Sprint "fires" over 1,000 customers - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

liquidlight · 07-10-2007, 11:09 AM

Quote:

NEW YORK - Sprint Nextel Corp. isn’t apologizing for its decision to ax customers it determined were calling customer service too often.

The No. 3 U.S. wireless provider with 53 million customers, which recently launched an advertising campaign to attract new customers, is disconnecting more than 1,000 subscribers for calling its customer service lines too often and making what the company called unreasonable requests.

“These accounts have been researched very carefully,” Sprint spokeswoman Roni Singleton said. “We feel strongly that the decisions we made, we stand by them. These decisions weren’t made lightly.”
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The company said on Monday it started sending service termination letters on June 25 to 1,000 to 1,200 customers who had called the company about 40,000 times a month in total.

In debate on the Internet, Sprint’s move has attracted criticism that the company is penalizing consumers for trying to get what they paid for, or that the frequent calls are more a reflection of poor customer service by Sprint itself.

“Companies like Sprint sometimes do have to take a hard line, and that may mean canceling certain customers,” said Chris Denove of JD Power and Associates, a customer satisfaction survey firm. “But what I would caution Sprint is to look at the problems that caused these customers to call over and over again,” Devone told CNBC.

Sprint insists that the problem is not with its customer service in response to CNBC’s inquiry. Instead, it says, getting rid of the high maintenance customers will help it improve service quality.

"These customers were calling to a degree that we felt was excessive," said Singleton.

"In some cases they were calling customer care hundreds of times a month for a period of six to 12 months on the same issues even after we felt those issues had been resolved," she said.

Singleton, noting that mass cancellation letters were not routine, said this call volume was 40 to 50 times more than average customer monthly calls. She would not say how often customers can call before being deemed too demanding.

The company also declined to say what percentage of monthly service calls the 40,000 figure represented.

Singleton said some of the cancellations involved customers who repeatedly asked for information about other people's accounts.

Sprint waived final balances on canceled accounts and gave customers 30 days to transfer their phone numbers to other wireless providers, she said.

"We're working very hard to improve customer service. That's our number one priority," Singleton said.

Sprint, which has about 53 million subscribers, has been trying to upgrade its customer base, tightening credit requirements and attempting to attract customers who will spend more each month on data services, such as Internet browsing, music downloads and streaming video.

The termination letters started going out days before Sprint kicked off a nationwide "Sprint Ahead" ad campaign on July 1. Sprint's customer growth has disappointed investors for several quarters after its marketing message was criticized as being confusing and it had network problems after its 2005 purchase of Nextel.

During the most recent quarter, the company said it gained just 600,000 new customers, while AT&T and Verizon gained 1.2 million and 1.7 million, respectively.

Providers AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc, were quick to point out differences between their policies and Sprint's, saying they very rarely cancel services.

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Discuss: A good move by Sprint?

AT&T, the U.S. wireless service with the greatest number of subscribers, sometimes cancels or restricts services for customers for "excessive data or voice roaming on other carriers' networks," according to spokesman Mark Siegel, who said competitors had similar policies.

Tom Pica, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless which is second to AT&T by number of customers, said his company sometimes cancels services for callers who are "extremely abusive" to its customer service representatives. But, he said, this would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Industry watchers are surprised that Sprint would risk bad press just to economize on service to 1,000 high maintenance customers, a minimal fragment of its 53 million customer base, especially when the company is struggling to catch up with its competitors.

Disgruntled customers got their balances wiped clean, and were given 30 days to take their number to another carrier with no penalty.

“I am sure for some customers; they got exactly what they wanted from this,” said Denove.

I'd say I have to support sprint on this one, a single person calling customer service FORTY TIMES in one month? Including people that kept calling and trying to get information about other people's accounts? I work in a tech support call center, and invariably there are 2 or 3 customers that end up chewing through the majority of the available man-hours to the detriment of other customers. The real problem that I have with that is that normally these people are asking the same questions over, and over, and over, and over in a pathetic effort to be told what they wanted to hear. I wish I could "fire" a few of MY customers!

