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  • Report:  #343312

Complaint Review: Sprint Nextel - Reston Virginia

Reported By:
- Freehold, New Jersey,
Submitted:
Updated:

Sprint Nextel
2001 Edmund Halley Drive Reston, 20191 Virginia, U.S.A.
Phone:
888-211-4727
Web:
N/A
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
For several months now, I have been getting a Sprint bill for my wireless phone for about $39 then, all of a sudden, I get a bill for $258 and some change. I called about it and was told that I went over my 450 minute plan. I clearly remember having 800 minutes -- I was told that I had 450 minutes and to check my contract. I should, but am having some trouble finding it. I have been very busy; I did upgrade to the Simply Everything Plan for $99 per month to avoid ever getting a bill this high again; $99 is expensive to me too, but at least it is a set amount.

I am aware that Sprint rounds up minutes, so if you make a call and are told the person is not there in a matter of seconds it counts as a full minute, so someone could use 10 minutes in a 5 minute period, but there is no way that I used 450 minutes. No record of calls were in the phone bill. I asked for the calls to be mailed to me (I am not that great with the Internet). What I got in the mail showed no minutes used. I had called today to work something out. I was on the phone over 45 minutes. The rep did not speak English well; she had an accent and kept telling me the date of the bill and the amount when I asked what could be done to lower it.

This went on at least three times until I asked for a manager. He told me the charges are valid and would not give me any credit. I explained that something is wrong and I am not paying this bill. He connected me to someone in Account Services, who after much difficulty, gave me a $35 credit which is not enough. She told me that the charges are valid. I explained that she is assuming the charges are valid -- I was never presented with the calls, just the bill, and they keep telling me that the charges are valid. I told her that I am extremly dissatisified and I am not paying this bill. She told me that "detailed billing" is something they only send upon request and they are not required too. I had offered to pay half the bill and have been working with Sprint in that I had upgraded my plan, but feel that they have not worked with me.

A few minutes ago, I got a collection call from them saying I must pay today and my phone will be suspended in 48 hours. Instead of making a payment, I have filed this Rip Off Report. I am wondering whether my bill was jacked up just to encourage me to take the set fee plan. Did anyone else have this experience?

Also, before getting this bill, I had lost my previous cell phone, unfortunately it fallen somewhere, and even though I was told that someone else only made one call, I wonder whether that had something to do with the large bill. None of these possibilities were looked at by Sprint -- they just wanted the outrageous money. I was told that no one else has my number. What about the person who found my phone? I asked what about someone cloning my cell something or other which I saw a warning about on TV and I was not answered. I suspect fraud and Sprint has been totally unhelpful regarding this. The bill is wrong and I am not paying it and I have told the whole world about this bad experience!

Business owner

Freehold, New Jersey

U.S.A.


13 Updates & Rebuttals

Pdr

Louisville,
Kentucky,
U.S.A.
You don't even know your plan!

#2Consumer Suggestion

Fri, November 28, 2008

Business owner, it's clear that you don't know what your plan is. Fair and Flexible doesn't charge .45 cents per minute. It moves to the next "tier" if you go over your minutes....usually it's 5 dollars for every 30 minutes you go over. And if you go over all the minutes in all the tiers, you pay .20 cents per minute. So, I'm sure you're wrong about a lot. You need to regroup and know exactly what your plan is so you won't go bad mouthing a company because you can't keep your records straight. You want Sprint to babysit your minutes and your usage, but, SORRY!!! You're not a baby anymore! Take care of your own business!


Tec59

Jacksonville,
Florida,
U.S.A.
NEXTEL NEXTEL/SPRINT

#3Consumer Suggestion

Wed, July 30, 2008

Business Owner, I don't understand a few things in your post but i have to tell you that I've been with nextel since 2003 and i have had no problems with them or the way they bill.I'm on the fair and flexible plan 450 minutes day time and unlimited nights and weekends plus direct connect for $39.95 a month + taxes.Also if you did go over your 450 minutes its then .45 cents per minute overage.Also you said the taxes were about $30.00 well its about right on a $200-$300 monthly bill. GOOD LUCK...


