless does.sorry sprint too little too late

rbrussell82
join:2003-04-19
Elgin, IL

rbrussell82

Member

Re: Jumped Ship

People like to blame Sprint for problems after they took over Nextel, but in reality, that's the direction Nextel's network was headed in before the merger. They were at or near capacity and had no room to expand and service was getting worse before the merger. Most people just blame Sprint for the problems, but in reality they just bought the problems and got the finger pointed to them, which really hurt their image.

The merger was a bad idea by Sprint in terms of the iDEN network, but it was a great idea for the fact that they were able to greatly expand their CDMA network by adding panels to existing iDEN sites. I guess they just had to take a hit to get that benefit.

bobjohnson
Premium Member
join:2007-02-03
Spartanburg, SC

bobjohnson

Premium Member

Re: Jumped Ship

said by rbrussell82:

People like to blame Sprint for problems after they took over Nextel, but in reality, that's the direction Nextel's network was headed in before the merger. They were at or near capacity and had no room to expand and service was getting worse before the merger. Most people just blame Sprint for the problems, but in reality they just bought the problems and got the finger pointed to them, which really hurt their image.

The merger was a bad idea by Sprint in terms of the iDEN network, but it was a great idea for the fact that they were able to greatly expand their CDMA network by adding panels to existing iDEN sites. I guess they just had to take a hit to get that benefit.
And to add to the blame sprint crap, if anyone remembers when the nextel merger was completed they were giving away everything that sprint pcs offered to try to get rid of the capacity problems, but everyone just decided that sprint was the problem and not nextel in the first place... i had a legacy nextel that had problems since 2001 and even worse in 05 when they made boost mobile public... Other than being a bad aquisition for sprint i didn't really see that they did anything wrong and switched over to the pcs side for free and couldn't have been happier other than the billing issues every few months that have always been solved in one call... point being, is if you aren't always trying to get something for free they will credit and do the things they are supposed to do in 1 call just like any other company
splat1622
join:2008-09-08
Cave Spring, GA

splat1622 to rbrussell82

Member

to rbrussell82
said by rbrussell82:

People like to blame Sprint for problems after they took over Nextel, but in reality, that's the direction Nextel's network was headed in before the merger. They were at or near capacity and had no room to expand and service was getting worse before the merger. Most people just blame Sprint for the problems, but in reality they just bought the problems and got the finger pointed to them, which really hurt their image.

The merger was a bad idea by Sprint in terms of the iDEN network, but it was a great idea for the fact that they were able to greatly expand their CDMA network by adding panels to existing iDEN sites. I guess they just had to take a hit to get that benefit.
doesn't matter who was the blame sprint knew what they were buying,and they owned them then they are always going to get the blame for everything.it sure is funny that the very week that sprint took over i started to lose bars plus sprint was the one with the sorry customer service,sorry sprint will never ever get my money again plus sprint or Nextel still doesn't work at my house when it did when was Nextel,but verizon does work

rbrussell82
join:2003-04-19
Elgin, IL

rbrussell82 to SteveLV702

Member

to SteveLV702
Unfortunately that's the problem with the mergers of large companies. It takes time to merge everything and train everyone. That's part of the reason customer service has improved recently, everyone is on the new billing system now regardless of which service they have.

Oh, and I'm sure you weren't on hold for 3-4 hours, I don't think anyone would stay on hold that long.

Everyone is on the same billing system now by the way. I know AT&T and Cingular had the same growing pains when they merged too.

SteveLV702
Premium Member
join:2004-04-22
Las Vegas, NV

SteveLV702

Premium Member

Re: Jumped Ship

no I was on hold for 3-4 hours I still go the recorded phone calls and records of the calls... I just put call on Speaker phone and watched movies on my computer until someone came back and it wasn't a continues 3 hour hold I would get someone they would transfer me to someone else would be a 5-10 minute hold then I would need to be transferred to somewhere else and then about 45 minute hold then oh I don't have access to system. so another 30 minute hold (call get disconnected) call back wait another 2 1/2 hours (another 40-50 transfers) maybe another 6 dropped calls and would finally get someone...

they would fix one problem but then another one would popup so another 3-4 hour call to them.

(had no problem with Nextel when was with them but then when I went to Spring)

I originally called because I had a Palm Treo (windows mobile version) that use for work so its important that internet work on it which it didn't would always say "No Answering Modem" so called to get that fixed they didnt get it fixed instead can't make or receive calls.. Call they get that fixed but now voicemail doesn't work.. Call get that fixed but Internet Still didn't work so I switched to AT&T where their internet works.
LineNoise
join:2006-06-25
Downers Grove, IL

LineNoise

Member

Re: Jumped Ship

They totally botched that billing conversion. I feel your pain.
slckusr
Premium Member
join:2003-03-17
Greenville, SC

slckusr

Premium Member

sprint is ok

customer service has gone up a lot since the whole nextel debauchle.

one time i called in to add text messaging and the rep noticed i was going over my minutes.

she gave me 100 free minutes 8 months later i still have 100 free minutes.

That was pretty awesome and caused me some initial satisfaction with the company.

A lot of people complain about customer service. And it dawns on me, i don't typically get bad customer service from anyone.

It all comes down to the way your treating the person on the phone, if you want good service be nice.

if you want the rep to treat you like dirt. well i think you get the point.

I work for another carrier and still prefer sprint over them.
qworster
join:2001-11-25
Bryn Mawr, PA

qworster

Member

I've been with Sprint since early 1999

In fairness, EVERY bad thing that people above have typed about Sprint has happened to me as well...BUT I have noticed an improvement in their customer service in the past few months.

Yes, they still screw up my bill reguarly-but at least now they give you something for your trouble. Thanks to their CSRs and retention people, I have a GREAT plan!

2500 any time minutes shared among five phones in three different area codes (2 in L.A. two in Rhode island and one in New Jersey; no other service can do this), unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7 PM, unlimited Sprint PCS-PCS calling, unlimited SMS messaging (except for one line that gets 1000 SMS messages a month-and will get more if they need them for free), unlimited advanced picture service, unlimited picture mail, unlimited bandwidth.

150 dollars a month including all fees and taxes.

To me, this is hard to beat.

Believe me, a few months ago I was one of the Sprint haters, only staying because my wife demanded it. Now I do notice a definite improvement-and hope that they keep up the improvements.

I guess I'm rooting for Sprint.

bellevue
@optonline.net

bellevue

Anon

customer service

I have to say that on Long Island, the sprint stores resemble DMV centers. They are often understaffed for the peak hours. My wife and I waited 75 minutes to be waited on to combine our plans. The employess were visited by friends which also delayed things a bit.

The month before my treo died as it just rebooted due to a short on the board ... squeeze it and it rebooted.

they wouldnt replace it right away. said come in tomorrow.
tomorrow came and they give me the phone back and say it was fixed. I squeezed the sides and sure enough is just died. 30 minutes later a new phone appeared.

again their service is slow. they are burnt out and 'relaxed' would be a kind word to describe the attitude there.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

left sprint..

as a former nextel, then sprint customer.. i'm glad i left them.. took a few friends who had sprint with me... it doesn't hurt them to lose just one customer.. when you bring your friends and family with you it does hurt sprint.. then maybe, just maybe things will change.. until then sprint will continue to hemorrhage customers.. and the few that they have, they will be giving sweeter and sweeter deals to keep them as loyal customers, which they do on a case by case basis, it seems.