In April 2007, an MSN Money-Zogby Poll showed that the winner of the Customer Service Hall of Shame went to wireless provider Sprint -- not an award that any company would want.
Now, irked by irksome customers and complainers, Sprint is striking back -- by cutting off users who call customer service 25 times per month or more.
One of those users is Rene, an eight-year Sprint customer.
I just got a new phone and plan five weeks ago, and to thank me, Sprint sends me a letter saying that my service is being terminated at the end of July.
Rene, who goes by the name MissDiva on the SprintUsers.com forum, had to call Sprint due to several billing errors. Some calls to customer service were dropped, which meant she had to call them back. Each call was a black mark against her.
If they would have fixed the problem on the first call, I wouldnt have to place a second call. This is how they repay me for being a loyal customer? Rene fumed.
To add insult to injury, Renes boyfriend repeatedly receives calls from Sprint asking him to add another line, even though he tells them not to call. It seems its fine for Sprint to call often, but a customer dare not call Sprint on a regular basis, he said.
Rene said she has tried to resolve the issue but has had no success. Sprint said they would call me back within 48 hours, but 4 days passed and still no call.
According to Sprint, approximately 1,000 customers received the termination letter. The letter says that any remaining balance will be wiped out and the subscriber wont pay an early termination fee.
That's a relatively low number, considering the constant stream of Sprint customers who complain to ConsumerAffairs.com that their repeated calls to Sprint fail to resolve service and billing problems.
Among the 2,234 Sprint complaints received by ConsumerAffairs.com:
• Judith of Tiburon, Calif., who is hearing-impaired, said she began calling Sprint/Nextel in March to change her one-month-old phone because she could not hear its ring.
"I purchased another phone at a Sprint store and was told that I could use the phone on the hybrid account. That turned out not to be true and I've been charged for 2 separate accounts ever since" despite numerous calls to Sprint, Judith said.
• Diana of Altamonte Springs, Fla., said Sprint cut off her service for non-payment even though she pays her bill every month through Embarq, her local landline carrier.
"Numerous calls to Sprint PCS customer NO service has resulting in nothing but frustration. They insist that I owe them money which I have already paid to Embarq," she said.
• Yadira of Bronx, N.Y., said she called repeatedly to follow-up on the arrival of a replacement phone. "I get disconnected or they'll place me on hold and completely forget that Im there," she said.
In a masterpiece of bad timing, shortly after mailing the termination notices, Sprint released a statement concerning its new partnership with NASCAR.
The Sprint/NASCAR press release says, in part, This is an evolutionary time for Sprint Nextel's brand. Our new brand campaign focuses on the importance of speed in people's daily lives and illustrates their ability to get information where they want it, when they want it.
Unless they have to call Sprint for it, that is.
