It's been a while since I last posted; I mean, after all, I'm no longer with Sprint, right...?? So then you might be wondering, "Why is Mark still blogging about them again?"
Well, you see, even though I escaped the grips of that terrible provider, my brother was still under contract through this past November - and because it was a family plan that I set up, the account was still in my name. For a year now, excitement has grown in me at the prospect of calling up Sprint and telling them that I was cancelling the last line of service on their network to never return.
That fateful day finally came on November 27, 2010. We first attempted to port Paul's number to AT&T, but to no avail. When we called Sprint, the agent shared that as part of the porting process, the line was cancelled. Not trusting anything Sprint tells me, I asked to speak with a supervisor to confirm. Of course, that meant I would need to hold. The agent took my number in case we got disconnected.
In case we got disconnected? Really? I don't know that the company has yet trained a single one of their agents how to properly use a phone or headset. There hasn't been a time that I haven't been disconnected! And this, my friends, was no exception. Only guess what, Sprint never called back. Typical. Piece of **** company.
Ok, so fast-forward a couple weeks later. I decided to call Sprint again to speak with another agent to confirm that the line had been indeed cancelled. Again, I've learned the hard way that the ability for the company to get anything right is near impossible. When I spoke to the agent, she sounded genuinely surprised that the account had indeed been cancelled. Curiously, she had to put me on hold to "talk to a supervisor" a couple times to understand something about my account (that always concerns me!) But when she came back, she assured me the account was cancelled - and even tried to see if I might be interested in this "4G" thing they've made up.
No thank you. Just calling to make sure that I am officially done with Sprint. Check.
Fast forward to today, January 11, 2011. I get home from work and my brother hands me a bill. Any guesses who it was from?
Wow! If you said Sprint, you're psychic! Sure enough, there it was in black and white, a bill for $59 for the month of December.
So I called determined to get to the bottom of this issue. If nothing else, I had already decided that I would dispute the charge with Mastercard and let them deal with the endless hold times and non-existent customer service.
As always, I had to key in my 10-digit telephone number only to have to provide it to the agent once again. When the agent pulled up the account, she saw that, sure enough, it was still open! LOL - it is kind of comical in some way! After sharing that I called on 11/27/2010 and then again in December to confirm, all she could say was, "There's not record of that in your account." She even asked me, "Did you call and speak to one of our operators?" No. I called Verizon. Whoops.
YES. I called you. Several times! And every time was told that the account was closed.
Then I got the inevitable, "I'm going to put you on hold for a moment while I look into your account." Oh no. Here we go... Nearly 10 minutes later, the agent comes back and says, "Ok, I've wiped out the balance for the future and have closed the account." When asked about the charges that I received for December, she immediately said, "Let me go look" and sent me back into Sprint's endless waiting room.
At the 19 minute mark, she came back on the line - and then I heard the most terrifying sound when talking to Sprint - silence. Sure enough, the agent had disconnected me after 19 minutes on the phone.
Livid. Paul tried to calm me down, but there was no going back now. I dialed that number one more time and vowed that it would be the last time I called this *$*#$ company. This was it.
After entering my 10-digit number and then repeating it (twice) to the agent, Jessica introduced herself and asked if I was having a good day. Hmmm. Maybe folks from Sprint should be trained not to ask folks that have their service that question. LOL - When I shared with her what happened, she seemed very understanding and told me that she would need a few minutes to research my account. However, this time, instead of putting me on hold, she simply kept me on the line. This one simple step could eliminate so many problems for their call centers. Thank you Jessica!
After nearly 10 minutes, and a couple check-ins with me to ensure we were still connected, she said she needed to put me on a brief hold, but took my phone number in case we got disconnected. Another 5 minutes go by before she comes back. When she finally does, she says, "Ok, so this is complicated, but I'm going to try to explain it to you the best I can..."
It turns out that somehow, when we cancelled Patrick's line 2 years ago, the agent didn't do it correctly and ended up creating a "second account" for Paul and my line. When I cancelled a year ago, there were no issues. The problem came when cancelling the final line. You see, the calls to cancel the account were noted on the wrong account - leaving Paul's number fully in service since 11/27/2010. Both accounts needed to be cancelled in the system at the same time in order for the change to go into effect.
So Jessica did it. She cancelled both accounts. I asked her to verify that the first agent that had disconnected me indeed credited my account. Guess what... *grin* Nope! Turns out that she did the credit in the wrong place, so Jessica had to start from scratch to issue a credit to the account.
