I hate this phone

Every part of me hates the Treo Pro. I am so tired of people texting me asking "Why did you send me this text again?" - every single week, my phone resends dozens of messages. Not only that, but now there appears to be an MMS message that is "stuck" as the phone continuously tells me that the message was not sent and asks if I'd like to retry now or retry later. No matter what I press, the error is displayed again and again.

I'm so sick of this phone and I'm so sick of Sprint. I'm at my breaking point and will be sending a note to Dan Hesse soon. I'll be sure to post the letter here when I do.

Thanks for listening to me rant.

Sprint Nextel and Bankruptcy Rumors, oh my!

Well, it's been a few weeks since my last post, but let me assure you, my phone has been riddled with errors on a daily basis (literally). Primarily, these errors are related to texting; "Your message cannot be sent, would you like to try again?" There seems to be an issue with the messaging service on the Treo 850 that causes conflict with incoming/outgoing text messages.

Additionally, I've received numerous reports from friends and colleagues that they've received "old text messages" - from hours to weeks earlier! There's nothing like someone getting a text message that reads: "Having fun at the bar, you should come out and party with us!" at 9:30 on a Monday morning...

But today, I saw some news that brought a smile to my face. One of my friends posted a link on my Facebook page that reads: "Ten Big Companies That Are Veering Toward Bankruptcy" - the article includes reference to Sprint and the fact that they've been bleeding customers for some time now.

Here's what the article had to say about Sprint Nextel:
Sprint Nextel is bleeding customers, and could lose as many as 4.4 million net post-paid subscribers this year.

This is a huge problem when you have large amounts of maturing debt over the next few years.

A recent Deutsche Telekom acquisition rumor offered some hope, but that appears to have faded. Facing a difficult road ahead on its own, the company better keep its lawyers on speed-dial.

I'd say their lack of customer service and malfunctioning devices are a key indicator that this company is in trouble.

Good luck Sprint.

Sprint Contract Extension - Part 4

So, I finally spoke with a Sprint rep about the survey I took. It was a similar experience to the voicemail recording I posted last week. I couldn't understand the rep at all! I had to ask him to repeat himself numerous times. It was so bad, I had to cover one ear so that I could try to understand his accent.

I explained that my issue had indeed been resolved, however, I wanted to make sure that Sprint realized the error was on their part, not on mine. Of course, the rep had no idea what I was trying to explain and so when he asked if everything was resolved, I replied with "Yes, the contract now has the correct end date." He thanked me for being a "valuable" customer and we disconnected.

*rolls eyes*

This had to be one of the worst calls (in relation to understanding the rep) that I've ever had with Sprint. Eeek!

Sprint Contract Extension - Part 3

So, a Sprint Rep called and left me voicemail today about the recent survey I completed. I haven't had a chance to upload the audio from the voicemail, but I've included the script below... Clearly, not one of their stronger voicemail recordings! ;)

Call from: 888-211-4727
Date: 9/10
Time: 5:39pm
Hi this is Patrick calling you from Sprint and this message is for Mark. I'm calling =pause= today to do a survey, =long pause= I'm calling today =pause=

Hi this is patrick calling you from sprint and I'm calling =pause= today to do a follow-up on a survey you took recently where you indicated that you had a concern that was not resolved. Please reply to the email that you have received recently from Sprint with an appropriate time so that we can contact you and resolve your issue as. Our office hours are 8:30am to 8:00pm Monday through Friday central time. Thank you for being with Sprint. You have a great day.

Sprint Contract Extension - Part 2

I received a response from Sprint yesterday (Sunday) indicating that I "signed up unknowingly" for a new agreement in April of this year. However, the rep indicates that he has updated my contract end date to be November 9, 2010 due to the fact that adding a plan to my account did not require me to extend the contract. I responded to Sprint thanking them for updating my account and also providing clarity that nothing was added or removed, rather, it was related to a tech support incident. If I hear anything back, I'll be sure to post.

In the meantime, here's the note from Ronald at Sprint:

-----Original Message-----
From: Sprint Customer Solutions [mailto:ecare2@cc.sprintpcs.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:39 AM
To: MARK
Subject: Re: [...](Billing / Payment - General Inquiry)

Dear Mark D,

Thank you for contacting Sprint. I understand your concern regarding the agreement.

