- Report: #198756
Complaint Review: Sprint PCS - Overland Park Kansas
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Sprint PCS
6200 Sprint Pkwy Overland Park, 66251 Kansas, U.S.A.
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Sprint PCS ripoff dissatisfied unappreciated and abused Overland Park Kansas
*Consumer Suggestion: Spending limit
*Author of original report: what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
*Author of original report: what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
*Author of original report: what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
*Author of original report: what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
*Consumer Suggestion: Advice on Sprint spending limits...
*Consumer Suggestion: Advice on Sprint spending limits...
*Consumer Suggestion: Advice on Sprint spending limits...
*Consumer Suggestion: Advice on Sprint spending limits...
Below is my complaint letter that I have sent to Sprint.
Dear Mr. Forsee,
As of May 17th, 2006 I am no longer a Sprint customer after having Sprint service for almost 4 years. Over the duration of my Sprint service I have encountered numerous problems and in May of this year I reached my breaking point and switched to Cingular Wireless.
This first problem I encountered with Sprint was the spending limit. A few times I had exceeded my spending limit and my service was temporarily disconnected. I do not blame Sprint for exceeding my spending limit. However I was upset after I called customer service to raise my spending limit and was told that my spending limit could never be increased. The CSR told me that your spending limit is determined when your account is opened and that it can never be changed. One solution I came up with was to increase my plan so that I would not go over my minutes, which would, intern prevents me from exceeding the spending limit. It is sad to say that I had to think of this on my own with no help or solutions offered by Sprint employees when presented with my dilemma.
Secondly after switching plans the problem of exceeding my spending limit was practically resolved. A new pesky problem arose. I began receiving text messages at 2, 3, & 4 a.m. notifying me that I was close to my spending limit. I was furious at being awaken in the middle of the night by a ridiculous text message. Finally I began shutting off my phone at night so I would not be disturbed.
Thirdly I have been being billed for Internet downloads on my 904-386-XXXX line that I did not purchase. My account is suppose to be password protected against unauthorized downloads but they keep appearing on my bill. I called customer service and received a credit but I see they have appeared again on my May-June bill when I was crystal clear with the CSR there was to be absolutely no downloads authorized ever! Additionally, I was continually billed for insurance after I had requested it to be removed. After the third phone call to customer service it was finally removed but I was only given a partial credit. The reason for canceling the insurance and nights & weekends at 7, was to cut out any unnecessary spending. Because again I was going over my spending limit by $1.00 and my service was suspended. Still to this day I do not know why the spending limit was exceeded. I never even came close to using even half of my 3500 minutes.
The few times when I exceeded my spending limit or were late with a payment my calls would get forwarded to collections. The people working in collections cannot speak English in an enunciated understandable manner. Communication with people whose English is so poor is extremely difficult and frustrating. They cannot provide adequate customer service when lacking the basic skill of speaking proper English to a market of English speaking consumers.
In the beginning of May 2006 my 46-year-old mother was killed in a car accident. At the time when I got the phone call all I knew was that my mother was in a car accident and the hospital would not release any other information to me over the phone. Since my residence is in Georgia and the accident happened in Alabama I had to travel to the hospital in Anniston, Alabama. I would be traveling late at night and needed to have my cell phone. Earlier that evening my service had been interrupted because I exceeded my spending limit. I used the automated system to do a check by phone but in my haste and emotion of the moment I used the wrong Wachovia account. Several days later after my mother's funeral and my service being interrupted again I realized the mistake I made. I quickly went down to the Sprint store and deposited cash into the payment machine. The May-June charges were posted to my account with an additional $20 reconnect fee, which again put me over the spending limit. By this point I am sick and tired of the hassle I have to keep going through with Sprint even after my vigilant efforts to prevent this from reoccurring.
All the years I have had service with Sprint I never had to pay a reconnect fee. By no means have I made a complete listing of all the problems I have ever encountered with Sprint. At this point in time I have realized that the product and services that I pay for from Sprint are inadequate and substandard.