When all was said and done, I was on the phone with Sprint for another 49 minutes tonight. 49 minutes and I don't even have a single line of service with them anymore!
I can only hope that today's announcement of Verizon getting the iPhone will drive additional subscribers away from Sprint. If I ever win the lotto, I've committed that a portion of that money will be spent providing users who leave Sprint a credit on their first several months of service at a competitor. Yes. I would spend my own money to "buy" people away from them. Petty? Pretty sure it is. Come on lotto numbers!!
So, my only question to you, the reader, is this: What are the odds that on February 10th, I won't receive another bill from Sprint? I'd say, about the same odds I have of winning that lotto...
Showing posts with label sprint rep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sprint rep. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, December 21, 2009
I've finally given up
Well, it has been a tumultuous year. I've had seven devices and have spoken to dozens (literally) of Sprint representatives. My final attempt to make amends with Sprint was a letter sent to Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint (Open Letter to Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse).
With no resolution to my problems, I called Sprint Account Services on Thursday, December 10, 2009 to release me from my contract. I shared my story and encouraged Chris to review the notes on my account (which he appeared to do). He apologized and asked what he could do for me. My response, "Chris, I just want you to say 'Mark, thank you for being a loyal Sprint customer for 8 years, we really appreciate that. I understand that you would like to be released from your contract and I can do that for you.'" 10 minutes later, Chris granted me my wish.
On December 11, 2009, I transferred my number to AT&T and terminated my account with Sprint.
While very few people may ever discover this blog, for the few that do, please let this serve as a strong warning. Until Sprint gets their act together, be very aware of what you're getting into when signing a 2-year contract. I realize that there are a lot of people who complain about this service or that without any background. Let this blog provide you all of the context you need to make an informed decision.
And if by chance anyone from Sprint ever stumbles upon this blog and would like to make amends and apologize for the experience I've had this past year, my contact information is included on the main page.
For those of you who followed this blog, thank you for listening. It's just too bad someone from Sprint never did.
Sincerely,
-Mark
With no resolution to my problems, I called Sprint Account Services on Thursday, December 10, 2009 to release me from my contract. I shared my story and encouraged Chris to review the notes on my account (which he appeared to do). He apologized and asked what he could do for me. My response, "Chris, I just want you to say 'Mark, thank you for being a loyal Sprint customer for 8 years, we really appreciate that. I understand that you would like to be released from your contract and I can do that for you.'" 10 minutes later, Chris granted me my wish.
On December 11, 2009, I transferred my number to AT&T and terminated my account with Sprint.
While very few people may ever discover this blog, for the few that do, please let this serve as a strong warning. Until Sprint gets their act together, be very aware of what you're getting into when signing a 2-year contract. I realize that there are a lot of people who complain about this service or that without any background. Let this blog provide you all of the context you need to make an informed decision.
And if by chance anyone from Sprint ever stumbles upon this blog and would like to make amends and apologize for the experience I've had this past year, my contact information is included on the main page.
For those of you who followed this blog, thank you for listening. It's just too bad someone from Sprint never did.
Sincerely,
-Mark
An Open Letter to Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse
Name
Address
Phone
September 2, 2009
Re: Service and support complaint
Dan Hesse
Chief Executive Officer
Sprint Nextel Corporation
KSOPHT0101-Z4300
6391 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park KS 66251-4300
Dear Dan,
I’m writing today as a very disappointed Sprint customer. I have been a loyal subscriber for as long as I’ve had a cell phone. I signed up for service in 2002 and since that time have brought my brothers and several other friends to Sprint. In fact, my brothers and I even signed up for a Family Share plan in 2008.
Then, in December of 2008, I purchased a Palm Treo 800w. At that time, I had no way of knowing what a frustrating experience I was in for. It is now September and I’m on my seventh device. Over the past eight months, I’ve spoken to literally dozens of representatives (see account notes). I’ve driven to the Sprint Service Center numerous times. I’ve had activation issues, software issues and agents that flat out told me that they didn’t know how to do what needed to be done to fix my issue.
In all of this, I’ve remained calm and appreciative of the agents who have assisted me. After all, I have been on that side of the phone and know all too well that the agent is a product of the training and support they receive in the call center or outsourced partner they are employed through.
While I have remained calm on the phone, my frustration and resentment toward Sprint have only grown after each experience. Today has been no exception.
