SPRINT CUSTOMER SERVICE BLUES
DAY 1-1/02/08: I had decided that it was time for me to get out of the 'dark ages' and purchase newer (better) high technology phones with the camera and web/email access. I had a been a satisfied Nextel customer for years and upon searching the Internet, I had found phones for myself, husband and son. The M300 Samsung were 'free' w/plan and since it was the holidays it was agreed that we would get a more fancier Katana DLX by Sanyo phone for our son as his belated Christmas present. It had an web special price on it along with a $100.00 mail in rebate!
So, upon calling in my order via toll free number. It was found that the phones I was interested in purchasing did not have the "walkie-talkie" Direct Connect features. And since I was a Nextel Customer, all I needed to do was to have my Nextel Account transferred into a Sprint PCS account which was all nicely arranged and done. I got an email confirmation order sent to me and the phones were in within the next business day! Wow! What services huh? Wasn't that easy enough to do? READ ON.
DAY 2-1/03/08: Phones come in! Here you go everybody...charge them up! Read the instruction manual, take pictures and just basically play with it a little to get familiarize with it. And tomorrow when I get home from work I'll get them activated and working! Yippee! Nice phones! Camera, web, email! Wow!
DAY 3-1/04/08: 6:00pm I call the Sprint Toll Free number to get the phones activated. Remember now...I have "3" phones. Which means "3" numbers will need to be transferred from the Nextel to the Sprint PCS account.
Caller was kind courteous. I was placed on hold several times because they had found that I was Nextel customer and I needed to have the account transferred into a Sprint PCS account. HUH? I thought I already had that done when I ordered the phones? Oh, well...let's do it then...We then go through all three phones and the cell phone numbers that are to go with each phone. I was told that I will have to wait "4" hours before we can use the phones. So I look at the clock and it's after 6:30pm. Okay...I told my son & husband we have to wait "4" hours to use it.
4 HOURS PASS: So, I try calling my husband's cell phone number and I get a message about not having access or authorization to this number and something about the something & I hang up. The call didn't go through. I call the Sprint Toll Free number again. Come to find out....the representative didn't show that I had an existing Sprint PCS Account and that I was still showing that I was a NEXTEL customer. So, once again...I'm placed on hold, transferred, placed on hold...we then go through ALL THREE PHONES TO GET THEM ACTIVATED READING OFF THE LONG-LONG NUMBER ON THE BACK BEHIND THE BATTERY. And then I'm told again that I have to wait "4" more hours before I can use the phones....By that time after the 4-hours it will be way pass midnight and I was exhausted and going to bed! Before dozing off, I think to myself how great it will be to FINALLY be able to use our NEW CELL PHONES!
DAY 4-1/05/08: I wake up, grab my cell phone and dial our home telephone number. It rings! It works! But after a few checking in voicemail and calling the number on the other two cell phones. I found out that my M300 had been assigned my husband's cell phone number! And the other phones had not been activated! So, again...I look up the Sprint Toll Free number to call them. I get a really cheery and courteous young man. He spoke clearly, I understood him, and he understood me. He found out that the account had not been transferred from the Nextel account into a Sprint PCS account. He managed to straighten that out. Then we corrected my phone and got that to work. He then very accurately and efficiently got my husband's M300 and number activated. My son's Katana DLX took a little longer to activate but he successfully got that activated! All the frustration in the past days of being placed on hold for minutes and the hours of waiting and then calling again to be placed on hold and transferred was FINALLY over! But we have to wait "2" to "4" hours to use our phones...
I found out later on Day 3 that my son's Katana DLX the ear piece was defective. He has to place his callers on speaker to be able to hear them! We turned up the volume and I checked through the instructions. We were doing every thing correctly...and still we couldn't hear the caller on the other end unless they were placed on speaker!