According to the CTIA Wireless Association that Sprint belongs to. Sprint is listed as one of the companies that have voluntarily adopted the consumer code for wireless service. Listed in that code it states under item seven that Sprint will provide customers the right to terminate service for changes to contract terms without an early termination fee. Carriers will not modify the material terms of their subscribers' contracts in a manner that is materially adverse to subscribers without providing a reasonable advance notice of a proposed modification and allowing subscribers a time period of not less than 14 days to cancel their contracts with no early termination fee. Taken from http://www.ctia.org/wireless_consumers/consumer_code/index.cfm. Sprint's changes in adding the reconnection fee are materially adverse to me and this is why I terminated my contract and service with Sprint. However Sprint's cancellations department has seen fit to add two charges of $150. Also I am being billed for a whole month of service and according to cancellations I have to pay it because I terminated 7 days into the billing cycle. I will pay a prorated portion for the 7 days I had service but not a whole month.
I have already made an attempt to resolve this through customer service and the cancellations departments. The only thing that was offered to me was a failed attempt to trap me in another two-year contract with the bait of a free phone by mail. As I reflect on my whole experience as a Sprint customer it has left me feeling dissatisfied, unappreciated and abused. I know first hand that my good money never bought me anything but problems with Sprint. Customer Service is nothing more than a magical illusion created by smoke and mirrors.
Now, to bring to a conclusion forever my dealings with Sprint, the only thing I will pay is the prorated amount for the seven days of service and applicable taxes. Please make the necessary changes and send me the adjusted final bill.
*Here is some helpful information:
Sprint Executives:
Gary Forsee CEO
Len Lauer COO
Timothy E. Kelly, President, Consumer Solutions
Sprint PCS
6200 Sprint Pkwy
Overland Park, KS 66251
Shannon Nix
Coordinator, Consumer Affairs
CTIA - The Wireless Association
1400 16th Street, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
BBB of Greater Kansas City
8080 Ward Parkway, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64114
Heather
Phenix City, Alabama
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Sprint
Dear Mr. Forsee,
As of May 17th, 2006 I am no longer a Sprint customer after having Sprint service for almost 4 years. Over the duration of my Sprint service I have encountered numerous problems and in May of this year I reached my breaking point and switched to Cingular Wireless.
This first problem I encountered with Sprint was the spending limit. A few times I had exceeded my spending limit and my service was temporarily disconnected. I do not blame Sprint for exceeding my spending limit. However I was upset after I called customer service to raise my spending limit and was told that my spending limit could never be increased. The CSR told me that your spending limit is determined when your account is opened and that it can never be changed. One solution I came up with was to increase my plan so that I would not go over my minutes, which would, intern prevents me from exceeding the spending limit. It is sad to say that I had to think of this on my own with no help or solutions offered by Sprint employees when presented with my dilemma.
Secondly after switching plans the problem of exceeding my spending limit was practically resolved. A new pesky problem arose. I began receiving text messages at 2, 3, & 4 a.m. notifying me that I was close to my spending limit. I was furious at being awaken in the middle of the night by a ridiculous text message. Finally I began shutting off my phone at night so I would not be disturbed.
Thirdly I have been being billed for Internet downloads on my 904-386-XXXX line that I did not purchase. My account is suppose to be password protected against unauthorized downloads but they keep appearing on my bill. I called customer service and received a credit but I see they have appeared again on my May-June bill when I was crystal clear with the CSR there was to be absolutely no downloads authorized ever! Additionally, I was continually billed for insurance after I had requested it to be removed. After the third phone call to customer service it was finally removed but I was only given a partial credit. The reason for canceling the insurance and nights & weekends at 7, was to cut out any unnecessary spending. Because again I was going over my spending limit by $1.00 and my service was suspended. Still to this day I do not know why the spending limit was exceeded. I never even came close to using even half of my 3500 minutes.
The few times when I exceeded my spending limit or were late with a payment my calls would get forwarded to collections. The people working in collections cannot speak English in an enunciated understandable manner. Communication with people whose English is so poor is extremely difficult and frustrating. They cannot provide adequate customer service when lacking the basic skill of speaking proper English to a market of English speaking consumers.