Let me recap for you a few events that I’ve experienced over the past eight months, for after my third device, I started capturing each call in detail. Please be assured, each interaction that I have had over the past eight months has been similar, the below are just a sampling. From dropped calls to confused agents, the events below are not unique.
June 1, 2009 (AM)
I called Sprint customer support on June 1, 2009 due to a text messaging problem on my fourth device. The first representative that I spoke to asked for my name, 10-digit wireless number and account pin. When they realized the problem was beyond what they could help with, I was transferred to tech support. Here, we walked through a few steps before the rep quickly transferred me to Palm support. Once again, I was asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin. In going through the support options the rep had available, he realized we would need to do a “RTN” on the device (I literally had to ask what he was saying. Translation: Hard Reset). When I asked if I could back my data up to my storage card, the rep instructed me that I could not do that; instead, I needed to back up my information to my computer at home and call back.
First, let me call out that this is not accurate. The device absolutely can (and should) be backed up to the storage card in this situation. Second, when I asked how I get back through to Treo support, he explained that I needed to dial *2 from my device and repeat the process I had just gone through.
This is interesting on multiple accounts:
1. Any tech support agent should know that you cannot call into support from the device you are having a problem with
2. Why should a customer with an issue have to go through multiple layers of providing their account information and pin, only to get transferred from one agent to the next and only then to support
But, limited to the option presented to me, I had no choice but to call back.
June 1, 2009 (PM)
The first rep I spoke to (now the fourth agent of the day) asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin and transferred me to support almost immediately. The support rep struggled to help me. First, she could not understand what the issue was. When I explained that I had backed up my contents and needed to do a hard reset, she struggled with what data would be restored. She spoke with several of her colleagues, yet no one seemed to know what to do. As a result, she finally decided to transfer me to Palm support.
The next thing I heard on the phone: a dial tone.
Twenty-seven minutes on the phone and the agent disconnected me. Again, I wish I could say that this is the first time this has happened to me. Rest assured, it is not.
I immediately called back. The rep (number six) asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin. Upon providing that information, I asked if I could speak directly to a supervisor and explained the situation. After being placed on hold for about a minute, the rep came back and explained to me that it would be 15 minutes to talk with a supervisor and asked if I wanted to wait. When I asked if he could just transfer me to Treo support, he indicated he could transfer me, but just to support. Because of my previous experience, I asked the representative to stay on the line with me until I got transferred to Palm support.
After a few minutes, Katherine from Palm support was finally connected to the line. She assessed the issue and explained that I needed to do a hard reset. I explained that I had backed up the material and was ready to walk through the process. We reset the device and then restored the content – all in about 5-7 minutes.
However, the problem still existed.
It was at this point that the rep explained to me that I probably had a corrupt file on the device and that we may not be able to save any of my data. We rebooted the device again, restored the contents from backup and again experienced the same problem.
The rep explained that we needed to do a hard reset and all data would be lost. This included all text messages, emails, settings and programs.
And so we did. I now have a device that is reset to the factory standard. After fifty-three additional minutes on the phone, the device was finally able to send text messages. The cost for today’s resolution? I spoke with seven different reps, got disconnected once and spent over 90 minutes on the phone (again, see account notes with any questions). When asked to be transferred to Customer Service to share my experience, I was put on hold and transferred to Satine from Palm Support. When I explained my transfer request, the rep explained that I had been mis-transferred and that she could try to transfer me to customer service.
When that didn’t work, I gave up and hung up my phone.
August 14, 2009
The issue I had in April and June resurfaced again on August 14, 2009. I spoke with Wallette (5:51pm) who transferred me to Chantera (5:57pm) who disconnected us after 25 minutes. When I called back, I spoke with Shyra (6:23pm) who transferred me through to Bryan (6:31pm) who then put me on hold before transferring me to another Bryan in tech support (6:41pm). Bryan put me on hold while researching the issue and came back at 6:50pm to tell me, “Unfortunately, I can’t get you out a different phone; I can’t even send you out a replacement since you’ve had so many. The only thing you could possibly do is go into a support center and they may be able to swap you out a new phone. However, there is a chance that they may not be willing to do that.” I explained how disappointed I was in his answer and the overall Sprint experience. We disconnected at 6:53pm. It was another hour on the phone with Sprint with no resolution, and no solution to my problem. (Only after calling back on August 15 and August 16, three trips to Sprint service store 1558 and two more defective devices did I finally receive a device that appears to be working. Of course, this new device required two more calls, one on August 31 for activation and another on September 1 for tech support, as the previous rep hadn’t activated data.)