Willravel · 07-10-2007, 11:13 AM

Here's the real question: were all the calls unnecessary? If Sprint's customer service can't fix their problems, then dropping customers who complain is just covering up inadequacy.

analog · 07-10-2007, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

Here's the real question: were all the calls unnecessary? If Sprint's customer service can't fix their problems, then dropping customers who complain is just covering up inadequacy.

When I worked for a cellphone company very much like this one, I had several regular customers who came into my store every month when they received their bill in the mail, to contest their bill. Why? Because they went way over their minutes. Every month. And every month, we'd waste a lot of time explaining again and again that if you use 2000 minutes, but refuse to upgrade from your 1000 minute plan, this is going to keep happening. There are a million issues which are not customer-service, but customer-stupidity.

I had at least 2 people I can think of off the top of my head who would come in weekly, complaining that his cell doesn't get "full bars" where they live or work. Did it work? Why yes, in fact they never once said they had any difficulties with the signal- no dropped calls, could always make a call, text, voicemail, and data worked just fine. Their complaint was that a;; 5 bars on the phone didn't light up, they only got 3 or 4. This would go on for months, each time they would request something for free from the store, like a case or car charger or money on their bill... for phones that worked flawlessly. The bars are fucking meaningless, compared to how the signal works. That is also not customer service.

You have to keep in mind the stupidity and greed of people, and then you'll be on the right track.

cyrnel · 07-10-2007, 12:05 PM

I'd probably be one of those people if I hadn't given up. My experience is that Sprint does not handle grouped plans very well. Every month they make a mistake and you have to call to get your $5-10 back. In the end it just isn't worth it. (enter conspiracy theories)

My last business had a nearly identical problem with a Verizon group plan. The agents were amazingly clueless about how to calculate minutes vs. plans, or do anything but read their flowcharts. That set me shopping. Sprint was great the first couple weeks, but that's when you get their star support teams. After the 14day window is up it's back to the standard support groups.

I've set up and managed call centers so I understand problem customers. I also understand sweeping system problems under the carpet. With Sprint (or any massively scaled support entities), I have no doubt some of those canceled were just people Sprint couldn't figure out how to help. Their systems just do not provide enough exits for exceptions or their own errors. Monthly 'oops' credits don't scale.

Rekna · 07-10-2007, 01:30 PM

When I had sprint I started texting heavily. Knowing that I would quickly go over my limit I called them up and told them i'd like to upgrade to unlimited text messages. The service rep said ok it will be done right after this call. I said ok. The rest of that month I texted a lot. At the end of the month I got a huge bill. I called them up and they wouldn't do anything about it. Apparently there system couldn't add the text messaging because I had some other feature on my plan that I canceled that month. Their solution was to just not add it that month. I called up many times and finally said I wouldn't pay them a cent on the entire bill nor any cancellation fees unless they dropped those charges. Finally they forwarded it to a manager who back date added the text plan. That was a pain. I actually had quite a few problems when I was with sprint. Finally I just switched back to Verizon who has been great (They sucked where I used to live).

highthief · 07-10-2007, 01:37 PM

I understand Sprint doing this - honestly, more companies should "fire" their bottom 1% of customers. You know, take a random room of 100 people and more than one of them you'd definitely choose not to do business with, because they are complete and utter idiots/assholes/mentally unbalanced.

tenniels · 07-10-2007, 07:46 PM

I agree with Sprint. My friend worked for a call centre that helped customers of a cell phone company. These types of frivolous callers make people with genuine concerns wait longer. I think it's great actually, maybe it'll teach a few of em a lesson. No one should HAVE to provide service to someone.

wheelhomies · 07-10-2007, 07:47 PM

all cellphone companies rip people off. it's what they do - like credit card companies. sure, you can come out of it w/little financial difficulty, but a lot of people are going to run into problems.

since the day i got sprint, i have been unhappy, although i don't call customer service often. if they decided to dump me, i wouldn't be too disappointed though, because then i could switch to cingular and avoid the early termination fee.

jorgelito · 07-10-2007, 07:50 PM

No harm no foul. The customers got to keep their numbers, free last month of service and get to shop around for a new service provider.

If they were calling that much to complain, then I would think they would be happy to be dropped.

QuasiMondo · 07-10-2007, 07:58 PM

I concur. It's a win/win for the customer. The don't have to deal with a carrier they hate, they don't pay the last bill, they don't pay the early termination free, they help get you set up with another carrier, and they do it on their dime.