In the beginning of May 2006 my 46-year-old mother was killed in a car accident. At the time when I got the phone call all I knew was that my mother was in a car accident and the hospital would not release any other information to me over the phone. Since my residence is in Georgia and the accident happened in Alabama I had to travel to the hospital in Anniston, Alabama. I would be traveling late at night and needed to have my cell phone. Earlier that evening my service had been interrupted because I exceeded my spending limit. I used the automated system to do a check by phone but in my haste and emotion of the moment I used the wrong Wachovia account. Several days later after my mother's funeral and my service being interrupted again I realized the mistake I made. I quickly went down to the Sprint store and deposited cash into the payment machine. The May-June charges were posted to my account with an additional $20 reconnect fee, which again put me over the spending limit. By this point I am sick and tired of the hassle I have to keep going through with Sprint even after my vigilant efforts to prevent this from reoccurring.
All the years I have had service with Sprint I never had to pay a reconnect fee. By no means have I made a complete listing of all the problems I have ever encountered with Sprint. At this point in time I have realized that the product and services that I pay for from Sprint are inadequate and substandard.
According to the CTIA Wireless Association that Sprint belongs to. Sprint is listed as one of the companies that have voluntarily adopted the consumer code for wireless service. Listed in that code it states under item seven that Sprint will provide customers the right to terminate service for changes to contract terms without an early termination fee. Carriers will not modify the material terms of their subscribers' contracts in a manner that is materially adverse to subscribers without providing a reasonable advance notice of a proposed modification and allowing subscribers a time period of not less than 14 days to cancel their contracts with no early termination fee. Taken from http://www.ctia.org/wireless_consumers/consumer_code/index.cfm. Sprint's changes in adding the reconnection fee are materially adverse to me and this is why I terminated my contract and service with Sprint. However Sprint's cancellations department has seen fit to add two charges of $150. Also I am being billed for a whole month of service and according to cancellations I have to pay it because I terminated 7 days into the billing cycle. I will pay a prorated portion for the 7 days I had service but not a whole month.
I have already made an attempt to resolve this through customer service and the cancellations departments. The only thing that was offered to me was a failed attempt to trap me in another two-year contract with the bait of a free phone by mail. As I reflect on my whole experience as a Sprint customer it has left me feeling dissatisfied, unappreciated and abused. I know first hand that my good money never bought me anything but problems with Sprint. Customer Service is nothing more than a magical illusion created by smoke and mirrors.
Now, to bring to a conclusion forever my dealings with Sprint, the only thing I will pay is the prorated amount for the seven days of service and applicable taxes. Please make the necessary changes and send me the adjusted final bill.
*Here is some helpful information:
Sprint Executives:
Gary Forsee CEO
Len Lauer COO
Timothy E. Kelly, President, Consumer Solutions
Sprint PCS
6200 Sprint Pkwy
Overland Park, KS 66251
Shannon Nix
Coordinator, Consumer Affairs
CTIA - The Wireless Association
1400 16th Street, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
BBB of Greater Kansas City
8080 Ward Parkway, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64114
Heather
Phenix City, Alabama
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Sprint
9 Updates & Rebuttals
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Advice on Sprint spending limits...
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 11, 2006
There are several ways to avoid disconnection due to the Srint spending limit. 1. Post a deposit of an amount greater than the spending limit you desire. They will hold this for the first year and then you get it back. 2. Use online banking. Send periodic payments throughout the month BEFORE your due date. This is the best solution. 3. Pay your bill EARLY in full, or prepay 1 months service. The spending limit is generally only a problem for those people who pay at the last minute, or late. Now you have old charges on top of new charges, as your payment has not been posted yet. This is when you get disconnected. And, the rep was wrong. Sprint spending limits do change. They are done with automated periodic account reviews. If you pay your bill on/after the due date all the time, your spending limit will never change.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Advice on Sprint spending limits...
