My disappointing call to Sprint.... RESOLVED :)

Paul627g

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Well as many of the regulars around here know I have been without a fully functional Epic 4g now for about a week.

Started off first with my original Epic of about 9-10 months old going in for unresponsive screen. They replaced it with an unclaimed refurb that turned out to have a non functioning WIFI and somehow my SD CARD also becomes unresponsive. I return the next day and they order another refurb #2, that is picked up on Friday evening shortly before closing. They activate it and I walk out the door. Shortly afterwards it starts boot looping and doing random shutdowns etc... Basically a useless phone because you didn't know what it was going to do, example my wife called it rang once then powered down with a full battery sitting on the charger... Nice right?

I return to Sprint on Saturday and they look at it, hear my story and immediately order #3. So here I am Monday afternoon with still a non working phone and I just called Sprint to see what they say about everything.

I tell the rep in retentions or whatever department I was transferred to that I'm not putting blame on my local store this is out of their control. I am however very unhappy with the quality of refurbs being sent to me and in the long run having to pay for services over the last week that have been greatly interrupted in the beginning to now unuseable over the weekend due to the refurbs I was given and how does Sprint intend on reimbursing me at least for the last week of service that isn't of my fault and also my out of pocket expense of an new sdcard. Before anyone starts I'm fully aware of the terms of TEP coverages... But at the same time you were without quality service and a working device you would be very unhappy too...

I was told after not getting anywhere with the original rep and we got into a bit of an argument after he began to think my claims were something to laugh at... I even told him I can't believe he thinks this is funny... So he sends me to the boss. This lady turns out not to be any better. She was very rude, she listened to my story for about 2 minutes describing everything and then would not shut up for one second to get another word in. She said the following...

1. Best thing they can offer is my account and services lost will be considered for review.

2. I have to wait on refurb #3 and see the outcome of that device. I did finally get a word in and ask if #3 is also a failure what would happen then? She basically summed it up with wait for #4.

3. I told her that the quality of refurbs aren't very impressive to me, she this is isolated but also at the same time odds of two in a row being messed up after she goes through the whole speech of how they are rigorously tested to meet or exceed Sprints standards..

Edit: Let me add I commented that the refurb #2 that was provided was a piece of garbage out of the box. She found that very offensive and I told her great, I find this whole situation offensive and she was not happy I called Sprint's refurb #2 a piece of garbage... I responded by saying I'm telling you my thoughts, box was opened by rep, activated and 5 minutes later it started to freak out so what else am I supposed to call it?

4. She said there is nothing they can do about the sdcard which failed in their refurb device, not mine... I told her okay so I'm supposed to spend $20-$40 for a quality replacement sd card for my device once I get a working model and she responded by saying I can by one off Ebay or other places for as little as $6... I freaked.. I told her would you depend on that $6 card in your device? No comment...

5. I commented on this is the service I receive after 6-8 yrs of Sprint service and best I'm offered is a possible consideration of reviewing my lost of service from THEIR product but in the end I better make sure my bill is paid on time or I will be canceled. Also said that I'm very displeased with the quality of Sprint service overall their call quality and signal quality has become a big topic of discussion on my forums and sites around the internet for months and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Bottom line I was joked around, rudely spoken to even by a superior of the division and not given any real answers.. She made comment of me using my other Epic 4g on my account which is my wife's device and she's a home health nurse that has over 20 patients that depend on her at a drop of a phone call night and day... I told her that is uncalled for and won't happen. I said I'm calling from my home phone and my Epic 4g is vibrating as we speak on the counter doing a reboot on it own.

What can I say.... At this point I'm very displeased with Sprint and unsure of how much longer I will be apart of the Sprint community.

What is your thoughts? Suggestions? I'm I being stupid asking for some sort of break on services paid for that I can't use? Is this stupid complaining about 2 broken refurbs in a row? What about being told to hit Ebay for a $6 sd card and that I'm told I shouldn't be spending $20-$40 for a quality sd card replacement... I would love to hear your thoughts..
 
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ZiggSVO

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I would call right back and talk to her boss thats unbelievably unacceptable...
Id tell them like i told my credit card company when they told me they werent going to waive a late fee that they admitted was their fault...and still insisted on me making a payment that day over the phone.
"Look lady ehat happens if i just stop paying you?"
She says that would hurt my credit and would be my choice
I say [expletives deleted]
She then transfers me to her boss...who gladly reversed the charge lol.
I am always nice and respectful to customer service people having worked in a few customer service oriented jobs myself. But when they get stupid and rude is when I flip the switch and get it handled my way.

But paul dude you seriously need to call back and talk to someone else. I seriously hope after that conversation with them you atleast have one of their names...i would definitly feed them to the sharks and get it handled with someone higher than them. I can almost gaurantee after your phone call and experience that they should be more than happy to credit you some for your lost services and disrespect and all out unacceptable treatment.