Tec59

Jacksonville,
Florida,
U.S.A.
NEXTEL NEXTEL/SPRINT

#4Consumer Suggestion

Wed, July 30, 2008

Business Owner, I don't understand a few things in your post but i have to tell you that I've been with nextel since 2003 and i have had no problems with them or the way they bill.I'm on the fair and flexible plan 450 minutes day time and unlimited nights and weekends plus direct connect for $39.95 a month + taxes.Also if you did go over your 450 minutes its then .45 cents per minute overage.Also you said the taxes were about $30.00 well its about right on a $200-$300 monthly bill. GOOD LUCK...


Everett

Batson,
Texas,
U.S.A.
response to your post

#5UPDATE EX-employee responds

Wed, July 30, 2008

Ok, Granted yes detailed billing is by request only and there is a $ 1.99 fee for that you mentioned that you switched your plan to the unlimited everything plan, if you did that in the middle of your billing cycle your minutes will be pro-rated and as well as your monthly charges plus one month in advance ...... but if you would like to get out of the contract without paying an early termination fee of 175.00 dollars btw this works for all wireless companies find an address that sprint * or our wireless carrier doesnt have coverage'' such as somewhere in rural america call the customer service department ''' let them know that you are moving and where your relocating sprint or whoever your with doesnt have coverage in that area and you would like to cancel they will ask you for that address and verify no coverage and cancel your service without regards to an EFT of 175.00 hope this information is helpful


Brandon

Saint Clair Shores,
Michigan,
U.S.A.
I've never had a single problem with sprint in 7 years!!

#6Consumer Comment

Tue, July 29, 2008

I've had sprint service for 7 years now, I have 2 phones with sprint and I have upgraded about 5 times between both of the phones, and I never had a single problem with anything. Their customer service has always been great to me. I never had a problem with my phone bill, never been overcharged for anything. If you have a problem just look at your bill and read it. It tells you your plan, minutes used, everything, it is actually very simple. I just don't believe that they would try to rip people off, this is a multi-million dollar phone company. I'm just a normal guy living in eastern michigan, never had a single problem or issue with sprint.


Steve

Bradenton,
Florida,
U.S.A.
Lets clarify a few things.

#7Consumer Comment

Sun, July 20, 2008

First of all, Sprint was NEVER Nextel. They were separate companies that merged through purchase. Second, I have been with Sprint for 4+ years now and have never had any problems, and I get a fully itemized bill which includes all calls made. I have the Fair and Flexible plan with 400 anytime minutes and unlimited free nights and weekends, nights start at 7pm. I have a very hard time believing your "story". It is clear that you simply did not know how many minutes you had on your plan. Common sense would tell you that you cannot get 800 minutes for $39 with a major national carrier. You said that your bill was around $39, which means your plan would have been less than $39 and taxes/surcharges would bring it up to $39. The BASE COST of my Sprint 400 minute plan is $39.99. I would hate to see how you run your "business" if you cant even keep track of your cell phone plan contract!


Tu Padre

SAN DIEGO CA,
California,
U.S.A.
SPRINT NEXTEL RIPOFF

#8Consumer Suggestion

Sun, July 20, 2008

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN THIS COMPANY WAS STILL NEXTEL, IF IN YOUR STATE THERE IS A CONSUMER COMISSION JUST LIKE IN CALIFORNIA THEY WILL GLADLY HELP YOU ALL THIS COMPANIES ARE SCARED WHEN YOU TELL THEM YOU WILL CALL THIS TYPE OF PUBLIC CONSUMER COMISSION AT ALL CAUSE THEY WANT TO AVOID THEM BECAUSE EVERY TIME A CASE IS FILED TOWARD THEM THEIR REPUTATION IS HURT NOT JUST WITH THE COMISSION BUT WITH THE PUBLIC IT SORT OF WORKS LIKE A CREDIT REPORT THE MORE COMPLAINTS THE LESS HELP THERE IS TO RIPOFF PEOPLE