Honestly, if somebody bitches about that, then they're truly somebody who can never be satisfied and it justifies Sprint's decision to drop them.

Willravel · 07-10-2007, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by analog

You have to keep in mind the stupidity and greed of people, and then you'll be on the right track.

People are indeed greedy. So, however, are corporations. Admittedly, I'm playing devil's advocate, but isn't it equally possible that Sprint is cutting the fat? I would say that it's not unreasonable to suspect Sprint of mistreating people.

cyrnel · 07-10-2007, 08:18 PM

I will admit my first thought was wondering how many calls I'd have to make to get out of my remaining 6mo contract.

Have to wonder how many people are getting cauliflower ear now, going for the early exit.

Infinite_Loser · 07-11-2007, 03:27 AM

I used to work for a Cingular call center. I hated the customers who would call in contesting their monthly statement, only be told that their bill was correct, only to call in again in hopes of getting a different rep (As if that was somehow going to change the validity of their statement).

BBtB · 07-11-2007, 07:38 AM

1000 out of 53 million is a very small percent. I have worked in several call centers and I can tell you, 5% of customers are not worth having. They are simply more trouble then they are worth and cost more money then you make. I have no doubt these 1000 customers got what was coming for them. The real question is this, I am sure sprint does what almost all companies do, reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. Its a right rarely invoked for the simple fact of money, but why should we demonize a company for using this rarely used right?

The Magic · 07-11-2007, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

People are indeed greedy. So, however, are corporations. Admittedly, I'm playing devil's advocate, but isn't it equally possible that Sprint is cutting the fat? I would say that it's not unreasonable to suspect Sprint of mistreating people.

I think it's just not enough people tossed away and also too diabolical sounding to argue.

The article says that these customers have been dealing with customer service for six to twelve months. If they were really being mistreated, it seems logical enough that they would have plainly switched phone services. If they were trying to and couldn't, well they got what they wanted in the end.

It's also important to keep in mind that the customers are calling and talking directly to human beings who work for Sprint. The customer service reps are not soulless, careless, entities speaking as Sprint Corporation. They're people, and while they probably don't like their job, I'm sure that at least on the first few calls they made an attempt to help. Even if they weren't so good at helping, I doubt that there was malicious intent on their part to actually harm the customers.

I think it's a good move and an important reminder to people these days. Though it's important to take care of the customers and help them as much as the company can, customers do not own businesses. If a company doesn't like someone's business, they are right to terminate it if they wish. Now, whether or not it's a good financial move... that's another discussion.

Lasereth · 07-11-2007, 02:19 PM

When I saw this article floating around I knew there had to be something fishy about it. Turns out the people that got their service terminated were calling 30-100 times in a 6-month time frame. Furthermore, many of these customers called continually each month with the same issue that was actually a non-issue, and complained so much and for such a duration that the customer service rep ended up crediting their account for that month. Some of these customers hadn't paid a single dime to Sprint for 2 fucking years because they called so often complaining just to get credits. They were exploiting the ability to get a free phone bill every month and I'm glad they're terminated. They were basically defrauding Sprint.

MSD · 07-12-2007, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highthief

I understand Sprint doing this - honestly, more companies should "fire" their bottom 1% of customers. You know, take a random room of 100 people and more than one of them you'd definitely choose not to do business with, because they are complete and utter idiots/assholes/mentally unbalanced.

I'd put the number closer to 60.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheelhomies

since the day i got sprint, i have been unhappy, although i don't call customer service often. if they decided to dump me, i wouldn't be too disappointed though, because then i could switch to cingular and avoid the early termination fee.

Start calling them. Three times a day should do it.

Daemon1313 · 07-18-2007, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuasiMondo

I concur. It's a win/win for the customer. The don't have to deal with a carrier they hate, they don't pay the last bill, they don't pay the early termination free, they help get you set up with another carrier, and they do it on their dime.

Honestly, if somebody bitches about that, then they're truly somebody who can never be satisfied and it justifies Sprint's decision to drop them.