#3Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 11, 2006
There are several ways to avoid disconnection due to the Srint spending limit. 1. Post a deposit of an amount greater than the spending limit you desire. They will hold this for the first year and then you get it back. 2. Use online banking. Send periodic payments throughout the month BEFORE your due date. This is the best solution. 3. Pay your bill EARLY in full, or prepay 1 months service. The spending limit is generally only a problem for those people who pay at the last minute, or late. Now you have old charges on top of new charges, as your payment has not been posted yet. This is when you get disconnected. And, the rep was wrong. Sprint spending limits do change. They are done with automated periodic account reviews. If you pay your bill on/after the due date all the time, your spending limit will never change.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Advice on Sprint spending limits...
#4Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 11, 2006
There are several ways to avoid disconnection due to the Srint spending limit. 1. Post a deposit of an amount greater than the spending limit you desire. They will hold this for the first year and then you get it back. 2. Use online banking. Send periodic payments throughout the month BEFORE your due date. This is the best solution. 3. Pay your bill EARLY in full, or prepay 1 months service. The spending limit is generally only a problem for those people who pay at the last minute, or late. Now you have old charges on top of new charges, as your payment has not been posted yet. This is when you get disconnected. And, the rep was wrong. Sprint spending limits do change. They are done with automated periodic account reviews. If you pay your bill on/after the due date all the time, your spending limit will never change.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Advice on Sprint spending limits...
#5Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 11, 2006
There are several ways to avoid disconnection due to the Srint spending limit. 1. Post a deposit of an amount greater than the spending limit you desire. They will hold this for the first year and then you get it back. 2. Use online banking. Send periodic payments throughout the month BEFORE your due date. This is the best solution. 3. Pay your bill EARLY in full, or prepay 1 months service. The spending limit is generally only a problem for those people who pay at the last minute, or late. Now you have old charges on top of new charges, as your payment has not been posted yet. This is when you get disconnected. And, the rep was wrong. Sprint spending limits do change. They are done with automated periodic account reviews. If you pay your bill on/after the due date all the time, your spending limit will never change.
Heather
Phenix City,Alabama,
U.S.A.
what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
#6Author of original report
Tue, July 11, 2006
Below is the response to my BBB complaint: According to the information provided, Ms. Heather stated that she requested to cancel her service; however, she was displeased that her May 17, 2006, service charge will not be prorated. In addition, she has requested that we waive the cancellation fees. I regret any frustration this may have caused Ms. Heather. We advertise and provide service in monthly increments. If services are terminated before the end of a consumer's billing cycle, we do not prorate monthly service charges, nor do we provide refunds or credits for any unused minutes in their service plan. We regret that this may not have been explained to her; however, this information is provided in our Terms and Conditions of Services. To demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction, we applied a $100.53 credit to her account to negate the service charges incurred after the last date of usage. Additionally, I waived the cancellation fees. As a result, her account is in final status with a remaining balance of $136.81, If we may be of further assistance with this matter, you can reach us by calling the Executive & Regulatory Services Department toll-free at 1-877-875-7505. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time. Sincerely, Stephanie Amick Executive Services Analyst Ms. Amick personally contacted me to resolve my complaint and she was very polite, and professional. Since my phone call with her I was also contacted by Sprint's legal department to make sure everything was resolved. Thirdly I was contacted by Sprint's survey department to ask if I was satisfied. All I have to say now is that what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along.
Heather
Phenix City,Alabama,
U.S.A.