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
UPDATE

#9Author of original report

Thu, July 10, 2008

Situation with Sprint is still unresolved. I never heard back from the rep who said that she would handle the disconnect. Someone else at Sprint emailed me asking for a. Your Sprint Phone Number b. The Name on the Account c. Your Mailing Address d. Your Email address on the account e. Billing Account Number. f. Balance due on the last invoice. g. Last four digits of SSN/Tax ID. as if the process is starting all over again and I am not going through the process all over again. I wrote back why do you not ask (gave her first and last name) why she has not gotten back to me. I emailed complaint that I wrote to the FCC to the US Attorney General's Office (I Googled Attorney General Washington DC to find it) with a copy to Sprint and I emailed it to the NJ Attorney General's Office as well and forwarded the NJ AG Office's automated response to Srprint. I now have a prepaid Trac Phone with 140 minutes for a total price under $50.00 that a friend got for me and set up. I keep the phone on me for emergencies or situations where I am going somewhere and have trouble finding the location. The minutes do not expire for 6 months and I can add more minutes at any time for only $20.00. Trac Phone is a much better way for me to control my cell phone bill -- no surpirse nightmare cell phone bills. I will never enter a cell phone contract again.


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Sprint Refusing to Cancel my Cell Phone

#10Author of original report

Wed, July 09, 2008

Please see my earlier Rip Off Report about Srint Nextel. Since filing that report, I got another bill that was $200 more this time a "double bill" from the change in service, plus an extra $30 that was explained as "sales tax." Sales tax in NJ is 7 %, so there is no way that 7 % of $99 is $30. I cannot be bothered with Sprint anymore. I spoke to a Rep in the "Cancelation Department" who told me to fax a document to her (for privacy issues, I am not going into the exact nature of the doucment and have chosen not to put her name here). She told me that it will take her a day to get the fax forwarded to her and to mark it to her attention. Amongst other things, the fax told Sprint to cancel my phone service immediately,. She gave me a "direct number" to reach her. I sent the fax on Thursday, July 3, 2008 and got a fax transmittal report. The next business day was Monday, July 7, 2008 and I did not hear anything from her. I called her today, but the direct number to her was wrong -- I got some guy. I called Sprint and asked for her and was told that they do not connect calls (what lousy customer service), but emailed her to call me "even though it is against company policy" - what a lousy anti-consumer plolicy. Hours went by and I did not hear back. I filed an FCC Complaint against Sprint stating that Sprint has refused to cancel my phone and I mentioned the full amount of disputed charges (although Sprint gave me a credit of over $100, I was told on a subsequent day that the credit was "temporary," so I cannot trust anything that they do). I have stopped paying the cell phone bill (this will surely get it disconnected like I want). Since June 24, I have still never received details of any of the phone calls allegedly made. This situation is unacceptable. Immediate cancelation is past due and I need a zero balance immediately.


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Sprint Refusing to Cancel my Cell Phone

#11Author of original report

Wed, July 09, 2008

Please see my earlier Rip Off Report about Srint Nextel. Since filing that report, I got another bill that was $200 more this time a "double bill" from the change in service, plus an extra $30 that was explained as "sales tax." Sales tax in NJ is 7 %, so there is no way that 7 % of $99 is $30. I cannot be bothered with Sprint anymore. I spoke to a Rep in the "Cancelation Department" who told me to fax a document to her (for privacy issues, I am not going into the exact nature of the doucment and have chosen not to put her name here). She told me that it will take her a day to get the fax forwarded to her and to mark it to her attention. Amongst other things, the fax told Sprint to cancel my phone service immediately,. She gave me a "direct number" to reach her. I sent the fax on Thursday, July 3, 2008 and got a fax transmittal report. The next business day was Monday, July 7, 2008 and I did not hear anything from her. I called her today, but the direct number to her was wrong -- I got some guy. I called Sprint and asked for her and was told that they do not connect calls (what lousy customer service), but emailed her to call me "even though it is against company policy" - what a lousy anti-consumer plolicy. Hours went by and I did not hear back. I filed an FCC Complaint against Sprint stating that Sprint has refused to cancel my phone and I mentioned the full amount of disputed charges (although Sprint gave me a credit of over $100, I was told on a subsequent day that the credit was "temporary," so I cannot trust anything that they do). I have stopped paying the cell phone bill (this will surely get it disconnected like I want). Since June 24, I have still never received details of any of the phone calls allegedly made. This situation is unacceptable. Immediate cancelation is past due and I need a zero balance immediately.