I agree completely with that. If they were bitching that much about it, they should be happy to be let out of their contract.

krwlz · 07-21-2007, 11:17 AM

I guess I have to agree with sprint on this one. The old 80-20 rule. 80 percent of your problems will occur from 20 percent of the system. In this case, 20 percent of the customers. If they are losing money on the customers, I can't blame them. After all, if it wasn't for profit they wouldn't be in business.

ziadel · 07-21-2007, 05:50 PM

I'm gonna have to disagree with sprint. I had them for a year, they were the biggest pain in the ass going. And their service is just awful. They neglected to tell me that if I wasnt near a window that my phone would not work indoors. They constantly made billing errors and their customer service reps were jackasses. I'll never dedal with them again, and them making this move doesnt surprise me.

krwlz · 07-22-2007, 03:35 PM

I guess I should clarify my point, I've never had sprint, so I can't form an opinion based on previous service. But, I feel that any business should have the option (barring contractual obligations) to do what Sprint just did.

laconic1 · 07-23-2007, 05:18 PM

I used to have Sprint, and while I did not like their product, I agree with their decision. I currently work in an automotive warranty call center, and deal with a bunch of dumbfucks all the time that call repeatedly and whine, or try to tie me up for an indefinite amount of time to try to change an outcome. The other day I had a guy that wanted me to read word for word his entire six page legal size contract to him. Why? Because we had denied a claim he was trying to make. I had already explained in detail exactly where in the contract it showed the particular item in question was not covered. I told him I could not read him the entire contract. He sullenly asked me why not, to which I replied that I had dozens of other customers to help. You could tell he was just trying to tie me up in the hopes that I would find it easier to cover his non covered claim than deal with him. There are a ton of people like that unfortunately. It sounds like by only getting rid of 1000 of their worst customers Sprint is just getting rid of the truly horrid customers, not just the run of the mill bad customers.

Jimbob666 · 07-23-2007, 06:14 PM

I would be SHOCKED if none of these customers had legitimate complaints. I'm sure many were nutjobs, but I'd bet anything that several had real issues that Sprint either could not or would not resolve.

When I had Verizon DSL, and my connection speed was worse than AOL on a 14.4 Modem, I called EVERY night to complain. I did this for months. It was the only way to get them to finally repair the line instead of telling me to reboot my modem and router.

Nnoodles · 07-31-2007, 04:23 PM

I dont agree with this at all..

In my opinion customer service as a whole has gone to the shitter. Its wiped its ass and that now soiled piece of paper is what u have to deal with when you call in with any kind of problem at all.. It doesnt matter which company or where. They are all gettin this way. It starts out with the crappy automated betty or steve or whatever, then you get the tier 1 guy that is most likely from a call center service rather then the company you are tryin to contact in the first place, they just represent them, (banks are famous for this with this 24 hour service.) Then this guy wouldnt be able to help you on most matters anyways. Tryin to get someone that can do anything at all is a nightmare and very frustrating..

The bottom line is, for the most part the customer service isnt a customer service at all. Unless you want to change your address, or find out your bill amount, your screwed.

So, gettin rid of 1000+ customers just applifies the attitudes that these big corperations are taking these days, and that is "We dont need you and we dont give a shit. Put up or shut up." And well, the people that wouldnt put up with it are gettin axed.

As a side note and a caboose on my train wreck of thought: Whose not to say these people arent calling customer service and then getting dropped calls? Maybe Sprints service is just that crappy. Although, i wouldnt know for sure, Ive been using Rogers lately.

07-10-2007, 12:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	I'd probably be one of those people if I hadn't given up. My experience is that Sprint does not handle grouped plans very well. Every month they make a mistake and you have to call to get your $5-10 back. In the end it just isn't worth it. (enter conspiracy theories) My last business had a nearly identical problem with a Verizon group plan. The agents were amazingly clueless about how to calculate minutes vs. plans, or do anything but read their flowcharts. That set me shopping. Sprint was great the first couple weeks, but that's when you get their star support teams. After the 14day window is up it's back to the standard support groups. I've set up and managed call centers so I understand problem customers. I also understand sweeping system problems under the carpet. With Sprint (or any massively scaled support entities), I have no doubt some of those canceled were just people Sprint couldn't figure out how to help. Their systems just do not provide enough exits for exceptions or their own errors. Monthly 'oops' credits don't scale. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

07-10-2007, 01:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
highthief Junkie Location: Ontario, Canada	I understand Sprint doing this - honestly, more companies should "fire" their bottom 1% of customers. You know, take a random room of 100 people and more than one of them you'd definitely choose not to do business with, because they are complete and utter idiots/assholes/mentally unbalanced. __________________ Si vis pacem parabellum.