A two year agreement was signed up on November 10, 2008 and this agreement was supposed to end on November 09, 2010.

However, another two year agreement was signed up on April 18, 2009 because you added the Everything data share plan on your account.

A renewal of agreement is not required while changing the plans. It seems that a new agreement was signed up unknowingly on the line #xxxx while changing the plans. I apologize for the inconvenience caused.

I have added the old agreement on your account and this agreement will end on November 09, 2010. You can keep this email as a confirmation.

We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to assist you. Please reply to this email or visit Sprint.com/mysprint if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Roland C.
Sprint

Sprint Contract Extension

I just sent an e-mail to Sprint letting them know that they have my contract end date listed incorrectly on their web site. In November of 2008, when I made the upgrade that has lead to all of the hassle and misery of Sprint - I signed a new agreement.

In April of this year, when even advanced tech support could not figure out what the issue was with my phone, they "recreated my account" in their system. As a result of this, Sprint now indicates that my contract expires in April of 2011 (instead of November, 2010).

While I realize November and April are not all that far apart, I want to make it very clear to Sprint that I will not stay with them any longer than need be. Who knows, this could be an out to my contract? ;)

E-mail to Sprint, September 6, 2009:
There is an error listed in my contract date on the web site for wireless #[number]. I signed a new contract in November of 2008, however, the web site shows my contract does not expire until April of 2011.

If you could please fix to ensure that my account reflects the correct contract end date.
Thank you,
[full name]

Sprint Class Action Settlement

I received a legal notice in the mail regarding a new Class Action Settlement against Sprint Nextel related to their use of Early Termination Fees (ETFs). I've included the text of that notice below.

It turns out that all Sprint Nextel customers who entered into a contract between July 1, 1999 and December 31, 2008 are eligible to file a claim. You can file a claim even if you did not have to pay an ETF in the event that you stayed with Sprint Nextel to avoid paying this fee. In that case, you're eligible for $35 (in the form of a check) or additional minutes every month for 12 months (30-60 minutes). If you paid an Early Termination Fee, there is another set of questions you will need to answer. It's all done online and the whole process took about 5 minutes from start to finish.

Verbiage from the legal notice below:

Legal Notice
Judy Larson, et al. v. Sprint Nextel Corp., Sprint Spectrum, L.P. and Nextel Finance Co.,
Case No.: 2:07-cv-05325-JLL-ES (USDC, DNJ)
THIS NOTICE PROVIDES LIMITED INFORMATION ABOUT A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT.

Your rights may be affected by a proposed class action Settlement of claims against Sprint, Nextel and/or Sprint Nextel. The settlement would resolve lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that the Sprint, Nextel and/or Sprint Nextel flat rate early termination fee ("ETF") is illegal or was illegally charged. Plaintiffs brought this suit on their own behalf and on behalf of all Sprint, Nextel or Sprint Nextel subscribers who entered into a personal fixed-term subscriber agreement for a Wireless Service Account for personal or mixed business/personal use, with Sprint, Nextel and/or Sprint Nextel between July 1, 1999 and December 31, 200-8. Sprint Nextel denies the allegations.

Sprint Nextel has agreed to pay $14 million into a common fund to be distributed pursuant to the Settlement benefit rules set forth in the Settlement Agreement. Sprint Nextel has also agreed to provide qualified Settlement Class Members up to $3.5 million in Non-Cash Benefits. Sprint Nextel has also agreed to not insert a flat-rate ETF provision into its customer service agreements for personal wireless service in the U.S. until January 1, 2011, but may charge a pro-rated ETF during this time period. The Settlement will release all claims that customers may have against Sprint, Nextel and/or Sprint Nextel relating in any way to its flat-rate ETFs and term contracts, and will bar future claims, unless the individual excludes him/herself from the Settlement. To receive a benefit under the Settlement, you must timely complete and submit a Claim Form. You may obtain complete information about the Settlement (including a Long Form Notice) and a Claim Form, and information about deadlines, by visiting http://www.sprintetfsettlement.com/, telephoning 1-800-916-6940, or writing the Sprint ETF Settlement Administrator, c/o Gilardi & Co., PO Box 6002, Larkspur, CA 94977-6002. This settlement does not apply to Government or Corporate Accounts.

