Don't Keep It Bottled Up Inside

Do you ever get so aggravated by a large company, you just wish there was something, anything, you could do to show them your disgust? I remember when I was growing up, my grandmother's answer to just about every such situation was, "write a letter". Sometimes she got results, too!

After having been Sprint PCS (a wireless phone company) customers for almost 10 years, this recent fiasco was simply the last straw. Following is a copy of the nice letter I wrote to Sprint, hoping it gets passed along to someone in authority. Even though I don't expect anything, it sometimes helps just to write it all down, mail it away and get it off your chest.


August 9, 2007

To Whom it May Concern,

We recently had a mishap with one of our phones, causing us to request a replacement. We pay monthly to insure our phones, so we were able to get a new one for $50. The phone enclosed with this letter is the one that we replaced.

When we received the replacement phone, it did not come with a user’s manual. The last time we got a replacement phone due to damage, we paid the $50 and got a new phone and user’s manual. This time, the phone that was damaged was not available, so Sprint sent us the most comparable upgrade, a different phone altogether with NO instruction manual. We called to question this and were told that the insurance we pay each month only covers the phone, not the manual. This is absolutely ridiculous. When someone gets a new phone with which they are unfamiliar, they really need the manual. Not everyone has the capability to download the manual on a computer.

To top it off, the new phone did not have the same type of internet connection, so we ended up having to pay $5 a month more, plus Sprint counted this as a change in our service and locked us in to a new contract starting when we got the new phone. Even though we did not want the new service, we were told we had no choice. This is nothing but an underhanded method of keeping customers because most people don’t want to pay the exorbitant amount to break their contract.

We have been Sprint customers since May of 1998 and have spent a lot of money on phones and phone services through Sprint. When we called to ask about the manual, we were told we could buy one from a Sprint store. We thought it was absurd that we should have to pay extra for it, but we were willing to do so. When we started calling Sprint stores, we were told that they only had manuals packaged with new phones and could not sell them separately. No two people we spoke to would give us the same answer. This demonstrates either total incompetence on the part of Sprint employees, or Sprint’s unwillingness to help and satisfy their customers. Talk about getting the runaround!

A few years ago, Sprint had the best customer service out there, but recently it has really gone to hell. Try to get a person on the phone and you will be on hold for a minimum of 30 minutes. We have tried at all different times of day. When you finally get a person, they are reading a script and cannot comprehend or answer any questions that are not included on said script. This is not a one time occurrence, it is every time. Maybe Sprint is saving money by hiring imbeciles, but it doesn’t do much for customer service.

In conclusion, we will be terminating our contract with Sprint. No amount of money is worth the bullshit we have had to tolerate at this point. Sprint had better straighten up its act or it will be losing customers left and right. We will never recommend Sprint to anyone ever again.


In TOTAL Disgust,

(our names here)


Actually, I DO feel better now!


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