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Sprint Refusing to Cancel my Cell Phone

#12Author of original report

Wed, July 09, 2008

Please see my earlier Rip Off Report about Srint Nextel. Since filing that report, I got another bill that was $200 more this time a "double bill" from the change in service, plus an extra $30 that was explained as "sales tax." Sales tax in NJ is 7 %, so there is no way that 7 % of $99 is $30. I cannot be bothered with Sprint anymore. I spoke to a Rep in the "Cancelation Department" who told me to fax a document to her (for privacy issues, I am not going into the exact nature of the doucment and have chosen not to put her name here). She told me that it will take her a day to get the fax forwarded to her and to mark it to her attention. Amongst other things, the fax told Sprint to cancel my phone service immediately,. She gave me a "direct number" to reach her. I sent the fax on Thursday, July 3, 2008 and got a fax transmittal report. The next business day was Monday, July 7, 2008 and I did not hear anything from her. I called her today, but the direct number to her was wrong -- I got some guy. I called Sprint and asked for her and was told that they do not connect calls (what lousy customer service), but emailed her to call me "even though it is against company policy" - what a lousy anti-consumer plolicy. Hours went by and I did not hear back. I filed an FCC Complaint against Sprint stating that Sprint has refused to cancel my phone and I mentioned the full amount of disputed charges (although Sprint gave me a credit of over $100, I was told on a subsequent day that the credit was "temporary," so I cannot trust anything that they do). I have stopped paying the cell phone bill (this will surely get it disconnected like I want). Since June 24, I have still never received details of any of the phone calls allegedly made. This situation is unacceptable. Immediate cancelation is past due and I need a zero balance immediately.


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Sprint Refusing to Cancel my Cell Phone

#13Author of original report

Wed, July 09, 2008

Please see my earlier Rip Off Report about Srint Nextel. Since filing that report, I got another bill that was $200 more this time a "double bill" from the change in service, plus an extra $30 that was explained as "sales tax." Sales tax in NJ is 7 %, so there is no way that 7 % of $99 is $30. I cannot be bothered with Sprint anymore. I spoke to a Rep in the "Cancelation Department" who told me to fax a document to her (for privacy issues, I am not going into the exact nature of the doucment and have chosen not to put her name here). She told me that it will take her a day to get the fax forwarded to her and to mark it to her attention. Amongst other things, the fax told Sprint to cancel my phone service immediately,. She gave me a "direct number" to reach her. I sent the fax on Thursday, July 3, 2008 and got a fax transmittal report. The next business day was Monday, July 7, 2008 and I did not hear anything from her. I called her today, but the direct number to her was wrong -- I got some guy. I called Sprint and asked for her and was told that they do not connect calls (what lousy customer service), but emailed her to call me "even though it is against company policy" - what a lousy anti-consumer plolicy. Hours went by and I did not hear back. I filed an FCC Complaint against Sprint stating that Sprint has refused to cancel my phone and I mentioned the full amount of disputed charges (although Sprint gave me a credit of over $100, I was told on a subsequent day that the credit was "temporary," so I cannot trust anything that they do). I have stopped paying the cell phone bill (this will surely get it disconnected like I want). Since June 24, I have still never received details of any of the phone calls allegedly made. This situation is unacceptable. Immediate cancelation is past due and I need a zero balance immediately.


Business owner

Freehold,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Sprint Nextel Has Tried to Rip Me Off A Second Time in a Row!

#14Author of original report

Tue, June 24, 2008

This is an additional complaint due to new information. Last night, I just opened a new bill from Sprint with "Bill Date June 14, 2008" that is for $451.95 -- this is while I am in the Simply Everything Plan that is set at $99 with unlimited minutes. Again, this bill has about $200 extra dollars in it that should not be there. And again, there are no numbers allegedly called with the alleged minutes provided in the bill. The amount I am disputing is $370.00. I no longer want the phone service and simply want a zero balance. I was on the phone yesterday with them over 45 minutes and then at night, again, for a long time and I do not have time to keep talking to them. At this point, I want to cancel the service and have a zero balance without further discussion and I plan to never have a cell phone contract with anyone again. This and the other complaint were sent to the NJ Attorney General's Office.

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