07-10-2007, 07:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
tenniels Insane Location: Oh Canada!!	I agree with Sprint. My friend worked for a call centre that helped customers of a cell phone company. These types of frivolous callers make people with genuine concerns wait longer. I think it's great actually, maybe it'll teach a few of em a lesson. No one should HAVE to provide service to someone. __________________ I like things. And stuff. But I prefer to have things over stuff.

07-10-2007, 07:47 PM	#8 (permalink)
wheelhomies Upright Location: New York	all cellphone companies rip people off. it's what they do - like credit card companies. sure, you can come out of it w/little financial difficulty, but a lot of people are going to run into problems. since the day i got sprint, i have been unhappy, although i don't call customer service often. if they decided to dump me, i wouldn't be too disappointed though, because then i could switch to cingular and avoid the early termination fee. __________________ "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes to make it possible." - T.E. Lawrence

07-10-2007, 07:58 PM	#10 (permalink)
QuasiMondo Wise-ass Latino Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA	I concur. It's a win/win for the customer. The don't have to deal with a carrier they hate, they don't pay the last bill, they don't pay the early termination free, they help get you set up with another carrier, and they do it on their dime. Honestly, if somebody bitches about that, then they're truly somebody who can never be satisfied and it justifies Sprint's decision to drop them. __________________ Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

07-10-2007, 11:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Here's the real question: were all the calls unnecessary? If Sprint's customer service can't fix their problems, then dropping customers who complain is just covering up inadequacy.

07-10-2007, 01:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	When I had sprint I started texting heavily. Knowing that I would quickly go over my limit I called them up and told them i'd like to upgrade to unlimited text messages. The service rep said ok it will be done right after this call. I said ok. The rest of that month I texted a lot. At the end of the month I got a huge bill. I called them up and they wouldn't do anything about it. Apparently there system couldn't add the text messaging because I had some other feature on my plan that I canceled that month. Their solution was to just not add it that month. I called up many times and finally said I wouldn't pay them a cent on the entire bill nor any cancellation fees unless they dropped those charges. Finally they forwarded it to a manager who back date added the text plan. That was a pain. I actually had quite a few problems when I was with sprint. Finally I just switched back to Verizon who has been great (They sucked where I used to live).

07-10-2007, 07:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
jorgelito All important elusive independent swing voter... Location: People's Republic of KKKalifornia	No harm no foul. The customers got to keep their numbers, free last month of service and get to shop around for a new service provider. If they were calling that much to complain, then I would think they would be happy to be dropped.

07-10-2007, 08:18 PM	#12 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	I will admit my first thought was wondering how many calls I'd have to make to get out of my remaining 6mo contract. Have to wonder how many people are getting cauliflower ear now, going for the early exit. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

07-11-2007, 03:27 AM	#13 (permalink)
Infinite_Loser Junkie Location: Lake Mary, FL	I used to work for a Cingular call center. I hated the customers who would call in contesting their monthly statement, only be told that their bill was correct, only to call in again in hopes of getting a different rep (As if that was somehow going to change the validity of their statement). __________________ I believe in equality; Everyone is equally inferior to me.

07-11-2007, 07:38 AM	#14 (permalink)
BBtB ClerkMan! Location: Tulsa, Ok.	1000 out of 53 million is a very small percent. I have worked in several call centers and I can tell you, 5% of customers are not worth having. They are simply more trouble then they are worth and cost more money then you make. I have no doubt these 1000 customers got what was coming for them. The real question is this, I am sure sprint does what almost all companies do, reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. Its a right rarely invoked for the simple fact of money, but why should we demonize a company for using this rarely used right? __________________ Meridae'n once played "death" at a game of chess that lasted for over two years. He finally beat death in a best 34 out of 67 match. At that time he could ask for any one thing and he could wish for the hope of all mankind... he looked death right in the eye and said ... "I would like about three fiddy"