Retentions is now account services for those that want to know
 
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Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

Yes retentions is the department I was in, and they started off their whole speech with sir you will not get a new device for a used device all you will get is a refurb.

I told them whatever but lets talk about services lost being of your fault for sending out faulty replacements? That was when thing got heated and was told best I get is a consideration for review of lost of services...

That was from the boss of the department I was in...
 

ZiggSVO

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

You spoke to his boss not the boss :p there is always someone above the person your speaking with :)
 

eharty

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I would keep calling back until I could speak to someone with a few functioning brain cells. One thing I have found after 11 years with Sprint is that if you call often enough you eventually will get a reasonable response.

Your requests were reasonable and so was your anger about the bad refurbs. You have been treated like crap and deserve better. I would also send an email to Dan Hesse. I am sure his office has someone to handle customer issues.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
 

dtm_stretch

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

The worst part is; there isn't much you can do about it. I imagine you have a family plan and there really aren't any better/cheaper options out there for alternative providers. Then you throw in an ETF and then activating with a new provider and next thing you know have spent well over $500. I feel like sprint's customer service is very hit or miss. I have been a sprint customer for 8 years now and it has definitely made some significant improvements. However, at the same time it still has a lot of work to go. It could be worse you could have a fascinate and they have way more problems than we do and verizon won't do anything about it except tell their customers to do factory resets.
 

Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

dtm_stretch, I hear ya... Same time Verizon is better on quality service... I've stood outside my house with my neighbor (he's on Verizon with a Thunderbolt) and I'm struggling to get half strength on 3g meanwhile my neighbor is right next to me with almost 100% on 4g... Something wrong there...

My biggest complaint was Sprint is only willing to consider reviewing the option of compensating me for the services lost... In the past I've had no problem having them credit my account for outages and service interrupts... Today's phone call was horrible, I would never expect to be treated like that..
 

Robcy

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

I have been with Sprint for 13 years. I have never had a bad experience with their CS staff. Thats not to say that I have not had any issues, but I have always been able to get an acceptable outcome. I have never raised my voice, become sarcastic, or tried to fast talk a CS into agreeing with me. Your issue is pretty bad, and I can see why you would be upset. Now if you enter a call in which you want a specific outcome, then nothing but that outcome will be acceptable. Lets say you want a week of service removed from your bill. If you pay $150.00 for two lines, Subtract everything but the cost of service (maybe 129.00) then divide by 2 lines, then divide by 4 weeks. You get $16.13 more or less. In that case I would forget the service lost, and try to see what can be done towards the purchase of a new phone due to lack of confidence in their refurbs, or in the inclusion of a new SD to replace you damaged SD card from putting it in a bad phone they gave you. Your should be a premium member, and thus you will need to BRING YOUR CONCERNS to them. There is more incentive in keeping Premiums happy. Remember never hang up, and stay on the line for hours if you have to. At some point a compromise will be offered. Its easy to think of these calls as a win or loss, but its not, its a path to receive the compensation you are entitled to. And honestly if I was going thru the same issues as you are I would still be on the phone. Hey, keep one of those managers on the phone for 3 hours, and you will see what they come up with. They have all kinds of different things they need to do, and can not while you are on the phone. They can not I repeat can not hang up on a polite customer no matter how far apart you are in negotiations.

I got my wifes 6 month old Transform upgraded to an Epic (a good refurb) after one replacement (Transform) that kept locking up. It took 1 hour and 55 minutes. and 10 a month for the 4g service that she would of had to pay anyways with an upgrade.

Sorry for the book.
 

DaveWW00

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

email dan@sprint.com
had similar problems a few years ago that weren't being properly addressed over phone or in store. i tried not to get too worked up in the email- just stated the facts, let them know i have been a longtime customer and would like help if they want to keep me as a customer. a day or two later they called and helped me solve the problem.
 

Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

tI completely agree with you. I kept my calm, was very polite with the original person taking the call. Second person in the retention department I believe it was, he listened then he gave me this complete story about if I'm asking for a new phone then no deal. Then he told me basically there is no way Sprint is going to cover me for lost costs or anything and after a while I started to get a bit heated and said thats it huh? Final offer, he started to laugh about it and said my whole objective was to get a free new phone. That is when I demanded to speak to his boss. He must have prepped her good because it was about a 5 min wait before I got with her and she was bottom line not willing to talk and came up with the most ridiculous responses as I stated in my OP. Telling me to go to Ebay for a cheap sd card and then recommending the possibility of using my other Epic 4g (wifes) since I was without a phone.. Really come on? I felt like it was a complete joke to these two in this department.