DAY 3 continued...Katana DLX saga: I call the SPRINT PCS Toll Free number...like I should have the number memorized right? NOT! Believe me...this is one number I DO NOT WANT TO REMEMBER! I tell the rep about the Katana DLX earpiece. She has me go through the prompts, turn the volume up...nothing...Then she has me turn it off and on. Nothing. Then she has me hang up and told me that she was going to call me back. She does. Nothing. So her advice to me was to go to the nearest SPRINT store to repair or have it replaced. She graciously offers her assistance in helping me to find the closest SPRINT retail store or provider after I give her my zip code. She directs me to ROE-Comm Inc. located at 2932 Niles Avenue in St Joseph, Michigan 49085. I hang up to look up the number so that I could find out what time they close and where exactly they are located. I get that info, box up the phone and tell my son to get in the car. We drive approximately 25 miles to ROE-Comm Inc to find that they do not take trade ins for replacement especially since the phone was ordered online directly through SPRINT. I will need to contact the TOLL FREE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER to have them send me a NEW KATANA DLX PHONE. THIS WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE!
So, I get home....I call the SPRINT TOLL FREE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER. I explain what I'm calling about. The defective ear piece on the Katana DLX. They tell me that I have to take the phone to the nearest Sprint Store or retail Sprint provider. I told them NO. I already did that and told them that I have to get the phone replaced through them. They place me on hold several times...transfers me several times...each time I get someone I have to repeat myself. FINALLY...I get TO THE RIGHT PERSON. The phone is ordered...BUT he needs to put me on HOLD to get authorization for OVERNIGHT SHIPPING. I wait for several minutes...maybe 10 minutes....then I GET DISCONNECTED. I call the TOLL FREE NUMBER AGAIN. And get placed on hold, transferred and again, explaining myself about what happened only to get DISCONNECTED AFTER BEING PLACED ON HOLD. Then I call the TOLL FREE NUMBER AGAIN, PLACED ON HOLD/TRANSFERRED, EXPLAINING MYSELF TO "5" different customer reps when I am placed on hold again and this time, I hang up before getting disconnected. I'm exhausted. I'm stressed. I'M JUST BASICALLY OVERALL FRUSTRATED OVER THE WHOLE THING. I've been repeating myself and the problem for an unknown amount of times and this time I'm tired. My weekend was wasted...all I wanted was to get the defected phone replaced...
DAY 5-1/06/08: REST. DON'T WANT THE HASSLE or DISTRESS. NEEDED TO TAKE A DAY OFF TO COOL DOWN.
DAY 6-1/07/08: ATTEMPT TO REORDER NEW KATANA DLX: It's lunch time at work and I go into one the empty offices to use the phone and CALL THE SPRINT TOLL FREE NUMBER. I explain my weekend dilemma and the frustration and problems. They process the order. Then I was asked if I wanted to have a bubble package kit sent to me? I told her yes since I didn't have anything to place the defective KATANA DLX in. She orders my son's new Katana DLX in silver color. Transfers me to another person so that I could get the bubble package kit ordered. Everything is fine...I'm sort of...okay. But worried that I may have more problems.
1/08/08 TO 1/12/08 FIVE-DAYS PASS, NO KATANA DLX. BUT THE BUBBLE PACKAGE KIT CAME IN!!!
1/12/08: I called the TOLL FREE NUMBER to let them know that I got the Bubble Package Kit but no REPLACEMENT KATANA DLX PHONE. She places me on hold and then comes back to say that she found that the bubble kit order was placed but no KATANA DLX. She then told me that the people in that department only work Monday through Fridays and since this is a Saturday I will need to call back on Monday. She then promised me that she will PERSONALLY call me ON MONDAY 1/14/08 to process the replacement order for my son's Katana DLX. I told her..."okay" and hung up.
I HATE MONDAYS
1/14/08: NO CALL FROM REP WHO "PROMISED" SHE WOULD PERSONALLY CALL ME AND HELP GET THE KATANA DLX ORDERED.
1/15/08 TO 1/16/08: DECIDED TO WAIT AND SEE IF I WOULD GET A CALL. NO CALL.
1/17/08: Searched on Internet related or similar complaints and/or existing law suits against Sprint PCS. Located Cory from Texas on Rippoff Report Website. Signed on as new customer and filed report.
Iris
Sawyer, Michigan
U.S.A.
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