07-11-2007, 02:19 PM	#16 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	When I saw this article floating around I knew there had to be something fishy about it. Turns out the people that got their service terminated were calling 30-100 times in a 6-month time frame. Furthermore, many of these customers called continually each month with the same issue that was actually a non-issue, and complained so much and for such a duration that the customer service rep ended up crediting their account for that month. Some of these customers hadn't paid a single dime to Sprint for 2 fucking years because they called so often complaining just to get credits. They were exploiting the ability to get a free phone bill every month and I'm glad they're terminated. They were basically defrauding Sprint. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

07-21-2007, 11:17 AM	#19 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	I guess I have to agree with sprint on this one. The old 80-20 rule. 80 percent of your problems will occur from 20 percent of the system. In this case, 20 percent of the customers. If they are losing money on the customers, I can't blame them. After all, if it wasn't for profit they wouldn't be in business.

07-21-2007, 05:50 PM	#20 (permalink)
ziadel Myrmidon Location: In the twilight and mist.	I'm gonna have to disagree with sprint. I had them for a year, they were the biggest pain in the ass going. And their service is just awful. They neglected to tell me that if I wasnt near a window that my phone would not work indoors. They constantly made billing errors and their customer service reps were jackasses. I'll never dedal with them again, and them making this move doesnt surprise me. __________________ Ron Paul '08 Vote for Freedom Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

07-22-2007, 03:35 PM	#21 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	I guess I should clarify my point, I've never had sprint, so I can't form an opinion based on previous service. But, I feel that any business should have the option (barring contractual obligations) to do what Sprint just did.

07-23-2007, 05:18 PM	#22 (permalink)
laconic1 Junkie	I used to have Sprint, and while I did not like their product, I agree with their decision. I currently work in an automotive warranty call center, and deal with a bunch of dumbfucks all the time that call repeatedly and whine, or try to tie me up for an indefinite amount of time to try to change an outcome. The other day I had a guy that wanted me to read word for word his entire six page legal size contract to him. Why? Because we had denied a claim he was trying to make. I had already explained in detail exactly where in the contract it showed the particular item in question was not covered. I told him I could not read him the entire contract. He sullenly asked me why not, to which I replied that I had dozens of other customers to help. You could tell he was just trying to tie me up in the hopes that I would find it easier to cover his non covered claim than deal with him. There are a ton of people like that unfortunately. It sounds like by only getting rid of 1000 of their worst customers Sprint is just getting rid of the truly horrid customers, not just the run of the mill bad customers.

07-23-2007, 06:14 PM	#23 (permalink)
Jimbob666 Tilted	I would be SHOCKED if none of these customers had legitimate complaints. I'm sure many were nutjobs, but I'd bet anything that several had real issues that Sprint either could not or would not resolve. When I had Verizon DSL, and my connection speed was worse than AOL on a 14.4 Modem, I called EVERY night to complain. I did this for months. It was the only way to get them to finally repair the line instead of telling me to reboot my modem and router.

07-31-2007, 04:23 PM	#24 (permalink)
Nnoodles Upright	I dont agree with this at all.. In my opinion customer service as a whole has gone to the shitter. Its wiped its ass and that now soiled piece of paper is what u have to deal with when you call in with any kind of problem at all.. It doesnt matter which company or where. They are all gettin this way. It starts out with the crappy automated betty or steve or whatever, then you get the tier 1 guy that is most likely from a call center service rather then the company you are tryin to contact in the first place, they just represent them, (banks are famous for this with this 24 hour service.) Then this guy wouldnt be able to help you on most matters anyways. Tryin to get someone that can do anything at all is a nightmare and very frustrating.. The bottom line is, for the most part the customer service isnt a customer service at all. Unless you want to change your address, or find out your bill amount, your screwed. So, gettin rid of 1000+ customers just applifies the attitudes that these big corperations are taking these days, and that is "We dont need you and we dont give a shit. Put up or shut up." And well, the people that wouldnt put up with it are gettin axed. As a side note and a caboose on my train wreck of thought: Whose not to say these people arent calling customer service and then getting dropped calls? Maybe Sprints service is just that crappy. Although, i wouldnt know for sure, Ive been using Rogers lately.