I will be calling back shortly, I needed some time to cool off after that. Biggest thing is no matter what was said, discussed or whatever they could care less is if went through 10 refurbs to get a good working one and left Sprints service.. She laughed it off and rushed the conversation to an end as quick as she possibly could.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a bad story with Sprint... My parents had someone "hack" their phones years ago and they were getting usages, calls made, etc.. on their lines and Sprint tried to force them into paying well over $1500 in charges.. My parents left Sprint due to it and months and months later Sprint sent out a letter stating they resend the charges and asked them to come back but at this time they were locked into a new contract with Verizon for 2 yrs. Sprint admitted they found out it was a hacker out of state somehow that had hacked the accounts or whatever and got their serial numbers, whatever and used them on hacked phones... But in the beginning they completely blamed this whole situation on two older adults in their 60's making outrageous calls and such... It was to the point of lawyers getting involved because Sprint insisted they were correct and my parents were lying.. Bottom line the word "SPRINT" is not to be spoken in MOM's house to this day...

So it does happen... Sprint is no angel by any means...
 

dtm_stretch

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

After seeing you provide support for this community, I find it very hard to believe that you have the capability to become mad or frustrated.
 

Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

LOL! Helping you the members is the easy part. In all reality the answers are online, I just know where and how to find them quickly from a day to day repetitive basis... Plus it wasn't a long ago, about 9 or so months that I was a complete noob and messed up, bugged and bothered people like Ragnarokx for help and support and he was willing to take me under his wing and show me the ways... I'm simply passing on the same values for the community that Ragnarokx taught me. Anyways Ragnarokx is still here even though he's rocking out a Nexus S on T-Mobile now he still moderates and helps this Epic community out as much as possible :)
 

Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

Update on my problem:

I just spoke with a much more reasonable rep at Sprint. He is willing to credit me for missed days of usage. Willing to see what they can do to help on the replacement of the sd card and has even offered in the event of refurb #3 not working properly getting me into a working replacement and then seeing what can be done to aid me into a future upgrade since I'm eligible for a partial upgrade in October. He did ask if I had a new device in mind and I mentioned I like millions of others are waiting on word for the Samsung Galaxy S II, or Epic Touch 4g. He is sending me a email to reach him personally at and keep in touch with over this matter of getting a working device and keeping me happy and the possibility of working a deal to get me in the drivers seat of one of the newer devices in the future.

I did mention I really hope that this supervisor I spoke with earlier has a some sort of reprimand for the way I was treated and he did say they have all persons names I spoke with earlier in the system just not available to him. I said bottom line when your told stories and told to buy cheap replacement cards off Ebay and comments made about using your other phones on your account to cover for your broken device that is completely unacceptable especially from a supervisor.

So I will keep my fingers crossed that #3 works, otherwise I'm to report back to this rep personally and get the ball rolling in a new direction. (Between us, I'm almost hoping for a bad one to get into the seat of a new SGSII when available! :D:D:D)
 

RUSH

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

I probably have the longest record of refurbished EVO's...lol. My local Sprint store representatives must have gotten really tired of me coming to their store complaining about every little thing that didn't sits well with me. Haha.

The reason I was upset with Sprint was... the fact that they continue to give customers refurbished phones that aren't in the best condition to be used by customers. I was under the impression that if a customer were having problems with the same model device even after four replacement, then they were either given another model or a brand new phone. Is it my imagination or have anyone else heard this before?
 

RUSH

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I have heard this before.
I'm glad to know that it wasn't my imagination. These phone companies are like preys - if you allow it...they suck you dry. I finally got them to give me a brand new phone, I haven't had any problems since. :)
 

coolqf

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

What do you want? Be very clear. You want credit for the one week you didn't have service? Then do the math. Before tax, divide the total bill into two (for two lines) and then divide by 4. Now, e-mail Sprint customer care, and provide them with the following: 1) snap shot of your situation, 2) address of Sprint store they can call to confirm, 3) have them review your usage so that they can also confirm, and 4) point out that you don't ask for credits. Ever. If you call, talk with the billing department.

For the long-term, avoid Sprint stores like the plague.
 
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Paul627g

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Re: My disappointing call to Sprint....

coolqf, my problem as been attended to if you look up a few posts... They are crediting me for missed usage and if refurb #3 turns out to be problematic they are looking into what can be done for early upgrade into a possible new device. At least this rep was talking and listening and giving some options. That is alot more than I can say for my initial phone call.
 

ragnarokx

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LOL! Helping you the members is the easy part. In all reality the answers are online, I just know where and how to find them quickly from a day to day repetitive basis... Plus it wasn't a long ago, about 9 or so months that I was a complete noob and messed up, bugged and bothered people like Ragnarokx for help and support and he was willing to take me under his wing and show me the ways... I'm simply passing on the same values for the community that Ragnarokx taught me. Anyways Ragnarokx is still here even though he's rocking out a Nexus S on T-Mobile now he still moderates and helps this Epic community out as much as possible :)

And I hope you get this resolved - you've come a very long way in only a few months Mr. Master Themer!
 
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