This letter is the result of eight months of struggles with the seven Sprint devices I’ve had during this time and the poor quality of Sprint service. While I’ve maintained a positive demeanor with each of your agents, I cannot tell you how very, very disappointed I am in the service and support I have received.
I honestly don’t even know what to ask for at this point. I’ve spent more hours than I even care to add up on the phone with support. Not to mention the time I’ve spent in the actual Sprint store and Service Center. After all of that, I’m still not confident in my device, or in the service and support that go along with it.
This all leaves me to ask: what would you recommend the “compensation” for my efforts be? A sincere apology would be a nice start. I am also requesting that for the following year, you kindly suspend all billing related to my family share plan. I am also requesting a credit for a new device so that I can replace the Palm Treo device once and for all.
This will help restore some of the confidence I have in Sprint as my cell phone carrier; however, this request is only part of what needs to happen. In order for you to recapture my trust and loyalty, you must follow through on your service, not just for me, but for every customer (and potential customer) you have. Continue to invest in your training programs, continue to invest in your front-line leaders and continue to invest in technology that will help your reps, not hinder them.
But most importantly, at the end of the day you must invest in your customer. All of the training and technology in the world cannot replace the simple gratitude I feel when someone says, “I can help you with that, and I’ll be by your side until we’ve got this resolved.”
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt response to my request and appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
Signature
Sprint Customer since 2002
cc: Bob Johnson, Chief Service Officer
Address
Phone
September 2, 2009
Re: Service and support complaint
Dan Hesse
Chief Executive Officer
Sprint Nextel Corporation
KSOPHT0101-Z4300
6391 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park KS 66251-4300
Dear Dan,
I’m writing today as a very disappointed Sprint customer. I have been a loyal subscriber for as long as I’ve had a cell phone. I signed up for service in 2002 and since that time have brought my brothers and several other friends to Sprint. In fact, my brothers and I even signed up for a Family Share plan in 2008.
Then, in December of 2008, I purchased a Palm Treo 800w. At that time, I had no way of knowing what a frustrating experience I was in for. It is now September and I’m on my seventh device. Over the past eight months, I’ve spoken to literally dozens of representatives (see account notes). I’ve driven to the Sprint Service Center numerous times. I’ve had activation issues, software issues and agents that flat out told me that they didn’t know how to do what needed to be done to fix my issue.
In all of this, I’ve remained calm and appreciative of the agents who have assisted me. After all, I have been on that side of the phone and know all too well that the agent is a product of the training and support they receive in the call center or outsourced partner they are employed through.
While I have remained calm on the phone, my frustration and resentment toward Sprint have only grown after each experience. Today has been no exception.
Let me recap for you a few events that I’ve experienced over the past eight months, for after my third device, I started capturing each call in detail. Please be assured, each interaction that I have had over the past eight months has been similar, the below are just a sampling. From dropped calls to confused agents, the events below are not unique.
June 1, 2009 (AM)
I called Sprint customer support on June 1, 2009 due to a text messaging problem on my fourth device. The first representative that I spoke to asked for my name, 10-digit wireless number and account pin. When they realized the problem was beyond what they could help with, I was transferred to tech support. Here, we walked through a few steps before the rep quickly transferred me to Palm support. Once again, I was asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin. In going through the support options the rep had available, he realized we would need to do a “RTN” on the device (I literally had to ask what he was saying. Translation: Hard Reset). When I asked if I could back my data up to my storage card, the rep instructed me that I could not do that; instead, I needed to back up my information to my computer at home and call back.
First, let me call out that this is not accurate. The device absolutely can (and should) be backed up to the storage card in this situation. Second, when I asked how I get back through to Treo support, he explained that I needed to dial *2 from my device and repeat the process I had just gone through.
This is interesting on multiple accounts:
1. Any tech support agent should know that you cannot call into support from the device you are having a problem with
2. Why should a customer with an issue have to go through multiple layers of providing their account information and pin, only to get transferred from one agent to the next and only then to support
But, limited to the option presented to me, I had no choice but to call back.
June 1, 2009 (PM)
The first rep I spoke to (now the fourth agent of the day) asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin and transferred me to support almost immediately. The support rep struggled to help me. First, she could not understand what the issue was. When I explained that I had backed up my contents and needed to do a hard reset, she struggled with what data would be restored. She spoke with several of her colleagues, yet no one seemed to know what to do. As a result, she finally decided to transfer me to Palm support.