what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
#7Author of original report
Tue, July 11, 2006
Below is the response to my BBB complaint: According to the information provided, Ms. Heather stated that she requested to cancel her service; however, she was displeased that her May 17, 2006, service charge will not be prorated. In addition, she has requested that we waive the cancellation fees. I regret any frustration this may have caused Ms. Heather. We advertise and provide service in monthly increments. If services are terminated before the end of a consumer's billing cycle, we do not prorate monthly service charges, nor do we provide refunds or credits for any unused minutes in their service plan. We regret that this may not have been explained to her; however, this information is provided in our Terms and Conditions of Services. To demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction, we applied a $100.53 credit to her account to negate the service charges incurred after the last date of usage. Additionally, I waived the cancellation fees. As a result, her account is in final status with a remaining balance of $136.81, If we may be of further assistance with this matter, you can reach us by calling the Executive & Regulatory Services Department toll-free at 1-877-875-7505. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time. Sincerely, Stephanie Amick Executive Services Analyst Ms. Amick personally contacted me to resolve my complaint and she was very polite, and professional. Since my phone call with her I was also contacted by Sprint's legal department to make sure everything was resolved. Thirdly I was contacted by Sprint's survey department to ask if I was satisfied. All I have to say now is that what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along.
Heather
Phenix City,Alabama,
U.S.A.
what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
#8Author of original report
Tue, July 11, 2006
Below is the response to my BBB complaint: According to the information provided, Ms. Heather stated that she requested to cancel her service; however, she was displeased that her May 17, 2006, service charge will not be prorated. In addition, she has requested that we waive the cancellation fees. I regret any frustration this may have caused Ms. Heather. We advertise and provide service in monthly increments. If services are terminated before the end of a consumer's billing cycle, we do not prorate monthly service charges, nor do we provide refunds or credits for any unused minutes in their service plan. We regret that this may not have been explained to her; however, this information is provided in our Terms and Conditions of Services. To demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction, we applied a $100.53 credit to her account to negate the service charges incurred after the last date of usage. Additionally, I waived the cancellation fees. As a result, her account is in final status with a remaining balance of $136.81, If we may be of further assistance with this matter, you can reach us by calling the Executive & Regulatory Services Department toll-free at 1-877-875-7505. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time. Sincerely, Stephanie Amick Executive Services Analyst Ms. Amick personally contacted me to resolve my complaint and she was very polite, and professional. Since my phone call with her I was also contacted by Sprint's legal department to make sure everything was resolved. Thirdly I was contacted by Sprint's survey department to ask if I was satisfied. All I have to say now is that what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along.
Heather
Phenix City,Alabama,
U.S.A.
what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along
#9Author of original report
Tue, July 11, 2006
Below is the response to my BBB complaint: According to the information provided, Ms. Heather stated that she requested to cancel her service; however, she was displeased that her May 17, 2006, service charge will not be prorated. In addition, she has requested that we waive the cancellation fees. I regret any frustration this may have caused Ms. Heather. We advertise and provide service in monthly increments. If services are terminated before the end of a consumer's billing cycle, we do not prorate monthly service charges, nor do we provide refunds or credits for any unused minutes in their service plan. We regret that this may not have been explained to her; however, this information is provided in our Terms and Conditions of Services. To demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction, we applied a $100.53 credit to her account to negate the service charges incurred after the last date of usage. Additionally, I waived the cancellation fees. As a result, her account is in final status with a remaining balance of $136.81, If we may be of further assistance with this matter, you can reach us by calling the Executive & Regulatory Services Department toll-free at 1-877-875-7505. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time. Sincerely, Stephanie Amick Executive Services Analyst Ms. Amick personally contacted me to resolve my complaint and she was very polite, and professional. Since my phone call with her I was also contacted by Sprint's legal department to make sure everything was resolved. Thirdly I was contacted by Sprint's survey department to ask if I was satisfied. All I have to say now is that what a crying shame it is when a customer has to go to such great lengths to get a certain level of service that should have been in place all along.
Don
Belleville,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Spending limit
#10Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 30, 2006
I used to work for T-Mobile which is a company that also uses the spending limit on certain account types. They call is Smart Access, and it is generally given to people with the lowest credit scores that qualified for a post-paid account. Once the customer completed a 1 year term, with no more than 1 suspension for non-payment, they can get off that. It seems silly to think that the spending limit with Sprint does not change as your credit score goes up. In terms of the reconnect fee, T-Mobile does not charge it if your account is suspended for going over the spending limit, but does charge it if the account is shut off for non-payment. By chances is that what happened?