Go to http://www.sprintetfsettlement.com/ or call 800.916.6940 for additional information. Please do not contact the Court or Sprint.

More Errors and a Mailing Address

Two more SMS errors tonight while attempting to send texts. Cause Code 97 and Cause Code 107. "Would you like to try again?" - No. I just want the message to send in the first place.

The good news is that this device appears to be sending and receiving text messages on a much more timely basis than the device it is replacing. With that said, it's been less than a week and I've received 4-5 different error messages - ranging from the obscur Cause Codes to the *.exe WinMo errors. Will keep plugging away!

I'm getting ready to share my story with Mr. Dan Hesse, CEO. The letter is printed and ready to be sent!

If you're looking where to send your own letters, here you go:

Sprint Nextel Corporation
KSOPHT0101-Z4300
6391 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park KS 66251-4300

Be sure to send letters to the following folks:

Dan Hesse
Chief Executive Officer

Bob Johnson
Chief Service Officer

SMS Error + *.EXE Error

Today, I received another error message on the new device (remember, this is device #7). It was the following SMS erorr message, "Cause Code: 34." Of course, there are many web sites that mention this error, but none that actually provide a whole lot of detail about what it means or how to resolve it.

Then, this evening, I received yet another error; this time it was an infamous *.exe error. "We're sorry. A problem has occurred with SprintTV.exe. Please tell Microsoft about this problem, at no cost to you. The data is used exclusively to improve products."



I'll keep posting the errors and issues as they happen!

Great Article: Sprint Hangs Up on Problem Customers

The following article was published by Ed Oswald on July 5, 2007, 4:24 PM (article source). It explains how Sprint chose to drop customers based on the number of times they called support!

Sprint is attempting to rid itself of customers who frequent its customer service lines by informing them that it would cancel their service effective July 30. In letters that were apparently sent out on June 29, the company indicated to these users that "the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs." Such a move would seem to only make problems worse for the nation's third largest carrier. The company has had trouble holding on to its customers, and lost 220,000 subscribers during the first quarter. It is unclear how many customers received the letters, although Sprint claims it was a small group. The company said it made the decision to end the contracts of customers who frequently called their customer service lines in order to serve others -- ostensibly less-frequent dialers -- better. The decision has left some with a bad taste in their mouths, with a few claiming that their reasons for the frequent calls were actually due to Sprint's own problems. One said she had to call repeatedly to fix a billing problem. Such problems are not new to Sprint; the carrier has become a frequent target of customer ire for network problems and what some describe as rude customer service. Several users of an online forum where the story first broke, Sprintusers.com, are writing to Sprint chairman and CEO Gary Forsee to complain about the practice. It should be noted that Sprint is offering a service credit to those whose accounts it is terminating, and is not charging an early termination fee.

Wow! If only I could be so lucky. ;)

Device #7 Connectivity Issue: Data

Am I surprised, absolutely not. All night last night, I did not have data on the new device. I figured it was a provisioning issue, however, when I woke up this morning to no data, I knew otherwise. At the end of the work day, I called Sprint only to spend the first two minutes dealing with their stupid IVR (enter your ten-digit wireless number, area code first).

After three minutes, I got through to Matt, who welcomed me to the "best deal in wireless" and asked for my ten-digit wireless number, name and pin. I provided him the info and we began to troubleshoot (this consisted of me removing the battery and putting it back in - nope, didn't fix it when I tried it either Matt). When he realized he couldn't help me, he put me on hold and transferred me to tech support.

Six more minutes on the phone before I was connected with Peggy, who, once again, asked for my ten-digit wireless number and all that jazz. When I explained the situation and the fact that we'd already removed the battery, she was stumped. She put me on hold.

And so, I waited.

Six more minutes go by, and Peggy comes back with a solution. Start >> Settings >> System >> Update Profile.

Bingo! That did it. When I asked her what had happened, she responded with, "The rep should have taken one more step with [activation], we have a tool, but I'm not sure if they had it at their disposal."

Hmmm, more blame and reps who don't know what they're doing. Sounds like the Sprint way to me! All-in-all, I was out another 20 minutes tonight (in addition to the 15 minutes last night activating the new phone).

35 minutes with support already put into phone #7. I'll be sure to keep tally for all you readers.