The next thing I heard on the phone: a dial tone.
Twenty-seven minutes on the phone and the agent disconnected me. Again, I wish I could say that this is the first time this has happened to me. Rest assured, it is not.
I immediately called back. The rep (number six) asked for my 10-digit wireless number, name and pin. Upon providing that information, I asked if I could speak directly to a supervisor and explained the situation. After being placed on hold for about a minute, the rep came back and explained to me that it would be 15 minutes to talk with a supervisor and asked if I wanted to wait. When I asked if he could just transfer me to Treo support, he indicated he could transfer me, but just to support. Because of my previous experience, I asked the representative to stay on the line with me until I got transferred to Palm support.
After a few minutes, Katherine from Palm support was finally connected to the line. She assessed the issue and explained that I needed to do a hard reset. I explained that I had backed up the material and was ready to walk through the process. We reset the device and then restored the content – all in about 5-7 minutes.
However, the problem still existed.
It was at this point that the rep explained to me that I probably had a corrupt file on the device and that we may not be able to save any of my data. We rebooted the device again, restored the contents from backup and again experienced the same problem.
The rep explained that we needed to do a hard reset and all data would be lost. This included all text messages, emails, settings and programs.
And so we did. I now have a device that is reset to the factory standard. After fifty-three additional minutes on the phone, the device was finally able to send text messages. The cost for today’s resolution? I spoke with seven different reps, got disconnected once and spent over 90 minutes on the phone (again, see account notes with any questions). When asked to be transferred to Customer Service to share my experience, I was put on hold and transferred to Satine from Palm Support. When I explained my transfer request, the rep explained that I had been mis-transferred and that she could try to transfer me to customer service.
When that didn’t work, I gave up and hung up my phone.
August 14, 2009
The issue I had in April and June resurfaced again on August 14, 2009. I spoke with Wallette (5:51pm) who transferred me to Chantera (5:57pm) who disconnected us after 25 minutes. When I called back, I spoke with Shyra (6:23pm) who transferred me through to Bryan (6:31pm) who then put me on hold before transferring me to another Bryan in tech support (6:41pm). Bryan put me on hold while researching the issue and came back at 6:50pm to tell me, “Unfortunately, I can’t get you out a different phone; I can’t even send you out a replacement since you’ve had so many. The only thing you could possibly do is go into a support center and they may be able to swap you out a new phone. However, there is a chance that they may not be willing to do that.” I explained how disappointed I was in his answer and the overall Sprint experience. We disconnected at 6:53pm. It was another hour on the phone with Sprint with no resolution, and no solution to my problem. (Only after calling back on August 15 and August 16, three trips to Sprint service store 1558 and two more defective devices did I finally receive a device that appears to be working. Of course, this new device required two more calls, one on August 31 for activation and another on September 1 for tech support, as the previous rep hadn’t activated data.)
This letter is the result of eight months of struggles with the seven Sprint devices I’ve had during this time and the poor quality of Sprint service. While I’ve maintained a positive demeanor with each of your agents, I cannot tell you how very, very disappointed I am in the service and support I have received.
I honestly don’t even know what to ask for at this point. I’ve spent more hours than I even care to add up on the phone with support. Not to mention the time I’ve spent in the actual Sprint store and Service Center. After all of that, I’m still not confident in my device, or in the service and support that go along with it.
This all leaves me to ask: what would you recommend the “compensation” for my efforts be? A sincere apology would be a nice start. I am also requesting that for the following year, you kindly suspend all billing related to my family share plan. I am also requesting a credit for a new device so that I can replace the Palm Treo device once and for all.
This will help restore some of the confidence I have in Sprint as my cell phone carrier; however, this request is only part of what needs to happen. In order for you to recapture my trust and loyalty, you must follow through on your service, not just for me, but for every customer (and potential customer) you have. Continue to invest in your training programs, continue to invest in your front-line leaders and continue to invest in technology that will help your reps, not hinder them.
But most importantly, at the end of the day you must invest in your customer. All of the training and technology in the world cannot replace the simple gratitude I feel when someone says, “I can help you with that, and I’ll be by your side until we’ve got this resolved.”
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt response to my request and appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
Signature
Sprint Customer since 2002
cc: Bob Johnson, Chief Service Officer
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sprint Customer Feedback
On Thursday night, at around 7:10pm (CST), I received a call from an 877 number. When I picked up the phone, the agent on the other end identified herself as Abby Gonzolaz. She explained that she was calling from Sprint and wanted to thank me for being a valued customer. Because I am "such a valued customer" she was calling this evening to see if there were any issues I was having with Sprint or anything I'd like to share.
Hmmm, that's Sprint for you. Sadly, they didn't do a good job setting Miss Abby Gonzolaz up for success! Over the next 20 minutes, I shared with Abby my story. She shared numerous times on the phone that my comments were being recorded so that they could be passed along to Sprint. Several times on the call, she made comments like, "That's horrible," or that my experience has been "misery." While it was great to hear her share my frustration, she also said several times, "I'm with Telesales, and so there's really nothing I can do."
Yup, Telesales. Sprint was cold-calling me under the guise of thanking me for my business - from their telesales department?! In fact, Abby said, "You're probably not going to be interested in adding a new plan or anything to your account" to which I replied that I'm actually looking for a way to leave Sprint without paying a fee. She shared that I just needed to tell the same story to the folks on the retention line and that I should have any problem! LOL
Before we hung up, I shared with Abby that I've sent a letter to the CEO as well as to the Chief Service Officer and that my hope was that one of them might be able to help.
I also shared that if she was interested in learning more about my experience that she could check out SprintHorrorStories.blogspot.net - she had me repeat it to make sure she had it right. Abby, if you're out there, thanks for listening to my story. Feel free to leave a comment or send me the recorded call. I'd love to share it with my readers.
-Mark
Hmmm, that's Sprint for you. Sadly, they didn't do a good job setting Miss Abby Gonzolaz up for success! Over the next 20 minutes, I shared with Abby my story. She shared numerous times on the phone that my comments were being recorded so that they could be passed along to Sprint. Several times on the call, she made comments like, "That's horrible," or that my experience has been "misery." While it was great to hear her share my frustration, she also said several times, "I'm with Telesales, and so there's really nothing I can do."
Yup, Telesales. Sprint was cold-calling me under the guise of thanking me for my business - from their telesales department?! In fact, Abby said, "You're probably not going to be interested in adding a new plan or anything to your account" to which I replied that I'm actually looking for a way to leave Sprint without paying a fee. She shared that I just needed to tell the same story to the folks on the retention line and that I should have any problem! LOL
Before we hung up, I shared with Abby that I've sent a letter to the CEO as well as to the Chief Service Officer and that my hope was that one of them might be able to help.
I also shared that if she was interested in learning more about my experience that she could check out SprintHorrorStories.blogspot.net - she had me repeat it to make sure she had it right. Abby, if you're out there, thanks for listening to my story. Feel free to leave a comment or send me the recorded call. I'd love to share it with my readers.
-Mark
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, September 11, 2009
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.
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
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Device #7 Arrives in the Mail
Well, device #7 arrived today. It's a replacement to the Treo Pro that I picked up a little over a week ago. This phone replaces a device that always showed zero bars. Not very helpful. With that said, the most bars I've seen this new device display has been two. Hmmm.
I called in to Sprint at 5:04pm to start the activation process. Surprisingly, I got through to Patrice within 3 minutes. Unfortunately, Patrice was not able to activate remote, but she was able to pull up the instructions and walk me through a manual activate (##220254# on the Treo Pro). At 5:16pm, I made my first test call and the voice worked. As always, Patrice told me that it would be an hour for text and data to provision.
It's now 5 hours later, and I still don't have data on the device. The Pro tries valiantly to connect, but fails each time. The only message I receive is "page cannot be displayed." I'll give it overnight to provision, and call in tomorrow if not. I'll be sure to post connectivity updates soon.
I called in to Sprint at 5:04pm to start the activation process. Surprisingly, I got through to Patrice within 3 minutes. Unfortunately, Patrice was not able to activate remote, but she was able to pull up the instructions and walk me through a manual activate (##220254# on the Treo Pro). At 5:16pm, I made my first test call and the voice worked. As always, Patrice told me that it would be an hour for text and data to provision.
It's now 5 hours later, and I still don't have data on the device. The Pro tries valiantly to connect, but fails each time. The only message I receive is "page cannot be displayed." I'll give it overnight to provision, and call in tomorrow if not. I'll be sure to post connectivity updates soon.
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